Eyes of the Void, the second book in Adrian Tchaikovsky's "The Final Architecture" series, manages to avoid many of the typical pitfalls of sequel booEyes of the Void, the second book in Adrian Tchaikovsky's "The Final Architecture" series, manages to avoid many of the typical pitfalls of sequel books.
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Readers are thrust immediately into the action of an ever-shifting galactic political landscape, rival factions at each other's throats when the larger threat of the Architects becomes as salient as it had during the first conflict. A conflict where humanity was almost wiped out, along with its alien allies.
Except this time, the Architects, moon-sized entities that use gravity to annihilate whole planets, have managed to circumvent the protection of Originator artifacts that spooked them in the last war. (view spoiler)[The Originators are an elder race presumed to have left behind their artifacts when they disappeared, along with the Throughways, shortcuts through space that many species use to get to far away destinations quickly. (hide spoiler)]
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You'd think humanity and its alien allies would seek a unified approach to this problem, especially since the scare-factor of the Originator artifacts has worn off.
It appears that even the breakaway human religious colonies that joined the protection of the technologically-advanced Hegemony, who have sole dominion over most of the Originator artifacts and can transport them safely, are no longer safe.
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Well, to make a long story short, there are powers behind the scenes that are seeing opportunity in the impending destruction and chaos. (view spoiler)[The more rich and powerful in the human colonies want to start a war with the Parthenon, another breakaway human faction, when tensions between the two parties are at their highest in quite a while. In the chaos, the chosen few humans would become nomadic and forever live on generational arc ships. (hide spoiler)]
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Yet, those nominally on the side of a unified front, are seeking a new weapon against the Architects. Among them is our beloved and frankly exhausted Int, Idris Telemmier, capable of interfacing with the Architects and seeing into "unspace," (places where, in theory, nothing made of ordinary matter should be able to exist). Along for the ride is his crew of the salvage ship The Vulture God, led by the new captain, my favorite ever-salty Olli.
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When a research expedition on a Hegemony planet known as Arc Pallator goes horribly wrong, Idris is lost to his ship and crew, but lands in the hands of a handful of shady characters on a world named Criccieth's Hell. Let me tell you, this place is aptly named. A planet, formerly more friendly to life, was stripped of its protective atmospheric layers, leaving it vulnerable to their star's harsh radiation.
The only things that survive on the surface are these plants that use a process called "nuclear photosynthesis." I guess when life gives you radioactive lemons, you make radioactive lemonade?
These are scary, scary things, capable of growing faster than plants should, and are literally trying to pry open this facility, waiting for the shields to fail. (I may or may not have nightmares about these murderous plants.)
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(Venus flytraps are play-toys compared to the Criccieth's Hell plants.)
Anyways, these renegade scientists have a mysterious "Machine" of Originator origin that is still up-and-running that can see into unspace, the presumed home of the Architects (it is housed in a facility which is barely holding back the life-killing radiation and aggressive plants outside).
Their crew is led by a Naeromathi alien out for revenge against the Architects. (Get this, the alien's name is Ahab.) (view spoiler)[His species' home world was destroyed long ago by the Architects, leaving the Naeromathi permanently ship-bound and nomadic. (hide spoiler)] They need Idris's Int abilities to interface with unspace and find some critical clue that was missed in the disaster of the Arc Pallator expedition.
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Spoiler alert, they do find the key to the universe they are looking for. Of course, I won't spoil what it is, but let's just say all hell breaks loose, and Idris and company is trapped in Criccieth's Hell with time running out to get away and share the game-changing knowledge Idris has gained.
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Eyes of the Void is an engaging sequel that ups the ante for what appears to be a last stand of humanity and its alien allies in the next (and final) book. It is a trilogy after all, and the way things stand at the end of Eyes of the Void, it's going to be spectacular, I'm sure.
The thing about Nnedi Okorafor's books is that even a short story is packed with as much imagination, worldbuilding, and character development than maThe thing about Nnedi Okorafor's books is that even a short story is packed with as much imagination, worldbuilding, and character development than many books of greater length.
My first experience of Okorafor's writing was her Binti trilogy, in which a young African woman goes to university off-world, but manages to get into all sorts of spacefaring adventures, encountering various alien species and getting in the middle of matters of galactic intrigue. (Do yourself a favor and read that trilogy. The first book is Binti. You're welcome.) So it was with no hesitation that I jumped on a recent title of her's, called Noor.
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"Noor" is an Arabic word roughly referring to light. For a tale that mostly took place in a setting where the sun doesn't shine, it almost came off as ironic, until I got much farther along in the story. Noor also happens to be the name of a fictional invention that revolutionized renewable energy in this future Nigeria.
This invention interweaves beautifully with the narrative in a way that closed the circle the Noor's inception started by the ending. (No spoilers!) Moreover, sunlight in general stands in for transparency and the exposure of immoral actions and dealings, but also, I think, spiritual wellbeing. As in seeing one's flaws and coming to accept and embrace them as part of the whole.
As usual, I am getting ahead of myself. Let's back up a bit.
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The world our protagonist, AO, inhabits is heavily influenced by mega-corporations and is social-media addicted. (So I guess not too far off from today?) AO is a cyborg, having been born with numerous birth defects. Cybernetic limbs become even more necessary when the damage to her body is made much worse by a catastrophic car accident when she was 14.
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She has managed to carve out a relatively quiet existence, learning to deal with the suspicion and hostility of the locals at her unnaturalness. Cybernetics are viewed with quite a lot of suspicion, leading some to call AO a demon or a freakish science experiment. AO deals with it until one day in the local market, when things go wrong.
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AO is attacked by men in the market, and in the process of defending herself, she ends up killing a few of them before fleeing north towards the desert. She meets DNA, a nomadic herdsman, and the two bond over their commonalities.
(view spoiler)[DNA was involved in an attack where several of his cattle were slaughtered. He was the only one to escape the slaughter, but is branded a terrorist, along with the rest of his people generally, for fighting back. (hide spoiler)] The technology of the nomads, including sand repelling devices and masks, really gave me a Dune vibe, although minus the water-recycling protective suits.
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AO and DNA form a strong bond that will be tested when their lives are threatened by the very corporation that granted AO her cybernetic enhancements. (Again, no spoilers!)
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Yes, I left you all on a cliff-hanger. The only thing now is to go and read Noor. Trust me, it's well worth the time!
If you are looking for a great summer read, try Audrey J. Cole’s The Pilot’s Daughter. It’s a thriller about Cora, who is afraid of flying after losinIf you are looking for a great summer read, try Audrey J. Cole’s The Pilot’s Daughter. It’s a thriller about Cora, who is afraid of flying after losing her husband in a helicopter crash. (I also would rather drive than fly any day!)
As the story continues, the flight is hijacked, and no one seems to know how or why this happened in today’s secure world. Cora is not sure who to trust with the 142 people on board, but she becomes the heroine.
It’s a fast read and would make a wonderful movie. Take time to read this exciting book this summer. I’m looking forward to the author’s new mystery thriller, The Final Hunt. Happy reading!
Milk and Honey is the first book of poetry I've read by Rupi Kaur. I really enjoyed this one, even if it dealt with difficult subjects, such as abuse,Milk and Honey is the first book of poetry I've read by Rupi Kaur. I really enjoyed this one, even if it dealt with difficult subjects, such as abuse, trauma, and recovery. Whatever form of writing you engage in, you are making yourself vulnerable to the reader. It is very clear that Kaur is putting herself out there in this poignant and beautiful volume.
All of the poems really resonated with me, featuring messages of hope after suffering trauma and learning to love yourself in all your imperfections. I think the one that resonated the most with me is:
I don't know what living a balanced life feels like When I am sad I don't cry I pour When I am happy I don't smile I glow When I am angry I don't yell I burn
The good thing about feeling in extremes is When I love I give them wings But perhaps that isn't Such a good thing cause They always tend to leave And you should see me When my heart is broken I don't grieve I shatter
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Why those lines resonated the most with me I think is that we all experience powerful emotions as human beings, and we aren't always able to optimally regulate our expression of them, whether we're dealing with mental illness or grief. Or stress or just having a bad day. Moreover, I think some people see expressions of valid emotions as overbearing and improper, which can be frustrating for the person feeling them.
Additionally, I have been told that I am a very sensitive person. I tend to feel things deeply, and this poem gave voice to the very real double-edged sword that can be when trying to be yourself and interacting with the rest of the world.
The amazing thing about poetry is that so few words can evoke such powerful feelings in readers. For example, emptiness on a page can evoke feelings of sadness and hollowness. That the writer only has the strength to pen these few words, but still want to get their voice out there and heard. (Well, at least for me. I'm not sure how others interpret poetry--how many words on the page, how they are arranged, etc.)
In my opinion, Milk and Honey makes accessible to readers complex themes and ideas animating much larger novels in so much fewer words.
And that kind of conciseness of language is just as beautiful as detailed or flowery prose.
If you are a Roz Chast fan, either you have already read Going Into Town: A Love Letter to New York, or you mReview originally published July 2019
If you are a Roz Chast fan, either you have already read Going Into Town: A Love Letter to New York, or you must do so immediately! If you are not already familiar with Ms. Chast, you still should read Going Into Town, because Chast is perhaps the best stylistic cartoonist of all time. (If I could be a famous writer, I would be Dave Barry. If I could be a famous cartoonist, I would be Roz Chast.)
Furthermore, if you have ever been to New York, or if you only hope to visit it, you should read Going Into Town because it is delightful, informative, funny, and just a pleasure to peruse.
Many years ago, as a recent transplant from La Crosse to Los Angeles, I became besties with a recent New York transplant. I told her about bubblers, and she told me about boroughs. So besides learning the intricacies of California living, I was also introduced to yet another way of life, one I knew of only vaguely through television and movies.
Concepts of whistling for a taxi, living in something called walk-up apartments, buying food and merchandise from vendors RIGHT ON THE STREET, or deciphering a labyrinthine subway system, were as foreign to me as Instagram to a troglodyte.
These are precisely the kind of subjects Chast so gracefully illustrates in Going Into Town: the nonplussed shopper who finds herself in a store which sells 90 jabillion kinds of ribbon, discovering that a “private house” is a rarity among apartments, or the availability of every food ethnicity, preference, aversion, allergy, craving, fad or combination within a few blocks of each other. (Sustainable Waffle Shoppe, or gluten-free pho, anyone?)
Treat yourself to an enjoyable short escape from familiar Midwest living and check out Going Into Town: A Love Letter to New York.
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How well do you know your neighbors? Good question, right? You might wave or exchange pleasantries with them. Have you been invited in for tea and a c How well do you know your neighbors? Good question, right? You might wave or exchange pleasantries with them. Have you been invited in for tea and a chat or had a neighborhood backyard barbeque? You might know their names and occupations, but do you really know them?
Molly Madison and her golden retriever, Harlow, move to Pier Point, California to start over.
Moving in, Molly’s doors are wide open. A neighbor notices and drops by to warn her to keep her doors shut, always. Frankendoodle, a two hundred pound ivory and mocha monster has a habit of walking into the neighborhood houses and making himself at home.
The following day Molly and Harlow, joined by Noodle (Frankendoodle) who has stopped by to say hello, walk to the beach where Noodle digs up a severed hand. Molly starts to wonder if relocating to California and settling in this neighborhood was a mistake.
A Deadly Bone To Pick by Peggy Rothschild combined two of my interests, mysteries and dogs, into a refreshing storyline outside of the normal crime/thriller novel. I highly recommend that you add this book to your summer reading list!
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I'd like to recommend to you a book that I prize. Of course, it is a title readily available through La CReview originally published February 2019
I'd like to recommend to you a book that I prize. Of course, it is a title readily available through La Crosse County Library, but I actually purchased a copy of my own at the author's home in West Salem. A Son of the Middle Border by Hamlin Garland is an autobiography that is 100 years old.
Perhaps you would be persuaded to read it if you knew that the author is a Pulitzer Prize winner. Maybe I could tantalize you by describing it as a male version of the popular Little House books. Would it entice you if I told you the story begins in Greens Coulee, Onalaska?
Hamlin Garland was born in 1860 near West Salem. He remembers Greens Coulee as a place of wooded hills with a marsh down the middle. It was a valley teeming with “sinister” creatures such as bears, wolves, wild cats, and rattlesnakes. Onalaska was a boomtown, and he recounts that all boys aspired to be river men.
I found his descriptions of farm life, threshing, meals, and visits from relatives intriguing. Indeed, much can be learned about early pioneer life in our region from Hamlin Garland.
As a boy, the author longed to accompany his father to the grain market in La Crosse. In fact, he never saw La Crosse until he was 8 years old as the family crossed through it on their move to Minnesota. In our day and age, it’s hard to imagine that a trip to La Crosse was so rare for someone who lived in Onalaska. This is one of many insights gained from this lovely book.
The recollections of farm and prairie life are filled with descriptions of endless toil, with a keen eye for the physical demands on the prairie wife. The chores of a young child amaze our modern sensibilities. Could a 9 year-old boy really fire a double-barrel shotgun as he stands guard over newly sown crops? There is also an amazing story of Garland as a young child being sent to fetch the family doctor on horseback during horrible weather conditions. I have read it aloud on several occasions and listeners have always found it compelling.
Garland’s father never liked the steep ridges of Greens Coulee and the difficulty of farming there. Like many men of that era, he longed to go west towards the Minnesota prairies he had once seen. The family eventually settles on 300 acres of land in Iowa. The chore demands on the growing Garland boy increased.
Yet, his recollections never cease to include beautiful descriptions of wildlife and the landscape. More moves are in the family’s future and the “middle border” moves farther from the settled lands.
As a young man, Garland embarks upon travel, schooling, and a successful writing career, all the while showing that he is never afraid of manual labor. His success enables him to establish a Garland homestead in West Salem. There is a bit of a cliff-hanger at the end that hopefully will lead to a desire to read the sequel, A Daughter of the Middle Border, the Pulitzer Prize winner.
Every year in September, Garland Days are celebrated in West Salem. If you go, you might want to visit our beautiful West Salem library location and check out A Son of the Middle Border. La Crosse County Library also has convenient locations in Holmen, Bangor, Onalaska, and the town of Campbell, where staff are happy to assist you in finding books and other library items for your enjoyment.
My one year anniversary of being a library clerk within the La Crosse County Libraries is fast approachingReview originally published January 2019
My one year anniversary of being a library clerk within the La Crosse County Libraries is fast approaching, and I’m finding myself reflecting upon the stereotypes and connotations with the terms “library” and “librarian” and how they differ from my own personal experiences, both in front of and behind the circulation desk.
In an effort to reflect in a well-rounded manner that didn't only center around me, I picked up the book called This Book Is Overdue!: How Librarians and Cybrarians Can Save Us All by Marilyn Johnson, to see how it would address said stereotypes and possibly provide some insightful commentary on how the roles libraries and librarians play in society have evolved as they grow and develop into the digital age.
The book was definitely an interesting read, with many cool anecdotes about awesome librarians standing up to the government to protect constitutional rights of privacy in the face of the 2001 Patriot Act, organizing campaigns to fight censorship, and finding new, innovative ways to utilize technology to better serve the public.
The way it portrays librarians as such important movers-and-shakers is definitely a far cry from the common media portrayal of librarians being draconian, out-of-touch curmudgeons or mousey old-fashioned recluses. This stance was appreciated, but I still felt that placing the libraries and people who frequent them on such a pedestal doesn’t accurately reflect on what it’s truly like to experience or work in a library on a personal level.
There is one point the book mentions that I agree with wholeheartedly that I don’t feel is emphasized enough: librarians are here to help. We love to help. Ask a question about where resources about certain topics are; we will get up and show you. Ask a question about a certain piece of technology; we will enthusiastically do our best to troubleshoot. Need recommendations based off of books or movies you’ve seen before? We’ll have a list for you! This element of service is literally my favorite part of the job.
Listen, if it wasn’t obvious enough, I love libraries! I grew up as an avid library user, loved the books and programs, and anticipated going to the library whenever I could. Imagine my joy when I was able to get an actual job as a library clerk. I could now refer to the “really nice library people” I grew up with as coworkers; it was downright surreal for me at the time.
I was thrilled to be given the opportunity to give back to the place that always made me feel welcome and provided so many hours and hours of recreation, free resources, and other positive experiences for me throughout my childhood.
When I was younger, I didn’t view librarians as larger-than-life heroes (okay maybe I did, a little). However, the reason I did wasn’t because I was acutely aware of the important jobs that they performed that were “saving us all.” Rather, it was because my librarians did their best to help out with any issue I had, with no judgement, occasionally playing the role as a confidant and, well, being “the really nice library people.” For me, that was enough.
Librarians can be seen as everyday heroes, whether they are organizing a campaign about free speech or simply recommending a book. Now that I’ve moved “behind the desk,” I try and do my best to fill the shoes of those who have come before me and play the role, however small, for others that my librarians did for me. My library experiences have shaped who I’ve become as a person, and I too strive to follow their example, and to pass on the tradition of providing a welcoming space for patrons to feel comfortable as they use our libraries to ask questions, learn, and grow.
The Great Alone by Kristen Hannah, is a novel set in 1970s Alaska. Ernt Allbright is a Vietnam POW who suReview originally published November 2018
The Great Alone by Kristen Hannah, is a novel set in 1970s Alaska. Ernt Allbright is a Vietnam POW who suffers from PSTD. Because it is 1974, PSTD hadn’t been diagnosed nor recognized. His family just understands that he is “messed up” from the war.
Ernt has decided to pack up the family and move to Alaska after a fallen soldier buddy willed his little slice of desolate heaven to Ernt. Wife Cora and daughter Leni, 13, are apprehensive about the move, naturally, because Ernt suffers so terribly. The thought of Alaska sounds so appealing to Ernt, while both Cora and Leni believe his anxieties and depression will only amplify, especially when winter sets in and they are surrounded by snow and constant darkness. Despite her apprehension, Cora borrows a bit of cash from her parents, and they head off in their well-used VW van.
The family is always struggling financially as Ernt is unable to hold a job, so with the little cash they borrowed, the first place they visit before heading to the gifted cabin is an outpost to stock up on living supplies. Large Marge, as she is called, is a former prosecutor from a big city. Marge runs the outpost, and with her great intuition, she figures these three out straight away. She helps them get set up with the immediate essentials and doesn’t hold back with her warnings of all of the dangers lurking in remote Alaska.
Large Marge, and then later the other folks they meet, spend a lot of time warning of bears, and the merits of preparing for winter, even though it was early summer. They have all stressed the fact that living in Alaska during the winter took a special skillset that not everyone is equipped with.
After acquiring the supplies to get them started, the Allbrights head to the cabin, which is more primitive than they had imagined. No running water or electricity. Cora and Leni are anxious and weary at the prospect of their new living situation, while Ernt seemed energized by the challenges they face.
Surprisingly, Ernt manages to keep his mood swings and general mental health under control for a while, but it’s just a matter of time before he begins over-drinking, and his mood swings grow out of control. For years, Cora had been the target of Ernt’s violent outburst. Cora always accepted his apologies and made excuses for her bruises. When Leni becomes the target of Ernt’s physical violence, all things change.
If I had to do it over again, I wouldn’t have read this book before the holidays because it was an emotional read filled with heartbreak and frustration. However, I will say that the author did an amazing job at providing me a perfect visual of Alaska and the hardy folk that call Alaska home. I have a renewed respect for the land and its inhabitants. The desolation and winter darkness, along with imminent danger, were palpable.
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My other favorite reads lately have been The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult; The Girl Who Came Home by Hazel Gaynor; Plainsong and Eventide, both by Ken Haruf; The Guest Room by Chris Bohjalian; and One Thousand White Women by Jim Fergus.
Please check out our website at www.lacrossecountylibrary.org for catalog resources or for upcoming programming schedules. Please visit and like us on Facebook as well!
I didn’t know what to expect when reading Mary Connealy’s book The Accidental Guardian. I hadn’t read anyReview originally published November 2018
I didn’t know what to expect when reading Mary Connealy’s book The Accidental Guardian. I hadn’t read anything by her before, and my experience with a story set in the western frontier has been limited.
Smarts and going after what you want is what drew me to Deb’s character. She’s not a helpless young woman running into bad situations. Although being strong and able to take care of herself, she shows her limits. Early in the story, she accepts the help from Trace Riley, then later the other ranch hands, Utah Smith and Adam Thayne. Deb’s personality is a great blend of independence and dependence.
This story opens with Deb and Gwen Harkness traveling on a wagon train along with the Scott family and others braving the Sierra Nevada Mountains in October. The small wagon train is ambushed at night while everyone is a sleep. Deb and Gwen, who stepped away to care for the Scott children, were spared from the massacre. By moonlight, Deb crept back only to see one of the attackers and hear voices of the others which would be etched forever in her memory.
Stunned and staying hidden, Deb could only watch helplessly while the three gunmen pillage the belongings. Then set fire to what they could so the blame might be shifted to a tribe of Indians. Deb and Gwen, the little ones Maddie Sue and Ronnie, now find themselves alone in the middle of nowhere with winter ready to set in. They are soon discovered not by the marauders, but by Trace Riley.
Trace is empathic to this unfortunate group. He himself experienced the despair of being a sole survivor of a similar attack. His own trial prepared him with the skills to thrive in the harsh wilderness, but how will these travelers fair? With winter closing in, there is nothing else to be done but to take the Harkness women and the children back to his ranch.
What a thought, Trace and his ranch hands, two women, and two children. Do we have enough food reserves? Sleeping quarters will have to be adjusted. Will the stockpile of wood be enough to keep them all warm and fed? These overwhelming thoughts keep his mind distracted from the fury building inside to track down the killers and bring them to justice (or could it be considered revenge)? Reserve this title to find out for yourself.
Suspense, a sweet young romance, and the rally of endearing characters makes me look forward to the second book in the High Sierra Sweetheart series.
Visit any of our La Crosse County Library locations in Bangor, Campbell, Holmen, Onalaska, and West Salem, and check out our website at www.lacrossecountylibrary.org from the comfort of your own home to search our library catalog.
Mary Mallon, while perhaps one of America's most infamous and influential 20th century citizens, is a womReview originally published December 2017
Mary Mallon, while perhaps one of America's most infamous and influential 20th century citizens, is a woman whose name and history few are familiar with, until such details are connected to the well-worn moniker “Typhoid Mary.” For over a century, the tale of a cook infested with disease, spreading death and disorder across New York City has fascinated the public, taking on elements of the modern urban legend. In the novel Fever, author Mary Beth Keane attempts to delve beyond the folktale bestowed on Mallon by popular culture, to the very real human hidden beneath.
Keane’s novel begins in 1907, the year of Mallon’s first arrest by the Department of Health in New York. A sanitation engineer for the department, Dr. George Soper, has been tracking Mary’s movements for months, connecting outbreaks of typhoid to her various cooking positions within the city. While Soper is sure he’s found the first asymptomatic carrier of typhoid, Mary is unconvinced. How can she, a perfectly healthy middle-aged woman who has served affluent families across New York City for almost a decade, be infecting anyone with her food?
After her arrest, Mallon continues to live in this state of denial. Quarantined to an island on the East River for three years, Mary works ceaselessly to find a legal loophole and gain her freedom, going so far as to obtain analyses of her blood from private laboratories, convinced the government is simply persecuting her for its own gain.
In 1910, Mary promises the courts never to cook for another soul in return for her release. But after months as a laundress, garnering little money and moving from one boarding house to another, Mary cannot resist the lure of the kitchen, and soon cons her way into another job as a cook. Of course, because there is no way humans can outrun their own biology, it is not long before Mallon finds herself once again quarantined alone on the East River, this time for life.
Since the story of “Typhoid Mary” has been told and re-told a thousand times over, Fever is not a novel of suspense by any means. Instead, the events depicted by Keane help to both humanize the mythological nature of “Typhoid Mary” and interweave the events of Mallon’s own life with the contemporary, twentieth century working-class conditions around her, including the famous Titanic disaster and Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire.
Mary herself is much more than simply a victim or a villain here. She is a headstrong, fierce, and defiant woman determined to improve her own circumstances, and those of the people she loves. Desperate to remain in control of her own future, Mary can never forget the past. The innocent joy she found in cooking caused death and disease to be her constant companions, and such knowledge follows her like a dark cloud for almost thirty years.
Update 12/21/22: The book is being adapted for film. The movie is expected to come out May 2023!
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Review originally published November 2017
ItUpdate 12/21/22: The book is being adapted for film. The movie is expected to come out May 2023!
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Review originally published November 2017
It’s time to get real. Yes, I’m talking about nonfiction again, folks. Me, the queen of fiction, “I don’t do nonfiction” is doing another review on a fantastic, nonfiction book that I just want everyone to go out and read right now!
The reason for my newfound love of nonfiction, I believe, is due to this new spate of authors who write accounts of true events and people in such a way that makes me feel as if I’m reading prose and I get swept up in this other world, time, and place very easily because of the author’s ability to turn a phrase or put together the sequence of events as if it were a film rather than a dry, textbook account.
The book I want everyone to read is Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann.
This story tells the tragic and yet fascinating history of the Osage Indians in Oklahoma, how they were relocated there, and their rise to become the wealthiest tribe in the country (hint: there’s oil in them thar hills!) and the fallout they endured because of this. And by fallout, I mean, they started dying.
So much so and finally so suspiciously, the FBI gets invented! I’m not kidding. You really have to read this story. It’s so unbelievable for so many reasons, I have a hard time putting this to words.
At heart, it’s a true mystery; a whodunit, unfortunately for our Native American brothers’ and sisters’ long-suffering predicament. Set at the end of the American wild-west era when law was just getting established, this book will amaze you, anger you, and perhaps even stun you into learning more about the Osage Nation.
I guarantee you’ll want to read more of this author’s work. The branches of the La Crosse County library at Bangor, Campbell, Holmen, Onalaska, and West Salem have got you covered!
Be sure to come in or go to the online catalog at www.lacrossecounty.org to check out David Grann’s other stunning works, The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon, and available as a downloadable audio via the Libby by Overdrive app, and The Devil and Sherlock Holmes: Tales of Murder, Madness, and Obsession.
And if you like these and haven’t read them yet, check out read-alikes for this author like Erik Larson (The Devil in the White City & Thunderstruck) and Nathaniel Philbrick (In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex & The Last Stand: Custer, Sitting Bull, and the Battle of the Little Bighorn.) We’ll be happy to point you to some page-turning nonfiction!
Mysterious Recluse Heiress- Was her Fortune Squandered?
This tagline was all I needed to jump into the boReview originally published September 2017
Mysterious Recluse Heiress- Was her Fortune Squandered?
This tagline was all I needed to jump into the book Empty Mansions by Bell Dedman and Paul Clark Newell, Jr. It chronicles the life of Huguette Clark, the daughter of W.A. Clark, the copper industrialist, and his young second wife, Anna.
Anna and her sister Andree led a life of splendor in mansions, New York apartments, and traveling abroad. Huguette had a lifelong attraction to dolls and doll houses. She was a voracious art collector, and owned an invaluable Stradivarius violin.
It seems that a series of unfortunate deaths and events led her into living in a hospital for the rest of her life, away from the eyes of anyone. She lost her father at a very young age, and her beloved sister, Andree, died at the age of 17 from spinal meningitis. Her family developed a phobia of germs, and the death of her mother and aunt only pushed her farther into hiding.
At age 58, she moved into the Doctor’s Hospital, and refused to leave. She was very healthy, and was cared for by a private duty nurse, Hadasshah. She and her family were gifted many millions of dollars for providing care for Huguette. Many other friends, relatives, and acquaintances got benefit from her generosity.
Huguette lived until she was almost 105 years old. Of course, her relatives were keen to contest any will she had signed, and a long trail of arbitration began.
Join in the opulent luxury, the eccentricity, and the curiosities of life as a recluse heiress.
Was she duped by her friends and family?
Huguette had a favorite French fable The Cricket, and the last line in English is:
“How much am I going to love my deep retreat? To live happily, live hidden.”
See also:
Read more about Huguette in The Phantom of Fifth Avenue: The Mysterious Life and Scandalous Death of Heiress Huguette Clark by Meryl Gordon.
Recently, my husband and I traveled to Scotland for our son’s destination wedding on the Isle of Skye. Of couReview originally published June 2017
Recently, my husband and I traveled to Scotland for our son’s destination wedding on the Isle of Skye. Of course, I was interested in all things Scotland. I wanted to know all I could and help get in the mood, not that I really needed to! But, all things said, I feel it is a curiosity we all have when it comes to traveling.
The first thing I did was check out a music CD at the West Salem library called Celtic Fire: Jigs, Reels and Waltzes. I would recommend this CD if you want to hear some lively Celtic tunes. (While on that subject, La Crosse hosts an Irish Fest every year in August.) Next in line was a Fodor’s Scotland book to help plan our trip.
Although our travels also took us to Ireland, and we also loved that country, I came to realize that Scotland held a special place in my heart with the wedding and all, but also because I would describe Scotland as a raw, rugged beauty, enchanting, and mystical.
Edinburgh is even a quaint city for the population being between 400,000 and 500,000. I suppose it’s because of the Old Town district and the hilly terrain. The different colored businesses on the main streets held me captive by their charm. No, I did not try haggis on its own, but inadvertently hidden in a stuffed chicken breast. What truly amazed me is the calm, easy-going demeanor of the people who live there and deal with so many drizzly, rainy, cloudy days.
Before our trip, I had wanted to read a fun Scottish mystery, but that did not happen. Since my interest in Scotland did not subside, I went on a search for such a book. I decided on a cozy mystery. My search landed me with an author by the name of Hannah Reed, who wrote a Scottish Highlands trilogy. The first book in the series is called Off Kilter, and is quite good. I find myself smiling at all the familiar language, foods, driving difficulties, and other differences that we experienced while there.
Off Kilter starts out with a young woman, Eden Elliott, who has just suffered the loss of her mother and a divorce. Her good friend, a national bestseller author, purchases a round-trip ticket to Scotland with a return date six months out, although she can return sooner if she wants.
Eden needs a fresh start and is planning on doing research for her own book. While on the plane, Eden meets Vickie, who is the sole heiress to her father’s farm in Glenkillin. Eden hasn’t even been there a full day when she gets caught up in a murder. She and Vickie find a local sheep shearer who was clipped with his own sheep shears. Yes, I know how silly that sounds.
And, of course, there is a handsome Scottish man involved in this quirky, delightful book!
The writing flows in this story, but what I really enjoyed was that it took me back to Scotland. If you like the first book, give Hooked on Ewe and Dressed to Kilt a try. All three books are at the La Crosse County Library locations in Bangor, Campbell, Holmen, Onalaska, and West Salem. And if by any chance Scotland is in your plans to visit, you can always check out our travel section!
Find this book and other titles within our catalog.
My childhood was spent in the beautiful state of North Carolina, and some of the best memories are in theReview originally published December 2016
My childhood was spent in the beautiful state of North Carolina, and some of the best memories are in the Appalachian Mountains. Our family purchased property from a true hillbilly. I never saw “Colonel Bob” with teeth and clean clothes except on Sundays, when he donned freshly laundered bibs, a white shirt, and dentures to go to church!
Unlike most in his community, he left the mountains to pursue his education, which culminated in a law degree. He soon discovered that practicing law was not for him, and he came back to his mountain valley to pursue his simple life of raising crops, a family, and investing in real estate. So, you can understand how a title like Hillbilly Elegy by J.D. Vance would catch my eye.
Subtitled A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis, Hillbilly Elegy is the true story of J.D. Vance’s remarkably dysfunctional upbringing in Kentucky and Ohio. Vance was born into a violent and chaotic family where his parents divorced, and the only constant and truly guiding adult figures throughout his mother’s addictions and multiple partners were his beloved Mamaw and Papaw (southern grandparent names).
Papaw is alcoholic and Vance calls his Mamaw “a violent non-drunk.” Saints they were not, and the descriptions of family interaction are truly unbelievable, but the emphasis remained on J.D. obtaining an education and staying away from drugs, the latter of which Mamaw threatened running him over with the car as a deterrent.
High school grades were marginal and against his grandparents’ wishes. He chose the Marines over college: in hindsight, an excellent decision and personally affirming. Four years later, he was off to Ohio State and then Yale Law School. Now a successful lawyer and writer in Silicon Valley, Vance’s life could not be more different than that of his relatives.
With both honesty and generosity, his reflections and the questions he raises about his kin and culture are gripping, particularly the problems of learned helplessness and the stigma of outsider status. He speaks as only one who comes from the culture can.
Indeed, a New York Times review claims that Vance has offered:
“A compassionate, discerning sociological analysis of the white underclass that has helped drive the politics of rebellion, particularly the ascent of Donald J. Trump. Combining thoughtful inquiry with firsthand experience, Mr. Vance has inadvertently provided a civilized reference guide for an uncivilized election, and he’s done so in a vocabulary intelligible to both Democrats and Republicans. Imagine that.”
Currently a New York Times bestseller, Hillbilly Elegy is a must-read for anyone attempting to analyze the recent presidential election and what issues were important to Rust Belt voters. But better still, enjoy it for the story of success that it is, and the candor and love of one who came from the hidden and largely forgotten culture of the hillbilly.
Content warning: Some graphic descriptions of crimes
If you are a reader that enjoys a page-turning miReview originally published November 2016
Content warning: Some graphic descriptions of crimes
If you are a reader that enjoys a page-turning microhistory that is also a true crime story, then grab a copy of Skip Hollandsworth’s The Midnight Assassin.
The time is 1884 in Austin, Texas. This growing Texas town is finding they are making national news with several unsolved bizarre murders of women from all different nationalities and backgrounds.
The common thread seems to be that the killings take place in the middle of the night. Anyone sleeping in the same room or quarters is hit on the head with an axe handle. The murderer uses knives, axes, and long steel rods hammered into the heads of the victims. The slain women are hauled into the yard and cut up. Items such as firewood or lumber are placed on top of the women. Despite the similarities in the murders, as many as twelve different men would be arrested for these murders. The boyfriend or husband of each woman was the usual suspect.
Amidst the panic, several Texas politicians are trying to either make a name for themselves by helping to solve the crimes or having to distance themselves from the rumors and scandal. Gun sales, home alarm systems, and even sedative use increased dramatically. Many people left Austin to try to protect their family and servants from this threat.
The mayor sent a telegram to Chicago to request help from the Pinkerton detectives. Well, it turned out there was a less skilled detective agency that was also using the Pinkerton name. They got the telegram and sent two agents down who had the equivalent of a mail-order detective training. You can imagine these other Pinkerton detectives did not find any new leads.
Years later, detectives in London wondered if this assassin traveled from Austin to London and became Jack the Ripper. Indeed, the concept of a serial killer or even someone killing in a ritualistic way was unknown. This book is full of political slander, murder, and mystery. Just like with Jack the Ripper, we may never know the true identity of the midnight assassin, but it sure is fun to speculate.
See also:
If this type of true crime microhistory is up your alley, you will also enjoy The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson. Thunderstruck by Erik Larson is another true crime and microhistory you may also like.
Both of these nonfiction titles are well researched and will immerse you in a certain place and time. They read like novels!
Stop in to any of our La Crosse County Library locations and peruse the latest microhistories in nonfiction. Our staff in Campbell, West Salem, Bangor, Holmen, and Onalaska would love to help you!
As the days grow shorter and a distinct autumn chill begins to permeate the air, I can’t help but feel thReview originally published November 2016
As the days grow shorter and a distinct autumn chill begins to permeate the air, I can’t help but feel that the perfect season has arrived to cozy up with a warm blanket, a hot cup of tea, and--most importantly of all--a good mystery novel!
“Tell me the truth.” That is the challenge thrown down before famous British novelist Vida Winter by a young journalist in the opening pages of The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield.
The problem is, however, that Ms. Winter has never told the truth; she has only told stories. In fact, she finds the truth to be wholly unsatisfying:
"'What good is truth,'" she says. "'What you need are the plump comforts of a story. The soothing, rocking safety of a lie.'"
No one knows anything “real” about the reclusive author’s past, despite the many reporters who have interviewed her.
One day, however, Ms. Winter inexplicably requests the services of amateur biographer Margaret Lea to write her life story. It turns out the old woman is dying. She has come to the end of her own “tale” and is ready to have her secrets told. The catch: Ms. Winter requires being able to tell her history as if it were one of her many novels and she one of her own characters. Margaret, of course, requires the truth.
Thus, Ms. Winter leads Margaret on an extraordinary journey through her seemingly brutal and tragic past, detailing murder, incest, house fires, ghostly sightings, and the peculiar relationship of a pair of semi-feral twin sisters--all confined within the walls of a slowly crumbling mansion estate set out on the foggy English moors.
Though Margaret is reluctant to believe such a fantastic tale as truth, she is soon caught up in the spellbinding mystery Ms. Winter weaves and the curious connections it has to aspects of her own secret past.
As Ms. Winter’s story comes to an end, it becomes clear that, although the old woman has excised many of her demons, there are still some malevolent spirits from the past that continue to haunt her, spirits that Margaret becomes bound and determined to help Ms. Winter realize and destroy.
The Thirteenth Tale is a story about family and the unbreakable bond between siblings. It is a story about accepting loss in all its various forms. Most of all, however, it is a love story to stories, the power of storytelling, and the utter beauty of falling in love with a good book:
"[T]here is something about words. In expert hands, manipulated deftly, they take you prisoner. Wind themselves around your limbs like spider silk, and when you are so enthralled you cannot move, they pierce your skin, enter your blood, numb your thoughts. Inside you they work their magic."
Find this book and others like it through the La Crosse County Library system, with locations in Holmen, Onalaska, West Salem, Bangor, and Campbell.
Shanghai Girls by Lisa See is fascinating historical fiction mainly set in 1930s Los Angeles. In 1937, siReview originally published November 2016
Shanghai Girls by Lisa See is fascinating historical fiction mainly set in 1930s Los Angeles. In 1937, sisters Pearl and May are “beautiful girls” in Shanghai, the Paris of Asia, where everyone is separated by race, money, and power. The girls knew very little of life other than their own privileged one. Their family had servants and the girls wore beautiful clothes and jewelry.
Pearl and May went out at night and worked as calendar models. Their lives change suddenly when their father, on the verge of bankruptcy, arranges marriages for both sisters to two Chinese-American brothers in Los Angeles.
The Chinese were fighting the Japanese in the late 1930s, before WWII. Pearl and May, in traveling with their mother to the port that would take them to their new husbands, suffered horrible indignities at the hands of the Japanese. These events would shape the rest of their lives.
It is not easy or simple once they arrive in the US either. They are detained, interrogated, and humiliated at Angel Island, an immigration entrance to the US. They make a life in Los Angeles, and throughout the story so much Chinese culture and tradition is explained. Some of the most interesting beliefs are related to the roles of men and women.
Boy babies were prized, while giving birth to a girl was thought to be unlucky. Boys were supposed to take care of their parents in the afterlife. I found the cultural traditions concerning marriage, weddings, pregnancy, childbirth, and post-partum care fascinating. Chinese-Americans in the 1950s were afraid of being deported, because many living in the US had false identities.
During the war against communism, Chinese in California were perceived as possible communists. Authorities were watching the newspapers they bought and checked on money being sent to China.
The relationship of sisters is a major theme in this novel. Throughout their lives, Pearl and May have their differences but are always devoted to each other and want to stay together. Their bond withstands hardships, sadness, and change.
Lisa See is also the author of bestseller Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, which I have also read. It too is an excellent read, informative about Chinese culture, and has a truly engaging story.
I highly recommend both novels!
These titles can both be found at our La Crosse County Library locations in Bangor, Campbell, Holmen, Onalaska, or West Salem. For more information about any of our services, check out our website at www.lacrossecountylibrary.org.
A Burglar's Guide to the City by Geoff Manaugh is a book which you absolutely must read if you answer yeReview originally published September 2016
A Burglar's Guide to the City by Geoff Manaugh is a book which you absolutely must read if you answer yes to even one of the following questions:
* Are you concerned about home security? * Have you ever been burglarized or do you worry about being burglarized? * Are you contemplating a career in burglary? * Do you want to know the best kind of lock to buy? * Do you think doors and windows are the only ways to enter a building? * Do you wonder how some doofus burglar can foil a high-tech security system? * Do you wish for a list of steps to take to help prevent burglary? * Would you enjoy some very readable stories of how the burglars did it, and how they got caught or got away?
Until reading A Burglar's Guide to the City, my knowledge of burglary came exclusively from watching a plethora of heist movies throughout the years. Also, my home was burglarized once when I lived in California. Neither of those experiences qualifies me as an expert on burglary, but they definitely made me an appreciative audience for Manaugh’s book.
Burglary is typically defined as "the unlawful entry into a structure (not just a home or business) with the intent to commit a crime inside." No physical breaking and entering is required.
Early in the book, Manaugh analyzes the definition of burglary with an eye to determining just what constitutes a structure as well as what “entry” means. A house, a shop, an apartment–-sure, these are buildings. But what about a fenced-in garden, a houseboat, a backyard shed? And what about entry? Is it after I’ve walked fully into the middle of the room or is it when even the barest tip of my shoe crosses the threshold? Lawyers love this type of nit-picking.
He discusses theories of why particular buildings are chosen for burglary rather than others. Wouldn’t you like to know what aspects of YOUR house make it more or less desirable to burglars? Do you live on a cul-de sac? On a corner lot? Have lush landscaping? Near a bus stop? Near a school? Do you have storm windows? Do you live in a development where only 2 or 3 original floor plans were used? (Hint: Nothing completely burglar-proofs a home.)
There is just SO MUCH in this book that is fascinating. You will read about “capture houses,” fake apartments run by police to attract and capture burglars, and FakeTV, a lighting appliance that mimics the shifting colors and motion of a television set to create “the illusion of occupancy” even when you’re not home. You will learn about the real purpose behind those escalators in Las Vegas casinos. (Hint: There are cameras at the foot taking pictures).
You might have the strongest front door in the world, but if I can hammer my way through your wall in two minutes, what good does a dead bolt do? Which leads to an interesting discussion of safe rooms (which then lead me to re-watch a favorite movies, Panic Room starring Jodie Foster).
Manaugh does not provide a holiday gift list for burglars, but discussion of how to prevent burglaries obviously can also provide useful information and get-away advice tips for the bad guys. It’s an endless cat and mouse game. You will be left pondering the never-ending tug of war between those who design for security and those who design to defeat it. And isn’t that why we love books and movies featuring ingenious ways to break into bank vaults and other buildings?
This book is informative, useful, entertaining and very readable. It provides many examples of real life burglaries, captures, and escapes. Will you sleep more soundly or more warily after reading it? Only one way to find out…
My mother said to me recently that I was destined to be a librarian with my obsession with books beginning Review originally published August 2016
My mother said to me recently that I was destined to be a librarian with my obsession with books beginning before I could even read and spending time after school starting in 5th grade helping at my school library. Match that obsession of libraries with my Celtic ancestry, and I long imagined spending my professional career working in the Library of Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland guarding the Book of Kells or translating Gaelic books into English at the National Library of Scotland in Edinburgh.
Since I realized during my graduate work in library science that I enjoyed the idea of public libraries much more than academic libraries, and since I never managed to learn Gaelic, those dreams were set aside. However, I knew I found my calling in public libraries among popular materials and have never looked back.
In 1995, I took a position as the adult services librarian in Albert Lea, Minnesota, and was excited to be assigned the collection development of fiction. It wasn’t long after that when I uncovered how I could bring my Celtic obsessions and literature together when I was replacing copies of the first two titles in the popular Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon.
The downfalls of collection development is an insatiable appetite to read everything that you purchase. (Although I suspect that’s what many people think librarians do, with access to thousands and thousands of titles, we are forced to make our choices quite carefully for what we actually take home to read on our own time!)
Although 600 plus pages of book 1 seemed daunting for a book covered with a rather inconspicuous book jacket, the synopsis sent chills down my spine!
Claire Randall, a former World War 2 combat nurse, travels to Scotland for a 2nd honeymoon with her husband in 1945. An unexplainable course of events occurs while walking through an ancient circle of stones. Bringing romance, mystery, history, and science fiction to the same storyline, she falls through one of the standing stones, and is hurled back in time to the Scottish Highlands in 1743.
She soon comes across a gallant young Scots warrior, Jamie Fraser, who changes her life, heart, and history forever. I’ve mentioned before that authors are like rock stars, and Diana Gabaldon tops that all-star category for me. She just can’t write fast enough with book 9 now in the works! Now referred to as "Droughtlander," the time between books is unbearable!
When word spread a few years ago that Starz had picked up the option to create a full-scale series based on the books, there was great speculation for success. Come on, we’ve all seen it before; rarely can anything beat the book. And I’m just not saying that as a librarian! The detail and historical accuracy in Diana’s books is incredible and with each book with monster-size page counts, how could anyone condense this for the screen?
But sometimes we eat our words, or I guess in this case, our written pages! On the heels of such phenomena as Harry Potter and Game of Thrones, the second season of Outlander ended last month (and the fandom of the series is now at critical mass)!
While the torturous wait for season three continues, fans are flocking back to the very books I first discovered 20 years ago. My fangirl obsession is in overload! When your favorite characters come to life on the screen and they’re more perfect than you could have ever imagined, your status moves from fan to fanatic!
Irish actress Caitriona Balfe, Englishman Tobias Menzies, and Scottish heartthrob Sam Heughan walked right off the pages of Diana’s incredible books! Now add to that the ability to connect with other fans around the world so easily through social media, and if you haven’t heard of these books and this series by now, you need to get over to one of the La Crosse County Library locations in Bangor, Campbell, Holmen, Onalaska, or West Salem today to track down the books or audio version along with season one available on DVD.
At this point, I can’t even imagine which to recommend first, although the books will definitely keep you busy now through this current Droughtlander as fans await season three on STARZ and book nine from Diana Gabaldon.
For more information about the La Crosse County Library, check out our website at www.lacrossecountylibrary.org, find us on Facebook, or stop by my office in the Administrative Center of the Holmen Area Library, and I’ll be glad to tell you all about my membership as a "Heughligan" within Sam Heughan’s enormous online fan community!
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