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 reader, have you ever been going for a walk and you hear either an entirely new bird singing, or it’s one you’re familiar with but you know is newly arrived in the area again? Is there any better sensation? I love going for a walk and hearing birds, especially ones I can identify, because it feels like I’m amongst old friends, like I’m not walking alone.
You may have guessed already, but I’m a certified bird nerd! I’m the crazy lady you will see standing in the middle of the sidewalk staring up at a tree. I can’t read a street sign until I’m almost past it, but I can sure spot a bird in a tree from a good ways away! Selective seeing? Perhaps! The camera roll on my phone consists mostly of birds and cats. Let me tell you, dear reader, it’s an art form to follow a bird as it flits from branch to branch and even tree to tree! If you can get at least one good picture you’ve done well for yourself. It’s the thrill of the chase, isn’t it? I bet you talk to the birds too, just like I do, telling them to stand still for a split second, turn this way, etc. I hope to one day run into somebody in the wild exhibiting bird nerd behavior just like I do. It hasn’t happened yet but I’m hopeful!
Anyway, it’s spring in Wisconsin, so you know what that means! No, I’m not talking about the wildly fluctuating weather – did I see a frost warning for overnight on my weather app! Let us not speak of it! – I’m talking about migratory birds! Let me tell you dear reader, there is no greater motivation to get me out of doors after another horrid winter has come and gone. Hearing the songs of migratory birds is akin to hearing your old favorites on the radio. Along with standing and staring at trees, I also stand with my phone pointed into the air, the Merlin ID app recording a new bird song, or one I’ve forgotten and am delighted when I guess it correctly. This past weekend I identified a new bird in a nearby park, the palm warbler! You can learn more about this bird here.
Create the yard of your dreams with more than 300 gardening and landscaping tips from the pros. Learn how to increase curbside appeal with seasonal flair, attract birds and butterflies to your backyard, landscape with color, keep houseplants healthy, and make the most of small and shady spaces.
300+ tips, hints and ideas from experts to help transform your yard into a showplace all year long.
Hundreds of stunning full-color photos make this a keepsake book you’ll cherish for years to come.
Container arrangements, décor and other ideas to make your front porch pop.
Seasonal secrets that guarantee a lovely yard no matter the time of year.
Bring the outdoors inside with tips for houseplants, crafty ideas and more.
Relish nature’s beauty all year long when you create a yard that celebrates everything nature has to offer. From landscaping with color and texture to attracting favorite fliers in every season, the secrets to creating your own sanctuary are shared in Beauty in the Backyard from the team at Birds & Blooms magazine.
Learn how to enhance small yards, turn shady spots into stunning areas and get the most bang for your buck with oversized plants and blooms. You’ll even find expert advice on house plants, front-porch décor, crafty ideas using nature’s bounty and so much more. More than 300 no-fuss tips, hints and suggestions make it easy!
Best of all, hundreds of jaw-dropping photos make this book a joy to page through all year long. Whether you’re an experienced gardener or working on your first yard, whether you own acres of land or a tiny city plot, Beauty in the Backyard is a book you’ll reach for time and again.
This book was a treasure trove of information! Even if you are just starting out with feeding birds, you can learn so much. There is a seemingly infinite amount of different bird seed out there, and it can be intimidating to figure out what kind to buy, can’t it? Even I’m still learning and I’ve been feeding birds for several years! There are also so many different kinds of feeders, and they each attract certain kinds of birds. This book will even tell you what native plants and flowers to plant to attract birds to your yard.
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.
Dear reader, since my last blog post I have become the unwitting owner of not two, not three, but six orchids! It all started with the original three I brought home from my brother’s wedding, and just recently three more that my sister-in-law gave me. Apparently once orchids bloom you need to cut them back and wait for them to produce new shoots. Patience is something my sister-in-law does not excel at it, so after saying the magic phrase – I’m thinking of throwing them away – I once again donned my Plant Recuser Hat and swooped in!
You see, dear reader, I have an affinity for the discarded, the forgotten, and neglected. Be it plant or inanimate object. For instance, several years ago I rescued a sock snowman my mom had made at a women’s church retreat back in the 90’s. He has a hole in the back that is sealed with a piece of tape, it’s a small hole but one she deemed enough for him to be thrown away. The audacity! I simply replaced the piece of tape and he still sits atop my wardrobe, peaceably containing his birdseed and still sporting his black buttons.
This same attitude follows me into the plant world. A while back someone at work was giving away aloe vera plants. Day after day I saw them sitting in the staff break-room with no home to call their own. Frankly, dear reader, I felt bad for them, so that’s how I ended up with three aloe vera plants and two snake plants vying for space on my desk. You won’t find me complaining, though, I love having plants around, whether they flower or not. In fact, I’m accustomed to most of my plants not flowering. But more on that later. We’re here to talk about orchids aren’t we?
Orchids are the largest family of plants in the world. With 30,000 known species, you could acquire a different orchid every day for eighty years and still not grow them all. Back in the realm of reality, readers of this beautiful book can quickly and easily find the orchids that are right for them — which ones will thrive on a windowsill, which prefer artificial lights, and which need a greenhouse; which are for beginners, which for experts. And you can pinpoint the species within a particular genus that are the best ones to start with. Once you select your orchid, William Cullina’s authoritative guide explains what to do to keep it alive and healthy. Featuring more than two hundred color photographs, Understanding Orchids covers everything you need to know to grow orchids successfully, whatever your level of interest or experience. With improved tissue-culture techniques making orchids more affordable, and the Internet making them readily available to consumers, growing orchids is more popular than ever: membership in the American Orchid Society has more than doubled in the last fifteen years. This is the book orchid fans have been waiting for.
From a quick Google search I learned that the most common commercially sold orchid is the Phalaenopsis orchid. I have no idea what kind of orchids I have at home, but I can almost guess that they are this kind, since my sister-in-law bought them at Walmart.
Isn’t it interesting how there is always random facts circulating around that you’ve heard one way or another? This is the case with the fact that you can water orchids with ice cubes. Maybe you’re nodding your head right now, because you’ve heard that too. I always thought that was bizarre! And frankly it was one of the reasons why I vowed to never own orchids. Watering with ice cubes, it just seems so exotic and strange. Yet dear reader, here we are, I now have six orchids! Life is funny sometimes, isn’t it?
I’ve heard it both ways. I’ve heard that the ice cube method keeps orchids alive just long enough for them to bloom and then they die, but I’ve also heard that it was developed by orchid growers so the average person doesn’t accidentally overwater their orchid and kill it! Well, dear reader, I can tell you emphatically that I’ve been using the ice cube method exclusively and my orchids are still alive! Researchers at the Ohio State University of Georgia published a study on the impact of watering orchids with ice cubes and they found that it is completely safe. I will link the results of the study here, but to paraphrase, ice cube watering helps the orchids take in water more slowly, it did not adversely affect the temperature of the roots, and lastly it did not affect flower longevity or display.
While I love plants, I also know my weakness as a plant owner, which is I forget to water them! This is why I tend to gravitate toward succulents and other such forgiving plants. Also – shame! – I tend to gauge how long it’s been since I watered them by how wilted they are. I usually have a family watering day when this happens, everybody in the pool! Anyway, more books about orchid care! That’s why you’re here, right?
According to the five-second Google search I just conducted, one book is published about every eight seconds, which equates to roughly 11,000 books per day. PER DAY. With those kind of numbers to contend with it’s a wonder any of us can push past the choice paralysis and pick out a single solitary book.
Once again, librarians have you covered. Below, I listed the top 10 adult fiction and nonfiction books hand picked by library workers and enthusiasts across the country, and roundly agreed upon to be worthy of our time and attention.
Book descriptions are contributed to Library Reads by working librarians around the country. Scroll all the way to the bottom to reveal this month’s top pick.
Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng by Kylie Lee (MIRA) In the midst of the COVID pandemic of 2020, Cora’s haunted by her deceased sister and stalked by a serial killer as her chaotic life spirals further out of control. The journey to finding her way back to some semblance of normal won’t be easy. Readers seeking a book blending slasher and bio-horror need look no further. —Jolie Hanlon, Girard Free Library, OH NoveList read-alike: The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones
Cold Eternity by S.A. Barnes (Tor Nighfire) Hiding out due to a political scandal, Halley decides to take a job in the most remote place she can find. That turns out to be a large space barge holding cryogenically frozen wealthy people. The horror begins as Halley starts hearing noises and notices a presence at the foot of her bed. Thrilling and downright scary, this is a must-read. —Terri Smith, Cornelia Library, GA NoveList read-alike: Crypt of the Moon Spider by Nathan Ballingrud
A Drop of Corruption: An Ana and Din Mystery by Robert Jackson Bennett (Del Rey)
Din and Ana return in a new sci-fi/fantasy mystery. This time an official in the Treasury delegation has gone missing from a locked room. Tense negotiations are ongoing between the Treasury and a small outpost kingdom. What Din and Ana find is a hidden hornet’s nest and extreme danger to the Empire. Can the two stop a terrorist from destroying everything? —Michelle Ogden, Crawfordsville Dist Public Library, IN NoveList read-alike: The Mimicking of Known Successes by Malka Older
Murder by Cheesecake: A Golden Girls Cozy Mystery by Rachel Ekstrom Courage (Hyperion) Golden Girls plus cozy mystery equals match made in heaven! This novel is nostalgic fun for fans of the TV show and might even draw some new fans in with the atmospheric 80s Miami vibes. The story is over the-top silly at turns, but it’s all part of the fun. Readers will be left hoping the series continues with more mysteries for the ladies to solve. —Elizabeth Motyka, Wheaton Public Library, IL NoveList read-alike: The Excitements by C.J. Wray
The Correspondent: A Novel by Virginia Evans (Crown) Sybil’s life has centered around her correspondence with both people she knows and with strangers. Why she finds writing easier than conversing soon becomes clear, and her sadness and remove are explained through the events of her past and in her encroaching blindness. The plot unfolds with wonderful character development. —Mary Robinson, Vernon Area Public Library District, IL NoveList read-alike: Olive Kittiredge by Elizabeth Strout
I See You’ve Called in Dead: A Novel by John Kenney (Zibby Publishing) In this sensational novel, Bud gets a new lease on life after he starts visiting wakes and funerals. With equal measures of laughter and tears along the way, this character-driven novel probes the psyche of the contemporary male mind and takes readers in unexpected directions, all leading to a very satisfying conclusion. —Todd Krueger, Baltimore County Public Library, MD NoveList read-alike: Keya Das’s Second Act by Sopan Deb
Any Trope but You: A Novel by Victoria Lavine (Atria Books) Margot and Forest are genuinely likeable, though flawed characters, and seeing through their perspective is a delight. The conflicts come from practical issues, and the couple is not kept apart by miscommunication, but by respect for each other’s priorities and values. A love letter to “romancelandia” and the tropes it celebrates. —Katrina Dagenais, Bucks County Free Library, PA NoveList read-alike: Unromance by Erin Connor
How to Seal Your Own Fate: A Novelby Kristen Perrin (Dutton) This second book in the Castle Knoll series has Annie involved in another mystery of long past and current murders. Annie realizes she’s being set up when all of the clues point to her. Readers will love that this book builds so well on the last one, and wonder just how many secrets exist in this small rural town. —Linda Quinn, LibraryReads Ambassador, CT NoveList read-alike: Agatha Raisin series by M.C. Beaton
The Staircase in the Woods by Chuck Wendig (Del Rey) Four friends are haunted when another climbs a mysterious staircase and never comes down. Years later, they decide to rescue the boy they lost. What they find is a haunted house preying on their personal nightmares. A coming-of-age story reminiscent of Stranger Things and It—plus all the perfect scary things that Wendig is known for. —Kimberly McGee, Lake Travis Community Library, Austin, TX NoveList read-alike: The Children of Red Peak by Craig DiLouie
BONUS PICK:
The Library of Lost Dollhouses: A Novel by Elise Hooper (William Morrow)
NOTABLE NONFICTION:
No More Tears: The Dark Secrets of Johnson & Johnson by Gardiner Harris (Random House)
TOP PICK:
The Sirens by Emilia Hart (St. Martin’s Press) In 1800s Ireland, twin sisters are taken from their father and put on a ship bound for Australia. During the voyage, they begin to change as they hear the call of the sea. In 2019, while Lucy looks for her missing sister, she reads her old diary full of strange stories of the sea. Spanning centuries, this novel casts its magic with the story it weaves. —Jennifer Winberry, LibraryReads Ambassador, NJ NoveList read-alike: To The Sea by Christine Dibley
I am pausing to briefly note that all Wisconsin library users have access to the excellent reader’s advisory tool, NoveList, among dozens of other resources. We have these nice things provided to us from a variety of funding sources, including funding from the federal level. Learn more about the importance of these funds and how their distribution is changing by clicking HERE. To satisfy curiosity about NoveList click HERE and take a spin around the block.
The above titles I listed will start dropping throughout the month of April. Reserve your copy now, and avoid the wait. What to do if none of the library picks appeal? Consider using Mead’s Your Next Five Books service. Learn more by clicking HERE. Library staff are more than happy to connect our community with great books for any occasion, ritual, emergency, and ordeal.
Movie musicals are having a bit of a moment right now, best illustrated by the smash success of Wicked. Speaking as a theatrical aficionado, I couldn’t be happier. That being said, I think it’s a bit of a shame that compared to movie musicals past and present, movies based on plays tend to fall by the wayside. After all, where better to see capital-A Acting than with a script meant to be performed live? If you’re interested in seeing world-class performers and great scripts, check out these movies based on plays, selected from Mead Public Library’s catalog.
First thing’s first: this movie’s depiction of the lives of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Antonio Salieri isn’t remotely historically accurate. That said, this movie’s version makes for an incredible story. Based on a play by Peter Shaffer adapted from an even earlier play by Alexander Pushkin, this film imagines that Salieri was consumed by jealousy over Mozart’s genius. Salieri, portrayed by F. Murray Abraham in an Oscar-winning performance, falls deeper into resentment and obsession until he finally begins to plot murder. I have to lay all my cards on the table here: this is one of my favorite movies of all time. It’s visually enchanting, and the performances from F. Murray Abraham and Tom Hulce deserve every bit of their acclaim. I’m also a particular fan of how the soundtrack expertly weaves Mozart’s music into the intrigue. In addition to Abraham’s Best Actor win, the film won Best Picture, Best Director, and much more at the 1985 Academy Awards. I could go on all day, but ultimately, I simply adore this movie, and I hope you will too.
Dear reader, I have officially reached the age where toys and music from my childhood are considered vintage. In fact, just yesterday, the radio station I was listening to in my car declared they were going to play a throwback song. I was thinking 80’s or 90’s, right? Dear reader, the song was from 2006! Yes, I realize that was almost 20 years ago, but seriously, to me 2006 doesn’t feel that long ago. Where does the time go?
Today I will be taking you on a nostalgic book trip, sounds exciting right? We’ll be going back to the late 90’s and early 2000’s to when I was a horse crazy child and teen. You see, during this time American Girl was in full swing, the My Little Pony toys were super popular, and there was no end to the animal-themed series a kid could read! I will be highlighting three of those in this blog post.
A Horse Called Wonder by Joanna Campbell
Ashleigh Griffen swore she’d never give her heart to another horse — not after a terrible disease wiped out her family’s breeding farm, along with Ashleigh’s favorite mare, Stardust.
Now the Griffens are starting over as breeding managers at Townsend Acres, and Ashleigh’s sure she is going to hate living there.
Then a small, sickly foal is born — a beautiful copper filly that looks like Stardust. No one thinks the foal will live or that it’s worth trying to save. No one but Ashleigh.
Can one girl’s love alone work miracles?
First of all, there is no link to the catalog for this particular book because it isn’t in the catalog at all. However, various other books in the series are in the catalog, so you’re in luck!
This series ran from 1991 to 2005, with the original series running from books 1-23 and then 23-72 completing the series with the focus shifting to a different girl and the subject matter of eventing, rather than racing. I remember just devouring these books, and since they came out in the 90’s there a good possibility I started reading them in elementary school. One of my core memories is reading that pivotal book number 23 and becoming so incensed at the drastic changes that I threw the book across the room! Dear reader, that may well have been my first rage over a book. I remember it distinctly to this day!
To hear my mom tell it, my horse crazy self was kickstarted when I got a kid’s meal at Hardee’s in, you guessed it, the 90’s, and I received a white plastic horse toy. I still have that toy in one of my dresser drawers. I also had a plush horse stuffed animal that I slept with at night. His name was Clip Clop, named for the little noisebox in his stomach that made sounds like horse hooves walking. I slept with him so much the stuffing had to be replaced in his stomach! I still have him as well.
The American Library Association announced the winners of the 2025 Youth Media Awards on Monday. Materials for children and teens were selected by committees of literature and media specialists under different categories for their excellence. Take a look at some of this year’s winners below, which include publishers’ summaries. Be sure to click the link for any you’re interested in reading for yourself to reserve your copy through the Monarch catalog. The full list of this year’s winners is also linked at the bottom of this post.
John Newbery Medal
The John Newbery Medal is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children. This year’s winner is The First State of Being, written by Erin Entrada Kelly.
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).
‘Tis the season for year-end lists! This is one that I’m super excited to share. It’s been a truly incredible year for sci-fi, fantasy, and horror. Some of these books have been getting well-deserved hype, whereas others have flown more under the radar. All of them and many more can be found in our collection at Mead Public Library. A quick caveat before we begin: I’m only one person, and even with my book-dragon tendencies, it would be impossible for me to keep up with all the great new releases in a given year. If I overlooked one of your favorites, give it a shoutout in the comments! Sharing recommendations is one of the great joys of the reading life. Now, without further ado, on to the list!
For centuries, the Guardian and the women of Grey Tower have defended the rest of the enormous palace where they dwell from the invasion of the Beast through the West Passage. But when the Guardian dies without passing on her name to her successor, the West Passage falls into jeopardy, and winter comes out of season. Yarrow, the new Mother of Grey House, embarks on a quest to set the seasons right. Meanwhile, the deceased Guardian’s successor goes to petition the Ladies of the palace for the right to take the Guardian’s place. The West Passage is that true unicorn of a fantasy novel – reading it feels like reading fantasy when you were a kid, balancing the familiar and the completely new into a synthesis of enchantment. You can see influences here from Lewis Carroll, Ursula K. LeGuin, Hayao Miyazaki, and more, but The West Passage remains its own beautiful and strange creation. This was a privilege to read, and I can’t wait to see what Pechaček does next, whether in this imagined world or in a new one.
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