I am reading a poetry book called Slant Six.  It is by a poet named Erin Belieus.  I picked up the book randomly at the Moses Lake Public Library.  It is a slim volume, but it has a lot of power in it.  The emotions she's able to pull from seemingly simple combinations of words have really shaken me.  I am enjoying her perspective particularly as she's lived and traveled in some areas familiar to me. 

For this New Year's resolution, I am going to continue to be random in my selections.

I haven't finished the book yet and will share my thoughts on it and samples of her work nearer to the end of the month.

https://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/10/books/slant-six-erin-belieus-latest-poetry-collection.html

Month: January

From:  Mattias Olshausen, eLearning Coordinator, William C. Bonaudi Library

Book Title:  The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America
Author: Erik Larson

"This book is about the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, an international fair that showed off America's architectural and scientific genius, and about a prolific serial killer who operated in the neighborhood around the same time. It's a grim story, but it serves as a powerful reminder that exceptional intelligence can achieve both wondrous and monstrous ends. Larson is a journalist by background, and his writing style is part historical, part novelistic."

The William C. Bounadi library has this book.

Moses Lake Public Library has the book available in audio format and can also request it from our public library system. 

Month:  January

From:  Amanda Miller, Part-Time Library Services Assistant

Book Title: Lake Silence, part of The Others series

Author:  Anne Bishop

"Part of a series of books called The Others. It is an alternate reality with shapeshifters, vampires, elementals, and other equally scary but vaguely described supernatural creatures (known only as the Elders) as the dominate species on Earth. Some of the humans in this reality are sensitive to the world around them while others have a bad habit of breaking the rules and forgetting that they are crunchy and good with ketchup. This stand-alone book in the series revolves around a property dispute and a dead human body discovered by a young female crow shifter. By turns funny, surprisingly dramatic, most importantly a well-written story I highly recommend this book."

The William C. Bonaudi library does not have this book.  Request it via Interlibrary loan. 

Moses Lake Public Library has the book available in audio format and can also request it from our public library system. 

Month: January

From: John Anderson,  Library Systems Specialist

Book: Title: Death in the Long Grass

Author:  Peter Hathaway Capstick 

"Stories about dangerous game and other animals in Africa. Some the author has had personal experience with when he was a Professional Hunter/Safari Guide in Africa. I have read all of Mr. Capstick's books and enjoyed them immensely. I'm in the process of rediscovering his pages, as it has been awhile since I've wandered through Africa with him through his writing."

The William C. Bonaudi library does not have this book.  Request it via Interlibrary loan. 

Moses Lake Public Library has the book available in audio format and can also request it from our public library system. 

Month:  January 2020

Book: Slant Six

Author Erin Belieu

"

This poetry book is so good, I actually looked into getting into an MFA program the author taught at.   $40,000 of stick shock later, I realized It would be more cost-effective to support the poet’s work.  The poets who inspires you to story, reverie, and incendiary desire to look at your own road less traveled like a gemologist as shaken you. Shaken you good.  In fact, I had to look into her bio to determine who she was as our stories, paths, and diners seem to have some overlap that mapped my own. 

From Erin Belieu’s poem Victoria Station in her poetry book:  Slant Six.

…who never knows this kindness
Will be a map; the scent of pears
and freesia, white stones

On a path, the driftwood
she clings to when diagnosed as
a beggar, this girl asleep

    On a hero’s beach.”

The William C. Bonaudi library does not have this book. Ask for it via interlibrary loan.

Moses Lake Public Library has this book. 

Month:  January 2020
From:  Cassandra Torres, Program Assistant William C. Bonaudi Library
Book Title: The Travelling Cat Chronicles
Book Author:  Kiro Airkawa

"Told from the perspective of a cat this book is about love and friendship. Satoru and his cat Nana journey through Japan from the countryside to the ocean and all the way to Mt. Fuji and back in hopes of finding a new home for his beloved cat. Each stop reveals more about his owner's past. Ultimately, Nana learns the motive of this trip with the man who rescued him 5 years prior as a stray. A quick read. As a cat lover I enjoyed reading something from a cat’s viewpoint. This book will definitely make you laugh, cry, and truly cherish the bond with your four-legged best friend. "

The William C. Bonaudi Library does not have this book.  The Moses Lake Public Library has this book. 

Month:  January 2020
From:  Zach Olsen, English Instructor
Book Title: Enlightenment Now
Book Author:  Steven Pinker

"In this book, Steven Pinker makes a case for the power of "reason, science, humanism, and progress" to shape a better world. He argues that the world is getting better, has been getting better, and is likely to continue getting better because of the aforementioned values. While we may feel that our world is seeing a surge of violence, bigotry, income inequality, and environmental destruction, the data don't support these conclusions. 

He's careful to note that the progress we made was not inevitable and future progress isn't guaranteed, but argues that we should continue to trust in the processes that have brought us to where we are, and points to cognitive biases and the business model of media reporting as sources of the catastrophizing about the world and the nay-saying and criticism directed at capitalist economies with market regulation from social-democratic governments. 

Pinker acknowledges that we can (and should) imagine a better world than the one we live in, but that we should also believe in the power of reason and humanism to bring that world into being. 

It would be dangerous to misread this book and use its conclusions to justify inequality that certainly exists (this book is likely to be cherry-picked by conservatives and neo-liberals) as a direct result of our current political and economic systems, but a charitable reading of Pinker would say that he believes we ought to reform the broken parts of the system to extend its benefits to a wider circle of humanity and to continue such progress until all feel its benefits. 

Pinker's argument requires us to accept two major premises: first that reason is something that human beings are capable of and that can lead to a better world, not a biased, culture-dependent label placed on Western, colonialist thinking. This is where he makes his strongest case, unsurprisingly, because as a cognitive psychologist and linguist, this argument is in his area of expertise. The second premise we need to accept is that market economies regulated by social democracies are the inevitable outcome of reasoned processes and must be essentially good; where they fall short of encouraging human flourishing, the very ideals they are founded on can reform and improve them. This argument seems weaker to me, as it doesn't take into account the possibility that a better system for achieving those ideals could exist. While modern social democracies produce more human flourishing than anything that came before them, we might argue that feudal societies were superior to anarchy by the exact same measures, and "better," while good, is not always sufficient. The best social structure is not necessarily the best that currently exists, but the best one that could exist. 

To be fair, it's possible I misunderstood Pinker and he does a better job of proving his second premise than I give him credit for here; I did listen to this as an audio book while I was running. 

Certainly there is a lot of data and evidence to support Pinker's view, but all data must be interpreted, and even morally or politically neutral interpretations can fall prey to cognitive biases and preconceived notions about how the world works. I look forward to reading thoughtful critiques of Pinker's book from Marxists and anarcho-socialists that don't mis-label it as mere propaganda for the Neo-Liberal establishment and are willing to contend with the meat of his arguments. 

This book didn't change much of what I thought about the world before I read it, but I always find following Steven Pinker through his thoughts to be an interesting journey that provokes my own thinking."

The William C. Bonaudi Library does not have this book.  We do have some of Pineker's other titles.
The blank slate : the modern denial of human nature, BF 341 P47 2002
How the mind works,  QP 360.5 P56 1997
The language instinct,  P 106 P476 1994

The Moses Lake Public Library has this book online, as audio, and in print. 

https://libguides.bigbend.edu/blog/New-Books-January-2020

#LifelongReadingIsLifelongLearning #NewYearsResolution #12In12 #ReadABookAMonth

Month:  January 2020
From:  Mattias Olshausen, eLearning Coordinator, William C. Bonaudi Library
Book Title: Brave New World
Book Author:  Aldous Huxley

"This classic of dystopian literature depicts a futuristic society founded on materialism, casual sex, genetic engineering, psychological conditioning, and extensive use of a mind-altering sedative to banish uncomfortable thoughts, all geared toward ensuring a stable, peaceful, artificially happy population. Monogamous relationships and familial ties no longer exist, and are considered taboo and even obscene. All art and literature has been reduced to empty propaganda. While most people accept this state of affairs, a few yearn for more meaningful lives, the more so after they encounter a young exile who has grown up on a Native American reservation and knows what they're missing. This book includes some language and themes that may come across as racist and insensitive to the modern reader (it was written in 1931), but it remains timely, as it asks important questions about the value of struggle, perseverance, suffering, and passion, and what human society would look like without them."

The William C. Bonaudi Library has this book. PR 6015 U9 B7 1946. We also have A Brave New World Revisited.PR 6015 U9 B65 2004

The Moses Lake Public Library also has this book. 

https://libguides.bigbend.edu/blog/New-Books-January-2020

#LifelongReadingIsLifelongLearning #NewYearsResolution #12In12 #ReadABookAMonth

Month:  January 2020
From:  John Anderson,  Library Systems Specialist
Book Title: A Man Called Red: An Autobiography of a Guide and Outfitter in Northern British Columbia
Book Author:  N. B. "Red" Sorensen

"It starts with Red growing up, wanting to be a cowboy and eventually fulfilling that dream in spite of some difficulties placed in his way.  He then goes on to build his own ranch and eventually becomes a guide through round about ways and finally an outfitter.  There is  some good history of British Columbia and interesting stories."

The William C. Bonaudi Library and  Moses Lake Public Library do not have this book.  Ask for us to interlibrary loan it for you!

https://libguides.bigbend.edu/blog/New-Books-January-2020

#LifelongReadingIsLifelongLearning #NewYearsResolution #12In12 #ReadABookAMonth

Month: January

From:  ANON

Book Title:  Down a Dark Road, Linda Castillo

"This is a murder mystery/thriller about a female Chief of Police that grew up Amish and still serves in a community where Amish families live. She works to solve a murder. I read it for entertainment. It wasn't particularly memorable, just a fun read if you like mysteries."

Month: February 2020

From:  John

Book Title: Thoughts in Solitude by Thomas Merton

These are reflections written by a Trappist Monk on man's solitude before God and his dialogue with God in silence. I really enjoyed this book and it will be one that I will refer to time and again. This book might not be for everybody. A couple of the passages I highlighted were, "Spiritual life is not mental life. It is not thought alone. Nor is it, of course, a life of sensation, a life of feeling-"feeling" and experiencing the things of the spirit, and the things of God." "If man is to live, he must be all alive, body, soul, mind, heart, spirit. Everything must be elevated and transformed by the action of God, in love and faith." An enlightening read.

This book is available at the William C. Bonaudi Library at #BigBendCC

Month: February

From: Amanda Miller

Book Title : A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness

Book Talk: 

Despite her vaunted heritage, Diana Bishop wants nothing more than to be human. However, her innate magic wants out and it will find away. A historian specializing in alchemy Diana inadvertently finds a missing manuscript in the depths of an Oxford library. The spellbound manuscript holds a secret that everyone wants and will stop at nothing to get. In her ignorance, Diana manages to do what no other witch has ever done, unlock the spell. This alerts every witch, vampire, and daemon to her presence. While the witches were celebrating Mabon, vampire Matthew Clairmont is the first to Diana. Matthew knows something no one else does; vampires, witches, and daemons are dying. As a species, they are becoming extinct. Matthew believes the manuscript holds the key to everyone's survival. The witches want to control Diana, her power, and the knowledge contained within the manuscript. Daemons want to know what no one will tell them about their origins. Circumventing centuries-old prejudges and defy the ruling council, Matthew and Diana's relationship grows closer putting themselves and their families in increasing danger. Only the first in this trilogy I look forward to reading the remaining books. Learning with Diana how her magic works, discovering Matthew's past, and what secrets Ashmole 782 hold.

This book is not available at the William C. Bonaudi Library.  It is available at the Moses Lake Public Library.

#BigBendCCBookChallenge #12in12 #NewYearsResolution #ReadingResolution #Goals

Month: February

From: Cassie Torres

Book Title:  Dear Evan Hansen 

Author(s): Val Emmich, Steven Levenson, Benj Pasek, & Justin Paul

"Have you ever told a lie? Not just a little white lie, a huge lie that consumes you to the point where it becomes your truth. No matter how much you want to break free from it there is no escaping without hurting so many others. 

Dear Evan Hansen is about a lie. A lie that escalates to the point where Evan has no idea how to stop it. All of a sudden, Evan is not just another nobody; he was Connor Murphy’s best friend. Connor Murphy, who took his own life and did not have friend in the world, or so everyone thought.  

The answers are in Evan’s hands. What made Connor take his life? Was it drugs? Why did no one know about this secret friendship between Evan and Connor? It becomes easy for Evan to fabricate this fake friendship and in a way you kind of root for him. He is not going along with this because he wants attention (well maybe a little), but because he wants to give Connor’s family some sort of solace during a difficult time. 

I enjoyed this book because even though what Evan is doing is wrong, so much good comes from his lie. Not without destroying him first though. Sometimes we need to break down to rebuild and that is just what Evan does. "

#BigBendCCBookChallenge #12in12 #NewYearsResolution #WhiteLies 

Month: February
From: Jennifer McCarthy
Book Title:  Go Set a Watchman
Author(s): Harper Lee

"This book takes place twenty years after To Kill a Mockingbird (although it was written BEFORE Mockingbird). Jean Louise, "Scout", returns to Maycomb, AL from NYC to visit family and friends, only to become disillusioned by what she finds.She has to grow up. It was excellent - beautifully written - and very realistic. It is a really interesting look at how a Southern town reacted to the early years of the Civil Rights movement. I recommend it."

#BigBendCCBookChallenge #12in12 #NewYearsResolution #WhiteLies 

Haven't added your #BigBendCCBookChallenge for February? Add it here:https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdjyD7PG8C4REqxiG99Z3sT26a0LDiUnHw9oX8zBAbFTAkngA/viewform?usp=sf_linkEvan 

Month: January 
From: Jennifer McCarthy
Book Title:  Station Eleven 
Author(s): Emily St. John Mandel

Dystopia - life following the collapse of civilization due to a Flu pandemic. Beautifully written, realistic characters, very interesting social commentary. I highly recommend it!

#BigBendCCBookChallenge #12in12 #NewYearsResolution #Dystopia #Pandemic 

Haven't added your #BigBendCCBookChallenge for February? Add it here:https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdjyD7PG8C4REqxiG99Z3sT26a0LDiUnHw9oX8zBAbFTAkngA/viewform?usp=sf_linkEvan

Month:  January 2020
From:  Zach Olsen, English Instructor
Book Title: Enlightenment Now
Book Author:  Steven Pinker

"In this book, Steven Pinker makes a case for the power of "reason, science, humanism, and progress" to shape a better world. He argues that the world is getting better, has been getting better, and is likely to continue getting better because of the aforementioned values. While we may feel that our world is seeing a surge of violence, bigotry, income inequality, and environmental destruction, the data don't support these conclusions. 

He's careful to note that the progress we made was not inevitable and future progress isn't guaranteed but argues that we should continue to trust in the processes that have brought us to where we are, and points to cognitive biases and the business model of media reporting as sources of the catastrophizing about the world and the nay-saying and criticism directed at capitalist economies with market regulation from social-democratic governments. 

Pinker acknowledges that we can (and should) imagine a better world than the one we live in, but that we should also believe in the power of reason and humanism to bring that world into being. 

It would be dangerous to misread this book and use its conclusions to justify inequality that certainly exists (this book is likely to be cherry-picked by conservatives and neo-liberals) as a direct result of our current political and economic systems, but a charitable reading of Pinker would say that he believes we ought to reform the broken parts of the system to extend its benefits to a wider circle of humanity and to continue such progress until all feel its benefits. 

Pinker's argument requires us to accept two major premises: first, that reason is something that human beings are capable of and that can lead to a better world, not a biased, culture-dependent label placed on Western, colonialist thinking. This is where he makes his strongest case, unsurprisingly, because as a cognitive psychologist and linguist, this argument is in his area of expertise. The second premise we need to accept is that market economies regulated by social democracies are the inevitable outcome of reasoned processes and must be essentially good; where they fall short of encouraging human flourishing, the very ideals they are founded on can reform and improve them. This argument seems weaker to me, as it doesn't take into account the possibility that a better system for achieving those ideals could exist. While modern social democracies produce more human flourishing than anything that came before them, we might argue that feudal societies were superior to anarchy by the exact same measures, and "better," while good, is not always sufficient. The best social structure is not necessarily the best that currently exists, but the best one that could exist. 

To be fair, it's possible I misunderstood Pinker and he does a better job of proving his second premise than I give him credit for here; I did listen to this as an audiobook while I was running. 

Certainly, there is a lot of data and evidence to support Pinker's view, but all data must be interpreted, and even morally or politically neutral interpretations can fall prey to cognitive biases and preconceived notions about how the world works. I look forward to reading thoughtful critiques of Pinker's book from Marxists and anarcho-socialists that don't mislabel it as mere propaganda for the Neo-Liberal establishment and are willing to contend with the meat of his arguments. 

This book didn't change much of what I thought about the world before I read it, but I always find following Steven Pinker through his thoughts to be an interesting journey that provokes my own thinking."

Month: March 2020
From:  Cassandra Torres
Book Title: Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng

Overall, I enjoyed this book. The story is about a perfect family living in a perfect town with perfect schools and perfect neighborhoods. Except everything is not as it seems. There is chaos happening within the Richardson household and with the arrival of Mia and her daughter Pearl the chaos and secrets begin to seep out. The ending was pretty terrible but I definitely stayed engaged in the story. - CT

Month: March 
From: Amanda Miller
Book Title: The Queen of the Tearling, by Erika Johansen

Kelsea Raleigh Glynn is 19 years old and uncrowned queen of the Tearling. She is an orphan raised in isolation, a lover of books, and social justice. Around her neck sits the royal jewel that marks her as the heir-apparent, known as the Tearling Sapphire. On her 19th birthday a group nine armored knights arrive at her guardians' cottage to escort her to New London and her throne. Once there, Kelsea must depose of her uncle, the regent, and begin the process of bringing her kingdom back from the brink of destruction. This formidable task takes on new meaning for her when she realizes that the kingdom's enemies are both within and without the borders. Slave traders who have profited from the dubious truce her mother agreed to and the Red Queen of Mortmesne, a seemingly immortal sorceress. As Kelsea discovers the magic that lays within her and the sapphire she wears she begins to question what events in the past led them to this self-destructive road. She seeks answers to the beginning of the Tearling history, the crossing from the old world to the new one. And what went wrong with the founder's dream of a "better world." I listened to the unabridged audiobook read by Katherine Kellgren. This is an unforgettable tale, both written and narrated, of destiny, magic, and the fight against malevolent forces bent on dominating the world. As the first book in this triology wrapped up questions remained... what is the crossing? What were the original settlers running from? What happened to the dream?