My LINKcat AccountLast Friday, a friend of mine and I drove out to Kearney, Nebraska to see the start of the annual Sandhill Crane migration that see over half a million (yes, that’s more than 500,000) cranes passing through the area. The cranes take a break as they make their way from the Gulf coast states up to the Alaska, the Northwest Territories, and eastern Siberia where they will set up housekeeping for 5 or 6 months, raise a couple of chicks, teach them to fly, and head back to warmer climes. Seeing cranes in small numbers in Wisconsin lifts my spirits and fills me with joy. Seeing thousands and tens of thousands of cranes is enough to take one’s breath away and drop you to your knees in wonder. I saw a t-shirt in the gift shop at the Rowe Sanctuary which looks like a patent, medical tonic bottle and calls the crane migration “Mother Nature’s Miracle Medicine” – refreshing, rejuvenating, restorative. It goes on to claim it alleviates stress, melancholy, boredom … pallor, loss of vitality, tedium… and much more! I would have to say, I don’t believe any of their claims are bogus. Crane viewing should be used regularly and generously. If you’re interested in viewing some cranes and have time from before the crack of dawn until 7:30 a.m. you, too, could take part in the Annual Midwest Crane Count. (Info available at the International Crane Foundation website)
Now that the Winter Reading has ended and before the Summer Reading Program begins you could use all the time you are not reading to watch cranes in Wisconsin. In case you do want to read some of the new books that have arrived at the library recently instead of watching the skies for returning Sandhill Cranes, there are some titles listed below. Enjoy!
New Non-Fiction
“Drama Free: A Guide to Managing Unhealthy Family Relationships” by Nedra Glover Tawwab. Covering topics ranging from the trauma of emotional neglect, to the legacy of addicted or absent parents, to mental health struggles in siblings and other relatives, and more, this clear and compassionate guide will help you take control of your own life—and honor the person you truly are
“Ship Beneath the Ice: The Discovery of Shackleton’s Endurance” by Mensun Bound. This book chronicles two dramatic expeditions to what Shackleton called “the most hostile sea on Earth.” Bound experienced failure and despair in his attempts to locate the wreck, and, like Shackleton before him, very nearly found his vessel frozen in ice. Complete with captivating photos from the 1914 expedition and of the wreck as Bound and his team found it, this inspiring modern-day adventure narrative captures the intrepid spirit that joins two mariners across the centuries—both of whom accomplished the impossible.
“Slime: A Natural History” by Susanne Wedlich. A groundbreaking, witty, and eloquent exploration of slime that will leave you appreciating the nebulous and neglected sticky stuff that covers our world, inside and out. In this deft and fascinating book, journalist Susanne Wedlich takes us on a tour of all things slimy, from the most unctuous of science fiction monsters to the biochemical compounds that are the very building blocks of life.
“The Parenting Map: Step-by-Step Solutions to consciously Create the Ultimate parent-chlld Relationship” by Shefali Tsabary. This is the evidence-based manual that every parent has been searching for. Complete with paradigm shifting wisdom, illuminating client stories, and detailed practices, The Parenting Map guides the way to empowering our children while transforming ourselves.
“Empress of the Nile” by Lynne Olson. The remarkable story of the intrepid French archaeologist who led the international effort to save ancient Egyptian temples from the floodwaters of the Aswan Dam, by the New York Times bestselling author of “Madame Fourcade’s Secret War”.
“Africa Town: America’s Last Slave Ship and the Community It Created” by Nick Tabor, Chris Butler, et.al. In 1860, a ship called the Clotilda was smuggled through the Alabama Gulf Coast, carrying the last group of enslaved people ever brought to the U.S. from West Africa. Five years later, the shipmates were emancipated, but they had no way of getting back home. Instead they created their own community outside the city of Mobile, where they spoke Yoruba and appointed their own leaders, a story chronicled in Zora Neale Hurston’s “Barracoon”.
New Fiction
“Marvelous: A Novel” by Molly Greeley. A mesmerizing novel set in the French royal court of Catherine de’ Medici during the Renaissance, which recreates the touching and surprising true story behind the Beauty and the Beast legend, from the acclaimed author of “The Clergyman’s Wife” and “The Heiress”.
“Never Never: A Novel” by Colleen Hoover and Tarryn Fisher. Colleen Hoover, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of “It Starts with Us” joins forces with Tarryn Fisher, the New York Times bestselling author of “The Wives”. Together, they have created a gripping, twisty, romantic mystery unlike any other.
“The Maltese Iguana (Serge Storms, 26)” by Tim Dorsey. After a long and arduous COVID-19 quarantine, Serge A. Storms is fully vaccinated and ready to hit the road. Along with his condo neighbors, he cooks up a wild plan to celebrate in true Serge fashion: each week, they rent a shuttle van and head out for funky Florida road trips and some serious revelry. The witness lands in Miami with a new identity and passport. But the CIA is still on his tail, pushing him further and further south to the Florida Keys, where he runs into Serge’s convoy. With Florida’s most lovable serial killer involved, the real party is about to get started.
“An Autobiography of Skin: A Novel” by Lakiesha Carr. This dazzling and masterful portrait of interconnected generations in the South from a singular new voice, offers a raw and tender view into the interior lives of Black women. It is at once a powerful look at how experiences are carried inside the body, inside the flesh and skin, and a joyous testament to how healing can be found within—in love, mercy, gratitude, and freedom.
“Storm Watch” by C. J. Box. Wyoming Game Warden Joe Pickett investigates a mysterious death at a secret remote high-tech facility in this riveting new novel from #1 New York Times bestseller C.J. Box.
“The City Between the Bridges: 1794” by Niklas Natt och Dag. This is a suspenseful race for the truth before it’s too late from an author with a “thrilling, unnerving, clever, and beautiful” A #1 international bestseller, this atmospheric and breathtaking sequel to the “cerebral, immersive page-turner” (The Washington Post) “The Wolf and the Watchman” explores the darkness hidden beneath the splendor of 18th-century Stockholm.