Staff Pick: Wild Douglas County

Wild Douglas County by Ken Lassman

Ken Lassman's book, Wild Douglas County, encourages us to bring the outdoors into our social conscience. Ken wants to reconnect each of us to our bioregion with a greater sense of place. Ken's book may also be used as a reference guide to become more familiar with nature in our own backyards and the whole region. Read Wild Douglas County to learn how valuable and important our local ecology is and how we can help create justice for this piece of the earth.

Ken writes: "Today... we have a landscape that has shrinking islands of native habitat surrounded by agricultural and urban landscapes." How can wild animals that do not fly travel from one natural area to the next? Every summer I witness several turtles attempting to cross our roads; unfortunately, I can't always help them across. We must find a way to help wildlife survive. Ken offers these practical solutions: connect areas of nearby native habitats with natural corridors, "nature's highways", transform your yard to native habitat, control invasive species, get actively involved in local restoration and preservation efforts, and cultivate ecological literacy.

This thorough guide makes the seasons more accessible with descriptions of happenings throughout the year in the cycles and rhythms of various organisms. An annotated list of recommended local organizations to join or contact for more information is also provided. Recommended native habitats to visit are highlighted, including access pointes to the Kaw and Wakarusa Rivers, and where to see healthy examples of native prairies and woodlands.

Also note that Ken offers an invitation, if you would like to ask him to give a presentation and/or lead a nature walk, his contact information is inside the front of the book.

Shirley - Adult Services

September Movies

The movies are coming out later this month. The books are already here at the library. Click on titles to view and reserve items in our catalog.

	Whiteout by Greg Rucka In theaters September 11 In this graphic novel, Carrie Stetko, a US Marshall stationed in Antarctica, chases a killer across the continent and finds out that he has more than bodies to hide. Followed up by Whiteout: Melt. More about the book Official Movie Site
	The Informant by Kurt Eichenwald In theaters September 18 A riveting account of an FBI investigation into a massive price fixing scheme at one of America's largest corporations. This book may be a work of nonfiction, but as David Baldacci put it, "the twists and turns... leave many thrillers in the dust". More about the book Official Movie Site
	Brief Interviews with Hideous Men by David Foster Wallace In theaters September 25 A collection of short stories from the writer A. O. Scott called "the best mind of his generation". More about the book Official Movie Site
	I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell by Tucker Max In theaters September 25 Unapologetic and supposedly true accounts of the author's adventures boozing, sleeping around, and admittedly acting like an idiot. Some reviewers think this book is hilarious. Others are offended. More about the book Official Movie Site
	Surrogates by Robert Venditti In theaters September 25 A graphic novel that takes place in 2054, when virtual reality and cybernetics have advanced to the point that it is no longer necessary for people to leave home to experience life. A terrorist is determined to put an end to this, and two detectives are determined to stop him. More about the book Official Movie Site

Staff Pick: Shah of Shahs

Shah of Shahs by Ryszard Kapuściński

Published in 1985, this book is a pithy, revelatory reconstruction of the Iranian Revolution of 1979 by an eyewitness. The book, which the original New York Times book review called “insightful and important” is remarkable as both an historical document and allegory for revolution anywhere, but is especially gripping because of the insight it offers into the Iran of today.

Ryszard Kapuściński’s (Rish-ard Kap-ush-chin-ski) writing can be a marvel of selection and condensation. Anything non-essential is seemingly left out, but his prose hardly becomes dry or journalistic. If anything, the brevity of the writing adds to its odd lyricism. Shah of Shahs, like many of Kapuściński’s other books, reads more like a novel than a work of nonfiction. Lasting only 152 pages, it is a short novel at that.

Kapuściński was a Polish journalist. Over the course of his career reporting from Asia, Africa, and Latin America he was jailed forty times, witnessed twenty-seven coups or revolutions, and survived four death sentences. Though sometimes criticized for straying from the strictly factual, his books are widely praised and have been translated into thirty languages. The Emperor: Downfall of an Autocrat and The Soccer War are also highly recommended.

Jacob - Adult Services

If You Like Janet Evanovich...

Janet Evanovich is consistently one of the most popular authors at the library. Her latest novel, Finger Lickin' Fifiteen, has been on our list of most requested books since early last spring.

If you're a fan of Evanovich and her lingerie buyer turned bounty-hunter heroine Stephanie Plum, you might also enjoy one of these series.

	Wollie Shelley series by Harley Jane Kozak Spunky single gal Wollie Shelley is a greeting card artist and budding private eye who finds herself involved in delightfully screwball, totally outlandish murder mysteries. First in the series is Dating Dead Men.
	Bubbles Yablonsky series by Sarah Strohmeyer Beautician/cub reporter/amateur sleuth Yablonsky is a divorced single Mom in Pennsylvania with a penchant for Camaros, tube tops, and solving crimes. First in the series is Bubbles Unbound.
	Sam Jones series by Lauren Henderson Stephanie Plum + Bridget Jones = Sam Jones, a sassy, sexy sculptor who stumbles upon a variety of murders and other crimes while making her way upward on London’s hip art scene. First in the series is Black Rubber Dress.
	Myron Bolitar series by Harlan Coben A very funny, award-winning series featuring Myron Bolitar, a professional sports agent/amateur gumshoe surrounded by a cast of great characters, led by a charmingly psychotic sidekick with a dandy fashion sense. First in the series is Deal Breaker.
	Heather Wells series by Meg Cabot After losing her fame, fortune, and waistline, former teen pop idol Heather Wells heads to college, where she takes a job as an R.A. and becomes an amateur sleuth. As she looks for love and searches for criminals, campus hilarity ensues. First in the series is Size 12 Is Not Fat.
	Talba Willis series by Julie Smith Willis is a computer expert by day and a hip hop poet on New Orleans’ café scene by night. In between, she solves crimes with the help of Eddie Valentino, an aging private eye, and her larger-than-life mama, Miz Clara. First in the series is Louisiana Hotshot.
	Sofie Metropolis series by Tori Carrington Sofie is a good Greek-American girl, until she’s jilted at the altar and decides to remake her life. She takes a job with her uncle, a P.I. in working-class Queens and finds herself surrounded by screwball crimes and wacky characters, most of whom are in her family. First in the series is Sofie Metropolis.

Back to School

The first full day of classes is just around the corner. Here are twenty novels about all things academic that should help ease the transition back into educational endeavors. Click on titles to view and reserve books in the Library's catalog.

	Lucky Jim by Kingsley Amis Originally published in 1954, this comic novel follows Jim Dixon, a history professor at a British university who hates his job, among other things, but is terrified of losing it. This book, and two others on this list, were candidates for the funniest novel ever according to the New York Times Paper Cuts blog. More about this book
	The Rule of Four by Ian Caldwell & Dustin Thomason In this thriller from 2004, two Princeton students find the key to deciphering a Renaissance text but their work is interrupted when a fellow student of the work is murdered. More about this book
	Wonder Boys by Michael Chabon Pulitzer Prize winner Chabon’s poignant, comic novel about philandering English professor struggling to finish his second novel, a brilliant but disturbed student, and the host of characters surrounding them. More about this book
	Death in a Tenured Position by Amanda Cross English professor Kate Fansler solves crimes with a literary flair. In this award-winning mystery she investigates the harassment and eventual murder of the first woman professor in Harvard University’s English department. More about this book
	The Blackboard Jungle: A Novel by Evan Hunter A rookie high school teacher is forced to fight against teen-age gangsters. Originally published in 1953, Hunter’s novel dramatizes the perceived rise in juvenile delinquency. Made into a movie in 1955. More about this book
	The Cheese Monkeys: A Novel in Two Semesters by Chip Kidd Kidd, a renowned graphic designer, made his debut as a novelist with this fast-paced satire of art school in the 1950s. More about this book
	Small World: An Academic Romance by David Lodge Published in 1984, this satiric novel by the British professor Lodge details the professional and romantic competition of a group of English scholars. More about this book
	At the Villa of Reduced Circumstances by Alexander McCall Smith Professor of philology Dr. Moritz-Maria von Igelfeld, who is also the hero of The Finer Points of Sausage Dogs and Portuguese Irregular Verbs jumps from one intrigue to another in his comedic quest for respect. More about this book
	The Paper Chase by John Jay Osborn, Jr When published in 1971, this novel was praised as the first book to accurately depict the rigors of life in law school. Made into an award winning film in 1973. More about this book
	Election: A Novel by Tom Perrotta Sex scandals, smear campaigns, and behind-the-scenes deals are all part of the election for student body president at Winwood High in this darkly comic novel. Made into a movie in 1999. More about this book
	Blue Angel: A Novel by Francine Prose A married writing professor's captivation with a talented student leads to his ruin in the bitingly funny novel. More about this book
	The Human Stain by Philip Roth Forced to retire because of alleged racism, classics professor Coleman Silk harbors a secret that would shock even his most ardent accuser. Roth's novel won the PEN/Faulkner Award in 2001. More about this book
	Straight Man by Richard Russo Over the course of one weekend, English professor William Henry Devereaux manages to have his nose slashed, find that his secretary writes better fiction than he does, confront his father in an abandoned amusement park, and threaten to execute a goose. He does not execute the goose. More about this book
	Gaudy Night by Dorothy L. Sayers Oxford University is the setting for Sayers’ classic academic mystery featuring Lord Peter Wimsey. Originally published in 1935. More about this book
	Prep: A Novel by Curtis Sittenfeld Lee Fiora is a scholarship student from Indiana at a prestigious New England prep school in Sittenfeld’s perceptive debut novel about adolescence, high school, and heart break. More about this book
	The Charles Dickens Murders by Edith Skom English Professor Beth Austin solves mysteries by mining classic literature for clues. In this novel, the key to solving a mystery from her mother’s past may lie in the works of Charles Dickens. More about this book
	Moo by Jane Smiley A Midwestern university nicknamed Moo U for its devotion to agriculture is the setting for Pulitzer Prize winner Smiley’s darkly comic send-up of the modern university. More about this book
	The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark Originally published in 1962, this acclaimed novel tells the story of a young, unorthodox teacher and her special relationship with six students. More about this book
	The Secret History by Donna Tartt A group of Greek scholars at a New England university share a deadly secret in Tartt’s suspenseful, disturbing debut novel. More about this book
	I am Charlotte Simmons by Tom Wolfe Wolfe drew on extensive observations at Stanford and Michigan to create this tale of a wide-eyed freshman's experience at a sex and athletics-obsessed contemporary university. More about this book