This spring, the Johnson County Library has been exploring the theme Breaking Free. While the library programs have been focusing primarily on food insecurity, this theme can be applied to many areas of life, such as generational stereotypes.
Does anyone else remember ordering joke books in the Scholastic Book Order as a kid and eagerly gobbling up all the quips and antics, only to forget them minutes later? William Novak drew me back to this memory with his book Die Laughing: Killer Jokes for Newly Old Folks. This was a surprisingly pleasing random pickup on the heels of April Fools Day, but it’s not as the title suggests only for “newly old folks.” Anyone with a campy sense of humor about aging will find a chuckle in these pages.
In the late 1800s and early-mid 1900s, the Harvey Girls were considered to be elite hostesses and servers for entrepreneur and businessman Fred Harvey. Harvey developed the concept of the ‘Harvey House’ dining areas along various railways across the United States, including the Atchison, Topeka, and the Santa Fe. These hospitality restaurants worked in tandem with the railways in order to provide first class service to passengers and railroad employees. Meals were served promptly on a strict schedule and all Harvey Girls were expected to follow a strict code of conduct tha
"Never underestimate the power of nerds." Self proclaimed nerd Mallory O'Meara pours her heart and three years of her life into The Lady From The Black Lagoon, a biography to uncover the lost legacy of Milicent Patrick.
Hello and welcome to our look at some new releases at the Johnson County Library! Each month we look at five fiction titles making their debut that we think you should 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!
An engrossing story narrated by a wonderfully entertaining, snarky protagonist.
Eleanor Roosevelt served as her husband’s eyes and ears throughout his twelve years in office; she knew every corner of the United States from personal visits and meetings with locals without a cocoon of Secret Service protection. Starting in 1941, the very hands-on First Lady solved the personal problems of worried Americans while she traversed the continent. Ladies’ Home Journal included her first of several advice columns, entitled “If You Ask Me,” which shares both its name and content with this book.
Wilkie Collins, author of The Woman in White, was a contemporary of Charles Dickens and is considered one of the first writers of detective mysteries and sensational novels--this story being one of the most notable (the other is The Moonstone). This 5-episode miniseries expertly tackled the 656-page novel and kept me on the edge of my seat even more than many a modern thriller.
It’s a little hard to miss all the pink and red hearts present in every retail space right now, the ads for sparkly jewelry, and displays of roses and flowers, but let’s take a few minutes to honor another February holiday: Galentine’s Day, which falls on the 13th of the month.
