My LINKcat AccountThe Winter Reading Program ended mere weeks ago and already I have all the numbers for the 2020/2021 program. This year we had a slightly smaller group of participants – 123 compared to 139 last year. There were fewer competitions undertaken this year –83 compared to 94; fewer activities partaken in – 315 compared to 386; reviews written – 54 compared to 68 and fewer badges earned – 1,542 compared to 1,690. So all-in-all this year seems to show a decline that matches up with fewer participants. However, in one category (and I might argue the most important category), the number of books read this year’s participants read 7,942 books compared to 7,256 books last year. That’s 686 more books or nearly a 9.5% increase. There were some truly dedicated readers this winter! And before you ask, donations to the charities were as follows: The DeForest Area Public Library Endowment -- $293; DeForest Area Needs Network (D.A.N.N.) -- $163; Dane County Humane Society $155; and the Homeless Action Network DeForest (HAND) -- $111. That’s a total of $722 which I shall be donating to those groups in the very near future. Thanks to everyone for participating. Below you will find some new books which recently arrived at the library. I hope you enjoy them!
New Non-Fiction
The York Patrol: The Real Story of Alvin York and the Unsung Heroes Who Made Him World War I’s Most Famous Soldier by James Nelson. Documents the stories of a legendary World War I soldier and his fellow Medal of Honor-decorated patrol members, heralding their courageous capture of dozens of German adversaries in the Argonne Forest.
Do Better: Spiritual Activism for Fighting and Healing from White Supremacy by Rachel Ricketts. The racial justice educator and spiritual activist outlines mindfulness-based practices for dismantling racism at both personal and community levels, sharing actionable, sustainable recommendations for overcoming obstacles, healing and mitigating harm.
The Code Breaker: Jennifer Doudna, Gene Editing, and the Future of the Human Race by Walter Isaacson. A portrait of the Nobel Prize-winning scientist explores the impact of James Watson's The Double Helix on her career and how her team's invention of CRISPR technology enabled revolutionary DNA-editing approaches to fighting disease.
Grace and Steel: Dorothy, Barbara, Laura, and the Women of the Bush Dynasty by J. Randy Taraborrelli. The best-selling author of Jackie, Ethel, Joan documents the lesser-known stories of the women of the presidential Bush dynasty, sharing insights into how they fought for marriage equality and raised their children to defend American values.
Hunt, Gather, Parent: What Ancient Cultures Teach Us About the Lost Art of Raising Happy, Healthy, Helpful Little Humans by Michaeleen Doucleff. A Peabody Award-winning NPR Science Desk correspondent challenges the misleading child-rearing practices commonly recommended to today's parents, outlining alternatives grounded in international ancestral traditions that are being used effectively throughout the modern world.
New Fiction
We Run the Tides by Vendela Vida. The disappearance of a teen in the aftermath of a dispute about something that was or was not witnessed exposes dark community secrets. By the award-winning author of Let the Northern Lights Erase Your Name.
The Kitchen Front by Jennifer Ryan. An indebted young widow, a freedom-seeking kitchen maid, the wife of a wealthy but unkind man and a trained chef navigating sexism compete for a once-in-a-lifetime spot hosting a BBC cooking program during World War II.
Death by Chocolate Snickerdoodle, No. 4 (Death by Chocolate) by Sarah Graves. Begged to prove the innocence of a sweet-natured neighbor who has been accused of murdering an unscrupulous curmudgeon, Jake and Ellie race to identify the killer in the face of a wildfire that cuts off their mainland access.
Body of Stars by Laura Walter. A debut novel by an award-winning short-story writer imagines a dangerously psychic alternate-reality world where the birthmarks, freckles and moles on a woman's body determine her future role and security.
Destined For You, No. 1 (Ladies of the Lake) by Tracie Peterson. A smallpox survivor who would protect her family and a railroad manager whose reunion with a brother is shattered by an act of vengeance find comfort and support in each other. By the award-winning author of the Willamette Brides series.
Good Eggs by Rebecca Hardiman. Three generations of a boisterous Irish family are upended by a matriarch's shoplifting activities and an upbeat American home aide whose initial support catapults the family into the worst crisis they have ever faced. A first novel.
The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner. Secretly dispensing poisons to liberate women from the men who have wronged them, a London apothecary triggers unintended consequences that shape three lives across multiple centuries. A first novel.
Haunted Hibiscus, No. 22 (Tea Shop Mysteries) by Laura Childs. When their literary haunted house costume party is disrupted by an untimely double attack, Indigo Tea Shop proprietress Theodosia Browning and her sommelier, Drayton, investigate suspects including a man with a claim to the Bouchard Mansion property