Jan's April Staff Pick

Killing Hope

JK 468 .I6 B59 2004

If you have concerns about the true political actions of our United States government over the decades, this book will confirm your fears. Not an entertaining read, but informative on so many levels.  You can pick your era, or trace a world situation from decades past to the current problems.

“Those who don't know history are doomed to repeat it.”
― Edmund Burke

Jan's March Staff Pick

Nobody Don't Love Nobody

 

By Stacey Bess

 

LC 5144.22 .U8 B47 1994

 

 

The telling of a series of situations in a teacher's life, this book about a school in Utah for homeless students brings to the front the lifestyle situation that these children live in, not by their choice, but because of adult choices and circumstances.

 

"No matter how simple the act may seem, we may never get another opportunity to touch someone's life."  pg. 208

 

Jan's October Staff Pick

Forgiving Dr. Mengele

Film by Bob Hercules & Cheryl Pugh

DS 135 .H93 K67 2007

Eva Kor tells her story of surviving the concentration camp at Auschwitz as a young child.  She uses her horrific experiences to teach others the power of the "will to live" to survive physically and the need to forgive in order to survive emotionally.  What she chose to do with her life is amazing and inspirational. 

You will come away from watching this with many emotions...anger, wonder, admiration, frustration, concern.  Please take time to hear her story. 

Jan's September Staff Pick

C.J. Box

PS 3552 .O87658 .W56 2003

This author is a Wyoming native, and you can tell he knows our Wyoming terrain, weather, and attitudes!  His hero is a Wyoming game warden who lives by the western values we grew up with.  Our struggle with Federal control when it conflicts with these values is fully addressed in this story.  It is a confusing mystery, full of the action that keeps you turning the next page as fast as your eyes can read. 

Jan's August Staff Pick

11/22/63

Written by Stephen King

PS 3561 .I483 A615 2011

Do you ever wonder, “What if…?”  This is your ultimate book!  Stephen King’s reputation of bizarre horror does not play in this story.  This is a believable story of a plain Joe who is given the chance to revisit a tramatic day in United States history in a way that a lot of us have wondered about. 

What would you do if you had the chance to change an event that affected the world?

Check this one out!!

Jan's July Staff Pick

Brenden Voyage

by Tim Severen

G 470 .S48

What an adventure!  Tim Severen was driven to recreate an ocean voyage documented by an ancient text about an Irish Monk who traveled from Ireland to North America in the 500’s!  His research and the building of the type of boat that was used are amazing…and then the voyage itself which confirmed the sites and sometimes fantastic incidents that happened to the ancient mariners.   And what a crew!  To learn how the personalities and talents combined to accomplish this adventure for us to share is a lesson in itself!  Enjoy.

Jan's June Staff Pick

The Education of Little Tree

Written by Forrest Carter

AMIND PS 3553 .A777 Z464 2000

This is a thoughtful story about a young Cherokee orphan being raised by his grandparents during the depression.  Hearing the sounds of nature and seeing the beauty of Mother Nature through the words of this book is a refreshing journey. The author takes you into Little Tree’s world through a simple childhood view of the “live-off-the-land” grandparents, the characters in the community, and the culture of the politics of that era.  The clashes Little Tree observes when his world is confronted with government policy and racism are handled with the aged wisdom of his loving grandparents in words that can be applied to today’s issues.  Very enjoyable read. 

Jan's May Staff Pick

How Do You Kill 11 Million People?

By Andy Andrews

JC 423 .A553 2012

You've heard the joke:

"How do you know a politician is lying? His lips are moving."

It's become the accepted situation in American politics. But the consequences of us accepting lies as a normal part of our political process can be devastating.

This is a book EVERYONE should read and keep in the forefront of your thoughts as we go into the election process.  It does not matter if you're a Republican or Democrat, Eastern or Western, man or woman! What matters is that we MUST get back to the true American beliefs and values. If we don't start focusing on the things that really matter in this country, history proves the consequences will be fatal for our republic. You will start paying more attention to the actions around you, and you'll want to share this book with everyone you know. I did!!

Jan's April Staff Pick

Hearts West

Written by Chris Enss

HQ 802 .E575 2005

The original Match.com! This is a group of stories about the mail-order-bride business of the 1800’s – successes and failures. The gold rush in California and the wood industry in Washington and Oregon drew many young men west in search of their fortune. After a few months of hard work, they came to miss the companionship of the fairer sex. That led attentive entrepreneurs to realize there was a need to fill, and there were eastern ladies ready for the adventure. This scenario and others, such as seeking a companion of like religious background to homestead in the west, are explored. The journals and newspapers quoted give us a feel for the era. Not all had happy endings, but all are an insight that some things never change. Enjoy.

Jan's March Staff Pick

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

Written by Jonathan Safran Foer

PS 3606 .O38 E97 2005

What a capturing read! This book takes your hand and leads you along the lives of a 9-11 family in a way that is unique in its presentation, mostly form the point of view of a victim’s young son. Not a boring minute.

Jan's February Staff Pick

The Camel Club

Written by David Baldacci

Audio book

Talk about a condensed - fast paced political intrigue/terrorist plot, presented in a way that doesn’t lose you along the way!! There are quite a few characters to sort out at first, which is tricky when it is an audio book. You can’t just flip back a few pages to remember who is who, but it is worth the time. Packs lots of conspiracy in a few disks. This is one of a series, and it makes you want to read more.

Jan's January Staff Pick

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet

Written by Jamie Ford

PS 3606 .O737 H68 2009

What a special read this book is! The story begins in current times with flashbacks to the era of the government’s confinement of the Japanese after Pearl Harbor. You will share the frustration, anger, young love, and loss as the different ethnic communities of California respond to this action within their own cultural prejudices. I hope that you take the time to meet these interesting characters as they deal with generations of emotions.

Jan's December Staff Pick

Water For Elephants

by Sara Gruen

PS 3607 .R696 W38 2006

Written from the perspective of an old man recalling his life with the traveling circus, this book is not a “love story”. Placed in the hard times of the depression, Jacob enters the circus through circumstances of tragedy and fate. There he learns the lessons of that world through the characters and creatures that inhabit the Big Top. This story is an easy read that captures you from the first page. Not always a pretty place, the circus becomes real through Sara Gruen’s words.

Jan's November Staff Pick

Check out our new subscription to:
The Wrangler, Horse and Rodeo News!

This is a locally published periodical that contains lots of equestrian information from the western states including Wyoming, South Dakota, Montana, Colorado, Nebraska, and Idaho. There are articles by various writers; schedules of events; classified ads for trailers, trainings, etc.; and color photos of stock for sale. Don’t forget to check for your (or a friend’s) standing in the statistics lists of the many rodeo events.
Lots of information in a compact format! This is a weekly publication so check the library often for the latest news.

Jan's October Staff Pick

The Arrival

Written by Shaun Tan

PZ 7.7 .T36 ARR 2007

Jan's September Staff Pick

Time Collectors Edition: American Legends

E99 A7 S343 2003 c.3

What a fun collection of American icons! It is a book that you can skim through and look at the great pictures, or actually take time to read some of the unknown facts about personalities that are a American as baseball and apple pie. From Sam Walton of WalMart fame to Oprah herself, you will get to know the famous and the infamous. Have fun with this…I did.

Jan's August Staff Pick

One Hundred Years of Old Man Sage

By Jeffery D. Anderson

GLASSCASE AMIND E 99 .A7 S343 2003

To have lived for 100 years and seen all the inconceivable changes in a culture... !

Old Man Sage tells his story through family and friends, and gives us insight into the realities of being born at a time in history when ceremony and respect for all things was the Arapaho way of life. Follow how that was changed by the influx of settlers and miners and then the military that followed. You meet Old Man Sage in these pages, and forever will carry an admiration for this tribal elder who still teaches through his words.

Jan's July Staff Pick

The Reluctant King

Sarah Bradford

DA 584 B69 1989

If the recent wedding of Kate and William piqued your interest in the workings of the British royal family, this book gives insight into the issues that King George VI, William’s Great-Grandfather, had to deal with when unexpectedly becoming King after the abdication of his brother just before WWII. This book is a must-read for those who enjoyed the movie, “The King’s Speech”, because it gives you the whole story of his life.

Jan's June Staff Pick

Earth From Space

by: Andrew K. Johnson

Call #: QB 637 .J63 2004

Amazing pictures of our earth, along with lots of interesting information about the different ways the images are used. You can take in the pictures first, then go back and read the details on your second…or third… time through this beautiful book. (Check out page 63.) Enjoy!

Jan's May Staff Pick

The Best of Poe by Edgar Allen Poe

PS 2612 .A3 2006

Poe is the master of suspense! His poetry is timeless; memorized and recited in their beauty. His tales have been told, re-told, re-mastered, and filmed; and yet we never tire of his intrigue. Read his best again...if you liked it once, you will love it a second time.