Dear readers, welcome back and thank you for letting me share with you the books that I have been enjoying. As usual, I delight in a diverse range of genres. This month’s reads come from the genres of non fiction, fantasy, and horror. I greatly enjoyed reading these titles and I hope one of these catches your eye!
A shout out to my fellow librarian, Aubrey, for recommending this title is in order. Thank you Aubrey! If you are looking for a book that stays with you long after the closing page, this one is it! It has been a week or so since I finished this book, but I still find myself thinking about it. Dear reader, this book is a work of fiction, but it could very easily be set in the real world present day. FantasticLand is a theme park in Florida built by an eccentric billionaire. What sets FantasticLand apart is that it is designed to be many mini theme parks in one. There are different sections of the park. All are designed to be their own unique world. There are places like The Pirate Cove, The Fairy Prairie, and so on. Everything is great until a super hurricane hits. In theory, the staff that stay behind to care for the park should be fine. There is enough food and water for everyone. Dear reader, if that were the case we would not have a story. What results is something that resembles a slasher movie as the young people trapped in the park turn on each other. Each faction fights for dominance as supplies dwindle. The sordid tale is told from the point of view of interviews with those who made it out alive. Only the survivors can tell the tale of what REALLY happened inside FantasticLand. What keeps me thinking about this book is that this is no ordinary slasher. It poses psychological questions about the effects of phone addiction on our young population. Yes, it is a fiction, but it makes one wonder.
Part I: Are Ghosts Real? Exploring the Supernatural
Dear reader have you ever heard the phrase “I went down a rabbit hole.”? Usually this is spoken when one looks up a fact that they do not know and are inevitably sucked deeper and deeper into a topic pulled along by their curiosity. They usually emerge from this “rabbit hole” filled with a wealth of random knowledge about this particular topic. Lately I have found myself pulled “down the rabbit hole” by the books I have been reading. One book recommends another and that book recommends yet another book on the topic I have been reading. Join me as I take you down the rabbit hole and share with you my strange journey through these books on topics of my interest.
I may have blogged about this title before as I first read this book last year. At that time I had no idea it would tie into the other books in my journey. Ghostland tells the story of famous American hauntings while exploring the real and true history behind the stories. This book features such famed paranormal places as the Winchester House, Alcatraz Prison, and the cemeteries of New Orleans to name just a few. Besides exploring the true histories of these haunted locations Colin Dickey asks some hard psychological questions. Why do we tell ghost stories? What makes a location haunted? Why is this haunting more famous than that haunting? What does the tale tell us about our values or guilt as a society? In exploring America’s tales of the paranormal, Dickey forces us to look within ourselves to discover truths about human nature, our society, and historical truths we may be too scared to face.
This was a very different read than other books on the paranormal that I have read. I would recommend this book to both believers and skeptics alike as it sheds light on the true origins of our ghost stories whether you believe in them or not.
It is that time of year again. The weather is getting warmer and most of us just want to be outside. I grew up in Dundee Wisconsin surrounded by the vast Kettle Moraine State Forest. I would spend hours as a child running through the meadows, climbing rocks and trees, and exploring the woods. When I was very little my grandfather would babysit me at his office at the Ice Age Center. He was a naturalist there. He and Grandma made sure that my cousins and I had the chance to travel and explore many of the national parks where Grandpa had worked in his younger years. Each summer they took us somewhere new. I was blessed to be able to see The Grand Canyon, Yellowstone National Park, Mount Rushmore, Mesa Verde, and The South Dakota Badlands. Our grandparents also took us east to Niagara Falls, Gettysburg, The Finger Lakes of upper New York, and Washington D.C. As an adult it is more difficult to travel to these places as life is busy. This time of year I get out and explore the many beautiful natural areas closer to home. Though I am unable to travel to the national parks whenever I may like, I do still carry a deep appreciation for our country’s protected wilderness areas. These national parks deserve to be celebrated and protected for all future generations to enjoy. Dear reader, please join me on a literary tour and celebration of our national parks through the books I have selected below.
Dear Readers, welcome to another installment of Abbie’s Recent Reads! Over the last few months the main genres I have been reading have been Nonfiction and Horror. The Nonfiction reads have ranged from the true crime genre, ballet, to Polar exploration. Prepare for a wild ride through time, space, and the globe as I share some of my recommended books I have read recently!
I will read any book I can find on Antarctic Exploration or North Pole Exploration. While awaiting my hold of Madhouse at the End of the Earth on Libby, The Stowaway was recommended to me as a similar read to enjoy while I waited. (I am still awaiting my hold of Madhouse at the End of the Earth to come in.) I am really glad I read this one. As I have read many books on Polar exploration, I have always wondered what it would be like to be along with the explorers on their grand adventures. Apparently a lot of other people at the time of these explorations were thinking the same thing! The Stowaway is the true story of Billy Gawronski, an ordinary teenage son of Polish immigrants living in New York. In the 1920’s Billy has grown up on adventure stories and dreams of going off on one of his own. He becomes obsessed with Captain Byrd and the expedition being planned to explore the Antarctic. Billy’s father and mother do not approve of their son’s dreams as Billy is expected to take over the family upholstery business. Billy feels he has no choice. If he wants any chance at adventure he is going to have to stowaway on Captain Byrd’s ship! The plot sounds like something out of a kid’s adventure novel, but this is a TRUE story! I took great delight in following Billy through his adventures and cheering him on along the way. As I followed Billy’s story I found myself asking on more than one occasion “could I be that brave and daring?” I greatly recommend this for anyone who loves reading about history, exploration, and scrappy underdog characters.
One of my favorite sections in the whole entire library is the cookbook section. I get super excited whenever anyone stops by the desk and asks where the cookbooks are. At home I enjoy watching all the food shows on Discovery Plus and experimenting in my own kitchen. One of my favorite kind of cookbooks to play with in the kitchen are the themed cookbooks. In recent years there has been an uptick in cookbooks based off of TV shows or movies. There are even cookbooks based off of videogame worlds! I am only going to cover the ones I have actually cooked from in this post, but will include a bonus list of other titles we own at Mead Public Library at the end!
This themed cookbook is not based off of some fantastical made up world, but pulls recipes from our very own human history. Some readers may recognize Max Miller from his youtube show also titled Tasting History where he cooks up good eats from times long past. This book contains selected recipes all assembled in one volume. The cookbook is broken into chapters ranging from the ancient past to just a few decades ago. Max Miller takes you from recipes written on ancient Babylonian tablets to good old cafeteria pizza from the 90s. If you cannot get enough of the recipes in this book and are curious to embark on more culinary time travel-check out the website https://www.tastinghistory.com/ where there are many more recipes featured.
My featured recipe from this volume is straight off a Babylonian clay tablet and helpfully translated for us by Max Miller: Babylonian stew of lamb. I have always been a history buff. One of my bachelors degrees is in history. I feel like eating what the people of the past ate brings us a step closer to understanding who they were and how they lived. The author also includes a historical lesson with every recipe so that you can better understand the food you are eating. For this recipe I also found the video on his website so I could watch what he did before attempting as I was a bit nervous.
In addition to watching the video and reading through the history lesson (learning about the flat tailed sheep was interesting) I prepared by looking online as to where I could order Persian shallots. We do not have anything like them in America which is a shame. They have a very nice spicy taste as if they are a cross between a radish, garlic, and onion. I ended up ordering them from Amazon (a fellow reader of Tasting History left a review that made me feel confident in my choice of purchase.) I then went shopping to assemble the rest of my ingredients. I decided on a mix of beef and lamb even though the recipe calls for lamb. The author says you can substitute if you wish. Leeks also feature prominently in this recipe (I did unfortunately not take my husband on this shop so I missed out on his leek puns).
The cook. This stew is traditionally served with rinatsu (a crouton like cookie or bread prepared with olive oil). You are to serve this as a crouton over the stew and mix some of it in ground for texture. The crumbled portion is needed for the stew. However, it is optional if you want to eat your stew with the rinatsu croutons on top. (My husband liked them more than I). I was nervous about the taste as there is no seasoning in the recipe. Surprisingly, the Persian shallots more than made up for it! Their flavor sure packs a punch and hits all the right notes on your tongue. I wish they were available at my regular shops. All you need to do is soak them in water to rehydrate them for 30 minutes or so as they come dried. I then stuck them into the food processor to mince them down. The rest of the cook was rather straightforward and just a matter of following the directions. If you have made soup before the cook will seem a familiar dance. All in all this ancient recipe was a fun learning experience and a rather tasty meal. I can now say I have eaten like an ancient Babylonian! My husband also gave a thumbs up on this recipe which is saying a lot as he can be rather picky!
Lately I have been in a nostalgia mood and have been rereading through a series from my childhood: Animorphs. Revisiting science fiction books from my own childhood has engaged my curiosity to explore what kids are reading these days. Dear reader, though I speak of “kids books” I must point out that anyone at any age or stage in their life is welcome to enjoy and find pleasure in these pages. Not only do kids’ science fiction books contain heart pounding action (when done right) they also contain a humor that even as adults we can still enjoy. For this post I have chosen a couple books that I find nostalgic and will introduce you some of the new science fiction available on the shelves in the kids’ section. Enjoy!
Well fellow readers, we have made it through another year. I have shared with you throughout 2024 many of my favorite reads. The Finder Chronicles by Suzanne Palmer and the thriller/horror books of Jennifer McMahon remain at the top of my list as must reads. I am currently still working on The Dragonriders of Pern and Christopher Paolini’s Fractalverse series. These I will be talking about in future blog posts this year. For this post, dear readers, I wish to share with you a my recent reads from the holiday season.
For myself, and I assume many of you, the holidays are filled with chaos of family get togethers, cooking, cleaning, shopping, wrapping presents, and more cooking. My reading time greatly decreases through the months of November and December! Through the bustle of the season I was able to read an interesting mishmash of books. I hope you enjoy my holiday reading list! (Note: I am NOT a Christmas book fan unless it involves something out of the ordinary. There will ONLY be one Christmas book in this blog.)
Lets just get the actual holiday book out of the way right away! I am a HUGE J.R.R. Tolkien fan. Imagine my fan girl squealing when I discovered he wrote an actual Christmas book! This book is really a collection of letters Tolkien wrote to his children over the years posing as Father Christmas (Santa) and his endearing side kick Polar Bear. What a cool dad! Through these letters we get a glimpse into the everyday life and traditions of Father Christmas, Polar Bear, and all of the friends they meet along the way. Each letter offers more surprises and laughs interspersed with hand drawings of scenes from the North provided by Tolkien himself. Fans of Lord of the Rings will delight in the brand new languages (Goblin and Arktic) and the epic Goblin Wars! Fans of fantasy will not be disappointed with appearances of Elven armies, The Red Gnomes of Denmark, and all the talking bears. Learn the real story and secrets of Santa in Letters From Father Christmas! (This is a very quick read and can be enjoyed in one sitting. I will be making a yearly tradition of enjoying this story before Christmas).
During the Halloween season I was browsing Libby/Overdrive searching for the perfect spooky book. Earlier that day a patron had asked me for help finding The Winter People by Jennifer McMahon. I admit at the time I did not know The Winter People was a scary book! It looked from the outside like your typical winter time read. I should know never to judge a book by it’s cover! Just a few hours later my Libby/Overdrive suggested that I would like The Winter People if I was looking for something scary. It could not be a coincidence that the same book would cross my path in one day! I decided I MUST read that book! Well ever since I have gobbled up everything by Jennifer McMahon I can get my hands on. She doesn’t just do horror, she is also a terrific thriller writer! Each book that she writes is a stand alone thrill filled with unpredictable twists and turns that leave you wanting more, more, and more! I may have a slight Jennifer McMahon addiction right now.
(As I covered The Winter People in my October Favored Frights post I will be only covering the other books I have read from her to date. I have loved each and every one!)
Promise Not To Tell is the first novel written by Jennifer McMahon. One thing I LOVE about Jennifer’s books is that they often take place between the past and the present. Flashbacks to the past often help to fill in clues as to what is happening in the main storyline.
When Kate Cypher was a teenager she made a promise to her friend. She promised not to tell a big secret. Kate was loyal and never told a soul. Now Kate is all grown up and has to return to that same small town to care for her aging mother who has Alzheimer’s. While staying with her mother a teenage girl is murdered in the woods close to their home. The girl is murdered in the same way that Kate’s friend was all those years ago. The single witness claims that it was The Potato Girl that killed her friend. “The Potato Girl” is what the town bullies called Kate’s friend. Could The Potato Girl’s ghost be seeking revenge? Could Kate hold the clues that will solve both murders? Find out in Promise Not To Tell.
Hello readers! This blog post is a bit outside of things that I usually blog about. It was brought to my attention that we could use a post for read-a-likes to the SUPER popular series: The Babysitters Club! As I used to be a Middle School Assistant Librarian I am very familiar with the status of this series flying off the shelves in the children’s section. This post is for those who are super excited to read another Babysitters Club book only to find the section laid bare by other ravenous fans. Please do not despair! You are in luck! If you find yourself in those unfortunate circumstances we have books very similar and no less fun!
If you are a Babysitters Club fan, you will totally fall in love with this great series! Malia Twiggs is also a HUGE fan of The Babysitters Club. She thinks it would be a great idea to start her own babysitting club in her home town. Malia is sure she and her friends will rake in a TON of money. The catch? Malia and her friends Bree and Dot know absolutely nothing about taking care of little kids. It can’t be that hard right? Prepare for hilarious babysitting fails as these girls learn the value of friendship and just how complicated taking care of little ones can be.
Happy October everyone!!! I have always been a fan of anything scary. I grew up in the middle of the Kettle Moraine in a small house surrounded by woods. I spent a lot of time in those woods wondering what spirits or monsters lurked within. I saw something once when I was very young, something that I still cannot explain come out of those woods. That is a story I only relate to those I am close to, though it caused my 6 year old self to scoop up every book on Cryptozoology I could get my little hands on. My interest naturally led to anything I could read about ghosts and spirits. Being the season for frightful tales, it seems like a good time to share some of my favorite spine tingling reads!
I felt that this one would be a good title to open this blog with. Personally I am an armchair horror fan. I LOVE to read about other people’s ghostly experiences…but only went actual ghost hunting with a team once. (That was enough for me). For those braver readers out there I present The Wisconsin Road Guide to Haunted Locations! Pack your flashlight, EMF meter, salt, and holy water and prepare to hit the road! This road guide takes ghost hunters to paranormal hotspots throughout the state of Wisconsin. Each entry includes directions on how to get there, details of the haunting or story, and sometimes even a dare meant to stir up the ghostly activity! Good luck, keep safe, and happy hauntings! (Even if not intending to set out it is still an enjoyable read for the less brave like me.)
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