Category: Uncategorized

Renewal Issue 004

Welcome to this, our 4th mini newsletter, Renewal!

Because HPLD items can be renewed 3 times in most cases, the format of this newsletter is one story, The Checkout, and three smaller news items, the renewals.

Nothing better than explaining the cute format you decided on three issues ago and are now stuck with, eh?

Oh, well. Onward!

Checkout: HPLD Wins Budget Presentation Award

Once again, for about the billionth time, HPLD has been awarded the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award by the Government Finance Officers Association!

This is something we like to make a big deal about because it means we’re continuing to produce high quality reporting that follows best practices in budgeting and that we are being transparent with the ways YOUR MONEY is spent!

Congratulations, to, well, us, but also to you for being fortunate enough to celebrate with us!

Unfortunately, our plaque is packed away because we’re moving some stuff from our admin building right now, so please enjoy this photoshopped plaque, which is an unreasonable facsimile of the real deal, which we’ll dust off as soon as we’re re-settled.

Renewal 1: HPLD Friends & Foundation Awarded BIG BIG Grant!

HPLDF&F has received nearly $831,000 from The Weld Trust for a Mobile Workforce Unit for the High Plains Library District in collaboration with Employment Services of Weld County Weld County Government. The grant is the final key to the multi-institution Weld County collaboration to bring workforce development and employment services to those who need it the most in rural areas.

What does that mean, in regular language?

We’re going to build a custom, state-of-the-art vehicle loaded up with equipment and resources so that we can deliver training and expertise to some of the most rural areas we serve.

This vehicle will join the ranks of Great Vans of History, which includes the A-Team van, the Mystery Machine, and who could forget Tango & Cash’s battle van!?

Renewal 2: ReadCon is Right Around the Corner

Yep, we’ve got just about 2 weeks before ReadCon hits Greeley! It’s our most-star-studded ReadCon ever and the first one we’ve held in over TEN YEARS! It’s going to be great, and we need you to come out and support it so that we can host more events like this in the future. Register today, come in two weeks, buy snacks sometime in between. Because the only thing better than an author event is an author event with snackies.

Renewal 3: Ihatovo Monogatari

イーハトーヴォ物語 or Īhatōvo Monogatari, or Ihatovo Story is a game that was released for the Super Famicom (the Japanese version of the Super Nintendo) in Japan in 1993, and thanks to a fan translation, is playable in English as of 2018.

Ihatovo Story is an RPG, sort of. It doesn’t have the battling and leveling up you might expect from a typical RPG, and instead it’s a more cozy adventure that revolves around you, the player, helping the resident of Ihatovo, a pretty pleasant place, locate items or complete tasks.

Why is this in a library newsletter? The world of Ihatovo is based heavily on the works of Japanese author Kenji Miyazawa, and it’s one of the most direct book-to-game examples out there.

You can watch a brief synopsis here:

Or a complete playthrough here:

Outreach Service Disruption March 17 to 28

Outreach will be cancelling all routes for 2 weeks from March 17^th-28^th so that staff can move out of DSS and into another location. This includes the following routes:

March 17^th Lobby Stops: Brookdale, The Bridge, Greeley Senior Housing, and Chinook Winds
March 18^th Bookmobile: Frederick & Erie
March 18^th Lobby Stops: Carbon Valley Community Center, Grace Pointe, & Fox Run
March 19^th Bookmobile: Stoneham, Prairie (New Raymer), & Briggsdale School (Briggsdale)
March 19^th Lobby Stops: Broadview Apt, Broadview Health & Rehab, & Birchwood Apt
March 20^th Bookmobile: Pawnee (Grover)
March 20^th Lobby Stops: Joe P. Martinez & Garden Square
March 24^th Bookmobile: LaSalle & Cave Creek
March 24^th Lobby Stops: Meadview, The Lodge, & Alternative Homes for Youth
March 25^th Bookmobile: Mead & Milliken (Dove Valley)
March 25^th Lobby Stops: Greeley Place & ICCS
March 26^th Bookmobile: Pines Apt
March 26^th Lobby Stops: Westlake Lodge
March 26^th CEEN: John Evans CEEN
March 27^th Bookmobile: Milliken Elementary & Guadalupe Apt/ Guadalupe Community Center
March 27^th Lobby Stops: Centennial Village Apt, Greeley Village, & Birch Assisting Living
March 27^th CEEN: Jefferson EHS & Steve Norgren EHS

A to Z Food America: What Presidents Eat

It’s been my goal to tell HPLD users a little bit about all of our databases this year, and I’ve already found a doozy in A to Z Food America.

It’s a great source of information on things you’d expect, like recipes from specific regions and with certain ingredients, and that’s all fine (it’s GREAT, actually), but it’s not what intrigued me about the information that was presented to me.

So I bring you this brief tour of the weirder side of A to Z Food America, starting with a little American history.

What Presidents Eat

Under the Historical heading in A to Z Food America, we’ve got a section called “What did They Eat: U.S. Presidents.”

Besides being a bit confusing for me in terms of whether or not they should have a question mark in there somewhere, I was fascinated to find out not only some of the favorite dishes of Presidents, but some of the snacks and mealtime customs of each President (up to 2020, Joe Biden has not yet been profiled).

I started at the very beginning, a pretty decent place to start, and found out that George Washington did NOT have wooden teeth, as it was rumored, but did have dentures made of animal bone. Which is certainly more practical and also…a little weird, no?

Washington, I found out, wrote down a recipe for what he called “Small Beer” because it had a low alcohol content, and this recipe is still available for you home brewers out there. It doesn’t sound like the tastiest brew, IMO, but, hey, if it’s good enough for the first President, it’s good enough for me…to not make fun of anymore.

James Polk (President 11), was apparently one of the very few U.S. Presidents to ACTUALLY be born in a log cabin, and he brought with him to office his taste for simple foods, and he wasn’t a fan of the elegant, European fare that was all the rage in political circles. After attending an official banquet, he wrote in his diary: “I saw the food and I couldn’t tell what it was. It must have been French.” I feel you, Jimmy.

Ulysses S. Grant (18) liked the food he was served in the military, so when he won the Presidency, he brought an army quartermaster on board as the White House chef. Apparently, Grant’s wife gave the quartermaster a shot, but figured out pretty quickly that his cooking wasn’t so hot. She hired an Italian-trained chef, and allegedly Grant started packing on some extra weight, the food was that good.

Theodore Roosevelt (26) was known for drinking A LOT of coffee. This is a man after my own heart (palpitations).

William Howard Taft (27) had a dairy cow roaming around the White House for the first two years of his term so that the family had access to fresh milk and dairy products. Just in case this comes up at pub trivia some time, the cow’s name was Pauline Wayne. I can’t possibly imagine I’ll remember that name, but, hey, if you manage it, you’ll be team MVP for sure, even if the music round leaves you feeling old, confused, and a little frightened.

Jimmy Carter (39) made it legal for people to brew beer at home, which definitely paved the way for the craft brewing scene of today. Related to this move, a Louisville brewery created a beer for his brother, Billy, called Billy Beer. A quote from Billy on the label read, “I had this beer brewed up just for me. I think it’s the best I ever tasted. And I’ve tasted a lot. I think you’ll like it, too.” Funnily enough, Jimmy Carter did not drink alcohol, and all of his guests were served non-alcoholic wine.

Ronald Reagan (40) apparently took quite a liking to jelly beans, partially to help him quit smoking. He always had a jar on his desk, and he’d pass it around at the beginning of meetings. He had a standing order with Jelly Belly of 720 bags per month so that The Oval Office, Air Force One, and all cabinet offices were well-stocked.

George H.W. Bush (41) was famous for hating vegetables, especially broccoli, which his mother made him eat. At a press conference, Bush was quoted as saying, ““I’m President of the United States and I’m not going to eat any more broccoli.” Which, fair. I guess if it takes becoming President to tell your mom that she can no longer dictate what you eat, he did it. White House staff characterized Bush Sr.’s eating as being like “a teenage boy” in that he’d wolf down huge portions and yet never seem to put any weight onto his slim frame.

Bill Clinton (42) was known for his love of fast food. He’s since gone mostly vegan, but in his heyday, he was known to often end a jog at a McDonald’s, so often that a McDonald’s in Arkansas put up a plaque in 2019, memorializing the location as one that Clinton often jogged to. I’ve been known to put away a burger, but I’ve yet to attain the status of, “We need to put up an official notice about this guy on the side of the building.”

Donald Trump (45/47) had a Diet Coke button installed during his first term, and apparently has had it reinstalled in 2025 as well. The button provides Trump an easy way to request that someone bring him a Diet Coke. These are the perks of having the biggest job on the planet.

There you have it, just a little roundup of some of what’s available on A to Z Food America.

It’s actually a super cool database. I hate to even call it a “database” because, to me, that sounds kind of boring, and A to Z Food America is genuinely fascinating, fun to browse, and something I’m super glad the library is able to offer.

Summer Foods

July is here! It’s National Hot Dog Month. It is also National Ice Cream Month. And National Watermelon Month. And, wouldn’t you know it, it is also National Blueberry Month. It seems that July is the month of summer foods! Read a book with one of these summer foods (and maybe even enjoy the food while you read!). The food can be featured in the title, the cover, or elsewhere in the book.

Raw Dog: The Naked Truth about Hot Dogs by Jamie Loftus

Hot dogs: a deeply American food. Comedian Jamie Loftus takes readers on an adventure into the significance of hot dogs and documents his travels to see how people around the U.S. consume them. Loftus covers the creation of the iconic food, as well as the culture and class influences to reveal what hot dogs say about America now.

Get Raw Dog in HPLD’s Catalog

Death of an Ice Cream Scooper by Lee Hollis

In this Hayley Powell Food and Cocktails Mystery installment, Hayley’s friend Lydia has a big issue: her husband, Jamie, is not only cheating on her, but may be a killer! Jamie is a college professor who has been spending way too much time off campus with one of his students, who also happens to work for Lydia’s gourmet ice cream shop. Soon, the popular college student’s body is discovered in Lydia’s freezer. Can Hayley find out if Jamie is the true culprit?

Death of an Ice Cream Scooper Book

Death of an Ice Cream Scooper eBook

Death of an Ice Cream Scooper Audio eBook

The Wiles of Watermelon by Lynette Sowell

Andi and Ben Hartley are newlyweds with an adorable kitten. Ben is ready to start a family right away, but Andi isn’t sure she is ready to look like a watermelon yet. Their conversation is put on hold when the kitten finds a bone from a 30 year old skeleton in their watermelon field. Soon after, the lively owner of the town’s best restaurant is found murdered. As Andi goes into detective mode, she finds that the deaths are connected. Who is the murderer?

The Wiles of Watermelon Book

The House on Blueberry Lane by Brenda Jackson

Despite Jaye and Velvet’s three year exclusive relationship, Jaye wasn’t ready for commitment to anything, and did not believe in love or marriage. Exasperated, and without telling him goodbye, Velvet leaves. Jaye realizes too late that he truly loved Velvet and spends the next few years trying to find the love of his life. Now that he has found her in Catalina Cove, Jaye is willing to do anything to win Velvet back. But will Velvet let Jaye win her over again?

The House on Blueberry Lane Book

The House on Blueberry Lane eBook

The House on Blueberry Lane Audio eBook

The House on Blueberry Lane Large Print

Hot dog: a Melanie Travis mystery by Laurien Berenson

Melanie Travis has a lot on her hands: her annoying ex-husband, wanting some time away from her boyfriend, and stalkers in the form of a TV crew wanting the next big story. She now has the task of finding the owner of Dox, the adorable Dachshund. Melanie soon finds that Dox is an emotional pawn in a divorcing couple’s messy split. As if this isn’t enough, sinister occurrences are now occurring: a midnight break in at Melanie’s house, her wallet is stolen, her son’s safety is put at risk, and Dox is dognapped. Melanie, juggling the world on her shoulders, is determined to solve the case.

Hot Dog Book

Hot Dog eBook

A Game of Cones by Abby Collette

In this cozy mystery, Win Crewse’s family owned ice cream shop, Crewse Creamery, is restored to its former glory and is happily serving sweet scoops to the Chagrin Falls community. All is well until a developer wanting to change everything with a big mall is found murdered. Soon, Win’s friend is the prime suspect. And if that wasn’t enough stress, Win’s estranged aunt has arrived in town wanting to take over Crewse Creamery. Win is determined to exonerate her friend and keep control of her ice cream shop.

A Game of Cones Book

A Game of Cones eBook

The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters

In July 1962, four year old Ruthie, a member of a Mi’Kmaq family who came to Maine to pick blueberries vanished. The unsolved mystery haunts her family and the small Maine community for the next fifty years. Meanwhile, Norma, a member of an affluent Maine family, grows up unsettled by dreams and visions that feel too real for comfort. Norma’s intuition tells her that her parents are hiding a secret. She spends the next few decades trying to uncover that secret.

The Berry Pickers Book

The Berry Pickers eBook

The Berry Pickers Large Print

She Blinded Me with Science

Science is a way of understanding the world, but to what degree can it be used to understand oneself? These books all deal with the intersection of science fiction and identity.

The Echo Wife by Sarah Gailey

How would you feel if someone you loved stole from you? What if it was your life’s work? What if it was also your face?

The Echo Wife Book

The Echo Wife Audio eBook

The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson

Cara is excellent at dying in every other dimension, which makes her an asset in Wiley City where she works collecting data from those other dimensions. But when a discovery in another world threatens her native dimension, she must decide who she wants to be and what she can and cannot protect.

The Space Between Worlds Book

Annihilation by Jeff Vandermeer

Area X – an isolated biosphere of impossible phenomena has already had 11 expeditions into the area with mixed results for each. Our nameless protagonist, a biologist, records her experience and motivations for joining the doomed 12th expedition in this sci-fi horror.

Annihilation Book

Annihilation Audio eBook

Lab Girl by Hope Jahren

As more women enter scientific careers, the definition of what a scientist looks like has changed. Lab Girl explores themes that include mental illness and interconnectedness in the context of a part memoir, part scientific treatise on the human-plant connection.

Lab Girl by Hope Jahren Book

Lab Girl by Hope Jahren Audio eBook

Lab Girl by Hope Jahren Large Print

The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood

On a whim, Olive Smith smooches Professor non-grata #1 in her PhD program to ensure her best friend’s pursuit of her own previous romantic prospect. Having had very little motivation for dating and romance, complications arise when a fake relationship appears to be the perfect solution to both her own and the Professor’s problems.

The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood Book

The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood Large Print

A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers

What is someone meant to do when they have become the best in their field? This is the question Dex, a tea monk has had to ask. Twice. A cozy novella that explores what it is to change and why.

A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers Book

A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers Audio eBook

Annie Bot: a Novel by Sierra Greer

Annie is a highly advanced humanoid robot whose purpose is to please her owner, Doug in all ways. Yet, as Annie’s code evolves and becomes more human, it becomes increasingly more difficult to know what will displease Doug.

Annie Bot: a Novel by Sierra Greer Book

Sybil: The True Story of a Woman Possessed by 16 Separate Personalities by Flora Rheta Schreiber

In a significantly darker turn from other books on this list, this book originally published in 1973 details the diagnosis and treatment of a young woman with 16 distinct personalities. Since its publication, both psychiatrist, patient, and author have drawn controversy for the events detailed in the book.

Sybil: The True Story of a Woman Possessed by 16 Separate Personalities by Flora Rheta Schreiber Book

The Daughter of Doctor Moreau by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Kept in isolation from the rest of the world, Carlota is raised to be sweet and obedient to her father, a brilliant scientist whose hybrids are destined to revolutionize medicine. In a lush estate on the Yucatan peninsula, life could not be more idyllic. Everything changes when the son of her father’s patron unexpectedly visits, and forces secrets out into the open.

The Daughter of Doctor Moreau by Silvia Moreno-Garcia Book

The Daughter of Doctor Moreau by Silvia Moreno-Garcia eBook

The Daughter of Doctor Moreau by Silvia Moreno-Garcia Large Print

The Genesis of Misery by Neon Yang

Joan of Arc but make it queer. And in space. With battle mechs.

The Genesis of Misery by Neon Yang Book

The Genesis of Misery by Neon Yang Audio eBook

Adventure Begins at Your Library

Embark on your summer reading journey with these captivating reads. Whether you seek far-off lands, mysteries that need solving, or daring exploits, these books will transport you into the thick of the action. Adventure begins at your library—where will your next adventure take you?

Venomous Lumpsucker by Ned Beauman

In a dystopian future, governments and corporations have devised a system where biodiversity credits are traded much like carbon credits today. Karin Resaint, a passionate environmentalist, teams up with Mark Halyard, who works for a corporation that profits from this system. Their unlikely partnership is driven by the urgent need to locate the last surviving venomous lumpsuckers before they become extinct, as these fish hold significant economic and scientific value. Their journey takes them across a world ravaged by ecological collapse, encountering various stakeholders with conflicting interests.

Venomous Lumpsucker by Ned Beauman Book

Venomous Lumpsucker by Ned Beauman Audio eBook

The Sentinel by Lee Child and Andrew Child

Jack Reacher arrives in the small town of Pleasantville, Tennessee, only to discover that the town is experiencing a series of troubling incidents. The town’s IT systems have been hacked, causing widespread chaos. Reacher quickly becomes involved in the mystery when he saves Rusty Rutherford, the town’s IT manager, from an attempted kidnapping. Rutherford, who was blamed for the cyberattack, holds crucial information that several dangerous entities are eager to obtain. Reacher teams up with Rutherford to uncover the truth behind the cyberattack and protect the town from further harm.

The Sentinel by Lee Child and Andrew Child Book

The Sentinel by Lee Child and Andrew Child Large Print

The Sentinel by Lee Child and Andrew Child CD Audiobook

Deep as the Sky, Red as the Sea by Rita Chang-Eppig

The novel follows Shek Yeung, who rises to power as a pirate queen after the death of her husband, Cheng Yat, a notorious pirate leader. Navigating a male-dominated world, Shek Yeung must assert her authority and protect her fleet from external threats, including the Chinese navy and rival pirate factions. The story delves into her struggles, both personal and political, as she maintains her power and seeks to secure her legacy.

Deep as the Sky, Red as the Sea by Rita Chang-Eppig Book

Deep as the Sky, Red as the Sea by Rita Chang-Eppig Audio eBook

Crow Mary by Kathleen Grissom

The narrative follows Crow Mary, a Crow tribe member, from her early life in the Great Plains through her experiences of cultural upheaval, personal trials, and ultimate survival. The novel spans Mary’s journey as she marries a fur trader, faces the clash between Native American and European American cultures, and becomes a beacon of strength for her people.

Crow Mary by Kathleen Grissom Book

Crow Mary by Kathleen Grissom Large Print

Crow Mary by Kathleen Grissom CD Audiobook

Something Wilder by Christina Lauren

The novel centers on Lily Wilder, who runs adventure tours using her father’s old maps, and Leo Grady, her former love who unexpectedly reenters her life. When a treasure hunt tour turns into a real quest for lost treasure, Lily and Leo must confront their past, rekindle their romance, and work together to survive the dangers they encounter.

Something Wilder by Christina Lauren Book

Something Wilder by Christina Lauren Large Print

Something Wilder by Christina Lauren Audio eBook

The Villa by Racheal Hawkins

The novel follows two parallel stories: one set in the 1970s and one in the present day. In the 1970s, rock musician Noel Gordon invites a group of friends to stay at Villa Rosato in Italy, where tragedy strikes. In the present day, writers Emily and Chess, old friends seeking inspiration and escape, rent the same villa and uncover the villa’s sinister past.

The Villa by Racheal Hawkins Book

The Villa by Racheal Hawkins Large Print

The Villa by Racheal Hawkins Audio eBook

The Storyteller’s Death by Ann Dávila Cardinal

The novel centers around Isla Larsen Sanchez, a young girl who, upon the death of her beloved grandmother, inherits a mystical gift that allows her to relive the stories of her ancestors. As Isla navigates the challenges of growing up, she uncovers hidden family secrets and learns about the power and responsibility that come with her gift.

The Storyteller’s Death by Ann Dávila Cardinal Book

The Storyteller’s Death by Ann Dávila Cardinal eBook

The Storyteller’s Death by Ann Dávila Cardinal Audio eBook

The Vanishing Edge by Claire Kells

The novel centers on former FBI agent and search-and-rescue expert, Felicity Harland, who is hired to investigate the disappearance of a woman in the national park. Partnering with National Parks Service agent Ferdinand “Hux” Huxley, Felicity must navigate the treacherous terrain, uncover clues, and confront hidden dangers as they race against time to find the missing woman and unravel the mystery behind her vanishing.

The Vanishing Edge by Claire Kells Book

The Vanishing Edge by Claire Kells eBook

The Vanishing Edge by Claire Kells CD Audiobook

Black Flag by David Ricciardi

The novel follows Jake Keller as he is assigned to infiltrate and dismantle a pirate organization that has been wreaking havoc on international shipping routes. The mission takes Keller into the treacherous waters off the Horn of Africa, where he faces ruthless pirates, treacherous allies, and the harsh realities of modern maritime warfare.

Black Flag by David Ricciardi Book

American Gods by Neil Gaiman

After being released from prison, Shadow Moon learns that his wife has died in a car accident. Adrift and grieving, he meets the enigmatic Mr. Wednesday, who offers him a job as a bodyguard. Shadow soon discovers that Mr. Wednesday is an incarnation of the Norse god Odin. Together, they travel across the country to recruit old gods for an impending war against the new gods, who represent modern life’s obsessions such as media, technology, and celebrity.

American Gods by Neil Gaiman Book

American Gods by Neil Gaiman eBook

American Gods by Neil Gaiman Audio eBook

Spend Your Summer in the West(ern)

Summertime is here! And what’s more appropriate for a summer on the Colorado plains than to read a Western? These gritty, atmospheric titles set in America’s west offer a distinct sense of location and intricately crafted characters. These books, modern and historical fiction, are great for fans of Yellowstone and are looking for similar storylines about family, tragedy, and a love for the land.

El Paso by Winston Groom

This action-packed novel set in the early 20th century follows an East Coast railroad tycoon, the Colonel, pitted against Pancho Villa, a Mexican revolutionary and outlaw. After Pancho Villa has kidnapped the Colonel’s grandchildren, the patriarch and adopted son head to El Paso to hire cowboys to bring their family back.

El Paso by Winston Groom Book

El Paso by Winston Groom Large Print

El Paso by Winston Groom Audio eBook

The Big Sky by A. B. Guthrie, Jr.

This 1947 western follows Boone Caudill, who leaves Kentucky under dire circumstances to try to make his way to Montana. Set in the 1830s, this novel shows a harsh and somewhat destructive life of moving west. A good read for those interested in early western expansion. Guthrie Jr. followed up this novel with two more in the same storyline, The Way West and Fair Land, Fair Land.

The Big Sky by A. B. Guthrie, Jr. Book

Close Range: Wyoming Stories by Annie Proulx

Proulx’s quick snapshots into Wyoming life is stark and moving. Many stories from this collection feature complex characters, striking landscapes, and bad luck. The final and most famous from the collection, Brokeback Mountain, is just one of the many challenging and dispiriting stories you will find in this modern take on Wyoming life.

Close Range: Wyoming Stories by Annie Proulx Book

Close Range: Wyoming Stories by Annie Proulx Large Print

Close Range: Wyoming Stories by Annie Proulx Audio eBook

The Sisters brothers by Patrick deWitt

Two brothers, Charlie and Eli Sisters, are tasked by the powerful Commodore with killing Hermann Kermit Warm. The two brothers must travel from Oregon City to Sacramento during the 1850s to complete their orders. deWitt’s take on a classic western is darkly humorous and was adapted into a film starring John C. Reilly and Joaquin Phoenix in 2018.

The Sisters brothers by Patrick deWitt Book

The Sisters brothers by Patrick deWitt eBook

The Sisters brothers by Patrick deWitt Audio eBook

All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy

The first book in McCarthy’s Border Trilogy, All the Pretty Horses, will leave you breathless. John Grady Cole, a sixteen-year-old boy in 1949, raised in San Angelo, Texas, must leave the family ranch after his grandfather passes away and the land is sold. John Grady and childhood friend Lacey Rawlins travel southward to look for work as cowboys where many unfortunate and moving circumstances befall them.

All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy Book

All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy eBook

All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy Audio eBook

Black River by S. M. Hulse

Wes Carver returns to Black River, Montana when he finds out the man, Bobby Williams, is up for parole after being in prison for 20 years. Williams held Carver hostage during a prison riot and took away Carver’s ability to play music. Black River contains an intense introspection about humanity’s ability to change and features a strong sense of place in small town America.

Black River by S. M. Hulse Book

Black River by S. M. Hulse Large Print

Black River by S. M. Hulse eBook

Black River by S. M. Hulse Audio eBook

The Ploughman by Kim Zupan

Centered around the conversations of a sheriff’s deputy, Valentine Millimaki, and John Gload, a 77-year-old brutal, killer awaiting trial, The Ploughman is a compelling contemporary western. This evocative novel, set in the Montana plains, explores friendship and drawing back the differences between the those on both sides of the jail cell.

The Ploughman by Kim Zupan Book

The Weight of an Infinite Sky by Carrie La Seur

The Weight of an Infinite Sky is a story of family and the bonds that tie to legacy and land. Anthony Fry must decide if he will take over the family business in the Montana country or follow his own passions. Carrie La Seur’s western is moving and complex as it investigates how geography and family can create a destiny, whether it is wanted or not.

The Weight of an Infinite Sky by Carrie La Seur Book

The Weight of an Infinite Sky by Carrie La Seur eBook

The Weight of an Infinite Sky by Carrie La SeurAudio eBook

An Unfinished Life by Mark Spragg

Jean Gilkyson is living in Iowa in a trailer house and experiencing yet another violent relationship with a boyfriend. She must decide how to get her daughter, Griff, and herself out of this frightening cycle, which leads her to Ishawooa, Wyoming where Jean’s father-in-law lives. Einar Gilkyson, a cowboy, blames Jean for his son’s death and has since experienced many tragedies. Einar’s granddaughter, Griff, plays an important role in the process of reconciliation and building back family from hardships in this compelling western.

An Unfinished Life by Mark Spragg Book

An Unfinished Life by Mark Spragg Audio eBook

Let Him Go by Larry Watson

Set in 1951 Dalton, North Dakota, this familial novel follows Margaret and George Blackledge, as they try to track down and bring back their grandson who left with their daughter-in-law who recently remarried. The Blackledge’s lost their only son when he was bucked from horse years ago, in an accident that left their grandson without a father. Their quest through the Badlands to Montana puts the couple in dangerous opposition to the Weboy family, who refuse to give up the child easily.

Let Him Go by Larry Watson Book

Let Him Go by Larry Watson eBook

Jack Outreacher Has Arrived!

Many of you are familiar with Lee Child’s Jack Reacher series, either from the books, the Amazon Prime show, or possibly just from posters of the steamy Alan Ritchson. Hubba, and while we’re at it, a second hubba.

And I got to thinking…what if instead of being an ex-military guy of incredible size and strength…he was an outreach librarian…also of incredible size and strength?

Thus, I bring you:

Jack Outreacher Chapter 1: Checkout Floor

When Jack Outreacher rolled the bookmobile into town, he could taste trouble. Also dust. The bookmobile tended to kick up a lot of dust. Partially because while most of the bookmobile’s shelves were packed with new, exciting reads, Jack Outreacher liked to keep at least one small section of dusty old classics. Because Jack Outreacher was, himself, a classic in many ways. A fella who liked to work hard and get his hands dirty. Someone who didn’t take any disrespect, which rowdy groups of guys seemed to give him all the time in diners, a constant in his life that made no sense because if you were going to pick on a guy who walked into a diner, would you really select the guy who looks like he could disintegrate a 3XL Hanes Beefy T by thinking about flexing? I don’t know about you, but if it’s me we’re talking about, I’ll maybe pick a fight with someone who couldn’t bend an iron lamppost around me in a knot, Superman-style.

Outreacher opened up the bookmobile for business, and the large bus rocked from side to side as Outreacher stepped down the stairs. He’s big is what I’m getting at here. I know I’m supposed to “show, not tell,” but he’s so ridiculously big and strong that showing alone doesn’t cut it, and I have to break the cardinal rule of “show not tell” and instead “show AND tell” in order to give you some idea of just how massive this dude is.

As Outreacher stepped into the dusty parking lot, his feet cratered into the ground. It was, after all, only a parking lot meant to accommodate full-sized vehicles, not a man of Outreacher’s stature.

That’s when Outreacher spotted the bald, shining head of his nemesis.

“Outreacher,” the bald man called from across the lot.

“Beazös,” Outreacher said quietly. Quietly for him, but in reality the vibrations of his vocal cords caused a minor earthquake in Italy. Please donate what you can to aid in the relief efforts.

The bald man crossed the lot and stood before Outreacher. “Well,” he said, “This is a cute ride you’ve got here. I mean, I’m having a new reservoir built to fit my superyacht, but yours is nice, too. In fact, I think I’m going to build that reservoir…right…here.”

Beazös indicated the humble library outpost that Outreacher had constructed with his bare hands. The guy at Home Depot tried to sell him on a trowel to help him with the brickwork, but Outreacher found that if he flattened his hand, he could easily spread concrete. Plus, man had yet to design a trowel that didn’t break whenever Outreacher attempted to hold it gently.

Beazös went on, “I don’t think the library is of much use to folks these days. I can deliver them books in less time. Well, less-ish time, sometimes, and at a much lower price…than competing bookstores. The library is free, but still. Let’s say I deliver in ‘Less Time*’ with an asterisk. Outreacher, I think your days here are numbered.”

With this last statement, Beazös poked Outreacher in the chest, which immediately broke every bone in Beazös’ finger.

“Ow, that hurt,” Beazös said. “You’ll pay for that, Outreacher. You and your precious little library will pay for that…dearly.”

Beazös turned to walk away, then stopped and said, “Seriously, ouch, I think my finger is broken. How is that even possible? What ARE you?”

Outreacher sighed. He’d have to find a way to stop the evil corporate takeover using his librarianship and possibly his outrageously huge body and outsized strength at some point when the situation called for it. Which, let’s be real, it totally will because it always does.

Outreacher always wanted to respected for his mind, but when you can grab a full-grown man by one wrist and throw him over a modestly-sized shed, clearing the shed completely, it’s kind of a waste to never use that sort of strength.

Science-y Books for Non-Scientists

Whether you regard yourself as a scientist or not, we all have an inherent interest in the world around us. These riveting reads will bring out your inner scientist and inspire you to delve deeper into some fascinating scientific topics.

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

How is it possible that a sample of someone’s cells could lead to the most important advances in science without the world knowing their name? How could these cells launch an industry worth billions without their family receiving any profit? An absolute must-read, the shocking story of Henrietta Lacks confronts readers with issues of consent, ownership, and morality in the medical and scientific fields, and ensures that her name and the legacy of her contributions to science will live on.

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot Book

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot eBook

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The Radium Girls by Kate Moore

After its discovery by Pierre and Marie Curie, radium was marketed as a miracle cure and used extensively in everyday products from paint to cosmetics. Around World War 1, many young women considered themselves fortunate to have jobs painting watch dials with glowing radium paint…until they started to develop strange symptoms. The Radium Girls illuminates the lives of these brave women who found the strength to battle for workers’ rights and lay the groundwork for modern health and safety regulations, even as their bodies were being eaten away by radium.

The Radium Girls by Kate Moore Book

The Radium Girls by Kate Moore CD Audiobook

The Radium Girls by Kate Moore eBook

Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach

Cadavers have contributed to many great scientific strides: through experimentation, dissection, and decomposition, scientists can study aspects of the natural world without risking lives. Stiff highlights specific uses for cadavers, from testing France’s first guillotines to analyzing plane crash sites, in order to examine ethical and moral issues related to postmortem bodies, and highlight the ways our lives have been quietly improved thanks to the dead.

Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach Book

Seven Brief Lessons on Physics by Carlo Rovelli

There aren’t many of us who would voluntarily pick up a Physics book, but this book might be the exception. In less than one hundred pages, Seven Brief Lessons in Physics offers a refreshingly playful introduction to modern physics, with simple explanations of Einstein’s general relativity, quantum mechanics, elementary particles, gravity, black holes, the complex architecture of the universe, and the role of humans in this fascinating world. To quote Rovelli, “Here, on the edge of what we know, in contact with the ocean of the unknown, shines the mystery and the beauty of the world, and it’s breathtaking.”

Seven Brief Lessons on Physics by Carlo Rovelli Book

Seven Brief Lessons on Physics by Carlo Rovelli eBook

The Disappearing Spoon and Other True Tales of Madness, Love and the History of the World from the Periodic Table of Elements by Sam Kean

Behind the seemingly dull periodic table lie fascinating tales of treachery, obsession and adventure. The Disappearing Spoon takes a fun and humorous approach in its look at the development of the table and the history of the mad scientists who discovered the elements. This lighthearted book would make a great, if somewhat unusual, beach read.

The Disappearing Spoon and Other True Tales of Madness, Love and the History of the World from the Periodic Table of Elements by Sam Kean Book

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The Body: A Guide for Occupants by Bill Bryson

Is there anything Bill Bryson can’t write about in a comfortable and approachable way? Here he takes us on a field trip of the human body, and in true Bryson style, this book is full of astonishing facts, and interesting trivia. Written in layman’s terms, The Body: A Guide for Occupants is a brilliant, sometimes terrifying, and often humorous way to learn about our wondrous bodies.

The Body: A Guide for Occupants by Bill Bryson Book

The Body: A Guide for Occupants by Bill Bryson CD Audiobook

The Light Eaters: How the Unseen World of Plant Intelligence Offers a New Understanding of Life on Earth by Zoe Schlanger

The Light Eaters takes a deep dive into the hidden world of the plant kingdom. Recent discoveries have revealed remarkable information about plant communication, memory, and adaptations for survival, challenging our understanding of intelligence and consciousness. It’s obvious that we need plants, but what do they get from us? A fascinating read, this book will completely change the way you look at plants.

The Light Eaters: How the Unseen World of Plant Intelligence Offers a New Understanding of Life on Earth by Zoe Schlanger Book

The Sounds of Life: How Digital Technology is Bringing us Closer to the Worlds of Animals and Plants by Karen Bakker

In seeking to improve our knowledge of the world around us, scientists are using groundbreaking digital technologies to study the sounds made by our fellow creatures, many of which are beyond the range of human hearing. The Sounds of Life shares fascinating stories about the animal and plant kingdoms that expand our understanding of different species and give us a deeper glimpse into their lives. Despite being somewhat technical, this book is an informative and engaging read.

The Sounds of Life: How Digital Technology is Bringing us Closer to the Worlds of Animals and Plants by Karen Bakker Book

Great Tragedies in History

Fires. Floods. Blizzards. Plagues. Ship sinkings. The month of May marks the anniversaries of several great tragedies in history.

May 7, 1915: A German U-boat sinks the British ocean liner Lusitania, resulting in the deaths of 1,198 people.

May 6, 1937: The Hindenburg bursts into flames while landing in Lakehurst, New Jersey.

May 4, 1970: The Ohio National Guard kills four unarmed students and wounds nine others during an anti-Vietnam War protest.

May 18, 1980: Mount St. Helens erupts. The eruption was one of the greatest volcanic explosions ever recorded in North America, killing 57 people and destroying the mountain’s volcanic cone.

May 12, 2008: A massive earthquake strikes Sichuan province in China, killing some 90,000 people and destroying four-fifths of the buildings in the affected area.

Brush up on your history by reading one of these curated titles covering tragedies in history.

One Hundred and Sixty Minutes: The Race to Save the RMS Titanic by William Elliott Hazelgrove

One hundred and sixty minutes. That is all the time rescuers would have before the largest ship in the world slipped beneath the icy Atlantic. At the heart of the rescue are two young Marconi operators, Jack Phillips 25 and Harold Bride 22, tapping furiously and sending electromagnetic waves into the black night as the room they sat in slanted toward the icy depths and not stopping until the bone numbing water was around their ankles. Then they plunged into the water after coordinating the largest rescue operation the maritime world had ever seen and thereby saving 710 people by their efforts. This is the story amazing heroism and astounding incompetence against the backdrop of the most advanced ship in history sinking.

One Hundred and Sixty Minutes: The Race to Save the RMS Titanic by William Elliott Hazelgrove Book

The Indifferent Stars Above: The Harrowing Saga of a Donner Party Bride by Daniel James Brown

In April of 1846, twenty-one-year-old Sarah Graves, intent on a better future, set out west from Illinois with her new husband, her parents, and eight siblings. Seven months later, after joining a party of emigrants led by George Donner, they reached the Sierra Nevada Mountains as the first heavy snows of the season closed the pass ahead of them. In early December, starving and desperate, Sarah and fourteen others set out for California on snowshoes and, over the next thirty-two days, endured almost unfathomable hardships and horrors.

The Indifferent Stars Above: The Harrowing Saga of a Donner Party Bride by Daniel James Brown Book

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The Johnstown Flood by David McCullough

At the end of the last century, Johnstown, Pennsylvania, was a booming coal-and-steel town filled with hardworking families striving for a piece of the nation’s burgeoning industrial prosperity. In the mountains above Johnstown, an old earth dam had been hastily rebuilt to create a lake for an exclusive summer resort patronized by the tycoons of that same industrial prosperity, among them Andrew Carnegie, Henry Clay Frick, and Andrew Mellon. Despite repeated warnings of possible danger, nothing was done about the dam. Then came May 31, 1889, when the dam burst, sending a wall of water thundering down the mountain, smashing through Johnstown, and killing more than 2,000 people. It was a tragedy that became a national scandal.

The Johnstown Flood by David McCullough Book

The Children's Blizzard by David Laskin

January 12, 1888, began as an unseasonably warm morning across Nebraska, the Dakotas, and Minnesota, the weather so mild that children walked to school without coats and gloves. But that afternoon, without warning, the atmosphere suddenly, violently changed. One moment the air was calm; the next the sky exploded in a raging chaos of horizontal snow and hurricane-force winds. Temperatures plunged as an unprecedented cold front ripped through the center of the continent. By Friday morning, January 13, some five hundred people lay dead on the drifted prairie, many of them children who had perished on their way home from country schools.

The Children’s Blizzard by David Laskin Book

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Midnight in Chernobyl: The Untold Story of the World's Greatest Nuclear Disaster by Adam Higginbotham

This book makes for a masterful non-fiction thriller. Chernobyl has become lodged in the collective nightmares of the world: shorthand for the spectral horrors of radiation poisoning, for a dangerous technology slipping its leash, for ecological fragility, and for what can happen when a dishonest and careless state endangers not only its own citizens, but all of humanity. It is a story that has long remained in dispute, clouded from the beginning in secrecy, propaganda, and misinformation. The story of Chernobyl is more complex, more human, and more terrifying than the Soviet myth. Adam Higginbotham has written a harrowing and compelling narrative which brings the 1986 disaster to life through the eyes of the men and women who witnessed it firsthand.

Midnight in Chernobyl: The Untold Story of the World’s Greatest Nuclear Disaster by Adam Higginbotham Book

The Great Mortality: An Intimate History of the Black Death, the Most Devastating Plague of All Time by John Kelly

The Great Plague is one of the most compelling events in human history, even more so now, when the notion of plague—be it animal or human—has never loomed larger as a contemporary public concern. Many books on the plague rely on statistics to tell the story: how many people died; how farm output and trade declined. But statistics can’t convey what it was like to sit in Siena or Avignon and hear that a thousand people a day are dying two towns away. Or to have to choose between your own life and your duty to a mortally ill child or spouse. In The Great Mortality, author John Kelly lends an air of immediacy and intimacy to his telling of the journey of the plague as it traveled from the steppes of Russia, across Europe, and into England, killing 75 million people—one third of the known population—before it vanished.

The Great Mortality: An Intimate History of the Black Death, the Most Devastating Plague of All Time by John Kelly Book

The Great Mortality: An Intimate History of the Black Death, the Most Devastating Plague of All Time by John Kelly eBook

The Longest Minute: The Great San Francisco Earthquake and Fire of 1906 by Matthew J. Davenport

At 5:12 a.m. on April 18, 1906, a 7.9 magnitude earthquake struck San Francisco, catching most of the city asleep. For approximately one minute, shockwaves buckled streets, shattered water mains, collapsed buildings, crushed hundreds of residents to death and trapped many alive. Fires ignited and blazed through dry wooden ruins and grew into a firestorm. For the next three days, flames devoured collapsed ruins, killed trapped survivors, and nearly destroyed what was then the largest city in the American West. Meticulously researched and gracefully written, The Longest Minute is both a harrowing chronicle of devastation and the portrait of a city’s resilience in the burning aftermath of greed and folly.

The Longest Minute: The Great San Francisco Earthquake and Fire of 1906 by Matthew J. Davenport Book

His Majesty's Airship: The Life and Tragic Death of the World's Largest Flying Machine by S. C. Gwynne

Historian and bestselling author S. C Gwynne tells the tale of the rise and fall of the world’s largest airship—and the doomed love story between an ambitious British officer and a married Romanian princess at its heart. The tragic fate of the British airship R101—which went down in a spectacular fireball in 1930, killing more people than died in the Hindenburg disaster seven years later—has been largely forgotten. In His Majesty’s Airship, Gwynne resurrects it in vivid detail, telling the epic story of great ambition gone terribly wrong.

His Majesty’s Airship: The Life and Tragic Death of the World’s Largest Flying Machine by S. C. Gwynne Book

Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania by Erik Larson

It is a story that many of us think we know but don’t, and Erik Larson tells it thrillingly, switching between hunter and hunted while painting a larger portrait of America at the height of the Progressive Era. Full of glamor, mystery, and real-life suspense, Dead Wake brings to life a cast of evocative characters. Gripping and important, Dead Wake captures the sheer drama and emotional power of a disaster that helped place America on the road to war.

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The Only Plane in the Sky: An Oral History of 9/11 by Garrett M. Graff

The first comprehensive oral history of September 11, 2001—a panoramic narrative woven from the voices of Americans on the front lines of an unprecedented national trauma. In The Only Plane in the Sky, award-winning journalist and bestselling historian Garrett Graff tells the story of the day as it was lived—in the words of those who lived it. Drawing on never-before-published transcripts, recently declassified documents, original interviews, and oral histories from nearly five hundred government officials, first responders, witnesses, survivors, friends, and family members, Graff paints the most vivid and human portrait of the September 11 attacks yet.

The Only Plane in the Sky: An Oral History of 9/11 by Garrett M. Graff Book