"Personal Sketches of the Civil War" presentation now on YouTube

Did you miss local historian John Pregler's presentation on Dubuque's Civil War history? You can watch the whole thing on YouTube! We've also got dvd and blu-ray copies that will be available for checkout soon. If you can't wait, the speech will also begin to air on Dubuque's Channel 8 on Labor Day at 8 p.m.

Best Seller Read-Alikes for the Week of August 26th

Can’t wait to get your hands on the latest best-seller, but the hold list is too long? To tide you over, every week we’ll offer similar titles and authors to the week’s fiction and nonfiction best sellers.

Fiction Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn is once again #1 on the best sellers list. Sarah wrote a great read-alike for Flynn, which you can find here. At #2 and striking a far different note is Debbie Macomber's latest, The Inn at Rose Harbor. A spin-off of her popular Cedar Cove novels, is set in the same small town, but focused on a youngish widow named Jo Marie Rose who has purchased the bed-and-breakfast of the title.  Her first guests, Abby and Josh, bring with them their own troubles and, as their stories intertwine, both the guests and Jo Marie are given hopeful new beginnings.

Authors similar to Debbie Macomber include:

Jan Karon's Mitford series, has a strong inspirational message. In a small town setting, Karon explores her characters' lives with humor and grace, and offers emotionally satisfying solutions as well as domestic pleasures and endearing characters. The series begins with At Home in Mitford, which introduces Episcopalian Father Timothy Kavanaugh, his congregation, and his comical dog.

Robyn Carr writes contemporary romances and love stories that are character driven. Her stories are bittersweet, heartwarming and dramatic. Start with Virgin River, the first in her Virgin River series. Arriving in the remote mountain town of Virgin River in response to an ad, recently widowed Melinda realizes that she has made a mistake, until she finds an abandoned baby on her porch and lets a former Marine into her heart.

Click here for more fiction bestsellers... 

Nonfiction

Marking its 92nd week on the best sellers list, Laura Hillenbrand's Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience and Redemption is back at number one, and you can find read-alikes for that title here. At number two is The Amateur: Barack Obama in the White House by Edward Klein and you can find read-alike here. At number three is a memoir by Hope Solo, the goalkeeper for the U.S. women's soccer team, Solo: A Memoir of Hope. Solo reveals how she has repeatedly triumphed over adversity, from her childhood in Richland, Washington, to the realization of her dreams of being a world-class soccer player.

Other books similar to Solo include:

In the Water They Can't See You Cry: A Memoir by Amanda Beard (Biog. Beard) - Seven-time Olympic medalist Amanda Beard describes her battles with depression, eating disorders, and substance abuse in spite of her successful career, recounting how she hid her struggles from her loved ones before seeking help and finding renewal in the birth of her son.

The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls (Biog. Walls) - The child of an alcoholic father and an eccentric artist mother discusses her family's nomadic upbringing, during which she and her siblings fended for themselves while their parents outmaneuvered bill collectors and the authorities.

Click here for more nonfiction bestsellers ...

If you'd like more recommendations, stop by the Recommendations Desk on the first floor, check out NoveList Plus on the library's website, or visit W. 11th & Bluff next week for more reading suggestions. Or submit a Personal Recommendations request, and we'll create a reading list just for you!

Poorcraft by C. Spike Trotman & Diana Nock

Around the age of seven, I decided that books with pictures were for little kids who couldn't read real books yet, or boys who liked robot trucks and superheroes so much that cartoons weren't enough. The only exceptions to this rule were Garfield, The Far Side, and Calvin and Hobbes.

Luckily, by the time I got to college, dorm rooms came equipped with internet and in between working on papers I discovered webcomics. Almost always free, often created by newer, less established, or more experimental artists and writers, these were my one-page-at-a-time introduction to the world of graphic novels.

I'm still an avid reader of webcomics, which is how I came to hear of Poorcraft: funnybook fundamentals of living well on less (640 TRO). The writer, Spike Trotman, is responsible for one of my favorites, Templar, AZ (sometimes NSFW), and I've been waiting to read this graphic novel guide to living within your means since she raised the possibility.

In fact, I wish I'd had this book before I finished college, and entered the world of entry level positions, job hunting in a lukewarm economy, and graduate school. Poorcraft has everything from tips on how to make your own cleaning supplies to how to navigate the complexity of the health care system. Some of the advice my parents gave me (always keep a budget, don't buy things on credit), and some I've learned through experience (how to find a good apartment), but many elements were new for me (how to care for an iron skillet).

The art is done by Diana Nock who, among other projects, does the webcomic The Intrepid Girlbot (family friendly). The style she uses for Poorcraft reminds me of cartoons from the 1930s, very expressive and loose limbed. A callback to the Great Depression makes sense for the topic! I love the humor of the visual style (there are some very amusing background elements), and how the book is organized around Millie's navigation of the concepts of frugality with Penny's help. By having the humor and a narrative, it turns Poorcraft from a list of Dos and Don'ts into a story you'll want to read cover to cover!

I highly recommend this title for anyone looking to save a little money in their budget, whether you're just starting out, or you've been navigating adulthood for years. Poorcraft will give you a good starting point!

You can see more of Spike's work on her website: www.ironcircus.com
And more of Diana Nock's work on her website: www.jinxville.com
Both sites may include material that is NSFW.

~Sarah, Adult Services