Dreaming of Faraway Places

by Beth Cronk, Litchfield head librarian

Has the cold winter weather made you dream of getting away for a vacation?  Whether you’re actually planning a getaway or just wishing for one, the library has new books about faraway places that you can check out.

For someplace truly tropical, we have a recent edition of Lonely Planet's Tahiti and French Polynesia.  This travel guide covers the history and culture of this group of islands in the South Pacific, along with suggested itineraries and information on the beaches, lagoons, and cities. 

We also have new Lonely Planet guides to Scotland, Iceland, and, for a much closer destination, Chicago.  The Chicago travel guide covers Willis Tower (still the Sears Tower the last time I was there), deep-dish pizza, and baseball, among other attractions.

Another guidebook to a tropical locale, Canary Islands, is part of the DK Eyewitness Travel Guide series.  DK includes many more photos and illustrations than other travel guides, much like the other informational books they publish, often for kids.  This book covers where to stay, eat, shop, golf, and find other entertainment in the Canary Islands.  This island community is part of Spain but off the coast of Morocco, and their tourism department claims that they have the best climate in the world.

We also have the newest DK Eyewitness guide to Egypt.    It includes cutaway 3-D drawings of important sites, floor plans of the major museums, and insights into the history and culture of the country.

Frommer’s Easyguide to Las Vegas 2018 is a short guidebook to this popular, warm destination.  They offer a few suggested itineraries based on your interests, such as sightseeing or a bachelorette party.  Beyond the casinos, they cover the shows, spas, shopping, and even the attractions within driving distance, like Hoover Dam and the Grand Canyon.  Frommer’s guides have been published since the ‘50s.

Moon travel guides have been around since 1973, with the publishers starting out as advocates for independent travel.  Their new guidebook Utah gives travelers ideas for visiting national parks, going skiing or river rafting, and touring historic sites. 

We have also recently added Moon guides to Norway, Maine, and Tennessee.  Their guides often include advice on when to visit the locations and how to navigate them with special needs, such as with children or the elderly.

The Rough Guide to Canada gives readers an overview of the huge country from coast to coast.  This guidebook has a lot of information on outdoor activities, such as hiking, skiing, whale watching, and camping.  It also covers Canada’s cities.  Rough Guides are published in the UK, which is a bit of a different perspective, but they provide information for American travelers, too.

When you’re planning a vacation, you can visit the library for resources to help you make decisions about where, when, and how to travel.  Bon voyage!

Truth as interesting as fiction

by Beth Cronk, Litchfield head librarian

While novels are always popular, many people like a fascinating true story.  Some nonfiction books can be read cover to cover just like a novel.  They could be true crime, memoir, history, or a host of other things.  Following are a few of our new books that you could lose yourself in this summer.

The Billion Dollar Spy: A True Story of Cold War Espionage and Betrayal by David E. Hoffman tells the story of a Soviet engineer who handed over technological secrets to the U.S. in the late ‘70s.  Adolf Tolkachev was considered one of the most valuable spies to work for the U.S.  The Washington Post calls the book “one of the best spy stories to come out of the Cold War and all the more riveting…for being true.”

Smokejumper: A Memoir by One of America’s Most Select Airborne Firefighters by Jason A. Ramos and Julian Smith gives a glimpse into the work of wilderness firefighters who parachute into fire zones.  Ramos is an active-duty jumper with 26 years of experience.  He tells the history of smokejumping, explains why it needs to be done, and shares his personal adventures on the job.

Does This Beach Make Me Look Fat? True Stories and Confessions is a collection of humorous essays by novelist Lisa Scottoline and her daughter Francesca Serritella.  The stories and reflections are all very short, so you don’t have to have a long stretch of time to get into this book.  Scottoline and Serritella have written several books like these, which have been compared to Erma Bombeck’s work (though not as good).

Primates of Park Avenue: A Memoir by Wednesday Martin is an outsider’s perspective on upper class mothers in New York City.  Martin is a writer and social researcher with a background in anthropology. She struggled to fit in with the women in her new neighborhood and turned to primatology to make sense of the hierarchy and behavior.  The book has funny observations on how humans are like baboons in establishing dominance, engaging in display rituals, and mating.  It also has some surprisingly touching reflections on motherhood and female friendship. 

If you’d like some armchair travel, Peaks on the Horizon: Two Journeys in Tibet by Charlie Carroll could fit the bill.  Carroll became obsessed with Tibet in grade school when he checked out Seven Years in Tibet from the library.  He got to visit as an adult on sabbatical from his teaching job, and on the border between China and Tibet he met Lobsang, a Tibetan exile who’d had to flee through the Himalayas at the age of five.  The book tells Lobsang’s story, as well as Carroll’s story of visiting the country.  Reviewers say it’s suspenseful and enlightening.

The Oregon Trail: A New American Journey by Rinker Buck is also a travelogue, but a very different one.  Buck traveled the 2000-mile Oregon Trail in a covered wagon with a team of mules, along with his brother and his dog.  It took them four months to go from St. Joseph, Missouri, to Baker City, Oregon, contending with thunderstorms, runaway mules, vanished sections of the trail, the Rocky Mountains, and many broken wheels and axels.  Besides telling the story of their own journey, the book also tells the history of the trail and the 400,000 people who went west on it.  Being compared to Bill Bryson’s A Walk in the Woods and sounding somewhat similar to Cheryl Strayed’s Wild, this one has gotten fantastic reviews.

Truth can be stranger than fiction, and just as entertaining.  Consider adding some nonfiction to your summer reading list.

Road Trip!

by Beth Cronk, Litchfield head librarian

Here we are at the Fourth of July.  Are you enjoying your summer so far?  Are you looking for some new things to do?  We have new books at the library that can lead you into some fun summer activities.

Keep Out!  Build Your Own Backyard Clubhouse sounds like a fun time for kids and dads.  The book takes readers step by step from gathering the right tools and materials to building the roof and doing the finishing work.  It’s written for both kids and adults, with ideas for customizing your project.

If cooking is your idea of fun, check out Put ‘em Up! Fruit: A Preserving Guide and Cookbook: Creative Ways to Put ‘em Up, Tasty Ways to Use ‘em Up.  The growing season is behind schedule this year, but strawberries could be your first project out of the book.   Some of the recipes sound pretty interesting, like five-spice plum sauce, blueberry ketchup, and maraschino cherries.  Can you really make those at home?! 

For many people, summer means camping.  If you’d like some advice before you give it a try or if you want to improve your experience of roughing it, take a look at Camping’s Top Secrets: A Lexicon of Expert Camping Tips.  We have the 25^th anniversary version of the book, which just came out in March.  It covers the whole experience, including things like forecasting the weather, treating drinking water, handling animal encounters, and using maps and GPS.  Maybe if I read it sometime, camping won’t seem like so much work.  But I doubt it.

If you’d rather drive around and see interesting scenery on your vacation (me, me!), try the National Geographic Guide to Scenic Highways & Byways: The 300 Best Drives in the U.S.  The book describes 300 scenic routes all around the United States, including history and points of interest.  This one was also just published in March, so it’s very up-to-date.  Check out the department of transportation website for each state you’re visiting, of course, for the most up-to-date information on road construction, which could throw a wrench into your plan for a beautiful drive.

Looking for something different in your travels?  We have books that guide you to the less-traveled, less-crowded places.  We have brand-new Off the Beaten Path books about Connecticut, Colorado, and Georgia.  We also have National Geographic’s Secrets of the National Parks: The Experts’ Guide to the Best Experiences Beyond the Tourist Trail.  This book seems like a great idea for those of us who have seen the main areas of places like the Badlands and Wind Cave many times and would like to find something we haven’t seen before.

Do you like to go out to eat at interesting restaurants during your summer trips?  Guy Fieri’s new book Diners, Drive-Ins, Dives: The Funky Finds in Flavortown: America’s Classic Joints and Killer Comfort Food can give you plenty of interesting ideas.  A few of them are right in the Twin Cities because several of the people who work on his show are from there, so you can visit some of the Food Network star’s favorite restaurants with just a short drive. 

There’s plenty of summer left to get going on any of these activities.  Or just stop in to get some light summer entertainment in the form of a thriller, a mystery, or a romance novel.  We’ll have a display of some of those “beach reads” near our movies this month.

Looking for a good book?

Le Road Trip

Gone

The New New Deal

A few of the many new books available today...

Low Pressure

Eyewitness Travel London

Her Majesty: Queen Elizabeth II and Her Court

Laura Ingalls Wilder Pageant bus tour offered by library

Sign up today for a free ticket to the Laura Ingalls Wilder Pageant on Saturday, July 7th, in the scenic and historic area around Walnut Grove, Minnesota, home of Laura Ingalls Wilder, author of the Little House book series.  The Wilder Pageant is a family-oriented outdoor drama based on the life of Laura Ingalls Wilder in Walnut Grove.  It is a live performance with all characters from the Walnut Grove area.  Laura narrates the story, reflecting on her life in the 1870s. 

Pre-registration is required.  Registration is open now and will close June 1st.  Come into the Litchfield Library to hold your spot on the bus and at the pageant.  Space is limited.  Preference will be given to Meeker County residents; please register at your nearest library.

• Bus trip is free.  Attendees must ride the bus to participate in the trip.
• Reserve seating with chairs is available on a first-come, first-serve basis.  General admission (lawn seating for lawn chairs or blankets) is also available.  Request your preference when registering.
• Coolers are welcome.  Our group will be making a reservation at the Walnut Grove community center for a supper put on by the local Catholic church for all who are interested -- make your reservation with us when you sign up if you wish to eat there.
• Children 17 and younger must be accompanied by an adult.
• Pets and video recording are not allowed.
• Our group will be going to the dugout site on the bus for an additional cost of 50 cents per person.  Please bring cash.
• Our group will also be going to the Laura Ingalls Wilder museum, but anyone may choose to opt out of this.  This cost is not covered by the library system.  Admission is $6 per person for ages 13+, $3 for ages 6-12, and free for 5 and under.  Again, please bring money if you plan to visit the museum.
• There will be a Family Festival at the Walnut Grove city park through 6 p.m. with many activities, including a Laura and Nellie look-alike contest.

The bus will be picking up at the Litchfield Library at 12:25 on Saturday, July 7, departing at 12:35. 

We will arrive in Walnut Grove at 3 p.m. with time for seeing the dugout site, the museum, and the festival.  The pageant singers perform at 8 p.m., with the pageant beginning at 9 p.m.  Expect to arrive back in Litchfield between 1 and 2 a.m.

If you have any questions, stop in to the Litchfield Library or call us at 693-2483.  If you are a Grove City or Dassel resident, contact your local library to reserve your spot.

How I Spent My Summer Vacation!

Shoreline in Front of Outpost Motel, Grand Marais, MN

borrowed from their website

By Jan Pease

Everyone agrees that summer has gone incredibly fast, but why, when you have a week off in a beautiful location, does time go even faster?   Dave, Becca and I just returned from a week on the North Shore, so this is our annual “what’s in the book bag” confessional.

My husband Dave is reading the “Sharpe’s Rifle” series by Bernard Cornwall, and also the series, “Game of Thrones,” by George R.R. Martin.  He brought three books plus his Bible, which goes everywhere he does.  We celebrated his birthday by adding to his book pile.

Becca brought her usual selection of geology, botany, and natural history books.  To celebrate a friendly fresh water otter that visited “our” shoreline, she bought a copy of Stan Teikala’s “Mammals of Minnesota Field Guide.”  Her other reading selections are on her notebook, because she downloads novels from various sources.  She’s an avid Pioneerland ebook fan and often is on waiting lists for popular ebooks from Pioneerland and from Hennepin County Library. 

And as for me, I brought my Nook, which has now 60 books including two Bibles, a cookbook, and too many other choices to choose from.  I started reading the best-selling “In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin,” by Erik Larson and “The Sleepwalkers,” by Paul Grossman.  Both were recommended to me by a patron, and it is interesting to read both a non-fiction account and a novel set during the rise of Hitler’s Germany in the early 1930’s.  I’m reading “Dug Down Deep,” by Joshua Harris, recommended by Raechel (see Litchfield Independent Review August 25^th edition). I wish this had been the book we used in theology classes instead of the tomes I struggled through in college.   I can’t leave out “The Name of the Wind,” by Patrick Rothfuss.  This is simply a great fantasy read.  I can’t wait to get through this one, so I can read his second book, “Wise Man’s Fear,” which was published in March of this year. I’m also re-reading the “Girl Who Played With Fire,” by Stieg Larsson.  I read it last year but can’t remember a lot of it. 

Every day I watched Lake Superior in its (her?) many moods.  One day waves crashed on the rocks, the next it was quiet; cool one day, warm the next.   We watched spindly fingers of fog stretch toward the pine trees on the shore and then suddenly evaporate in warm sunshine.   One day a bank of fog made an interesting shade of gray/pink/lavender against the blue water that made me wish I was an artist who could capture colors with paint.

A highlight of this trip was visiting the studio of a real artist, Betsy Bowen.  She is famous for her woodcuts, and her gallery also features other local artists.  Betsy was there the day we visited, friendly and gracious about my star-struck state.  We have her books in the children’s collection, and I purchased an autographed copy of “Great Wolf and the Good Woodsman” to replace our worn edition.

Our hosts, Jim and Jennifer Plahuta of the Outpost Motel, were accommodating as always.  They provided everything we needed to be very comfortable without hovering.  As I talked to other guests at this family-owned motel, I discovered that many of us make a yearly visit, bringing along books and dogs, kids and grandchildren.  To our little dog Harley’s dismay, there were several canine guests with their owners.  He tends to think of it as his place, and after several visits, I feel the same way. 

See you at the library!