Kristy's March Staff Pick

The Girl Who Chased the Moon

 

This is one of the books from the library's newest collection of leased books. This collection includes a variety of popular and best-selling hardcover books. Come in and check out our selection!

 

Mullaby, North Carolina is a place where magic happens. Emily Benedict and Julia Winterson are each searching for their place in the world. Emily arrives at the house of a grandfather she's never met and tries to make sense of the changes in her life and the past her mother has hidden from her. Julia Winterson came back to Mullaby temporarily. The deadline she has set for herself to finish her business is rapidly approaching but is she ready to leave permanently?

Can a hummingbird cake really bring back a lost love? Is there really a ghost dancing in Emily's backyard? The answers are never what you expect. But in this town of loveable misfits, the unexpected fits right in.

This story has a little bit of everything... romance, mystery, forbidden love, delicious food, all sprinkled with a hint of magic.

 

Kristy's August Staff Pick

The Native Star

Written by M.K. Hobson

PS 3608 .O25 N38 2010

Set in an alternate version of the American Old West in 1876, this book was fun to read. For a debut novel, it’s a pretty good start.

ENJOY!!

Synopsis excerpt from Publishers Weekly via Amazon.com:

Young country witch Emily Edwards battles a horde of zombies and winds up with a mysterious magical stone embedded in her hand. Escorted by the academically-trained warlock Dreadnought Stanton…Emily reluctantly sets out to meet with warlocks from the Mirabilis Institute in hopes of getting the stone removed…. Clever techno-magical artifacts with steampunk flair, evil Aberrancies, and a unique tripartite magical system provide a colorful backdrop to the politics of the warlocks, the secrets of the stone, and the mystery of Emily’s past.

Kristy's July Staff Pick

Get a Financial Life : Personal Finance in your Twenties and Thirties

Written by Beth Kobliner

HG 179 .K59 2009

From the introduction- 

This “book makes clear that there are just a few key steps you need to get out of debt, start saving, and plan for the future.  Once you nail these easy concepts, you’ll be on your way- in good times or bad”

Kristy's June Staff Pick

Moon Over Manifest

Written by Clare Vanderpool

PZ 7 .P28393 M00

2010

Listening to her father's stories about his boyhood, Abilene Tucker expected the sign to say:

MANIFEST: A TOWN WITH A RICH PAST AND A BRIGHT FUTURE

But when she finally arrives, the only legible words on the weather-beaten sign read:

MANIFEST: A TOWN WITH A... PAST...

Thus begins a summer filled with more stories. As she learns about the town's past, she finds plenty of mystery and discovers secrets that impact the present.

Enjoy!

Kristy's May Staff Pick

Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain

Written by Betty Edwards

NC 730 .E34 1979

If you have ever wondered if you could learn how to draw, wonder no more!  “The exercises and instructions in this book have been designed specifically for people who cannot draw at all, who may feel that they have little or no talent for drawing, and who may feel doubtful that they could ever learn to draw- but who think they might like to learn. The approach of this book is different from other drawing instruction books in that the exercises are aimed at opening access to skills you already have but that are simply waiting to be released.” Give it a try- you will be amazed at what you can do if you just learn to look at things a little differently.  Enjoy!!

Kristy's April Staff Pick

Nearby History: Exploring the Past Around You

Written by David E. Kyvig

E 180.5 .N98 2010

Nearby History shows that any literate person can master historical research techniques. Each chapter describes methods for collecting and using evidence from a person's nearby world--written documents, oral testimony, visual objects, buildings, photographs, and physical landscapes--for historical studies of families, neighborhoods, institutions, and communities as a whole.

Kristy's March Staff Pick

How Music Works:

The Science and Psychology of Beautiful Sounds, From Beethoven to the Beatles

and Beyond

Written by John Powell

ML 3805 .P69 2010

“Dr. Powell decided to write this engaging and accessible introduction to the science and psychology behind music when he discovered that all the existing books on the subject gave him a headache. He holds a master’s degree in music composition and a PhD in physics…”

“You will be glad to hear that you need no musical or scientific training to understand this book, although musicians and scientists should find plenty of things they didn’t know before.”

Kristy's February Staff Pick

Month by Month Gardening in Wyoming:

What to do Each Month to Have a Beautiful Garden All Year

Written by John L. Cretti

WYOMING SB 453.2 .W9 C74 2007

Want to take the guesswork out of gardening? With this book, you'll know what to do each month to have gardening success all year. This book is organized into 10 categories of plants and then each month you find out what advice is given about planning, planting, watering, problems, etc. It’s not too soon to start planning your garden for this growing season and this book will start you on the right path.

Kristy's January Staff Pick

P90-X extreme home fitness [DVD]

Tony Horton

DVD GV 546 .P212 2009 INTRO. - DVD GV 546 .P212 2009 NO.12

GV 546 .P212 2009 FIT GUIDE - GV 546 .P212 2009 NUTRITION

This set of 12 dvds will help you keep your resolution to get in or stay in better physical shape. This is an extreme workout program, so it’s not for the faint of heart. But if you’re willing to try it, it will challenge you and will definitely improve your fitness level. Some of my favorites are: #11 Cardio-X, for those days when you have a shorter amount of time to work out; #6 Kenpo- kicks, punches, etc. for endurance, coordination and balance; and #8 Core synergistics- to build and support multiple muscle groups while conditioning your body. There are also workouts that target various parts of the body (back & biceps, shoulders & arms, etc). Get Fit!!!

Kristy's December Staff Pick

I Can't Keep My Own Secrets: Six Word Memoirs by Teens, Famous, & Obscure

by Rachel Fershleiser

CT 107 .I25 2009

One of my favorites:

Life:

Random,

Unpredictable,

Heartbreaking, and breathtaking.

-- Ashley Qualls

Six-word review-

Read it. Loved it. Your turn.

Kristy's November Staff Pick

The Book of unholy mischief
By Elle Newmark
AUDIOBOOK NEWMARK
Set in fifteenth-century Venice, this historical drama is flavored with Renaissance recipes and political intrigue. The story is not perfectly written, but it is still worth listening to. Raul Esparza is the reader and he does an awesome job. Everyone, from Luciano the orphan street boy, to Francesca the convent beauty who captures the heart of the orphan, is brought to life with his voice.

Kristy's October Staff Pick

Twelve Steps to a Compassionate Life

Written by Karen Armstrong

BL 624 .A74 2010

"...compassion is aptly summed up in the Golden Rule, which asks us to look into our own hearts, discover what gives us pain, and then refuse, under any circumstances whatsoever, to inflict that pain on anybody else."

Kristy's September Staff Pick

The Book Thief

By Markus Zusak

Call # PR 9619.4 .Z87 B66 2006

Set in Nazi Germany, Liesel steals her first book before she has even learned to read. As the story unfolds we see how Liesel comes to learn about the people around her and the power of words. “This is a story of courage, friendship, love, survival, death, and grief. This is Liesel’s life on Himmel Street, told from Death’s point of view.”

Kristy's August Pick

Crap
Written by Erin Elisabeth Conley, Karen Macklin, and Jake Miller
BF 637 .I48 C655 2009

This sub-title of this book is 'How to deal with annoying teachers, bosses, backstabbers, and other stuff that stinks' and that's what the authors talk about. They define it, then give advice on how to avoid it, deal with it, get rid of it and finally, how to go about "breaking the stank cycle." Enough said. Read the book and don't give me any...

Kristy's July Staff Pick

Under Heaven

By Guy Gavriel Kay

PR 9199.3 .K39 U53 2010

A mix of history and fantasy tells a fascinating tale. The author “evokes the subtle politics and careful social intercourse of eighth-century Tang dynasty China (Library Journal Review)” in this story. Shen Tai honors his father’s memory by burying the dead, enemies and friends alike, at an old battle-site on the border of the empire. Near the end of the two mourning years, he is given a great gift- two hundred and fifty Heavenly Horses.

“You gave a man one of the Sardian horses to reward him greatly. You gave him four or five of those glories to exalt him above his fellows, propel him towards rank- and earn him the jealousy, possibly mortal of those who rode the smaller horses of the steppes.”

The intrigue and pit-falls that await Tai as he deals with the overwhelming gift make an interesting read.

Kristy's June Staff Pick

New Scientist

V 210 NO. 2811 May 7, 2011

Check out this title!

Lots of interesting information is covered in this journal. Have you ever wondered what life could be like if we could build the fundamentals of civilization from scratch (March 26-April 1, 2011)? Find out why we can’t live without dreams- Your dreaming brain (March 12-18, 2011) or read the ponderings of the editor as he talks about the Strange science of daily life (February 19-25, 2011).

With all kinds of fascinating topics- there is sure to be something to pique your interest!

Kristy's May Staff Pick

Kip Carey’s Official Wyoming fishing guide by Kip Carey

WYOMING SH 565 .K562 200

Thinking about going fishing now that the weather is nice?
Use this book as a guide for planning your next fishing trip.
This is a “where” to fish guide so pick a spot and go out and enjoy yourself!

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!

Kristy's March Staff Pick

On Writing: a memoir of the craft
by Stephen King

PS 3561 I483 Z475 2000

In this book, Stephen King tells a little about his life and his writing experience. He says: “What follows is an attempt to put down, briefly, and simply, how I came to the craft, what I know about it now, and how it’s done. It’s about the day job; it’s about the language.”
Read the book to find out more. 

Kristy's February Staff Pick

Quilt art of Japan
by Setsuko Segawa

TT 835 S454 1991

Don’t let the plain cover fool you!
Inside this book there are dozens of beautiful examples of Japanese artwork creatively expressed in a quilt form.
Take a look!