October Staff Picks

Cory's Pick
Animal Vegetable Miracle

Barbara Kingsolver

S 521.5 .A67 K56 2007
Barbara Kingsolver is a great storyteller. This is her story of her family’s experiences growing their own food and eating locally for one year, building relationships with others who grew what they could not. The story includes her husband and daughter’s perspective in alternating chapters and focuses on fundamental skills. If we had to, could we feed ourselves? This book has become a beacon for the Eat Local movement as an example of how with dedication, planning and sacrifice it can be done. We can rely on each other again.

October Staff Picks

Juli's Pick
The Bridges of Madison County

By Robert James Waller

Oh yes… when I read this, I tried stifling my sobbing but there was simply no use. I had it bad for the fictional Robert Kincaid and found it nearly impossible to accept that he wasn’t really a National Geographic photographer shooting images of the Iowan covered bridges. That was a hard dose of reality to swallow, I admit. And although I’m not one to read sappy romance, this book did capture me and turned out to be a good read.

October Staff Picks

Jan's Pick
#1 Ladies Detective Agency

Alexander Smith

PR 6063 .C326 N6 2005
This is a Must-Read if you enjoy light hearted common-sense detective stories. Author Smith introduces you to some of Botswana's characters in a way that you know them, above all the owner of the #1 Ladies Detective Agency, Mm Ramotswe. You will want to sit and have tea with her as she leads you through the entertaining accounts of her cases.
This is the first of a series of 8+, and I am looking forward to spending more time with the #1 Ladies Detective Agency! Hope you take time to do the same.

October Staff Picks

Kreig's Pick
Twentieth Century Interpretations of 1984

Samuel Hynes

PR 6029 .R8 N5346 1971
A collection of Critical Essays By: Isaac Deutcher, Irving Howe, Aldous Huxley, Wyndham Lewis, Stephen Spender, Lionel Trilling and Edited by Samuel Hynes
It was a bright, cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen. This one sentence begins one of the most historic and well known pieces of Dystopic literature ever written. The book 1984 by George Orwell delves deeply into future where the world has fallen into three super-powers constantly at war with one another but yet constantly at peace. The idea of Doublethink or as Pritchet calls it “Reality-Controll” is brought into view. The reader follows Winston Smith as he experiences every side of the party’s enemies and even becomes one himself. In Twentieth Century Interpretations of 1984 the reader is given a set of essays that were written about the book itself and delve into how it can be taken by individuals. Anyone who wants to understand the book better or even needs to have more evidence to argue about 1984 should read this collection.

October Staff Picks

Kristi's Pick

Junkyard Dogs

Craig Johnson

PR 6029 .R8 N5346 1971
Junkyard Dogs is Craig Johnson’s sixth book starring Sheriff Walt Longmire. In this story, the sheriff is “star-deep in the darker aspects of human nature with a combination of love, laughs, death, and derelict automobiles.” If you’ve never read any of these, I highly recommend you start at the beginning- all of his books are funny, well-written mysteries that will entertain even if mystery is not a person’s usual genre.
And we can all definitely relate when he talks about Wyoming weather!

October Staff Picks

Ben's Pick

Where the Wild Things Are

By MAURICE SENDAK

PZ 7 .S47 WHE 1984

This book is about a little boy Max and how he travels off to a land filled with wild things. Max was pretending to be a “wild thing” his mother called him so she sent off to bed without eating dinner. Well Max’s room grew into a huge forest and ocean carried him on his own boat to the where the wild things are. With some magic he became the king of the wild things and they sang all through the night. Then Max realizes that he misses the love from his parents and so he sails home to find a hot bowl of soup waiting for him. Also this was made into a movie so watch it.

October Staff Picks

Candy's Pick:

The Nine Tailors

Dorothy L. Sayers

PR 6037 A95 N54 1989

The Nine Tailors by Dorothy L. Sayers is a good mystery (sorry, my favorite genre) read. It is a story that tells about Sayers’s favorite protagonist Lord Peter Wimsey and his trusted valet Bunter solving a murder, while Wimsey learns all about the complicated task of ringing church bells.
The bells have given specific names, notes, and are housed in a very tall church tower. Church bells were often the first sound the countryside residents heard when there would be an emergency, or an appeal (no pun intended) to help neighbor, announce a wedding, a funeral, a birth and of course call people to worship.
In fact the story opens with Lord Peter and Bunter traveling in the country and getting lost in a snow storm, the car breaking down, and their first clue to help is the pealing of the church bells.
Take a break from studying with this book. Enjoy!!

October Staff Picks

Hannah's Pick
Swedish Handcraft

Anna-Maja Nyen

OVERSIZE TT 89 N9513
This is a book about Swedish arts and handcrafts. I found it while shelving books one day. I think it's a great book to just flip through, there are so many cool knits and patterns and things in general that Swedish people have taken the time and effort to make.

October Staff Picks

Grey's Pick
Teton skiing : a history and guide to the Teton Range, Wyoming

Thomas Turiano

WYOMING GV 854.5 .T48 T87 1995
This book explores the history of skiing in the Teton Range of Jackson Hole and takes you on a tour of some of the most spectacular ascents and descents ever accomplished. You will find out how Billy Briggs managed to ski the Grand Teton and how Stephen Kock negotiated the black ice couloris on a snowboard. Plus, you will learn about the evolution of ski resorts in the Teton area, the rebirth of the telemark turn, the feats of pioneers who explored the Teton backcountry in search of powder and adventure and much more.

October Staff Picks

Ashley's Pick
The End of Overeating

By David A. Kessler, M.D.

This book is a very informative, in-depth look about America's problematic food industry. It's backed up with excellent scientific research and statistics on how the food manufactures target consumers. Dr. Kessler even gets real feedback from true "insiders" of the food industry, as well as top scientists and physicians about the shocking facts about how we lose control of our eating habits and how we can get it back.