Tag: Beyond the Book

Beyond the Book

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January 13, 2021

4:09 pm

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Beyond the Book with Wild: from lost to found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed

This month we are going Beyond the Book with Wild: from lost to found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed. (DB74646) The author, Cheryl Strayed, at the age of 26, decides on a whim to make the 1,100 hike up the Pacific Crest Trail by herself after years of devastating personal losses.  She experiences many mishaps and adventures along the way while meeting new people in the locals and fellow hikers she encounters. This was not a “how-to” book about hiking, or an informational book about the Pacific Crest Trail, or even a self-help book.  It is the thoughts of a woman who used her journey to work through her thoughts and emotions about her life up to that point. I thought this book would be a good book to take us into the new year as it can make you think about your own life experiences and how you ultimately handled and reacted to them.  2020 was a hard and interesting year that put us all outside our comfort zones and made us look inwardly at how we handle situations.  This reminded me of Strayed’s journey up the Pacific Crest Trail as she traveled alone with only her own thoughts as company.  This book was made into a movie in 2014 starring Reese Witherspoon.  In my opinion, the book is almost always than its movie and that holds true here.  However, the movie was very well done and I really enjoyed it and would strongly recommend it!

Next time we will go Beyond the Book with The Two Lives of Lydia Bird by Josie Silver (DB98810) A contemporary romance about Lydia and Freddie who had been together for more than a decade when Freddie died in a car accident. Deeply grieving, it takes time for Lydia to take the first steps to move on. But in her dreams, she has another chance at her old life with Freddie. With Valentine’s Day around the corner, a romance seems like the perfect fit! Call the library to request this book!  Once you have read it, call or email with your review or thoughts.  You might hear your words in the next Beyond the Book segment in the March Library News. We would love to hear from you!  Call 515.452.1329 or email library@blind.state.ia.us.

Thanks for reading with us!

Beyond the Book

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November 13, 2020

9:00 am

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Book Reviews, library

Beyond the Book with Before She Was Found by Heather Gudenkauf

This month we are going Beyond the Book with Before She Was Found by Heather Gudenkauf (DB96617).  Before She Was Found is “a gripping thriller about three young girlfriends, a dark obsession and a chilling crime that shakes up a quiet Iowa town. For twelve-year-old Cora Landry and her friends Violet and Jordyn, it was supposed to be an ordinary sleepover–movies and Ouija and talking about boys. But when they decide to sneak out to go to the abandoned rail yard on the outskirts of town, little do they know that their innocent games will have dangerous consequences. Later that night, Cora Landry is discovered on the tracks, bloody and clinging to life, her friends nowhere to be found. Soon their small rural town is thrust into a maelstrom. Who would want to hurt a young girl like Cora–and why? In an investigation that leaves no stone unturned, everyone is a suspect and no one can be trusted–not even those closest to Cora. Before She Was Found is a timely and gripping thriller about friendship and betrayal, about the power of social pressure and the price of needing to fit in. It is about the great lengths a parent will go to protect their child and keep them safe–even if that means burying the truth, no matter the cost.”–Provided by publisher.

Heather Gudenkauf is a bestselling author of many mystery/thriller books.  She currently lives in Dubuque, Iowa with her family.   But she spent a lot of her childhood in Mason City, Iowa and graduated from the University of Iowa. I was able to hear Ms. Gudenkauf speak recently at the Iowa Library Association Annual Conference and she is a very calming, insightful speaker.  She possesses a great love of libraries and talked about her many memories using libraries throughout her life, especially the Mason City Public Library.  This summer she did an interview series with other bestselling authors and their pets called Sidekicks and Sidetrips.  It’s a fun, entertaining way to learn about other authors.  You can find these interviews on her website heathergudenkauf.com.  If you like mysteries, Heather Gudenkauf is the author for you!

Next time we will go Beyond the Book with Wild: from lost to found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed (DB74646).  Ms. Strayed recounts the three-month, 1,100-mile solo hike she took on a whim in 1995, after years of devastating personal losses. She describes her encounters with rattlesnakes, locals, fellow hikers, and her own thoughts during her trek from Los Angeles to Washington State on the Pacific Crest Trail.  Call the library to request this book and we can take her journey together. Once you have read it, call or email with your review or thoughts.  You might hear your words in the next Beyond the Book segment in the January Library News. We would love to hear from you!  Call 515.452.1329 or email library@blind.state.ia.us.

Thanks for reading with us!

Beyond the Book

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June 3, 2020

8:30 am

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This month we are going Beyond the Book with Northfield by Johnny Boggs.  It is a fictional account of the 1876 robbery of the First National Bank in Northfield, Minnesota, by the James-Younger gang. Some strong language is involved. The James-Younger gang consisted of Cole and Bob Younger and Frank and Jesse. Each chapter is told from the viewpoint of a different character involved in the raid from the robbers themselves to the lawmen to everyday citizens in the town.  Including those viewpoints of the James and Younger brothers.  Even though this book is considered western fiction, it is great for non western fans as well.  Jesse James and his gang are fascinating historical characters and this book would be enjoyed by historical fiction or true crime stories fans also!

The author, Johnny D. Boggs, is an award winning western author.  He has won a record of eight Spur Awards from the Western Writers of America and the winner of the Western Heritage Wrangler award!  Booklist magazine called him “among the best western writers at work today. He also received the 2020 Owen Wister Award for Lifetime Contributions to Western Literature.   Boggs grew up in South Carolina and now lives Santa Fe, New Mexico with his wife and son.  He knew from an early age that he wanted to be a writer and got an interest in the West when he watched Gunsmoke as a kid with his dad.*

If you would like to discover more about the robbery gone bad of the First National Bank in Northfield from everyone involved, call the library at 515.281.1323 to request this book!  Once you have read it, call or email with your review or thoughts.  You might hear your words in the next Beyond the Book segment in the July Library News. We would love to hear from you!  Call 515.452.1329 or email library@blind.state.ia.us.

*Source: www.johnnydboggs.com

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Beyond the Book

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May 1, 2020

8:32 am

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If you listen to the Library News Podcast on your circulation cartridge or through this blog, you may have heard of Beyond the Book.  Beyond the Book is a segment we do every other month in Library News that highlights an audiobook in our collection.  We introduce the book, give readers a chance to request that book, and then readers have an opportunity to offer a review or their thoughts on the book by calling in or emailing the library.  A few select reviews or thoughts will be read in the next installment of the Beyond the Book on Library News.  In addition, we could also go Beyond the Book by discussing the author, setting of the book, or characters in the book or more!

Currently, we are going Beyond the Book with a western by Johnny Boggs titled Northfield (DB67254).  Northfield is a fictional account of the 1876 robbery of the First National Bank in Northfield, Minnesota, by the James-Younger gang. The raid unfolds from various perspectives, including those of outlaws Frank and Jesse James, Sheriff James Glispin, the daughter of a murdered teller, and the gun-toting town residents. There is some strong language.

Call the library at 515-281-1323 to request this title or head over to BARD and download it.  Once you have read it, contact us and give us a review!  We would love to hear from you!  Call Leslie at 515-452-1329 or email library@blind.state.ia.us with your opinions!  You may hear your thoughts on a segment of Beyond the Book.  You can choose to remain anonymous if you would like.

Past Beyond the Book titles have been:

Check out our BARD page for more information on how to use the Braille and Audio Reading Download (BARD).

Thanks for reading with us!