"Alferez Antonio Sonoro was born with gold in his eyes." So, begins The Bullet Swallower by Elizabeth Gonzalez James. Westerns, even ones with sparks of magical realism, are new reading territory for me. Usually, when I think of Westerns, my mind conjures up cattle drives, little houses on prairies and stagecoaches. I do not think of…
I don't know about you, but for my family and me, it's been yet another whirlwind of a year. As 2023 sings its swan song, we find ourselves reflecting on moments that brought us joy and fulfillment, challenges and lessons learned, and setting goals and intentions for the year to come. With the dawn of…
While The Kingdom of Sweets begins much like the beloved Nutcracker ballet, Erika Johansen has taken the characters and setting to make this story uniquely her own. Godfather Drosselmeyer’s gifts are soon revealed to be curses endured by Clara and her family - including the fact that the traditional heroine Clara has a twin sister,…
Well friends and fellow Cook Memorial Public Library District patrons, the time has come. The lists are out, the temperature is low and soon, the clock will strike midnight on a new year. So, what better time to have a 2023 book retrospective? Our latest episode of Bookies Talk does just that. Hannah and Erica…
The author of our One Book, One Community read, The Violin Conspiracy. DECEMBER 1, 2023 – FEBRUARY 25, 2024Join the movement to foster community through reading. One Book, One Community invites all readers in the Cook Memorial, Indian Trails, and Vernon Area library districts to read this year's selection, participate in book discussions and related…
The newest episode of Nonfiction Book Report is available on the Library’s YouTube Channel. This month Natalie and I talk about two Newish Noteworthy Nonfiction books about gifts. https://youtu.be/ynMOqGL6aps Natalie shared The Art Thief: a true story of love, crime, and a dangerous obsession by Michael Finkel. Stéphane Breitwieser desired to surround himself with great works of…
If you were to construct a list of story elements that do not entice me, it would include: Pandemic stories (I am ready for some precedented times.) Bird stories (I like my pets with fur.) Autofiction (novels where the author is also a character) So at first glance, The Vulnerables, Sigrid Nunez’s pandemic novel about…
Season’s Greetings! The holidays are upon us, and with them, all sorts of new holiday fiction for 2023: romances, mysteries, and thrillers (I still consider Die Hard a holiday film). Want to dive in but don’t know where to begin? Check out these hot titles to kick off your winter TBR! Three Holidays and a…
Books about climate disasters are usually not my thing. Floods, blizzards of massive proportions, heat waves, etc. generally do not appeal to me. But...disrupt my food chain? Bring the earth to the brink of global starvation? Now you have got me hooked. I become the living definition of "hangry" if my snacks are taken from…
The bright yellows, deep oranges, and stark reds of my neighbor’s trees juxtaposed with green lawns have sparked my interest in something unconventional this autumn: the desert. Each novel previewed below features a desert with themes of survival and grief. Where Gold Fame Citrus nearly dips into sci-fi territory, A Prayer for Travelers twists like…
