Every month, we’re profiling new-ish releases that are getting critical and commercial buzz. For July, we’re looking at magical realistic literary fiction set in the Dominican Republic, YA and adult chick lit and romance reads, comic mysteries that take on corporate America and the cozy genre, a how-to guide for making your own sushi, and a range of both fiction and nonfiction audiobooks.
Continue reading “Book Buzz: Magical Realism, Summer Romances and Chick Lit, Comedic Mysteries, Sushi, and Audiobook Adventures”Category: nonfiction (books)
Local Roots: June
Lots has changed in the years the Berryville Library has been in our current building. We expect lots will change in the years the library will be housed in the new building we are hoping to break ground on soon. That’s why we think it is so important as we move towards this bigger, better future to remember our roots. To that end, we have created the Berryville Library Legacy Project, which lets donors highlight a piece of local history of their choice by selecting photographs to be displayed on the end of a shelving unit at the new library. We also remain committed to helping create a sense of place through our collection, so we are going to highlight our Arkansas section this year. Each month, we’ll look at some of the different books and resources in that collection that feature unique parts of the history and culture of Berryville, Carroll County, the Ozarks, and Arkansas. There’s lots to explore about this place we call home! For June, we’re looking at true crime.
Continue reading “Local Roots: June”Book Buzz: Summer Reads
Every month, we’re profiling new-ish releases that are getting critical and commercial buzz. For June, we’re looking at this year’s If All Arkansas Read the Same Book selection, historical fiction about the Gilded Age, an anthology of Western mysteries, a family saga set in 1970s Mississippi, a vampire fantasy romance, a guide to eating around the United States, true crime about gator poaching, encouragement for writers, and audiobook memoirs, romances, chick lit, and mysteries.
Continue reading “Book Buzz: Summer Reads”James J. Johnston’s Mountain Feds: Arkansas Unionists and the Peace Society
If you’re a Civil War buff like me, you probably already know that the war itself in Arkansas is largely overlooked in the conflict’s historiography. The Trans-Mississippi Theater is usually overshadowed by what was going on in the east, and even within that realm, Missouri has always gotten far more attention than Arkansas. In this book, Arkansas historian and Searcy County native James J. Johnston covers a facet of Ozarks Arkansas Civil War history that’s typically ignored even more than the state already is–Arkansas Unionists and the Peace Societies they established. I’ve been meaning to read this book since it was first released in 2019. Thanks so much to Julie for ordering it and adding it to our Arkansas collection!
Continue reading “James J. Johnston’s Mountain Feds: Arkansas Unionists and the Peace Society”Book Buzz: Contemporary Gothic Suspense, Historical Fiction, Northwoods Fiction, Nature Reads, Canning, and Audiobook Office Suspense
Every month, we’re profiling new-ish releases that are getting critical and commercial buzz. For May, we’re looking at a gothic tale complete with atmospheric mansion and family secrets, historical fiction with settings that range from the construction of the Panama Canal to WWII, contemporary fiction set in rural Wisconsin, nonfiction about trees and the animal kingdom, a guide to canning, and an audiobook about an office cleaner.
Continue reading “Book Buzz: Contemporary Gothic Suspense, Historical Fiction, Northwoods Fiction, Nature Reads, Canning, and Audiobook Office Suspense”Book Buzz: Literary Classics Reimagined, Historical Legal Wrangling, Collaborative Fiction, Space Operas, Van Living, and Audiobook Suspense
Every month, we’re profiling new-ish releases that are getting critical and commercial buzz. For April, we’re looking at an acclaimed new take on the story of Huckleberry Finn, historical fiction about a famous 19th century British trial, a collaborative effort between some of today’s most famous writers, a new series that melds the genres of science fiction and espionage thriller, a guide to living the van life, and two very different suspense novels on audiobook, one with a historical setting while the other is extremely contemporary.
Continue reading “Book Buzz: Literary Classics Reimagined, Historical Legal Wrangling, Collaborative Fiction, Space Operas, Van Living, and Audiobook Suspense”Book Buzz: Literary Puzzles, Westerns, Espionage Thrillers, Morbid Memoirs, and Suspenseful Audiobooks
Every month, we’re profiling new-ish releases that are getting critical and commercial buzz. For March, we’re looking at a fiendishly difficult book puzzle, two Westerns based on real-life events, a spy novel, a memoir about being a death investigator for Manhattan’s Medical Examiner office, and a literary suspense audiobook.
Continue reading “Book Buzz: Literary Puzzles, Westerns, Espionage Thrillers, Morbid Memoirs, and Suspenseful Audiobooks”Book Buzz: Literary Historical Fiction, Magical Realism Family Sagas, Montana Romance, Cozy Mysteries, French Cuisine, and Naval Adventure
Every month, we’re profiling new-ish releases that are getting critical and commercial buzz. For February, we’re looking at historical fiction set in World War I, two very different magical realism stories about cross-generational family sagas, a new romance series set in Montana, a new cozy series starring an amateur detective maid at a hotel, a classic cookbook, and an audiobook that blends contemporary naval action and romance.
Continue reading “Book Buzz: Literary Historical Fiction, Magical Realism Family Sagas, Montana Romance, Cozy Mysteries, French Cuisine, and Naval Adventure”Book Buzz: Nonfiction Extravaganza
Every month, we’re profiling new-ish releases that are getting critical and commercial buzz. For December, we’re looking at travel-themed memoirs, new cookbooks, history (both American and ancient), heartwarming pet stories, and adventure gone wrong. We have lots of holiday-themed books and movies too, but if you’re looking for a change of pace from that, well, this post is for you!
Continue reading “Book Buzz: Nonfiction Extravaganza”Max Miller’s Tasting History
Max Miller rocketed to fame in the early days of the pandemic because his relatively new YouTube channel Tasting History about food and history was well-made and interesting. And since he had been furloughed from his job, he didn’t have anything else to do but make videos about things like how to make your own Roman-style garum at a time when a lot of other people had plenty of free time to watch videos on how to make garum. It took off so much that he ended up quitting his job and getting a cookbook published from Simon and Schuster. Not bad for someone who started making YouTube videos as a hobby at the urging of his friends, whom he jokingly suspects of doing so just because they wanted him to offload his food history trivia on strangers rather than them.
I’ve been a Tasting History fan for a couple of years now and eagerly awaited the release of the book. I was not disappointed. Thanks so much to Julie for purchasing a copy for the library and my brother for buying me a personal copy for my birthday! 🙂
Continue reading “Max Miller’s Tasting History”
Berryville Book Buzz 