C-SPL Reader of the Month Updates, part 2

I've checked in on past C-SPL Readers of the Month to see what they've been reading recently. In the previous post Evan Quade and Cynthia Nelms-Byrne shared the books that have been occupying their minds recently. You can see that post here. Today, Bill, Heather, and Tori will share what they've been reading.

~Ben, Adult Services


Bill Carroll

I've been branching out my reading genres and have fully embraced cozy mysteries. I have been flying through the Joanne Fluke series, and have caught up on several other series including the Peggy Lee Garden series by Jim and Joyce Lavene, The Haunted Library series by Allison Brook, and less cozy, but just as fun, the Bernie & Chet Mysteries by Spencer Quinn/Peter Abrahams. Of these, the Joanne Fluke and Spencer Quinn series' are my current two favorites. The Bernie & Chet Mysteries really remind me of the time I lived in Phoenix, and it brings back good memories for me.

I've been trying to read light, escapist books and less non-fiction and less apocalyptic fiction like I normally do.




Heather Gudenkauf

Like many, I've been seeking out lighter, more humorous reads as of late and have returned to an old favorite: The Spellman series by Lisa Lutz. Be sure to to start with book number one - The Spellman Files. This six book series chronicles the crazy life of the Spellmans, a family of private investigators. To say they are a bit dysfunctional is an understatement. Izzy Spellman,  best described as a cross between Nancy Drew and Dirty Harry, is twenty-eight years old, lives at home with her parents, an impressionable fourteen year old sister and her wayward uncle who tends to disappear on "lost weekends." Izzy also takes great joy in antagonizing her perfect lawyer brother who has escaped the family business. This series is clever, laugh out loud funny and a great escape.



Tori Stanley

During quarantine I’ve been doing a lot of reading! Some new favorites for me would be Serpent & Dove by Shelby Mahurin, Ruthless Gods by Emily Duncan, The Witcher series by Andrzej Sapkowski, and The Red Rising Saga by Pierce Brown. So basically living in the fantasy world! I’ve also been rereading some of my favs during this strange time - Throne of Glass series and The Illuminae Files.







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C-SPL Reader of the Month Updates, part 1

With the library being temporarily closed, I've taken a hiatus with any new C-SPL Readers of the month until we reopen. Instead, now seems like the perfect time to check in on some of the past Readers of the Month. For some, it's been quite some time since they've shared their reading interests. All have plenty of new things to share since they were the featured reader. Today, Evan and Cynthia will share what they've been reading. More will follow in the next couple of days.

~Ben, Adult Services

Evan Quade

Lately I have been reading the Silo series by Hugh Howey. I chose the post-apocalyptic series because it reminds me of what we are dealing with. Imagine living in a civilization in a silo underground, taking shelter from a lethally toxic outside world. Just don't ever say you want out, because you will get your wish.

I have also been reading A Time to Kill by John Grisham. I love thrillers, but this is a new kind of thriller to me. Grisham is the man who owns the term "legal thriller." Check him out for the experience of what it is really like in a firm or courtroom.

If there is something as essential as food and cleaning supplies, it's our shelves full of books. In this unfortunate event, we seek the opportunity to elude this and read a book when we are overwhelmed or anxious. I find it interesting to read apocalyptic stories. If those characters can survive, so can we. Believe in yourself and be vigilant. Be safe everyone!

Cynthia Nelms-Byrne

The Library Book by Susan Orlean: If you want to know truly how valuable libraries are, read this one about the terrible fire that destroyed Los Angeles’ main library and the efforts to bring it back. The author is a specialist at writing about unusual subjects and making them fascinating. If you haven’t read The Orchid Thief by Orlean, that is also incredible.

The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich: I was sort of snoozing through the first half (probably because I don’t like boxing), but after that things really got exciting. This is a novelization based on the life of Erdrich’s grandfather (Thomas in the book), who is the night watchman in an odd factory, so based on some true happenings.

The Returned by Jason Mott: A futuristic/dystopian novel about people who were dead who now mysteriously come back to life many years (usually) later and disrupt the living. Just the kind of thing we need now to remind us that things could be worse.

Wake, Siren by Nina McLaughlin: This contains the stories of the women in Ovid’s Metamorphoses in their own words - both mythic and modern. I thought it was amazing and it reacquainted me with such mythical creatures such as Medussa. I don’t know much about these storied women, so it was informative as well as fantastical.

The Danish Girl by David Ebershoff: A film was made from this, with Eddie Redmayne in the title role! I like the book every bit as much as the film, because it got more deeply into the characters’ feelings and thoughts, which is what a book usually has over a film. It is loosely based on real people.


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Celebrate Earth Day 2020

Earth Dec. 7, 1972, by the crew of Apollo 17 (NASA)

Wednesday, April 22 is the 50th annual celebration of Earth Day! Earth Day is a global day to recognize and support the importance of environmental protection proposed by UNESCO and popularized in the United States by Wisconsin's Gaylord Nelson.

One great way to celebrate, while maintaining appropriate social distancing, is to go for a hike on one of the excellent trails throughout the Dubuque area. Be sure to take the time to check the weather before you hike so you don't get caught in a spring shower! It's also a good idea to check with the appropriate parks agency to see if they have any guidance or restrictions at this time.

• City of Dubuque trails and maps
• City of Dubuque parks
• Dubuque County parks and maps
• State of Iowa parks

If the weather isn't cooperating, or you'd rather celebrate from the comfort of your own couch, you might enjoy using your Dubuque resident Carnegie-Stout Public Library card to watch an Earth Day related documentary on Kanopy. We've gathered together a short list of suggested titles below.

The Island President: Politics in the Maldives

(2011, 102 minutes) Nasheed, who brought democracy to the Maldives after decades of despotic rule, now faces an even greater challenge: as one of the most low-lying countries in the world, a rise of three feet in sea level would submerge the 1200 islands of the Maldives and make them uninhabitable.

Trashed with Jeremy Irons

(2012, 94 minutes) Jeremy Irons sets out to discover the extent and effects of the global waste problem, as he travels around the world to beautiful destinations tainted by pollution.

Plastic China - The Lives of Recycling Plant Workers in China

(2016, 83 minutes) This film documents a plastic recycling facility in a small town dedicated to the business of processing plastic waste and examines global consumption and culture through the eyes and hands of those who handle its refuse.

My Life as a Turkey

(2011, 53 minutes) PBS Nature tells one man's remarkable experience of raising a group of wild turkey hatchlings to adulthood. After a local farmer left a bowl of eggs on Joe Hutto's front porch, his life was forever changed. Hutto, possessing a broad background in the natural sciences and an interest in imprinting young animals, incubated the eggs and waited for them to hatch. 

Ken Burns: The National Parks - America’s Best Idea

(2009, 697 minutes) This 12-hour, six-part documentary series by Ken Burns and Dayton Duncan tells the story of an idea as uniquely American as the Declaration of Independence and just as radical: that the most special places in the nation should be preserved, not for royalty or the rich, but for everyone.

There's a Snake on My Book!

Librarians spend a lot of their time with books. Reading about books, organizing books, purchasing books, thinking about books. When you spend that much time with books you start to notice patterns. Similar titles, similar stories, similar covers.

Lately, I've been noticing snakes.

• The Andalucian Friend by Alexander Soderberg
• Boy, Snow Bird by Helen Oyeyemi
• Dark Age by Pierce Brown
• Deviation by Luce D'Eramo
• The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry
• Famous in Cedarville by Erica Wright
• Gun Island by Amitav Ghosh
• Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo
• Queen of the Conquered by Kacen Callender
• The Remaking by Clay McLeod Chapman
• Trinity Sight by Jennifer Givhan
• The Water Museum by Luis Alberto Urrea

~Sarah, adult services

Some Fun Things

I've used this time of working from home and social distancing to discover new fun things on the internet. Not everything out there is doom and gloom, there are actually some positive things that have appeared due to everyone being under some type of quarantine in order to stop the spread of this terrible virus.

Okay...enough with the depressing stuff, let's move on to the fun things!

First off, have you seen John Krasinski's YouTube episodes of Some Good News? They are fantastic. You probably know Krasinski from The Office, Jack Ryan, and as the director of A Quiet Place. He's also married to Mary Poppins....er, I mean Emily Blunt.

John has been gathering good news from around the world via Twitter and other social media channels and presenting short segments in the format of a news channel. I laughed. I cried. These are just fantastic. Episode 2 is just so amazing, it gave me goose bumps.  Click on the link to watch Some Good News.

Next up we have LeVar Burton of Roots, Star Trek: The Next Generation, and Reading Rainbow fame. He has launched a Twitter live stream of his podcast LeVar Burton Reads for all ages on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Here is his current schedule and you can follow him on Twitter at @LevarBurton:

• Mondays for Children: 9:00 a.m. PT/12:00 p.m. ET
• Wednesdays for YA: 3:00 p.m. PT/6:00 p.m. ET
• Fridays for Adults: 6:00p.m. PT/9:00 p.m. ET

If you miss an episode, you can replay them on Twitter.

Speaking of Star Trek: The Next Generation cast members, how about Sir Patrick Stewart? Since Saturday, March 21, this incredibly talented, Oscar nominated actor has been treating people to a reading of one Shakespeare sonnet at day. Stewart had a long run with the Royal Shakespeare Company (1966-1982) so he is certainly qualified to read Shakespeare sonnets.

You can follow him on Twitter at @SirPatStew. As with LeVar Burton, if you miss a reading you can replay them on Twitter.

Authors Kevin Hearne and Delilah S. Dawson have a podcast called Ask the Bards in which they talk about many aspects of writing. The first episode came out on February 23, and they have continued to produce episodes. Kevin Hearne is very much into craft cocktails and birds, so if you have interest in either of those things you can follow him on Twitter at @KevinHearne.

Author Veronica Roth has a Twitch channel and during the month of April she is partnering with other authors to talk about writing, publishing, and other topics. 

Do you have a favorite author, artist, musician, or entertainer? Chances are they have started putting free, entertaining content on the internet via some social media platform. If you've discovered something new and wonderful, please share!

~Amy, Adult Services

More Recent Romance

Carnegie-Stout Librarians love romance, and we know our readers do too. If you're looking for a good love story, keep reading for a few suggestions or check out these recent blog posts for even more!

• Love Stories to Warm Up a Cold Evening (12/13/19)
• Love, Sweet Love (2/1/20)

Ayesha at Last by Uzma Jalaluddin

OverDrive eBook

A contemporary retelling of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice set among the tight-knit Muslim community of Toronto, Canada. Ayesha has set aside her dreams of poetry to pursue a teaching career and help support her family. Khalid will not sacrifice his respect for his family's traditions for the sake of a simpler social life, including his mother's dream of an arranged marriage. When an event at their mosque brings them together, Ayesha and Khalid find themselves reconsidering their preconceptions.

Tell Me How You Really Feel by Aminah Mae Safi

OverDrive eBook

This young adult romance is an enemies-to-lovers story featuring two incredibly driven young women: cheerleader Sana Khan and aspiring film-maker Rachel Recht. The sparks (and cameras) fly as these two learn to navigate the expectations of their families and their own dreams for the future. Drama-filled and uplifting, with tons of references for readers who are also film buffs.

The Bride Test by Helen Hoang

OverDrive eBook | OverDrive audiobook

This book contains spoilers for Hoang's first novel, The Kiss Quotient, so reader beware! Khai is content with the life he's built for himself and believes that he has what he needs. His mother isn't so sure, and takes it upon herself to find a bride for Khai. Esme has made some mistakes in her life, but she's working hard as a cleaner in a Ho Chi Minh City hotel to support her grandmother, mother, and young daughter. When she's given the chance to go to America for a potential arranged marriage, she takes the leap into the unknown.

The Worst Best Man by Mia Sosa

OverDrive audiobook

In the years after she was left at the alter, Lina has built a successful wedding planning business with the support of her loving Brazillian family in Washington D.C. When she receives an unexpected chance to launch her career to the next level, she never expected it would require that she work a man she never thought she'd see again: Max, the infuriatingly handsome brother and best-man of the jerk who jilted her.

Bringing Down the Duke by Evie Dunmore

OverDrive eBook

A debut historical romance that doesn't shy away from the social issues of the late 19th century. Vicar's daughter Annabelle has earned her place as a student at Oxford, and she's joined the fight for women's suffrage. The Duke of Montgomery holds Queen Victoria's ear and his support would aid her cause, if only he didn't oppose her aims. Their passionate intellectual debate sparks a passionate attraction, but how could two individuals so opposed find happiness?