Posted in Adult, Fantasy, Fiction, Horror, Mystery, Romance, Thrillers

Books from my Did-Not-Finish (DNF) pile

Posted on by Molly

What is your deepest-held reading habit? Mine is that I don’t force myself to power through any book that I am not enjoying. My to-be-read list is several hundred books deep, so why would I waste my leisure time struggling? Below, I listed several books that many, many, many other readers loved with their whole hearts, but I personally could not bear, and what I would read instead. Proceed with caution as I included some light spoilers. 

The Moonstone (1868) by Wilkie Collins
Why I thought I would enjoy this book:
This doorstop of a novel is often considered the first English-language detective story. I love mystery fiction above all genres and I like to spend time looking for and reading titles that are considered ground-breaking or otherwise important to the genre. 

What went wrong:
Books written over one hundred years ago often contain outdated and offensive language that would have been common at the time, or certainly not considered shocking. The titular Moonstone is an object of value taken by theft from a rich Indian household during the British Raj. People from India are depicted throughout the book in a racist light, which ruined any enjoyment of the actual plot and non-stereotyped characters. I wasn’t too hot with the depiction of women, either. Save yourself ten hours of reading and look up the Wikipedia plot summary. Please do not tell my library school professors that I told you to do this.

Classic detective fiction I would rather read:

  • The Winteringham Murder (1927) by Anthony Berkeley
  • The Thin Man (1933) by Dashiel Hammet
  • A Rage in Harlem (1957) by Chester Himes
  • The Honjin Murders (1946) by Seishi Yokomizo

NOS4A2 (2013) by Joe Hill
Why I thought I would enjoy this book:
Joe Hill has horror pedigree. He’s Stephen King’s son for one thing, and several of his books routinely appear on “best horror novel” lists. I like vampire stories, and Hill’s take on the genre was intriguing.

What went wrong:
Although I have read my fair share of skin-crawling horror novels, there was something about the tension running throughout this book that kept my ears up around my shoulders for DAYS after I put the book down for good. This happened at a point in the story in which the protagonist has a retrograde moment after years of progress from dealing with an unnamable supernatural evil, and my poor little heart could not take the suspense. This should be understood as a resounding endorsement of the book.

What I would rather read instead:

  • The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires (2020) by Grady Hendrix
  • ‘Salem’s Lot (1975) by Stephen King
  • What Moves the Dead (2022) by T. Kingfisher
  • I am Legend (1954) by Richard Matheson

Bigfoot and the Librarian (2019) by Linda Winstead Jones
Why I thought I would enjoy this book:
A librarian moves to a rural area for work and begins to discover her service area is populated with actual bigfoots and other mythical creatures. Hilarity/inappropriate romance ensues. 

What went wrong:
Being a librarian my own self, it was obvious to me that the author was not of my cohort, and did not understand libraries or librarians. The protagonist was short, so she was fixated on wearing heels and at one time implied only unintelligent women eat carbs. Firstly, I’ve worked in libraries for a total of seven years, and I can assure you that our preferred footwear is geared toward comfort rather than style. Secondly, oh please piss off with your anti-carb food gatekeeping. Everyone knows carbs are the tastiest foods, don’t you dare tell me otherwise. 

Books featuring libraries and librarians I would rather read:

  • The Secret, Book, & Scone Society (2017) by Ellery Adams
  • The Librarian of Crooked Lane (2022) by C.J. Archer
  • The Name of the Rose (1980) by Umberto Eco
  • The Woman in the Library (2022) by Sulari Gentill

The Woods are Always Watching (2021) by Stephanie Perkins
Why I thought I would enjoy this book:
Stephanie Perkins’ 2017 title There’s Someone Inside Your House was a tight, creepy, effective teen slasher novel that I really enjoyed. It’s also a fun title to shriek at your friends. Try it, you’ll like it. This led me to believe the 2021 followup The Woods are Always Watching would be more of the same. Plus, I love books with spooky woods shit.

What went wrong:
Both teen girl protagonists were insufferable. So insufferable, in fact, that I decided to look up the plot summary on Wikipedia (as I do) to determine if the initial aggravation was worth it. It turned out that a major plot point involves one of the insufferable girls falling into a hole in the woods and breaking her leg. This mattered a lot to me, because I had suffered a pretty bad leg break days before I picked up this book. Reading about someone else’s pain and trauma did not sound like the light-hearted escapism I needed, so this book went straight into my DNF pile. 

What I would recommend instead for those who also enjoy stories with spooky woods shit:

  • Small Spaces (2018) by Katherine Arden
  • Near the Bone (2021) by Christina Henry (TW for domestic abuse and cryptids)
  • The Box in the Woods (2021) by Maureen Johnson
  • The Twisted Ones (2019) and The Hollow Places (2020) by T. Kingfisher (I REALLY like her)

Mistborn (2006) by Brandon Sanderson

Why I thought I would enjoy this book:
Sanderson is a big name in fantasy fiction, and several of my workmates adore his oeuvre. An informal survey pointed towards this series as a good entry point to Sanderson’s deep back catalog.

What went wrong:
Before the Sanderson stans come after me with their pitchforks and torches, please understand that I can DNF a book and still understand its cultural and historical import; see The Moonstone above. Perhaps Lord of the Rings ruined me for all other high fantasy, but I simply could not muster the enthusiasm needed to care about the rag-tag group of underdogs and the Very Special Boy at the center of the story.

Fantasy books I would rather read instead:

  • Sorcerer to the Crown (2015) by Zen Cho
  • Ring Shout (2020) by P. Djeli Clark
  • Pet (2019) by Akwaeke Emezi
  • Middlegame (2019) by Seanan McGuire

Dial A for Aunties (2021) by Jesse Q. Sutanto
Why I thought I would enjoy this book:
I was looking forward to this one. The premise reads like Weekend at Bernie’s meets Crazy Rich Asians; what could go wrong? 

What went wrong:
One major trope I despise in any of the media I consume are circumstances that would never happen if at least one person involved were an effective communicator. Incredibly unappealing trope. This book was full of these situations from top to bottom. Although the characters are admittedly charming, I could not cope with the screwball nature of it all. 

What I would prefer to read instead:

  • The Stranger Diaries (2018) by Elly Griffiths
  • Arsenic and Adobo (2021) by Mia P. Manansala
  • The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches (2022) by Sangu Mandanna
  • The Guncle (2021) by Steven Rowley

Hey, maybe you are the kind of reader who enjoys difficulty or discomfort while you read. I know John Waters is this type of reader, and I really respect his approach (check out his fantastic collection of essays, Role Models, to learn what I mean. Audio copy available in Hoopla). And that’s cool, I do not judge the hows and the whys surrounding individual reading habits. It’s if you don’t read at all, that’s when I start to reassess one’s character.

If none of the above books come across as appealing, and you are still unsure what to read next, you’re in luck. Consider utilizing Mead’s book recommendation service Your Next Five Books and/or our brand new Your Next Five Movies tool. We usually respond within a few days with a list of books/movies you might love. Call us at 920-459-3400 option 4 for additional book pick help, or for help requesting materials.

Posted in Adult, Audience, Teen & Young Adult

Cooking up a K-drama

Posted on by Corrina

Dear reader, have you ever been watching a k-drama and thought about how delicious the food looks that the characters make? Have you ever wanted to try making that food yourself? Well, dear reader, you’re in luck! There is now a cookbook just for us k-drama lovers! What a time to be alive, am I right?

Choi Heejae’s new cookbook The Korean K-drama cookbook features prominent recipes from some of your favorite k-dramas as well as those you may have never heard of but once you do you’ll want to add them to your to-watch list!

Continue reading “Cooking up a K-drama” →
Posted in Adult, Biography & Memoir, Fantasy, Fiction, History, Nonfiction

While You Wait July 2023: Fourth Wing and The Book of Charlie

Posted on by Anneliese

Another couple of unique picks this month – seems like people are branching out in the summer, or publishers are branching out in the summer! The top fiction book looks to be an action-packed fantasy complete with war, dragons, and political intrigue. Then, on the non-fiction side, we have a book about the life-lived wisdom of 109-year-old Charlie: both the stories of his life and what he’s learned from those experiences.

Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros

Enter the brutal and elite world of a war college for dragon riders from USA Today bestselling author Rebecca Yarros.

Twenty-year-old Violet Sorrengail was supposed to enter the Scribe Quadrant, living a quiet life among books and history. Now, the commanding general—also known as her tough-as-talons mother—has ordered Violet to join the hundreds of candidates striving to become the elite of Navarre: dragon riders.

But when you’re smaller than everyone else and your body is brittle, death is only a heartbeat away…because dragons don’t bond to “fragile” humans. They incinerate them.

With fewer dragons willing to bond than cadets, most would kill Violet to better their own chances of success. The rest would kill her just for being her mother’s daughter—like Xaden Riorson, the most powerful and ruthless wingleader in the Riders Quadrant.
She’ll need every edge her wits can give her just to see the next sunrise.

Yet, with every day that passes, the war outside grows more deadly, the kingdom’s protective wards are failing, and the death toll continues to rise. Even worse, Violet begins to suspect leadership is hiding a terrible secret.

Continue reading “While You Wait July 2023: Fourth Wing and The Book of Charlie” →
Posted in Adult, Film

Introducing: Your Next Five Movies

Posted on by Molly

In 2019 Mead debuted a book recommendation tool named Your Next Five Books. You tell us your favorite books, authors, and genres, we give you a list of five books that might float your boat. Take a look HERE if you are curious. Give it a try while you’re at it! 

Four years later and we have done it again. I would like to draw everyone’s attention to our newest service: Your Next Five Movies. This is the brainchild of our fabulous library assistant, Aubrey, and here’s how it works: you tell us your favorite films, actors, directors, and genres and within a few days you will receive a list of five movies via email we hope you will love. Recommendations will include DVDs and BluRay available in the Monarch catalog. If you are lucky enough to be a City of Sheboygan resident, we will also include films available for streaming on Hoopla and Kanopy. 

Below, I have listed some popular favorites and what we might recommend in each case:

Favorite movie: Star Wars
What we might recommend:
Moon (2009) starring Sam Rockwell
The Last Starfighter (1984) starring Lance Guest
Alien (1979) starring Sigourney Weaver

Favorite director: Kathryn Bigelow
What we might recommend:
Baby Driver (2017) directed by Edgar Wright
Three Kings (1999) directed by David O. Russell
Munich (2005) directed by Steven Spielberg

Favorite genre: documentary
What we might recommend:
Grizzly Man (2005) directed by Werner Herzog
Grey Gardens (1975) directed by David Maysles
Hoop Dreams (1994) directed by Steve James

The examples I provided are only to give everyone an idea of what we’re trying to do with Your Next Five Movies. If your tastes run a little more on the esoteric side, we still have you covered, and happily so.

This is a service for our patrons aged 18 and up, and it is up to the recipient to check suitability of media for a younger audience, not to mention personal comfort levels. Part of the joy of cinema is experiencing the unfolding of an unfamiliar narrative, but I know for me, there are certain themes that ensure I will be skipping a particular film, such as depictions of child or animal abuse. We recommend the following tools to evaluate film media for yourself:

These are not the only resources of this nature around, but between the three of them, we feel confident anyone can check to make sure the media they are consuming will not offend or traumatize. 

Call us at 920-459-3400 option 4 or email us at publicservices@meadpl.org with any lingering questions. We are always happy to help request materials or troubleshoot tech stuff, as well. In the meantime, I will wait with great anticipation to receive and answer everyone’s Your Next Five Movies queries.

Posted in Uncategorized

Bitty Book Club Grows Young Readers

Posted on by Alison

Are you looking for more opportunities for your children ages 2-5 to socialize and play with others this summer?  Join us at Bitty Book Club, the third Tuesday of each month!  We read, play, and learn together through books and hands-on activities that support the social, motor, and language development.  Every month we feature a new story, and a variety of activities that are designed to extend what we read about.  Free copies of the book are available for families, first come-first served.  

Join us on June 19th for a story about gardens and what we find there when we look closely.  The Sheboygan Community Gardeners Association will be present to help children add native plants to our Library Gardens.  For more information about the program, check out this blog post, and visit our calendar of events. To learn more about the Sheboygan Community Gardeners, visit their Facebook page.

These are a few of our favorite stories featured over the past six months during Bitty Book Club:

We’re Going on a Bear Hunt

By Michael Rosen

Illustrated by Helen Oxenbury

No matter how many times you go on a bear hunt, chances are your child will want to go on another!  This book is a staple on any bookshelf, as it encourages storytelling through repetition of patterns, creative movement, and song.  

This is the perfect story for retelling in imaginative ways.  Countless books have been written in it’s style-  go on a lion hunt, an alien hunt, a bug hunt- whatever you can imagine with your child!  Using simple clip art images, or cutouts from a magazine, or simply using your imagination and body – you and your child can create your own adventure of obstacles and the words and motions of how to move through them. 

Dazzling Diggers

By Tony Mitton and Ant Parker

Dig, Scoop and Lift through this board book all about construction vehicles.  Can you act the part of the steam roller, or the excavator?  A fun read aloud with opportunity for movement, and playing with sounds (onomatopoeia).  

We explored construction inspired activities during this month’s program, moving big blocks in trucks and building towers. Sensory bins filled with black beans and small construction vehicles were also a hit.  This is a great theme for both large gross and fine motor skill development.

Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes

By Skye Silver

Illustrated by Mariana Ruiz Johnson

Continue reading “Bitty Book Club Grows Young Readers” →
Posted in Adult, Contemporary, Fiction, Historical, Mystery, Nonfiction, Romance, Thrillers

While You Wait June 2023: The Covenant of Water and Small-Town Wisconsin

Posted on by Anneliese

It’s no surprise to find a novel that’s been chosen for Oprah’s Book Club at the top of our most-requested books, and that’s the case with The Covenant of Water. I was pretty surprised at our top nonfiction book, however – I don’t think I’ve ever seen a travel book so high up on the list before! It does make sense, however, given the time of year – this might be the perfect season to get out for some Wisconsin road trip fun.

The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese

Spanning the years 1900 to 1977, The Covenant of Water is set in Kerala, on South India’s Malabar Coast, and follows three generations of a family that suffers a peculiar affliction: in every generation, at least one person dies by drowning—and in Kerala, water is everywhere. At the turn of the century, a twelve-year-old girl from Kerala’s long-existing Christian community, grieving the death of her father, is sent by boat to her wedding, where she will meet her forty-year-old husband for the first time. From this unforgettable new beginning, the young girl—and future matriarch, known as Big Ammachi—will witness unthinkable changes over the span of her extraordinary life, full of joy and triumph as well as hardship and loss, her faith and love the only constants.

Continue reading “While You Wait June 2023: The Covenant of Water and Small-Town Wisconsin” →
Posted in Adult, Award Winners, Fiction, New & Upcoming

June 2023 Library Reads

Posted on by Carol

Every month, library workers from across the country vote on their favorite upcoming books. This month’s selections include a time travel romance, a historical novel about Eleanor Roosevelt and Mary McLeod Bethune’s friendships, and a recently elected sheriff trying to track down a killer in rural Virginia.

Top Pick: The Quiet Tenant by Clémence Michallon

The entire town feels sorry for Aidan Thomas when his wife dies. But the mysterious woman staying in the house Aidan shares with his teenage daughter has seen a very different side of him … and knows her every move has life-or-death stakes. A great pick for thriller fans looking for a page-turner with a strong female protagonist. —Mara Bandy Fass, Champaign Public Library

While you wait: The Last Housewife by Ashley Winstead

Continue reading “June 2023 Library Reads” →
Posted in Adult, Fiction, Film, New & Upcoming, Nonfiction

Read Now, Watch Later

Posted on by Aubrey

As always, Hollywood is taking from the pages for inspiration! See below for a list of books that are being adapted for the screen.

**Click the book title to be brought directly to our online catalog’s listing to place the title on hold or learn more.

American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin

This book’s adaption will be released under a shorter name: Oppenheimer. Both mediums are about Physicist J Robert Oppenheimer as he works with a team of scientists during the Manhattan Project, leading to the development of the atomic bomb. The film, directed by Christopher Nolan, has a runtime of 2 hours and 30 minutes. It will explode into theaters on July 21, 2023.

Hallowe’en Party by Agatha Christie

This year marks the release of the third Hercule Poirot movie staring Kenneth Branagh as the brainy detective. The movie will be called A Haunting in Venice. The story follows Poirot investigating a murder that happens during a Halloween seance at a haunted palazzo in Venice, Italy. Spooky! The film is set to release September 15, 2023, right before your own Halloween party.

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

Lessons in Chemistry is a bestseller that has been impossible to keep on our shelves. It follows female chemist Elizabeth Zott in the 1950’s and 60’s. Elizabeth loves science but, when life happens, ends up on a cooking show. On the show, Elizabeth teaches women not just how to cook but to change their lives. This novel is being adapted into a mini-series on Apple-TV staring Captain Marvel‘s Brie Larson. The series is expected to be out in 2023.

Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann

Another story inspired by real life! Killers of the Flower Moon is about the murders of 24 members of oil-rich Osage tribe in 1920s Oklahoma, all for gold. The film directed by the renowned Martin Scorsese and is set to release on October 6, 2023. While you can take a break between reading chapters, note that the film has announced it has a runtime of 3 hours and 26 minutes. With its star studded cast, subject matter, and big budget, the film is rumored to be expected to win many awards.

My Lovely Wife by Samantha Downing

My Lovely Wife is a psychological thriller that hooks readers in. The story is a mixture of Gone Girl meets American Psycho as it follows a couple who, to keep their marriage alive, find murderous ways to spice things up. Of course, things don’t always go as planned. Netflix has the rights and the director lined up, so hopefully more updates will come soon!

It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover

Colleen Hoover’s hit book It Ends with Us is in production. Behind the scenes set photos featuring Blake Lively have been popping up online. Some fans are excited while others say that 23 year old main character isn’t perfectly cast. Only time will tell! While there is no release date for the film yet, readers have time to read both the novel and its sequel It Starts With Us. Fun fact: Collen Hoover has sold more books than James Patterson in 2022!

Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

Set to premiere on Amazon Prime in August 2023, Red, White &Royal Blue is a enemies to lovers rom com. The story centers on the romance between Alex Claremont-Diaz, a first son of the United States, and Prince Henry, a British prince.

The Color Purple by Alice Walker

The Color Purple is slated to get its second movie adaption. Currently, the film is expected to premiere on December 25, 2023 in theaters. The film is produced by Oprah Winfrey and stars Fantasia Barrino, Halle Bailey, Danielle Brooks, and Taraji P. Henson. Rumors have already begun that this classic book’s adaptation will be up for numerous Oscars.

Do you think the books will be better than the adaptions? Only one way to find out!

Posted in Adult, Contemporary, Fiction, History, Nonfiction, Romance

While You Wait May 2023: The Five-Star Weekend and The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder

Posted on by Anneliese

Elin Hilderbrand has a new novel out, and that’s topping our fiction holds right now – not too surprising as she’s a very popular author! And on the non-fiction side, we have the dramatic story of an 18th-century shipwreck and the chaos that ensued after one group of survivors washed ashore… only to be followed six months later by a second group accusing them of murder!

The Five-Star Weekend by Elin Hilderbrand

Hollis Shaw’s life seems picture-perfect. She’s the creator of the popular food blog Hungry with Hollis and is married to Matthew, a dreamy heart surgeon. But after she and Matthew get into a heated argument one snowy morning, he leaves for the airport and is killed in a car accident. The cracks in Hollis’s perfect life—her strained marriage and her complicated relationship with her daughter, Caroline—grow deeper.

So when Hollis hears about something called a “Five-Star Weekend”—one woman organizes a trip for her best friend from each phase of her life: her teenage years, her twenties, her thirties, and midlife—she decides to host her own Five-Star Weekend on Nantucket. But the weekend doesn’t turn out to be a joyful Hallmark movie.

The husband of Hollis’s childhood friend Tatum arranges for Hollis’s first love, Jack Finigan, to spend time with them, stirring up old feelings. Meanwhile, Tatum is forced to play nice with abrasive and elitist Dru-Ann, Hollis’s best friend from UNC Chapel Hill. Dru-Ann’s career as a prominent Chicago sports agent is on the line after her comments about a client’s mental health issues are misconstrued online. Brooke, Hollis’s friend from their thirties, has just discovered that her husband is having an inappropriate relationship with a woman at work. Again! And then there’s Gigi, a stranger to everyone (including Hollis) who reached out to Hollis through her blog. Gigi embodies an unusual grace and, as it happens, has many secrets.

Continue reading “While You Wait May 2023: The Five-Star Weekend and The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder” →
Posted in Fantasy, Film, LGBTQI+, Science Fiction

I Sense a Disturbance in the Force

Posted on by Zachary

May the 4th has come and gone. You’ve marathoned the movies. Maybe you’ve read the comics or one of the novels. Perhaps you’re still working through Star Wars: Jedi Survivor. But you’ve still got a hankering for even more content like Star Wars. Don’t worry! I have a few suggestions.

Spaceballs (DVD/Blu-ray)

Spaceballs is a comedy classic. Arguably, it’s my favorite of Mel Brooks’ films. It hits just the right blend of slapstick and satire. There’s a great merchandizing joke in the film that feels so appropriate with just how much Star Wars merch there is these days.

Continue reading “I Sense a Disturbance in the Force” →