READ @ MPLtag:blog.mpl.org,2013:/mke_reads//112013-06-17T13:38:08ZA reading blog from Milwaukee Public Library.
www.mpl.orgMovable Type 5.2Whatcha Readin' @ Bay View & Tippecanoetag:blog.mpl.org,2013:/mke_reads//11.26932013-06-17T13:36:54Z2013-06-17T13:38:08ZEver wonder what the library staff are reading? Here's a snapshot of what's currently being read by workers at the Bay View and Tippecanoe branches: Christopher G (Bay View & Tippecanoe) is reading The Autobiography of Mark Twain, Volume 1...Jacki
Christopher G (Bay View & Tippecanoe) is reading The Autobiography of Mark Twain, Volume 1 and is listening to Gideon's Corpse by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child
Deb H (Bay View) is reading The Illicit Happiness of Other People by Manu Joseph and is listening to In Fifty Years We'll All Be Chicks: And Other Complaints from an Angry Middle-Aged White Guy by Adam Carolla
Alison Z (Bay View) is reading Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn and Inferno by Dan Brown
Abby O (Bay View) is reading Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi
Alyssa P (Bay View) is reading Bill and Hillary: The Politics of the Personal by William H. Chafe
Matt P (Bay View) is reading A Game of Thrones by R.R. Martin
Fran G (Bay View) is reading Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made by Stephan Pastis and Quintana of Charyn by Melina Marchetta
Sarah L (Tippecanoe) is reading The Middlesteins by Jami Attenberg
Becky M (Tippecanoe) is reading Family Pictures by Jane Green
Kyle D (Tippecanoe) is reading Please Don't Come Back From the Moon by Dean Bakopoulos
Sue G (Tippecanoe) is reading Bringing Mulligan Home: The Other Side of the Good War by Dale Maharidge and I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga
Irene M (Tippecanoe) is reading A Dog Walks into a Nursing Home: Lessons in the Good Life From an Unlikely Teacher by Sue Halpern
Katie F (Tippecanoe) is reading Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shepard
Watch for future lists of what the staff at the branch locations are reading! ]]>
If You Were Here by Alafair Burketag:blog.mpl.org,2013:/mke_reads//11.27032013-06-15T15:13:19Z2013-06-15T15:13:44Z When her friend, Susan Hauptman, disappeared ten years earlier, McKenna Jordan was devastated and adamant that Susan would not have abandoned her friends without a word. That same year, McKenna's life seemed to spiral out of control when her...Jacki
When her friend, Susan Hauptman, disappeared ten years earlier, McKenna Jordan was devastated and adamant that Susan would not have abandoned her friends without a word. That same year, McKenna's life seemed to spiral out of control when her job as an Assistant District Attorney in New York went up in flames after falsely accusing a cop of planting a gun in a high profile shooting case that split the city along racial lines.
Now McKenna Wright, married to Patrick Wright whom she met through Susan, works as a writer for NYC Magazine. When sent to cover a story about a heroic subway rescue, the face of her friend, Susan, suddenly appears in images from the rescue. McKenna is pulled into a dangerous pursuit to discover the truth about her friend's disappearance. As too many strange coincidences pile up and too many untruths resurface, McKenna begins to understand that there is more to lose than her job. Unsure of whom to trust, she attempts to untangle the lies from the truth in her desperate search for Susan.
Alafair Burke's latest novel of suspense If You Were Here is just that. Burke brings a fresh style to her latest mystery, continues her apt writing from alternating perspectives, and keeps the plot twists coming right to the end. Like McKenna, readers won't know who to trust and will race along to uncover truth.
Karli @ Central
]]>
Sci-Fi & Fantasy Fridaystag:blog.mpl.org,2013:/mke_reads//11.26872013-06-14T14:56:50Z2013-06-14T14:56:59ZFor thirty years, Terry Pratchett has been writing books about a massive motley menagerie of characters in his Discworld fantasy series. Filled with humor, magic, wit, and adventure, there's a little something for everyone. With thirty-nine books in the series...Tim
Terry Pratchett has been writing books about a massive motley menagerie of characters in his Discworld fantasy series. Filled with humor, magic, wit, and adventure, there's a little something for everyone. With thirty-nine books in the series so far, it can be a little daunting to find a place to jump in, so we'll point to a couple of good books for where to start your Discworld experience.
If you like crime solving, gruff but lovable policemen, and malicious secret societies, why not start with Guards! Guards! This is the first book about the lovable group of misfits known as the Ankh-Morpork City Watch, and their misadventures in attempting to save their city from a deadly dragon.
If you like witches, Shakespeare, and murder most foul, there's Wyrd Sisters. This is the first of the books about a group of three witches: the cantankerous Granny Weatherwax, the jovial Nanny Ogg, and the naïve young Magrat Garlick. The witches then have to deal with ghostly kings, traveling acting troupes, treacherous usurpers of the throne and more, and that's just in their first outing.
If you like con artists, stamps, and stories of love and redemption, there's Going Postal. This story begins with Moist Von Lipwig, a skilled con artist, finally caught by the law. He's given a choice, he can either face certain death or become the new head of the Ankh-Morpork Postal Service. From there unfolds a story of a man who quite accidentally manages to rebuild the entire dilapidated service, invent the postage stamp, and even fall in love.
Finally for the young adult readers, there's the Tiffany Aching series of books, starting with The Wee Free Men. Tiffany Aching is a young apprentice witch who ends up on rather dangerous adventures which she manages to triumph over as she grows and matures, with a helping hand from a group of six-inch tall angry blue pixie-like creatures known as the Nac Mac Feegle.
Tim @ Central]]>
Mill Road Readstag:blog.mpl.org,2013:/mke_reads//11.26992013-06-12T13:39:00Z2013-06-12T13:39:18Z Ever wondered what to do with quinoa? Or how to cook amaranth? Supergrains: Cook Your Way to Great Health by Chrissy Freer provides the instructions on how to use 12 "super grains" which will enrich your diet and quite...Jacki
Ever wondered what to do with quinoa? Or how to cook amaranth? Supergrains: Cook Your Way to Great Health by Chrissy Freer provides the instructions on how to use 12 "super grains" which will enrich your diet and quite possibly improve your health. The author focuses on whole grains rather than refined grains as they are higher in fiber, lower on the glycemic index and many are gluten free. Tempt your palate with Millet Stuffed Roast Chicken or Buckwheat Risotto with Lemon and Garlic Shrimp.
Enid @ Mill Road
]]>
Urban Fictiontag:blog.mpl.org,2013:/mke_reads//11.26912013-06-10T16:28:45Z2013-06-10T16:28:40Z Ever since Billie's father was murdered when she was eight years old, she's worked tirelessly to find the man responsible and bring him to justice. Philadelphia: Street Justice is the story of her mission to clear the streets of...Jacki
Ever since Billie's father was murdered when she was eight years old, she's worked tirelessly to find the man responsible and bring him to justice. Philadelphia: Street Justice is the story of her mission to clear the streets of lawbreakers.
She's not afraid to take matters into her own hands if necessary; sometimes the legal way of doing things just doesn't cut it. Her boyfriend, Walter, is a detective in the Philadelphia police department and they're pegged as a power couple...but if someone finds out about Billie's secret, their lives will change forever.
Jacki @ Central
]]>
Rock & Roll Reading for the Summertag:blog.mpl.org,2013:/mke_reads//11.26842013-06-08T13:53:12Z2013-06-08T13:53:56ZSummertime is for sun, fun, and music, and with some of rock's biggest names passing through Milwaukee this year, it's a great time to catch up on your favorite stars. Here are some recent rock bios you can take to...Tim
rock's biggestnames passing through Milwaukee this year, it's a great time to catch up on your favorite stars. Here are some recent rock bios you can take to the beach with you.
It's hard to believe it's been more than 20 years since we lost Freddie Mercury. That soaring, operatic, unmistakable voice has never been matched--most certainly not by any American Idol pretenders who dare try to sing Queen songs. Lesley-Ann Jones' Mercury is a dishy but loving remembrance of one of rock's most dynamic frontmen.
If you're a guitar player, you've no doubt cribbed a lick or two from Jimmy Page. The Led Zeppelin founder's colossal influence on almost everyone who has picked up a guitar since the late '60s is unquestionable. In Light & Shade : Conversations with Jimmy Page, Guitar World magazine Editor-In-Chief Brad Tolinski sits down with the icon in a series of interviews to discuss everything from guitars and gear to his titanic band's legacy.
Pete Townshend is no less a towering guitar god than Page. As the chief songwriter of The Who, Townshend helped expand the horizons of rock music, branching out into film and Broadway with his "rock operas" Tommy and Quadrophenia. In Who I Am, Pete picks up the pen himself and offers a glimpse into his often crazy (but always prolific) life.
Jimmy Fallon may do a fair impersonation, but there is no one like Neil Young. He proves this further in his rambling, digressive memoir Waging Heavy Peace. In his book, Young shifts frequently between his storied past and descriptions of his current projects and interests, wherever his mind and laptop take him in that moment. It rocks like the best of Crazy Horse.
Brett @ Central
]]>
Sci-Fi & Fantasy Fridaystag:blog.mpl.org,2013:/mke_reads//11.26942013-06-07T14:21:21Z2013-06-07T14:21:21Z A time traveling serial killer taking directions from a house, is, in a nutshell, The Shining Girls by Lauren Beukes. Harper Curtis, a drifter in Depression-era Chicago, is down on his luck and has a bent for violence. In...Jacki
A time traveling serial killer taking directions from a house, is, in a nutshell, The Shining Girls by Lauren Beukes. Harper Curtis, a drifter in Depression-era Chicago, is down on his luck and has a bent for violence. In 1931 he kills an old woman and steals her coat for its warmth. Inside one of the pockets he finds an old key to a special house. There's a room in the house that's filled with mementos that seem familiar to him and there are names written on the wall in his handwriting. The house lets him time travel (the room is a portal) and uses him to kill certain special girls--Shining Girls.
Kirby Mazrachi is one of the Shining Girls; Harper first visits her in June 1974 when she is 6 1/2 years old. He gives her an orange plastic pony and tells her, "I'll see you when you're all grown up." In 1987, he delivers on his promise, but she survives the brutal attack. Working as an intern for the Chicago Sun-Times, she has an opportunity to learn more about Harper. Through old newspaper files, she finds out about attacks similar to her own and the weird mementos left by the bodies of those who've died through the decades. She suspects Harper, but because of the timeline (the deaths occur from 1931 through the early 1990s) she has difficulty getting others to believe her. Harper eventually learns that she is still alive and so naturally, they must meet again...
Jacki @ Central]]>
Homeward Bound by Emily Matchartag:blog.mpl.org,2013:/mke_reads//11.26822013-06-06T13:36:04Z2013-06-06T13:36:23Z If you're on Pinterest, you are probably well-aware of the growing trend for do-it-yourself projects. For some, DIY is a hobby, but others have made it into a way of living. In her new book, Homeward Bound: Why Women...Jacki
If you're on Pinterest, you are probably well-aware of the growing trend for do-it-yourself projects. For some, DIY is a hobby, but others have made it into a way of living. In her new book, Homeward Bound: Why Women Are Embracing the New Domesticity, Emily Matchar explores the reason why many young people, especially women, are trading in power suits for backyard chickens, vegetable gardens, home-sewn clothes, and canned jam.
While the women profiled in Homeward Bound share a passion for homesteading, local eating, natural childcare, and crafting, they are as varied as heirloom tomatoes. Some see the return to domesticity as a re-appropriation of "women's work"--a feminist move to return home arts to a respected skill and indicator of self-sufficiency. Others see this "new domesticity" as a return to the nurturing role that women were born to play. Some of the women were motivated to go off-the-grid by a lack of family-friendly workplaces while others simply could not find full-time work, wanted to control their access to healthy food, or wanted to reduce their carbon footprint.
In addition to exploring the multifaceted causes of the self-sufficiency movement, Matchar outlines how the modern homesteading experience differs from that of colonial women and 1950s housewives. Modern domestic goddesses increasingly take part in a blog community that connects them with likeminded individuals. Gone are the days of the isolated homemaker, as many women join the blogging community to share tips, tricks, best practices, and recipes.
Matchar explores the trend with a congenial tone, admitting her own reservations as well as her admiration for the women she researches. This book was an interesting read that challenged me to think critically about my own burgeoning interest in domestic arts.
Shannon @ Center Street
]]>
Fire it Up! New Barbeque and Grilling Books at Your Local Librarytag:blog.mpl.org,2013:/mke_reads//11.26762013-06-05T13:29:16Z2013-06-05T13:29:31ZSummer is just around the corner. So why not check out these new books on barbecuing and grilling at your Milwaukee Public Library? Smoke: New Firewood Cooking by Tim Byres Great book for people looking to kick their grilling game...Tim
Smoke: New Firewood Cooking by Tim Byres
Great book for people looking to kick their grilling game up a step! Byres goes beyond basic grilling, including recipes for grilling and smoking vegetables, seafood and sweets.
Where There's Smoke: Simple, Sustainable, Delicious Grilling by Barton Seaver
Seaver features recipes on grilling seasonal, fresh, organic produce, fish, beef, and poultry. Look for recipes including grilled potato salad, grilled sardines with lime-almond dressing, and charred leg of lamb with garlic and lemon.
Good Housekeeping Test Kitchen Grilling Cookbook: 225 Sizzling Recipes for Every Season
The newest entry in the Good Housekeeping Test Kitchen family of bestselling ring-bound cookbooks is the essential resource on a favorite topic: grilling! It features triple-tested recipes for beef, pork, poultry, and seafood dishes; vegetables and meatless mains; and salads, sauces, and sides.
Submitted by Laura @ Central]]>
Treasures of the Rare Book Room: Cooking and Baking tag:blog.mpl.org,2013:/mke_reads//11.24782013-06-03T16:21:15Z2013-06-03T18:42:48Z Elizabeth Black Kander was born May 28, 1858, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She attended the East Side High School after which she began working to serve local people in need. She founded the Settlement House that taught young Milwaukee girls...Valerie Stradivarius
Elizabeth Black Kander was born May 28, 1858, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She attended the East Side High School after which she began working to serve local people in need. She founded the Settlement House that taught young Milwaukee girls to keep house and cook. In 1901 the first edition of the Settlement Cookbook by Elizabeth Black Kander was printed. It was so popular that over 30 editions have been printed over the years containing additional recipes and information.
Every winter Wisconsin Energy/Electric Company prints The Cookie Book : Celebrating The Tradition of Cooking and Conserving Energy. These recipe books have been published since 1929 and can be used year round. One of many curious things to see is in the 1935 edition where there is an illustration of a "new electric health kitchen... one that every home loving woman will enjoy."
Also available for viewing is the Breta Griem Recipe Collection which contains the recipes from the WTMJ TV cooking show "What's New in the Kitchen." This program ran from 1949-1962. The Breta Griem Recipe Collection showcases pamphlets from that time, hand written recipes and published booklets. The image here is only one of many recipes to see.
If you are interested in finding a delicious recipe or historic cooking information in any of these collections, call the Art, Music and Recreation Department at 414-286-3071 to arrange a visit.
Pat DeFrain, Rare Books Librarian @ MPL Central ]]>
Mill Road Readstag:blog.mpl.org,2013:/mke_reads//11.26802013-06-01T13:55:24Z2013-06-01T13:55:16Z Who doesn't want to win? Top Dog: The Science of Winning and Losing by Po Bronson & Ashley Merryman explores the many aspects of competition, the psychology of winning versus losing, and the various ways in which we assess...Jacki
Who doesn't want to win? Top Dog: The Science of Winning and Losing by Po Bronson & Ashley Merryman explores the many aspects of competition, the psychology of winning versus losing, and the various ways in which we assess risk. The authors also analyze how variables such as an individual's physical characteristics, social structure, and environment may affect their personal view and approach to competition.
Carl @ Mill Road
]]>
Sci-Fi & Fantasy Fridaystag:blog.mpl.org,2013:/mke_reads//11.26772013-05-31T21:50:00Z2013-05-31T21:51:24ZRecently the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America presented their annual Nebula Awards, honoring the best of 2012's efforts in genre fiction across a variety of categories. Here are a few highlighted winners that you can check out from...Tim2312 by Kim Stanley Robinson is this year's winner of the Nebula Award for Best Novel. In a future where humanity has spread out across the entire solar system, artist Swan Er Hong struggles to cope with the death of her grandmother when her world is thrown further into chaos as she gets caught up in a conspiracy that spreads across multiple planets. Epic in scale and length, this is an intricately detailed and well realized space opera.
After the Fall, Before the Fall, During the Fall by Nancy Kress is the winner of this year's Nebula Award for Best Novella. A post-apocalyptic tale embroiled with a criss-crossing time travel narrative involving kidnappings and aliens, Kress manages to elegantly make a complicated tale easy to read.
Finally there is Fair Coin by E. C. Myers , winner of this year's Andre Norton Award for Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy. Sixteen year old Ephraim gets hold of a strange coin, supposedly taken from a dead body that looks just like him. Soon he finds out that the coin can grant wishes, but not without a cost and those costs quickly begin to mount up.
For a full list of nominees and award winners, click here!
Tim @ Central
]]>
Center Street Readstag:blog.mpl.org,2013:/mke_reads//11.26702013-05-29T18:00:59Z2013-05-29T18:00:53Z Benediction by Kent Haruf captures the fullness of life by representing every stage of it, as well as the hopes and dreams that sustain us along the way. Mary and Dad Lewis have spent their entire lives in Holt,...JackiBenediction by Kent Haruf captures the fullness of life by representing every stage of it, as well as the hopes and dreams that sustain us along the way.
Mary and Dad Lewis have spent their entire lives in Holt, Colorado. When Dad is diagnosed with terminal cancer, their daughter Lorraine comes home from Denver to help take care of him. Their estranged son Frank is absent, and while Lorraine's complete devotion to making things as comfortable as possible softens things, he remains in their thoughts.
A young girl named Alice moves in next door with her grandmother. Dad's condition brings painful memories of her own mother's death to the surface that she has to deal with. At the same time a new preacher comes to town and is trying hard to hold true to his beliefs and mend a strained relationship with his wife and teenaged son.
Throughout all this, an elderly widow and her middle-aged daughter do everything they can to ease the pain of their friends and neighbors. As Dad faces his final days, we get a glimpse at the community that binds Holt together.
Mary S @ Zablocki (Center Street)
]]>
Seven Soldiers of Victory by Grant Morrisontag:blog.mpl.org,2013:/mke_reads//11.26752013-05-27T16:12:23Z2013-05-27T16:12:27ZGrant Morrison's Seven Soldiers of Victory plays out a lot like a time-travelling , magic-drenched, comic book version of a Guy Ritchie film. Seven different stories about seven different heroes unfold in their own unique ways, yet they all end...TimGrant Morrison's Seven Soldiers of Victory plays out a lot like a time-travelling , magic-drenched, comic book version of a Guy Ritchie film. Seven different stories about seven different heroes unfold in their own unique ways, yet they all end up tied together to stop the destruction of Earth by a terrible elf-like race from the future called the Sheeda. These seven heroes are an eclectic lot, with equally eclectic tales: The Shining Knight (a teenage girl disguised as a man from an ancient Celtic King Arthur's Court who ends up in modern times), The Manhattan Guardian (a former police officer hired to be a shield-wielding masked hero in the name of a tabloid newspaper), Zatanna the Magician (former member of the Justice League who happens to be stripped of her magical powers for this story), Klarion the Witch Boy (a blue-skinned young boy in a puritanical underground civilization), Mister Miracle (master escape artist), Bulleteer (a woman with indestructible metal skin thanks to her husband's experimentation), and even Frankenstein's Monster himself (who just happens to be an agent of a supernatural fighting government organization called S.H.A.D.E.).
Elements from each of these stories interweave in fun and intriguing ways; you'll find yourself flipping back and forth in the pages to make sure you don't miss any of the little details. Also, like most of Grant Morrison's work this 'maxi-series' is a bit of a doozy, filled with magic, mayhem, secret societies, underground cities, ancient prophecy and more. For people who love the oeuvres Neil Gaiman, Quentin Tarantino, and the aforementioned Guy Ritchie, this is absolutely a fun set of strange stories to check out today from your local neighborhood library branch.
Tim @ Central]]>
And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseinitag:blog.mpl.org,2013:/mke_reads//11.26712013-05-25T16:27:17Z2013-05-25T16:27:15Z And the Mountains Echoed spans more than a half century, intertwining stories from character's in a Kabul mansion and an Afghan village. An Afghan villager gives his daughter to a wealthy couple for adoption without realizing how this will...JackiAnd the Mountains Echoed spans more than a half century, intertwining stories from character's in a Kabul mansion and an Afghan village.
An Afghan villager gives his daughter to a wealthy couple for adoption without realizing how this will impact lives from the 1950s to the present day and from Kabul to Paris to San Francisco. The repercussions of Kabul being overtaken by the Taliban bears down on everyone even more.
The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns, Hosseini's previous novels, were told from a single point of view. This time he links the narratives of many by blood or circumstance, offering insight into the souls of those affected by events.
Each section has a distinct worldview, ranging from a village boy who loses his sister to adoption to a shy stepmother with an awful secret to the adopted daughter/sister herself. As time goes on the story crosses the Atlantic and shares the experience of Afghans living as immigrants, building a new life while still missing home.
Jacki @ Central
]]>
Christopher G (Bay View & Tippecanoe) is reading The Autobiography of Mark Twain, Volume 1 and is listening to Gideon's Corpse by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child
Deb H (Bay View) is reading The Illicit Happiness of Other People by Manu Joseph and is listening to In Fifty Years We'll All Be Chicks: And Other Complaints from an Angry Middle-Aged White Guy by Adam Carolla
Alison Z (Bay View) is reading Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn and Inferno by Dan Brown
Abby O (Bay View) is reading Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi
Alyssa P (Bay View) is reading Bill and Hillary: The Politics of the Personal by William H. Chafe
Matt P (Bay View) is reading A Game of Thrones by R.R. Martin
Fran G (Bay View) is reading Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made by Stephan Pastis and Quintana of Charyn by Melina Marchetta
Sarah L (Tippecanoe) is reading The Middlesteins by Jami Attenberg
Becky M (Tippecanoe) is reading Family Pictures by Jane Green
Kyle D (Tippecanoe) is reading Please Don't Come Back From the Moon by Dean Bakopoulos
Sue G (Tippecanoe) is reading Bringing Mulligan Home: The Other Side of the Good War by Dale Maharidge and I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga
Irene M (Tippecanoe) is reading A Dog Walks into a Nursing Home: Lessons in the Good Life From an Unlikely Teacher by Sue Halpern
Katie F (Tippecanoe) is reading Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shepard
Watch for future lists of what the staff at the branch locations are reading! ]]>
When her friend, Susan Hauptman, disappeared ten years earlier, McKenna Jordan was devastated and adamant that Susan would not have abandoned her friends without a word. That same year, McKenna's life seemed to spiral out of control when her job as an Assistant District Attorney in New York went up in flames after falsely accusing a cop of planting a gun in a high profile shooting case that split the city along racial lines.
Now McKenna Wright, married to Patrick Wright whom she met through Susan, works as a writer for NYC Magazine. When sent to cover a story about a heroic subway rescue, the face of her friend, Susan, suddenly appears in images from the rescue. McKenna is pulled into a dangerous pursuit to discover the truth about her friend's disappearance. As too many strange coincidences pile up and too many untruths resurface, McKenna begins to understand that there is more to lose than her job. Unsure of whom to trust, she attempts to untangle the lies from the truth in her desperate search for Susan.
Alafair Burke's latest novel of suspense If You Were Here is just that. Burke brings a fresh style to her latest mystery, continues her apt writing from alternating perspectives, and keeps the plot twists coming right to the end. Like McKenna, readers won't know who to trust and will race along to uncover truth.
Karli @ Central
]]>
Ever wondered what to do with quinoa? Or how to cook amaranth? Supergrains: Cook Your Way to Great Health by Chrissy Freer provides the instructions on how to use 12 "super grains" which will enrich your diet and quite possibly improve your health. The author focuses on whole grains rather than refined grains as they are higher in fiber, lower on the glycemic index and many are gluten free. Tempt your palate with Millet Stuffed Roast Chicken or Buckwheat Risotto with Lemon and Garlic Shrimp.
Enid @ Mill Road
]]>
Ever since Billie's father was murdered when she was eight years old, she's worked tirelessly to find the man responsible and bring him to justice. Philadelphia: Street Justice is the story of her mission to clear the streets of lawbreakers.
She's not afraid to take matters into her own hands if necessary; sometimes the legal way of doing things just doesn't cut it. Her boyfriend, Walter, is a detective in the Philadelphia police department and they're pegged as a power couple...but if someone finds out about Billie's secret, their lives will change forever.
Jacki @ Central
]]>
A time traveling serial killer taking directions from a house, is, in a nutshell, The Shining Girls by Lauren Beukes. Harper Curtis, a drifter in Depression-era Chicago, is down on his luck and has a bent for violence. In 1931 he kills an old woman and steals her coat for its warmth. Inside one of the pockets he finds an old key to a special house. There's a room in the house that's filled with mementos that seem familiar to him and there are names written on the wall in his handwriting. The house lets him time travel (the room is a portal) and uses him to kill certain special girls--Shining Girls.
Kirby Mazrachi is one of the Shining Girls; Harper first visits her in June 1974 when she is 6 1/2 years old. He gives her an orange plastic pony and tells her, "I'll see you when you're all grown up." In 1987, he delivers on his promise, but she survives the brutal attack. Working as an intern for the Chicago Sun-Times, she has an opportunity to learn more about Harper. Through old newspaper files, she finds out about attacks similar to her own and the weird mementos left by the bodies of those who've died through the decades. She suspects Harper, but because of the timeline (the deaths occur from 1931 through the early 1990s) she has difficulty getting others to believe her. Harper eventually learns that she is still alive and so naturally, they must meet again...
Jacki @ Central]]>
If you're on Pinterest, you are probably well-aware of the growing trend for do-it-yourself projects. For some, DIY is a hobby, but others have made it into a way of living. In her new book, Homeward Bound: Why Women Are Embracing the New Domesticity, Emily Matchar explores the reason why many young people, especially women, are trading in power suits for backyard chickens, vegetable gardens, home-sewn clothes, and canned jam.
While the women profiled in Homeward Bound share a passion for homesteading, local eating, natural childcare, and crafting, they are as varied as heirloom tomatoes. Some see the return to domesticity as a re-appropriation of "women's work"--a feminist move to return home arts to a respected skill and indicator of self-sufficiency. Others see this "new domesticity" as a return to the nurturing role that women were born to play. Some of the women were motivated to go off-the-grid by a lack of family-friendly workplaces while others simply could not find full-time work, wanted to control their access to healthy food, or wanted to reduce their carbon footprint.
In addition to exploring the multifaceted causes of the self-sufficiency movement, Matchar outlines how the modern homesteading experience differs from that of colonial women and 1950s housewives. Modern domestic goddesses increasingly take part in a blog community that connects them with likeminded individuals. Gone are the days of the isolated homemaker, as many women join the blogging community to share tips, tricks, best practices, and recipes.
Matchar explores the trend with a congenial tone, admitting her own reservations as well as her admiration for the women she researches. This book was an interesting read that challenged me to think critically about my own burgeoning interest in domestic arts.
Shannon @ Center Street
]]>
Every winter Wisconsin Energy/Electric Company prints The Cookie Book : Celebrating The Tradition of Cooking and Conserving Energy. These recipe books have been published since 1929 and can be used year round. One of many curious things to see is in the 1935 edition where there is an illustration of a "new electric health kitchen... one that every home loving woman will enjoy."
Also available for viewing is the Breta Griem Recipe Collection which contains the recipes from the WTMJ TV cooking show "What's New in the Kitchen." This program ran from 1949-1962. The Breta Griem Recipe Collection showcases pamphlets from that time, hand written recipes and published booklets. The image here is only one of many recipes to see. 
If you are interested in finding a delicious recipe or historic cooking information in any of these collections, call the Art, Music and Recreation Department at 414-286-3071 to arrange a visit.
Pat DeFrain, Rare Books Librarian @ MPL Central ]]>
Who doesn't want to win? Top Dog: The Science of Winning and Losing by Po Bronson & Ashley Merryman explores the many aspects of competition, the psychology of winning versus losing, and the various ways in which we assess risk. The authors also analyze how variables such as an individual's physical characteristics, social structure, and environment may affect their personal view and approach to competition.
Carl @ Mill Road
]]>
2312 by Kim Stanley Robinson is this year's winner of the Nebula Award for Best Novel. In a future where humanity has spread out across the entire solar system, artist Swan Er Hong struggles to cope with the death of her grandmother when her world is thrown further into chaos as she gets caught up in a conspiracy that spreads across multiple planets. Epic in scale and length, this is an intricately detailed and well realized space opera.
Benediction by Kent Haruf captures the fullness of life by representing every stage of it, as well as the hopes and dreams that sustain us along the way.
Mary and Dad Lewis have spent their entire lives in Holt, Colorado. When Dad is diagnosed with terminal cancer, their daughter Lorraine comes home from Denver to help take care of him. Their estranged son Frank is absent, and while Lorraine's complete devotion to making things as comfortable as possible softens things, he remains in their thoughts.
A young girl named Alice moves in next door with her grandmother. Dad's condition brings painful memories of her own mother's death to the surface that she has to deal with. At the same time a new preacher comes to town and is trying hard to hold true to his beliefs and mend a strained relationship with his wife and teenaged son.
Throughout all this, an elderly widow and her middle-aged daughter do everything they can to ease the pain of their friends and neighbors. As Dad faces his final days, we get a glimpse at the community that binds Holt together.
Mary S @ Zablocki (Center Street)
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Grant Morrison's Seven Soldiers of Victory plays out a lot like a time-travelling , magic-drenched, comic book version of a Guy Ritchie film. Seven different stories about seven different heroes unfold in their own unique ways, yet they all end up tied together to stop the destruction of Earth by a terrible elf-like race from the future called the Sheeda. These seven heroes are an eclectic lot, with equally eclectic tales: The Shining Knight (a teenage girl disguised as a man from an ancient Celtic King Arthur's Court who ends up in modern times), The Manhattan Guardian (a former police officer hired to be a shield-wielding masked hero in the name of a tabloid newspaper), Zatanna the Magician (former member of the Justice League who happens to be stripped of her magical powers for this story), Klarion the Witch Boy (a blue-skinned young boy in a puritanical underground civilization), Mister Miracle (master escape artist), Bulleteer (a woman with indestructible metal skin thanks to her husband's experimentation), and even Frankenstein's Monster himself (who just happens to be an agent of a supernatural fighting government organization called S.H.A.D.E.).
Elements from each of these stories interweave in fun and intriguing ways; you'll find yourself flipping back and forth in the pages to make sure you don't miss any of the little details. Also, like most of Grant Morrison's work this 'maxi-series' is a bit of a doozy, filled with magic, mayhem, secret societies, underground cities, ancient prophecy and more. For people who love the oeuvres Neil Gaiman, Quentin Tarantino, and the aforementioned Guy Ritchie, this is absolutely a fun set of strange stories to check out today from your local neighborhood library branch.
Tim @ Central]]>
And the Mountains Echoed spans more than a half century, intertwining stories from character's in a Kabul mansion and an Afghan village.
An Afghan villager gives his daughter to a wealthy couple for adoption without realizing how this will impact lives from the 1950s to the present day and from Kabul to Paris to San Francisco. The repercussions of Kabul being overtaken by the Taliban bears down on everyone even more.
The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns, Hosseini's previous novels, were told from a single point of view. This time he links the narratives of many by blood or circumstance, offering insight into the souls of those affected by events.
Each section has a distinct worldview, ranging from a village boy who loses his sister to adoption to a shy stepmother with an awful secret to the adopted daughter/sister herself. As time goes on the story crosses the Atlantic and shares the experience of Afghans living as immigrants, building a new life while still missing home.
Jacki @ Central
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