My LINKcat AccountHappy 4th of July! Here in DeForest at celebration begins on July 3rd with bands, pony rides, and fireworks. The celebration continues on to the actual 4th of July with a parade, more bands, food, crafts, bingo, etc. The library shall have been in the parade again this year. Library staff has been casting out collective minds back, trying to remember the first time we had a “float” in the parade. I know for sure we were in the 1991 parade where we unexpectedly (because we didn’t even know there was a contest) won a prize for our entry. It was two 4-foot inflatable dinosaurs dressed up as Uncle Sam-asaurus and Betsy Ross-asaurus. 1991 was my third year as library director here, so it is possible that was our first time participating. And we have flung candy to the crowds each and every year. In the wee hours of the night sometimes I wonder how many pounds of candy we have distributed. And guess what, I don’t have the entire date run, but I do know how many pounds of candy we have started the parade with starting in 2009 (I had to keep track because we would run out – due to the size of the crowds—before the end of the parade and I wanted to buy more the next year so we had enough. Unfortunately, the crowd size kept increasing and we continue to run out.). Since 2009 we have tossed an amazing 3,445 pounds. I hope you enjoy a safe and happy 4th of July, that you enjoyed the parade, and that you managed to snag a piece of candy as the library staff passed by. If you’re looking for soon new books to read in the shade or on the beach or in your airconditioned environs, below are some of the books which recently arrived at the library. Enjoy!
Jan's Column 2025
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New Non-Fiction:
“Human Nature: Nine Ways to Feel About Our Changing Planet” by Kate Marvel. Explores climate change using nine different emotions to better understand the science, history and future of our evolving planet.
“Lift” How Women Can Reclaim Their Physical Power and Transform Their Lives” by Anne Marie Chaker. A journalist and bodybuilder explores how strength training transforms women’s health, confidence and resilience while challenging societal norms, reshaping self-worth and offering practical guidance to harness physical power for lasting empowerment at any stage of life.
“More Than Words: How Talking Sharpens the Mind and Shapes Our World” by Maryellen Macdonald. A psychologist explores how talking shapes our attention, memory, learning and even mental health, revealing its surprising impacts on cognition, education and aging, from goal-setting and political polarization to slowing cognitive decline.
“Allies at War: How the Struggles Between the Allied Powers Shaped the War and the World” by Tim Bouverie. Ambitious and compelling, revealing the political drama behind the military events, this fast-paced narrative history offers a fresh perspective on the Second World War and the origins of the Cold War.
“Murderland: Crime and Bloodlust in the Time of Serial Killers” by Caroline Fraser. From the Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Prairie Fires comes a terrifying true-crime history of serial killers in the Pacific Northwest and beyond—a gripping investigation of how a new strain of psychopath emerged out of a toxic landscape of deadly industrial violence.
New Fiction:
“A Beautiful Family” by Jennifer Trevelyan. Her family distracted by summer vacation, a ten-year-old and a new friend investigate what happened to Charlotte, a child presumed drowned two years earlier—but when someone else goes missing, the family find themselves at the center of a police investigation.
“What Kind of Paradise” by Janelle Brown. Raised in isolation in a Montana cabin by her enigmatic father, Jane’s world shatters when she discovers her unwitting role in a terrible crime, forcing her to flee to 1990s San Francisco, where she uncovers long-buried family secrets and confronts the dangers of the digital age.
“Derringer” by William and J.A. Johnstone. n 1867, Jesse Derringer, a troubleshooter for the Union Pacific Railroad, arrives in Cheyenne to keep order among settlers and railroad workers and must use his keen instincts and deadly skills to defuse conflicts before they ignite into something larger.
“Florenzer” by Phil Melanson. In fifteenth-century Florence, young Leonardo da Vinci, rising banker Lorenzo de’ Medici and ambitious priest Francesco Salviati navigate artistic brilliance, political intrigue and forbidden desires that will shape both their fates and the city's future.
“House of Two Sisters” by Rachel Louise Driscoll. Clementine’s translation of a cryptic amulet at her father’s Egyptian relic party in 1887 Essex coincides with a series of tragedies, leading her five years later to Cairo, where she joins a perilous journey down the Nile to return the artifact.
“The Teacher of Auschwitz” by Wendy Holden. From the bestselling author of Born Survivors comes a novel inspired by the powerful true story of a man who risked everything to protect children in Auschwitz.
“Thus With a Kiss I Die, No.1 (Daughter of Montague)” by Christina Dodd. Rosie Montague, a 20-year-old free spirit in Verona, finds her life upended when she’s tasked by the ghost of Prince Escalus the Elder to solve his murder, all while navigating a love triangle, revolution, and a looming threat that may turn her into a tragic heroine.
“Beach Reads and Deadly Deeds” by Allison Brennan. A risk-averse bibliophile gets in over her head when strange notes in a book draw her into a real-life investigation.
“A Botanists Guide to Rituals and Revenge, No.4 (Saffron Everleigh Mysteries)” by Kate Khavari. Returning to Ellington Manor, Saffron Everleigh faces tense family relationships made worse by enigmatic Bill Wyatt, hired as doctor to the ailing Lord Easting, but who in reality is involved in trafficking of dangerous government secrets—and whose presence can only mean trouble.
A week from today is the Fourth of July. While this holiday does not fall precisely at the midpoint between the other two major summer holidays – Memorial Day and Labor Day – it is a good reminder that we are rapidly approaching the actual midpoint, which, if the math I am doing in my head even as I type is correct, would be on July 14th (also known in some quarters, and some countries, as Bastille Day). There are 98 days between Memorial Day this year (May 26th) and Labor Day (September 1st). There are 39 days between Memorial Day and the 4th of July. There are 59 days between the 4th of July and Labor Day. My math thinks that adding 10 days to July 4th will get us 49 days further from Memorial Day and adding those 10 days will get us 10 days closer to Labor Day. And violà, that brings us to the midpoint between those two bracketing holidays of summer which is Bastille Day. All of which is a long way of saying, with the 4th of July coming up next week, those of you who are participating in the Summer Reading Program should keep in mind how quickly the lazy days of summer are flitting away. And do remember that the end of Summer Reading is August 16th – not Labor Day. This means the halfway point between Memorial Day and the end of Summer Reading is 41 days, which, I believe would be July 6th (which has nothing much associated with it other than John Lennon and Paul McCartney purportedly met for the first time at a church event and it’s National Fried Chicken Day). Read. Record what you’ve read. Help meet the community challenges. Be part of the Summer Reading Program. Try some of the more recent books added to our collection listed below.
Enjoy!
New Non-Fiction:
“John Hancock: First to Sign, First to Invest in America’s Independence” by Willard Sterne Randall. A revealing portrait of the Revolutionary leader, exploring his rise from modest beginnings to wealthy merchant, his pivotal yet overlooked role in the American Revolution, his political rivalries and his influence on key events that shaped the United States.
“Zbig: The Life and Times of Zbigniew Brzezinski, America’s Great Power Prophet” by Edward Luce. Chronicles an iconic statesman's life, from his childhood in war-torn Poland to his role as an architect of the Soviet Union's collapse, highlighting his longstanding influence on US foreign policy, his complex relationship with Henry Kissinger, and his unique perspectives on global power struggles.
“The Brain at Rest: How the Art and Science of Doing Nothing Can Improve Your Life” by Joseph Jebelli. Challenges conventional wisdom about productivity, arguing that allowing the brain to rest and activate its "default network" through activities like walking and relaxation can lead to greater creativity, happiness, and productivity while reducing stress and burnout.
New Fiction:
“A Magic Deep and Drowning” by Hester Fox. A gender-flipped historical fantasy retelling of The Little Mermaid is set in the Dutch Golden Age.
“Days of Light” by Megan Hunter. On Easter Sunday in 1938, 19-year-old Ivy stands at the threshold of adulthood, unaware that a single enchanted evening and an unforeseen tragedy will reshape her life, setting her on a decades-long journey through love, war, and the search for meaning.
“The Girls Who Grew Big” by Leila Mottley. Banished to her grandmother’s small Florida town after becoming pregnant at sixteen, Adela finds an unlikely sisterhood among a group of young mothers who, despite societal judgment, support each other through friendship, love, and the complexities of motherhood and adolescence.
“Girls With Long Shadows” by Tennessee Hill. A Southern Gothic novel follows identical triplets whose lives are devastated when their burgeoning desires turn deadly.
“I’ll Be Right Here” by Amy Bloom. After immigrating to New York alone after World War II, Gazala builds an unbreakable bond with her brother and two spirited sisters, forming a fiercely loyal found family whose love, desires and unorthodox connections shape generations to come.
“The Lost Book of First Loves” by RaeAnne Thayne. From a New York Times best-selling author comes a brand-new story about two women, a family secret and a lost manuscript that changes everything.
“The Love Fix (Sunrise Cove)” by Jill Shalvis. In a heartwarming enemies-to-lovers tale, found family, forgiveness and love may just be the key to finding oneself.
“A Mother’s Love” by Danielle Steel. Empty-nester and bestselling author Halley Holbrook befriends charming Bart Warner on a flight to Paris, but when a cunning thief steals her handbag and starts harassing her, reawakening ghosts from her traumatic childhood, she fights back with Bart’s help.
“The Phoenix Pencil Company” by Allison King. A hidden and nearly forgotten magic—of Reforging pencils, bringing the memories they contain back to life—holds the power to transform a young woman’s relationship with her grandmother, and to mend long-lost connections across time and space.
“So Far Gone” by Jess Walter. From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Daisy Jones & The Six comes an epic new novel set against the backdrop of the 1980s Space Shuttle program about the extraordinary lengths we go to live and love beyond our limits.
“The Summer That Changed Everything” by Brenda Novak. A disgraced prodigal daughter returns to a seemingly charming beach town to delve into its deadly past.
Today, Friday, June 20th at 9:42 p.m. the Summer Solstice occurs. This astronomical event is the longest day in the year and occurs when the sun is directly over the Tropic of Cancer at 23.5 degrees North. For those of you who are optimists: “Yay! It’s the longest day of the year and there are long days and warmer temperatures ahead.” For those of you who subscribe to the Eeyore worldview: “It’s all downhill from here. The bright day is done and we are headed for the dark.” The summer solstice is also the eve of the Village of DeForest Make Music Day on June 21st. The Village of DeForest will celebrate Make Music Day on June 21st, 2025. Every type of musician is encouraged and invited to share their love of music with friends, neighbors, and the community. At the library, we will be celebrating in two ways. At 10 a.m., Solstice Brass (how appropriate is that name for this time of year?!), an ensemble of Madison-are horn players will be playing music from the library mezzanine. They will be performing music ranging from traditional to jazz (since they are here most Yuletides they have promised not to perform any thing Christmas-y). The acoustics are great as is the musicianship. Be sure to stop by to get an earful while you browse our collection. There will also be free RPG and music themed models at the 3-D Printed Miniatures event. This takes place from 1 p.m. to 3p.m. Below you will find some of the new titles which recently arrived at the library. Enjoy!
New Non-Fiction:
“Nothing but Courage: The 82nd Airborne’s Daring D-Day Mission—And Their Heroic Charge Across the the La Fiere Bridge” by James Donovan. From the bestselling author of “Shoot for the Moon” and “A Terrible Glory”comes the dramatic story of the courageous paratroopers and glider men of the 82nd Airborne, who risked their lives to seize and secure a small, centuries-old bridge in France that played a pivotal role in the success of D-Day
“The Prism: Seven Steps to Heal Your Past and Transform Your Future” by Laura Day. A transformational program to heal one's past, remake their present and create the future they deserve.
“Belle Starr: The Truth Behind the Wild West Legend” by Michael Wallis. In a biography of the most infamous female outlaw of the 19th century, a best-selling historian challenges a notorious legacy.
“Buckley: The Life and the Revolution That Changed America” by Sam Tanenhaus. This definitive biography is a gripping story of the modern conservative movement as it rose from a formless coalition to a powerful cultural force, its campaigns and crusades defined and advanced on the many platforms Buckley created, bringing to life the era’s most important conservative intellectuals and writers.
“Desi Arnez: The Man Who Invented Television” by Todd Purdum. Chronicles the life of a trailblazing Cuban American who revolutionized television and brought laughter to millions as Lucille Ball’s beloved husband on I Love Lucy, leaving a legacy that continues to influence American culture today.
New Fiction:
“The Tenant” by Freida Mcfadden. Blake Porter, desperate to keep his life afloat after losing his job, rents a room to the seemingly perfect Whitney, but as strange occurrences escalate and secrets unravel, he realizes too late that she’s woven a deadly trap within his own home.
“Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil” by V.E. Schwab. From the #1 New York Times best-selling author of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue comes a new genre-defying novel about immortality and hunger.
“Abigail and Alexa Save the Wedding” by Lian Dolan. Two very different women planning their children’s wedding in glamorous Montecito, California.
“Unworld” by Jayson Greene. In a near-future where digital and human consciousness blur, a grieving mother, a traumatized witness, an AI professor, and a rogue digital entity confront the mystery of a young man’s death, unraveling questions of memory, identity, and what it means to be alive.
“Atmosphere: A Love Story” by Taylor Jenkins Reid. In 1980, professor Joan begins training for the Space Shuttle in Houston with Top Gun pilot Hank, scientist John, mission specialist Lydia, warm-hearted Donna, and aeronautical engineer Vanessa, who become unlikely friends—until December of 1984, on mission STS-LR9, when everything changes in an instant.
“An Ethical Guide to Murder” by Jenny Morris. A woman suddenly develops the ability to see how long people have to live—and discovers she can also take years of life from one person and bestow them to another.
“Fox” by Joyce Carol Oates. After the vehicle belonging to the enigmatic new teacher at a boarding school is discovered submerged in the woods near a dead body, the community begins to unravel in the new novel by the author of “We Were the Mulvaneys”.
“The Stolen Life of Colette Marceau” by Wendy Holden. A new historical novel features two jewel thieves, a priceless bracelet that disappears in 1940s Paris and a quest for answers in a decades-old murder.
If the Summer Reading Program has officially started, can the meteorological start of summer be far behind? I think to answer to that is we must begin by defining our terms. Does summer mean highs in the upper 80s with enough humidity to be noticeable? Then I think you are going to have to wait a bit longer for that kind of weather (at least according to my favorite weather app). Does it mean mild days with highs barely reaching into the 80s with little humidity and gently wafting breezes? Then I think that’s what we will be experiencing for at least the 10-day forecast (once again, according to my favorite weather app --Weather Kitty). While we are waiting for the heat and humidity and, frankly the first day of astronomical summer to arrive which is only a week from today on Friday, June 20th at 9:42 p.m. there are programs to attend at the library – check out our website at deforestlibrary.org. The Concerts at the Rocks begin on June 17th with Elmore Lawson getting everyone moving and grooving with percussion instruments of all kinds. There at craft programs in the Workshop. There is Qigong 3 times a week for adults. There are book clubs for all ages. The Summer Reading Program isn’t just about reading books. It’s about attending programs too! But it is about reading books. Below you will find some of the books which recently arrived at the library. Enjoy!
New Non-Fiction:
“We Can Do Hard Things: Answers to Life’s 20 Questions” by Glennon Doyle, Abby Wambach, & Amanda Doyle. Explores twenty essential life questions, offering wisdom, personal insights, and transformative lessons designed to help readers confront challenges, find healing, and share inspiration through courage, solidarity, and meaningful conversations.
New Fiction:
“Beach House Rules” by Kristy Woodson Harvey. A mother-daughter duo learn to lean on their community of women—and each other—after their world is turned upside down.
“The River Is Waiting” by Wally Lamb. Corby Ledbetter, grappling with addiction, prison life, and the tragedy that shattered his family, finds unexpected kindness and connection behind bars, as he seeks redemption and hopes for forgiveness from those he’s hurt the most.
“Death at a Highland Wedding, No.4 (Rip Through Time Novels)” by Kelley Armstrong. Living as a Victorian-era housemaid after slipping 150 years into the past, modern-day detective Mallory Atkinson joins Dr. Duncan Gray at a Highland wedding-turned-murder in the fourth novel of the series following “Disturbing the Dead”
“Hidden Nature” by Nora Roberts. Surviving a near-fatal shooting, injured police officer Sloan Cooper moves back to her quiet hometown and investigates a string of mysterious disappearances across three states in the new novel from the “New York Times” best-selling author.
“The Love Haters” by Katherine Center. Video producer Katie Vaughn heads to Key West to profile Coast Guard rescue swimmer Tom “Hutch” Hutcheson, but between his family drama, her escalating lies, and their growing attraction, she must confront her fears and find courage in paradise.
“The Doorman” by Chris Pavone. In a new novel from the bestselling author of “Two Nights in Lisbon”, a New York City doorman is drawn into a web of intrigue, robbery and murder.
“The Last Ferry Out” by Andrea Bartz. Abby travels to the storm-ravaged Isla Colel seeking answers about her fiancée Eszter’s mysterious death, but as expats reveal chilling secrets and a key witness vanishes, she uncovers a web of lies that may put her own life in jeopardy.
“Never Flinch” by Stephen King. With a killer on a revenge mission, Buckeye City Police Detective Izzy Jaynes turns to friend Holly Gibney for help; meanwhile, a vigilante targets controversial feminist activist Kate McKay, and Holly is hired as bodyguard.
“The Ones We Love” by Anna Snoekstra. After a mysterious party leaves Liv bruised and locked out of her bedroom, her family unravels under the weight of buried secrets, as her father struggles to keep the truth hidden, her mother grows increasingly guarded, and her younger brother Casper searches for answers about that fateful night.
“Parents Weekend” by Alex Finlay. Five families gather for Parents Weekend at a small college in Northern California, but their kids—Libby, Blane, Mark, Felix, and Stella—never show up for dinner, and FBI Special Agent Sarah Keller must discover if the sins of their parents have caused them peril.
“South of Nowhere, No. 5 (Colter Shaw)" by Jeffery Deaver. When a levee collapses in Northern California, Colter Shaw and his disaster response specialist sister, Dorion, race to locate a missing family and uncover whether sabotage, not nature, threatens the town's survival.
“Tom Clancy Line of Demarcation, No.13 (Jack Ryan Jr.)" by M.P. Woodward. In Guyana to secure a business deal, Jack Ryan Jr. is thrust into a deadly conflict involving Russia's Wagner Group and Venezuelan narco-terrorists after a U.S. Coast Guard cutter is destroyed, forcing him to unravel shifting alliances to stop a potential war.