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Summer reading
What Are People Reading?

We're into week three (first week of prizes, yay!) of the Adult Summer Reading Club and it's such fun to see what everyone's reading in the online entries. From graphic novels to memoirs, there's a little bit of everything from Madison readers. The very first review posted was for the graphic novel ...read more

Reviewed by Jane J - Central on June 18, 2013 | 0 comments

Contemplating the Man of Steel: For today

A review of Superman: For Tomorrow by Brian Azzarello

 In preparation for the new Man of Steel movie, I picked up the recently compiled Superman: For Tomorrow (previously available as Vol.1 and Vol. 2), written by  ...read more

Reviewed by Sean - Central on June 17, 2013 | 0 comments

A Wisconsin treat
A review of One Came Home by Amy Timberlake

 It's 1871 in Wisconsin, and Georgie's life is looking pretty good. Her family's store is doing well and she's in line to run it one day, her sister is being courted by the wealthiest man in town, and her mother and grandfather are in good health and spirits. But when Georgie tells someone something she shouldn't, it all seems to fall apart. Her sister, Agatha, runs away, and one week later, the sheriff comes to town with what everyone assumes is Agatha's body. Determined to uncover the truth, ...read more

Reviewed by Krissy on June 14, 2013 | 0 comments

Booklist's Top 10 Biographies
Biography suggestions

Summer is a time for reading. Some enjoy great beach reads or guilty pleasures for summer reading. But some also like to learn as they relax. If you're one of those people and you enjoy biographies, you should take a look at Booklist's Top 10 Biographies. And Bid Him Sing: A Biography of Countée Cullen  ...read more

Reviewed by Kathy K. - Central on June 13, 2013 | 0 comments

Adopt a chicken and alleviate stress*
A review of Calling Dr. Laura: A Graphic Memoir by Nicole J. Georges

 Just look at the cover of this book. Egads. Now imagine a young woman learning from a psychic that the father she believed to be dead is actually alive. She's confused, she's hurt, she's angry. Who will help her deal with these feelings? Her pretty chicken? No! Radio host Dr. Laura Schlessinger, that's who! Well, not exactly. But 120+ pages into the book, the author calls in to Dr. Laura's radio talk show and it serves as a catalyst of sorts. I was very nervous and somewhat stressed for the ...read more

Reviewed by Molly - Central on June 11, 2013 | 0 comments

Mea culpa or a miraculous mistake?
A review of Brilliant Blunders: From Darwin to Einstein—Colossal Mistakes by Great Scientists That Changed Our Understanding of Life and the Universe by Mario Livio

 Oh, the pressures of being a genius. Once that Nobel Prize is in hand (or at least seemingly within grasp), the margins of error can become treacherously thin, especially in tackling the big questions in science. To err is human, of course, but over the course of history many of the venerated scientific figures of the past hardly seem like they could screw up in the very fields that they revolutionized. But as astrophysicist and author Mario Livio chronicles in Brilliant Blunders: From ...read more

Reviewed by Katie H. on June 10, 2013 | 0 comments

Future vacation destination?
A review of The Island by Marije Tolman

 This is a beautifully illustrated wordless book by the father daughter team of Ronald Tolman and Marije Tolman. The child and adult drawings meld perfectly in this story that will have any reader full of words to describe the animals great adventures. For other amazing wordless picture books, check out: Chalk by ...read more

Reviewed by Trent on June 7, 2013 | 0 comments

Mysteries I'm looking forward to reading this summer [part 1]
June Mysteries

Summer is a time to relax and catch up with old friends, both real and fictional. So I thought that I would again share some of the mysteries that I am looking forward to reading this summer. Since there are so many I've divided it into parts. Here are the June ones. Circle of Shadows by Imogen Robertson [6/13]setting: late 18th Century Englandcharacter: Harriet Westerman & Gabriel ...read more

Reviewed by Kathy K. - Central on June 6, 2013 | 0 comments

If only there had been camcorders in Ancient Greece
A review of Thucydides: The Reinvention of History by Donald Kagan

 I was originally drawn to Thucydides by my interest in documentary film theory. In fact, I’ve come to think of him more as a documentarian, reporting what he saw, overheard, or gleaned from conversations or interviews, than an historian who writes about the distant past through equal parts research and imagination. In the History of the Peloponnesian War ...read more

Reviewed by Sean - Central on June 5, 2013 | 0 comments

Looking for a good read? Ask a Librarian
A review of The Rook by Daniel O'Malley

 A few weeks ago I was on a panel at a library conference. We were talking about notable books in various genres. While I enjoy talking about good books, the really fun thing for me was getting to hear about books in other genres that my fellow librarians were raving about. One of the books I heard about was The Rook - and I have to say it lived up to the recommendation. "Dear You,The body you are wearing used to be mine." So begins this incredibly original, inventive ...read more

Reviewed by Jane J - Central on June 4, 2013 | 0 comments

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