The Librarians Bedside Table

OSCAR GRADY PUBLIC LIBRARY

THE LIBRARIANS’

BEDSIDE TABLE

It’s time to read said the fox!

Mixed media illustration by Miss Julie

“A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies . . .

The man who never reads lives only one.”

– George R.R. Martin

What your friendly librarians have been reading and MUCH MORE!

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:

I’ll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara Decription from publisher: I'll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer is a true crime book by Michelle McNamara about the Golden State Killer. The book was released posthumously on February 27, 2018, nearly two years after McNamara's death and two months before an arrest would be made in the case.

The book's title is a reference to a direct quote spoken by the Golden State Killer to one of his victims: "You'll be silent forever, and I'll be gone in the dark."

I’ll Be Gone in the Dark—the masterpiece McNamara was writing at the time of her sudden death—offers an atmospheric snapshot of a moment in American history and a chilling account of a criminal mastermind and the wreckage he left behind. It is also a portrait of a woman’s obsession and her unflagging pursuit of the truth.

Framed by an introduction by Gillian Flynn and an afterword by her husband, Patton Oswalt, the book was completed by Michelle’s lead researcher and a close colleague. Utterly original and compelling, it is destined to become a true crime classic—and may at last unmask the Golden State Killer.

Founded in Paris by Harild L. Hunes, Peter Matthiessen, and George Plimpton in 1952, the Paris Review began with a simple editorial mission: “Dear reader”, William Styron wrote in a letter in the inaugural issue, “The Paris Review hopes to emphasize creative work-fiction and poetry-not to the exclusion of criticism, but with the aim in mind of merely removing criticism from the dominating place it holds in most literary magazines and putting in pretty much where it belongs, i.e., somewhere near the back of the book. I think The Paris Review should welcome these people into its pages: the good writers and good poets, the non-drumbeaters and non-axe-grinders. So long as they’re good”.

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

The Hummingbird’s Daughter

by Luis Alberto Urrea The prizewinning writer Luis Alberto Urrea's long-awaited novel is an epic mystical drama of a young woman's sudden s a i n t h o o d i n l a t e 1 9 t h c e n t u ry M e x i c o .

It is 1889, and the civil war is brewing in Mexico. Sixteen year old Teresita, illegitimate but beloved daughter of the wealthy and powerful rancher Don Tomas Urrea, wakes from the strangest dream - a dream that she has died. Only it was not a dream. This passionate and rebellious young woman has arisen from the dead with the power to heal but it will take all her faith to endure the trials that await her and her family now that she has become the Saint of Cabora.

The Hummingbird's Daughter is a vast, hugely satisfying novel of love and loss, joy and pain. Two decades in the writing, this is the masterpiece that Luis Alberto Urrea has been building up to.

Maggie MissB.Julie, , ourour YAChildren Program Librarian Coordinator, would would like like to recommend to recommend this the title: following title:

Queen’s Peril by E.K. Johnston Before Kylo Ren became the Supreme Leader of the First Order, before Princess Leia became a General of the Resistance, or Luke Skywalker becomes a Jedi, Padme Naberrie is elected Queen Amidala of Naboo.

Set just prior to the events of The Phantom Menace, this book covers the start of Padme’s reign. Armed with ambition and a strong sense of duty, Padme sets out to lead her people through a period of uncertainty, which quickly grows more serious when their peaceful world in invaded. The young Queen faces this challenge with the aid of several “handmaidens,” a team of select girls, each with a particular set of invaluable skills (amongst them, an engineer, a seamstress, a musician, and an expert at forgery). To save their planet they eventually must head off-world, and the galaxy will never be the same.

This is a thrilling exploration of a pivotal character in the Star Wars saga.

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

CROSSROAD by W. H. Cameron.

What starts as the possible result of a negligent fast speed accident in the high Oregon dessert, turns quickly into a page turner mystery thriller when three of the bodies involved in it are snatched quickly from the new Barlow’s mortuary, just to be found a day later cremated not far away at the Old Mortuary. Mellisende Dulac, mortician apprentince who finds the accident while driving “The Stiff” as her deceased removal vehicle is known, is the main character of this narrative set in a fictional town , and while turned into a suspect from the go by police officials, she does her part to the end trying to find what really happened at the CROSSROADS, while dealing with her own demons.

An entertaining book with colorful characters and vivid depictions of a place that while being fictional, the author does an outstanding job making us feel we have been in it before.

Some of the titles listed in these pages are available in electronic format through the Libby app

Check it out!

Rita, with her always present smile would like to recommend these titles along with some tasty recipes she found in them:

America’s Test Kitchen Twentieth Anniversary TV Show Cookbook: Best-Ever Recipes from the Most Successful Cooking Show on TV (2019) contains 580 recipes distilled from 20,000 recipes tested by over 100 cooks in the test kitchen, over the past two decades. Biographies of the various onair personalities add interest for fans of the TV show.

As with most books from America’s Test Kitchen, the dishes are highly tested and reliable, although I do seem to generate more dirty dishes with their recipes than with others! Recipes included range from breakfast, soups, salads, and animal proteins, to bread, cookies, and other desserts.

For cookie lovers, the Millionaire Bars (consider lightly sprinkling the caramel with fine sea salt) and the Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies (made with browned butter) justify a look at this book.

The Tandoori Chicken was well-received in my house, although if you like your food with a little heat, I would recommend adding some cayenne (or the like). I had a large chicken, and as a result, my cooking times were longer; using a thermometer to check for doneness is critical.

Tandoori Chicken 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

6 garlic cloves, minced 2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger 1 tablespoons garam masala

2 teaspoons ground cumin 2 teaspoons chili powder 1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt

1/4 cup lime juice (2 limes), divided, plus lime wedges for serving 2 teaspoons table salt 3 pounds bone-in chicken pieces (split breasts cut in half, drumsticks and/or thighs), trimmed

1. Heat oil in an 8-inch skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add garlic and ginger and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in garam masala, cumin, and chili powder and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Transfer half of garlic-spice mixture to medium bowl, stir in yogurt and 2 tablespoons lime juice; set aside.

2. In large bowl, combine remaining garlic-spice mixture, remaining 2 tablespoons lime juice, and salt. Using sharp knife, lightly score skin of each piece of chicken, making 2 or 3 shallow cuts about 1 inch apart and about 1/8 inch deep, taking care not to cut into meat. Transfer chicken to bowl and gently rub with salt-spice mixture until evenly coated. Let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.

3. Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Set wire rack in aluminum foil-lined rimmed baking sheet.

4. Pour yogurt mixture over chicken and toss until chicken is evenly coated with thick layer.

Arrange chicken pieces, scored side down, on prepared rack. Discard excess yogurt mixture. Bake chicken until breasts register 125 degrees and legs and thighs register 130 degrees, 15-20 minutes.

(Smaller pieces may cook faster than larger pieces.) Transfer chicken to plate. [Keep wire rack/ aluminum foil-lined rimmed baking sheet out and available for next step.]

5. Turn oven to broil and heat for 10 minutes. Flip chicken pieces scored side up and [return to wire rack on aluminum foil-lined rimmed baking sheet] and broil until lightly charred in spots and breasts register 165 degrees and legs and thighs register 175 degrees, 8 to 15 minutes.

6. Transfer chicken to serving platter, tent with foil and let rest 5 minutes. Serve with lime wedges.

Vegan for Everybody (2017)

by America’s Test Kitchen contains more than 200 recipes and has something satisfying for everyone—the committed vegan or someone adding vegan recipes to complement a non-vegan diet.

Recipes for breakfast, brunch, soups, stews, burgers, sandwiches, pizzas, main dishes and bowls, snacks, appetizers, and desserts are included. As with other books

by America’s Test Kitchen, the recipes have been tested, and the instructions are clear and easy to follow.

The Buffalo Cauliflower Bites were a hit at my house, even with my husband who usually does not like cauliflower!

Vegan for Everybody also includes recipes for Buffalo Sauce and Ranch Dressing, but you could substitute your favorite premade hot sauce and pre-made ranch dressing.

Buffalo Cauliflower Bites 1-2 quarts peanut or vegetable oil

3/4 cup cornstarch 1/4 cornmeal Salt and pepper

2/3 cup canned coconut milk 1 tablespoon hot sauce 1 pound cauliflower florets, cut into 1 1/2 -inch pieces hot sauce ranch dressing Line a platter with a triple layer of paper towels. Add oil to a large Dutch oven until it measures about 1 1/2 inches deep and heat over medium-high heat to 400 degrees. While oil heats, combine cornstarch, cornmeal, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in small bowl. Whisk coconut milk and hot sauce together in large bowl. Add cauliflower, toss to coat well. Sprinkle cornstarch mixture over cauliflower; fold with rubber spatula until thoroughly coated.

Fry half of the cauliflower, adding 1 or 2 pieces to oil at a time, until golden and crisp, gently stirring as needed to prevent pieces from sticking together, about 3 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer fried cauliflower to prepared platter. [Sprinkle lightly with salt.]

Return oil to 400 degrees and repeat with remaining cauliflower. Transfer 1/2 cup hot sauce to clean large bowl, add fried cauliflower and gently toss to coat. Serve immediately with ranch dressing and additional hot sauce.

What a Swell Party it Was! (2019)

by Michael Turback, highlights 25 legendary night clubs that thrived from the 1930s into the 1950s. Readers will be transported to clubs such as the Copacabana and The Stork Club in New York, The Pump Room in Chicago, and The Cocoanut Grove in Los Angeles. To provide ambience, consider playing Benny Goodman’s 1938 Carnegie Hall Concert, or Big Band Magic: The Sound of the Fabulous 40s, or Live and Swingin’: The Ultimate Rat Pack Collection (all available through Monarch) as background music.

Turback guides readers through the glamorous nightclubs with enthusiasm and attention to detail, describing features such as the retractable ceiling at the Starlight Roof at the

Waldorf-Astoria (New York, New York), statues of winged angels designed by Louis Comfort Tiffany and a staircase inspired by the Paris Opera at the Empire Room at the Palmer House (Chicago, Illinois), and “Ginger Rogers dancing the night away with Howard Hughes on a rotating parquet dance floor that made a full revolution every five minutes. All that, as two-story tall windows provided a stunning view of New York’s shimmering night skyline,” at the Rainbow Room (New York, New York).

In addition to romantic descriptions of beautiful interiors, What a Swell Party it Was! also includes recipes for signature cocktails, appetizers, entrées and desserts for each of the featured nightclubs.

Make yourself a Dubonnet cocktail (Terrance Garden at the Morrison Hotel, Chicago, IL), enjoy Lobster Thermidor Prince de Monaco (The Mocambo, Hollywood, CA), savor an entrée of Spaghetti Tetrazzini (Slapsy Maxie’s, Los Angeles, CA), or share a dessert of Mitzi Green Parfait (The Latin Quarter, New York, NY) with someone you love, while you time travel to these sophisticated and glitzy destinations.

Spaghetti Tetrazzini 12 ounces spaghetti - 2 tablespoons butter — 2 cloves garlic, minced — 1/2 pound white mushrooms, quartered— 1/4 teaspoon salt — 1/2 cup white wine— 1/4 cup flour 2 cups chicken broth + extra for thinning sauce—2 cooked chicken breasts, sliced—1 cup frozen green peas—2 slices bacon, fried and chopped—1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated—Salt and pepper, to taste—1/2 cup dry breadcrumbs Cook spaghetti al dente. Drain, rinse, and set aside.

In a large pot, heat butter over medium-high heat. Add garlic and sauté for 1 minute. Add mushrooms and salt, then sauté for 2 more minutes. Pour in wine and cook until the liquid reduces by half. Sprinkle in flour, then pour in broth and stir, cooking for 2 to 3 minutes, until the roux thickens. Reduce heat to medium-low. Add chicken, peas, bacon and cheese. Stir to combine, adding salt and pepper. Add cooked spaghetti and stir to combine. Add more broth as needed.

Pour the mixture into an ovenproof baking dish and sprinkle the top with breadcrumbs. Bake in the oven at 350º F until brown, bubbling, and crispy on the top, about 10-15 minutes. Remove from oven and divide among 6 warmed dinner plates. Serve immediately.

Shiver Me Timbers!

International Talk Like a Pirate Day in September 19th!

Ahoy, ye mateys! I have a joke for ye: How much do pirates pay for earrings?

A buccaneer.

International Talk Like a Pirate Day is comin’ up and I wasn’t goin’ to be passin’ up the chance to share a joke and some pirate-themed titles with ye and your crew.

Picture Books

Pirate Nell's Tale to Tell: A Storybook Adventure by Helen Docherty; illustrated by Thomas Docherty From the author/illustrator team behind The Snatchabook comes a book-filled adventure on the high seas! Nell is finally a pirate!

And she has her trusty Pirate's Almanac to help her sail the seas, even if Captain Gnash doesn't like books on his ship. But when the journey gets rough and the captain is in trouble, it's Nell and all her pirate knowledge that saves the day and leads them to the greatest buried treasure of all...

There Was an Old Pirate Who Swallowed a Fish by Jennifer Ward; illustrated by Steve Gray There was an old pirate . . . who swallowed a fish, a bird, a map, some gold, and even a whole pirate ship! Will the Old Pirate sink to the bottom of the deep, dark sea? Yo ho ho!

Watch his belly grow! Jennifer Ward’s take on the “Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly” song is perfectly matched with Steve Gray’s zany digital illustrations.

Pirateria: The Wonderful Plunderful Pirate Emporium by Calef Brown Illustrations and rhyming text invite the reader to explore a store that provides everything a privateer, mutineer, or buccaneer might want in the way of high-quality pirate gear, from clothing to classes in smuggling molasses.

Pirates Don't Change Diapers by Melinda Long; illustrated by David Shannon Braid Beard and his pirate crew return to retrieve the treasure they buried in Jeremy Jacob's backyard, but first they must help calm his baby sister, Bonney Anne, whom they awoke from her nap.

Chapter Books and Graphic Novels Seadogs : An Epic Ocean Operetta by Lisa Wheeler ; illustrated by Mark Siegel A motley crew of dogs presents a rhyming tale of seagoing adventure.

Beware! When Old Seadog decides on "one last sail," he invites his good friends Brave Beagle and Dear Dachshund along for the ride. But the sea is filled with danger -- storms rage and pirates abound! Will the three friends end up as a dog meat?

Come set sail and sing along with this boisterous canine crew. Who knows what surprises lie ahead!

Stowaway! by Erin Soderberg; illustrations by Russ Cox

Ahoy, mateys! Set sail for fun and adventure on a pirate ship full of puppies! Wally is a pup with a nose for adventure. So when he stumbles onto a ragtag group of puppies who sail the seven seas, he knows he has to join the fun! But if pirates are supposed to be gruff and tough, this furry little guy isn’t exactly first-mate material. Does he have what it takes to become a full-fledged puppy pirate? This is the first book in the Puppy Pirates series.

Magic Marks the Spot by Caroline Carlson; illustrations by Dave Phillips Pirates! Magic! Treasure! A gargoyle?!

Hilary Westfield has always dreamed of being a pirate.

She can tread water for thirty-seven minutes. She can tie a knot faster than a fleet of sailors, and she already owns a rather pointy sword. There's only one problem: The Very Nearly Honorable League of Pirates refuses to let any girl join their ranks of scourges and scallywags.

But Hilary is not the kind of girl to take no for answer. To escape a life of petticoats and politeness at her stuffy finishing school, Hilary sets out in search of her own seaworthy adventure, where she gets swept up in a madcap quest involving a map without an X, a magical treasure that likely doesn't exist, a talking gargoyle, a crew of misfit scallywags, and the most treacherous—and unexpected—villain on the High Seas.

This is the first book in the The Very Nearly Honorable League of Pirates series.

Shivers!: The Pirate Who's Afraid of Everything by Annabeth Bondor-Stone and Connor White; based on a really funny idea by Harrison Blanz, age 9; illustrated by Anthony Holden.

Meet Shivers, the scaredy-est pirate to ever sail the Seven Seas. Along with his best friend, Margo, and his loyal fishmate (yes, you read that correctly), Albee, Shivers battles a giant squid, discovers hidden treasures, and gets pooped on by a pigeon to save his parents from the clutches of evil. (Yep, that's right: evil!)

You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll never eat snails again. So put on your pantaloons, batten down the hatches, and join Shivers on his first (but still very dangerous) adventure. This is the first book in the series.

Facts about Pirates Pirates! Bold and Brutal Rebels by Elsie Olson Do you dream of conquering new lands alongside rowdy Vikings? What about sailing the high seas with merciless pirates?

Maybe you want to learn ancient samurai secrets. Experience the incredible stories of these rough and tough rebels and more with History's Hotshots. Discover how these fearless and skilled groups earned their legendary reputations. Explore their tools and techniques. Find out where these hotshots lived, what they wore, and the deadly weapons they used. Soon you'll see just how hardcore history can be!

Lives of the Pirates: Swashbucklers, Scoundrels (Neighbors Beware!) by Kathleen Krull; illustrated by Kathryn Hewitt Every kid knows that pirates talk funny, swing a big sword, and seek buried treasure—don’t they? What do we really know about Blackbeard, Madame Cheng, Sir Francis Drake, and other men and women of pirate history? What drove them to sail the high seas? What were their bad habits, favorite foods, and silly quirks? And did they actually talk like that?

A lively style, lots of surprises, and solid research have made the Lives of . . . series of collective biographies popular with both kids and adults. Now the series returns, spanning the globe with profiles of the nineteen most notorious pirates in history.

Arrrrrrrr!

Our ZOO PASS is now available for check out!

While our policy guidelines for its usage have not changed due to the current situation, certain aspects in the Zoo's part have changed.

Please visit the following links for more information on what you should expect, in order to help you planning for a great experience:

Zoo REOPENING FAQ Changes regarding the usage of the ZOO PASS

The Digital Media Conversion Lab The equipment & training necessary to view and digitally preserve family photographs, slides, and film.

The Oscar Grady Public Library’s Digital Media Conversion Lab is a highfunctioning digital space and work room. The room is equipped with the necessary digital mechanics to process aging photographic formats.

Click/Tap HERE to learn more.

www.oscargradylibrary.org