Mercury Column

New Nonfiction Books for Kids

By Laura Ransom, Children’s Programming Coordinator

A new year is a great time to discover new books. We currently have a surplus of new children’s books at the library! Because of the pandemic, shipments from our book supplier have been delayed by several months. I have found several intriguing nonfiction titles that kids can dive into.

“Teatime Around the World” by Denyse Waissbluth is filled with facts about the origins of tea and how people enjoy it today. This informational picture book has colorful illustrations of friends and families drinking tea from cups, wooden bowls, and even bags! I love warming up with a cup of hot tea on cold winter nights, and this book taught me so much more about the seemingly simple drink.

This title is a helpful book for crafty kids, “Friendship Bracelets” by Keith Zoo. It includes ten different bracelet styles and detailed, easy-to-follow instructions for each one. Our library also has other crafting books by this author, including how to make paper airplanes, tie knots, and braid hair. Check them out for the kid in your life that says, “I’m bored!”

“Cardboard Box Engineering” by Jonathan Adolph can entertain those bored kids, too. With simple materials like cardboard boxes, tape, and paper cups, kids can learn how to make a mini wind-powered cardboard car. Aluminum foil can transform cardboard into a solar oven that actually works! Templates and instructions are included, along with some information about engineers throughout history.

“Legacy: Women Poets of the Harlem Renaissance” by Nikki Grimes is a collection of both classic and new poetry. Grimes includes poems by female African-American poets that flourished during the Harlem Renaissance in the early 1900’s. She also selected some of their work and created new poems that spring from the originals. Beautiful illustrations decorate the pages of this unique book.

Playful animals take center stage in Douglas Florian’s “Ice! Poems About Polar Life”. This picture book of poetry transports kids to both the North and South Poles. Alongside poems about animals like polar bears and narwhals, Florian sprinkles in facts about their everyday lives in their frozen homelands. Snowy owls and wolverines were my favorite animals featured in the book. Poetry has been one of my favorite things to read since my third-grade teacher introduced it to me so many years ago!

“Countries of the World” by Andrea Mills is a recently updated book from DK Publishing. DK does a fabulous job of presenting information in a succinct manner with wonderful photos to accompany the content. I always love learning about other countries, and this book is a great way for me to immerse myself in faraway cultures. The book includes entries similar to an encyclopedia, with facts, maps, and information about the country’s famous people. When I read the page about Cyprus, I learned that it has been full of cats since ancient times! Their island nation has almost 300,000 more cats than people. I highly recommend this title to any curious kid, or even grown-ups like me.

“Everything Awesome About Sharks and Other Underwater Creatures” by Mike Lowery might be my favorite book title so far this year! Comical illustrations of sharks, jellyfish, and other ocean animals make this nonfiction book truly enjoyable. The back of the book also includes instructions for how to draw the creatures. For kids who love dinosaurs, Lowery previously published “Everything Awesome About Dinosaurs and Other Prehistoric Beasts”.

Stop by the Children’s Room at the library to find even more excellent books for kids. The children’s collection is open for browsing by appointment. Our librarians can also select books on topics of your choice with our Quick Picks for Kids service by calling 785-776-4741 ext. 400.

Christian Romance

by Rhonna Hargett, Associate Director of Learning & Information Services

When the world feels overwhelming and uncertain, I often turn to a Christian Romance novel. Christian Romance tends to have settings that are challenging, but characters with positive outlooks and a guaranteed happy ending. It often helps me to turn around my outlook when I read stories of good people overcoming adversity while maintaining their values. The following titles take us to an Oregon farm retreat, a rescue on Mount Denali, Texas Hill Country in the 1850s, and a small town in North Carolina.

In “The Happy Camper” by Melody Carlson, Dillon Michaels retreats to her grandfather’s farm to regroup after finding herself stuck in an unhappy rut with her career and love life. With a crowded farmhouse, he offers her his old camper as a temporary home. With the help of the local hardware store owner, she fixes up the camper, healing her heart through the process. Carlson uses eccentric characters, rural charm, and a story of restoration to create a breezy and enjoyable novel. Readers of Robin Jones Gunn might enjoy this novel.

“The Way of the Brave” by Susan May Warren is the story of a rescue attempt on Mount Denali. Orion Starr is a former pararescue jumper living in Alaska and trying to put his memories of Afghanistan behind him. Jenny Calhoun, an undercover CIA profiler, is having trouble dealing with her tragic mistake of trusting the wrong person. Her mistake led to the deaths of four soldiers in the attack when Starr was injured. When an avalanche leaves Jenny stranded on Mount Denali, and Orion is in the rescue team, they are both forced to reckon with their pasts and work together to save lives. This combination of thriller and romance will keep you in its grip to the end. You might like “The Way of the Brave” if you have enjoyed Dee Henderson’s work.

“Out of the Embers” by Amanda Cabot is a classic example of Western Historical Christian Romance. Evelyn Radcliffe has lived in an orphanage since her parents died in a fire. After going to town for supplies with one of the younger girls, Polly, she returns to find the orphanage in flames. Evelyn and Polly are the only survivors, and Evelyn suspects that the fire is connected to her parents death. They turn the wagon and head off to try to find a safe place, eventually stumbling upon Wyatt Clark’s horse ranch. He and his mother and sister take the girls in and form a fast friendship. Evelyn starts to heal, and is even able to pursue her dream of running a restaurant, but danger still lurks, and she wonders if she will ever truly be safe. “Out of the Embers” is a sweet and satisfying story, with just enough suspense. This is a good read-alike for fans of Tracie Peterson’s fiction.

I haven’t been able to get my hands on it yet, but I’m looking forward to reading “Til I Want No More” by Robin Pearson when it comes out in February. Publishers Weekly describes it as “Pearson (A Long Time Comin’) delivers a satisfying tale of one woman’s secrets returning to haunt her. . . Pearson’s excellent characters and plotting capture the complexity and beauty of family, the difficulty of rectifying mistakes, and the healing that comes from honesty. Pearson rises to another level with this excellent story.” This should be enjoyable for readers who like Denise Hunter’s books.

Manhattan Public Library has a variety of Christian Romance available in print, books on CD, downloadable audio, or ebooks. You can find more suggestions in our Christian Fiction newsletter or by exploring “Read-alikes” in the library catalog. Find these resources and more at our website, www.mhklibrary.org, or call 785-776-4741 ext. 300.

Climate Anxiety and Heartland Book Discussions

By Jan Johnson, Adult Programming and Outreach Librarian

Manhattan Public Library’s programming looks a little different these days as we navigate these past nine months of physical distancing. We aren’t able to gather, we can’t share the spaces we all love in the library and we can’t offer all of the same wonderful in-person programs that bring our community together. We can shift to stay connected and serve you, our community. By now, we’re all (well, most all) accustomed to seeing our co-workers, distant family members and friends through computer webcams. It’s a necessary but impersonal tool to continue our lives as best as we can during this global pandemic. So we shift.

Here, at Manhattan’s public library, we shift our programming to online opportunities, rather than meeting in the auditorium or Groesbeck room. We’ve had storytimes, craft classes, technology training and book discussions online via Zoom or YouTube. It’s not the same, but it keeps the library community together. Looking ahead, we can announce two unique and interesting book discussions planned for the next few months.

Our first, is a collaborative book discussion with librarians from Kansas State University’s Hale Library. They received a grant to work on sustainability within the libraries and seed future library projects. A book discussion will be one part of a four-part series that also includes a screening of the documentary “Fire and Flood,” a conversation with Reverend Vernon Walker on social resilience and climate resilience, and a community workshop about Wildcat Creek.

The book chosen for this first discussion is “A Field Guide to Climate Anxiety: How to Keep Your Cool on a Warming Planet” by Sarah Jaquette Ray, a professor of  environmental studies at Humboldt State University. University Press of California describes this book as Gen Z’s first existential toolkit for combating eco-guilt and burnout while advocating for climate justice. The author looks at the emotional effects that climate change has on those of us trying to combat the ongoing climate crisis. She offers knowledge from psychology, sociology, social movements, mindfulness and the environmental humanities of why and how we need to let go of eco-guilt, resist burnout, and cultivate resilience while advocating for climate justice. Ray’s strategies offer deep and practical ways to cultivate collective resilience and creative adaptation, and even thrive in a climate-changed world.

We will offer a series of book discussions on this topic. Several copies are available for check out at Manhattan Public Library and KSU Hale Library. For more information on the rest of the series, watch for updates at lib.k-state.edu/events.

For our second book discussion, the Humanities Kansas TALK series once again provides several copies of the book and a phenomenal speaker to guide us through a thoughtful discussion on the chosen title “Heartland: A Memoir of Working Hard and Being Broke in the Richest Country on Earth” by Kansan Sarah Smarsh. This nonfiction book reads like an intimate work of fiction on the author’s turbulent childhood where “the forces of cyclical poverty and the country’s changing economic policies solidified her family’s place among the working poor.”  She tells the stories of her life and the lives of her family growing up in Southwest Kansas, and the influence of intergenerational poverty had on them. Heartland combines memoir and with powerful analysis and cultural commentary, with an uncompromising look at class, identity, and the particular perils of having less in a country known for its excess.

Manhattan Public Library has copies of each of these titles for checkout at the second floor reference desk. “Heartland” is available online in ebook and audio from Sunflower eLibrary, found on MPL’s Digital Resources page from the website www.mhklibrary.org. You can use the Libby app to easily download and read or listen to the book. To register for either of these events, go to the events page from our website.

Nine Months of Reading: Books about Pregnancy

by Crystal Hicks, Collections Librarian

Amongst the many historic and monumental changes that hit the world in 2020, my life was rocked by another great and terrible change: I became a parent. Parenthood has been wonderful and awe-inspiring, but it’s also terrifying, especially when you’re staring it down while undergoing a long, uncontrollable biological experiment—that is, pregnancy. To say I dislike change is to phrase things mildly, so it’s no surprise that I struggled with pregnancy and all the changes it unleashes. In times of uncertainty, I cleave to books, and so I researched and read all hours of the evenings and weekends. Here are the books that brought me knowledge and reassurance.

I’ve written before about Lucy Knisley, my favorite graphic memoirist, and her memoir “Kid Gloves.” “Kid Gloves” follows Knisley from trying to get pregnant to shortly after giving birth and marked my first foray into books about pregnancy. Knisley expertly punctuates her story with research about the (often awful) history of reproductive health. One caveat about this book: it may not be the best starting point for those newly pregnant. During childbirth, Knisley had eclampsia and almost died, compounding my existing fears about giving birth.

Another excellent memoir by a new millennial parent is Meaghan O’Connell’s “And Now We Have Everything.” O’Connell covers her life from pre-pregnancy musings with friends in New York City (all secretly wanting kids but afraid to take the next step) through childbirth, moving across the country, and a year of postpartum depression. O’Connell reads like a friend giving it to you straight, including the gory details of childbirth, breastfeeding, and the overwhelming exhaustion and chaos of life with a newborn. With O’Connell’s book under my belt, I felt a little more prepared for the emotional and physical havoc that pregnancy and new parenthood might wreak.

Aside from memoirs, I also wanted to know everything there was to know about pregnancy. I turned to the “Mayo Clinic Guide to a Healthy Pregnancy” as a detailed, well-researched tome to guide me. This book has it all, from week-by-week developmental breakdowns to lists of different potential complications and when to call your doctor. I loved this book, but it is possible to have too much information, especially if you’re prone to anxiety; for a pregnancy book with fewer lists of things that could go wrong, try DK’s “Pregnancy Day by Day” instead.

In “Expecting Better,” Emily Oster goes beyond the standard doctors’ recommendations and evaluates the actual scientific studies used to create those recommendations. An economist specializing in health economics, Oster analyzes study design and statistical analysis, explaining which recommendations absolutely need to be followed and which might allow for some flexibility. This is where I learned that catching most food poisoning is fine while pregnant (hello, raw cookie dough), but you should avoid listeria at all costs (bye-bye, deli meat).

Science writer Angela Garbes’s “Like a Mother” (available on Sunflower eLibrary) combines research with memoir, compiling the results of research inspired by her own pregnancy and postpartum recovery. Garbes covers some content I’d already learned at that point (for example, the actual risks of consuming some caffeine or alcohol while pregnant), but she plumbs greater depths when it comes to the bizarre biology of what pregnancy entails. Garbes’s book also contains my favorite pregnancy-related fact: the placenta is an organ grown by the baby, not the mother, so it actually contains the baby’s DNA. Mind. Blown.

Finally, I looked for books to help with my mental health. Kate Rope’s “Strong as a Mother” perfectly fit the bill, offering advice and anecdotes from real-life parents covering all aspects of pregnancy and new parenthood. Sections are short and to-the-point, ideal when finding time to research around a busy pre-baby life or while your newborn naps. Rope strongly advocates for self-care and asking for help when you need it, which struck a chord with me and encouraged me to accept whatever help was offered. Rope also discusses scary thoughts, providing reassurance that your mind may not be all sunshine and rainbows even if your baby is the most perfect baby ever. Karen Kleiman’s “Good Moms Have Scary Thoughts” expounds further on negative thoughts, working to undo the secrecy and shame that surround them.

These books all provided great support and perspective during my pregnancy. As a new parent, I’m finding even more questions to research, but books and the library are still by my side, offering me guidance. Rest assured, I’ll return to write about my favorite books for new parents.

Those Things Kids Do

by Jennifer Jordan, Children’s Librarian

As a new parent, I’m learning the things children do that are frustrating but also hilarious. Hearing the stories my mother had of what my brother and I did seemed ridiculous until I start noticing it with my son and the children that come into the library. When my mom would be prepping a meal, I would sneak the best way a 3-year-old could and steal raw vegetables off the cutting board. Anything and everything that was on the ground was edible. This included a dead spider my dad tracked in from outside that my mother had to pull out of my mouth. My mom’s hair? That’s a toy that is asking to be pulled and be tangled around my fingers. If my parents gave me a piece of paper and some colored pencils, I decided that the wall would be a better canvas. Whatever it was, they love talking about how ridiculous my brother and I were and how now, it’s hilarious.

Right now, my little guy is being very vocal but can’t say words yet. He just yells “ma ma ma” or “da da da” to hear his voice. Wondering which word would be his first, I brought home “You’re Baby’s First Word will be Dada” by Jimmy Fallon. In this book, Fallon made a simple read with illustrations of different animals. The parent animal keeps saying “dada” where the baby animal replies with the sound each animal makes. It’s very true to how me as a parent and other parents try to get their baby to repeat dada or mama back to them. Fallon has a follow-up, “Everything is Mama”. This book, illustrated in the same style, has the parent animal trying to get their child to say things like sun and waffle. Instead, the kid animals will say only one thing, mama.

A word that I dread my little one to learn is “no”. I want him to know the word and use it well but what I’ve heard is a toddler learning “no” pairs with the toddler’s opinions. They say no to vegetables, no to baths, no to diapers and the best is no to naps. “No More Naps!” by Chris Grabenstein is a read that will make parents laugh out loud. The toddler in the book is fed up with taking naps and refused to take one. The dad has an idea to try taking her on a stroll around the park to calm her and have her fall asleep. They meet many people who decide if she doesn’t want her nap, they will take it instead. This read pairs well with a book about an alien toddler who is a very picky eater. “Nerp!” by Sarah Lynne Reul has many hilarious words in it. Nerp, meaning no, is what the toddler says when their parents put a plate food in front of them. They will eat nothing the parents give them and when the parents are ready to give up, they hear slurping. He found the bowl of alien dog food on the ground and the dog is eating all the food the parents gave their child.

Kids eventually stop using the one worded sentence and move on to full statements and questions. They are just as curious and now have the voice and vocabulary to have conversations. “Are you Eating Candy Without Me?” by Draga Jenny Malesevic is a book where four children are wondering what their grownups do when they leave. Do they go to fancy parties? Do they eat cake and ice cream while riding ponies? The most important question, are they eating candy without them?

Any of these books would be great for a story before bed. The best book would be a bedtime story about a parent reading a bedtime story. “Interrupting Chicken” by David Ezra Stein is a story about a little chicken and papa chicken that will make parents laugh out loud. Little chicken wants a story and papa chicken agree only if he doesn’t interrupt when he reads. Little chicken can’t help it and needs to stop the characters from making the mistakes they do in the story. Over and over papa chicken will start and must remind little chicken to let him read and finish the story.

Hick Lit Pairings for “Hillbilly Elegy” Film

by Rachel Cunningham, Circulation Supervisor

With the recent adaptation of J.D. Vance’s bestselling memoir “Hillbilly Elegy” to film, now seems like a great opportunity to reflect on one of my favorite niche genres – rural noir, or hick lit. A couple years ago, I began to notice a theme in the books I was devouring – they were set in Kansas, Missouri, the Ozarks, and Appalachia. The characters weren’t always likeable, yet you were invested in their stories. They were intricately plotted, character driven novels. Many authors balanced a gritty yet lyrical writing style, which constructed a story with the devastation of realistic events told in a beautiful, flowing narrative. This was rural noir. If you’re interested in characters that are flawed, conflicted, and sometimes even insufferable, I have a few suggestions for you.

Although there are other well-known authors who write within this genre like Daniel Woodrell (“Winter’s Bone”) and Sharyn McCrumb (Ballad Series), Laura McHugh has mastered the craft of creating compelling characters in all of her novels. In her most recent novel, “The Wolf Wants In”, McHugh weaves a story between two alternating perspectives. In Blackwater, Kansas, Sadie is grieving the death of her brother, Shane. At only 36, Shane died suddenly at home of what was deemed to be a heart attack. Yet, Sadie is suspicious of the uninvestigated death and subsequent decision to not perform an autopsy by her sister-in-law. Weary of the lack of police intervention in her brother’s case, Sadie begins her own investigation. Meanwhile, Henley belongs to a notorious local family she dreams of escaping. When her mother disappears on her most recent bender, Henley takes over her housekeeping position to save money for her getaway. However, her new employer complicates her plans. As the reader becomes entangled in the stories of the two women, Henley races to unfurl family secrets and the secrets about Shane before she is ensnared or worse. Be aware, McHugh does an excellent job with pacing in this book. It may be difficult to put down, and you might find yourself reading into the early hours of the morning.

Since our last hick lit article, Amy Engel has released her novel “The Familiar Dark.” Set firmly in the Ozarks, Engel’s newest adult novel follows Eve Taggert, a not-yet-grieving mother hunting for her daughter’s murderer. After the murder of 12-year-old Junie, the local police, including Eve’s brother, Cal, have no leads. Eve enlists the help of her estranged mother, while determined to avoid deteriorating into a resemblance of the hard woman who raised her. Junie is brought to life through Eve’s memories, as she comes to grips with how easily her life would’ve mirrored her mother’s without her unplanned pregnancy twelve years prior. As Eve continues to spin further out of control in her quest for an answer, readers wonder what the answer will cost her and whether the price is worth justice for Junie. Although Engel’s novel is fictional, it resonates with the topics in Vance’s memoir. Eve poignantly observes, “The world might be changing in some places, but not here. Here it was still the same old merry-go-round of drugs and poverty and women being chewed up and spit out by men. People in other worlds could wear black evening gowns and give speeches about equality and not backing down, but out here in the trenches, we fought our war alone and we lost the battles every day.”

For those interested in a less suspenseful and more literary novel, Stephen Markley’s “Ohio” is a perfect companion for Vance’s memoir. Markley utilizes a slow-burn narrative as chapters change perspective between four former friends, each returning to their small hometown in Ohio for different reasons. The characters are intricate and complex, and Markley’s writing style reflects the stream of consciousness of each character. Readers follow Bill, once energized by left-wing ideas, but now desperately running an illegitimate errand for cash; Stacey, a scholar looking for answers and reconciliation; Dan, a soldier home from Iraq; and Tina, returning to confront her high school abuser. With themes of the recession, post-9/11 America, opiate addiction, homophobia, assault, and more, Markley’s debut earns NPR’s description of “Wild, Angry, [and] Devastating”. This novel provides a window into washed up small towns across America, not just in Ohio. Although “Ohio” is not an easy read, its characters and their provocative questions stick with the reader long after the conclusion of the book.

There is a world of rural noir recommendations waiting for you at NoveList with your Kansas eCard!