Nonfiction Friday: Dairy Month!

Mukwonago may be the place of the bear, but since the 1850s, Wisconsin has established itself as the place of the cow. For this week's Nonfiction Friday, we're focusing on the industry that has made us proud to be "The Dairy State."

Creating Dairyland: How Caring for Cows Saved Our Soil, Created Our Landscape, Brought Prosperity to our State, and Still Shapes Our Way of Life in Wisconsin by Edward Janus.
Call number: 636.2142 JANUS

A history of over a century and a half of dairy farming and cheese making, complemented by historical photographs. Written by former dairyman and journalist Ed Janus.

The Master Cheesemakers of Wisconsin by James Norton and Becca Dilley.
Call number: 637.309775 NORTON

Meet the master cheesemakers of Wisconsin who have a hand in crafting nearly 600 varieties of artisinal cheese. Beautiful photographs add insight to their work.

Wisconsin Cheese: A Cookbook and Guide to the Cheeses of Wisconsin by Martin Hintz and Pam Percy.
Call number: FOOD 641.3735 HINTZ

Learn the best ways to enjoy that real Wisconsin cheese.

And one for the kiddos in our community...
Clarabelle: Making Milk and So Much More by Cris Peterson.
Call number: JUV 636.2142 PET

Kids can learn what life is like for a Wisconsin dairy cow and her calf.

Nonfiction Friday: Memorial Day

The library will be closed on May 27 in observation of Memorial Day. While many look forward to the holiday for its pleasant weather and grill-fueled cookouts, it’s important to remember that Memorial Day represents significantly more than a free day off.

There are countless amazing books (fiction and nonfiction) about the hardships of war which honor the sacrifice of those who died in service to the United States. We've highlighted a few nonfiction titles from our collection that add impact to the conflicts that have changed the course of human history.

Flags of our Fathers by James Bradley with Ron Powers.

Call number: 940.5426 BRA

Also available @your library in large print (LP 940.5426 BRA) and e-audio book on Wisconsin’s Digital Library. This classic title was adapted into a feature film (DVD FLAGS OF OUR), directed by Clint Eastwood.

The true story behind the famous WWII photograph of 6 Marines raising the American flag at Iwo Jima.

We Were Soldiers Once … And Young by Harold G. Moore and Joseph L. Galloway.

Call number: 959.704 MOORE

Also available @your library in large print (LP 959.704 MOO) and as a feature film (DVD WE WERE SOLDIERS) starring Mel Gibson. Holds can be placed on audio books from other CAFÉ libraries.

A gritty account of the first major ground battle in the Vietnam War.

Outlaw Platoon by Sean Parnell with John Bruning.

Available as an e-book or e-audio book on Wisconsin’sDigital Library. Hard copies and audio books are available throughout the CAFÉ system.

A personal account of over a year of almost continuous fighting in the Hindu Kesh of Afghanistan.

And one for the kiddos in our community...
The Wall by Eve Bunting. Illustrated by Ronald Himmler.
Call number: E BUNTING E
Numerous copies are available throughout the CAFÉ system.

A father brings his son to the Vietnam Memorial to find the name of the boy's grandfather, who died in the conflict.

Book Light ON "Bring up the Bodies"

We’re starting a new feature on our blog that just might keep you up at night. Book Light will illuminate the reading materials that we just cannot put down, even if it means losing a little sleep. We apologize for any rough mornings our recommendations might cause!

Bring up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel

Let me start by saying, I am obsessed with the Tudors. But even if I wasn’t, I still would not be able to put down 2012 Man Booker Prize winner Bring up the Bodies. It seriously doesn’t even matter if you’ve read Mantel’s Wolf Hall, the stunning predecessor to Bring up the Bodies, which also won a Man Booker; jumping into this historical fiction account of the downfall of Anne Boleyn is enthralling, and the story is so well known that it hardly needs an introduction (but indulge me, because I’ll give you a little of it anyway).

In failing to give Henry VIII a male heir and having a notoriously high-and-mighty personality with a sharp tongue to boot, the doomed Queen Anne has quickly worn out her welcome. When the king takes a keen interest in the lady Jane Seymour, he quickly (and mercilessly) makes it Thomas Cromwell’s job to bring Anne down, and boy, does he know how to do it. Accused of countless acts of adultery, treason, and the unspeakable crime of incest, Anne finds herself fighting not just for the king’s favor, but for her life. We all know how this story ends (SPOILER ALERT: she crashes and burns on an epic level), but that doesn’t make the trip there any less suspenseful. Though the history is familiar, the eyes through which we see it are not. The awesome twist in both Wolf Hall and Bring up the Bodies is that they offer a fresh, fascinatingly foreign take on the timeless Tudor scandals. By retelling the story through Cromwell, an actual man who served as a powerful adviser to the king, Mantel makes a well-known tale as fresh and raw as it’s ever been. Even better, she recreates Cromwell in a more sympathetic light than historical sources have typically done, so we see how very much he has gained and understand how much he has to lose.

Bring up the Bodies is the second book of the planned Wolf Hall trilogy. Mantel is working on The Mirror & the Light, which will inevitably end the tale of Cromwell's rise to power with his bloody downfall. I know it's coming, but I've grown so fond of him over the first two books of the trilogy that I already dread the thought of his demise. 

Bring up the Bodies is available throughout our library system in hardcover, large-print hardcover, audio book, and MP3 playaway. And I know I said you don’t have to have read Wolf Hall to enjoy Bring up the Bodies, but both books are awesome, so don’t hesitate to pick up the pair. Wolf Hall is available throughout our system in hardcover, large-print hardcover, and audio book (both CD and eAudio formats).

-Abby, Reference Librarian