Monday, April 18, 2011

Conor's April Staff Pick


Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
Hunter S. Thompson
PN 4874 .T444 A3 2005

In this book, Hunter S. Thompson chronicles a trip to Las Vegas by Raoul Duke and Dr. Gonzo. What is most intriguing, however, is that these drug induced "expeditions" are based loosely on events that take place in Thompson's own life. Follow their destructive path in Las Vegas in this very entertaining book.

Kreig's April Staff Pick


Oktoberfest
Marlo Scheder-Bieschin
OVERSIZE GT 4403 .O41 2007

Oktoberfest is more than just a festival celebrated by the German’s with beer and food every October. It is also a celebration of the harvest coming to a close and of German culture all together. In the book Oktoberfest photographer Marlo Scheder-Bieschin shows just how much of a cultural fest the celebration truly is. A wonderful book with audio files that include original Bavarian music Oktoberfest is a great choice for anyone who just wants to see more of German culture.

Candy's April Staff Pick


Franklin and Eleanor An Extraordinary Marriage
Hazel Rowley
E 807 .R763 2010

• Who did Eleanor call “that dirty little man” who had dedicated his life to getting Franklin elected?
• What phrase did Franklin use when referring to his children?
• How many romances did Franklin have while he was married to Eleanor?
This story of Franklin and Eleanor is told with clarity, honesty, and a distinctly direct insight to their private lives. They made a powerful team, each driven by their own weaknesses and strengths.

Jessie's April Staff Pick


Daylight in nightclub inferno : Czech fiction from the post-Kundera generation
Elena Lappin
PG 5145 E8 D39 1997

When I read that this book was post Post-Kundera, it deserved a second look. Milan Kundera is one of my favorite authors so I felt the need to make sure these authors were up to par. The tone of the authors dark, thoughtful, and provocatively real. One story I particularly liked was “The Story of King Candaules”.

Jan's April Staff Pick


The Plague of Doves
Louise Erdrich
AUDIOBOOK ERDRICH

This audio-book storyline takes place on a reservation in North Dakota and covers several generations. The blending of the families and the events are intriguing, but disquieting at times. I encourage you to join them as they work through community and family situations with a smile at times and tears at others.

Ben's April Staff Pick


Canyons
By: Gary Paulsen
PZ 7 .P2843 CAN 1990

This book is about two boy separated by the Canyons of Time. Brennan Cole is a 15 year old boy who goes camping near Dog Canyon, when he finds a skull from an Apache boy Coyote Runs’. Brennan finds himself trying to get this skull back to an ancient ground to set this boys soul free. Along the way Brennan finds himself in some of the most challenging things he has ever faced.

Austin's April Staff Pick


Group sex; a scientist's eyewitness report on the American way of swinging
Gilbert D. Bartell
HQ 18 U5 B33

Northern Illinois University Anthropology Professor Bartell and his wife Ann conducted a 3 year anthropological study of 350 Americans involved in swinging as well as group sex in general. They were able to visit many groups and parties in the Chicago area as well as interview individuals and couples. In addition to describing the swinging phenomena as it occurs, the book also attempts to theorize competently about how swinging emerged in American middle class society. How and why couples start, how they find each other, what social, erotic and sexual activities take place before and during threesomes, foursomes and group parties, time and location demands, the influence on marriage and relationships, pros and cons etc. are all covered. While granting that swinging seems, at first glance, to be the very antithesis of American middle-class morality, the author says we should take a second look.

Juli's April Staff Pick


Staking Her Claim: Women Homesteading in the West
By Marcia Meredith Hensley
WYOMING F 595 .H45 2007

The west was still wild in the early 1900s and it wasn’t just wannabe cowboys who wanted to experience the west and call it home. Surprisingly, there were a large number of single women who wanted to explore the west, plant roots, and make a new life for themselves. It was the west’s wildness and the limitless opportunities available in the wide-open frontier that lured many women to the western states and allowed them to stake their own claims as homesteaders. Learn about the locals who called this area home, including Mary Sheehan Steinbrech. She settled in the Lander area, taught school, and called Fremont County home. Sprinkled with photos and personal accounts of life as a homesteader, Staking Her Claim offers great insight into a homesteader’s life in the wilds of the west.

Kristy's April Staff Pick


Earthquakes in Wyoming DVD
DVD QE 534.2 .W8 E3 2001

If you’ve ever wondered about earthquakes in Wyoming, take a look at this DVD.
Even though some of the examples are dated (they talk about Lander needing a new high school),
the basic information is still valid, and interesting.
Check it out!

Sam's April Staff Pick


Einstein's Dreams
Alan P. Lightman
PS 3562 .I45397 E 38 1993

Einstein’s Dreams is a fictional collection of Einstein’s dreams all based on many possible worlds of time. This is a mind-stretching book that you will become lost in.