The library will be closed Friday, October 6, Staff Engagement Day, and will reopen on Saturday, October 7 at 9 a.m.

Staff Picks Adult Nonfiction

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September 2023

The Greatest Beer Run Ever

by John Donohue

A wonderful story. Well written. Chickie Donahue showed his love & respect for his friends serving in Vietnam during the war by bringing them a beer from New York. His adventures that turned what he thought would be a 3 day trip into a much longer adventure makes for a wonderful read.

Recommended by: Chris Schultz, Graphics Information Clerk

Posted in: Adult Nonfiction


April 2023

Fasting for Ramadan: Notes from a Spiritual Practice

by Kazim Ali

This book is beautiful to read, not to know about the month of Ramadan as guidance, but as a person’s spiritual practice during this month day by day, as a daily journal and how fasting affects him and reflects his life in daily routine. It is a pleasure to journey with him through this holly month.
Recommended by: Ghada Rafati, Patron Services Clerk

Posted in: Adult Nonfiction


February 2023

1000 Hours Outside: Activities to Match Screen Time with Green Time

by Ginny Yurich

The perfect book to help you and your children get outside more this year. Challenge yourselves to see how many hours you spend outside each month. Can you reach 1000 in a year? Even if you don’t hit that high of a number, you still win! This book is full of ideas to help get you started with the challenge. There are ideas for all ages and abilities including building bug hotels, forest games, painting with nature and more. Pick it up today and start enjoying outside.

Recommended by: Erin Faxel, Youth Services Teen Librarian

Posted in: Adult Nonfiction


June 2022

It’s All Relative: Adventures Up and Down the World’s Family Tree

by A.J. Jacobs

Loved it! Speaking as a genealogist with a good three decades of hunting under her belt, it was refreshing to find myself intrigued to dig deeper. As a librarian, I love a book that makes me stop to jot down resources, authors, book titles, websites. Almost couldn’t decide whether to keep reading or jump online & start searching. A.J. gave me a different perspective when it comes to linking into the bigger trees, this is something that I used to shy away from but now I’m ready.
This book is available in the library and on Hoopla as an e audiobook.
Recommended by: Theresa Hildebrand, Patron Services Manager

Posted in: Adult Nonfiction


March 2022

150+ Screen-Free Activities for Kids: The Very Best and Easiest Playtime Activities

by Asia Citro

Looking for something to do with your kids? Then check this book out! It is packed with science based ideas and play recipes that will keep you and your little ones active all year long. There’s slimes, doughs, sensory bins and more!

Recommended by: Erin Faxel, Youth Services Teen Librarian

Posted in: Adult Nonfiction


Vitamin N: The Essential Guide to a Nature-Rich Life

by Richard Louv

Looking for a way to connect to nature? Then this book is for you! It has over 500 activities for adults and children to get you out and about in the natural world. This book will help boost your mental acuity and creativity, promote wellness, and overall help you have a great time outside.

Recommended by: Erin Faxel, Youth Services Teen Librarian

Posted in: Adult Nonfiction


September 2021

Help, I’m Drowning: Weathering the Storms of Life with Grace and Hope

by Sally Clarkson

We can all acknowledge that 2020 was a difficult year . We hoped the fog would begin to clear in 2021, yet it still lingers. Among others mothers and caregivers have had an extremely challenging time managing the home and childcare during the pandemic.  Sally Clarkson’s timely book, Help, I’m Drowning: Weathering the Storms of Life with Grace and Hope provides practical tips for women who feel the darkness starting to take hold as they navigate the various storms of life. Each chapter provides anecdotes from Sally’s life as well as biblical references that aim to provide the reader with encouragement and hope that they can make it safely to the other side of their storm. Find this and many of Sally Clarkson’s other books on Hoopla Digital.

Recommended by: Darnetta Bolton, Youth Services Reference Librarian I

Posted in: Adult Nonfiction


Leave Only Footprints: My Acadia-to-Zion Journey Through Every National Park

by Conor Knighton

When Conor Knighton’s fiancé leaves him he decides to take his mind off of it by traveling to all of the National Parks in one year. Good thing he worked for CBS and they loved the idea of him sending in reports from all of the parks. This book is full of his experiences from all of the parks. It’s not a pure fact book and it’s not a book written to get you to visit the parks (though after reading it I’m sure you’ll find at least one place you’d like to go). It has a ton of interesting activities that he participated in and has a lot of little pieces of interviews from people he met there. A very fun and informative read.

Recommended by: Erin Faxel, Youth Services Teen Librarian

Posted in: Adult Nonfiction


August 2021

The Anthropocene Reviewed

by John Green

The Anthropocene is basically the world as we know it and the impact people have on the environment, animals, climate, and each other. In this collection of essays, author John Green steps away from his usual YA novels to write short reviews on different things within the Anthropocene including animals (Canada Geese), places (Indianapolis), food & drink (Diet Dr. Pepper), and ideas (The Yips). Each chapter is a different topic with a unique view and how it benefited or hurt existence complete with Green’s own starred review of the topic. Written during the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, Green conveys feelings and emotions that are all too familiar and joins us in our struggle to weight how our recent experiences will shape who we are and what we will become. I cannot recommend this title enough.

Recommended by: Brandi Smits, Youth Services Manager

Posted in: Adult Nonfiction


July 2021

Vegetables Unleashed: A Cookbook

by José Andrés

Healthy eating has become very trendy, but something as basic as eating vegetables every day is still difficult for most people.  How do you squeeze in 3-5 servings of vegetables each day without eating the same thing repeatedly? José Andrés, popular chef and restaurant owner,  has made eating greens more fun that you can imagine.  In his popular cookbook Vegetables Unleashed: A Cookbook, Andrés gives us a plethora of ideas for making vegetables so delicious that they will become the star of the plate and not just a sad standby.  The book is organized by season for easy shopping throughout the year and even includes many articles on sustainability and agriculture. This book is sure to inspire you to try something new. So go and eat your vegetables!

Recommended by: Darnetta Bolton, Youth Services Reference Librarian I

Posted in: Adult Nonfiction


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