New DVD’s for June at the Library

- Ann Leave a comment

Bucket List – Corprate billionaire Edward Cole and working class mechanic Carter Chambers have nothing in common except for their terminal illnesses. While sharing a hospital room together, they decide to leave it and do all the things they have ever wanted to do before they die according to their bucket list. In the process, both of them heal each other, become unlikely friends, and ultimately find the joy in life. IMDB

The Other Boleyn Girl – A sumptuous and sensual tale of intrigue, romance and betrayal set against the backdrop of a defining moment in European history: two beautiful sisters, Anne and Mary Boleyn, driven by their family’s blind ambition, compete for the love of the handsome and passionate King Henry VIII. IMDB

Tell Me Where it Hurts by Nick Trout

- Ann Leave a comment

Follow Dr Trout as he describes what might happen during one of his days, complied from 25 years of experience as a veternary surgeon, as he treats pets and their owners. Part social worker, part psychologist, part magician, Dr Trout treats his patients with humor, compassion and skill.

While these stories are a mix of funny and heartbreaking, Trout also touches on several of important issues facing the industry including the cost of pet care, what’s best for the animal and the inevitable decision of when to say good-bye. Pet owners everywhere will wish they could call Dr Trout for information, advice and a good story.

Armchair Traveler goes to Japan

- Ann 1 Comment

Mt FujiJapan, with it’s dramatic history and exotic culture, has always fascinated Westerners. Catch a glimpse of Japan through these books.

The Tale of Murasaki by Liza Dalby. This brilliantly imagined memoir of Murasaki, author of the world’s first novel, is filled with details of 11th century Japan and the intrigues and politics of court life. Dalby successfully introduces and makes familiar a very distant, very foreign time and place.

Autumn Bridge by Takashi Matsuoka. Rich and vivid, this novel, set during the waning days of Japan’s feudal age, follows the story of a clan whose members can see into the future. An epic tale of swords, sorcery and honor.

Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden. Long-time favorite of book clubs everywhere, Memoirs of a Geisha follows the life and fortune of a girl who became a geisha, set at the end of the golden age of geisha. Filled with fascinating details of the private world and hardships of a geisha, it is also a beautiful love story.

The Strangeness of Beauty by Lydia Minatoya. Etsuko returns to 1930s Japan with her orphaned neice after having lived in the United States for several years. This book follows three generations of women living in a country on the brink of war.

December 6 by Martin Cruz Smith. Just days before Pearl Harbor, Harry Niles is making plans to leave Japan on the last flight to Hong Kong, but first, there are some loose ends to tie up. An evocative snapshot of a unique time and place, and a hero that hides a sentimental heart under a shield of cynicism.

American Fuji by Sara Backer. Fired from her beloved teaching job at Shizuyama University, American Gaby Stanton makes ends meet selling fantasy funerals to the rich. She agrees to help Alex Thorn search for clues to his son’s death. This modern-day culture clash brings contemporary Japan vividly to life.

Wi-Fi at the Library

- Ann Leave a comment

Laptop computerBoth Davenport library buildings – Main and Fairmount Street – offer free internet access via our wireless network. All you need is your library card number and a laptop.

Don’t have a library card yet? Stop by the Customer Service desk and sign up for one today.

Don’t have a laptop? Sorry, can’t help you with that one! But we do have PCs with internet access available in both buildings. Internet surfing for everyone!

Your Brain on Cubs edited by Dan Gordon

- Ann Leave a comment

Your Brain on CubsDon’t look now, folks but the Cubs are at the top of their division! There seems to be a good mix of hitting, fielding and pitching…..but can it last? Or is a June Swoon on the way?

Cub fans have been waiting 100 years for a World Series crown. What keeps them hanging on and coming back? It certainly can’t be the imaginative and forward-thinking ownership, or the flawless management (on field or corporate). And while we’ve seen some greats – Ernie Banks, Ryne Sandberg – we’ve also suffered through years of mediocrity. Your Brain on Cubs explains the role the brain plays, not just with the swing of emotions, but with many parts of watching and playing sports. And although these findings apply to fans and players of all teams not just Cubs fans, we do offer a unique look at loyalty and “just wait till next year” attitude.

One day our loyalty will be rewarded, might as well be this year!

National Boat Safety Week, May 17-23

- Ann Leave a comment

National Safe Boating Week, May 17-23

Time to get that boat out of dry dock? When you do, take some time to make certain it’s safe to operate. Also, educate all potential pilots as to standard safety procedures. Sometimes, in all the excitement of getting into the water, these can easily be overlooked. Let’s make the Mississippi and other area waterways safer for all boaters. Then, have some fun out there!

Check Out These Magazines and Save Some Money

- Lynn 1 Comment

Looking for ways to economize? FIrst, check out magazines instead of buying them. Second, find out how to save money when investing, traveling, sewing, and working on do-it-yourself projects.

Smart Money and Kiplinger’s Personal Finance

These magazines cover retirement, college planning, taxes, health and consumer issues. The current issue lists the ways you can lower you car insurance premium.

Sew News

Learn tips and techniques to sew clothes, gifts and home decorating projects. Learn how to sew the latest fashions, bath mats, totes, raincoats, and how to start a business

Arthur Frommer’s Budget Travel

Find out about travel deals and tips for families and singles. Get an evaluation of a hotels, tourist destinations and airlines before it’s too late.

Threads:For People Who Love to Sew

Learn “quick to make” summer projects including how to make purses for yourself or as gifts (an online special).

Make:Technology on Your Time

Make “unites, inspires and informs …people who undertake amazing projects in their backyards, basements, and garages.” In the current issue, learn about the stars of “The Junk Brothers”

Other magazines with lots of good money saving tips: Parents, Parenting, Good Housekeeping, Woman’s Day and Cookies. All magazines check out from the library for one week.

Postville: A Clash of Cultures in Heartland America

- IT 6 Comments

On Monday, May 12th, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), raided Agriprocessors Inc., a slaughterhouse in Postville, Iowa. This was not only the largest ICE raid in Iowa, but in fact the largest single-site enforcement operation of it’s kind in the country. The over 300 detainees include Guatemalans, Mexicans, Israelis and Ukrainians. While this story has been widely reported in the local media, little has been said about Agriprocessors Inc., other than that it’s the largest kosher meat packing plant in the country.

Although not a new book, Stephen Bloom’s, Postville: A Clash of Cultures in Heartland America, is an especially timely read that explains much about what is occurring in the small northeastern Iowa town. In 1987 a Brooklyn butcher purchased an abandoned slaughterhouse just outside the city limits of Postville. The town of about 1500 people had become economically stagnant so they welcomed the opportunity for new business growth, and saw little concern that the new operators of this plant were Lubavitchers, ultra-Orthodox Hasidic Jews. By 1996, Postville, which had hardly ever had any Jews, now had more rabbis per capita than any other city in the U.S. The success of the plant also brought an onslaught of immigrant workers to the area. Relations between the the Midwestern Lutherans, who dominated Postville, and the Lubavitchers, who traditionally live and work within their own closely knit community, soon broke down.

Bloom, a University of Iowa journalism professor weaves the story of this small divided town into his own search for cultural and religious identity. He does an excellent job of exploring what it means to be an American, the limits of diversity and community, and the nature of community. In light of Monday’s raid, Bloom’s work provides an insightful history of Postville and Agriprocessors Inc.

The Chris Farley Show: a Biography in Three Acts by Tom Farley

- Bill Leave a comment

Chris FarleyFans of comedy can probably look back and wonder where they were when they found out that comedian Chris Farley had passed away at the age of 33. If they read the papers at that time, they can also recall not being shocked.

The hot nonfiction title The Chris Farley Show, cowritten by his brother Tom, is an illuminating character study broken into 3 acts. Act I paints the portrait of a deeply religious and well-intentioned boy from Madison, Wisconsin with a Midwestern innocence that he never lost even at the darkest hour. Act II shows a fireball ascent through the ranks of Second City, Saturday Night Live , and motion pictures by a natural talent with spot-on instincts in terms of timing, physicality, and energy. Unfortunately, Act Three ends like it does in the real world, as the professional parallels between himself and idol John Belushi materialize in an all-too real fashion. The conclusion is painful, as the book shows us a kinder man than the one John Q. Public merely saw take pratfalls for the amusement of unseen millions.

The writing style takes a while to get used to, as the linear narrative of the author is consistently backed up by quotes from his friends, family and celebrity co-workers. It’s worth it. You’ll wish you could change the ending, though.

Iowa Wildflowers

- Ann 1 Comment

Iowa\'s Wild PlacesAt one time, Iowa had more prairie for it’s size than any other state in the union. Within ten years of the arrival of the pioneers (mid-1800s) nearly all of it was gone. Less than one tenth of one percent remains. Fortunately, there has been a movement lately to not only preserve what is left, but to restore unused land to native prairie.

Prairies are a diverse and complex ecosystem, supporting a wide range of birds and wildlife. They are also very beautiful, ranging from spring ephermals to an explosion of summer color to the drama of the tall grasses (growing taller than a man)

One of the best places to see prairie being restored is at the Neal Smith Wildlife Refuge in Prairie City, Iowa (just this side of Des Moines) They have an excellent, kid-friendly museum and interpretive center, walking trails, and a driving tour. As well as the amazing number of grasses and wildflowers that are being restored, there is an elk herd and a buffalo herd. Several native birds that were believed shooting star wildflowerto be extinct or rarely seen in Iowa have again been sighted here.

Closer to home, Rochester Cemetery near Tipton, Iowa offers a unique and memorable experience. Tucked between farms on a hilly site, it is considered one of the best examples of Oak Savanna in the Midwest and is known for it’s huge white oaks and it’s wildflowers. Growing on land that has never been disturbed, the variety and sheer quantity of flowers is astounding, especially in the spring. Especially the shooting stars. There are, literally, thousands of them, blanketing the ground in every direction, an amazing sight. (Please note: if you do visit, remember that this is still an active cemetery; please be respectful of the gravesites and stay on the mown paths)

For a beautiful guide to the prairies and wildflowers of Iowa, take a look at Iowa’s Wild Places by Carl Kurtz, or visit the Iowa Prairie Network for a listing of the remaining Iowa prairies, information on prairies, a calendar of events and volunteer opportunities. Help keep Iowa’s wild places wild.

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