The Librarians Bedside Table

OSCAR GRADY PUBLIC LIBRARY

THE LIBRARIANS’

BEDSIDE TABLE What your friendly librarians have been reading and MUCH MORE!

It’s time The more that you read, to read the more things you will said the fox! more that you

know. The learn, the more places you’ll go. —Dr. Seuss

Oscar Grady Public Library Mission Statement:

The mission of the Oscar Grady Public Library is to provide high interest, high demand materials and make them readily available from the Library’s collection or through interlibrary loan. The Library supports lifelong learning, information and recreational needs for people of all ages and abilities. Special emphasis is placed on stimulating children’s interests and appreciation for reading and learning. The integration of new technology with traditional library resources is used to expand service beyond the Library’s physical walls.

On this new issue of our “Librarians’ Bedside Table”, we compiled a list of really good titles recommended by your library friends. Each title can be accessed in electronic format for your convenience. Click or tap in the hyperlinks attached to each title that will take you right to them

in the Monarch Catalog. We hope you enjoy this selection of books from your

librarians at the Oscar Grady Public Library!

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Jen Gerber, our Library Director, would like to recommend the following titles:

WORLD OF WONDERS: In praise of fireflies, whale sharks, and other astonishments

by Aimee Nezhukumatathil Provided by publisher: From beloved, award-winning poet Aimee Nezhukumatathil comes a debut work of nonfiction-a collection of essays about the natural world, and the way its inhabitants can teach, support, and inspire us"

The Mid-century Kitchen: America’s Favorite Room, from Workspace to Dreamscape, 1940’s-1970’s by Sarah Archer Nearly everyone alive today has experienced cozy, welcoming kitchens packed with conveniences that we now take for granted. Sarah Archer, in this delightful romp through a simpler time, shows us how the prosperity of the 1950s kicked off the technological and design ideals of today’s kitchen. In fact, while contemporary appliances might look a little different and work a little better than those of the 1950s, the

midcentury kitchen has yet to be improved upon.

During the optimistic consumerism of midcentury America when families were ready to put their newfound prosperity on display, companies from General Electric to Pyrex to Betty Crocker were there to usher them into a new era. Counter heights were standardized, appliances were designed in fashionable colors, and convenience foods took over families’ plates.

With archival photographs, advertisements, magazine pages, and movie stills, The Midcentury Kitchen captures the spirit of an era―and a room―where anything seemed possible.

Debra Jo, Library Assistant and ILL Specialist would like to recommend the following title:

TURTLE WALK by Matt Phelan Sometimes I just need a good picture book to get me out of my head. Turtle Walk by Matt Phelan was just what I needed the morning after our first heavy snowfall of the season. Minimal wording shines the spotlight on Phelan's soft, dreamy watercolor and pencil illustrations while taking the reader on a leisurely ramble with a family of turtles. An unexpected ending left me with hope and lightness of heart.

Martin, our Collection Developing and Adult Services Coordinator would like to recommend these titles:

IN THE WAVES by Rachekl Lance In this book, Rachel Lance sets out to find answers to a mystery that lasted 131 years: what really happened to the crew of the “Hunley”?; the first ever American submarine to successfully sink a ship, the Union battleship Hausatonic, outside Charleston in the night of February 17th, 1864, after which event the submarine sunk and was not to be found until the year 1995.

With rigorous and dedicated research behind, she builds and proves her theory about what happened that night, a theory that came at odds with the three previous theories presented after the submarine’s finding. Written like a good historicalscientific mystery, the book also adds a layer of contagious excitement by Ms. Lance as she walks us through many different aspects of American and military history, as well as scientific information shared with us readers in a very approachable way, making the book and the story (and stories) contained in it a real page turner.

The Mystery of Henri Pick by David Foenkinos Who does not love a good mystery? In Mr. Foenkinos comic and rich fictional ode to the love of books, we follow a cast of different characters whose lives are transformed by the finding (and publishing) of a literary gem titled “The Last Hours of a Love Affair”, supposedly written by a pizzeria owner in the Brittany coast, whose widow declares could not even write the items on the menu. Could he have written such an amazing book as its perceived by everyone? With colorful descriptions, not only of the region but of all involved directly and indirectly in the story, the mystery in which we are submerged makes for a fun and light read but one still with a message in between its lines: how we all love to be enchanted by a good mystery, in this case not one that makes us ask whodunit? but “whowroteit?

Rita would like to recommend these titles:

In winter, I love to read and listen to waltzes as snow accumulates. Libby offers some audiobooks of poetry, and I recently listened to Poetry of December and Poetry of January. These two audiobooks include mostly traditional Western poets. The content reflects the various emotions of the season.

Poetry of December, narrated by Richard Mitchley and Ghizela Rowe, contains some heartbreaking poetry, such as, A Wife in London (1899) by Thomas Hardy and Come, Come Thou Bleak December Wind (Fragment 3) (circa 1805) by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, but it also contains hopeful poetry, such as the joyful Christmas Bells (1863) by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.

As we see 2020 in the rearview mirror (Good riddance!), perhaps the seventh stanza of Ring Out Wild Bells (1850) by Alfred Lord Tennyson is particularly appropriate:

Ring out old shapes of foul disease, Ring out the narrowing lust of gold; Ring out the thousand wars of old, Ring in the thousand years of peace.

Some of the titles listed in these pages are available in electronic format through the Libby app Check it out!

Poetry of January, as one might expect, contains several poems that reflect the sadness and isolation that can be found in winter, such as The First Snowfall by James Russell Lowell (1847), written after the death of his first daughter in 1846; and Thomas Hardy’s The Farm Woman’s Winter. Although there appears little humor to be found in January, two of the poets included are more playful with their subject. Christina Rosetti focuses on the capriciousness of the season in Winter, My Secret, and Emily Dickinson expresses exasperation in Winters are so Short. Robert Mitchley narrates the poems.

The Farm Woman’s Winter Thomas Hardy I

If seasons all were summers, And leaves would never fall, And hopping casement-comers Were foodless not at all, And fragile folk might be here That white winds bid depart; Then one I used to see here Would warm my wasted heart!

II One frail, who, bravely tilling Long hours in gripping gusts, Was mastered by their chilling, And now his ploughshare rusts.

So savage winter catches The breath of limber things, And what I love he snatches, And what I love not, brings.

RBDigital Magazines Built by Recorded Books, RBdigital is a state-of-the-art platform and app providing access to magazines simply using your library card.

Need help setting up the app?

WWW.OSCARGRADYLIBRARY.ORG

Click/tap here to access the slide presentation we have on how to download, set up and use this great app.

Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants (2013), by Robin Wall Kimmerer, PhD, was published in audio format in 2016 and is narrated by the author. It is available through Libby and runs approximately 17 hours. Braiding Sweetgrass is a book with a persuasive central argument: The awakening of a wider ecological consciousness requires the acknowledgement and celebration of our reciprocal relationship with the world.

Robin Wall Kimmerer holds a BS in Botany from SUNY ESF, an MS and PhD in Botany from the University of Wisconsin. She is also a citizen of the Potawatomi Nation. In Braiding Sweetgrass, Wall Kimmerer has spent her career learning how to ask questions of nature using the tools of science. As a Potawatomi woman, she has learned from elders, family, and history that the Potawatomi, as well as a majority of other cultures indigenous to this land, consider plants and animals to be our oldest teachers. Wall Kimmerer argues once we begin to listen for the languages of other beings (including plants and animals), we can begin to understand the innumerable life-giving gifts the world provides. We also need to learn to offer our thanks, our care, and our own gifts in return for those gifts. The goal is restoration of ecological communities and restoration of humans’ relationship to the land.

Robin Wall Kimmerer is the co-founder and past president of the Traditional Ecological Knowledge section of the Ecological Society of America. She serves as a Senior Fellow for the Center for Nature and Humans. Dr. Kimmerer is the author of numerous scientific papers on the ecology of mosses and restoration ecology and on the contributions of traditional ecological knowledge to our understanding of the natural world. She is also active in literary biology. Her essays appear in Whole Terrain, Adirondack Life, Orion and several anthologies. She is also the author of Gathering Moss, which incorporates both traditional indigenous knowledge and scientific perspectives, and was awarded the prestigious John Burroughs Medal for Nature Writing in 2005.

At approximately 17 hours, this audiobook is longer than many, but the author’s voice is soothing, and her stories and information are compelling. I highly recommend reading or listening to Braiding Sweetgrass. The audiobook is available on Libby, and the 2013 book is available through Monarch. Watch for the 2020 edition, available soon through Monarch!

MOVIES, BOOKS, MUSIC, INTERNET, COMPUTERS, and much more!

Take & Make: Book Page Origami Wreath Sign up and take home a kit next time you visit us.

Brighten up your space with a book page wreath!

Looking for a fun, paper folding craft to learn? Pick up a Book Page Origami Wreath Kit!

Kit includes instructions and enough paper for 1 large or 2 small wreaths.

Supplies are limited so stop by the Circulation Desk and ask for yours today!

Cannot make it to the library? Find the printable/viewable instructions for this project by doing click on the following links:

Book-Page-Origami-Wreath-instructions Download

Turn-book-page-into-square Download

COMING

SOON!

Want to know what's new on titles from our Children's Department?

Several books are added to the Children's collection each month.

Here are some the most recent titles.

Click on the word BOOKSHELF below to access this selection built by Miss Julie.

BOOKSHELF

Enjoy the pleasure of crafting at home with our TAKE & MAKE PROJECTS, Once you access the bookshelf, click on the book for more information soon to be available at or to request a copy! your Oscar Grady Library.

Enjoy the holidays in the company of some really good festive inspired titles we have selected for you.

THE FOLLOWING BOOKS ARE PART OF THIS PROGRAM: HOW TO BE AN ANTIRACIST by Ibram X. Kendi From publisher: Kendi weaves an electrifying combination of ethics, history, law, and science with his own personal story of awakening to antiracism. This is an essential work for anyone who wants to go beyond the awareness of racism to the next step: contributing to the formation of a just and equitable society.

Book to be discussed virtually on:

Thursday, January 21st at 6PM Visit www.oscargradylibrary.org for more information.

So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo From publisher: A current, constructive, and actionable exploration of today's racial landscape, offering straightforward clarity that readers of all races need to contribute to the dismantling of the racial divide. In So You Want to Talk About Race, Editor at Large of The Establishment, Ijeoma Oluo offers a contemporary, accessible take on the racial landscape in America, addressing head-on such issues as privilege, police brutality, intersectionality, micro-aggressions, the Black Lives Matter movement, and the "N" word.

Book to be discussed virtually on:

Thursday, January 19 at 6PM Visit www.graftonpubliclibrary.net for more information.

Stamped from the Beginning by Ibram X. Kendi From publisher: Americans like to insist that we are living in a postracial, color-blind society. In fact, racist thought is alive and well; it has simply become more sophisticated and more insidious. And as historian Ibram X. Kendi argues, racist ideas in this country have a long and lingering history, one in which nearly every great American thinker is complicit. Kendi chronicles the entire story of anti-Black racist ideas and their staggering power over the course of American history.

Book to be discussed virtually on:

Thursday, January 21st at 6PM Visit www.oscargradylibrary.org for more information.

The Color of Law by Richard Rothstein From publisher: In this groundbreaking history of the modern American metropolis, Richard Rothstein, a leading authority on housing policy, explodes the myth that America's cities came to be racially divided through de facto segregation--that is, through individual prejudices, income differences, or the actions of private institutions like banks and real estate agencies. Rather, The Color of Law incontrovertibly makes it clear that it was de jure segregation--the laws and policy decisions passed by local, state, and federal governments-that actually promoted the discriminatory patterns that continue to this day. Book to be discussed virtually on:

Thursday, January 21st at 6PM Visit www.oscargradylibrary.org for more information.

STAMPED by Jason Reynolds From publisher: A timely, crucial, and empowering exploration of racism and antiracism in America. The construct of race has always been used to gain and keep power, to create dynamics that separate and silence. This remarkable reimagining of Dr. Ibram X. Kendi's National Book Awardwinning Stamped from the Beginning reveals the history of racist ideas in America and inspires hope for an antiracist future.

Book to be discussed virtually on:

Thursday, January 21st at 6PM Visit www.oscargradylibrary.org for more information.

Oscar Grady Public Library

Ozaukee County Talks About Race: Book discussion & community conversation about “How to Be an Anti-racist” by Ibram X. Kendi

Thursday, January 21st, 6PM Please join us for a virtual book discussion of Ibram X Kendi’s book “How to be an Antiracist” on Thursday, January 21st at 6PM. This discussion is part of a community organized book discussion series, organized by the organization Bridge the Divide and UW Extension Ozaukee, along with the Ozaukee County Administration and supported by the Ozaukee County Public Libraries.

While reading of the book is not requirement to participate of discussion, it is still highly encouraged. To participate of this discussion, which will take place using a ZOOM platform, participants need to register at the library or by phone with their e-mail address in order to receive their meeting invite. You can also register online by visiting our website at www.oscargradylibrary.org

PAGE TO SCREEN Check these out before they hit the big (or streaming) screen!

SF Her . Herbert, Frank. Dune.

In an intergalactic empire, one planet is the key to “Spice” the necessary

ingredient to space travel and mysterious powers. When the planet Arrakis is bestowed upon the House of Atreides, they provoke the ire of a rival house. Paul Atreides, heir to his House, unites the people of the planet and his House against their shared Harkonnen enemy.

YA Han. Han, Jenny. Always and Forever, Lara Jean.

The final installment of the To all the boys I’ve loved before trilogy, this sees Lara Jean through her senior year & graduation. She is still head over heels for Peter Kavinsky but when the time comes to decide on where to attend college she faces tough decisions. Will she have to leave love behind?

YA Nes. Ness, Patrick. The Knife of Never Letting Go. Todd is the last boy left in Prentisstown, and in a few days he will be considered a man. There are only men in Prentisstown; in fact, as far as Todd knows, there are only men on the whole ‘New World’. All of the women were killed by a germ released by the Spackle, alien creatures. At the same time, men are affected by “the Noise” that puts their thoughts on display for anyone to see.

Viola, the first girl Todd has ever met, crash lands just before he becomes a man, and through his vow to protect her, he learns the dark truth of their world.

Now around town! Books for everyone.

The Oscar Grady Library with the support of The Friends of the Oscar Grady Library has purchased three Little Free Libraries, which have been installed at three convenient locations: Quade Park, The Oscar Grady Library, and Village Hall.

Check them out! Love them, enjoy them, treasure them.

www.oscargradylibrary.org