Nonfiction Friday: Family Fun Month!

August is Family Fun Month—the last month of summer, the last month before school, the last month of that sweet, sweet freedom to come to the library every single day for the entire day. To help you fill the rest of 08/2013 with all the joy you can, we've curated a list of books filled with last-minute must-dos. What are you waiting for? Family Fun Month's nearly over!!

Treehouses & Playhouses You Can Build by David and Jeanie Stiles.
Call number: D.I.Y. 690.89 STILES

Learn to build creative carpentry your children will enjoy for years to come.

Treehouses and Other Cool Stuff: 50 Projects You Can Build by David and Jeanie Stiles.
Call number: D.I.Y. 690.89 STILES

More than just treehouses and playhouses, this book is filled with cool outdoor toys for kiddos.

Imagine Childhood: Exploring the World through Nature, Imagination, and Play by Sarah Olmsted.
Call number: 790.122 OLMSTED

Ideas for outdoor imaginative play that keeps children engaged in nature.

Touch a Butterfly: Wildlife Gardening with Kids by April Pulley Sayre.
Call number: 635.96 SAYRE

Learn how to attract wildlife to your yard for your kiddos' enjoyment!

Best Tent Camping: Wisconsin by Kevin Revolinski.
Call number: TRAVEL 917.75 REVOLINSKI 2013

Enjoy the beautiful state we live in one (or TEN!) more times before autumn falls.

National Geographic Kids Ultimate U.S. Road Trip Atlas: Maps, Games, Activities and More for Hours of Backseat Fun!
Call number: J 921.73 BOYER

A fun road trip atlas that will keep kids entertained for that lengthy car ride.

Book Light ON "The Cuckoo's Calling"

The Cuckoo's Calling by "Robert Galbraith"

I'll start by being totally honest:
I would not have read this book if J. K. Rowling hadn't been revealed as the author. The leak of The Cuckoo's Calling's true creator flooded me with interest in the novel (not to mention swelled its sales -- 4000% increase almost over night? Unheard of.). I went into it with all the hope of a sincere Rowling fangirl who was a little downhearted after an unsuccessful attempt to get into The Casual Vacancy.

From the very beginning of Cuckoo, I thought to myself, If no one had leaked JKR as the author, I would have known! I would have knownnnn!! Of course, there is no way to be sure of that; it was just a feeling. All the excitement I felt catch hold in myself the first time I read Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone came surging up through my heart in a moment I can only describe as pure nerdy giddiness. Rowling as Galbraith does exactly what we loved her for through 7 Harry Potter books: She created noble, bright, magnetic characters that immediately engage your sympathies. To be sure, they have their flaws. Robin the temp spends her whole walk to her new short-term job as a private investigator's assistant sighing over her recent engagement (which I found profoundly annoying). All the romance ends quickly, and painfully, when a woman storms out of the PI's office, pursued by a huge man who nearly knocks Robin down a very steep spiral staircase — saving her only by hauling her back up (unfortunately) by the only thing he could grab hold of... her breast. Robin's savior happens to be her embarrassed new boss, private investigator Cormoran Strike. As we get to know Strike (former military man; amputee; illegitimate son of a rock star and a supergroupie; impoverished and deeply in debt to multiple parties; on-again, off-again fiancé of a beautiful, manipulative, spoiled rich girl) the more we yearn for his success not only in life, but in the case he's just taken on: The apparent suicide of young supermodel Lula Landry.

Her incredibly public death reflected her life, with the tabloids leeching on every tiny detail of the case. Landry's adoptive brother, a middling lawyer named John Bristow, suspects that the police and journalists must have missed something — his sister, though bipolar and on medication for her condition, would not have killed herself. Her friends mostly agree with his assessment, while the police are adamant that deaths like hers very often come without warning. Strike, in desperate need of money, feels a little slimy taking a case he feels was probably pretty well proved, but when he shakes hands with Bristow, he comes at Landry's death with a remarkably keen eye. As the investigation narrows toward a surprising conclusion, Landry shapes up to be a compelling character in her own right. Most excitingly, Robin the temp, who since her youth has longed wistfully to be a PI, takes a huge interest in the case, investigating leads, taking on ad hoc personae, and getting Strike closer to the truth.

Illustration: Matt Blease

In writing under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith, Rowling gave herself the freedom to try a new genre with a novel that could succeed or fail on its own merits. Until she was revealed as the author, The Cuckoo's Calling truly was a small success — well reviewed and selling fairly well. Clearly, this book is now a blockbuster with movie theaters clamoring for film rights, but it's succeeding with good reason. Like Harry Potter who came before him, Cormoran Strike is going to be a well-known name (so long as JKR keeps more Strike tales coming ... and allow me to publicly plead via the Internet that she continues this into an endless series with tons and tons of movie licensing agreements). The CAFÉ system has abundant copies, so put a hold on one today!

- Abby, Reference Librarian

Nonfiction Friday: BBQs and Ice Cream

July is National Hot Dog Month and National Ice Cream Month, so we've selected a few titles from our special EZ Access Food Collection that embrace the spirit of summer. Enjoy!

Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams at Home by Jeni Britton Bauer.
Call number: FOOD 641.862 BAUER

With 100 recipes and lots of tips, this ice cream cookbook is delectably cool.

Making Artisan Gelato by Torrance Kopfer.
Call number: FOOD 641.862 KOPFER

Yes, we know gelato isn't technically ice cream, but it's cold and delicious, so we don't care! This book delivers 45 delicious artisanal gelato and sorbet recipes.

Bobby Flay's Barbecue Addiction by Bobby Flay.
Call number: FOOD 641.5784 FLAY

The latest offering from the modern master of BBQ.

Italian Grill by Mario Batali.
Call number: FOOD 641.5945 BATALI

Batali weighs in with his own book of molto bene grill recipes.

Bonus for the veggie lovers:
The Gardener and the Grill by Karen Adler and Judith Fertig.
Call number: FOOD 641.76 ADLER

Herbivores and omnivores rejoice! These homegrown grill recipes make delicious sides that can hold their own on a plate.

Book Light ON "The Ocean at the End of the Lane"

The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman

I've been a truly obsessed Gaiman fan since I read American Gods (and promptly read every other possible thing he has ever written or even associated himself with), so the minute this book was published, it promptly bumped every other book from my To-Be-Read queue and consumed my life for a day and a half.

True to Gaiman's style, it's part sci-fi supernatural thriller, part bone-chilling horror story, which makes it wholly awesome. The story begins in the present day where the nameless narrator is attending a family funeral and decides, during a break and totally impulsively, to visit his family's old (now demolished) home. He's reminded during his journey of a friend he had who lived down the lane, a girl a little older than him named Lettie Hempstock, and wondering what ever had become of her, he visits her family's farm. Stepping onto the Hempstock property, his memories of Lettie's pond—which she in her adorably provincial way referred to as her ocean—trickle into his consciousness until he's flooded with his memory of the suicide of a diamond miner, the catalyst for the narrator and Lettie becoming fast friends, as well as their encounter with a strange, paranormal creature that can't resist using its powers on Earth.

Though the narrator begins a skeptic, he quickly remembers walking hand-in-hand with Lettie through the Hempstock property into a parallel world where they confront a hideous beast who grotesquely bores her way into the narrator's body and is transported like a virus into his world. Soon the beast has infiltrated his family, causing unrest and seeking the whole time to do the narrator endless harm. The book quickly escalates, as the beast's destruction of everything good introduces a slew of even more harmful, ravenous "varmints," and does this all at a nightmare-inducing pace that makes it impossible to put the book down lest the young narrator and Lettie come to more danger because you're not reading them to safety.

It's a short read, well worth the time invested, and not without its moments of bittersweet realities. When you as a reader take a dip in the eponymous ocean at the end of the lane with Lettie and the narrator, you'll want to jump in just as much as I did to see how those improbable waters change you. Needless to say, this is one I will gladly re-read (I can go slower now that I know the ending is at least not UNhappy). The Ocean at the End of the Lane is available throughout the CAFÉ system in print and audiobook.

-Abby, Reference Librarian

Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction & Nonfiction 2013

The winners of the Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction and Nonfiction were announced June 30th at the American Library Association conference in Chicago. Anyone interested in reading something deemed truly excellent should pick up one (or all!) of these titles.

Fiction

Winner
Canada by Richard Ford. (FORD R CANADA).

Nominees
The Round House by Louise Erdrich. (ERDRICH L ROUND). Also available in audiobook format.
This Is How You Lose Her by Junot Diaz. (CDBOOK DIAZ J THIS IS). Available in print throughout the CAFÉ system.



Nonfiction

Winner
Short Nights of the Shadow Catcher: The Epic Life and Immortal Photographs of Edward Curtis by Timothy Egan. (770.92 CURTIS E EGAN).

Nominees
The Mansion of Happiness: A History of Life and Death by Jill Lepore. Available throughout the CAFÉ system.
Spillover: Animal Infections and the Next Human Pandemic by David Quammen. Available in print throughout the CAFÉ system.

Library Closed for Independence Day

The library will be closed tomorrow, July 4th, in honor of Independence Day. Celebrate safely and come see us Friday — we'll be here with plenty of patriotic recommendations on hand!

Nonfiction Friday: Father's Day

Dads are so hard to buy things for, right? This year, Father's Day will be celebrated on Sunday, June 16th. If you're still scrambling for a last-minute present, consider this: Knowledge is a gift, and books hold knowledge, so with any luck, dad might be happy with a considerate reading recommendation. We can help you out there!

Touching My Father's Soul: A Sherpa's Journey to the Top of Everest by Jamling Tenzing Norgay.
Call number: 796.522092 NORGAY J

The son of the first Sherpa to climb Mt. Everest recalls his father's amazing journey to the top of the world.

Dad is Fat by Jim Gaffigan.
Call number: 817.6 GAFFIGAN

Comedian and hot-pocket hater Gaffigan hilariously describes the ups and downs of raising five kids.

After Visiting Friends: A Son's Story by Michael Hainey.
Call number: 921 HAINEY M

Years after his journalist father dies tragically on the streets of Chicago, Hainey seeks to uncover the truth surrounding the untimely, mysterious death.

My Father at 100 by Ron Reagan.
Call number: 921 REAGAN R

Nancy and Ronald's son recalls all the qualities that made his father not only a great leader, but a loving caregiver and family man.







And here are a couple bonus books for the kids (or dads who are young at heart) which remind us that comic books are often considered nonfiction graphic art—though at our library, we give them their own sections!

Darth Vader and Son by Jeffrey Brown.
Call number: J GRAPHIC STAR WARS

In a galaxy far, far away, Darth Vader takes an active role in raising his son, Luke Skywalker.






Vader's Little Princess by Jeffrey Brown.
Call number: J GRAPHIC STAR WARS

Playfully re-imagined Vader can't help but spoil his sweet little Princess Leia.

Book Light ON "Shades of Grey"

Shades of Grey: the Road to High Saffron by Jasper Fforde

Of all the possible "Shades of Grey" novels in the world, Jasper Fforde's is arguably the most original. Fforde, the man behind two highly creative ongoing series, Thursday Next and Nursery Crime Division, is a prolific, inventive writer with a knack for enveloping his readers in strangely familiar worlds that are comfortable and recognizable, but juuuust eerie and off-putting enough that you know they're fated to fall apart.

Fforde's dystopian world of Chromatacia is divided by a hierarchy of hues (a Colortocracy), with those members of each group being able to see a disparagingly limited amount of natural colors. Our narrator, Eddie Russett, is a red and aside from synthetic colors generated to be seen by everyone, he can only see various shades of his house hue. The grass, the sky, a daffodil all appear black, gray, or white to him unless they are synthetically colorized to be seen by every person in the hierarchy except the achromatic greys. The motto of this color divided world? Apart we are together. It's clear that the residents of Chromatacia aren't exactly human — their pupils never dilate, so no one can see in the dark. The other weird thing is that viewing specific color swatches can heal sicknesses, while others can offer narcotic-like sensations, make one hear symphonic music, and even quicken or cause death.

In addition to the segregation of color perceptions, Eddie's world strictly adheres to rules, which from our viewpoint as readers are ridiculously arbitrary. For example, no new spoons can ever be manufactured, so like titles and estates, spoons are passed down when elderly family members die. No one can marry a complementary color, so Eddie knows better than to fall for a green girl. Greys, people with no natural color perception, are relegated to a life of menial labor and are undesirable marriage partners. Most disturbingly, the world has no facts — the rules are the only facts that society thinks are necessary for its citizens to know.

Eddie has lived his whole life observing the harmony of the Colortocracy's status quo, but when he's sent to the Outer Fringes of society, the delicate weave of the rules begins to fray and unravel. He meets a vicious, violent, lovely Grey girl named Jane, a man who by the rules can be seen by everyone but must be treated as if he doesn't exist, and enough rule benders to realize that the insignificant weight of a question is enough to make the entire system break.

This book marks the start of a new Fforde series (YESSS!), with the publication date of book 2, Shades of Grey: Painting by Numbers as yet unannounced.

Shades of Grey: The Road to High Saffron is available throughout our system in hardcover, large-print hardcover, MP3 playaway, and audio book, as well as downloadable e-book and audiobook formats through the Wisconsin Digital Library.

-Abby, Reference Librarian

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

Pulitzer Prize Winners 2013

The Pulitzer Prize Board announced its annual list of winners on April 15th! We’re pleased to say we have many of the Letters winners living on our shelves, and of course nearly all of them are available throughout our county-wide system. How many of the winners and finalists have you read?

Fiction winner
The Orphan Master’s Son by Adam Johnson

Fiction nominees

What We Talk About When We Talk About Anne Frank by Nathan Englander

The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey

History winner
Embers of War: The Fall of an Empire and theMaking of America's Vietnam by Fredrik Logevall

History nominees

The Barbarous Years: The Peopling of British North America:The Conflict of Civilizations, 1600-1675 by Bernard Bailyn

Lincoln’s Code: The Laws of War in American History by John Fabian Witt

Biography/Autobiography winner
The Black Count: Glory,Revolution, Betrayal, and the Real Count of Monte Cristo by Tom Reiss

Biography/Autobiography nominees

Portrait of a Novel: Henry James and the Making of anAmerican Masterpiece by Michael Gorra

The Patriarch: The Remarkable Life and Turbulent Times ofJoseph P. Kennedy by David Nasaw

Poetry winner
Stag's Leap by Sharon Olds

Poetry nominees

Collected Poems by the late Jack Gilbert

*The Abundance of Nothing by Bruce Weigl

Nonfiction winner
Devil in the Grove: Thurgood Marshall,the Groveland Boys, and the Dawn of a New America by Gilbert King

Nonfiction nominees

Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death and Hope in aMumbai Undercity by Katherine Boo

The Forest Unseen: A Year's Watch in Nature by David George Haskell

* The Abundance of Nothing is the only title to which we do not have direct access, but no worries — it’s still available through Interlibrary Loan!

Goodreads 2013 Reading Challenge

Ring in the New Year with Goodreads and the 2013 Reading Challenge! 

If you haven’t heard of Goodreads.com, it is a website that allows you to rate the books you have read, keep track of the books you have read or wish to read, make lists of favorite authors and books, find trivia quizzes and quotes, and communicate with other book lovers and friends.  Using Goodreads.com is simple and membership is free.  Simply, go here to set up an account.

As for the 2013 Reading Challenge, simply set a goal, any goal, as low or high as you want, and Goodreads will track your progress.  Goodreads.com will let you know when you’re falling behind and when you’re ahead!  In 2012, 303,232 Goodreads' participants pledged to read 17.8 million books.  So challenge yourself this year with a reading goal!  To learn more about the reading challenge go here.

Recently Added Video Games!

December's Staff Picks

The Mukwonago Community Library features staff picks for each month of the year! December’s featured staff members are Tammy and Elaine. You can find their picks at the library by the windows behind the Reference desk or right here below:

Tammy’s Picks

NON FICTION
Homer’s Odyssey: A Fearless Feline Tale by Gwen Cooper
No Angel by Jay Dobyns
Unlikely Friendships: 47 Remarkable Stories from the Animal Kingdom by Jennifer Holland
Dog Days: Dispatches from Bedlam Farms by Jon Katz
Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World by Vicki Myron
A Lion Called Christian by Anthony Burke and John Rendall
Bad Dog by Richard Rosen
Taste of Home Budget Suppers
Fix-It and Forget-It; 5 Ingredient Favorites

FICTION
Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean Auel
Milwaukee Winters Can Be Murder by Kathleen Anne Barrett
Ricochet by Sandra Brown
Hunt for Red October by Tom Clancy
Lethal Seduction by Jackie Collins
Marker by Robin Cook
Postmortem by Patricia Cornwell
The Bodies Left Behind by Jeffery Deaver
Keepsake by Tess Gerritsen
Sinner by Tess Gerritsen
Bad Love by Jonathan Kellerman
Cell by Stephen King
Natural Causes by Michael Palmer
Bridges of Madison County by Robert James Waller

Elaine’s Picks
The Camel Club by David Baldacci
Death of a Chimney Sweep by M.C. Beaton
Gone Tomorrow by Lee Child
I’ll Walk Alone by Mary Higgins Clark
Lights Out Tonight by Mary Higgins Clark
The Brass Verdict by Michael Connelly
Tail Spin by Catherine Coulter
The Spy by Clive Cussler
The Bodies Left Behind by Jeffery Deaver
The Burning Wire by Jeffery Deaver
Hot Six by Janet Evanovich
The Mephisto Club by Tess Gerritsen
The Partner by John Grisham
Damage Control by Judith A Jance
Die in Plain Sight by Elizabeth Lowell
Summer on Blossom Street by Debbie Macomber
Now You See Her by James Patterson
Killer View by Ridley Pearson
The Brutal Telling by Louise Penny
Sisters by Danielle Steel
The Penny Pinchers Club by Sarah Strohmeyer
Force of Nature by C.J. Box
Mortal Prey by John Sandford
Sidney Sheldon’s After the Darkness by Tilly Bagshawe

Green Bay Packers: Trials, Triumphs, and Tradition

If you like the Packers then come to the library Thursday, Nov. 29th at 7:00.  Award-winning author Bill Povletich drops by to discuss his newest book “Green Bay Packers: Trials, Triumphs, and Tradition.”  In it, he tells the improbable story of professional football’s most iconic team, and along the way gives a unique window into the rise of modern professional sports.

Parade of Bears Silent Auction

Stop in the library from now thru Saturday, Dec. 1st and take a look at the bears that various businesses and organizations in Mukwonago have made.  Vote for and bid on your favorite bear!  Bidding starts at $50.00.  Auction ends Saturday, Dec. 1st at 6:00pm.  Proceeds go to the Band Shell Fundraiser.