Category: Staff Picks

Better Living Through Birding by Chrisitan Cooper

- Beth Leave a comment

In Better Living Through Birding, Christian Cooper uses his platform from the infamous “Central Park birdwatching incident” to shift focus on the joys of living life outside of stereotypes. 

In May 2020, Christian Cooper recorded a confrontation between himself and a white woman in New York’s Central Park where he asked her to leash her dog and she made a false police report saying he threatened her. The video went viral, partly because it happened around the same time George Floyd was murdered in Minneapolis. “The Incident” became part of a larger conversation about institutional racism. Details are covered in one chapter of this memoir. Cooper acknowledges a handful of times that “The Incident” is probably the reason you are reading the book, but Cooper uses the notoriety of “The Incident” to invite you into a much larger and more fulfilling part of his life: birdwatching.

It was no accident that Cooper was in Central Park that day. This wasn’t a “I need to get out of the house” Covid walk. This day was one among a string a days that Cooper had spent enjoying peak bird migration through the area. Cooper is a dedicated birdwatcher who has traveled the world for his hobby but calls New York home. He has built a community of friends with others who can identify sparrows, warblers, and finches by their song.

There are some other things you should know about Cooper. He has been a nerd since childhood, with Star Trek and Marvel comics being two of his obsessions. He attended Harvard and in the book describes how he came out to his dormmates and then became a gay activist. Protesting and being arrested are part of his activist journey. His relationship with his parents, especially his father, is complicated. He worked for Marvel and wrote the first lesbian character.

Through it all, even in his childhood, has been birding. He wants the readers of his book to be just as excited about being outdoors as he is. In spaces where he has been an outsider, he invites you to be part of the community, to find joy in spotting a bird under the cover of foliage or being able to identify it by its call.

While I listened to this audiobook, and there were a few bird calls between chapters that were a nice touch, I don’t think the audiobook experience is a must. As of the publication of this blog post, Better Living Through Birding by Chrisitan Cooper is available in regular print, large print and eAudiobook on Bridges through the Libby app.

And if Christian Cooper’s memoir inspires you to take up birding, remember the Davenport Public Library has many resources to get you started, including field guides and birding backpacks with all the tools you need.

July’s Bestsellers Club Fiction and Nonfiction Picks

- Stephanie Leave a comment

It’s a new quarter and that means new fiction and nonfiction picks have been selected for you courtesy of Bestsellers Club! Four fiction picks are available for you to choose from: diverse debuts, graphic novel, historical fiction, and international fiction. Four nonfiction picks are available for you to choose from: biographies, cookbooks, social justice, and true crime. Our fiction and nonfiction picks are chosen quarterly and are available in regular print only. If you would like to update your selections or are a new patron who wants to receive picks from any of those four categories, sign up for Bestsellers Club through our website!

Bestsellers Club is a service that automatically places you on hold for authors, celebrity picks, nonfiction picks, and fiction picks. Choose any author, celebrity pick, fiction pick, and/or nonfiction pick and The Library will put the latest title on hold for you automatically. Select as many as you want! Still have questions? Click here for a list of FAQs.

Below you will find information provided by the publishers and authors on the titles we have selected for January from the following categories in fiction: diverse debuts, graphic novel, historical fiction, and international fiction and the following categories in nonfiction: biographies, cookbooks, social justice, and true crime.

Acronym definitions
BIPOC: Black, Indigenous, and people of color.
LGBTQ+: Lesbian, gay, transgender, queer, and more.

FICTION PICKS

Diverse Debuts:

Diverse Debuts: Debut fiction novel by a BIPOC author, LGBTQ+ author or an author from another marginalized community.

Woodworking by Emily St. James

An unforgettable and heartwarming book-club debut following a trans high school teacher from a small town in South Dakota who befriends the only other trans woman she knows: one of her students.

Erica Skyberg is thirty-five years old, recently divorced–and trans. Not that she’s told anyone yet. Mitchell, South Dakota, isn’t exactly bursting with other trans women. Instead, she keeps to herself, teaching by day and directing community theater by night. That is, until Abigail Hawkes enters her orbit.

Abigail is seventeen, Mitchell High’s resident political dissident and Only Trans Girl. It’s a role she plays faultlessly, albeit a little reluctantly. She’s also annoyed by the idea of spending her senior year secretly guiding her English teacher through her transition. But Abigail remembers the uncertainty–and loneliness–that comes with it. Besides, Erica isn’t the only one struggling to shed the weight of others’ expectations.

As their unlikely friendship evolves, it comes under the scrutiny of their community. And soon, both women–and those closest to them–are forced to ask: Who are we if we choose to hide ourselves? What happens once we disappear into the woodwork

Detransition Baby meets Fleishman is in Trouble in this remarkable debut novel from an incisive contemporary voice. A story about the awkwardness of growing up and the greatest love story of all, that between us and our friends, Woodworking is a tonic for the moment and a celebration of womanhood in all its multifaceted joy. – Zando – Crooked Media Reads

Graphic Novel:

Graphic Novel: Fiction novel for adults of any subgenre with diverse characters depicted by color illustrations, sketches, and photographs.

Feeding Ghosts: A Graphic Memoir by Tessa Hulls

An astonishing, deeply moving graphic memoir about three generations of Chinese women, exploring love, grief, exile, and identity.

In her acclaimed graphic memoir debut, Tessa Hulls traces the reverberations of Chinese history across three generations of women in her family. Tessa’s grandmother, Sun Yi, was a Shanghai journalist swept up by the turmoil of the 1949 Communist victory. After fleeing to Hong Kong, she wrote a bestselling memoir about her persecution and survival—then promptly had a mental breakdown from which she never recovered.

Growing up with Sun Yi, Tessa watches both her mother and grandmother struggle beneath the weight of unexamined trauma and mental illness, and bolts to the most remote corners of the globe. But once she turns thirty, roaming begins to feel less like freedom and more like running away. Feeding Ghosts is Tessa’s homecoming, a vivid, heartbreaking journey into history that exposes the fear and trauma that haunt generations, andthe love that holds them together. – MCD

Historical Fiction:

Historical Fiction: Historical fiction novel written by a BIPOC author, LGBTQ+ author or an author from another marginalized community, with main character(s) from a marginalized community.

The Devil Three Times by Rickey Fayne

Yetunde awakens aboard a slave ship en route to the United States with the spirit of her dead sister as her only companion. Desperate to survive the hell that awaits her at their destination, Yetunde finds help in an unexpected form—the Devil himself. The Devil, seeking a way to reenter the pearly gates of heaven, decides to prove himself to an indifferent God by protecting Yetunde and granting her a piece of his supernatural power. In return, Yetunde makes an incredible sacrifice.

Their bargain extends far beyond Yetunde’s mortal lifespan. Over the next 175 years, the Devil visits Yetunde’s descendants in their darkest hour of need: Lucille, a conjure woman; Asa, who passes for white; Louis and Virgil, who risk becoming a twentieth-century Cain and Abel; Cassandra, who speaks to the dead; James, who struggles to make sense of the past while fighting to keep his family together; and many others. The Devil offers each of them his own version of salvation, all the while wondering: can he save himself, too?

Steeped in the spiritual traditions and oral history of the Black diaspora, The Devil Three Times is a baptism by fire and water, heralding a new voice in American fiction. – Little, Brown and Company

International Fiction:

International Fiction: Fiction novel originally written in another language with main character(s) from marginalized communities.

Taiwan Travelogue by Yáng Shuāng-zǐ ; translated from the Mandarin Chinese by Lin King.

May 1938. The young novelist Aoyama Chizuko has sailed from her home in Nagasaki, Japan, and arrived in Taiwan. She’s been invited there by the Japanese government ruling the island, though she has no interest in their official banquets or imperialist agenda. Instead, Chizuko longs to experience real island life and to taste as much of its authentic cuisine as her famously monstrous appetite can bear.

Soon a Taiwanese woman—who is younger even than she is, and who shares the characters of her name—is hired as her interpreter and makes her dreams come true. The charming, erudite, meticulous Chizuru arranges Chizuko’s travels all over the Land of the South and also proves to be an exceptional cook. Over scenic train rides and braised pork rice, lively banter and winter melon tea, Chizuko grows infatuated with her companion and intent on drawing her closer. But something causes Chizuru to keep her distance. It’s only after a heartbreaking separation that Chizuko begins to grasp what the “something” is.

Disguised as a translation of a rediscovered text by a Japanese writer, this novel was a sensation on its first publication in Mandarin Chinese in 2020 and won Taiwan’s highest literary honor, the Golden Tripod Award. Taiwan Travelogue unburies lost colonial histories and deftly reveals how power dynamics inflect our most intimate relationships.  – Graywolf Press

NONFICTION PICKS

Biography pick

Queen of All Mayhem: the Blood-Soaked Life and Mysterious Death of Belle Starr, the most dangerous woman in the West by Dane Huckelbridge

A riveting, deeply researched, blood-on-the-spurs biography of Belle Starr, the most legendary female outlaw of the American West.

On February 3, 1889, just two days shy of her forty-first birthday, Myra Maybelle Shirley—better known at that point by her outlaw sobriquet “Belle Starr”—was blown from her horse saddle and killed by a pair of shotgun blasts, delivered by an unseen assailant, only a few miles away from her home in the Indian Territory of present-day Oklahoma. Thus ended the life of one of the most colorful, authentic, and dangerous women in the history of the American West.

While today’s household names like Annie Oakley and Calamity Jane had dubious criminal bona fides, Belle’s were not in any doubt. She led a gang of horse thieves (a very serious crime in an era when horses were often the basis of one’s livelihood); was romantically involved with two of the West’s most legendary outlaws, Cole Younger and Jim Reed (her first husband); and participated in stickups and robberies across present-day Texas and Oklahoma. When Reed was murdered, Belle crossed into Indian Territory, where she assimilated into the Cherokee tribe, a matrilineal society, and soon married Sam Starr, a direct descendant of Nanye’hi, the greatest female warrior in Cherokee history.

Dane Huckelbridge, acclaimed author of No Beast So Fierce, probes a life rich in contradictions and intrigue. Why did a woman who had considerable advantages in life—a good family, a decent education, solid marriage prospects, a clear path to financial security—choose to pursue a life of crime? The life of Belle Starr is one of almost endless trauma: the horrors of the Civil War, which destroyed her hometown and killed her beloved brother, Bud; the untimely deaths of her first two husbands, both of them murdered; a stint in Detroit’s notorious women’s prison. Her career coincided with those of Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and yet Belle Starr was a very different sort of feminist icon.

Queen of All Mayhem is a triumph of biography, revealing one of the most-mythologized figures of Western lore as she truly was. – William Morrow

Cookbook pick

The How Not to Age Cookbook by Michael Greger

New from Michael Greger M.D., FACLM, whose books have sold more than one million copies worldwide, comes a fully-illustrated cookbook filled with recipes to make you healthier as you age.

In his instant New York Times bestseller, How Not To Age, Dr. Michael Greger revealed that diet can regulate every one of the most promising strategies for combating the effects of aging. His Anti-Aging Eight streamlined evidence-based research into simple, accessible steps for ensuring physical and mental longevity. Now, in How Not To Age Cookbook, decades of scientific research are put to use in over a hundred recipes that will leave readers feeling nourished for years to come.

Each of these simple, nutrition-packed dishes uses ingredients that have been proven to promote a healthy lifespan and inspiration from the places around the world where people traditionally live the longest. Grounded in the latest nutrition science, How Not to Age Cookbook is chock-full of delicious meals, snacks, and beverages that will keep the body both nourished and youthful. – Flatiron Books

Social Justice pick

American Teenager: How Trans Kids are Surviving Hate and Finding Joy in a Turbulent Era by Nico Lang

From an award-winning journalist comes a vivid and moving portrait of eight trans and nonbinary teenagers across the country, following their daily triumphs, struggles, and all that encompasses growing up trans in America today

Media coverage tends to sensationalize the fight over how trans kids should be allowed to live, but what is incredibly rare are the voices of the people at the heart of this debate: transgender and gender nonconforming kids themselves.

For their groundbreaking new book, journalist Nico Lang spent a year traveling the country to document the lives of transgender, nonbinary, and genderfluid teens and their families. Drawing on hundreds of hours of on-the-ground interviews with them and the people in their communities, American Teenager paints a vivid portrait of what it’s actually like to grow up trans today.

From the tip of Florida’s conservative panhandle to vibrant queer communities in California, and from Texas churches to mosques in Illinois, American Teenager gives readers a window into the lives of Wyatt, Rhydian, Mykah, Clint, Ruby, Augie, Jack, and Kylie, eight teens who, despite what some lawmakers might want us to believe, are truly just kids looking for a brighter future. – Abrams Books

True Crime pick

Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder by Salman Rushdie

On the morning of August 12, 2022, Salman Rushdie was standing onstage at the Chautauqua Institution, preparing to give a lecture on the importance of keeping writers safe from harm, when a man in black—black clothes, black mask—rushed down the aisle toward him, wielding a knife. His first thought: So it’s you. Here you are.

What followed was a horrific act of violence that shook the literary world and beyond. Now, for the first time, and in unforgettable detail, Rushdie relives the traumatic events of that day and its aftermath, as well as his journey toward physical recovery and the healing that was made possible by the love and support of his wife, Eliza, his family, his army of doctors and physical therapists, and his community of readers worldwide.

Knife is Rushdie at the peak of his powers, writing with urgency, with gravity, with unflinching honesty. It is also a deeply moving reminder of literature’s capacity to make sense of the unthinkable, an intimate and life-affirming meditation on life, loss, love, art—and finding the strength to stand up again. – Random House

This title is also available in large print and CD audiobook.

Join Bestsellers Club to have the newest fiction and nonfiction picks automatically put on hold for you every quarter.

Red Rising by Pierce Brown

- Stephanie Leave a comment

“I would have lived in peace. But my enemies brought me war.” ― Pierce Brown, Red Rising

In a dystopian future, Darrow is a Red, a member of the lowest caste in a color-coded society. Darrow and his fellow Reds toil all day beneath the surface of Mars, believing that they are humanity’s only hope of survival. They are working to make the surface of Mars habitable for future generations, but despite their horrific living and working conditions, the majority of Reds are happy as they know they will eventually create a better world for future generations.

Humanity has been split into a colored caste system with Golds at the top, Reds toiling at the bottom, and many other colors in-between. Not many other colors are on Mars, but the ones that Darrow meets aren’t especially kind. As Darrow works to terraform Mars, he does so grudgingly, hoping to earn his family and group more supplies with his diligent and nimble work. After a catastrophe destroys Darrow’s future, he learns the truth: all Reds have been fed lies. They have been betrayed. Desperate for justice, Darrow is recruited to infiltrate the Institute, the proving ground for the Golds. As Gold students struggle for power amongst themselves, Darrow is right alongside them, fighting for something much bigger. He wants to destroy the Golds and the very system they represent, but is he willing to give up all he knows? He’ll have to in order to have a chance of survival.

Red Rising, a first in series science fiction debut, was absolutely phenomenal. I was hooked from the start. As I was listening to the audiobook, I kept drawing parallels to Ender’s Game, Lord of the Flies, and The Hunger Games. In fact, I described this book as a bloodier Hunger Games that happens on Mars! Highly, highly recommend you read this book, specifically that you listen to the audiobook if you can as the narrator is amazing (and he sings to you)! This is the start to an epic series that I absolutely cannot wait to keep reading.

“I live for the dream that my children will be born free,” she says. “That they will be what they like. That they will own the land their father gave them.”

“I live for you,” I say sadly.

Eo kisses my cheek. “Then you must live for more.” ― Pierce Brown, Red Rising

Red Rising Series

  1. Red Rising (2014)
  2. Golden Son (2015)
  3. Morning Star (2016)
  4. Iron Gold (2018)
  5. Dark Age (2019)
  6. Light Bringer (2023)

Interested in this book? Red Rising is the August 2025 See YA Book Club selection. We will be discussing this book on Wednesday, August 6th at 6:30pm at our Eastern Avenue branch. For more information about future See YA book picks, visit our website.

See YA Book Club

Join our adult book club with a teen book twist. See why so many teen books are being turned into movies and are taking over the best seller lists.

Registration is not required. Books are available on a first-come, first-serve basis at the Eastern Avenue library. We meet the first Wednesday of the month at Eastern at 6:30pm. Stop by the service desk for more information.

August 6 – Red Rising by Pierce Brown

September 3 – Man O’War by Cory McCarthy

October 1 – A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson

November 5 – Rez Ball by Byron Graves

December 3 – Uglies by Scott Westerfeld

New Self-Help Books

- Stephanie Leave a comment

If you’re looking for ways to expand yourself, to learn more about yourself, or to accomplish something new, try one of these new self-help books that hit The Library’s shelves in 2025. As of this writing, these books are owned by the Davenport Public Library. Descriptions are provided by the publishers.

The Book of Possibilities: Words of Wisdom on the Road to Becoming by Bee Quammie

Bee Quammie invites women and girls everywhere to embrace the power of possibility in this intimate and empowering collection.

A successful Black woman in media, Bee Quammie often finds herself being cast as a role model for young women—and especially Black women and other women of colour. But Bee has never quite been comfortable with the idea of being a role model for the next generation. Who is she to suggest anyone live the way she has? Follow a certain path? Who says the path she followed is the “right” one—that there even is a “right” one?

When Bee became a mother, the weight of responsibility became even heavier, and she spent hours agonizing over how she could be the guide her girls needed without getting in their way or imposing her agenda. That’s when Bee decided she needed a new model for understanding the role she should play for her children—and anyone else who might be looking to her for inspiration.

Instead of a role model, Bee prefers to think of herself as a possibility model—one example among many of how to live one’s life. But even more important, Bee wants to show her daughters and other women how ripe with possibility their lives really are, how many opportunities and avenues there are to explore. There is so much richness to be found in life, even if you end up somewhere that feels unconventional or unplanned.

In The Book of Possibilities, Bee shows us how small acts of bravery and paying careful attention to our inner voice can open up a world of opportunity and lead to a fulfilling life. – Penguin Canada

Change the Recipe: Because You Can’t Build a Better World Without Breaking Some Eggs by José Andrés with Richard Wolffe

A unique collection of life lessons from renowned chef and humanitarian José Andrés

José Andrés is a chef, an entrepreneur, an author, a television host, and a tireless humanitarian leader across the globe. A Michelin-starred chef with more than forty restaurants, José is also the founder of World Central Kitchen, a nonprofit dedicated to feeding the hungry in the wake of natural and man-made disasters. His lifetime of experience—from kitchens to conflict zones—has given him a wealth of stories and teachable moments that are funny, touching, and insightful, all animated by the belief that food can bring us closer together and the conviction that each of us can change the world for the better.

Written in José’s unmistakable voice, Change the Recipe is a collection of his most affecting and powerful life lessons: hard-won wisdom from a man who has dedicated his life to changing the world through the power of food. – Ecco

How to Love Better: The Path to Deeper Connection through Growth, Kindness, and Compassion by Yung Pueblo

“Everyone enters relationships with imperfections and negative patterns that block the flow of love, but when you embrace growth, the new harmony within you will flow into your relationship.”

Love enters our lives in many forms: friends, family, intimate partners. But all of these relationships are deeply influenced by the love we have for ourselves. If we see our relationships as opportunities to be fully present in our healing and growth, then, Yung Pueblo assures us, we can transform and meet one another with compassion instead of judgment.

In How to Love Better, Yung Pueblo examines all aspects of relationships, from the rose-colored early days when you may be hesitant to show your full self, to the challenges that can arise without clear communication, to dealing with heartbreak and healing as you close a chapter of your life. The power of looking inward remains at the core of Yung Pueblo’s teachings. Ego and attachment can become barriers in a relationship, so the more self-aware you become, the more you can support both your partner and yourself.

How to Love Better includes:

  • How to build harmony in a relationship
  • How to see each other’s perspective
  • How to find the right partner
  • How to heal from heartbreak
  • How to overcome attachment
  • How to form commitments
  • How to argue

Yung Pueblo’s insights on embracing change, building a foundation of honesty, and learning to listen selflessly will resonate regardless of where you are in your healing journey. And his unique combination of poetry, personal experience, and thoughtful advice will help you grow and strengthen all of your relationships. – Harmony

I Don’t Believe in Astrology: A Therapist’s Guide to the Life-Changing Wisdom of the Stars by Debra Silverman

An accessible guide to the life-changing benefits of astrology by renowned psychotherapist and astrologer, Debra Silverman.

In a chaotic, confusing, and divisive world, Debra Silverman introduces astrology as the medicine for accepting our human nature–its idiosyncrasies and dilemmas. Through an application of both therapy and astrology, this breakthrough guide equips readers with tools that release self-judgment, inner criticism, negativity, and misunderstanding. Every sign struggles with psychological issues. Understanding the unique topics relative to your sign, it’s no surprise you are quirky. Learning how to accept who you are and love yourself unconditionally through the lens of astrology is at the heart of this book.

Debra Silverman teaches you how to step away from the struggle of your ego and see yourself with the calm objectivity of your soul. You will learn to love what you see—not just your best qualities but everything about you. She shows you how to aim for the high road of your personality. Most of all, you will cultivate compassion for all the other signs in the zodiac. Learn the meaning of the sun, moon, rising sign, Mercury, and Saturn. Using Debra’s method combining the wisdom of astrology and psychology, readers will remember the truth of their soul’s expression, seen through the eyes of self-love. – St. Martin’s Essentials

Secrets of Adulthood: Simple Truths for Our Complex Lives by Gretchen Rubin

The author of The Happiness Project and Better Than Before distills her key insights into simple truths for living with greater satisfaction, clarity, and happiness.

The right idea, invoked at the right time, can change our lives. Drawing from her long studies of happiness, and also from the challenges she’s faced herself, writer Gretchen Rubin has discovered the “Secrets of Adulthood” that can help us manage the complexities of life. To convey her conclusions, she turned to the aphorism—the ancient literary discipline that demands that a writer convey a large truth in a few words.

Perhaps you’re paralyzed by indecision, struggling to navigate a big change, fighting a temptation, or puzzled by the behavior of someone you love; whatever you face, the right aphorism can help. From procrastination to the pursuit of happiness, Secrets of Adulthood is filled with witty and thought-provoking reflections such as:

  • “Recognize that, like sleeping with a big dog in a small bed, things that are uncomfortable can also be comforting”
  • “Accept yourself, and expect more from yourself”
  • “Easy children raise good parents”
  • “What can be done at any time is often done at no time”

For anyone undergoing a major life transition, such as graduation, career switch, marriage, or moving, or for those just encountering everyday dilemmas, these disarming aphorisms will inspire you by articulating truths that you may never have noticed but instantly recognize. – Crown

When Work Hurts: Building Resilience When You’re Beat Up or Burnt Out by Meryl Herr

We might be discouraged, disillusioned, or devastated by our work. We might experience trauma or harassment on the job, or we may have experienced work loss by getting fired. If you’ve been beat up, burnt out, or brokenhearted by work, you’re not alone.

The Bible tells us that work will be difficult—filled with thorns and thistles—but no one prepares us for the pain we experience on the job. In When Work Hurts Meryl Herr

  • Explores the emotional, relational, and vocational pain that work causes and helps us rebound and build resilience so we can fully participate with God in his mission,
  • Walks through the biblical story of the Israelites’ journey of exile, return, and rebuilding as a framework for spiritual and practical resources for navigating work loss, and
  • Shows that we can take comfort in the fact that God is at work in the midst of our work to bring healing and hope. – InterVarsity Press

We Used to Live Here by Marcus Kliewer

- Stephanie Leave a comment

“When things felt right, it only meant there was so much more that could go wrong.”
― Marcus Kliewer, We Used to Live Here

Charlie and Eve are excited to start their new house flip. They just scored a great deal on an old house nestled in the trees in a beautiful mountainside town. When Eve is home alone one day, she is surprised when a family knocks on their front door. The father says he grew up in the house and wants to show his family the place where he lived as a child, if it’s okay with the new owners of course. Despite her reservations, Eve decides to let the family in, starting her down a path that will change her life forever.

When the family of strangers enters the house, weird and unexplainable things start happening. Something is slightly off about each family member, specifically the father. When the family’s youngest child disappears leaving Eve and the father to search the creepy and ever expanding basement for them, Eve’s bad feelings grow even worse. A ghostly presence is lurking in the basement, but only Eve can see them. The family stays longer than Eve originally intended, but there isn’t much she can do to combat the weather. When Eve learns that Charlie has disappeared and she is unable to get ahold of her, Eve spirals. She begins to love her grip on reality. Is her mental state deteriorating because of her mental health or is something happening to her because of the house? What’s going on? Who is behind these changes? What is Eve willing to risk to survive?

If you choose to read We Used to Live Here by Marcus Kliewer, I highly recommend you read a physical copy as there are maps, journal entries, redacted records, and morse code scattered throughout. I should have known that this would be a difficult read for me as it’s horror and I freaked myself out while reading it (cheers to only being able to read this book while it was light out)! I do still have questions related to some plot holes, but honestly this book is ripe with conspiracy theories, so I will probably never get any answers.

This title is also available in large print.

Gone Fishin’

- Stephanie Leave a comment

How do you like to spend your summers? Growing up, we spent hours fishing with family along the river. As an adult, I don’t spend as much time fishing as I would like, but luckily for me (and you), the library has many resources about fishing available for checkout. Below are some of the newer titles that I found while perusing the shelves.

As of this writing, all of these titles are owned by the Davenport Public Library. Descriptions are provided by the publishers.

Barr Flies: How to Tie and Fish the Copper John, the Barr Emerger, and Dozens of other Patterns, Variations, and Rigs by John S. Barr

In Barr Flies, John Barr shares his “confidence” patterns, the flies he has the most faith in to catch heavily pressured trout throughout the Rockies.

John Barr is the most successful designer of commercially distributed flies in the world. He has invented a number of indispensable flies such as the Barr Emerger, an unrivaled pattern for difficult trout across the country, and the Copper John, which has evolved into the most popular fly of the millenium.

In Barr Flies, John Barr shares his “confidence” patterns, the flies he has the most faith in to catch heavily pressured trout throughout the Rockies. Barr tells how he developed each fly, gives tips on when and how to fish them, and explains how he fishes multiple-fly rigs with the Copper John as the center of a three-fly system that consistently catches more fish. Most importantly, Barr reveals his methods for tying his favorite flies, with step-by-step instructions and clear color photos by Charlie Craven that enable even inexperienced tyers to create the Copper John, Barr Emerger, B/C Hopper, Tung Teaser, Slumpbuster, and many more patterns and variations. – Stackpole Books

The Blue Revolution: Hunting, Harvesting, and Farming Seafood in the Information Age by Nicholas P. Sullivan

Overfishing. For the world’s oceans, it’s long been a worrisome problem with few answers. Many of the global fish stocks are at a dangerous tipping point, some spiraling toward extinction. But as older fishing fleets retire and new technologies develop, a better, more sustainable way to farm this popular protein has emerged to profoundly shift the balance. The Blue Revolution tells the story of the recent transformation of commercial fishing: an encouraging change from maximizing volume through unrestrained wild hunting to maximizing value through controlled harvesting and farming. Entrepreneurs applying newer, smarter technologies are modernizing fisheries in unprecedented ways. In many parts of the world, the seafood on our plates is increasingly the product of smart decisions about ecosystems, waste, efficiency, transparency, and quality.

Nicholas P. Sullivan presents this new way of thinking about fish, food, and oceans by profiling the people and policies transforming an aging industry into one that is “post-industrial”—fueled by “sea-foodies” and locavores interested in sustainable, traceable, quality seafood. Catch quotas can work when local fishers feel they have a stake in the outcome; shellfish farming requires zero inputs and restores nearshore ecosystems; new markets are developing for kelp products, as well as unloved and “underutilized” fish species. Sullivan shows how the practices of thirty years ago that perpetuated an overfishing crisis are rapidly changing. In the book’s final chapters, Sullivan discusses the global challenges to preserving healthy oceans, including conservation mechanisms, the impact of climate change, and unregulated and criminal fishing in international waters.

In a fast-growing world where more people are eating more fish than ever before, The Blue Revolution brings encouraging news for conservationists and seafood lovers about the transformation of an industry historically averse to change, and it presents fresh inspiration for entrepreneurs and investors eager for new opportunities in a blue-green economy. – Island Press

Casting Onward: Fishing Adventures in Search of America’s Native Gamefish by Steve Ramirez

In writing this book, author, naturalist, and educator Steve Ramirez traveled thousands of miles by plane, motor vehicle, boat, and foot. In the course of this journey, Ramirez explores and fishes mountain streams, alpine lakes, National Wild and Scenic Rivers, desert canyons, brackish water estuaries, and the rolling ocean off the coast of Cape Cod. About half of this book was written while traveling through the COVID-19 pandemic and it touches on the lessons that COVID can teach us about nature and human nature. In Casting Onward, the author expands beyond the geographical scope of Casting Forward by fishing for native fish across American, within their original habitats and telling the story in part through the eyes of the people who have lived alongside, and come to love, these waters and fish. Woven throughout these adventures are the stories of the people he meets and befriends while pursuing a mutual love of nature as the first criterion for finding common ground. This is a hopeful story, in an all-too-often seemingly hopeless time. It is a story of fishing and friendship. It is a story of humanity’s impact on nature, and nature’s impact on humanity. – provided by the author

Illuminated by Water: Fly Fishing and the Allure of the Natural World by Malachy Tallack

In its blending of nature writing and memoir—also touching on the connection of time, beauty, and memory—Illuminated by Water is an elegiac tribute to fly fishing and the natural world.

Illuminated by Water is a book about the author’s own decades-long passion for ­fly fishing and how it has shaped the way he sees and thinks about the natural world. That passion is shared and made legible here, not just for other anglers, but for those who have never yet cast a line in the water. Why is it that catching ­fish—or even thinking about catching fish—can be so thrilling, so captivating? Why is it that time spent beside water can be imprinted so sharply in the memory? Why is it that what seems a simple act of casting a line and hoping can feel so rich in mystery?

Alternating between regional and thematic chapters, Tallack considers ‘wildness’, its pursuit, and its meanings; the compulsive appeal of tying flies; the ethics of catching and killing; the allure of big ­fish; and beauty—where it’s sought and where it’s found. He describes ­fly fishing trips to America, Canada, Shetland, and England. Throughout the book, certain themes recur—environmental harm and healing; the relationship between fishing and time; hope and its manifestations; and the ways in which angling can deepen engagement with the natural world. – Pegasus Books

Stillwater Fly Fishing: Competition-Inspired Strategies for Everyday Anglers by Devin Olsen

Stillwaters not only provide fishing opportunities for some of the largest trout in the United States, but they often provide the only dependable fishing (save some tailwaters in Colorado and New Mexico) in the early season (from ice-out to after runoff) for anglers in New Mexico, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, California, Oregon, and Washington. Many anglers prefer to continue to fish lakes after the rivers drop to experience epic hatches of midges, Callibaetis mayflies, and damselflies, which all provide exceptional fly fishing for large trout. This is the definitive guide to fly fishing lakes and reservoirs fishing (written by the author of the best-selling book, Tactical Fly Fishing) and the only book on the market that covers competition and loch-style techniques used around the world. – Stackpole Books

The Unreasonable Virtue of Fly Fishing by Mark Kurlansky

From the award-winning, bestselling author of Cod-the irresistible story of the science, history, art, and culture of the least efficient way to catch a fish.

Fly fishing, historian Mark Kurlansky has found, is a battle of wits, fly fisher vs. fish–and the fly fisher does not always (or often) win. The targets–salmon, trout, and char; and for some, bass, tarpon, tuna, bonefish, and even marlin–are highly intelligent, wily, strong, and athletic animals. The allure, Kurlansky learns, is that fly fishing makes catching a fish as difficult as possible. There is an art, too, in the crafting of flies. Beautiful and intricate, some are made with more than two dozen pieces of feather and fur from a wide range of animals. The cast as well is a matter of grace and rhythm, with different casts and rods yielding varying results.

Kurlansky is known for his deep dives into the history of specific subjects, from cod to oysters to salt. But he spent his boyhood days on the shore of a shallow pond. Here, where tiny fish weaved under a rocky waterfall, he first tied string to a branch, dangled a worm into the water, and unleashed his passion for fishing. Since then, a lifelong love of the sport has led him around the world to many countries, coasts, and rivers-from the wilds of Alaska to Basque country, from the Catskills in New York to Oregon’s Columbia River, from Ireland and Norway to Russia and Japan. And, in true Kurlansky fashion, he absorbed every fact, detail, and anecdote along the way.

The Unreasonable Virtue of Fly Fishing marries Kurlansky’s signature wide-ranging reach with a subject that has captivated him for a lifetime–combining history, craft, and personal memoir to show readers, devotees of the sport or not, the necessity of experiencing nature’s balm first-hand. – Bloomsbury Publishing

This Beautiful, Ridiculous City: A Graphic Memoir by Kay Sohini

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This Beautiful, Ridiculous City: A Graphic Memoir by Kay Sohini is a vividly drawn graphic memoir telling the story of a woman of many talents. Kay Sohini is an immigrant, a writer, a foodie, an optimist, and a survivor with a deep love of anything New York City. From a young age growing up in India, Kay found love and hope through anything related to New York City, be it movies, books, music, or anything else. She turns to New York City in her time of need, so it’s no surprise when Kay decides to move to New York City to escape an abusive relationship.

Switching back and forth between her past in India, her present in New York City, and her first night in New York City on the tarmac of JFK Airport, Kay reflects on how much her life has changed, what she has left behind, and what she has to look forward to. The trauma she left behind in India has forever changed her, but her story is far from over. In fact, she decides to examine her city through the eyes of her favorite writers. Her journey to create a new home in New York City begins with the groundwork of trying to put herself back together. Kay shows, rather than tells, her readers about the great sense of belonging she feels in her new home. This is evident through the evocative and beautiful artwork that radiates through this graphic memoir. Her journey to love herself as much as she loves New York City further highlights how trauma can highlight your truth and how a new city can ease your heart.

Learn a New Hobby: Quilting

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Are you looking for a new hobby? Wanting to expand on an existing skill? Try quilting! Below I have gathered a list of quilting books new to the Davenport Public Library in 2025. Descriptions are provided by the publishers.

Anna Maria’s Blueprint Quilting: Explore Color, Pattern, and Technique with 16 Joyful Projects from 4 Simple Design Structures by Anna Maria Perry

Stitch 16 stunning quilts and patchwork projects based on four underlying “blueprints” while learning skills to create your own original designs.

Uncover the mystery of quilt design with Anna Maria’s Blueprint Quilting. Celebrated fiber artist Anna Maria Parry demystifies her seemingly complex patterns and sumptuous color combinations as she breaks down her signature designs into accessible “blueprints,” or underlying structures. This accessible, visually inspiring book features:

  • A behind-the-scenes glimpse into an expert quilt designer’s process
  • Four quilt blueprints and accessible projects for different skill levels
  • Techniques for intensifying details, adjusting colors, and scaling designs for endless possibilities
  • Insight into planning and executing quilting and appliqué techniques
  • Clear illustrations and photography for an inspiring and informative experience
  • QR codes linked to videos that further illuminate important techniques

With easy-to-follow projects and insightful techniques for all levels of quilters, Anna Maria’s Blueprint Quilting will empower your quilting journey as you infuse your creations with the beauty and inspiration found within Parry’s extraordinary designs. – Quarry Books

Freestyle Color Collage Quilting: a Unique Method for Creating Bold Designs with Fabric by Carly Mul

With Freestyle Color Collage Quilting – the latest guide from industry expert Carly Mul – you’ll discover user-friendly secrets for organic, free-form color collage techniques. Don’t be surprised if the results are professional quality. Mul’s techniques for vibrant quilted designs don’t require extensive pattern techniques. Instead, this guide offers a gorgeous collage approach that’s beginner-friendly yet artistic and innovative enough for seasoned quilters. In Freestyle Color Collage Quilting, Mul will steer you through everything from gathering supplies to drawing inspiration from quilting galleries. This way, you’ll discover how to take your passion and convert it into a creative quilting display. You can take any colors and fabrics you already have on hand, determine the pattern, and flow you want to create, and fashion personal, one-of-a-kind quilting pieces. The results will be immensely satisfying–not only because they force you out of your quilting comfort zones, but because they’ll speak to your unique style. – Landauer Publishing

Mini Quilting: Quick-to-sew Designs to Use up Fabric from your Stash by Laura Strutt

Discover the flourishing craft of QUILTING with these 35 BEAUTIFUL and INNOVATIVE mini projects that are offer an ECO-FRIENDLY way to use up scraps of fabric.

Designed by expert crafter LAURA STRUTT, this collection is packed with STUNNING home accessories, bags, wall hangings, gifts for kids, and more.

As well as being quick and fun to sew, these mini quilting projects are the perfect way to try out different techniques. They’re ideal for beginners as well as experienced quilters who are looking for new ideas.

Start out with extra-small makes, perfect for sewing swaps, from a beautiful gadget sleeve to a cute bookmark and a pen holder.

For your home, sew a lightning bolt wall hanging, a striking lampshade, and a plant-pot cover. Learn how to make stylish bags and purses including a box pouch, a mini wallet, and an on-the-go sewing bag.

There’s also a chapter of adorable gifts for kids, such as an appliqué baby book and a dinosaur taggie quilt.

The projects introduce you to a wide range of techniques including hand- and machine-piecing. There’s also a guide to fabrics and tools, as well as step-by-step instructions for all the skills you’ll need. – CICO Books

Quilt Blocks for Beginners: Fresh, Versatile Designs for Quilts, Clothes, Accessories, and Decor by Nancy Wick

Learn step by step how to easily create dozens of beautiful, modern quilt blocks.

Adapted from the best-selling The Quilt Block Book, Quilt Blocks for Beginners lays the foundation for a captivating journey into the world of quilt blocks. This beginner-friendly reference offers:

  • Guidance on three fundamental block-construction methods: quick piecing, foundation (paper) piecing
  • Step-by-step instructions for each block
  • Links to online patterns for easy printing

The blocks can be used to create quilts, décor pieces, or fashion accents—the possibilities are endless!
With fundamental techniques, easy-to-follow instructions, and printable templates, you can effortlessly create beautiful quilt blocks to use in any number of quilting projects, all while fostering your newfound love of quilting. – New Show Press

Stylish Quilter: Traditional Craft for a Modern World by Kiley Ferons, Megan Saenz, and Elyse Thompson

Join a trio of quilting experts as they show you how you can infuse a more modern aesthetic into your quilts. Authors Kiley Ferons, Megan Saenz, and Elyse Thompson present 20 quilting projects featured in the pages of Modish Quilter – from small projects for the home and quilted wall hangings to statement-making bed quilts – each piece celebrates the trend of modern quilt design. Each project includes full-size or easily resizable templates, step-by-step instructions including materials lists, fabric requirements, and pattern guidelines. Smaller quilt projects such as accents pillows allow you to strengthen your skills as you progress towards larger, more design intensive designs. Whether new or an experienced quilter, you’ll appreciate the call-out sections and tutorials for specialized quilting skills and techniques including couching, rope sewing, English paper piecing, applique, and how to make specific traditional blocks. – Landauer Publishing

A Year of Quilting: a Block for Every Week by Debbie Shore & Melissa Nayler

The ultimate week-by-week quilt-along companion from best-selling sewing author Debbie Shore and quilting expert Melissa Nayler: learn how to create 52 unique blocks – one for every week of the year – then combine them into a stunning patchwork quilt.

Follow the book from start to finish to create a stunning, harmonious quilt using all the block designs, or dip in and out, experiment with the techniques and then mix and match your favorite blocks to create your own unique creation. The book features:

  • An inspiring variety of quilting techniques – from simple machine piecing and appliqué to foundation paper piecing, every block explores a different patchwork and/or quilting method.
  • Simple instructions, perfect for beginners – each unique block is accompanied by easy-to-follow instructions, clear photography and full-size templates.
  • All the patchwork and quilting techniques needed – from piecing your initial shapes right through to binding your finished quilt.

This book is inspired by Debbie and Melissa’s incredibly popular Block of the Month quilt-along from the award-winning Half Yard Sewing Club: www.halfyardsewingclub.com – Search Press

83 Days in Mariupol: A War Diary by Don Brown

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“When…there are explosions, you understand that your life is simply…not worth anything.”
― Don Brown, 83 Days in Mariupol: A War Diary: A Graphic Novel

What do you consider to be history? Is it something that happened decades or centuries ago? Or something that happened last week? History is defined as the study of past events. The study of history also includes how those past events influence current and future events. Anything that has happened before the present is considered history, even if it was just yesterday, a couple weeks ago, or a couple years ago.

This discussion of when is something considered history happened when a friend saw I was reading 83 Days in Mariupol: A War Diary written and illustrated by Don Brown. This devastating and violent read attempts to capture the complexities of the war in Ukraine with emphases on the 83 day, February 2022 through May 2022, siege of the coastal city of Mariupol by Russian forces. For 83 days, civilians were driven to basements and cellars while two armies battled in the streets. Without food, water, lights, or heat, civilians dodged the shells, bullets, and death raining down on this coastal town. No one was exempt from death or injury. With homes and businesses destroyed and minimal medical supplies, these brave people stayed to defend their city from Russian forces. Some believed that Russian forces would overtake Ukraine in only a few days, but Mariupol managed to hold out for 83 days before surrendering. 83 Days in Mariupol discusses, from the points of view of multiple people, how the city and those involved endured this siege and the great cost they paid. I highly recommend this read as this event happened in the not distant past and has repercussions for current events. This story of unwavering survival and heroism against unimagined cruelty highlights how the consequences of this siege and the actions of a few will reshape global politics for years to come.

Murder Runs in the Family by Tamara Berry

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On the run from an ex, former private investigator in training Amber Winslow flees to her estranged grandmother’s house in Tamara Berry’s latest mystery, Murder Runs in the Family. This book combines elements of detective fiction and cozy mysteries to tell the story of found family and the road to forgiveness.

After a blow up with her ex-boyfriend, Amber impulsively heads to Arizona and the retirement community where her estranged grandmother lives. Growing up, Amber’s mother had nothing positive to say about her grandmother and forbid contact between them. It’s a shock when Amber runs to her grandma in her time of need, given all she knows is the woman’s name and where she is currently living. After sneaking into Seven Ponds and dropping in on her grandma, Amber is ready to learn more about Grandma Jade and what caused the massive family fallout.

Before Amber can start quizzing Jade, she is introduced to Jade’s friends and their quirky habits. They each have their own reasons for living at Seven Ponds, but they are all deeply connected. One morning, all of their lives are changed when they learn that one of their friends has been found dead in the group’s podcast studio. That’s right – Jade and her friends are responsible for a successful true crime podcast! Their friend’s death shocks everyone, especially Amber when the authorities are quick to focus on Jade as the murderer. Amber may not know her grandmother well, but there’s no way this eccentric woman would be a murderous villain. Putting her private investigator skills to use, Amber and the other podcast members work to prove Jade’s innocence.

This is a delightfully quirky cozy mystery full of compelling elements. Each character has their own independent backstory that eventually weaves into the plot, while the physical place, the retirement community itself, also plays a role. Bonus: there is a lost tortoise with an adorable name! I hope that the author decides to turn this into a series.