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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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!
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!
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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…
Historical fiction is a favorite of mine, especially the WWII years, so Mrs. Sinclair’s Suitcase by LouisReview originally published November 2015
Historical fiction is a favorite of mine, especially the WWII years, so Mrs. Sinclair’s Suitcase by Louise Waters was an easy choice to make.
Roberta, a lonely young woman, works at The Old and New Bookshop in England. She treasures books and looks forward to sorting incoming old books to see if there are any old letters tucked inside. She collects letters and postcards, always curious to imagine the stories and history that might go with them.
When her father gives her a suitcase belonging to her centenarian grandmother, she finds a baffling letter from the grandfather she never knew. The letter, dated after he supposedly died in the war, hints at a dark secret that will change everything Roberta believed about her family.
This novel is told in past/present form, (which I like) alternating between Roberta’s contemporary story and the story of Dorothy, a forty-year old childless woman desperate for motherhood in the early years of WWII. Her life is forever changed after meeting Jan Pietrykowski, the handsome Polish war pilot.
The two women’s stories are woven together in a sincere spellbinding tale of secrets, truth, and love. I personally enjoyed Dorothy’s story best. The back and forth of past and present pulled me in right away, but Dorothy’s WWII tale is the one I am fascinated by. As Roberta connects the dots in the secret that was her grandmother’s life she also finds comfort, purpose, and resolve in her own.
The themes of this book make for a great read: letters slipped into discarded books, long hidden secrets, and overwhelming love. This is a first novel for this author, and I will definitely watch for more by her.
In 2017, a mere two years away, the world will recognize the one hundredth anniversary of the Russian ReReview originally published September 2015
In 2017, a mere two years away, the world will recognize the one hundredth anniversary of the Russian Revolution: a violent, prolonged event that saw the demise of the nation’s once great tsarist empire and the rise of what would eventually become the Soviet Union. The first Soviet forced labor camps were established as early as 1918, and would quietly exist (in one form or another) for the next sixty-eight years, until Mikhail Gorbachev approved a general pardon for all Soviet political prisoners in 1986.
The Gulag, as this stunningly complex web of camps and government bureaucracy would become known, took the lives of millions of Soviet citizens and foreigners alike. It is estimated that between 1929 and 1953 alone, at least 18 million people were sent to the camps, and another six million exiled (actual numbers can never be known due to imprecise Soviet documentation and the destruction of records).
Yet, despite such staggering statistics, most people in the Western world have little, if any, knowledge of the Gulag system. It is a hidden history, but one that receives the delicate, insightful treatment it deserves in the well-researched Gulag: A History by Anne Applebaum.
For a history buff like myself, Applebaum’s book is a diamond in the rough, providing extensive survivor interviews, historical photographs and diagrams, and excerpts from poetry and prose written by both survivors and victims alike. The author reminds readers early on that this is not simply a technical, chronological history of the Gulag, but “[a]t the same time, this is a book about life in the Gulag” that explores every corner of a person’s time served in a camp.
In fact, Applebaum devotes an entire section of Gulag to this human aspect of the Soviet labor camp system, with chapters like “Work in the Camps,” “Women and Children,” and “Strategies of Survival.”
While perhaps not the cheeriest of reads, Gulag: A History provides a much needed introduction for general readers to an important facet of modern history that has remained incredibly enigmatic, even been avoided, for far too long. As Applebaum states, “[t]his book was not written ‘so that it will not happen again,” as the cliché would have it. This book was written because it almost certainly will happen again.” A thorough understanding of the past is therefore the only way to truly comprehend our future.
Find this book and more like it through the La Crosse County Library system, with locations in Holmen, Onalaska, West Salem, Bangor, and Campbell.
Buying a home is one of the scariest and most stressful processes that anyone can undertake, especially forReview originally published August 2015
Buying a home is one of the scariest and most stressful processes that anyone can undertake, especially for first-time home buyers. After all, it isn’t like buying a new blender or even a refrigerator. With all those zeros on the price tag, you want to make sure that you find the exact right home, one that you will be happy in for many years. The best defense against making serious and costly mistakes is to have the most information possible.
Nolo’s Essential Guide to Buying Your First Home is your most important weapon against doubts and misinformation. If you’re still on the fence about whether or not to take the plunge, here are some advantages to owning your own home, according to the book:
1. Instant leverage: buying a home will allow you to control a very large asset with a comparatively small investment. 2. Equity: the difference between the market value of the home and what you have left to pay against the loans and mortgages. Over time the equity will grow. 3. It’s better than paying rent to someone else. Pay it to yourself as an investment instead. 4. You can live in and borrow against your investment. 5. Creditworthiness: paying down a large debt – such as a house – improves your credit rating. 6. Tax breaks and tax credits: both can be significant, depending on current laws.
The book will also thoroughly explain how to decide what type and location of your new home, making a budget, searching the market, choosing a realtor and financial institution, negotiation and inspection.
Once the closing and moving have been completed, the book even lists ways of saving money for new homebuyers: hang laundry when possible instead of drying, wash clothes in cool or cold water, lower your thermostat, keep up with changing furnace and air conditioning filters, turn down the water heater, use the dishwasher to save water, and plant trees for shade.
Look for other practical home-buying and home-selling books at the La Crosse County Libraries in Holmen, Onalaska, West Salem, Bangor, and Campbell.
This is a fictional book that takes a real look at a woman who wants it all, perfect husband, perfect childreReview originally published July 2015
This is a fictional book that takes a real look at a woman who wants it all, perfect husband, perfect children, perfect house, and perfect job. As most women know, it's very hard to have it all.
To Sarah, a high-octane stock broker, work is what is most important at the moment. Sarah believes life is there for the taking and to say she is aggressive is an understatement. Co-workers nickname her “Andretti” because of her aggressive driving and the need to get the best parking spot.
Sarah is married with two young children. She is a workaholic who will do almost anything to please her boss. She craves fulfillment, but falls into the trap of looking for it in all the wrong places. She is constantly making promises to her family, only to let them down at the last minute when something "comes up" at work. She is stressed out, overworked, exhausted, and not sure where God is in her life.
This storyline quite is very fitting for today’s expectations, and it is not depressing. It just gives you a lot to think about and/or a lot to be thankful for. So many of us try to do everything, but at what cost? If you are a certified overachiever, or even know someone that is, I highly recommend this book.
Joe has recently pursued his dream of owning his own business and doesn't make the money he used to. They need the money Sarah makes to live the lifestyle they have created and to give Mitchell and baby Kate all they need. Joe is trying to get Sarah to realize that she is overdoing it and that she should slow down. He is trying to get her to realize that if she doesn't slow down, she would miss out on the kids' lives.
An interesting thread about Chicago Cubs baseball is woven in, making this a read that both men and women will enjoy and relate to. A family outing to a Cubs game is planned. Sarah picks up her cell to send text that she’s on her way when she receives a call from her boss who reminds her that success always involves tradeoffs and that she is lucky to have this job.
She sends a text to her husband that says, "Sorry, something came up." Joe gives Sarah an ultimatum, stating he cannot continue living like this. Sarah is unable to change for fear of rejection.
Tension mounts as Sarah receives another text from her boss to meet new clients for a breakfast meeting. This morning it is raining and she is again rushed. Sarah realizes she can’t continue this pace. Sarah weaves between cars to get ahead, cutting off several drivers when she sees a boat approaching. She guns the engine to avoid stopping and speeds through the barricade to make the bridge, only to plummet to the bottom of the Chicago River.
You’ll have to check out the book to find out what happens to Sarah next. You can reserve this title by stopping in to your favorite branch of the La Crosse County Library in Bangor, Campbell, Holmen, Onalaska, or West Salem, or visit us on the web at www.lacrossecountylibrary.org.
The author, Joyce Meyer, is a world leading practical Bible teacher, New York Times best selling author, and hosts a TV and radio talk show. The Winding Rivers Library System has 7 copies of this book and other books written by Joyce Meyer.
In the 1950s, the median price for a home was just over $7,000, and that home often accommodated three generaReview originally published June 2015
In the 1950s, the median price for a home was just over $7,000, and that home often accommodated three generations of family, yet had only 1 bathroom, a one car garage, and one permanently anchored black telephone. Finding out information about a property necessitated scouring real estate listings in the Sunday newspaper and possibly visiting a county courthouse.
Zillow has changed all that.
Perhaps you’ve heard of or visited the Zillow website: http://www.zillow.com. If not, you’re in for a real treat. Pretty much anything you’d want to know about a property (description, how much it last sold for, assessed value, etc.) is right there, along with pictures and aerial shots of the neighborhood. Besides being a nosy neighbor’s treasure trove of info, it is also a valuable resource to assist both buyers and sellers in the complex world of real estate today.
Now Zillow’s CEO, Spencer Rascoff and chief economist Stan Humphries have written a book, Zillow Talk: The New Rules of Real Estate. It is a deliciously fun read, which coincidentally gives you valuable information about buying, selling, and renting real estate.
Some topics the authors address:
*Homes on named streets tend to be worth more than similar homes on numbered ones.
*Is buying the worst house in the best neighborhood a wise investment or is that a real estate myth?
*Is it better to remodel your bathroom than your kitchen? (It’s all about diminishing returns.)
*Certain words in real estate jargon are loaded with hidden meaning. They include “cozy,” “charming,” “cute,” and “quaint” along with “a little TLC,” “potential,” and even the seemingly innocuous “nice.”
*Nine is the magic number; on average, a home will sell for more if its original price ends in a “9” instead of a “0.”
*Deciding between a fixed or variable rate mortgage comes down to asking yourself the same question that Clint Eastwood urged his assailant to ponder in the classic film Dirty Harry: “Do (I) feel lucky?”
After informing and entertaining the reader, the authors end on a positive note regarding the future of real estate and this wise advice:
“If you sell wisely and buy cautiously, then there are deals to be had…the most important new rule of real estate (is) Get your hands on as much information as you can. Recognize that you’re buying and selling in a local market, not a national one, and learn as much as you can about it.”
So, snoop around in Zillow.com and read this book!
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The process by which we all come into this world is fascinating, mysterious, and somewhat magical. Giving biReview originally published April 2015
The process by which we all come into this world is fascinating, mysterious, and somewhat magical. Giving birth and the occupation of midwifery is as old as time. In the past, there were women serving as midwives in villages and towns throughout the world, but their stories haven’t always been shared.
The Secret of Midwives by Sally Hepworth is a modern tale of midwifery involving three generations of women. Neva, Grace, and Floss share the occupation, but also have secrets that mothers and daughters sometimes hide for years. As the novel develops, the reader will see that being a midwife is more than just the delivery of a newborn baby. The relationship of the parents, their culture, their financial situation, and living conditions all are important in the life of the new family.
The secrets of this story are revealed a bit at a time, with each character speaking in her voice for each chapter. This weaves together the past and the present, developing each woman into a vivid, memorable person. Today, there are birthing centers, separate from hospitals in many cities. Neva works in one, but also has a relationship with the local hospital. She and her mother Grace experience the continuing issue and battle of midwife vs. obstetrician and home birth vs. hospital birth. The medical, ethical, and professional aspects of midwifery are an interesting part of this book too.
This page-turning novel is a story of life, loss, and love. Neva, Grace, and Floss are characters with depth, and the ending is a good one (with some unexpected twists).
See also:
For more stories and history on the practice of midwifery, check out the book Midwives by Chris Bohjalian, or the PBS DVD series Call the Midwife, based on the book by the same name. These titles and more can be found at a La Crosse County Library location in Bangor, Campbell, Holmen, Onalaska, or West Salem.
My co-worker recently showed me a book that was leaving our library and traveling to another. The cover piReview originally published January 2015
My co-worker recently showed me a book that was leaving our library and traveling to another. The cover picture of two elderly wrinkled hands was intriguing, and the blurb on the back cover got my attention because it is about ancestry. The book, The Waiting by Cathy LaGrow, is exactly as I expected, and I recommend it for anyone wanting a happy ending to a story about the discovery of an unknown family.
In 1928, Minka was a naïve young woman living in South Dakota who found herself in a precarious spot. She was walking with a girlfriend in a remote area when two men assaulted them. Minka didn’t realize she became pregnant this way. The times would not allow her to raise a child as a single mother and she could not rely on her parents to raise a child out of wedlock. She relinquished the baby girl to a Lutheran orphanage, and never forgot the child she called Betty Jane.
She did go on to marry and raise two other children, who blessed her with grandchildren, but she never stopped loving and thinking of her firstborn. When Minka was in her nineties, she received a phone call about a woman named Ruth who needed to know some family health information. She couldn’t believe that Ruth’s (Betty Jane's) children found her and want to meet her after 70 years.
Her lifelong prayer is answered, and the newfound blessings are so long deserved. Author Cathy LaGrow is Minka’s granddaughter, who painstakingly researched the details of the story, and so lovingly captures the heart and soul of a woman who held no grudges. For those who are interested, this story also has a local connection through Ruth’s adoptive family.
The Waiting can be found through the La Crosse County Library system with locations in Holmen, West Salem, Campbell, Onalaska, and Bangor, or you can reserve a copy through the La Crosse County Library website at www.lacrossecountylibrary.org. This book is definitely is worth the wait!
From the moment I heard of the new book, Can't We Talk About Something More Pleasant?, I was anxious to gReview originally published November 2014
From the moment I heard of the new book, Can't We Talk About Something More Pleasant?, I was anxious to get my hands on it. And it did not disappoint!
The author, Roz Chast, is one of my all-time favorite New Yorker Magazine cartoonists. In this memoir, Chast combines her ethereally drawn characters with a compelling true account of the road she travelled to care for her aging parents.
The title itself rings a familiar note. Many of us try to avoid discussing such non-pleasant topics as aging, decline in health, dependence, and finances with our parents. Or, at this point in our lives, with our children. Perhaps the words vary slightly, but “Can’t we talk about something more pleasant?” is a typical reaction when a concerned relative wants to discuss such important issues.
Even a good, loving, caring, sensitive daughter can struggle mightily with her own feelings while trying to do the right thing with aging parents. With her delicate line drawings as well as her text, Chast captures the conflicting emotions of love, angst, confusion, worry, anger, and heartache, which wheedle away at even the best-intentioned adult child of aging parents.
Chast is an absolute master at expressing this gamut of emotions in both the caregiver and the aged. With a simple facial expression, the daughter’s face shows the frustration of trying to keep the conversation on track, of repeating the same statements over and over, or of being put on hold by service agencies. In a similar way, the expressions on her parents’ faces reflect their fear, denial, and worry over this new stage in their lives.
Amazing as the simple line drawings are, I was fully engaged by the way Chast captured the feelings of the daughter in words. After months of trying to care for herself and her own family as well as tending to the needs of her increasingly frail parents, she finally selected the best possible new living arrangement for them, one that would fit their physical needs and financial means.
She revels in a moment of blissful satisfaction with having made that difficult but necessary decision. A moment later she is beset by a sense of “How could I do that to them? I am the world’s worst daughter.” (Was Chast looking into my own soul?)
This is not a fairy tale with a happily-ever-after ending. But, if you are grappling with similar issues, you may find Chast’s lovingly written and illustrated memoir of her caring for her aging parents helpful and even enjoyable. You’ll recognize many “Oh, I know how she feels” moments, and you’ll nod appreciatively at some of the humor which only a truly gifted writer and artist can find in a topic less than pleasant.
All Fall Down by Jennifer Weiner tells a story of an addiction, which looks different than what we might eReview originally published October 2014
All Fall Down by Jennifer Weiner tells a story of an addiction, which looks different than what we might expect. In this book, her usual witty, wry storytelling introduces us to a woman we’ve seen in our neighborhood, dropping off their kids at school, at our church. This particular woman, Allison, is sitting at the pediatrician’s office looking through old magazines. She stumbles across a quiz to gauge whether or not the reader may be, without realizing it, addicted to drugs or alcohol.
As Allison marks yes to most of the answers in the quiz, she questions the prescription Vicodin and Percocet she’s been taking for a back problem that occurred over a year ago. But she’s a wife and a mother, leading her dream life. She doesn’t resemble the stereotypical face of addiction, so she couldn’t possibly be addicted to painkillers, right?
Her daughter needs her constantly and her husband is becoming distant. Her blogging career is taking off, while her father is descending into Alzheimer’s grips. With the pressures mounting in her life, what had begun as the odd pill at the end of a long day, something she justified as no worse than a glass of wine, quickly becomes a multiple dose per day necessity. Allison is soon tricking multiple doctors into writing prescriptions to her and even adding a new one, for Oxycontin.
With this new addition, she begins a spiral of questionable choices that include stumbling upon a website that will provide, via mail, any drug with no prescription needed, sleeping most of the time, driving to pick her daughter up from school while impaired. She thinks no one knows how much she’s taking, but she soon finds out she’s only been fooling herself. She tells her family and friends that she can stop any time; that she’ll be better if she can just get past this stressful time. The same things she’s been telling herself as she juggles the demands of her addiction.
After seeing a questionable doctor who prescribes more meds, Allison has a terrible reaction and ends up in the hospital. Her husband begs her to seek help. Relenting, Allison goes to a rehab facility, but refuses to acknowledge she has a problem. She meets a variety of women all struggling with addiction, but because they look the way an addict is “supposed” to look, Allison convinces herself that she is not one of them and doesn’t need help. She needs to reach rock bottom before she’ll be able to decide if she’s ready to commit to living her life pill-free. But can she do it?
While there is some of her typical humor, All Fall Down is a departure from Weiner’s usual format, delving into a more serious subject manner. It’s handled well, and serves a very useful purpose: it sheds light on an addiction that claims the health and life of any one, not just those who fit a certain mold.
This book and other titles by Jennifer Weiner are available for check-out at any of your La Crosse County Libraries, with branches in Bangor, Campbell, Holmen, Onalaska, and West Salem.
Eating on the Wild Side by Jo Robinson is the best audiobook I ever listened to. Listening in my car, I goReview originally published October 2014
Eating on the Wild Side by Jo Robinson is the best audiobook I ever listened to. Listening in my car, I got lost and left-turned in front of a truck. This would be called “Driving on the Wild Side” and I don’t recommend it!
Recommendations by Jo Robinson, on the other hand, are delicious and nutritious. She advocates choosing and preparing present-day foods that approach the nutritious content of wild plants and game. Did you know that if you bake your potato and put it in the fridge overnight to reheat and eat the next day, the glycemic index changes in a very healthy way? In a study, the guys that ate three tablespoons of tomato sauce per day got 40% less sunburn when exposed to sun. Cooked carrots are more nutritious than raw. Cook them whole and then slice.
Gala, Granny Smith, and Fuji apples are more nutritious than Golden Delicious or Pink Lady; studies have proven it. In the case of apples, choose the most colorful fruit of any given variety. I found it very interesting that the apples growing at the top of the tree or on the outer limbs exposed to the sun are the most nutritious, and also the most colorful.
Bright colors usually are an indicator of nutritional superiority, but there many exceptions pointed out by Robinson. For instance, white fleshed peaches and nectarines have twice as many bio-nutrients as the yellow varieties.
I found many hints and tips of the type you would like to say mom would teach you, but these aren’t folklore or family traditions. This is real science. Anyone who cooks, shops for food, or cares about what they eat will find the information in the book useful. Each chapter focuses on a different fruit or vegetable. Chapters are divided into plant history, how to pick (from the field or within the store), storage, preparation, and a summary.
This is the kind of information you can take to the grocery store and apply in your own kitchen, except not in audio format. I did check out the hardcover version, and I jumped around finding the snippets I wanted. As a resource, it was invaluable. It steered me to www.eatwild.com, where I was able to print a short shopping list. At the site there was also a PDF for the audio version which provided charts and more detail. These same pages are in the book, but if you listen to the audiobook, it will be useful to print some pages before you go to the grocery store.
I was inspired by Jo Robinson to grow purple sprouting broccoli, red and purple carrots, purple tomatoes, and currant tomatoes in my garden this summer. The purple tomatoes were the best ever, scoring a perfect 10 in my judgment. The currant tomatoes took over and as of this writing, are the only plant in the garden still producing.
Not everything grew optimally. The rabbits ate the carrots and the broccoli grew enormous leaves and no sprouts. I’m already planning for next season!
Any of your La Crosse County Libraries in Onalaska, Holmen, West Salem, Bangor, or Campbell will help you get a copy of Eating on the Wild Side. If you have varmints in your garden or if you have troubles with your plants, there’s a book for that too! We’ll be happy to help you find the books you need. Drive responsibly!
I always enjoy reading Emily Giffin’s books, but I had no idea her newest novel, The One and Only, wouldReview originally published September 2014
I always enjoy reading Emily Giffin’s books, but I had no idea her newest novel, The One and Only, would be so appropriate for fall, and exactly what I was in the mood for: football! There are many women that love and follow football, and I’m one of them. From the first few pages, I knew this book would have an intriguing storyline (starts with a funeral) and be different from almost anything I’ve ever read.
The main character, Shea, is a young woman in love with football. She knows every aspect, detail, and all the vocabulary that goes with the game. Her job at a Texas college puts her in the middle of Walker football. Her best friend, Lucy, is the coach’s daughter, and their families have been friends forever.
Shea definitely knows football, but lacks insight into many other aspects of her life, career, and relationships. She has grown up with the game, dated players, and now has a football-related job, but when she makes a career and relationship change, she is faced with some difficult choices.
This story is entwined with many current, hot-button topics facing college and professional football teams today. Money, honesty, sex, domestic abuse, loyalty, morality, power, and violence are part of our culture today, and the characters in this novel face all of these issues. Our news every day is filled with events dealing with these topics.
There are some unexpected twists in the story, interesting characters, detailed football talk, and a modern vibe in the novel that I really liked.
Be sure to stop in at a La Crosse County Library location in Bangor, Campbell, Holmen, Onalaska, or West Salem to find other titles by this author!
Wouldn’t you like to visit a place named “The Last Kind Words Saloon?” For those of you who are fans of wesReview originally published August 2014
Wouldn’t you like to visit a place named “The Last Kind Words Saloon?” For those of you who are fans of western novels, you are probably familiar with writer Larry McMurtry. His famous Lonesome Dove won the hearts of many through print, and later in the fabulous mini-series.
Well, McMurtry fans are not neutral about his latest work. They seem to love it or hate it. I was won over once again with McMurtry’s prose. It’s authentic, and the humorous dialogue between the two main characters is reminiscent of the beloved Gus and Call of the Lonesome Dove tetralogy.
The Last Kind Words Saloon is a short read, what one reviewer called “sparely written.” It is the story of a legend and the end of an era. Wyatt Earp, his brothers, and the legendary Doc Holliday are joined by Buffalo Bill Cody, in his final days, in a story that moves around from town to town through the boundaries of states that no one seems to know precisely and builds to the famous shootout at the OK Corral. The women are feisty and the inclusion of a Turkish madam and a wealthy English Lord give the book an exotic component. A few characters from other McMurtry novels give it familiarity.
Save your romanticism about this time, though. Long days, boredom, and hard living (and drinking) dominate. Cattle stampedes, Indian torture, and domestic violence scenes are there. Though you know the build up is approaching to the OK Corral showdown, I think McMurtry gives it the aestheticism it is due. That’s not the end of the book, however.
A wooden sign with the saloon’s name, a tangible symbol of an era, endures and comes to a pathetic end. Take heart. Though the Old West may not have survived, its legends do.
For this and many, many other western novels please amble on in to your local branch of the La Crosse County Library System. We’d be mighty pleased to serve you!
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