Love, Sweet Love

Valentine's Day is fast approaching, but you can embrace love and romance all year round by picking up a good romantic read. We've put together a short list of some of the best new romance books of the past year to jump start your reading journey (all book summaries taken from Goodreads).

The Friend Zone by Abby Jimenez
Kristen Petersen doesn't do drama, will fight to the death for her friends, and has no room in her life for guys who just don't get her. She's also keeping a big secret: facing a medically necessary procedure that will make it impossible for her to have children.

Planning her best friend's wedding is bittersweet for Kristen, especially when she meets the best man, Josh Copeland. He's funny, sexy, never offended by her mile-wide streak of sarcasm, and always one chicken enchilada ahead of her hangry. Even her dog, Stuntman Mike, adores him. The only catch: Josh wants a big family someday. Kristen knows he'd be better off with someone else, but as their attraction grows, it's harder and harder to keep him at arm's length.

Well Met by Jen DeLuca
Emily knew there would be strings attached when she relocated to the small town of Willow Creek, Maryland, for the summer to help her sister recover from an accident, but who could anticipate getting roped into volunteering for the local Renaissance Faire alongside her teenaged niece? Or that the irritating and inscrutable schoolteacher in charge of the volunteers would be so annoying that she finds it impossible to stop thinking about him?

The faire is Simon's family legacy and from the start he makes clear he doesn't have time for Emily's lighthearted approach to life, her oddball Shakespeare conspiracy theories, or her endless suggestions for new acts to shake things up. Yet on the faire grounds he becomes a different person, flirting freely with Emily when she's in her revealing wench's costume. But is this attraction real, or just part of the characters they're portraying?

This summer was only ever supposed to be a pit stop on the way to somewhere else for Emily, but soon she can't seem to shake the fantasy of establishing something more with Simon, or a permanent home of her own in Willow Creek.
 

Get A Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert
Chloe Brown is a chronically ill computer geek with a goal, a plan, and a list. After almost, but not quite, dying, she’s come up with seven directives to help her “Get a Life”, and she’s already completed the first: finally moving out of her glamourous family’s mansion. The next items?

Enjoy a drunken night out.
Ride a motorcycle.
Go camping.
Have meaningless but thoroughly enjoyable sex.
Travel the world with nothing but hand luggage.
And... do something bad.
But it’s not easy being bad, even when you’ve written step-by-step guidelines on how to do it correctly. What Chloe needs is a teacher, and she knows just the man for the job.

Redford ‘Red’ Morgan is a handyman with tattoos, a motorcycle, and more sex appeal than ten-thousand Hollywood heartthrobs. He’s also an artist who paints at night and hides his work in the light of day, which Chloe knows because she spies on him occasionally. Just the teeniest, tiniest bit.

But when she enlists Red in her mission to rebel, she learns things about him that no spy session could teach her. Like why he clearly resents Chloe’s wealthy background. And why he never shows his art to anyone. And what really lies beneath his rough exterior

The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren
Olive is always unlucky: in her career, in love, in ...well, everything. Her identical twin sister Ami, on the other hand, is probably the luckiest person in the world. Her meet-cute with her fiancé is something out of a romantic comedy (gag) and she’s managed to finance her entire wedding by winning a series of Internet contests (double gag). Worst of all, she’s forcing Olive to spend the day with her sworn enemy, Ethan, who just happens to be the best man.

Olive braces herself to get through 24 hours of wedding hell before she can return to her comfortable, unlucky life. But when the entire wedding party gets food poisoning from eating bad shellfish, the only people who aren’t affected are Olive and Ethan. And now there’s an all-expenses-paid honeymoon in Hawaii up for grabs. Putting their mutual hatred aside for the sake of a free vacation, Olive and Ethan head for paradise, determined to avoid each other at all costs. But when Olive runs into her future boss, the little white lie she tells him is suddenly at risk to become a whole lot bigger. She and Ethan now have to pretend to be loving newlyweds, and her luck seems worse than ever. But the weird thing is that she doesn’t mind playing pretend. In fact, she feels kind of... lucky

The Bromance Book Club by Lyssa Kay Adams
Nashville Legends second baseman Gavin Scott's marriage is in major league trouble. He’s recently discovered a humiliating secret: his wife Thea has always faked the Big O. When he loses his cool at the revelation, it’s the final straw on their already strained relationship. Thea asks for a divorce, and Gavin realizes he’s let his pride and fear get the better of him.

Welcome to the Bromance Book Club.

Distraught and desperate, Gavin finds help from an unlikely source: a secret romance book club made up of Nashville's top alpha men. With the help of their current read, a steamy Regency titled Courting the Countess, the guys coach Gavin on saving his marriage. But it'll take a lot more than flowery words and grand gestures for this hapless Romeo to find his inner hero and win back the trust of his wife.


If romance isn't your thing, don't worry we have plenty of mystery, thriller, science fiction, fantasy, and more to choose from. Just stop by the library to browse or fill out a BookMatch Form to get personalized book recommendations from one of our librarians.

Amy, Adult Services

C-SPL Reader of the Month: Evan Quade

When not reading, our first C-SPL Reader of the Month for 2020, Evan Quade, writes poems, sings karaoke, and drinks coffee in just about every café he finds. He also works at a car dealership and is admin to the Facebook group, BookAholic Café.


(See the past Reader of the Month posts here)

Evan's Reading Interests

Read beyond your vision. That is my invented philosophy related to books. You control the image the story lays out. It is your journey and yours alone. This is why I love fantasy! I'll read other genres too, but fantasy really sparks my imagination.

Q & A with Evan

Q. What is the best book you have read within the last year (or ever)?

A. The Alchemist by Paolo Coelho! It teaches everyone who reads it to be their own kind of original— “a personal legend,” as the book puts it.

Q. What is your ideal reading environment (location, sound, snacks, etc.)?

A. When not reading in the comfort of my reading corner at home, I like reading surrounded by nature or at a café. I like ambience or gentle, soothing music (whether by piano, guitar, harp, or flute).

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

A. The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson from The Stormlight Archive series. The series is part of an interconnected universe known as the Cosmere and offers the ultimate developed magic system. They are huge books, but worth it. Don't let the page length intimidate you!

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

A. Go with books by Brandon Sanderson. I can bug every reader about that. He has the talent of world building, well-constructed characters, and of course different magic elements. If you are a fantasy nut, it's right up your alley. If you don't want to jump right into his lengthier books, you can start small. My personal starting book was Mistborn. Carnegie Stout Public Library's Geek Out! Book Club read that during 2019, so shout out to the host and librarian, Angie, for picking that one!

Q. What book has been the most challenging for you to read? How did it challenge you?

A. The Dark Artifices trilogy by Cassandra Clare. They are a sequel to The Mortal Instruments series. There was a new story line and a new set of characters, but familiar elements from the previous series were cluttered and made the three books big and chunky. I enjoyed them, don't get me wrong, but they took a lot of hard work.

Q. When do you decide to stop reading a book? (In other words, do you read every book to the last page, or is there a moment when you decide to stop?)

A. It really depends. It depends what your inner vibe tells you and whether the vision of the story is bright and clear. I am a curious person and always want to know the whole story.

Q. Do you remember when your love for reading began?

A. When I discovered Harry Potter. I was a little boy when the first book in the series and I crossed paths, and now here I am a lifetime reader, thanks to these revolutionary books. I was born to be a reader.

Check out more of Evan's Favorite Books 

Apply to be the next C-SPL Reader of the Month!

It's Baking Season!

It's the time of year for baking! Did you know that the Carnegie-Stout Public Library lets you check out baking pans? We have 50+ items in our baking pan collection, from tart pans and cake molds to specialty pans (like cannoli tubes) and baking essentials (like measuring cups and spoons).

The delicious cake pictured here was made by Adult Services Manager Bill Carroll. He checked out a bundt pan to make a molasses gingerbread cake with cinnamon whipped cream. The recipe he used is below if you want to make one of your own to share with friends and family for the holidays!

Molasses Gingerbread Cake with Cinnamon Whipped Cream

This recipe was originally from The New Thanksgiving Table by Diane Morgan.

Cake Ingredients:

·         1 tablespoon unsalted butter at room temperature

·         3 ¾ cups all purpose flour, plus extra for dusting pan

·         1 ½ teaspoons of ground cinnamon

·         ¾ teaspoon of ground cloves

·         ¾ teaspoon of freshly ground pepper

·         1 ½ cups sweet unsulphured molasses (not blackstrap)

·         1 ½ cups granulated sugar

·         1 ½ cups canola or peanut oil

·         1 ½ cups water

·         1 tablespoon baking soda

·         2/3 cup (packed) peeled and minced fresh ginger*

·         3 large eggs, beaten

*NOTE: You will need about 5-6 ounces of fresh ginger in order to get 2/3 cup of minced ginger. The easiest way to prepare the ginger is to peel it, cut it into small chunks, and mince it in a mini or regular-sized food processor using the metal blade. You may also mince it by hand, but it will take more time to do.

Instructions:

1.    Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 350ºF. Generously butter and flour a nonstick, 12-cup Bundt pan, tapping the pan to remove excess flour (make certain every interior surface is thoroughly coated so the cake doesn’t stick to the pan).

2.    In a large bowl, sift together the 3 ¾ cups of flour, the cinnamon, cloves, and pepper.

3.    In another large bowl, whisk together the molasses, granulated sugar, and oil.

4.    In a 2 ½ quart saucepan, bring the water to a boil. Remove from the heat and stir in the baking soda. Whisk this mixture into the molasses mixture into the molasses mixture, and then add your fresh minced ginger.

5.    Adding a generous cupful at a time, stir the flour mixture into the molasses mixture, until the flour is absorbed.

6.    Whisk in the eggs and pour the batter into the prepared pan.

7.    Bake for about 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. If the cake appears to be browning too quickly, lay a piece of foil over the top of the pan.

8.    Cool the cake in the pan for 1 hour on a wire rack. Place the rack over the top of the pan and invert to unmold the cake. Let the cake continue to cool on the rack.
The cake can be covered and stored at room temperature for up to 2 days, or wrap tightly and freeze for up to 1 month. Thaw overnight at room temperature.

Cinnamon Whipped Cream Ingredients:

·         1 ½ cups heavy whipping cream

·         ¼ cup confectioner’s sugar

·         ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Instructions:

1.    Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl. Use a whisk or electric mixer to whip the cream until soft peaks form.

2.    Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. The whipped cream can be prepared up to 4 hours in advance.

TO SERVE:

Dust the cake with confectioner’s using small fine-mesh sieve. Slice cake and serve with a dollop of whipped cream.
You could also cover the cake with the whipped cream like a frosting. Slice and serve.

Check out a pan from our Baking Pan Collection and make your own delicious creation for the holidays, a birthday celebration, a special occasion, or just because! 

Love Stories to Warm Up a Cold Evening

I love a good love story any time of year, but there's something extra nice about curling up with a heartwarming read on a dark, cold evening. I've put together a list of a few of my recent favorites, and I hope you'll share yours in the comments!

I've included a rating scale of 1-4 fire 🔥 emojis to give you a sense of how explicit the physical relationship of the characters gets on the page.

Pride, Prejudice, and Other Flavors by Sonali Dev
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With her newest book Sonali Dev has shifted away from her popular Bollywood romance series to create modern variations on Jane Austen's classics, starting with Pride and Prejudice. Trisha is a neurosurgeon from an incredibly rich and powerful family, DJ is a talented chef whose family has struggled for everything they have. There's romance, family drama, some interesting twists, but most memorable are the lusciously delicious food descriptions.


Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston
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I'm always a sucker for stories where enemies or rivals discover that they don't actually hate each other, and that all those sparks flying are True Love. McQuiston's debut is exactly that. For years Alex, son of the first female President of the United States, thought he hated Prince Henry, the younger son of the Queen of England. Of course, as the sons of such powerful people, it's going to be more than a little complicated to make things work.


Can't Escape Love by Alyssa Cole
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This is a novella, which means that it is currently eBook only and available to City of Dubuque residents through the library's OverDrive/Libby collection. It also means that this story falls smack in the middle of Cole's Reluctant Royals series, so be wary of spoilers for the other books in this series. Reggie is driven, fiercely independent, and unapologetically nerdy. Gus has a sexy voice, a love for puzzles, and is just breaking into the world of Escape Rooms. They met online, but in person their attraction proves to be impossible to resist.


The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang
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Helen Hoang's debut novel is a enjoyable story about a fake relationship between two people who don't feel worthy of the real thing - yet. Stella is successful and accomplished, but Asperger's syndrome makes interpersonal relationships a challenge. Michael is the half-Vietnamese escort she hires to help her learn and improve her skills. I listened to the audiobook, and narrator Carly Robins is fantastic.


The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory
🔥🔥🔥🔥
Jasmine Guillory's debut was one of my top three favorite reads for 2019 with what felt a perfect mix of sweet and spicy, humor and drama. Alexa and Drew meet when they get stuck in an elevator together, and then Drew impulsively asks Alexa to be his date at his ex-girlfriend's wedding. It's a fake relationship with an undeniable attraction, but the real conflict comes from how two accomplished professionals with established lives in different cities can make things work.


Intercepted by Alexa Martin
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If you'd asked me a year ago, I would've told you that sports romances weren't really my thing, but Alexa Martin convinced me that I was wrong. It helps that Intercepted doesn't require the reader to be a football expert to understand the story. Marlee has been dating Chris since high school, though they've had a few rough patches over the years. On one memorable break, Marlee had a one-night stand with Gavin, who just so happens to be the new quarterback for Chris's team. Plus Chris still hasn't #PutARingOnIt, which means Marlee is a second-class citizen when it comes to the mean girls club made up of the other players' wives.

Mystery Puns That Will Sleigh You

Dark, cold winter evenings, the stress of holiday gatherings and the crowds of shoppers, it's no wonder that cozy mystery authors find murderous inspiration in the Christmas season.

Below find a list of recent mysteries with a Christmas pun twist:

 'Twas the Knife Before Christmas by Jacqueline Frost
The second book in the Christmas Tree Farm Mystery series. When a body turns up in the dumpster behind Caroline’s Cupcakes, Holly White is horrified to learn her best friend Caroline is the main suspect.

Murder With All the Trimmings by Shawn Simmons
The sixth book in the Red Carpet Catering Mysteries series. Penelope Sutherland is catering her first documentary, a history of the Vitrine Theater and the Big Apple Dancers, who put on the world-famous Christmas Extravaganza. When one of the dancers mysteriously disappears then turns up dead right before opening night, it looks like Christmas might be cancelled.

Six Cats a Slayin' by Miranda James
The tenth book in the Cat in the Stacks series. Charlie Harris and his Maine Coon cat, Diesel, are busy decking the halls for the holidays when an unexpected delivery and a shocking murder conspire to shake up the season.

A Cup of Holiday Fear by Ellie Alexander
The tenth book in the Bakeshop Mystery series. To cap off the merry season, Jules and Helen host their annual staff party at the historic Winchester Inn’s Dickens Feast. Just as the dessert course is about to be served the power goes out and Jules finds herself in the middle of a murder investigation. Her only wish this Christmas is to catch a killer.

Dachshund Through the Snow by David Rosenfelt
The twentieth book in the Andy Carpenter series. This Christmas, lawyer Andy Carpenter and his golden retriever, Tara, can't say no to helping young Danny and his dachshund, Murphy.

Owl Be Home for Christmas by Donna Andrews
The twenty-sixth book in the Meg Langslow series. It's a few days before Christmas, and Meg's grandfather is hosting a scientific conference on owls at the Caerphilly Inn. An unexpectedly severe snow storm traps the conference-goers in the hotel, and one of the visiting ornithologists is murdered.

Silent Knit, Deadly Knit by Peggy Erhart
The fourth book in A Knit & Nibble Mystery series. When murder silences the Christmas cheer in charming Arborville, New Jersey, Pamela and her Knit and Nibble pals must unravel the most bone-chilling mystery this side of the North Pole . . .

C-SPL Reader of the Month: Tori Stanley

With 2019 coming to a close, we have one final C-SPL Reader of the Month for the year, but no worries, there will be more in 2020! Tori Stanley is a dental assistant and part-time clinical instructor at NICC in the dental assisting program. Besides reading, Tori loves crafting—especially bookish objects and home and holiday decor.

(See the past C-SPL Reader of the Month blog posts here.)

Tori's Reading Interests

I love fantasy and science fiction (YA and adult), horror, thrillers, and dystopian novels. I tend to stick with authors that I really like and other books they recommend. I love reading about characters trying to change their worlds for the better, when their worlds are colorful, crazy, and slightly different than our own, and I LOVE it when a character is morally gray. About two years ago, I ventured out into the world and went to my first Geek Out Book Club at Carnegie-Stout Public Library and it is something that I fell in love with and found a great friend in too. I love that the club pushes me to read different books that I might of just passed up on a regular basis. I also help on a Facebook book club as an admin creating events and discussions with people from all over the world.

Q&A with Tori

Q. What is your ideal reading environment (location, sound, snacks, etc.)?

A. Snacks. I need all the snacks. I love candy (especially milk duds—yes I know they’re bad for your teeth), popcorn, ice cream, and chocolate. I also enjoy a glass of green tea in the morning and a beer at night (but those aren’t necessary). I can typically read with or without music. BUT if I had to choose, I love reading any kind of fantasy novel while listening to The Lord of the Rings soundtrack (this will change your reading life).

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

A. I am most excited about reading Aurora Burning by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff. Their writing is fantastic. It’s YA science fiction. This band of misfits will make you fall in love with them and then rip your heart out. The first book, Aurora Rising, was one of my favorite books of the year. 

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

A. Illuminae (The Illuminae Files #1). Everyone should read this. It’s YA science fiction, but I have not had a single person tell me they didn’t love this series. The style of the book is something I’ve never seen before and the audiobook is to die for. I’m not a fan of audiobooks, but this changed my life: it has a full cast and the most amazing sound effects. It is totally worth the read, even if you aren’t a fan of YA or science fiction.

Q. What book has been the most challenging for you to read? How did it challenge you?

 
A. The most challenging book for me to read was All Your Perfects by Colleen Hoover. It’s romance. Romance books are a tough one for me to swallow. A friend recommended it to me for my “read something you wouldn’t normally read” challenge. I won’t lie, I didn’t want to read it. I got it and would pick it up, just to put it back down. But once I finally started it, I fell in love. The book was incredibly real, broke my heart, then put it back together. The writing style was amazing. And now, I recommend it to everyone.

Q. When do you decide to stop reading a book? (In other words, do you read every book to the last page, or is there a moment when you decide to stop?)
 

A. Typically I like to finish books in one or two days, but life sometimes gets in the way. I try to read before bed every night so I have to be careful to watch the clock and not read all night. I have to stop at the end of chapters. It’s bothersome to have to stop reading in the middle of a chapter-it’s like nails on a chalkboard. If the book doesn't interest me, my reading motto is simple: life is too short to read books you don’t enjoy.

Q. Do you remember when your love for reading began?

 
A. I always enjoyed reading. The library where I grew up had great reading challenges that I loved to complete. The day I fell in love is easy to remember. It was my birthday in 1998. My aunt gave me Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. That’s the first night I pulled an all-nighter to finish a book. I fell in love with the characters and the world. And then of course with reading.


Check out more of Tori's Favorite Books

Apply to be the next C-SPL Reader of the Month!