New York Times Best Sellers

For the Week of January 13, 2019

Fiction Best Sellers

Full 2019 list

          1. THE RECKONING by John Grisham

          10 weeks on the list
         

2. FIRE AND BLOOD by George R.R. Martin


6 weeks on the list
 
 
3. EVERY BREATH by Nicholas Sparks 
11 weeks on the list


4. TARGET: ALEX CROSS by James Patterson
6 weeks on the list


5. WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING by Delia Owens
17 weeks on the list


6. THE NEXT PERSON YOU MEET IN HEAVEN by Mitch Albom
12 weeks on the list


7. ELEVATION by Stephen King
9 weeks on the list


8. PAST TENSE by Lee Child
8 weeks on the list


9. NINE PERFECT STRANGERS by Liane Moriarty
8 weeks on the list


10. LONG ROAD TO MERCY by David Baldacci
7 weeks on the list



11. TOM CLANCY: OATH OF OFFICE by Marc Cameron
5 weeks on the list


12. DARK SACRED NIGHT by Michael Connelly
8 weeks on the list


13. LOOK ALIVE TWENTY-FIVE by Janet Evanovich
7 weeks on the list


14. OF BLOOD AND BONE by Nora Roberts
3 weeks on the list

 
15. THERE THERE by Tommy Orange
12 weeks on the list

Non-Fiction Best Sellers 

Full 2019 List

           1. BECOMING by Michelle Obama 

           7 weeks on the list
          

           2. THE POINT OF IT ALL by Charles Krauthammer, edited by Daniel Krauthammer
           4 weeks on the list
          

           3. EDUCATED by Tara Westover
           45 weeks on the list
          

           4. KILLING THE SS by Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard
           12 weeks on the list
          

           5. BRIEF ANSWERS TO THE BIG QUESTIONS by Stephen Hawking
          11 weeks on the list
          

           6. SHADE by Pete Souza
           11 weeks on the list
          

           7. LEADERSHIP by Doris Kearns Goodwin
           15 weeks on the list
          

           8. CHURCHILL: WALKING WITH DESTINY by Andrew Roberts
           7 weeks on the list
          

           9. FEAR by Bob Woodward
          16 weeks on the list
          
      
          10. BEASTIE BOYS BOOK by Michael Diamond and Adam Horovitz
          9 weeks on the list
         

         11. THE FIFTH RISK by Michael Lewis
         11 weeks on the list
        
        
         12. SHIP OF FOOLS by Tucker Carlson
         13 weeks on the list
        

         13. 21 LESSONS FOR THE 21ST CENTURY by Yuval Noah Harari
         5 weeks on the list

        

         14. OBAMA by Pete Souza
         23 weeks on the list
        

         15. ASTROPHYSICS FOR PEOPLE IN A HURRY by Neil deGrasse Tyson
         78 weeks on the list
        

CSPL Reader of the Month: Evan Meyer

For 2019, the library will feature a new reader every month who will share their reading interests, habits, and favorite books. The CSPL Reader of the Month for January is the library’s very own Book Peddler, Evan Meyer. Here, Evan discusses his reading preferences and answers a few questions put forth to him. 

Evan’s reading interests:

I enjoy reading nonfiction books, with an emphasis on economics and history. World history and events are frequently influenced, if not outright caused by, global capital flows and wealth transfers. Technical innovations and cultural, political, or other shifts and discoveries impacting economic activities can have far-reaching consequences.

Economics and the study of money is probably one of the most important areas of life which people do not adequately prepare themselves for. Students avoid it and adults whisk it aside as boring, complicated, or uncomfortable, when in fact it is a dynamic, exciting, and powerful force. Too often I feel we want answers that would fit in a tweet to questions requiring a dozen interconnected books to attempt a full explanation.

I also believe that if I expend time in any pursuit, I try to make it worthwhile, and learn something for personal improvement. This does not mean I never read a certain genre; indeed, I recognize human experience and universal truths are sometimes best related through works of fiction. Even from authors or subjects I find unfavorable, there is something to be gleaned or new thoughts they can teach. I support critical thought, expanding my knowledge base, sharpening my ability to synthesize information and find connections, and learning whenever possible.


The longer you can look back, the farther you can look forward.
-Winston Churchill

History doesn't repeat itself, but it does rhyme.
-Paraphrase, attributed to Mark Twain

Q&A with Evan:

 

Q: What is the best book you’ve read this year (or ever)?

A: I either read or listen via audio format to 1984 every year. I suppose that would put it at the top of my personally-important-books list.

Q: What’s your ideal reading environment (location, sound, snacks, etc.)?

A: On the couch, especially in winter while we have a fire going in the wood stove. Also, with tea. A close second would be in bed with my reading light.

Q: What book are you most excited about reading next and what about it is most exciting?

A: Oh wow, I have quite a list to work through. And authors keep writing more!

Dealing with China : An Insider Unmasks the New Economic Superpower by Henry M. Paulson, Jr.

I'm probably most excited about this one, as I just watched a documentary titled Hank: 5 Years From the Brink about the 2008 financial crisis, and Secretary Paulson's view from a front row seat. I'm curious what he has to say about the future, given the perspective he has on the past.

Several on my list look interesting. I like many interpretations, from many points of view, and glean what I can. I can really just browse and get hit in the face by more good books than I'll ever have time for. I also have three or four books from the Friends of the Library Book Sale I need to whittle away at!

Q: What book do you think more people should read and why do you think they should read it?

A: I would have to tout 1984 as a book more people should read, as well as understand, and synthesize with both historical and current occurrences domestically and internationally. Take a look at Orwell’s life, adventures, and what he saw, and why he came to the conclusions he did. Much like Josef Conrad’s Heart of Darkness being influenced in large part by factual observation (read King Leopold’s Ghost, also on my suggested reading list), what seems like prophetic prediction or dark fantasy is in reality greatly observation. With technological advances, China's Sesame Credit system, global data gathering, etc... I'll let you go from there, but we should always be leery of letting entities - especially large, impersonal, machinated entities - other than ourselves get power over our lives, and not lightly sacrifice or otherwise let personal freedoms slip out of our control.

Q: When do you decide to stop reading a book?

A: This depends upon the book, the author, the style, the content… that’s something that really falls under the “difficult to define, but I know it when I [read] it” category. I'll give anything a chance, but if the material doesn't grab me, I will move on. I don’t spend time on reading fallacious or poorly written drivel. Luckily for me, we have a great selection at the Carnegie-Stout, so that's rarely a problem. In fact, that kind of leads to the last "abandonment" of mine. It was Unelected Power, focusing on European Central banks and their roles in international finance; it was very dry, and quite a ponderous tome. I might come back to it in the future, but at the time (and to this day) I just had (and have) the issue of "so much to read, so little time," and just had to pull a kind of "literary triage," and throw in the towel until I catch up on some titles I'm more interested in. That's kind of a recurring theme in my reading: I bite off more than I can chew and bounce around multiple books, sometimes at the same time, especially when they're similar subjects.

For more titles, check out Evan's Reading Recommendations.

Do you remember Tim Miller?

I'm not sure what made me think of Tim Miller recently, but I was able to dig up this "Staff Picks" blurb Tim contributed to the library website in January 2007:

Tim worked at Carnegie-Stout from 1988 to 2007, and died in 2008 at age 35.

I did not know Tim well, but I remember he was well liked, especially by younger staff who appreciated his sense of humor.

In 2007 Tim also recommended the novel "Lord of the Barnyard" by Tristan Egolf, because of its "entertainment factor and genius."

As with "Satan" by Jeremy Leven, the library's copy of "Lord of the Barnyard" appears to have gone missing, if we ever had one.

But both titles are still in print, and replacement copies are on order, in memoriam.

~Mike, Adult Services

Staff Review: "Addicted to Outrage" by Glenn Beck

We live in divisive times, my friends. Recent polling data shows that a majority of Americans believe that American politics have reached a dangerous low point. It is easy to become outraged at nearly anything these days. We see or hear something that has been said or posted on the internet and, if the offender differs from us politically, we can easily work ourselves into a lather and express our virulent disagreement without really listening or trying to understand where that person is coming from or what they are trying to say. In his new book, Addicted to Outrage, Glenn Beck makes the case that we are just that.

With a background in talk radio and a television resume that includes a nightly show on both CNN and Fox News, Glenn Beck is a political commentator who is reasonable, educated, and often entertaining and enlightening. He is a conservative, but any liberal readers out there should not eschew this book due to a difference of politics. In fact, Beck wrote this book  in an attempt to bring individuals of disparate political beliefs together and to encourage diversity of thought and reasoned discourse. He is appropriately critical of both sides of the political spectrum (including his own past use of outrage to discredit opponents) and their reliance on outrage to push their agendas and inspire ire for the other side. Beck encourages Americans to truly listen to one another, do their own research, check their outrage at the door, and attempt to come together as a nation. 

In this book, Beck gets back to the basics in an examination of those three documents that set America apart from every other nation that has emerged on this planet: the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. He asserts that these three documents continue to guarantee that which has made America the greatest country in the history of the world: liberty for the individual. Let's not squander that over the things that divide us; rather, let's have a real conversation, sans the mudslinging. Our politicians could learn a lot from this book.

Beck urges his readers, regardless or even in spite of political disagreement, to give these ideas a try. The author asserts that the American Experiment is too important to allow to fall into disrepair due to what often amount to petty differences. If, dear reader, you feel the same I recommend this book. The author's ideas just may help us overcome our addiction to outrage and begin to come together as Americans.

~Ryan, Circulation

Baking Pan: Tree Shape

Do you have a holiday party coming up and you don't really want to bake anything fancy. Borrow the tree cake pan from the library, throw in some cinnamon rolls, bake for 14-17 minutes, frost and you have a festive holiday contribution.

This is a picture of the cake pan after I took out the rolls, I promise it was clean when I started the process. Before I put the cinnamon rolls in the pan I sprayed it with baking spray, the kind with flour, to make sure the rolls didn't stick. I used 2 standard packages of cinnamon rolls. If you make rolls from scratch, you are my hero.  

 

Fresh from the oven! I placed a cutting board on top of the pan, flipped it over and dumped the rolls out. I then put another cutting board on top and flipped the whole thing again so I could frost the tops of the rolls. Does it really matter which side of the roll you frost? Probably not, they taste great either way.

I frosted the rolls with the frosting that came with the package. I was going to get fancy and make red and green frosting, but I didn't have any food coloring on hand. You could add sprinkles to the white frosting to make it more festive as well. Since the trunk seemed to be falling off, I ate that part first. 

Carnegie-Stout Public Library has a lot of great baking pans available to borrow. https://staff.dubuque.lib.ia.us/cgi-bin/koha/virtualshelves/shelves.pl?op=view&shelfnumber=1017

~Amy, Adult Services (not a baker). 

Staff Review: The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro

In sixth century England, a mist covers the land that clouds the past, leaving people with only their immediate memories. The Buried Giant, by the 2017 Nobel Prize winning author Kazuo Ishiguro, opens up with a distant landscape of rolling green hills, hazy skies, and humble dwellings. In this medieval village, we meet our protagonists, Axl and Beatrice. When they seem to have a faint memory of being parents, their quest to find their adult son drives the narrative.

A Saxon warrior and his apprentice escort the aging Briton couple as they travel through an England in which Britons recently made peace with nearby Saxon villages, though mistrust and danger are ever present. We encounter old enemies of the Saxons, Monks who may not be who they appear, and a few mythical beasts along the way—though the most looming threat may be what lies behind the mist.

As their journey is on foot, the story moves at a similar pace. Someone looking for high action may abort at this point. Although there are parts with action and suspense, they burn slowly. Someone interested in an atmospheric story full of symbolism and rooted in English lore may proceed. I felt I was walking with the characters—I suppose partly because I was walking while listening to the story—but also because the descriptive text and repetitive dialog had a certain rhythm I found immersive. The resonant voice of the audiobook narrator, David Horovitch, and his skill with dialects certainly played its part in pulling me in as well.

The repetition may be irksome to some. Axl constantly addresses his wife as Princess, which may be cute at first, but happens about every time he speaks to her. There’s also a key character Sir Guwayne, from English lore. How many times can he remind the characters that he fought by King Arthur’s side? The answer is, a lot. With all the repetition and little back-story, some may find the characters flat. Usually, I prefer complex characters, but Ishiguro has a way of revealing complexity by withholding details. The repetitive rhythm and the present-tense characters make them anybody, the stuff of myths. The repetition also has the eerie quality of mirroring our own behavior.

The moral questions the book raises are fascinating and perennial giving it the feel of a modern myth. Must we bury the past to make peace in the present? Or do we bravely bring the past to light and seek clarity to heal old wounds? Is our conception of self made from internally repetitive myths? These questions make the book one to ponder long after the last page.

~Ben, Adult Services