Kass's Kicks : 2025 Nonfiction Review Roundup

One of my New Year’s resolutions for 2025 was to read more nonfiction—SciFi and Fantasy is my usual beat, but I wanted to branch out by going in the opposite direction. I didn’t get to read as many as I wanted, but the ones I did I really enjoyed! Before I look for more nonfiction in 2026, I thought I’d share some of 2025’s highlights:

 

The Art Thief by Michael Finkel details the crimes of Stéphane Breitwieser, regarded as one of the greatest art thieves of all time, who stole almost 250 works of art from 172 museums in France and Switzerland. I was fascinated by the sheer boldness of Breitwieser’s heists—he often stole in broad daylight, and even returned to some museums more than once. He also didn’t sell what he stole, keeping it all in his attic bedroom. He claims to be an art lover and romanticizes his exploits, but the book balances this perspective with the real harm he does to the museums, the artwork, and his mother and girlfriend who try to help him.

Brave the Wild River is an account of a 1930s scientific expedition down the Colorado River, when botanists Elzada Clover and Lois Jotter sought to catalogue the plant life of the Grand Canyon. By doing so they also became the first women to survive the dangerous rapids, and Melissa Sevigny’s matter-of-fact narration doesn’t undercut the dramatic challenges they faced. There’s plenty of botanical name-dropping for plant enthusiasts, but this survival thriller also manages to weave in the complex history of the region, from Native American legends to the Dust Bowl.

Walter Isaacson’s biography of Leonardo da Vinci was a bit of an intimidating book to look at—even without its many pictures and diagrams, it’s a hefty tome. As it turns out, you need all those pages to describe a person as complex as Leonardo. Drawing from his frantic scribbling across many journals, this book paints the artist and inventor as an eccentric but obsessively driven student of the natural world. The way his scientific curiosity informed his artistic sensibilities was just inspiring.

Pirate Hunters reads like an adventure movie in Robert Kurson’s accessible style. He chronicles the efforts of divers John Chatterson and John Mattera to find the wreck of a pirate ship off the coast of the Dominican Republic. The divers’ search involves high-tech equipment and historical research into the Golden Age of piracy and the ship’s captain, Joseph Bannister, but the explanations feel like an organic part of the story. All three men emerge as fascinating personalities reckoning with the costs of pursuing greatness.

The Mythmakers was particularly fun for me as a comic enthusiast, as well as a fan of its two subjects, J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis. John Hendrix’s vibrant fantastical illustrations provide a vehicle for the lives of these two fantasy greats and their lifelong friendship. In the back of the book I found mini-chapters called “Portals” where concepts from earlier chapters were expanded on with fully illustrated scenes. I know graphic novels aren’t to everyone’s taste, but I thought this was a great example of how the medium can combine art and language to tell a unique story.

Julie's Journal : What I Read for Plot Twist in 2025

We've just finished up another year of our Plot Twist book club here at Franklin County Library.  The book club idea was conceived by Emily, Library Director Lisa's daughter.  We don't all read the same book - rather each month we have a topic or genre and we read something that fits.  We get together and talk about what we read on the last Tuesday of each month at 6:00.  Everyone is welcome!  My 12 books (or 11 actually - I missed the July meeting) for this year were as follows.

January - Biography - Mistaken Identity, by Don & Susie Van Ryn and Newell, Colleen, and Whitney Cerak.  This is the heartbreaking account of a devastating wreck and its aftermath.  Laura Van Ryn and Whitney Cerak, both young college students, were involved.  Whitney was declared dead at the scene and Laura was rushed to the hospital in life-threatening condition.  5 weeks later, Whitney's family was told the unbelievable - Whitney was alive, misidentified as Laura.  Laura's family learned that the young woman they had been caring for in the hospital was in fact not their daughter; Laura had been buried 5 weeks earlier under Whitney's name.  As I guess is obvious, this is a very difficult book to read.  However, both families use their stories as a testimony for their faith.  

February - Antilove - Not a Happy Family, by Shari Lapena.  Easter dinner at the Merton home is not pleasant, and all three adult children leave the gathering early.  Later that evening, Mr. and Mrs. Merton are murdered in their luxury home.  All three kids have good reason to want their less-than-ideal parents out of the picture.  All three are suspects, both of the authorities, and of each other.  We have the oldest daughter, driven to succeed, but never feeling like she quite measures up.  The middle son has failed to rise to his father's high expectations and has just been turned down for a loan.  The youngest daughter has flaunted all her parents expectations and become a wild child, dancing to the beat of her own drum.  There's also the bitter aunt, who expected to inherit some of her brother's estate, but is shocked to find out that he never changed his will the way he promised her he would.  So... who do you think the culprit is?

March - Science Fiction - Old Man's War, by John Scalzi.  John Perry is turning 75 and he has a choice to make.  He can continue as he is, aging, and finish out his life on earth, or he can enlist in the Colonial Defense Force and receive a new body and a new mission - fighting in an intersteller war against hostile aliens.  It wouldn't be much of a story if he didn't choose the second option and we get to see him go through enlistment, body transfer, training, and eventual deployment.  He meets other guys and girls like himself and lives and learns with them much like living in a college dorm.  I thought it was an interesting concept for a story.  It is a 7 book series, but I have only read the first one.

April - Set or written the year you were born - The Twits by Roald Dahl and The Indian in the Cupboard by Lynne Reid Banks.  I was born in 1980 and both these books were published that year.  Both are children's books that I remember reading as a kid.  The Twits isn't the best of Dahl's many kids' books.  It follows a very unpleasant couple to their very unpleasant end.  It has a dark humor that I enjoy in kids' books, but I like Matilda or James and the Giant Peach better.  They have nasty characters, but there are happy, pleasant characters as well.  The Indian in the Cupboard was better.  A young boy is given a magical cupboard and learns how to turn his toys into live people.  He first changes an Indian, then a cowboy, a medic, and an Indian princess with her horse.  Life gets interesting for him when Cowboys and Indians becomes real, in miniature, in his bedroom. 

May - Color in the Title - Black Sheep, by Georgette Heyer.   Georgette Heyer wrote in the early 1900s.  Her stories are mostly Regency romance with an occasional who-done-it mixed in.  In this book, Abigail is in charge of her young niece and is trying to protect her from the schemes of a fortune hunting rake.  She meets the young rake's disreputable uncle and tries to enlist his help to protect her niece. Uncle Miles doesn't care a bit about saving Abigail's niece, but is very interested in liberating Abigail from her many responsibilities.  Heyer's books are witty and fun and I always enjoy revisiting them.

June - Made into a Movie - The Wild Robot, by Peter Brown.  When the ship our robot is being transported on is shipwrecked, one robot washes ashore and is inadvertently powered on by wildlife.  Roz has to learn to adapt to her new wild environment.  She makes friends and adopts an orphaned gosling, but her creators want her back and she has to decide what to do.  This is a very cute book.  Once again it is a series of books, but I've only read the first one.  I haven't gotten around to watching the movie yet, but I plan to soon.

July - True Crime

August - Made you cry - Under the Banner of Heaven, by Jon Krakauer.  This book is about violent religious extremism.  It centers on the murders of Brenda Lafferty and her infant daughter Erica, by Brenda's brother-in-laws Ron and Don Lafferty.  Ron and Don believe that they have received a revelation from God that Brenda and Erica must die.  The book moves back and forth through time examining the roots of violent religious sects.  Unfortunately, it is usually the women and children who suffer the most.

September - Western - Louis L'Amour Short Stories.  The only Western I had read prior to this was Lonesome Dove, which is an epic length novel.  Short stories are on the extreme other end of the spectrum.  Louis L'Amour is an extremely famous, well respected, and often read author, but his short stories were not for me.  They came to a conclusion too easily with too many coincidences for me to find them believable.  Maybe I would like his long form novels better, but I haven't tried any of them.

October - Horror - Hemlock & Silver, by T. Kingfisher.  Hemlock & Silver is very loosely based on the Snow White fairy tale.  It has the elements of the young princess, the wicked stepmother, the poisoned apple, and the magic mirror.  From there though the similarities end.  Anja is a healer, with expertise in poisons, who is summoned to a remote palace to treat the mysterious sickness of a young princess.  What she finds is a princess who knows how she's being poisoned and by who, but who won't share what she knows.  Anja must figure out what the princess is trying to gain and stop the evil that is using her.  T. Kingfisher remains one of my favorite authors, and I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

November - Has a Recipe in It - Kate & Frida, by Kim Fay.  Set in the 1990s, Kate is a bookseller in Seattle and Frida is an aspiring war correspondent in Paris.  When Frida writes to a bookstore asking to make a purchase, Kate responds and a pen-pal friendship is born.  Told entirely in letters, Kate and Frida correspond about their lives, their hopes and dreams, their romances, and food.  Frida attempts to make food her refugee neighbors would like and the descriptions are lovely.  This is actually a follow-up novel to Love & Saffron which covers Frida's mother's correspondence with a food-writer.  Both books are gentle, feel-good reads.  I hope that Kim Fay writes more of this type of story.  

December - Local Author - The Twin Stones, by Ryan Shriver.  I wasn't sure what I was going to read in this category, but I saw on Facebook that Ryan, a former resident of Mt. Vernon, had recently written a book and I decided to try it.  I ended up really liking it and have bought the 2nd one in the series. Finn and Cass are orphans.  When their paths cross they aren't sure what to make of each other, but together set out to find out what happened to their families.  When they reach the place their families disappeared, they find a village in ruins.  They spend the night in a falling down house, and find, hidden, a small box with two stones.  The stones have power and Finn is drawn to one, Cass to the other.  They know that the stones can be used to awaken special powers in them, but they need an awakening circle.  The ones in the cities require them to swear loyalty to the king, which they don't want to do, but with the stones is information about a wild circle.  Together they set off on a dangerous journey to awaken and fulfill a prophecy.  

The next meeting of our Plot Twist book club will be at the library January 27th at 6:00.  Our theme this month is Favorite Author.  Hope to see you there!

Julie's Journal : What I've Been Reading

 A few good reads from the last couple of months....

The Names, by Florence Knapp - This was a really interesting way to tell a story.  Set in Britain, Cora is on the way to register her newborn son's name.  She is trying to decide between three choices.  Her husband Gordan, a well respected doctor who is abusive behind closed doors, wants the child named after himself.  Her daughter, Maia, wants to name the baby Bear so he'll grow up strong and kind.  Cora herself favors the name Julian which means youthful or "sky father".  At this point the story splits and we get to see how the family's lives play out depending on what the baby is named.  Do the children grow up close and loving, or fall apart?  Do Cora and Gordon stay married?  Where is everyone living and what career and family choices do the children make?  How much difference does a name really make?  I couldn't put this unique book down!

The Ghostwriter, by Julie Clark - I was introduced to Julie Clark by someone in our Plot Twist book club who recommended her book Last Flight.  I read it last year and really enjoyed it, so when The Ghostwriter came out I picked it up quickly.  Olivia is a ghostwriter, well known for her portrayals of famous clients.  She changed her name when she became an adult and hides the fact that she is the daughter of a famous horror writer, long suspected of killing his two siblings when they were teenagers.  Now, Olivia is experiencing a career downturn and her father wants to hire her to finish a project.  Elderly and sick, he is finally ready to tell what happened to his brother and sister.  Olivia has to battle his dementia and her distrust of him to try and figure out the truth.  This is a dual timeline novel.  We see both the current time, with Olivia and her father, and the earlier years leading up to the murder of her aunt and uncle.  I enjoyed both stories.  

The Enchanted Greenhouse, by Sarah Durst - This is a companion novel to The Spellshop, but they do not have to be read in order.  Terlu was lonely and broke the law to create a companion, a sentient spider plant.  She is turned in to a statue for her crime and displayed as a warning to anyone else who might think of breaking magical laws.  A few years later, she inexplicably wakes up on a freezing island, populated only by a grumpy gardener and an enormous greenhouse.  She is intrigued by this new world, but discovers that the greenhouse is slowly dying and the gardener doesn't know why.  She begins trying to untangle the greenhouse's secrets, but may have to decide to illegally use magic again.  Is it worth the risk?  This is a cozy fantasy.  The stakes are fairly low, but the characters and world building are a lot of fun.  

The King's Messenger, by Susanna Kearsley - Often, Kearsley's books cover more than one timeline, but this one stays in just one year - 1613.  Andrew Logan is a King's Messenger and he is being sent to arrest a man for the murder of a Prince.  He takes a scribe, and because the scribe's health is failing, he takes the scribe's daughter as well.  Phoebe has never liked Andrew, in part because of the poisonous lies that her beau has fed her about him.  However, on this two week journey, Andrew and Phoebe each discover they were wrong about one another and must work together to overcome several different types of treachery.  This was a quicker read than many of the author's other works and it took me a little while to get into, but once I did I really enjoyed it.

Julie's Journal : What I've Been Reading

I've been reading quite a bit lately, which is nothing new, and I have a few recommendations for you.

First up is Famous Last Words, by Gillian McAllister.  Ms. McAllister is very good at writing a first chapter that really pulls me into a story and gets me invested in how everything turns out.  This one starts with Camilla, a new mother in London who is returning to work after maternity leave.  As she gets ready to drop her daughter off at daycare for the first time, she is experiencing all the anxieties that new mothers go through, along with some frustration that her husband has left early and isn't there to go through it with her.  As she starts her day at work, she is beginning to worry about her husband, who isn't returning her texts, when she gets pulled into a meeting with authorities.  They inform her about a hostage situation happening across town.  Her husband is involved, but he isn't a victim.  He's the perpetrator!  The book then goes back and forth between timelines.  We see the hostage situation unfolding, but also Camilla, seven years in the future, where she is still trying to deal with the aftermath.  This is the third book I've read by this author, and I will be seeking out more by her in the future.  So far, I've enjoyed all the books I've read by her.

Next is We Live Here Now, by Sarah Pinborough.  I discovered Pinborough when I read Behind Her Eyes, which had a crazy premise and one of the wildest twists I remember.  We Live Here Now has a classic creepy house and an unreliable narrator.  Emily is recovering from a horrific accident and with her husband has bought a historic house in the country.  The house feels malevolent, especially the third floor.  Books fall off shelves, windows open by themselves, and cold seeps through the floor.  Emily seems to be the only one who notices these things, and she's still medically unsound, so she's unsure if she can trust her own perceptions.  Frankie, her husband, doesn't seem to notice anything amiss.  They slowly meet neighbors and start to build a life in the new community, but Emily is determined to figure out the truth about their house.  Once again with a Pinborough book, I didn't figure out the house's mystery or see the end coming.  I'm not sure how I would categorize this - maybe horror, although it wasn't particularly gory.  I will read this author again, just to see what wild and crazy ideas she comes up with.

Several years ago, my husband and I were watching North Woods Law, a game warden show set in Maine, and they featured the story of Geraldine Largay.  Geraldine went missing on the Appalachian trail in 2013.  Her body wasn't found until 2015 and it was discovered that she had survived for 26 days before succumbing to the elements.  This year I read Heartwood, by Amity Gaige.  Heartwood is not really based on Geraldine's story, but is more inspired by it.  It follows Valerie - the missing hiker, Bev - the game warden in charge of finding her, and Lena - an elderly woman in a senior living center who is following the case closely for her own reasons.  Maybe it was because I was already a little familiar with the real-life case, but this book sucked me in and I flew through it.

Kate & Frida, by Kim Fay is a follow-up to Love & Saffron from a few years ago.  Both books are epistolary, told through letters written between two young women.  It is 1991.  Frida is in Paris, trying to make a success of being a war correspondent.  She hopes to tell the story of war torn Bosnia.  She writes to a bookstore in Seattle looking for a certain book.  She is answered by Kate.  Kate sends the requested for book as well as a recommendation for more.  They begin a friendship through letters becoming essentially pen pals.  Through their letters, they discuss books, food, current events, their love lives and everything in between.  It is not a flashy, exciting read, but it is a book that gave me a sense of contentment and peace as I was reading it.  I had the same feeling reading Love & Saffron.  I hope that Kim Fay writes more of this type of book.

If you like fantasy, I discovered a new trilogy.  I've read the Emily Wilde series by Heather Fawcett.  The first is Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Fairies.  Emily is a professor at Cambridge.  She studies fairies.  She travels to the far north in order to study winter fairies first hand.  She's not very good with people and manages to insult the locals on her first day, which makes her existence in the village very difficult.  Soon though she is joined by her colleague, Wendell Bambleby, who has the gift of charm.  Emily is frustrated by Wendell, and tries to keep him at arms length, but he has more to offer her, both personally and professionally, than she realizes.  She is hot on the trail of the "Hidden Ones", elusive royal fairies that most mortals are afraid to deal with for good reason.  She will end up needing more help than she wants to accept, if she's going to survive this research trip.  I read all three books in this series pretty quickly.  I enjoyed Emily's curmudgeonly character very much.

Julie's Journal : A Slightly Morbid Tech Tip

One of the many services that Franklin County Library offers is tech help.  We work with patrons to print documents, learn to use new devices and apps, recover lost passwords, keep devices up to date, and anything else patrons need.  Offering this is something I really enjoy and I feel like it is a small way to really help people.  Being somewhat tech savvy is a necessity now, and if we can make that a little easier for patrons, then we have succeeded.

There are limits to what we can help with though, and I've run up against one of those limits a few times over the past year, which is what led me to make this post.  More and more, when you go to sign in to a website or account, the website requires two-factor authentication.  This means that after you put in your password, the website will send a code to your phone and you will have to enter the code to verify that it's really you trying to log in.  

So, what I've seen happen lately is that when someone dies and their estate is being settled, their phone gets turned off.  Then, weeks or months later, their spouse needs to get into an account that is verified through the phone of the deceased.  Since that phone is no longer active, the code cannot be sent and the account cannot be verified.  Many times we can't figure out another way to verify the account. There is very little I can do to help at that point. 

I have seen a widow lose access to the Facebook account that was set up on her husband's phone.  She lost contacts and memories that will be hard to replace.  Another couple had shared an Apple ID and both phones were set up using the same email and password, but his phone was the main contact.  When she couldn't verify the login she lost the ability to download new apps on her phone.  More important accounts also use two-factor authentication - email, banking, and healthcare accounts come to mind.  

If at all possible, please, please, PLEASE don't disconnect someone's phone for as long as possible after they have passed away.  As long as you can afford to pay for it, even for as much as a couple of years, it will benefit you to not lose access to their number.  Be very sure that you have full access to all the accounts you need and that the main phone number associated with them has been changed to your number before you cancel a phone.  It is one small way to make a very difficult time in your life a little easier.

As always, we are glad to help you with your tech needs.  You can ask quick questions at any time or make an appointment for a longer session.  Call the library at 903-537-4916 for more information.

Julie's Journal : An Author I Love - T. Kingfisher

It's always fun when I find a new author I love and discover a backlist of their books to enjoy.  Over the past year I have devoured several books by T. Kingfisher, and I have more to read.  T. Kingfisher is the pen name of Ursula Vernon.  As Ursula Vernon, she is the author of many popular children's books such as the Dragonbreath series and the Hamster Princess series.  T. Kingfisher is the name she uses when she writes for adults.  

I think I've mentioned on the blog several times that I love A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking.  This wasn't the first Kingfisher book that I read, but it is the one that sent me looking for more and I found a treasure trove.

A Sorceress Comes to Call is very loosely based on the Goose Girl fairytale.  Cordelia's mother is an evil sorceress.  She doesn't allow her daughter to have any friends, except her beautiful white horse Falada.  She also has the ability to make her daughter "obedient".  While she is obedient, Cordelia loses all control over her behaviors and speech, behaving exactly as her mother wishes.  Cordelia knows her mother has done bad things, but is somewhat naive as to the depths of her evil.  When her mother begins to worm her way into a noble household, and tricks the squire into marrying her, Cordelia realizes she must act to protect the innocent.  Kingfisher is hard to pin down as to how to classify her books.  This one is definitely fantasy, but also leans slightly into the horror genre.  It is a satisfying read.     

Swordheart is the most recent one I've read.  Halla has been a housekeeper for her late husband's elderly uncle.  When he dies, he leaves his estate to Halla which really ticks off the rest of his family.  They try to force Halla to marry a cousin in order to keep control of the property.  Halla, of course, is not excited about that idea and while looking for a way out, finds a sword that has been used as decoration for years.  When she draws the sword out of its sheath, a man appears.  Essentially, he is the sword, sworn to protect whoever wields it.  His name is Sarkis, and with his help, Halla sets out to free herself of her in-laws and claim her inheritance.  An eclectic cast of characters join them on their quest and many adventures are had.  I enjoy Kingfisher's dry humor, which is especially on display in the character of the priest who joins their party.    

Another of her works, Thornhedge, is a shorter book, closer to a novella.  It's based on the Sleeping Beauty fairytale, but isn't really about Sleeping Beauty.  Toadling is one of the fairies who give a gift to the young princess, but the gift goes awry.  Years later, when the prince comes to rescue Sleeping Beauty, Toadling is determined that he should fail.  Why?  Because Sleeping Beauty is sleeping for a reason and we DO NOT want her to wake up.

Other books by Kingfisher that I have read recently are Nettle and Bone, What Moves the Dead, A House with Good Bones, and novellas Minor Mage, Illuminations, and Nine Goblins.  There are several more I am excited about reading.  I'm thinking I'll try the Paladin series next.  

Julie's Journal : My Favorite Reads from 2024

It's hard to believe that 2024 is winding down.  This year was pretty eventful for me and the library stayed busier than ever, so the time has flown by. 

I've managed to get quite a bit of reading in, and it will surprise nobody that I keep pretty extensive statistics on the books I read.  I'm a bit of a nerd!  So far this year I've read 108 books.  Of those, 91 were written by women, 17 were re-reads, 102 were e-books, and I would recommend 88 of them.  The average publication year was 2017 and they total 37,745 pages.  I keep a simple spreadsheet and mark my favorite titles with an asterisk.  I hope to add a few more by the end of the year.  So, without further ado, here are a few of my favorites of the year. 

Here One Moment, by Liane Moriarty.  I usually enjoy Ms. Moriarty's books, and this one was no exception.  Cherry is a widow in her early 70's.  She is someone who doesn't stand out in a crowd.  She is well-dressed, well-behaved, and unexceptional in every way.  One day, on a short flight, she stands up on the plane and works her way down the aisle, predicting the age and manner of death for each person she encounters.  She has no memory of the event after it happens.  At first people just write it off as a quirky experience, but then some of her prophecies come true.  The passengers begin wrestling with their fates.  Can the mother whose son was told he would drown at age 7 change his fate by enrolling him in swimming lessons?  Can the newlyweds change the predicted violent end to their marriage?  How accurate is Cherry, now known as the "Death Lady"?  This is the third book I've read over the last few years that discusses how life would change if we knew when we would die.  I think of the three, I enjoyed this one the most. 

The Teller of Small Fortunes, by Julie Leong.  Tao is a fortune teller.  She lives in her wagon and travels from place to place, only telling small fortunes.  Her fortunes always come true.  Only once, has she told a larger fortune, and she deeply regrets it.  She lives and travels alone, and tries to draw very little attention to herself.  Eventually she finds a sort of family in Mash and Silt, who are searching for Mash's lost daughter, and Kina, a baker of delicious, but ugly pastries.  Together they continue the search for Mash's daughter, and eventually Tao must use her fortune telling ability for the good of her kingdom.  I would classify this book as a cozy fantasy and I would like to see more like it.  It's not too stressful, and leaves the reader with a good feeling at the end.  

People We Meet on Vacation, by Emily Henry.  Poppy and Alex are best friends.  Every year they take a vacation together, something they look forward to all year long.  Two years ago they had a falling out on their vacation and have hardly spoken since.  This year's trip might be their last chance to save their friendship.  However, they each have to wrestle with what they really want from the relationship and whether they dare to reach for something more.  I have enjoyed Emily Henry and her romances this year.  I think I've read everything she's written.  She does romantic yearning really well which I enjoy.  Be aware, though, that her books will have scenes that are not meant for young readers.

A Sorceress Comes to Call, by T. Kingfisher.  Cordelia's mother is a sorceress, and not the good kind.  She can control Cordelia by taking over her mind.  The only freedom Cordelia has is in her rides on her mother's horse, Falada.  When Cordelia's mother attempts to trick a squire into marriage, Cordelia and the squire's sister, Hester, team up to put a stop to the sorceress, once and for all.  T. Kingfisher is my go-to author to recommend to anyone looking for a fantasy.  I just love the way she writes.  I read several others by her this year and I haven't found one yet that I didn't like.

Adult Assembly Required, by Abbi Waxman.  This is a sort-of sequel to The Bookish Life of Nina Hill.  Laura is a grad student and moves into a boarding house peopled with an interesting cast of characters.  Laura is trying to work through some past trauma and deal with an overbearing family.  She finds a community in the bookshop and in the boarding house, makes new friends, and falls in love.  This is another one that leaves the reader with a peaceful feeling at the end.

Other favorites from this year that I've mentioned in earlier blog posts include, The Frozen River, The Last Flight, and A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking.  

I expect to finish a few more books this year.  I just checked out The Husbands, by Holly Gramazio.  We'll see how it goes!  Let me know what your favorite reads this year have been!

Julie's Journal : A Day in the Life of a Librarian

I'm ashamed to say that, as a student, I never considered becoming a Librarian as a career choice.  It just didn't occur to me.  If I had thought about it, even a little, I might have seen how perfect a career it would be for me.  When I did come into Librarianship, starting out in part-time work and moving into the Assistant Director's position, it quickly became clear how perfect a job it is for me.  

If you've ever taken personality tests, you will know how many different categories people can be sorted into.  One distinction that I find very interesting is that people, especially in the job market, are often sorted into Specialists and Generalists.  A Specialist is someone who becomes an expert in their field, sometimes even a very narrow area within their field.  They can be very good at what they do, but don't often venture beyond the borders of their expertise.  A Generalist on the other hand is someone who's interests vary widely.  They don't necessarily become experts in any one field, but can function well across many different types of work in many different areas.  Both types of people make valuable contributions to a workplace.  

It should come as a surprise to no one that I function well as a Generalist.  When I was studying accounting in college and interning during the summers, I learned that I became bored very quickly.  I still like accounting and business, but I don't want my work life to be solely focused on that.  At the library, I can do all kinds of different things within the course of a week, and sometimes within a single day.  Anything that I am interested in can be relevant at the library.

Over the course of the last few days, here are a few things I have done....

• 
  Taught a one week seminar on Digital Living for Seniors.  This class is geared towards Senior Adults and gives information about the myriad of different ways that technology can be helpful in daily life.  I will try to offer it again early next year.
  

• Taught Kid Crochet.  I've been doing this for several years now and am always delighted by the interest it gets.  We've just started up again for this year and I have several students brand new to crochet.  They are just learning their first chain and single crochet stitches.  Another student has started learning the granny square and still another is making her first stuffed animal.  One student's mother is also interested in learning, so as I have time, I am showing her the basics as well.  
  

• 
  I had a nice conversation with a gentleman just getting into raising chickens.  I've had chickens for years, so it's nice when that hobby bleeds into the library.

• Attended the monthly meeting of our Plot Twist Book Club.  We discussed non-fiction.  Next month's topic is fantasy.
  

• Made many, many book recommendations.  I do this across all areas of the library, but in conjunction with next month's book club topic, I was asked yesterday for several fantasy recommendations.  My go-to's are anything by T. Kingfisher and assorted fairy-tale retellings!

• Shopped for books!  Always a fun chore - I make recommendations to Lisa for books to purchase for our collection and I am in charge of maintaining our e-book collection for Libby.
  

• Offered tech help to patrons.  You can make an appointment with me or any library staff for help with your phone or tablet or laptop.  This week I have helped with organizing email, setting up new earbuds, figuring out why an iPad wasn't working, and connecting a phone to a vehicle via bluetooth.

• Held a newborn baby while her mother wrangled her three siblings.  This was both duty and pleasure!

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  Helped with patrons needing to print.  So much printing!
  

• Facilitated our Creative Hands program.  We meet weekly and people bring whatever project they are working on.  We visit and help one another with our projects.

• Attended virtual trainings on a variety of topics from the Association for Rural and Small Libraries.

And the thing is - we all do these things and more.  Lisa is our director.  She keeps us within the lines of our budget, plans programs, purchases books and materials, sees to the building maintenance needs, and so much more.  Christian and Jeltje are our front line staff.  They check people in and out, reshelve materials, and make sure the library shelves are neat and organized.  They keep up with what patrons are checking out and make purchase recommendations based on that information.  Christian makes library cards for new patrons, keeps our plants alive, and makes sure our bulletin board and outside sign are up to date and looking good.  Jeltje puts new books in the system (a never ending chore), makes sure we have a new dad joke for the globe every week, and comes up with new ideas for programming and promotion.

It takes us all to keep the library running and in good shape.  Come in and see all the things we have to offer!

Julie's Journal : What I've Been Reading (plus our Puzzle Exchange)

Lately, I've been cursed with an overabundance of books to read and not enough time to finish them all.  I currently have 32 books on hold on Libby.  I need to clear some out, but I'm always finding new stuff I want to read and add to it!  

I've been on a bit of a T. Kingfisher kick lately.  I've always liked her stuff, but earlier this year I read The Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking and recommended it to everybody.  It's so fun.  One of the characters, Bob, is a sentient sour dough starter with personality!  I followed it up with Minor Mage, Illuminations, and Nine Goblins.  All are short, magical stories that I really enjoyed.  Next on my list by her is A Sorceress Comes to Call.  It is a retelling of the Goose Girl fairytale.

Another science fiction book I read recently was The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin.  This was on the New York Times list of the best 100 books of the 21st century, and I had only read a few from the list.  This is a very different book, and it took me a little while to figure out the timeline.  I may read the rest in the series, (I have the second one on hold on Libby), but it's pretty involved so I may have to be in the right mood for it.

The Last Flight by Julie Clark was recommended in our Plot Twist Book Club.  It tells the story of two women who are both looking to change their lives.  One is running from a powerful and abusive husband.  The other has gotten caught up in an illegal lifestyle and wants to leave it.  They switch plane tickets at the last minute and the repercussions are huge.  I marked this as one of the best books I've read this year! 

Another author whose books I try to always read is Heather Webber.  Her latest, In the Middle of Hickory Lane, was very enjoyable.  Emme has moved to live near her father's family and try to put down roots for the first time in her life.  Her cousin Cora Bee is dealing with some demons of her own, and their grandmother, Glory, is beginning to struggle with her health.  All three women have to come to terms with their pasts in order to move forward in life.  I love the subtle magical element all of Heather Webber's books include.  In my opinion, this is one of her better books.

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Did you know that Franklin County Library has a puzzle exchange?  Bring a puzzle, leave a puzzle!  We had two big donations last week, so there are plenty to choose from!

Julie's Journal : What I've Been Reading Plus Some of My TBR

Right now, I'm reading Dark Corners by Megan Goldin.  This is the third book by this author that I have read and the second featuring podcaster, Rachel Krall.  Rachel has developed a reputation as a reporter/investigator who can prove the innocence of those wrongly convicted.  Now she's delving into the behind-the-scenes world of influencers.  A girl is missing and Rachel may be the next target of a serial killer.  So far it's living up to the hype!

I just finished The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon and I highly recommend it.  It's already on my list of favorites for this year.  It is the fictionalized story of real-life 18th century midwife Martha Ballard.  The story takes place in Maine, over the course of one brutal winter.  It contains difficult topics including sexual assault, child loss, and the powerlessness of women during this time period, but still manages to stay hopeful.  I loved the depiction of the marriage between Martha and her husband Ephraim.

The Bookish Life of Nina Hill by Abbi Waxman is another book I finished recently.  Nina is an introvert with very little family.  She has built a life she loves working in a small bookstore and going to trivia nights with her team.  Her world gets turned upside down when she learns that the father she never knew has named her in his will.  Along with an inheritance, she also learns that she has brothers and sisters and nieces and nephews and some of them want to welcome her to the family.  Further complicating her simple life is a budding new romance with the leader of a rival trivia team and the financial difficulties that make the survival of the bookstore questionable.  Nina must overcome her anxiety to let some new things and people into her life.  The book was a little predictable, but it was a sweet, quick read.

For awhile I have been eyeing The Island of Sea Women by Lisa See, and I finally picked it up.  It is set on the island of Jeju in the Korea Straight.  Women on the island have been making a living diving into the ocean for generations.  Young-sook is our main character and she and her friend Mi-ja are taking their place in the diving collective.  Young-sook and Mi-ja are young during the years of Japanese colonialism and Mi-ja is somewhat ostracized because her father was a Japanese collaborator.  Over the years, they marry and have families, but a betrayal rips their friendship apart.  I was interested in the book because I had heard of the diving women, but this book focuses not just on the women but the greater political affairs that were affecting their island.  We follow them through WWII and the Korean war, all the way to current times.  I realized that my knowledge of Asian history is lacking.  This was a difficult book.  The women and their families go through horrors that I can't imagine.  

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Last year, I started keeping a notebook of books I want to read that either aren't available to me right now or I just don't have time for.  When I run out of things to read, I consult the book to see if I can get anything on the list.  I've found it to be a lot of fun and helpful as well.  

Right now on my To-Be-Read (TBR) list, in addition to books in my notebook, are several physical books that have been given to me lately.  I tend to read e-books more than physical books, so I need to put down my devices and concentrate on these books.  Right now I have copies of The Fury by Alex Michaelides, Just Another Missing Person by Gillian McAllister, and two books by a new-to-me author, Will Dean.  I'm assured that Dean does twists in his stories very well.  I'm excited to pick one of these up for my next read!