What We Read 30 Years Ago...

November 17, 2018 | sobczakd

We're continuing to celebrate CPL's 30th anniversary and 30 years of reading great books for the Adult Contemporary Book Club. Here's what we read 30 years ago...

 

Motor City blue by Loren D Estleman

Private eye Amos Walker is a Vietnam veteran who was thrown out of the Police Academy for punching a fellow cadet. He’s a hard man in a ruined city, scratching out a living looking for lost things. 
Walker’s latest case comes by way of ex-mobster Ben Morningstar, who’s been living out his retirement in Phoenix while raising Maria, the daughter of a long-ago murdered friend. Only now, Maria is missing and the gangster needs Walker’s help. But the trail has gone cold—the only clue is a faded pornographic snapshot. Never one to give up, Walker witnesses the kidnapping of a former Vietnam friend and solves the murder of a young black labor leader while slugging his way to a solution. Fans of Raymond Chandler and Elmore Leonard’s crime fiction will find Estleman’s lean prose, retro style, and tough-guy hero irresistible.

The situation in Flushing by Edmund G Love

In a nostalgic, yet nimble telling of his boyhood in Flushing, Michigan, Edmund Love notes that he was born into a world that ceased to exist almost as soon as he entered it. "In the first twelve years of my life," he writes, "rural America was swept away as though it has been a picture on a blackboard that had suddenly been erased." The Situation in Flushing is a humorous portrait of a place and people that have vanished from the American scene. With his unique brand of satire, Love provides sharp and amusing insight into the events and personalities that shaped his youth.

November is National Diabetes Month

November 3, 2018 | sobczakd

Diabetes is a growing national health crisis. It's a serious disease where the body's ability to regulate blood glucose is impaired. There's no cure, but it can be managed through diet, exercise, and medication to control blood sugar levels. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), over 100 million Americans are living with diabetes or are pre-diiabetic (a condition if untreated leads to type 2 diabetes). Diabetes can be prevented. See your doctor to learn how to reduce your risk. Here are some new resources in the collection to help you with diabetes management. 

The diabetes code : prevent and reverse type 2 diabetes naturally by Jason Fung

Dr. Jason Fung forever changed the way we think about obesity with his best-selling book, The Obesity Code. Now he has set out to do the same for type 2 diabetes. Today, most doctors, dietitians, and even diabetes specialists consider type 2 diabetes to be a chronic and progressive disease--a life sentence with no possibility of parole. But the truth, as Dr. Fung reveals in this paradigm-shifting book, is that type 2 diabetes is reversible. Writing with clear, persuasive language, he explains why conventional treatments that rely on insulin or other blood-glucose-lowering drugs can actually exacerbate the problem, leading to significant weight gain and even heart disease. The only way to treat type 2 diabetes effectively, he argues, is proper dieting and intermittent fasting--not medication.

Prediabetes : a complete guide : your lifestyle reset to stop prediabetes and other chronic illnesses by Jill Weisenberger

Prediabetes can be scary, but it's also an opportunity--an opportunity to "reset," to improve your health, and to get yourself in better shape than ever. Let Prediabetes: A Complete Guide show you how! Nearly 10 million people in the United States have been told by their doctor that they have prediabetes, with tens of millions more estimated to have prediabetes and not know it. In fact, the latest numbers from the CDC suggest that nearly 1 in 3 adults currently have either prediabetes or diabetes. These are alarming numbers, and finding out that you are that one out of three can be even more alarming. Shock, denial, and confusion are not uncommon reactions. But there is a flipside to learning you have prediabetes. It's scary, but it also means you've caught the condition just in time, before it's too late. Prediabetes does not mean you will develop diabetes. There are actions you can take to improve your health. Prediabetes: A Complete Guide, will reveal to you in detail what these actions are are and empower you to find the healthy eating and lifestyle changes that work best for you to help you achieve your health goals.

October is Adopt a Shelter Dog Month

October 27, 2018 | sobczakd

October is Adopt a Shelter Dog Month! Considering adding a furry friend to your family? Give a second chance to a dog looking for a forever home. Visit the local rescue shelters in our area such as the Happy Days Dog and Cat Rescue or the Michigan Humane Society. Once you've adopted your forever friend, check out these inspiring books about rescued shelter dogs!

Another good dog : one family and fifty foster dogs by Cara Sue Achterberg

When Cara felt her teenaged children slipping away and saw an empty nest on the horizon, she decided the best way to fill that void was with dogs--lots of them--and so her foster journey began.In 2015, her Pennsylvania farm became a haven for Operation Paws for Homes. There were the nine puppies at once, which arrived with less than a day's notice; a heart- worm positive dog; a deeply traumatized stray pup from Iraq; and countless others who just needed a gentle touch and a warm place to sleep. Operation Paws for Homes rescues dogs from high-kill shelters in the rural south and shuttles them north to foster homes like Cara's on the way to their forever homes.What started as a search for a good dog, led to an epiphany that there wasn't just one that could ll the hole left in her heart from her children gaining independence--she could save dozens along the way. The stories of these remarkable dogs-- including an eighty-pound bloodhound who sang arias for the neighbors--and the joy they bring to Cara and her family (along with a few chewed sofa cushions) fill the pages of this touching and inspiring new book that reveals the wonderful rewards of fostering.When asked how she can possibly say goodbye to that many loveable pups, Cara says, "If I don't give this one away, I can't possibly save another." Filled with humanity and hope, Another Good Dog will take the reader on an journey of smiles, laughs, and tears--and lead us to wonder how many other good dogs are out there and what we can do to help. 

Bodie on the road : travels with a rescue pup in the dogged pursuit of happiness by Belinda (Belinda C.) Jones

Bodie, mystery mix rescue pup, is on death row in a Los Angeles dog shelter, having been abandoned by his owner. Belinda, a heartbroken woman, is in a heap on the floor of her vintage apartment, having been dumped by the man of her dreams. Two lost souls ready to find a new life--together. Belinda falls in love with Bodie the moment he plants his furry butt on her bare, flip-flopped foot. Soon, the two embark on a 2,000-mile West Coast road trip, taking in spectacular Big Sur, a pack run in the wilds of Oregon, afternoon tea at Doris Day's dog-loving hotel in Carmel, a fragrant encounter with the creator of Kennel No.5 furfume, and a bar stop in a small town near San Francisco where a dog was elected mayor and served for thirteen years . . .

On their soul-searching adventure, Belinda and Bodie cruise along California State Route 1, one of the most iconic highways in America, heading towards Portland, Oregon--repeatedly voted one of the most dog-friendly cities in America. Join Belinda and Bodie on this feelgood road trip, and you, too, will feel the wind in your hair and a wag in your tail! 

Rise Up and Be Heard

October 10, 2018 | sobczakd
Make trouble : standing up, speaking out, and finding the courage to lead by Cecile Richards

The president of Planned Parenthood recounts her life as an activist.For decades, Richards has been at the forefront of anti-war, civil rights, labor, and women's issues; as she demonstrates, activism and the desire to work for the common good run in her family. Her father was a labor attorney and environmentalist, and her mother, Ann Richards, was a fierce fighter for women's rights who became governor of Texas. 

Empowered boundaries : speaking truth, setting boundaries, and inspiring social change by Cristien (Counselor) Storm

According to mental health therapist and social justice activist Storm (cofounder, former executive director, Home Alive), most people don't have the tools they need to create and articulate effective boundaries, nor do they know how to enforce the boundaries they do set. Storm emphasizes the nature of boundary setting, particularly among vulnerable groups such as people of color, immigrants, the LGBTQ community, and women, defining along the way topics of power and privilege and the connections between individual and community safety.

Talking across the divide : how to communicate with people you disagree with and maybe even change the world by 1977- Justin Lee

America is more polarized than ever. Whether the issue is Donald Trump, healthcare, abortion, gun control, breastfeeding, or even DC vs Marvel, it feels like you can't voice an opinion without ruffling someone's feathers. In today's digital age, it's easier than ever to build walls around yourself. You fill up your Twitter feed with voices that are angry about the same issues and believe as you believe. Before long, you're isolated in your own personalized echo chamber. And if you ever encounter someone outside of your bubble, you don't understand how the arguments that resonate so well with your peers can't get through to anyone else. In a time when every conversation quickly becomes a battlefield, it's up to us to learn how to talk to each other again.

Digital Detox

September 27, 2018 | sobczakd

Is your life upside down if you forget your phone or misplace it? How much time do you think you spend on your electronic devices such as your phone, your ipad, your laptop? Mobilstatistics recently reported that the average person spends 90 minutes a day on his/her phone. That adds up to 23 days a year and 3.9 years over a lifetime of staring at a screen. Need to disconnect? Check these books out first!

How to break up with your phone by Catherine Price

Do you find yourself reaching for your phone first thing in the morning? All day long? Right before you go to sleep? You just might be addicted to it. Price has provided a manual for breaking addiction to your smartphone or any other wireless mobile device (jokingly, if slightly disturbingly, referred to as WMD). In the first part of the book, Price lays out the multiple ways this addiction can be harmful and result in anything from poor sleep to adult-onset ADHD. Probably most commonly, the devices commandeer our attention, keeping us from being present in the moment while also curtailing our productivity and creativity. The second half of the book is a 30-day guide to breaking up with your phone. Starting with downloading a usage-tracking app and ending with a 24-hour phast (phone fast), Price lays out a comprehensive, step-by-step solution to spending less time with your phone and more time doing the things you love. The style doesn't make for riveting reading, but as a self-help manual, this does the trick.

Glow kids : how screen addiction is hijacking our kids--and how to break the trance by Nicholas Kardaras

Kardaras, an addictions expert and professor of neuroscience, uses scientific studies and examples from his own practice to show the addictive powers of electronic gaming and social media, calling them electronic cocaine. He cites cases about teens who are avid gamers losing touch with reality and tests showing that attention and memory are shrinking in school children. Although not completely against the computer (he admits to writing his book electronically), his main concerns are the effects games have on the developing brains of younger users and the explosion of electronics in education. The constant reward seeking and escalating challenges cause an increase in dopamine, which translates into addiction, leading Kardaras to speculate on links to ADHD and waning sensory awareness as well as the influence of cyberbullying on rising crime and suicide rates. His tone is conversational rather than threatening, and his commonsense suggestions for combating this epidemic (public awareness, full disclosure by tech companies, emphasis on critical thinking in schools) are reassuring. Kardaras' eye-opening study is sure to spark discussions among parents and educators

Adult Contemporary from Page to Screen

September 1, 2018 | sobczakd

The Adult Contemporary Book Discussion Group is currently celebrating our 30th year at the library reading and discussing great books. Some of the books we've read have either become movies or tv series. Here's our list of some of our current titles from page to screen! Interested in joining our group? We meet every 3rd Monday at 7:00 PM in the Community Room! 

The leisure seeker
Also available in: video

The Robinas have shared a wonderful life for more than sixty years. Now in their eighties, Ella suffers from cancer and John has Alzheimer's. Yearning for one last adventure, the self-proclaimed "down-on-their-luck geezers" kidnap themselves from the adult children and doctors who seem to run their lives and steal away from their home in suburban Detroit on a forbidden vacation of rediscovery. With Ella as his vigilant copilot, John steers their '78 Leisure Seeker RV along the forgotten roads of Route 66 toward Disneyland in search of a past they're having a damned hard time remembering. Yet Ella is determined to prove that, when it comes to life, you can go back for seconds—even when everyone says you can't.

The light between oceans
Also available in: video

After four harrowing years on the Western Front, Tom Sherbourne returns to Australia and takes a job as the lighthouse keeper on Janus Rock, nearly half a day’s journey from the coast. To this isolated island, where the supply boat comes once a season, Tom brings a young, bold, and loving wife, Isabel. Years later, after two miscarriages and one stillbirth, the grieving Isabel hears a baby’s cries on the wind. A boat has washed up onshore carrying a dead man and a living baby. Tom, who keeps meticulous records and whose moral principles have withstood a horrific war, wants to report the man and infant immediately. But Isabel insists the baby is a “gift from God,” and against Tom’s judgment, they claim her as their own and name her Lucy. When she is two, Tom and Isabel return to the mainland and are reminded that there are other people in the world. Their choice has devastated one of them.

Happy Cat Month

September 1, 2018 | sobczakd

September is Happy Cat Month and that means if you don't already indulge your cat or cats all the time, September is the designated month for learning to keep your kitty happy and healthy! Here's some resources to get you started or inspire you to interact with your cat in new and inspiring ways! 

Catnip : a love story by 1933- Michael Korda

With the imagination of a writer and the eye of an artist, Michael Korda doodled on the backs of old manuscripts in his tackroom while his wife, Margaret, was out riding. They loved and acquired cats--a habit written about previously in their book, Cat People--and the few in residence at this time would serve as inspiration for the drawings. These are no ordinary cat illustrations, though. Korda's cats read newspapers and books; go ice skating in the small country town where they live; comfort Margaret's horse, Monty, after a stressful vet visit; sell fried mice at the Farmer's Market, and undertake (on paper, at least) whatever fanciful endeavors their keeper conjures up.  The result is a collection of magical pieces, filled with joy, that represent a year in the life of a couple in love with one another, and certainly with their cats.

Happy National Dog Day!

August 26, 2018 | sobczakd

National Dog Day recognizes and celebrates the importance of all dogs and how they impact our daily lives. We love our dogs and they, in turn, love us. As part of our families, dogs bring companionship and pure joy. They provide comfort to those in need and selflessly save lives in the line of duty. Celebrate National Dog Day by considering pet adoption at a local rescue shelter and open your heart and home to a forever friend.

Dogs : 500 pooch portraits to brighten your day by Michelle Perkins

Ask any dog lover: dogs and puppies are the best thing ever! Dogs lift our moods, lower our blood pressure, and improve our sense of well-being. In fact, people who have pets in their lives even live longer! In this book, we've collected 500 photos that capturing the beauty and personality of a wide range of breeds--and wide variety of dogs' favorite activities, from lazy naps to spirited romps on the beach. Inspirational quotes about dogs and their honored roles in our families add another level of optimism and love. This book is perfect for moms, grandparents, teachers, kids or anyone who might need a little lift. Just a few minutes with these adorable canine faces provides a boost that will last all day! 

National Honey Bee Awareness Day

August 12, 2018 | sobczakd

August 18 is National Honey Bee Awareness Day! Honey Bees are the hero of our world because they pollinate our fruit and vegetable crops. They also create delicious honey. That adds up to $15 billion a year, about third of the food we eat in America! Honey bees live all over the world and play a vital role in crop production. But the global honey bee population is at risk. To learn more about honey bees and how to make your garden more bee-friendly and bountiful, check out some of our buzzworthy books!

Our native bees : North America's endangered pollinators and the fight to save them by Paige Embry

Honey bees get all the press, but the fascinating story of North America's native bees--an endangered species essential to our ecosystems and food supplies--is just as crucial. Through interviews with farmers, gardeners, scientists, and bee experts, Our Native Bees explores the importance of native bees and focuses on why they play a key role in gardening and agriculture. The people and stories are compelling: Paige Embry goes on a bee hunt with the world expert on the likely extinct Franklin's bumble bee, raises blue orchard bees in her refrigerator, and learns about an organization that turns the out-of-play areas in golf courses into pollinator habitats. Our Native Bees is a fascinating, must-read for fans of natural history and science and anyone curious about bees. 

The backyard beekeeper : an absolute beginner's guide to keeping bees in your yard and garden by Kim Flottum

This handbook features expert advice for: Setting up and caring for your own colonies; Selecting the best location to place your new bee colonies for their safety and yours; The most practical and nontoxic ways to care for your bees; Swarm control; Using top bar hives; Harvesting the products of a beehive and collecting and using honey; Bee problems and treatments. With this complete resource and the expert advice of Bee Culture editor Kim Flottum, your bees will be healthy, happy, and more productive. 

We Built This City

August 5, 2018 | sobczakd
The divided city : poverty and prosperity in urban America by Alan Mallach

Who really benefits from urban revival? Cities, from trendy coastal areas to the nation's heartland, are seeing levels of growth beyond the wildest visions of only a few decades ago. But vast areas in the same cities house thousands of people living in poverty who see little or no new hope or opportunity. Even as cities revive, they are becoming more unequal and more segregated. What does this mean for these cities--and the people who live in them? In The Divided City, urban practitioner and scholar Alan Mallach shows us what has happened over the past 15 to 20 years in industrial cities like Pittsburgh, Detroit, Cleveland, and Baltimore, as they have undergone unprecedented, unexpected revival. He draws from his decades of experience working in America's cities, and pulls in insightful research and data, to spotlight these changes while placing them in their larger economic, social, and political context. Mallach explores the pervasive significance of race in American cities and looks closely at the successes and failures of city governments, nonprofit entities, and citizens as they have tried to address the challenges of change. The Divided City offers strategies to foster greater equality and opportunity. Mallach makes a compelling case that these strategies must be local in addition to being concrete and focusing on people's needs education, jobs, housing and quality of life. Change, he argues, will come city by city, not through national plans or utopian schemes. This is the first book to provide a comprehensive, grounded picture of the transformation of America's older industrial cities. It is neither a dystopian narrative nor a one-sided "the cities are back" story, but a balanced picture rooted in the nitty-gritty reality of these cities. The Divided City is imperative for anyone who cares about cities and who wants to understand how to make today's urban revival work for everyone.--Amazon.com.

Our towns : a 100,000-mile journey into the heart of America by James M Fallows

"A unique, revelatory portrait of small-town America: the activities, changes, and events that shape this mostly unseen part of our national landscape, and the issues and concerns that matter to the ordinary Americans who make these towns their home. For the last five years, James and Deborah Fallows have been traveling across America in a single-prop airplane, visiting small cities and meeting civic leaders, factory workers, recent immigrants, and young entrepreneurs, seeking to take the pulse and discern the outlook of an America that is unreported and unobserved by the national media. Attending town meetings, breakfasts at local coffee shops, and events at local libraries, they have listened to the challenges and problems that define American lives today. Our Towns is the story of their journey--an account of their visits to twenty-one cities and towns: the individuals they met, the stories they heard, and their portrait of the many different faces of the American future"--.

Extreme cities : the peril and promise of urban life in the age of climate change by Ashley Dawson

"How will climate change affect our lives? Where will its impacts be most deeply felt? Are we doing enough to protect ourselves from the coming chaos? In Extreme Cities, Ashley Dawson argues that cities are ground zero for climate change, contributing the lion's share of carbon to the atmosphere, while also lying on the frontlines of rising sea levels. Today, the majority of the world's megacities are located in coastal zones, yet few of them are adequately prepared for the floods that will increasingly menace their shores. Instead, most continue to develop luxury waterfront condos for the elite and industrial facilities for corporations. These not only intensify carbon emissions, but also place coastal residents at greater risk when water levels rise. In Extreme Cities, Dawson offers an alarming portrait of the future of our cities, describing the efforts of Staten Island, New York, and Shishmareff, Alaska residents to relocate; Holland's models for defending against the seas; and the development of New York City before and after Hurricane Sandy. Our best hope lies not with fortified sea walls, he argues. Rather, it lies with urban movements already fighting to remake our cities in a more just and equitable way. As much a harrowing study as a call to arms Extreme Cities is a necessary read for anyone concerned with the threat of global warming, and of the cities of the world."--Publisher's description.

Pages