Reviews

Johnson County Library is pleased to announce that Brian Daldorph has won our writing contest in the Open category on the theme of A Universe of Stories with "Wasps".

Brian Daldorph teaches at the University of Kansas and Douglas County Jail. He edits Coal City Review.

Wasps

It all started with Miss Friman's War. No, wait. It began in 2012 when a friend and I decided to go on a foreign adventure. She chose Sweden and I suggested we find a Swedish island to explore.

Only Child by Rhiannon Navin, is narrated through the voice of Zach, a first grade boy who hides in a closet with his teacher and classmates while a lone gunman begins shooting people in his elementary school.  In the aftermath of the shooting, once 19 people are pronounced dead, we are taken through a captivating emotional journey, hearing not only Zach’s thoughts, but those overheard convers

How to Give Up Plastic: A Guide to Changing the World, One Plastic Bottle at a Time by Will McCallum is a scary, eye-opening, informative book that outlines the world’s use of plastics (which is in almost everything - including our clothing), the impact plastics are having on the environment, and suggestions to reduce the amount of plastic we use each day.

Hello and welcome to our look at some new releases this month at the Johnson County Library! Every month we look at five fiction titles making their debut that we think you absolutely need to know about. You might not find these books on the bestseller lists, but that's okay, as we love putting the spotlight on books you might not have heard about. Give one - or more - of these titles a chance to make it in your hold list. We hope you find something new!

“I don’t mean to bother you,” the question usually begins, “but I’m looking for my next book, and I just don’t know what I want to read.” Honestly, that question is one of our favorites to get in days that are often filled with new card sign-ups and telling people where the restroom is.

Johnson County Library is pleased to announce that Martha Gershun has won our essay writing contest on the theme of A Universe of Stories with "The Hatch".

The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewel is a well-written thriller that not only contains a mystery but is also loaded with lots of family drama.

The movie adaptation of Where'd You Go Bernadette, starring Cate Blanchett, has finally hit theaters (see Trailer), but all good bibliophiles know that the book is almost always better than the movie, and in the case of Where'd You Go Bernadette, the novel is absolutely fabulous and not to be missed. The titular character, Bernadette Fox wears many hats. She's a wife, mother, famed former architect, and for many mothers at the local school, the obnoxious bane of their existence.

August is Read-a-Romance month. Do yourself a favor and check out what the genre has to offer and what it has been up to lately. I guarantee you will be pleasantly surprised.