Library News and Notable New Books

A Book for Teenagers About Teenagers - The Crawfordsville Library's Carnegie Museum Director Kat Burkhart is the writer of a selection in editor Nancy Reagin's "Twilight & History" featuring twelve authors/historians. Kat's piece is Getting Younger Every Decade and connects Twilight characters to historical events that actual teenagers throughout the centuries have experienced "from Renaissance Italy to persecution of suspected witches in early modern England to the American Civil War". Kat says "It's a book where teenagers can read about teenagers."

Notice: The Library will be closed for Independence Day Sunday, July 4 and Monday, July 5.

Here's new nonfiction requested by patrons. "Fifty Shoes That Changed The World" from the Design Museum starts with the plimsoll, galosh and Frye boot, and moves on through winklepickers and UGG boots to today's Melissa shoe. Jonathan Krohn's "Defining Conservatism" lists "The Principles That Will Bring Our Country Back". Shankar Vedantam's "The Hidden Brain" discusses "How Our Unconscious Minds Elect Presidents, Control Markets, Wage Wars, and Save Our Lives." In "The Bag Lady Papers" Alexandra Penney tells about losing all her invested savings (re Bernie Madoff) as told in her Daily Beast blogs. John Vining's "The Trans-Appalachian Wars, 1790-1818" explains the area between the Appalachian Mountains and the Mississippi River where intrigue, strategies, and campaigns rank high in complexity and interest. "Winston's War" is Max Hastings' study of Winston Churchill during wartime (1940-1945) and captures what he calls his "appetite for the fray." The cover says the chapter on Churchill's 1944 Christmas in Athens is priceless. In "For All the Tea in China" Sarah Rose weaves together historical, geographical, and scientific stories about how England "stole" the world's favorite drink and changed history. "The War Lovers" by Evan Thomas follows Roosevelt, Lodge, Hearst, and the rush to empire in 1898. The book suggests vital lessons for our generation as we confront some of the same public challenges that faced Theodore Roosevelt and his contemporaries. "The American Leonardo" by John Brewer is a study of the twentieth century art market, showing how dealers, curators, and connoisseurs authenticate works of art. "Eye Tricks" holds visual deceptions and brain teasers in 150 optical illusions pictured by Gianni Sarcone and Marie-Jo Waeber.

Rachael Ray's "Yum-O!" is her family cookbook from 2008. Ina Garten's book of "fabulous flavor from simple ingredients" is "Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics". Jimmy McDonough offers "Tammy Wynette: Tragic Country Queen", showing how her songs and her story illustrate her vulnerability, disillusionment, strength, and endurance. To celebrate the centennial year of Artie Shaw, Tom Nolan has composed "Three Chords for Beauty's Sake".

Steve Wulf's "The Mighty Book of Sports Knowledge" with contributions by successful sports figures explains 101 things about the games we love. "After Many a Summer" is Robert Murphy's research about the Giants and Dodgers and a Golden Age in New York baseball. "Satchel" is Larry Tye's biography of legendary pitcher Satchel Paige, "an overlooked pioneer in the integration of baseball, and of America itself".

Children of all ages love the rails, and "Trains" a photographer's journey, is pictured by Graeme Outerbridge; "Oh those elegant dining cars!" Jeff Conner's (et al) "Stephen King Goes to Hollywood" is an illustrated guide to all the films based on his fiction and includes an interview with the author. "The Edge of Physics" by Anil Ananthaswamy is a journey to earth's extremes to unlock the secrets of the universe.