The Librarians Bedside Table

OSCAR GRADY PUBLIC LIBRARY

THE LIBRARIANS’

BEDSIDE TABLE What your friendly librarians have been listening, reading, watching & MUCH MORE!

Postcard image from the Jim & John Peterson Collection

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

The Japanese Lover by Isabel Allende In 1939, as Poland falls under the shadow of the Nazis, young Alma Belasco's parents send her away to live in safety with an aunt and uncle in their opulent mansion in San Francisco. There, as the rest of the world goes to war, she encounters Ichimei Fukuda, the quiet and gentle son of the family's Japanese gardener. Unnoticed by those around them, a tender love affair begins to blossom. Following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the two are cruelly pulled apart as Ichimei and his family, like thousands of other Japanese Americans are declared enemies and forcibly relocated to internment camps run by the United States government. Throughout their lifetimes, Alma and Ichimei reunite again and again, but theirs is a love that they are forever forced to hide from the world.

Decades later, Alma is nearing the end of her long and eventful life. Irina Bazili, a care worker struggling to come to terms with her own troubled past, meets the elderly woman and her grandson, Seth, at San Francisco's charmingly eccentric Lark House nursing home. As Irina and Seth forge a friendship, they become intrigued by a series of mysterious gifts and letters sent to Alma, eventually learning about Ichimei and this extraordinary secret passion that has endured for nearly seventy years.

Description from publisher.

Hope, our Collection Developer would like to recommend these titles:

The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker Chava is a golem, a creature made of clay by a disgraced rabbi knowledgeable in the ways of dark Kabbalistic magic. She serves as the wife to a Polish merchant who dies at sea on the voyage to America. As the ship arrives in New York in 1899, Chava is unmoored and adrift until a rabbi on the Lower East Side recognizes her for the creature she is and takes her in.

Ahmad is a jinni, a being of fire born in the ancient Syrian desert and trapped centuries ago in an old copper flask by a Bedouin wizard. Released by a Syrian tinsmith in a Manhattan shop, Ahmad appears in human form but is still not free. An iron band around his wrist binds him to the wizard and to the physical world.

Chava and Ahmad meet accidentally and become friends and soul mates despite their opposing natures. But when the golem’s violent nature overtakes her one evening, their bond is challenged.

An even more powerful threat will emerge, however, and bring Chava and Ahmad together again, challenging their very existence and forcing them to make a fateful choice.

Compulsively readable, The Golem and the Jinni weaves strands of Yiddish and Middle Eastern literature, historical fiction and magical fable, in a wondrously inventive tale that is mesmerizing and unforgettable. Description from publisher.

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

through the

Illuminating the Particular: Photographs of Milwaukee's Polish South Side by Christel T. Maass More than three quarters of the entire Polish population lived on the city's near south side, bordered by Lake Michigan, eventually running west to the city limits and beyond, and north and south between National and Oklahoma Avenues. Roman B. J. Kwasniewski, a son of Polish immigrants, used his camera to document life in this neighborhood shortly after the turn of the twentieth century.

The photographs in this book are representative of the Polish American experience in Milwaukee prior to World War II. Kwasniewski's photographs document this critical time when the children and grandchildren of Milwaukee's Polish immigrants established themselves fully as American citizens.

The photographs in this collection depict what life was like in Kwasniewski's Lincoln Avenue/Mitchell Street neighborhood. Many images such as family portraits and wedding pictures are from the time when Kwasniewski operated Park Studio between 1913 and 1947. Kwasniewski also took his camera out into the community to capture scenes of life on the streets, local businesses, homes, classrooms, and cultural, social, and recreational activities. With an introduction by well-known Milwaukee historian John Gurda, this book provides a visual picture of the growth of Milwaukee's second largest ethnic group and the distinctive community that developed on Milwaukee's South Side.

"What Kwasniewski created, apparently without forethought, was a community portrait that is uncommonly complete, technically superb, and compelling in its humanity. Few neighborhoods in America, ethnic or otherwise, have been chronicled in such loving detail." --John Gurda Description from the publisher.

Hope would like to recommend this title:

“The Bride Wore Black” by Cornell Woolrich.

This is a quick read mystery which I really enjoyed. A beautiful young woman seems to appear and vanish with no one knowing who she was. I guessed who the murderer might be, but had not figured out the reason why. At the end of the book, I realized that I was partly correct but not completely.

A very interesting twist is revealed at the end. This is a book easily read in one afternoon.

Lynn, our Cataloging and Circulation Services Specialist, would like to recommend these titles:

Simple fruit : seasonal recipes for baking, poaching, sautéing, and roasting by Pfalzer, Laurie Some fruits are at their best when eaten fresh, while others reveal their truest and most delicious flavor when cooked.

Understanding how to enjoy fruit at its peak of flavor-whether it's lightly sautéed, poached, baked, braised, or roasted--is the key, and this cookbook for home cooks shows you how. Simple Fruit inspires home cooks to explore and enhance the flavors of fruit throughout the year. Each recipe applies a cooking technique that wakes the senses with the distinct flavor characteristics of a fruit. Simple Fruit is a fresh way to approach fruit. Description from publisher.

He Chose the Nails by Max Lucado The wood. The thorns. The nails. Christ's sacrifice has defined the very essence of mankind's faith for the past 2000 years. And now, Max Lucado invites you to examine the cross, contemplate its purpose, and celebrate its significance with He Chose the Nails.

With his warm, caring style, Max examines the symbols surrounding Christ's crucifixion, revealing the claims of the cross and asserting that if they are true, then Christianity itself is true. The supporting evidence either makes the cross the single biggest hoax of all time, or the hope of all humanity. More than a book, the campaign includes the first standalone workbook, leaders guide, and video package from Max, as well as a praise & worship CD from Here to Him music featuring several of today's favorite Christian artists.

Description from publisher.

Some of the titles listed in these pages are

available in electronic format through the Libby & RBDigital apps.

Check it out!

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

A Bright Ray of Darkness by Ethan Hawke Hawke's narrator is a young man in torment, disgusted with himself after the collapse of his marriage, still halfhoping for a reconciliation that would allow him to forgive himself and move on as he clumsily, and sometimes hilariously, tries to manage the wreckage of his personal life with whiskey and sex. What saves him is theater: in particular, the challenge of performing the role of Hotspur in a production of Henry IV under the leadership of a brilliant director, helmed by one of the most electrifying--and narcissistic--Falstaffs of all time. A novel about shame and beauty and faith, and the moral power of art.

Description from publisher.

A World On the Wing by Scott Weidensaul "An exhilarating exploration of the science and wonder of global bird migration. In the past two decades, our understanding of bird migration-the navigational and physiological feats that enable birds to cross immense oceans or fly above the highest mountains, to go weeks without sleep, or remain in unbroken flight for months at a stretch-has exploded. Scientists have made astounding discoveries: certain species, such as thrushes, can avoid dehydration over long flights by "drinking" from their own muscles and organs, extending their flight range by almost thirty percent, or more than two thousand miles, and while we've known for decades that birds are somehow able to orient themselves using earth's magnetic field, a new leading theory is that they do so through a form of quantum entanglement.

The Good Lord Bird (DVD) Ethan Hawke stars as abolitionist John Brown in this Limited Event Series based on the award-winning novel. The story is told from the point of view of "Onion," a fictional enslaved boy who becomes a member of Brown's motley family of abolitionist soldiers battling slavery in Kansas, and eventually finds himself in the famous 1859 Army depot raid at Harpers Ferry, an inciting incident of the Civil War. It's a humorous and dramatic tale of Antebellum America and the everchanging roles of race, religion and gender in American society.

Description from publisher.

The Bureau (TV Series on DVD) “Within the French secret service are a branch of undercover agents whose mission is to seek out and identity potential sources.” Description from publisher.

Balloon (DVD) In the summer of 1979, two East German families attempt the impossible. In a makeshift hot-air balloon, they risk their lives and fly towards West Germany with hopes of freedom and a better life. Unfortunately, the balloon crash-lands just before they reach the West German border and the Stasi soon discover evidence of the attempted escape. In a nervewracking race against the clock, the two families must now rush to build a new escape balloon before the notorious Stasi can catch them. Description from publisher.

Rita would like to recommend these titles:

Fans of Jane Harper may want to try Nalini Singh’s

A

Madness of Sunshine (2019).

Like Harper, Singh makes the location of the story an important character in this novel. While Singh publishes books that cover a wide range of genres, A Madness of Sunshine is considered one of her thrillers.

In the small town of Golden Cove on the west coast of New Zealand, an angry young widow and famous pianist, Anahera, somewhat reluctantly returns to her hometown after being blindsided by her husband’s pregnant girlfriend at his graveside. Shortly after Anahera’s arrival in Golden Cove, a beloved local young woman, Miriama, disappears without a trace. As Will, the new police officer, coordinates the search for Miriama, he learns of the disappearance of three young women eight years ago near Golden Cove. Are their disappearances related to the current one?

As the investigation progresses, it becomes clear that Anahera’s friends and acquaintances are hiding things. Who can be trusted? Who should be feared? Where is Miriama?

Catch and Kill (2020)

by Ronan Farrow chronicles Farrow’s recent investigations into sexual predation by powerful men in this country. Based on two years of reporting, and drawing on interviews with more than 200 sources, this rigorously fact-checked book details the tools various influential men have used to continue to sexually assault many women for years while avoiding the criminal justice system. With specific examples of Harvey Weinstein, Jeffrey Epstein, Matt Lauer, and many others, Catch and Kill will (and should!) outrage readers. This is also the story of the courageous women who came forward to expose the unrepentant abusers.

“Catch and kill” is the practice of buying the rights to a story with the intent of suppressing it, usually done as a favor to bury negative news about powerful people. In the cases in this book, legally enforceable nondisclosure agreements were used to coerce victims into silence about their abuse and their abuser. Additionally, the victim’s reputation and career often suffered from coordinated smear campaigns. Because of the nondisclosure agreement she felt forced to sign, the victim had no recourse. Speaking out would risk financial and legal jeopardy.

Farrow faced many hurdles in his research. He became aware he was being followed, his television career was threatened, and the victims were terrified to speak out. Despite the challenges, Farrow persisted, exposing not only the serial abusers, but also the means at their disposal for subverting truth and justice.

Tyler, our Library Services Assistant would like to recommend these titles:

Medieval Siege (DVD) Unlock mysteries and uncover lost history with the experts as they use yesteryear's technology to recreate five ancient engineering marvels and to discover what daily life was really like in these communities. Travel around the globe from China to Egypt and take a fresh, "hands-on" look at mankind's greatest cultures and civilizations. Description from publisher.

Escape from Nazi Alcatraz (DVD) Colditz Castle, a notorious prisoner of war camp in Nazi Germany, was supposed to be escape-proof. But at the end of World War II, a group of British officers dreamt up the ultimate escape plan: a two-man glider made out of bed sheets and floorboards. Now a crack team of engineers and carpenters rebuild the glider in the same attic using the same materials to find out if the legendary glider plan would have succeeded.

Description from publisher.

JOIN US! for our VIRTUAL ADULT BOOK DISCUSSION ON WEDNESDAY, APRIL 21ST AT 11 AM A GENTLEMAN IN MOSCOW

by AMOR TOWLES This event will take place virtually. An invite with a Zoom link will be emailed one week prior to the discussion, to the email address you provide with your registration.

To register click on the following link: h t t p s : / / f o r m s . g l e / NGYhr3PnTpUoTrdb9 In 1922, Count Alexander Rostov is deemed an unrepentant aristocrat by a Bolshevik tribunal, and is sentenced to house arrest in the Metropol, a grand hotel across the street from the Kremlin. Rostov, an indomitable man of erudition and wit, has never worked a day in his life, and must now live in an attic room while some of the most tumultuous decades in Russian history are unfolding outside the hotel’s doors.

Unexpectedly, his reduced circumstances provide him entry into a much larger world of emotional discovery.

Brimming with humor, a glittering cast of characters, and one beautifully rendered scene after another, this singular novel casts a spell as it relates the count’s endeavor to gain a deeper understanding of what it means to be a man of purpose.

(Soon to be adapted as a limited series starring Kenneth Branaugh) Copies of the book are available to check out at the Oscar Grady Public Library, or by placing a request through www.monarchcatalog.org.

If you enjoyed “A Gentleman in Moscow” you may want to check out these titles: The Red Daughter by John Burnham Schwartz Running from her father’s brutal legacy, Joseph Stalin’s daughter defects to the United States during the turbulence of the 1960s.

For fans of We Were the Lucky Ones and A Gentleman in Moscow, this sweeping historical novel and unexpected love story is inspired by the remarkable life of Svetlana Alliluyeva.

Description from publisher.

The Lost Roses by Martha Hall Kelly From the turbulent streets of St. Petersburg and aristocratic countryside estates to the avenues of Paris where a society of fallen Russian émigrés live to the mansions of Long Island, the lives of Eliza, Sofya, and Varinka will intersect in profound ways. In her newest powerful tale told through female-driven perspectives, Martha Hall Kelly celebrates the unbreakable bonds of women’s friendship, especially during the darkest days of history. Description from publisher.

Russian Winter by Daphne Kalotay Interweaving past and present, Moscow and New England, the backstage tumult of the dance world and the transformative power of art, Daphne Kalota’s luminous first novel&;a literary pageturner of the highest order&;captures the uncertainty and terror of individuals powerless to withstand the forces of history, while affirming that even in times of great strife, the human spirit reaches for beauty and grace, forgiveness and transcendence.

Provided by publisher

Every week new books get added to our collections for your enjoyment. This week, Miss Julie is happy to share her book shelf, full of books that have just hit our shelves.

To see them and request them, click on the following:

Miss Julie’s BOOKSHELF and click/tap on each title to learn more about them.

Check it out!

It Happened in Wisconsin: Join us for a virtual discussion around the book:

Wisconsin Death Trip

By Michael Lesy First published in 1973, this remarkable book about life in a small turn-of-the-century Wisconsin town has become a cult classic. Lesy has collected and arranged photographs taken between 1890 and 1910 by a Black River Falls photographer, Charles Van Schaik.

THIS PROGRAM WILL BE CONDUCTED VIRTUALLY. REGISTRATION REQUIRED.

To register, click or tap in the following link

https://forms.gle/E9W2ujiHMbHmRgZF8 or sign up at our desk.

Limited copies available for check out.

Calling all history buffs to join us for “It Happened in Wisconsin”, our very own history club at the library dedicated to the history of our state.

Oscar Grady Public Library

Gardening with Native Plants with Susan Carpenter (Virtual)

Thursday, April 29th, 6PM Susan Carpenter is the native plant gardener at the University of Wisconsin–Madison Arboretum.

Since 2003, she has worked with students and community volunteers to maintain and monitor a 4-acre garden representing the plant communities of southern Wisconsin.

Native plants are the basis of sustainable, diverse, and beautiful gardens suppo rti ng po lli nat ors, beneficial insects, and wildlife. These gardens thrive without fertilizers, pesticides, mowing, or supplemental watering. We will share garden examples, plant sources, and practical tips for garden care.

www.oscargradylibrary.org

THIS PRESENTATION WILL BE CONDUCTED VIRTUALLY.

Oscar Grady Public Library 151 S. Main Street Saukville, WI 53080 (262) 284-6022

REGISTRATION REQUIRED. To register, visit our website or sign up

Oscar Grady Public Library

Mindfulness & Meditation in Times of Stress

Thursday, May 6th, 6PM Robert McGrath, Psy D, ABPP is a licensed psychologist who provided Mind/Body Wellness Services at University Health Services. Robert has expertise in health psychology, positive psychology, authentic happiness, mind/body wellness and stress management.

www.oscargradylibrary.org Oscar Grady Public Library 151 S. Main Street Saukville, WI 53080 (262) 284-6022

This presentation covers the many benefits and challenges of living mindfully. Strategies and pathways for mindfully savoring life will be discussed.

Meditation can assist with mindfulness and presentation will include a review and experience of different types of meditation – Grounding Meditation, Mindful Meditation, Loving Kindness Meditation, Muscular Meditation, and Moving Meditation.

THIS PRESENTATION WILL BE CONDUCTED VIRTUALLY. REGISTRATION REQUIRED. To register, visit our website or sign up

www.oscargradylibrary.org