Online Reading Challenge – April

- Ann Leave a comment

Welcome Readers!

It’s time for a new Online Reading Challenge assignment! Our theme is female spies, intelligence work and sacrifice. There are some brilliant books to explore this month, covering spycraft from World War I through the Cold War. I highly recommend The Alice Network and Code Name Verity, two of my favorite books, and I also recommend Our Woman in Moscow.

This month’s main title is The Alice Network by Kate Quinn. In 1915, Eve Gardiner burns to join the fight against the Germans and unexpectedly gets her chance to serve when she’s recruited to work as a spy for the English. Sent into enemy-occupied France during The Great War, she’s trained by the mesmerizing Lili, the “Queen of Spies”, who manages a vast network of secret agents, right under the enemy’s nose. Thirty years later, haunted by the betrayal that ultimately tore apart the Alice Network, Eve spends her days drunk and secluded in her crumbling London house until a young American barges in uttering a name Eve hasn’t heard in decades, and launching them both on a mission to find the truth … no matter where it leads.

This title is also available as an e-book and an e-audiobook.

Alternate titles include: Code Girls: the untold story of the American women code breakers of World War II by Liza Mundy. This documents the contributions of more than ten thousand American women who served as codebreakers during World War II, detailing how their efforts shortened the war, saved countless lives, and enabled their subsequent careers.

Our Woman in Moscow by Beatriz Williams. Autumn, 1948: Iris Digby, her American diplomat husband Sasha, and their two children vanish from London. Were they eliminated by the Soviet intelligence service? Or have the Digbys defected to Moscow with a trove of the West’s most vital secrets? Four years later Ruth Macallister receives a postcard from Iris, the twin sister she hasn’t seen since their catastrophic parting in Rome in the summer of 1940. Now Ruth is on her way to Moscow, posing as the wife of counterintelligence agent Sumner Fox in a precarious plot to extract the Digbys from behind the Iron Curtain.

This title is also available in Large Print and as an e-book.

American Spy by Lauren Wilkinson. It’s 1986, the heart of the Cold War, and Marie Mitchell is an intelligence officer with the FBI. She’s brilliant, but she’s also a young black woman working in an old boys’ club. Her career has stalled out, so when she’s given the opportunity to join a shadowy task force aimed at undermining Thomas Sankara, the charismatic revolutionary president of Burkina Faso whose Communist ideology has made him a target for American intervention, she says yes. In the year that follows, Marie will observe Sankara, seduce him, and ultimately have a hand in the coup that will bring him down. But doing so will change everything she believes about what it means to be a spy, a lover, a sister, and a good American.

This title is also available as an e-audiobook.

Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein. In 1943, a British fighter plane crashes in Nazi-occupied France and the survivor tells a tale of friendship, war, espionage, and great courage as she relates what she must to survive while keeping secret all that she can.

This title is also available as a Book on CD and as an e-book.

Check for these titles and more featured in displays at each of the Davenport Library buildings!

New at the Library!

- Ann 2 Comments

We’re so excited to tell you about another new service at the Davenport Library!

Want to add some instant curb appeal to your house? Is your yard looking tired and worn after the winter months? Spring is (mostly) here which makes it the perfect time to turn your attention to your yard! Become the envy of the neighborhood with a little help from the library! Freshen up your space with our new Garden Library service!

The Garden Library is easy to use. Simply look through our catalog of available plants – which include trees, shrubs and perennials – and choose your favorites. (TIP: If you need help deciding, you can use our Book a Librarian service for expert design advice!). Our inventory includes ornamental and fruit trees, shrubs of all kinds and perennials such as peonies, daylilies, hosta and black-eye susan. Your yard will become vibrant and colorful in no time!

Plants are available at all three of our locations – check the catalog for availability. Plants check out for three weeks and can be renewed one time if no one else has reserved it. To return the plant, please dig it up and return it to the library building that you checked it out from – be mindful of the plant’s root system! Any damaged foliage or infestation of disease or insects will be billed to your account. Overdue fees are $1 per day per item.

Now get out there and start dreaming up your perfect yard!

_______________________________________________________

Haha! April Fool! We do not – I repeat, do not – have live garden plants for you to check out! Libraries have a huge variety of products and services to borrow (for instance, we have wi-fi Hotspots, video games, e-books, guitars and movies among many other items!) but it’s unlikely we’ll be lending out trees (imagine having to dig it up again after three weeks!) anytime soon/ever!

However, we DO have a new garden-related service which will be arriving on April 19 – a Seed Library! Our Seed Library, which will be housed at the Main library, is made up of envelopes that contain a small number of seeds, which you will be able to take to plant in your own garden. You are not required to return the seeds! We have (through a combination of purchasing and a grant) a wide variety of vegetable, herb and flower seeds, all of which have been obtained from Seed Savers Exchange in Decorah, Iowa. These seeds are all heirloom varieties, many of which you won’t find in seed racks at the store and many of which have interesting stories, having traveled from across the world and preserved for generations in family gardens.

Watch this space and other Library media outlets for more information and plan on stopping by the Main library starting on  April 19 to take a look at the Seed Library and pick up a few gems for your own garden!

 

Online Reading Challenge – March Wrap-Up

- Ann 2 Comments

Hello Fellow Readers!

How did your reading go this month? Did you read our main title, Station Eleven, or did you find something else to read?

Station Eleven is one of my favorite books, but it can be difficult to read at times. The fear, the isolation, the unrelenting unknown can sometimes cut a little too close to what we went through with Covid. Fortunately, Covid was not quite as deadly or as fast acting (although close enough) to the flu that swept through the population in Station Eleven and while our world has not changed as dramatically as it did in the book, it is different from what was before.

One thing I love about Station Eleven is the traveling band of actors and musicians, spreading a little bit of culture and beauty, that despite all of the loss and heartbreak, humans crave something more. (The quote from Star Trek that Mandel uses reflects this beautifully – “survival is not enough”) The traveling band provides some relief, a sense of community and ties to a past that is gone forever. I also liked how the passage of time after their pandemic is shown, how the “before” time slowly become stories and legends – it made me wonder about our history and how much of it has faded and shifted over time.

In the end I found Station Eleven to be full of hope – that good still exists, that humans can adapt and move forward, that even at the end of the world, there is reason to carry on.

How did you feel about the book you read this month? Was there a theme of fear and isolation in, but also optimism for the future? Or were people too burdened by grief and heartbreak? How do the worlds in each book look different from before and after? What are the lasting affects on the survivors? Has your thinking about the past and how stories are remembered changed? How are memories an imperfect record of the past, but also powerful reminders?

Let us know in the comments what you thought of this month’s reading challenge!

The Good Sister by Sally Hepworth

- Stephanie Leave a comment

“Sisterly relationships are so strange in this way. The way I can be mad at Rose but still want to please her. Be terrified of her and also want to run to her. Hate her and love her, both at the same time. Maybe when it comes to sisters, boundaries are always a little bit blurry. Blurred boundaries, I think, are what sisters do best.”
― Sally Hepworth, The Good Sister

The Good Sister tells the story of fraternal twins, Rose and Fern Castle. The two have relied on each other for their entire lives ever since their dad left and their mom was left as their sole caregiver. Their childhood wasn’t ideal or perfect, but they made it through together. Rose always looked out for Fern, but there was one time when Rose wasn’t there for Fern which resulted in a deadly mistake that has haunted Fern her entire life.

Flash forward to the present. Fern now works at her local library. She has a sensory processing disorder which means that she works hard to avoid crowds, loud noises, and bright lights as much as she can. Fern loves routine and structure, so she carefully plans out her life. She has dinner with Rose three nights a week, visits her mom, and participates in some recreational sports. Life is going on a perfectly normal steady pace. Until it isn’t.

One night at Rose’s house for dinner, Fern learns that Rose cannot get pregnant. She has a medical condition that means she will most likely never get pregnant. After researching Rose’s condition, Fern decides that she has finally found a way to pay Rose back after her years of looking out for her. Fern has decided to have a baby for Rose, but now she needs to find a father. That should be fairly easy to do!

Since Fern has made a plan, she begins putting it into motion. This journey throws up some road blocks though as Fern learns some things about her family that lead her to question what she knows to be true.

This book is also available in the following formats:

With Our Blessing by Jo Spain

- Lynn Leave a comment

 With Our Blessing by Jo Spain is one of those books that provide a bonus – an insight into a piece of history that may have been completely unknown to a reader. Such was the case with this book –  for me. (I’d never before heard of the Magdalene laundries).  For more than a hundred years, these laundries were operated for profit by the church with the help of the Irish government.  Locals and families were often unaware that the girls, predominantly unmarried mothers, were in fact free labor, more or less imprisoned in sometimes very harsh conditions.

That’s the premise for this mystery. A team of Dublin police (or garda, as they’re known in Ireland) is sent to a Limerick convent and former laundry after a local murder is linked to the site. Detective Laura Brennan’s aunt was sent to the convent in the seventies, which personalizes for Brennan the abuse these girls endured. Brennan discovers that her aunt was victimized by the town’s most prominent family and then by the laundry operators. The secrecy that allowed this abuse to go on until the 1990’s stymies the current murder investigations, as well.

This is the first in the Inspector Tom Reynolds series, which features members of the Dublin Murder Squad. Reynolds is the unassuming cool head of the team; Brennan, and other detectives provide a mix of temperaments, skills and backstories that add yet another layer to the already multilayered novel.

 

The Diamond Eye by Kate Quinn

- Ann 1 Comment

I really hesitated to post this review. I read this book several months ago, before it was published, with a Reader’s Advance copy. As a fan of Kate Quinn I couldn’t wait to read it and, typical of Quinn’s other titles, I couldn’t put it down. Since then, the world has changed dramatically and, while this book takes place in 1941 during World War II, the locations and circumstances are eerily, heartbreakingly similar to the current situation in Ukraine. Please read with caution.

All Mila Pavlichenko wants to do with her life is study, work as an archivist and raise her son. Unfortunately, history intervenes and she is forced into a role she never wanted when Germany invades her homeland in World War II in The Diamond Eye by Kate Quinn.

While war had been simmering for months, Germany’s invasion into the Soviet Union is sudden and brutal. Mila’s careful and ordered life is thrown into chaos and she volunteers for the army almost immediately. Having been part of a shooting club while in school, she already knows how to shoot. Her sharp eye and steady hand soon advance her to sniper and she is soon recognized as one of the best. Mila is tough, determined and nearly fearless making daring forays into enemy territory to hit the enemy at it’s weakest points.

Her job is also incredibly dangerous. More than once Mila is shot as the Germans learn how to locate and eliminate the snipers that harass their troops. The Germans refer to her as Lady Death, a lethal hunter of Nazis. She also suffers the loss of fellow soldiers, many of whom she has relied on to watch her back and provide back-up. Yet the war grinds on, bloody and unforgiving.

When Mila records her three hundredth kill she is declared a national heroine and the Soviet government pulls her from the battlefields and sends her on a goodwill tour of America. Still suffering from serious wounds and devastated by loss, Mila is leery of and isolated from the glittering world of Washington, DC, so shockingly different from the battlefields. She strikes up an unexpected friendship with First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt – who seems to understand that Mila is worn down by grief behind the facade of the perfect Soviet soldier – and is then thrust into a deadly duel with another sniper.

As with Kate Quinn’s other titles (The Alice Network, The Huntress and The Rose Code), The Diamond Eye is based on a true story about an incredibly strong-willed woman who sets aside her own personal comfort to defend and protect. It is sharp and fast-moving and frequently devastating, a reflection of the sacrifice shown in the book.

The reason I had so many doubts about posting the review is that it takes place in Ukraine (although Ukraine was part of the Soviet Union during World War II) and much of the action takes place in Kyiv and Odessa. It is different governments and different enemies, but here is Ukraine in 2022, fighting again for their homeland and suffering devastating losses. It is difficult to read now, but it is also a reminder of how history repeats itself and how freedom and democracy are never a sure thing, but must be defended always.

 

The Soulmate Equation by Christina Lauren

- Stephanie Leave a comment

‘Statistics can’t tell us what will happen, they can only tell us what might happen.’ – Christina Lauren, The Soulmate Equation

Christina Lauren’s latest published novel, The Soulmate Equation, is an exploration into love, science, and how the two intertwine. This romantic comedy is a delightful romp about what you would do if your soulmate ended up being the last person you expected them to be.

Jess is a freelance statistician. She has always loved numbers. They make sense to her when nothing else in her life does. A single mother to a young girl named Juno, Jess has managed to make life work with the help of her grandparents and her best friend Fizzy. While she finds fulfillment raising seven-year-old Juno and running stats for her clients, her love life has been basically non-existent. After yet another failed date, Jess decides she doesn’t need to find love to feel complete.

When Jess and Fizzy learn about a new matchmaking company called GeneticAlly whose chief science officer frequents the same coffee shop as them, Fizzy decides they need to discover more about what the company is actually offering. The two are invited to the company’s headquarters where they learn about the science behind GeneticAlly’s new love app. This startup claims to find your soulmate based on DNA compatibility rating thousands of  emotional and biological markers. In a desperate sad moment, Jess spits into the DNADuo kit, sends it in, and promptly forgets about it.

When a notification pings on her phone alerting her that the company has requested a meeting with her, her initial reaction is that they might want her to help running statistics. As soon as she shows up though, it’s clear that there is something else they need to discuss. Jess learns that she has 98% compatibility with another subject in the database, a number that is hard for her to believe to be true. Another item to add to her skepticism: Jess has matched with GeneticAlly’s founder and chief science officer, Dr. River Pena. River seems just as skeptical as her, but the two turn to the numbers to verify what they have been told. After all, numbers never lie.

Jess has a hard time believing that River is her soulmate, mostly because she already knows him. He is the stuck up and stubborn man who has come into the coffee house she frequents for months. How could he be her soulmate?! Genetically has a deal for her though: They will pay her to get to know River. They will expect her to go to events, do interviews, and spend one-on-one time with River. The more time the two spend with each other, the more Jess realizes why River behaves the way he does. The science doesn’t necessarily have to be at odds with the love and emotional aspect of life. River is more than she seems and so is his life’s work.

‘Destiny could also be a choice, she’d realized. To believe or not, to be vulnerable or not, to go all in or not.’ – Christina Lauren, The Soulmate Equation

This book is also available in the following formats:

New Social Science Titles

- Anna Leave a comment

Looking for a new social science title to read? Here are some new and upcoming releases hitting our shelves! If any of these books interest you, you can use the links below to place a hold in our catalog, or you can always give us a call to put one on hold for you.

The Black Agenda: Bold Solutions for a Broken System by Anna Gifty Opoku-Agyeman (editor)

This collection of essays explores several key aspects of social justice and reform to address one essential question: what’s next for America? Featuring scholarly contributors from across a spectrum of disciplines (such as economics, education, health, climate, and technology), this title examines multiple perspectives and considers essential ideas on how to go about healing the racial inequity throughout America. This title was released on February 1st.

Secrets of the Sprakkar: Iceland’s Extraordinary Women and How They are Changing the World by Eliza Reid

Written by the First Lady of Iceland, this title is an exploration of how the extraordinary women, or “sprakkar,” of this island nation are leading the way in closing the equality gap between men and women. This book features dozens of interviews, as well as Reid’s personal experiences, showcasing how Iceland is setting the example for how more progressive actions can be taken around the globe. This title was released on February 8th.

White Lies: The Double Life of Walter F. White and America’s Darkest Secret by A.J. Baime

This biography details the life of Walter F. White, a Black civil rights activist who lived an incredibly dangerous double life. Simultaneously acting as a leader of the NAACP and passing as white to document lynching crimes as a journalist, White’s activism was absolutely fundamental in bringing about civil rights legislation. While White may not yet be a household name, this book is sure to help spread his courageous story and make him one. This title was released on February 8th.

The Naked Don’t Fear the Water: An Underground Journey with Afghan Refugees by Matthieu Aikins

This personal narrative follows the harrowing journey of a journalist who accompanies a close friend out of Afghanistan upon the latter becoming a refugee. Leaving his entire identity and life behind, he goes underground and experiences the distressing and heart wrenching struggles refugees face, learning first-hand what lies at the heart of migration crises. This title was released on February 15th.

Bone Deep: Untangling the Betsy Faria Murder Case by Charles Bosworth, Jr. & Joel J. Schwartz

The basis for the popular TV series The Thing About Pam (featuring Renée Zellweger), this true crime account delves into the murder of Betsy Faria, who was found stabbed fifty-five times in her home. Despite evidence proving her husband’s innocence, he was convicted until undeniable evidence of a change in beneficiary came to light implicating the involvement of Betsy’s friend, Pamela Hupp. This title was released on February 22nd.

Rise: A Pop History of Asian America from the Nineties to Now by Jeff Yang

Full of graphic essays, images, and history, this title details and documents the cultural shifts and landmarks of Asian America throughout the 1990s, 2000s, and 2010s. Ranging from the popularity of Crazy Rich Asians and the band BTS to the significance of electing the first Asian American Vice President, this informative, yet entertaining book walks readers through these pop landmarks and everything in between. Dedicated to “the ones who come next,” this book celebrates what it means to be Asian American. This title was released on March 1st.

Beyond Innocence: The Life Sentence of Darryl Hunt by Phoebe Zerwick

Detailing the harrowing experience of a man who spent nearly 20 years in prison for a crime he didn’t commit, this memoir tells the story of Darryl Hunt who, despite evidence proving his innocence, was accused and convicted of raping and murdering a white woman at just 19 years old. Written by the very journalist who sought to secure his release, this book encapsulates the distressing consequences of those oppressed and unjustly persecuted in a justice system founded on systemic racism and issues a resounding call for change. This title was released on March 8th.

In Defense of Witches: The Legacy of the Witch Hunts and Why Women Are Still on Trial by Mona Chollet

Written by a prominent feminist, this book identifies and examines three types of women who have historically been accused of witchcraft: the independent woman, the childless woman, and the elderly woman. Arguing that these kinds of women experience similar mediums of sexism today, this book takes a look at both historical and modern day societal trends perpetuating the association between the label “witches”  and the women who defy social expectations steeped in misogyny. This title was released on March 8th.

Sandy Hook: An American Tragedy Became a Battle for Truth by Elizabeth Williamson

While the majority of people across the United States and the world mourned the young lives lost in the horrific shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School, there were some who, in the catastrophic aftermath, began sharing and perpetuating conspiracy theories online stating the shooting never happened. Containing interviews of survivors, family members, first responders, and others forever scarred by that day, this book details how the families of Sandy Hook refused to let the truth be washed out by lies and fought to secure the memories and legacies of all those who lost their lives. This title was released on March 8th.

On the Line: A Story of Class, Solidarity, and Two Women’s Epic Fight to Build a Union by Daisy Pitkin

Written by a young labor organizer, this book documents the fight to establish a union for industrial laundry factories in Phoenix, Arizona. Subjected to harsh and dangerous working conditions, ranging from exposure to bodily fluids and needles to not having safety guards on machines, author Pitkin worked together with Alma, an immigrant worker at one of these factories, to spearhead the fight to establish a voice and rights for these workers. Exploring the complex proceedings of politics, classism, and the history of unions themselves, this book gives agency to those who are often rendered speechless. This title will be released on March 29th.

If you would like to keep up with even more new releases hitting our shelves, please visit our “New Releases” LibGuide here. Additionally, if you want to find more titles revolving around social justice issues specifically, I invite you to also visit our “Social Justice Reads” LibGuide here.

Cozy Mystery Reads: Magic Garden Mystery series by Amanda Flower

- Stephanie Leave a comment

Amanda Flower has a clear grip on the cozy mystery genre, having published many different cozy series covering Amish mysteries, magical mysteries, and contemporary mysteries. She is a USA Today bestselling and Agatha Award-winning author with over thirty-five mystery novels published. Besides being a writer, Amanda was a librarian for fifteen years. She currently lives with her husband and their cats in Ohio where they own a farm and recording studio.

(Also of note, Michelle wrote a blog post about Farm to Trouble, the first book in the Farm to Table Mystery series by this same author that you should check out!)

Today I am going to be talking about a cozy mysteries series by Amanda Flower called the Magic Garden Mystery series. The first book in the Magic Garden Mystery series is Flowers and Foul Play. This book introduces readers to the beautiful Scottish countryside and the people who call it home.

Fiona Knox has lost everything. Her fiance left her for their cake decorator and not far after that, her flower shop closed. When she found out that her godfather Ian MacCallister had died and left her his cottage in Scotland, Fiona jumped on the first flight out of Nashville to restart her life. When Fiona arrives at the cottage, she is greeted by Hamish MacGregor, the cottage’s elderly caretaker. He walks her to the property’s garden and they find that it is almost completely dead with the exception of a lone blooming rose and ivy that seems to come to life in front of their eyes. As they are walking around the garden however, the two find a dead body splayed on the ground.

Police are called. Fiona finds herself being questions by Chief Inspector Neil Craig who also seizes her passport. Craig is convinced that Hamish is the killer, which worries Fiona. The more Fiona explores the town, the more she realizes just how many enemies the victim actually had. Hamish isn’t the only one who had reason to want the victim dead, but it’s up to Fiona to prove he couldn’t have done it.

Magic Garden Mystery series

  1. Flowers and Foul Play (2018)
  2. Death and Daisies (2018)
  3. Mums and Mayhem (2020)

The Overnight Guest by Heather Gudenkauf

- Stephanie Leave a comment

Heather Gudenkauf is an author of eight novels. She is Edgar Award nominated, which honors the best in mystery fiction, non-fiction, and television. Heather is also a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author. Her debut novel was an instant bestseller and spent 22 weeks on the New York Times list. Her books have been published in over 20 countries and have appeared on many book lists.

Heather was born in South Dakota, but moved to Iowa at the age of three with the rest of her family. Heather was born with a profound unilateral hearing impairment. As a result, she turned to books as a way to relax and retreat. She read many many books as a child, which helped fuel her desire to become a writer. Heather currently lives in Iowa with her family and her dog, Lolo.

Her latest book, The Overnight Guest, is the story of a true crime writer searching for answers. Suffering from writer’s block while working on her latest book, Wylie Lark decides to escape to an isolated farmhouse in Iowa to hopefully finish her book. She has worked to keep her distance from the residents of Burden in order to not have to answer questions about what she’s doing there and why she’s staying at such an isolated location. When Wylie learns that a big snowstorm is rolling in, she isn’t too worried. After all, she came prepared. She has a fireplace, silence, and a dog to keep her company. She also needs to finish writing her book which is more than enough to keep her busy. The only hiccup to her perfect plan: twenty years ago in the house that she is staying, two people were murdered and a girl disappeared without a trace.

The storm becomes much worse than Wylie expected. She finds herself trapped in this haunted house, trapped with the secrets of who killed those two people and trapped with her own reasons for wanting to escape her family back home. On one of her trips outside, Wylie makes a shocking discovery: a small child lying in the snow. When Wylie brings the child inside to warm them up, she immediately starts searching for answers as to why and how they ended up stranded in the middle of nowhere outside the farmhouse. While she questions them, the storm rages outside bringing more than snow, wind, and ice to her door. Wylie discovers that she isn’t as isolated as she thought she was and what she thought was true was all a lie.

This book is also available in the following formats:

Author photo credit: Erin Kirchoff

Bad Behavior has blocked 2046 access attempts in the last 7 days.