Prairie Reads

Punxsutawney Phil did not see his shadow today! That means he is predicting an early spring! Today it’s warmer than we’ve seen in a while. Stop in to the library,  grab some gardening books, and begin planning now.

It’s another cold week here in Minnesota.  You might as well curl up with a good book.  We have several new books here in the library this week.  Below are a just a few that you might want to pick up.  You can order your copy by going to www.morris.lib.mn.us.

Private Berlin – James Patterson – Chris Schneider works at Private, the world’s most powerful investigation firm, in the Berlin office.  Chris disappears and Mattie, Chris’s ex, also works for Private.  Mattie throws herself into the investigating his disappearance, following leads to the three people Chris was investigating when he vanished: a billionaire, a soccer player, and a night club owner.

Mrs. Lincoln’s Dressmaker – Jennifer Chiaverini – This novel tells of the friendship of Mary Todd Lincoln and her dressmaker, Elizabeth Keckley, a former slave who gained a professional reputation as a seamstress to Washington D.C.’s elite.  Lizzie became witness to many private moments between Mary and her husband and comforted her in the loss of her son and husband.  Lizzie saved scraps from gowns she made for Mary and eventually made a quilt called the Mary Todd Lincoln Quilt.

Standing in Another Man’s Grave – Ian Rankin – Nina Hazlitt lost her daughter 10 years ago.  There are no sightings, body, or suspect.  The police, having no leads, closed the case.  Detective John Rebus, new to the investigative team of the department, reopens the case.  He discovers that 2 other women also disappeared on the same road as Nina’s daughter.

Robert Crais – Suspect – LAPD cop Scott James has post traumatic stress disorder after his partner Stephanie was murdered.  Maggie, a German shepherd who did three tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, also suffers from PDST after she lost her handler in battle.  Maggie and Scott are assigned to work with each other.  Their first job is to find out who killed Stephanie.

Fifth Assassin – Brad Meltzer – Over the years, there have been more than two dozen attempts to assassinate the presidents of the United States.  Four have been successful.  Now there is a fifth assassin who is trying to recreate the crimes of these four men.  Beecher White, who was in Meltzer’s Inner Circle, is back and is trying to find this killer before he succeeds.

Mortality – Christopher Hutchins – This is a non-fiction book that entails the illness of the author in his fight against esophageal cancer which he eventually lost.  The book also includes writings on other subjects, all written with the grace, intelligence, and inspiration that readers will recognize as the true Christopher Hutchins style.

Roxane

Yolanda Polman, a vocational rehabilitation counselor with the MN Workforce Center, is now available to meet with people with permanent disabilities in the library meeting room. Ms. Polman has reserved the room every second Friday of the month from 10AM to 3PM. Appointments are not necessary. You may contact her @ yolanda.polman@state.mn.us.

This is also a good time to mention our Business and Career bookcase filled with excellent resources for college, career choices, small businesses, working from home and digital literacy. The bookcase is located near the back of the library by the magazines. We also have a website filled with links to great resources:
http://morrislibrary.pbworks.com

Tammy

Winter really isn’t so bad.  It’s cold, but it’s beautiful.  You get time to relax.  You don’t have to mow the lawn or weed the garden.  You have more time to sit down, take it easy, and read a good book.  Here are some books that take place during the cold of winter that you might enjoy.

A Winter’s Tale  (Fantasy) – Mark Helprin  A man living in New York City attempts to rob a mansion and there meets a fatally ill heiress.  Because of the love for her that develops, he tries to stop time and bring back the dead.

An Ice Cold Grave – Charlaine Harris – Harper Connelly is hired to find a boy in North Carolina.  When she gets there she finds out that there are several missing teenagers.  Once she finds the bodies and tries to go back home, she is prevented from leaving and becomes part of the investigation.

Her Fearful Symmetry – Audrey Niffenegger – Twin sisters Julia and Valentine inherit a London apartment from their aunt.  One of the conditions is that they must live in it.  The apartment is next to a Highgate Cemetery, where several famous people are buried.  As they meet their new neighbors, they  learn that much is alive in Highgate.

Winter Prey – John Sandford – Lucas Davenport must solve a gruesome murder of a man, a woman, and a child in the middle of winter in the Wisconsin woods.

Silent Snow – Steve Thayer – In a Minnesota blizzard, Rick Beanblossom, receives a memento of the Lindbergh kidnapping.  During the blizzard, Rick’s own baby boy is kidnapped.  All his instincts tell him that the secret of his son’s disappearance lies in the past.

Water Dogs – Lewis Robinson  – In Maine during a blizzard, Bennie, and his brother Littlefield, play a game of paintball.  One of the other players disappears and then Littlefield leaves.  Bennie , his girlfriend, and his twin sister Gwen embark on a journey that gets him closer to answers he may not want to know.

Ice Trap – Kitty Sewell – Dr. Woodruff, a British surgeon, once lived in the artic wilderness in Canada.  A woman who lives there claims he is the father of her teenage twins.  He returns to Canada to find there are lots of secrets and no one is willing to help him find the truth.

Love Blooms in Winter – Lori Copeland – In this Christian novel that takes place in 1892, Mae Wilkey’s neighbor,Pauline, is ill and needs a relative to tend to her.  Mae contacts Tom, Pauline’s long-lost nephew to take care of her.  It remains to be seen if love can bloom in the cold of winter.

Other winter novels you might enjoy:

          Winter Fire – Elizabeth Lowell

          Winter Palace: a Novel of Catherine the Great – Eva Stachniak

          Russian Winter – Daphne Kalotay

          Winter Study – Nevada Barr

          Artic Chill – Arnaldur Indridason

          A Week in Winter – Marcia Willett

          Winter Garden – Kristin Hannah

          Winter in Madrid – C. J. Samson

          Ice Bound  & Winter Moon  – Dean Koontz

By Roxane

Wintery Minnesota evenings are perfect for watching movies. Here are titles we’ve recently acquired at the library. I’ve grouped them according to genre for ease of selection. Grab some popcorn, sit down and relax!

Children’s Animated
Berenstain Bears Spooky Stories

Action/Adventure
Avengers (Robert Downey Jr.) –PG-13
Battleship (Brooklyn Decker) – PG-13
Hondo (John Wayne, 1953) – PG
Hunger Games (Jennifer Lawrence) – PG-13
John Carter (Taylor Kitsch) – PG-13
Prometheus – R
Safe (Jason Statham) – R
Snow White & the Huntsman (Kristin Stewart) – PG-13
Wrath of the Titans (Liam Neeson) – PG-13

Drama
Colombo: the Complete First Season (TV Series)
For Greater Glory: the True Story of Cristiada (Andy Garcia) – R
Hatfields & McCoys (Kevin Costner) TV mini-series
The Lucky One (Zac Efron) – PG-13
On Golden Pond (Katherine Hepburn) – TV14
People Like Us (Elizabeth Banks) – PG-13

Mystery/Thriller
The Raven (John Cusack) – R

Comedy
Beverly Hills Chihuahua 3 – G
Friends with Kids (Jennifer Westfeldt) – R
Heaven Can Wait (Warren Beatty) – PG
That’s My Boy (Adam Sandler) – R
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (Bill Nighy) – PG-13
Moonrise Kingdom (Jared Gillman) –PG-13
The Three Stooges The Movie (Sean Hayes) – PG

Comedy/Romance
Easy A (Emma Stone) – PG-13
Five Year Engagement (Jason Segel) -R
Hysteria (Maggie Gyllenhaal) – R
Think Like a Man (Chris Brown) – PG-13
Two Can Play That Game (Vivica Fox) – R
What to Expect When You’re Expecting – PG-13

Comedy/Fantasy
Dark Shadows (Johnny Depp) – PG-13

Documentary/other NonFiction
Biography: Johnny Cash’s America
Digi-Tech
The Greening of Southie (South Boston)
Jesus: Lost 40 Days
Marijuana: a Chronic History
The Mary Hanson Show: Understanding Depression
Mothers of Invention
The Real National Treasure: an inside look at the Library of Congress
Straw Rocket (science experiment)
SunEzoon (science project)
Toothpick Bridges (science)
The XY Factor: History of the Wife
Zombies: a living history

Here’s a sampling of new titles we’ve recently received:

A couple additions to the graphic novel series, DC Superheroes Dark Knight:

• The Joker Virus by Scott Peterson
• Scarecrow’s Flock of Fear by Matthew K. Manning

Several titles written by Michael Dahl with Zone Books’ Library of Doom series:

• Attack of the Paper Bats
• Creeping Bookends
• Escape from the Pop-Up Prison
• The Beast  Beneath the Stairs
• The Book That Dripped Blood
• Cave of the Bookworms

From The Guardians series by William Joyce:

• #2 E. Aster Bunnymund and the warrior eggs at the earth’s core!
• #3 Toothiana, queen of the Tooth Fairy armies

And there’s more:

• Because of Shoe and other dog stories by Ann M. Martin
• The Big Book of Pirates by Chuck Tessaro
• Chickadee by Louise Erdrich
• Danger goes Berserk, Brixton Brothers bk 4 by Mac Barnett
• The Girls’ Book: How to be the Best at Everything by Julianna Foster
• Libby of High Hopes by Elise Primavera
• Nicholas St. North and the Battle of the Nightmare King by William Joyce
• The Second Life of Abigail Walker by Francis O’Roark Dowell
• Starry River of the Sky by Grace Lin
• Stealing Air by Trent Reedy
• Templeton Twins have an Idea by Ellis Weiner
• Winter Pony by Iain Lawrence

Tammy

• Appliques with Style by Mary Mulari
• Brazil, a DK Eyewitness Travel Guide
• Blue Highways: A Journey into America by William Least Heat Moon (Wm. Trogdon)
• Camp Out: the Ultimate Kids’ Guide by Lynn Brunelle (Juvenile book)
• Fodor’s Alaska 2013
• Fodor’s Northern California 2013
• Great Expectations: The Sons and Daughters of Charles Dickens by Robert Gottlieb
• Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Special Edition
• Walking Minnesota by Mary Jo and Jim Malach
• The Wreck of the Medusa: The Most Famous Sea Disaster of the Nineteenth Century by Jonathan Miles

Check out the book display near the checkout desk for these refreshing and inspirational titles:

The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin

Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff…and it’s all small stuff: simple ways to keep the little things from taking over your life by Richard Carlson, Ph.D.

Creative Visualization: Use the power of your imagination to create what you want in your life by Shakti Gawain

A Short Guide to a Happy Life by Anna Quindlen

Wherever You Go There You Are: Mindfulness Meditation in Everyday Life by Jon Kabat-Zinn

Walking in Your Own Shoes: Discover God’s Direction for Your Life by Robert A. Schuller

When Your Life Has Been Tampered With! Moving beyond your broken dreams to new purpose and victory by Brenda Kunneman

Eat to Live: The amazing nutrient-rich program for fast and sustained weight loss by Joel Fuhrman, M.D.

Family History Detective: a step-by-step guide to investigating your family tree by Desmond Walls Allen

Curly Girl The Handbook: A celebration of curls (step-by-step DVD included) by Lorraine Massey

The Behavior Gap: Simple Ways to Stop Doing Dumb Things with Money by Carl Richards

Stress Less (for Women): Calm your body, slow aging, and rejuvenate the mind in 5 simple steps by Thea Singer

Change.edu: rebooting for the new talent economy by Andrew S. Rosen

Tone Every Inch: the fastest way to sculpt your belly, butt, & thighs by Natalie Bingerich Mackenzie

Stumbling on Happiness by Daniel Gilbert

Bad Childhood Good Life: How to Blossom and Thrive in Spite of an Unhappy Childhood by Dr. Laura Schlessinger

The Courage to be Yourself: A woman’s guide to emotional strength and self-esteem by Sue Patton Thoele

This is Not the Story You Think It Is…a Season of Unlikely Happiness by Laura Munson

Words of Life: Hearing God’s Voice Today in the Psalms by Linda Winter-Hodgson

100 Ways to Simplify Your Life by Joyce Meyer

Can’t is Not an Option: My American Story by Nikki Haley

Three Simple Steps: a map to success in business and life by Trevor Blake

Making Babies: Stumbling into Motherhood by Anne Enright

Risk Less and Prosper: Your Guide to Safer Investing by Zvi Bodie and Rachelle Taqqu

Outsmart Your Genes: how understanding your DNA will empower you to protect yourself against cancer, alzheimer’s, heart disease, obesity, and many other conditions by Brandon Colby, MD

The Faith Instinct: How Religion Evolved & Why it Endures by Nicholas Wade

Have a great New Year!

Morris Public Library now offers a free service for those who cannot get to the library to check out materials. You are eligible for this service if you live within the Morris city limits, have a library card with no fines, and you cannot make it to the library for one of the following reasons:

• Recovering from surgery
• Disability with no caregiver
• Homebound
• Older people not wanting to deal with icy/wintery conditions

Participants will be matched with a volunteer who will assist with the selection of materials and schedule deliveries. By registering for this program, you agree to waive your library bill of rights to privacy (we will keep a record of materials checked out to you in order to better select materials for you).

Contact the library for a registration form. On the form you will provide contact information as well as information about:

• what kinds of books you like
• favorite authors
• what format(s) are desired (large print, audiobooks, magazines, DVDs, etc)
• number of materials per visit
• delivery frequency and best time of day for visits

Please spread the word about this service to anyone who may be in need of it.

Tammy

Here are a few of our newest titles:

Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs by Mo Willems
The Artist Who Painted a Blue Horse by Eric Carle
Blue Chicken by Deborah Freedman
Z is for Moose by Kelly Bingham
Boo to You! By Lois Ehlert
The Man in the Moon by William Joyce
The Sandman: The Story of Sanderson Mansnoozie by William Joyce
Bear Has a Story to Tell by Philip Christian Stead
Otter and Odder by James Howe

Stories of Santa published by Hallmark

Parents or Teachers:  if you’d like in-depth reviews on these or any titles, go to http://www.commonsensemedia.org/   and type the book title in the search box. They rate books by educational value, positive messages, positive role models, violence and scariness, and language.
Here’s a sample of a review webpage: http://www.commonsensemedia.org/book-reviews/goldilocks-and-the-three-dinosaurs-as-retold-by-mo-willems

Tammy