Library Column for March 4, 2021

@ Your Library

Happy March! Spring is right around the corner! Well, may four or five corners, but the end of winter is approaching. I often end up getting more reading done at this time of year, because everything is so wet and muddy. Download Libby or Hoopla to your phone or tablet and keep a book with you at all times. Pull it out waiting for an appointment to start or anytime you find yourself waiting. Then keep a book by your bedside and spend a few minutes every night reading just before you go to sleep. Those two simple actions will allow you to read more in a year than you realize (and the more you read, the better you become and the more you want to do it).

If you haven’t already, join our Facebook page and participate in our library’s March madness tournament of books. Each day we post three book pairings, you vote for your favorite and by the end of March we will crown a favorite fiction, non-fiction and junior room title. Paper copies of the first round ballots are currently available in the library if you’d prefer to participate that way.

I just finished A Ceiling Made of Eggshells by Gail Carson Levine, a favorite author of mine in the junior room. This title was set in Spain during the persecution of the Jews in the late 15th century, during the reign of Ferdinand and Isabella. This is definitely one of my favorite ways to learn about historical events. A gentle introduction that then allows me to search for non-fiction titles to further my learning as needed or wanted.

I love armchair traveling especially books like Hudson Bay Bound by Natalie Warren, subtitled ‘two women, one dog, two thousand miles to the arctic.’ The book details the journey that Natalie and her friend take over 85 days along the same route made famous by Eric Sevareid in his 1935 classic Canoeing with the Cree. From planning to successful accomplishment of an adventure of a lifetime, this is a delightful journey – perfect in my chair with a warm cup of tea nearby.

How much does land change in twenty-five years? Minnesota;s Natural Heritage by John R. Tester et al is a revised edition of a book from 1995 of the same title. The book has been updated, expanded and illustrated to show the profound changes to the state’s natural landscape since the publication of the first edition.

Dolly Parton has had two books published about her recently. The first She Come By it Natural: Dolly Parton and the women who lived her songs by Sarah Smarsh explores her music and how it reflects the harsh realities of working class women. The second, Dolly Parton: songteller, my life in lyrics written by Dolly Parton with Robert Oermann takes you behind the lyrics of 175 songs to reveal the stories and memories that inspired her sixty years of songwriting. Both celebrate her impact on American life.

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