My LINKcat AccountI didn’t get a photo taken in front of the I-survived-the-Haunted-Library sign on last Saturday. But I did survive it. It was a great turnout. The Halloween party for the younger children in the morning brought scads of costumed children and parents. The weather cooperated. The sun was shining. There were delighted children playing games, having their fortunes told, lining up to decorate sugar skulls, and getting a non-nutritious snack. After weeks of planning and a good solid week of turning the basement of the library into “The Carnival of Doom” the crowds were let in – in small groups—to tour the Haunted Library. Many, many thanks to our partners in this—Ascendium Education Group, Mission Nutrition of DeForest, and Scouting America Troop 35 – who planned, implemented, and staffed areas of the basement and/or the sensory area on the main floor of the library. Thanks also for DeForest Public Works, The DeForest Windsor Area Chamber of Commerce, Members of the DeForest Area High School Drama Club, and Fleet Farm DeForest. It truly does take a village to create a Haunted Library. At this writing, with the library’s big Halloween events in the rear view mirror, it is easy to forget that Halloween hasn’t even happened yet! While you’re waiting for the actual event, assuming you have already bought all the candy you will need, or even while you are waiting for the trick-or-treaters to show up at your door, why not read some of these great new books which are listed below? Enjoy!
New Non-Fiction
“The Elements of Marie Curie: How the Glow of Radium Lit a Path for Women in Science” by Dava Sobel. A luminous chronicle of the life and work of Marie Curie, the most famous woman in the history of science, also includes the untold story of the many young women trained in her laboratory who were launched into stellar scientific careers of their own.
“We All Shine on: John, Yoko, and Me” by Elliot Mintz. A publicist and music-industry insider, and a friend to John Lennon and Yoko Ono, offers a personal and revealing look at the last 10 years of Lennon’s life and his partnership with Ono.
“The Wall of Life: Pictures and Stories for This Marvelous Lifetime” by Shirley MacLaine. An Academy Award-winning actress and New York Times best-selling author shares a memoir in photographs, chronicling her notable life with more than 150 images from her personal archive.
“John Lewis: A Life” by David Greenberg. Based on interviews and previously unreleased FBI files, a professor of history at Rutgers University presents the definitive biography of John Lewis's journey from rural Alabama poverty to becoming a pivotal Civil Rights leader and "conscience of Congress.
“How Women Made Music: A Revolutionary History from NPR Music” by National Public Radio. Based on the NPR series “Turning the Tables” this chronicle of the transformative impact of female artists on music history features insights from icons like Joan Baez, Dolly Parton, Patti Smith and Nina Simone.
New Fiction
“Dogs and Monsters: Storei” by Mark Haddon. A collection of short stories from the author of the award-winning The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time finds inspiration in tales based on Greek mythology to examine mortality, moral dilemmas and different types of love.
“A Song to Drown Rivers” by Ann Liang. Inspired by the legend of Xishi, weaves a tale about a woman who uses her beauty as a weapon to infiltrate an enemy kingdom, seeking revenge while facing love and sacrifice amidst the politics of ancient China.
“The Last Gifts of the Universe” by Riley August. Two siblings and their cat embark on an incredible journey through the ruins of an ancient alien civilization.
“The Mighty Red” by Louise Erdich. A Pulitzer Prize- and National Book Award–winning author tells a story of love, natural forces, spiritual yearnings and the tragic impact of uncontrollable circumstances on ordinary people’s lives.
“How Does That Make You Feel, Magda Eklund?” by Anna Montague. Magda, a therapist grieving her best friend, embarks on a cross-country road trip with her friend's ashes, confronting her past and discovering new possibilities for her life and identity in her seventies.
“What Does It Feel Like?” by Sophie Kinsella. From a #1 bestselling author comes a story about a renowned novelist facing a devastating diagnosis and learning to live and love anew.
“The Book of George” by Kate Greathead. From the author of the critically acclaimed Laura & Emma comes a razor-sharp but big-hearted excavation of millennial masculinity.
“The Grey Wolf, No.19 (Chief Inspector Gamache)” by Louise Penny. A missing coat, an intruder alarm, a note for Chief Inspector Gamache reading "this might interest you", a puzzling scrap of paper with a mysterious list—and then a murder—all propel Gamache and his team toward a terrible realization: something much more sinister than any one murder or any one case is fast approaching.