Books
The Best Of
We are decidedly well into the year 2012. I like getting to this point in January. The days are noticeably longer, the holiday hubbub is over and we delude ourselves into thinking once this month passes, winter will be a breeze. This is also the time of year when I am plotting my reading journey for the next several months or so. This journey is the result of all of the “best of 2011” lists that we’ve been reading in review magazines, online blogs and websites. This is an annual rite of passage that we eagerly look forward to here at the Library. We compare the lists against what we have, we compare the lists against what we’ve read, we voice strong opinions about what books made what list and we make plans to read the books we somehow missed.
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Unbroken
While my reading taste falls heavily towards fiction I find myself drawn to adventure/survival stories of one kind and another. I have often pondered why this is because I am not really the adventurous type. My big adventure of the year is jumping in an icy cold lake on New Year's Day. It's all of 30 seconds. My idea of an extended adventure is taking a day hike. I once spent six days in the Appalachian Mountains backpacking during a college spring break. In those six days my girlfriend and I racked up 16 miles. I considered it an amazing feat, but most people laughed in our faces when they found out the distance we covered. So, I think I read adventure/survival stories because I'm amazed at the limits that people will push themselves to achieve a personal goal or survive a situation thrust upon them. Read more »
It's Show Time
Reading is such a highly subjective experience. So much of a reading experience is what goes on inside a person’s head during the reading – characters are formed, scenes re-created, motivations examined. It is against this backdrop that books made into movies generate buzz, anticipation and even a little anxiety in readers. The main concern of course is who will be cast to portray a book’s characters. Read more »
Jerry Apps is coming!
I just got off the phone with author Jerry Apps and we have re-scheduled his appearance for Tuesday April 19th at 7pm. So many of you who read the book expressed interest in a re-schedule so we hope you can make it. We are relieved Mr. Apps is OK and we look forward to spending a night discussing his books, his writing life, and his experiences growing up on a farm and working summers in a pickle factory. If you haven't yet read the book you still have time. It's a quick, enjoyable read and we even have a copy here at this moment. This is the first time in months there has not been a waiting list for this book. Thanks again for being so understanding about the cancellation and for your interest in the One Book/One Community program.
A Little Reminiscing
I stuck around until 7:15pm last night in order to greet any folks coming to the author program who had not heard that it was canceled. I thanked them for coming, gave them a library book bag and wistfully waved them off. I got nostalgic about some of our previous author events and thought about what thorougly enjoyable evenings they are. Some of my happiest moments are when the Library is full of people, whether those people be kids or adults. But there is something about a crowd of people coming together to celebrate a book and its creator that really touches my soul. Our author events are just a great way to spend an evening. Writers are so willing to give of themselves, to bare their souls, their anxieties, their triumphs - and that always leaves the audience with something to walk away with. The exchange between a writer and his/her audience is always a satisfying one. At least that has been our experience here.This photo is from our 2006 author event with Mary Relindes Ellis.
There is still no definite date for a re-schedule with Mr. Apps. We sincerely hope that is all is well with him and we thank him for giving us the experience of collectively sharing a book and enjoying it to boot.
Jerry Apps event canceled
The author event with Jerry Apps scheduled for tonight, March 29th, has been canceled due to an illness the author has. We hope Mr. Apps has a speedy recovery and wish him well. We're a little sad about this recent development because so many of you rallied around the book, In a Pickle, and you were looking forward to meeting the author.
We are still so glad we picked this book for our One Book/One Community program as it resonated with so many of our readers. The plot, the setting and the characters of In a Pickle had a little something for everyone who chose to read the book and many of you did. At this point in time there is no re-schedule date, nor do we even know if we will re-schedule.
We love doing these One Book/One Community programs because it's like having one big community book discussion for several months. We were tickled (pickled?) to learn how many of you had pickle picking, pickle growing, and of course, pickle eating experiences in your past - we loved hearing those stories. We will continue to offer this program in years to come and we'll continue to focus on Wisconsin authors because there is such a wealth of talent right here in our great state.
Please help us pass the word about the program cancellation. And thank you for supporting our efforts.
In a Pickle
No, we aren't in a pickle here at the Library, but we want you to read In a Pickle by Wisconsin author Jerry Apps. This book is our featured read for the revival of the One Book/One Community program here at the Library. We are very excited to revive this program that has taken a hiatus for couple of years. Mr. Apps is a well-known Wisconsin author who is originally from Waushara County. In a Pickle takes place in the fictional Ames County, Wisconsin but every reader from these parts will be able to discern that it's really Waushara County the author is writing about. There is nothing quite so enjoyable than reading a book that takes place close to home, a book that has a plot that resonates with your own experiences and a book that has characters that resemble the people we live and work with every day. Read more »
Holiday Books Redux
It seems like just yesterday I was writing about my Christmas of one year past and how much (or how little) books figured into my Holiday. I was concerned at what I perceived as a decline in the amount of book gift giving I saw in my family and in talking about books in general. I pledged that in 2010 all of my gifts would be books and while this did not completely come to pass I did make a good faith effort to achieve this goal. And this holiday also found me discussing quite a few books with family members and friends so as the Holiday week-end came to a close I felt a contentment that was missing somewhat last year at this time. Here are the books that played a part of my holiday: Read more »
At the Lake
I had a relaxing week-end at the Lake with family and friends. In between the boat rides, the swimming, the great food and the laughs, the talk was often about what we were reading, what we had read or what we would read if we didn’t have day jobs. When discussion turns to reading and books I’m generally in a good state of mind.
Ginger arrived Friday night with two magazines in hand. And what week-end at the Lake is complete without some magazines? A magazine worthy of a stay at the Lake will inspire lots of conversation and that’s just what the issue of People with Elin (Now Nordegren) Woods on the cover did. Ginger also had the latest issue of Rolling Stone with the stars of the vampire show on HBO on the cover. Read more »
Getting Spooked
I leave for Isle Royale National Park next week for a few days of island wilderness living in the splendor of Lake Superior. With an address of Michigan, the park is actually closer to Canada and Minnesota and is completely uninhabited except for moose, wolves, snowshoe hares and the few park rangers and employees of the one lodge that exists. Yellowstone Park sees more visitors in one day than Isle Royale sees in one year. The remoteness of the place makes getting there an adventure. The being there is just icing on the cake. In preparation for any trip I try to read as much as I can about the place I’m going to be visiting. There is not a whole lot of literature on Isle Royale but I’ve been able to find a few interesting books on the history and environment that will enhance my stay there. In my quest I always try to find a novel that takes place in the locale I’m visiting. So for this trip, that means two mysteries in Nevada Barr’s Anna Pigeon series.
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Library Hours
| Mon | 9:30 - 5:30 |
| Tue | 9:30 - 5:30 |
| Wed | 9:30 - 8:00 |
| Thur | 9:30 - 5:30 |
| Fri | 9:30 - 5:30 |
| Sat | 9:00 - noon* |
| Sun | Closed |
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* The library is closed on Saturdays from Memorial Day through Labor Day. |
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Sturm Memorial Library is a member of the Outagamie Waupaca Library System (OWLS)