| HOURS |
| M | 10 am - 6 pm |
| T | 10 am - 8 pm |
| W | 10 am - 6 pm |
| Th | 10 am - 6 pm |
| F | 10 am - 6 pm |
| Sat | 10 am - 3 pm |
| Sun | closed |
Close this window
*Where did these numbers come from? --
Per capita expenditures were collected from Wisconsin's 2010 Public Library Statistics, compiled by the State Division for Libraries, Technology and Community Learning (DLTCL). The return on investment is calculated by dividing each library's annual per capita expenditure by 12 (the number of months) to get a monthly per capita expenditure. The formula then divides the total value received each month by the monthly per capita expenditure.
This calculator is an adaptation of projects by the Maine State Library and Library Research Service, a unit of the Colorado State Library and the Colorado Department of Education that is operated in partnership with the Library and Information Science (LIS) Program, Morgridge College of Education, University of Denver.
|
Staff Picks These books are some of the recent favorites among the library staff. We hope you enjoy them too. They are not in any sort of order, but each book says who recommended it.
*****************
Although much has been written in recent years about Warren Jeffs and the group of polygamists he has led (FLDS), a new book by Sam Brower - Prophet's Prey - really opens one’s eyes to the group, their history, and the horrors that have gone on in this group for nearly 100 years. Sam Brower is a private investigator who was hired by a member of the group who was being kicked out their home in Short Creek, in SE Utah. Though Sam had some knowledge about the history of the group going back to his own grandfather, he himself a Mormon, had never been a part of this group personally. He tells how this group became established in Salt Lake City and then moved the entire group to SE Utah. He helps the reader learn the truth: the rape and marriages of very young girls to older men, young boys thrown out of town on their own so they would not challenge the older men to wives, the poverty that most live in while the leaders live behind a walled compound and live on the millions the group has, and the total control Warren Jeffs had over every single member. This is a must read for those who wish to understand - if one can - this very strange group and the depravity of their leaders.
Kris - Circ desk
****************
Prophet's Prey : My Seven-year Investigation into Warren Jeffs and the Fundamentalist Church of Latter-Day Saints
Flash and Bones by Kathy Reich is one of the her latest books. Fans of the show "Bones," which is based on Kathy's books, will enjoy this latest mystery. The story centers on Race Week at the Charlotte Motor Speedway, and the bones of two bodies are discovered in the area. Twelve years earlier a local high school girl and her racing boyfriend disappeared; very little was done to find them. Now, Temperance Brennan wonders if these could be the bodies of those missing two. An employee of the CDC goes missing and Temperance wonders if his disappearance could be connected to the earlier two. Kathy's stories are always intriguing and keep you guessing until the end.
Kris - Circ desk
***************
This is an extraordinary book of essays written by the editor-in-chief of the French edition of Elle magazine. Written 14 years ago, it remains powerful and poignant. Reading how Bauby lives within his non-functioning body, and how he thus perceives the world, is both fascinating and humbling. Living a life that was full and busy, with children he loves, and dreams to fulfill, Bauby suffered a severe stroke and became almost 100% paralyzed. His method of dictating this work is certainly part of the exceptional nature of the work. His ability to remain so mentally capable is, however, the greater part of this exceptional book.
Recommended by Hollis --Director
******************
Nell Grendon finds her way to Spiritualism as part of her work. Writing articles about interesting areas of Wisconsin leads her to Wocanaga Spiritualist Camp, the elderly medium Grace Waverly, and the ghost of a schoolmate. (The Wocanaga camp is based on a real Spiritualist camp in Wonewoc, in Sauk County). As a skeptic, Nell never expects to channel a spirit—nor to solve a mysterious death through her spiritualist skills. The novel shows us Nell’s life from childhood until her mid-fifties, drawing a complex set of relationships with lifelong friends and the unexpected upsets that guide her decisions and actions. An interesting life presented with realistic flaws and strengths makes Night Sisters a book about living, rather than about the lingering dead.
Recommended by Hollis -Director
In Peter Tremayne's latest book, Chalice of Blood : a Mystery of Ancient Ireland, Sister Fidelma and her husband/associate Eaudulf, once again work to solve a murder mystery. This case is more difficult due to various Brothers who do not respect Fidelma's authority as a lawyer and as the sister of the King. The leader of this religious group believes in the new way of thinking out of Rome, where celebacy is valued more and therefore priests should not marry. The victim of the murder was a young man who was once a strong believer in God, and then after spending time in the Holy Land and reading the teachings by a man named Celcus, he questions his beliefs upon his return home. In the end, the murder is solved and a surprise suspect is discovered. Peter's books are always well researched into the history of Celtic Ireland, and make for an interesting back drop to the story. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!
Kris - Circ Desk
********************
I recently received an email about a Polish woman who helped approximately1500 children survive the Holocaust. She was a social worker during WW2. So I decided to look up any materials I could find about her life. It turns out we have a book in our library about her. In the children's book Irena Sendler and the Children of the Warsaw Ghetto you will learn a bit about this amazing woman. She kept a secret list of the real names of the children and their parents so they could perhaps be reunited after the war. Many were, although others were raised by the foster families who took them in during the war. She was saved from a firing squad by a German officer who worked to save people during the war as well, and was able to be sent off to a safe location until the war was over. Irena just died in 2008 @ the age of 98. Hallmark Movies made a movie about her life in the past year or so, and PBS recently made a documentary about her. I hope you will look up these items to check out and discover more about this heroic woman.
Thanks Nancy for purchasing this book for all to enjoy!
Kris- Circ
*****************
Unmeasured Strength by Lauren Manning 2011
Unmeasured Strength, an autobiography by Lauren Manning, is her story about surviving the attacks of September 11, 2001. She was given an 18% chance of survival after being burned when flames exploded through the elevator shaft into the lobby of the World Trade Center where she was standing that morning. Months of hospitalization, years of recovery, and numerous surgeries changed, not only her appearance, but transformed her way of thinking about disabilities, allowing her to embrace life in an entirely new way.
Recommended by Betty--Processing
*********************
What happens when old age is genetically eliminated? Can the human ego resist the desire to be eternally young? Does poor health become a worry of the past, or a condition to be actively sought? In The Postmortal Drew Magary provides a view of a future where humanity reveals its worst and best sides as the earth is literally overrun with the ageless individuals who have had the Cure. And those who refused the temptation—they have agendas of their own. . . There is nothing pretty in this view of the future, but there is love and the possibility of redemption. An honest and disturbing vision of how people act when promised more than they really need.
Recommended by Hollis H. Director
************
Despite the fact that my mother grew up just north of DeSmet, South Dakota, I did not grow up reading the Little House on the Prairie books by Laura Ingalls Wilder. That came much later when my own children were growing up and I came to know that Laura and her family eventually moved to DeSmet - the end of their travels as a family. It was while attending a family funeral, that I took the guided tour, which then included the Homestead site - which I guess is now quite a tourist location, the family graves, the Surveyors home they lived in one winter, and the home that Ma and Pa built and lived in until their deaths. Author Wendy McClure also developed a love for all things Little House. In her book The Wilder Life : My Adventures in the Lost World of Little House on the Prairie by Wendy McClure, she begins travelling to each location mentioned in the books to see how much of the stories are true, and to see what remains of those homes. She was actually quite pleased to see that the sod house on Plum Creek was the least changed. Not all the stories Laura shares in her books are apparently completely true, but Wendy loved the adventure of learning more about Laura and her family including her daughter Rose and the home Laura lived in most of her life near Branson Missouri. If you have enjoyed the Little House books, you too might enjoy traveling the roads with Wendy.
Recommended by Kris--Circulation
*****************
A group of Christians from Germany called the Community of True Inspiration built the seven self-contained Amana colonies in Iowa in the mid-1800’s in order to pursue their belief that God communicated through inspired individuals, just as he did in the days of the prophets. This is a novel that takes place in the Amana villages in 1877.
Johanna Ilg is a young woman who grew up in Main Amana and is content with her life there. However, she has a desire to see the outside world, especially Chicago, where her brother now lives with his wife. Her parents seem unusually fearful that if she leaves she will never come back. Her father, in charge of the livery, has hired a new man from one of the other villages. Carl seems interested in Johanna, despite the Amanian practice of not encouraging marriage. Johanna must ultimately choose between her heritage and the outside world. And between marriage and singleness.
Meanwhile, Johanna is put in charge of a new member of Amana, a girl who knows nothing about this way of life, or about self-discipline. Berta Schumacher grew up in Chicago and has had everything she’s ever wanted in her 16 years of life. When her family travels to Iowa, she has no idea that her parents plan to make Amana their home. She rebels at every opportunity, jeopardizing her job in the kitchen, and eventually causing one man to lose his job and a young friend to be badly injured. Her choice becomes asking for forgiveness and staying in Amana, or going to a boarding school in Ohio.
Recommended by Jane--Cataloging
* * ** * * * * * * * * *
My Life, Deleted is written by Scott and Joan Bolzan. Scott had been a successful business man. One day, early in his work day, he walked into a bathroom and fell hitting head when he stepped on something slippery. Immediately his memory was gone. He obviously suffered head injuries although nothing showed up on MRI's to show why he had lost his memory. Eventually, he was finally given a SPECT test which showed there was no or little blood flow to the frontal part of his brain. He had no memory of his family, friends, what he did for a living, or even what words meant. The last 3 years, since his fall, have been a time of building a new life of memories. He has had brief glimpses of his childhood past, but most memories have remained lost, and that is the word he uses to describe how he felt - lost. It is really an interesting story, one you won't put down until you are done.
Kris--Circulation and Magazines
* * * * * * * * * *
I just finished reading Mighty Be Our Powers, by Nobel Peace Prize recipient Leymah Gbowee. This is the heartbreaking, uplifting auto-biography of a Liberian woman who suffered unimaginable horrors of war, only to lift up, not only herself, but the women in her country. Her inspiration allowed women to find their voice and, through their culture, put an end to years of war. This is an important book for everyone who cares about a peaceful future, and especially for those who would thwart those efforts.
Recommended by Betty-Processing
* * * * * *
Breaking Stalin’s Nose, by Eugene Yelchin, is a children’s book set in the past but the main issue in it transcends time and place. From 1923 to 1953 Joseph Stalin of Russia ensured absolute power by waging war against the Russian people. His secret police imprisoned or exiled over twenty million people. Not a single person, war hero, worker, teacher or homemaker could be certain he or she would not be arrested. This story is of a child being raised by his well-respected Communist State Security Secret Police officer father and how quickly life as he once knew it was turned upside-down. Stalin’s propaganda machine deceived ordinary people into believing countless spies and terrorists threatened their security. Friends turned on friends, spouses against each other. Few American’s of that generation were aware of what transpired under Stalin. This short story brings to light a glimpse of what life was like during this era. A short good read written by a Soviet Union author who was born and educated in Russia, and had to make a choice to leave his country or be an informer.
Recommended by Nan R.—Children’s Librarian
* * * * * *
Bess is a 35 year old women living in Washington D.C. She, like millions of others, is navigating the “single’s scene.” Bess has pretty much giving up on marriage and family. On a whim, she decides to throw a singles-only party for her birthday. Here enters Rory an Irish musician, quite charming, with a few secrets. HHMMM!!! They meet…. They fall in love…… Rory asks Bess for her hand in marriage….. Then reveals he has been married eight times before. Stunned and confused, Bess takes a trip. She is intent on finding out truths about lasting relationships and true love. The Ninth Wife takes a realistic view of relationships in a humorous, warm and heartfelt way. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
Reviewed by Karen—Circulation
* * * * * * *
|
|
