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January 2016 Volume 3, Issue 1
Tracy Public Library Newsletter
CALENDAR
Friday, Jan. 1
Library closed.
Happy new year!
Thursday, Jan. 7
6:30 p.m. Library board
Saturday, Jan. 16
1 p.m. Marlin Meyer
presentation on Yosemite
National Park
Thursday, Jan. 21
2-7 p.m. Open lab computer
class
6 p.m. Writing Group
7 p.m. Book Club
Thursday, Jan. 28
2-7 p.m. Open lab computer
class
Tracy Public Library
189 Third Street ~
Tracy, MN 56175~
507.629.5548
www.tracypubliclibrary.org Hours:
Monday-Friday
10 a.m.-6 p.m.
Saturdays 10 a.m.-
noon
FEATURED READS
Check it Out
“Forgiven: The Amish School Shooting, a Mother’s Love, and
a Story of Remarkable Grace” Terri Roberts
They knew his name, the man who tried to brutally attack 12-year-old Madeline in her grandmother's hotel. They thought they knew his fate. He wouldn't be bothering them anymore...ever. Still their lives would never be the same.
Madeline has returned to Washington after her grandmother's mysterious death. And at the old, abandoned hotel—a place she never wanted to see again—a dying man’s last words convey a warning: the secrets she and Daphne believed buried forever have been discovered.
Now, after almost two decades, Madeline and Daphne will be
reunited in friendship and in fear. Unable to trust the local police, Madeline summons Jack Rayner, the hotel chain’s new security expert. Despite the secrets and mysteries that surround him, Jack is the only one she trusts...and wants. Jack is no good at
relationships but he does possess a specific skill set that includes a profoundly intimate understanding of warped and dangerous minds. With the assistance of Jack's brother, Abe, a high-tech magician, the four of them will form an uneasy alliance against a killer who will stop at nothing to hide the truth....
After a son does the unthinkable, how can a mother go on?
On October 2, 2006, a gunman entered an Amish one-room schoolhouse, shooting 10 girls, killing five, then finally taking his own life. This is his mother's story. Not only did she lose her precious son through suicide, but she also lost her understanding of him as an honorable man. It was a trauma that none should ever have to face.
But the biggest headlines came when her Amish neighbors did the unimaginable, reaching out to the family of the shooter with comfort and forgiveness. Today Terri lives in harmony with the Amish and has
built lasting relationships beyond what anyone could have thought possible. From the grace that the Amish showed Terri's family from day one, to the visits and ongoing care Terri has given to the victims and
their families, no one could have foreseen the love and friendship that have been forged from the fires of tragedy.
“Secret Sisters,” Jayne Ann Krentz
By Librarian Valerie Quist
As another year draws to a close and another begins, I enjoy
looking back at the books I’ve read over the past 12 months.
It’s pretty rare for me to give a book five stars. In 2015, I gave six
books (about 7.5 percent of what I read) five-star ratings. (This
doesn’t include books that I re-
read). They are:
The Oxford Project, Peter
Feldstein and Stephen G. Bloom
— In 1984, Feldstein set out to
photograph every person in
Oxford, Iowa (population 676).
Twenty years later, he returned
along with Bloom to document
what happened to the
community’s residents during
the intervening years. What I
liked about this book was that it
did a great job of representing
small-town life. I knew these
people, because you’ll find them
in every small town across the country. The photographs really
helped send the message home about how much can change in 20
years.
The End of Your Life Book Club, Will Schwalbe — This was the
first book I finished in 2015, and it has really stuck with me. The
heart of this book is about connecting with people over books. As
someone who does that every day, it really touched me.
Plainsong, Kent Haruf — Sometimes a book just grabs you from
the start and makes you feel invested in its characters. “Plainsong”
is that kind of book. When I was finished, I cried just because it was
over and I wanted more. It was that good.
Brown Girl Dreaming, Jacqueline Woodson
— This book of poetry is a National Book Award
winner, and deservedly so. Each poem is a peek
into Woodson’s life growing up in the 1960s
and 1970s, living with the remnants of the Jim
Crow era and her increasing awareness of the
burgeoning Civil Rights movement. I don’t read
poetry often, but when I do, I’m struck by how
important each and every word is. Woodson
makes them all count.
Rabbit, Run, John Updike — I picked this up out of pure
curiosity, when I kept seeing Updike’s books on lists of highly rated
literature. I had a hard time getting into this book about a man who
decides to walk away from his family, but it ended up blowing me
away. What happens in this book is still
sitting like a stone in the pit of my stomach.
Kitchens of the Great Midwest, J. Ryan
Stradal — This book grabbed me from the
start, and I absolutely could not put it down.
It tells the story of a chef named Eva
Thorvald, through the perspective of people
around her. I loved how all of the characters
— each unique in his or her own way —
connected to one another and to Eva. Plus,
it’s set in Minnesota!
Twenty-eight books earned four-star ratings
from me in 2015. In order to get an even top-10
for the year, I decided to select four books as
“honorable mentions.” They are:
The Painted Girls, Cathy Marie Buchanan —
This is a fascinating historical fiction about two
sisters, ballerinas who are used by Degas in his
artwork. The main character, Marie, is
immortalized in the sculpture “Little Dancer
Aged Fourteen.” It’s a beautifully written book,
and I loved being able to look up the real
sculpture and see it for myself.
The House We Grew Up In,” Lisa Jewell —
This is an intense novel about the
repercussions a family tragedy can have. The
characters are very flawed and well-written,
and I found myself drawn into their world.
Station Eleven, Emily Mandel — I love a
good post-apocalyptic novel, and this one hit
all the right notes. It follows a troupe of
traveling actors who perform Shakespeare
and music in the years following a flu
pandemic that wipes out much of civilization.
Longbourn, Jo Baker — I’ve been burned
more than once by books that claim to be
retellings or extensions of Jane Austen’s
books. “Longbourn” is an exception; I found it
very well done. It tells the story of the servants
who worked in the Bennet household (“Pride
and Prejudice”), and gives depth to Austen’s
famous story.
Eventide, Kent Haruf — “Eventide” is the
follow-up to “Plainsong.” It’s less hopeful than
“Plainsong,” but still a beautifully told story.
Yes, I know that was five books, not four,
but I found I couldn’t leave any of the
“honorable mention” books off the list. So, that’s my top-11 list for
2015.
Overall, it was a great reading year. I’m now looking to a fresh
start in the new year, and the great books that will come into my
life.
What I read in December:
“The Goldfinch,” Donna Tartt
“My True Love Gave to Me: Twelve Holiday Stories,” ed. by
Stephanie Perkins
“A Christmas Carol,” Charles Dickens (my annual re-read)
What I’m reading:
“The Winter Girl,” Matt Marinovich (advance copy)
“The Swan Gondola,” Timothy Schaffert
“The Rap Year Book: The Most Important Rap Song From Every
Year Since 1979, Discussed, Debated, and Deconstructed,” Shea
Serrano
Up next:
“Cranford,” Elizabeth Gaskell
“The Circus Fire: A True Story of an American Tragedy,” Stewart
O’Nan
LIBRARIAN’S CORNER
NEW ON THE SHELVES
Adult
“After She’s Gone,” Lisa Jackson
“Ashley Bell,” Dean Koontz
“The Christmas Bells,” Jennifer Chiaverini
“Forgiven,” Terri Roberts
“The Lost Heiress,” Roseanna M. White
“My Kind of Wonderful” (Cedar Ridge #2), Jill
Shalvis
“The Painter’s Daughter,” Julie Klassen
“Precious Gifts,” Danielle Steel
“Secret Sisters,” Jayne Ann Krentz
“Splinter the Silence,” Val McDermid
“Tom Clancy: Commander in Chief” (Jack Ryan
#19), Mark Greaney
“Until the Dawn,” Elizabeth Camden
Audio
“After She’s Gone,” Lisa Jackson
Children
“Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” David
Fentiman
“I Funny TV,” James Patterson
“Mouse Overboard!” Geronimo Stilton
“Star Wars: The Force Awakens Mix & Match,” Benjamin Harper Movies “Ant-Man” “Minions” “Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials” “Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation” “Fantastic Four” “Ted 2”
STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS “The Book Thief,” Markus Zusak
It’s just a
small story
really, about,
among other
things: a girl,
some words,
an accordi-
onist, some
fanatical
Germans, a
Jewish fist-
fighter, and quite a lot of thievery.
Set during World War II in
Germany, Markus Zusak’s
groundbreaking novel is the story
of Liesel Meminger, a foster girl
living outside of Munich. Liesel
scratches out a meager existence
for herself by stealing when she
encounters something she can’t
resist–books. With the help of her
accordion-playing foster father,
she learns to read and shares her
stolen books with her neighbors
during bombing raids as well as
with the Jewish man hidden in
her basement before he is
marched to Dachau.
This is an unforgettable story
about the ability of books to feed
the soul.
“Absolute Zero,” Chuck Logan
In the icy jaws
of an early win-
ter, three big-
city profession-
als joined Phil
Broker on a ca-
noe trip across
Minnesota's
remotest lake.
Nature's unexpected fury bat-
tered and nearly killed them.
But it was Man who left one of
them worse than dead . . .
Haunted ex-cop Phil Broker
owes Hank Sommer his life -- and
now the wealthy writer is in a co-
ma, thanks to a “freak” mishap on
a hospital operating table. Broker
knows from hard experience that
accidents are not always what
they appear to be. He suspects
foul play, and he's not about to let
Sommer fade out of this world so
easily. But the trail to answers is
twisted and deadly, winding
around the comatose man's beau-
tiful wife -- a former exotic dancer
-- and the ring of dangerous men
still surrounding her. And Bro-
ker's determined search for jus-
tice and truth is taking him to a
dark and terrifying place where he
will be forced to fight for his very
survival on the coldest night in
Minnesota's history . . .
In the small town of Holt, Colorado, a high school teacher is confronted with raising his two boys alone after their mother retreats first to the bedroom, then altogether. A teenage girl—her
father long since disappeared, her mother unwilling to have her in the house—is pregnant, alone herself, with nowhere to go. And out in the country, two brothers, elderly bachelors, work the family homestead, the only world they've ever known.
From these unsettled lives emerges a vision of life, and of the town and landscape that bind them together—their fates somehow overcoming the powerful circumstances of place and station, their
confusion, curiosity, dignity and humor intact and resonant. As the milieu widens to embrace fully four generations, Kent Haruf displays an emotional and aesthetic authority to rival the past masters of a classic American tradition.
The Tracy Public Library Book Club meets on the third Thursday of each month. For a full schedule, visit www.tracypubliclibrary.org.
BOOK CLUB BEAT
“Plainsong,” Kent Haruf
Computer classes offered We are excited to start offering computer classes in
January in our new Computer Learning Center, with the support of Southwest Minnesota Adult Basic Education and Tracy Area Public Schools. The format will be informal, covering whatever participants would like to learn, with one-on-one help provided. Classes will begin Thursday, Jan. 21 and will be offered each Thursday from 2 to 7 p.m. Pre-registration is preferred, by calling (507) 629-5548, by email to [email protected], or by stopping at the library.
Winter Reading Program The 2016 Winter Reading Program will take place Jan.
1 through March 31.
Sign up at the library. Must be 16 years of age or older and have a current library card.
You will receive a punch card or reading log to record the number of books you read. Use these to keep track of the number of books you read between Jan. 1 and March 31.
You are encouraged to read as many titles as you can, in any format including audio and eBooks. Books must be checked out from the library, or from our eBook catalog.
Turn in as many reading logs or punch cards as you wish; however, in order for your card or reading log to be counted as "completing the program," reading a minimum of 12 books is required.
Prizes will be awarded for each 12 books read.
Yosemite National Park slideshow
On Saturday, Jan. 16 at 1 p.m., Marlin Meyer of
Tracy will give a presentation on Yosemite National
Park. Meyer has many photographs to share that he
has taken at Yosemite.
The 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten program is open to children from birth to age 6 (who have not yet entered kindergarten). The goal is to read 1,000 books before entering kindergarten. Children who sign up for the program receive a book tote, and small prizes are given out for each 100 books that are read. A graduation ceremony is held once a year or as needed. The program is made possible through a partnership with the United Way of Southwest Minnesota.
How long does it take to read 1,000 books? If you read three books a day to your child, that’s 1,095 books in one year!
1,000 Books Before Kindergarten