What Northfield Public Library Staff Members are Reading, Listening to, and Watching

Fiction:

Barth, John  The Sot-Weed Factor.

Christie, Agatha  Curtain: Poirot’s Last Case.  (mystery)

Collins, Max Allan  The Road to Perdition.

Doerr, Anthony  All the Light You Cannot See.

Drager, Lindsey  The Sorrow Proper; a novel.

Evanovich, Janet.  Tricky Twenty-Two.  (mystery)

Grisham, John  The Litigators

Helget, Nicole Lea  Stillwater

Kahn, Vaseem  Unexpected Inheritance of Inspector Chopra   (Mystery)

Kanaris, Keo  Codename Xenophon  (Mystery)

Kellerman, Jonathon  The Theory of Death

Larsson, Steig  The Girl in the Spider’s Web

Mandel, Emily St. John  Station Eleven  (Science Fiction)

Paige, Robin  Victorian Mysteries Series    (Mystery)

Pulixi, Piergiorgio  Night of the Panther (Mystery)

Ross, Helen Klein  What Was Mine; a novel     

Setterfield, Diane  The Thirteenth Tale

Todd, Charles  A Pattern of Lies; a Bess Crawford Mystery.

 

 

Nonfiction

Anderson, Chel  North Shore: a Natural History of Minnesota’s Superior Coast.

Coperthwaite, William and Saltmarsh, John  A Handmade Life;  in search of simplicity.

Edin, Kathryn  $2.00 a day; Living on Almost Nothing in America.

Jameson, Marni  Downsizing the Family Home; What to Save, What to Let go.

Millet, Larry  Minnesota Modern; Architecture and Life at Midcentury.

 

Music

Adele, 25.

The Cure.  Staring at the Sea;  The Singles

Isley Brothers  The Essential Isley Brothers

Lamar, Kendrick  To Pimp a Butterfly.

Wailing Jennys  Firecracker.

 

DVDs

Danish Girl

Enemy at the Door

Rock the Kasbah

Shetland Series

Spotlight

Suffregette

The 33

Treme Series

Wild

 

 



       February is Black History Month

 

 

The contributions of African American Women to the musical lexicon in the United States has been profound.  Pioneering figures include Bessie Smith (1898–1937), known as the “Empress of the Blues, singer Ella Fitzgerald (1918–1996), a master of improvisation who came to be known as “The First Lady of Song and Melba Liston (1926–1999), a trombonist, an arranger, and the leader of an all-female jazz group in the 1950s and 1960s.

 Bernice Johnson Reagon (1942–) founded the female a cappella ensemble Sweet Honey in the Rock, a group committed to showcasing Africa's diverse musical heritage. A star in Europe many years before she made her American debut, Marian Anderson (1902–1993) was one of the greatest contraltos of all time.  Consider composer and pianist Margaret Bonds (1913–1972) who wrote works that explore the African American experience. Her best-known compositions include the ballet Migration (1964), Spiritual Suite for Piano (1950s), Mass, D Minor (1959), and the songs “The Ballad of the Brown King” (1960) and “The Negro Speaks of Rivers” (1935).

Other greats to keep in mind are  singer-songwriter Phoebe Snow (1952–2011),  singers Diana Ross (1944–), Chaka Khan (1953-),  and Whitney Houston (1963–2012).

 

The younger generation of female African American musical artists includes R&B singers Alicia Cook (better known as Alicia Keys, 1981–), pop singers Beyonce Knowles-Carter (1981–), Robyn Fenty (Rihanna, 1988–), Rhiannon Giddens (1977-), Jhene Aiko (1988-), and Brittany Howard (1988-) 

The Northfield Library catalog has a great collection of musical CDs that reflect the contributions of African American women.  If you are interested in developing a comprehensive discography or want to sample some of this fantastic music contact the library! 

 

 

 

 

 

Hot Reads to begin in January 2016

 

 

Hot Reads will begin on January 2 and run through Feb. 29.   Pick up a reading log at the library and enter drawings to win weekly prizes. The program is for adults only.

 

Thanks to the Friends and Foundation of the Northfield Public Library for supporting this program!

 

For more information call the library at 507-645-6606.



New York Times Notables Books 2015

The New York Times has come out with their annual list of notable books. Click here for all 100 titles.
Here are a few that are at the Northfield Library.

 

E-Readers - Getting one for a gift this season? Here are some links with tips on how to choose

The Best Ebook Readers of 2015 from PC Magazine

Comparisons from Consumer Reports

Tablet vs E-Reader? 12 Questions that help you decide

Best ereaders 2015: Which should you buy?


Don't forget that the library has a subscription to Overdrive.  No need to buy ebooks. Download free books with your library card 24/7.  Click here for more information (click on the help button) and to see which devices are supported.  Further questions about Overdrive? Call the library at 507-645-6606.

The Thread with Kerri Miller - Book Talk on MPR

I just heard about a new website by Kerri Miller of MPR (Minnesota Public Radio) called the Thread. It was launched this past February and is the place you'll find information on new books,  Talking Volumes and other literary events in the region. In an interview with Saint Paul Magazine Miller described it as “an all-encompassing, digital media and event-oriented initiative for people who love to read.” You can sign up to get emails when there are new posts. There's also a podcast where you can listen to author interviews wherever you are. You can also listen from the website. Here's some links to some recent posts on new books we have at the Northfield Library.


Keep Moving: and Other Tips and Truths About Aging (921 VAN)  - Dick Van Dyke (click here for the Thread interview)









Warrior Nation: a History of the Red Lake Ojibwe (on order) - Anton Treuer
(click here for the Thread interview)








Brief History of Seven Killings (Fic James) - Marlon James
(click here for the Thread article)





Rosemary: The Hidden Kennedy Daughter (921 KEN) - Kate Larson
(click here for the Thread interview)

What are Resource Guides?????

Resource guides are tools to give you all kinds of information on a variety of topics.  We've been creating them at the library for over a year and so far we have about 35 guides on topics ranging from genealogy to travel.  Check them out!
Go to our website and click on "Books and More", then "Resource Guides".
http://guides.mynpl.org/


And if you have suggestions on new guides let us know!!!!