Staff Pick: Lone Survivor

2005. Afghanistan. High atop the Hindu Kush, four of America's elite warriors, U.S. Navy SEALs are hunting a high value Taliban Commander. Within 2 hours of their fast rope onto the mountain top, three team members are killed.

Lone Survivor is the true story of Marcus Luttrell. Severely wounded the hunter is now the hunted. After fighting, near death, Marcus is found by local Pashtunwali goat herders. Taken to their village, and granted Lokhay Warkawal by the village Elder, every last villager must fight to the death to protect their new found friend, men, women, children, et al.

With hundreds of Taliban fighters surrounding the village, witness his seven days of war, terror, tribal rights and burning hatred of Americans by Taliban and Al Quida forces. Re-live his rescue, which led to the greatest loss of life suffered by America's Spec. Ops. troops to date.

For some, the wars may be over. For others, it was the defining moment in their life. One that replays daily, hourly, nightly. We owe them all a great deal of gratitude. This piece of American history should never be forgotten.

If you'd like to check out Lone Survivor, you can find it in our online catalog by clicking here.

-Mike C.

Staff Pick: The Selection

When I first started reading The Selection by Kiera Cass, I wasn't sure if I would care for it or not. In a world torn apart by war, Castes have been created to help people know their rightful place. Being a 1 means that you are part of the Royal Family. Being an 8 means you're almost homeless and have a hard time earning a living.

America Singer is a 5 and in love with a man who is of a lower caste. But America believes that love can overcome anything. Then the Selection comes up. A set number of girls are Selected from all the Castes and given the opportunity to win the heart of Prince Maxon and become his Princess.

America only put her name in because she was under pressure from her family because they could receive monetary compensation. What were the odds that she'd be Selected, after all? Very good, it turned out, as she was one of the girls called on to try to win the Prince's heart. Only she wants nothing to do with him!

The novel starts off with several elements found in The Hunger Games, and I didn't want to read a duplicate with a different name. However, once I got further into the book, I discovered that it actually had very few similarities. No one is killing anyone else in order to survive, that's for sure! There is a battle of a different sort going on instead - the battle for Maxon's heart. The Selected girls, each and every one of them, except for America Singer, is determined that she'll be the one to become Maxon's bride and become a 1.

I found The Selection to be a very good read, and America to be a very likable character who feels genuine in her wants, hopes, and dreams. I'm glad that I kept with the book and read it to its conclusion. If you'd like to check it out, you can find it in our online catalog by clicking here.

-Amber

Oskaloosa Picks - June 13, 2014

Curious about what others in Oskaloosa are reading? We asked over on Facebook! From classics to zombie lit, our community's reading tastes proved to be diverse. Here's a look at what Oskaloosa picked this past week:

Bleak House
by Charles Dickens

From London's slums to the Court of Chancery, where the endless case of Jarndyce and Jarndyce devours the future of several generations, the author's canvas of Victorian society vividly conveys an indictment of legal corruption, a riveting tale of detection, and a compelling emotional drama.

Love Does
by Bob Goff

In this book of compelling stories coupled with eye-opening truths, Goff shows a new way to live, a way that's drenched with the whimsy of God's love and the spontaneity of following where he leads.

Lost Lake
by Sarah Addison Allen

Suley, Georgia, is home to Lost Lake Cottages and not much else. Which is why it's the perfect place for newly-widowed Kate and her eccentric eight-year-old daughter Devin to heal. Kate spent one memorable childhood summer, had her first almost-kiss, and met a boy named Wes at Lost Lake. It was a place for dreaming. But Kate doesn't believe in dreams anymore, and her Aunt Eby, Lost Lake's owner, wants to sell the place and move on.

Flesh & Bone*
by Jonathan Maberry

Benny, Nix, Lou, and Lilah journey through a fierce wilderness that was once America searching for the jet they saw months ago, while evading fierce animals and a new kind of zombie.

A Thousand Splendid Suns
by Khaled Hosseini

A breathtaking story set against the volatile events of Afghanistan's last thirty years-from the Soviet invasion to the reign of the Taliban to post-Taliban rebuilding-that puts the violence, fear, hope and faith of this country in intimate, human terms. It is a tale of two generations of characters brought jarringly together by the tragic sweep of war, where personal lives are inextricable from the history playing out around them.

The Snow Child
by Eowyn Ivey

Alaska, 1920: a brutal place to homestead, and especially tough for recent arrivals Jack and Mabel. Childless, they are drifting apart - he breaking under the weight of the work of the farm; she crumbling from loneliness and despair. In a moment of levity during the season's first snowfall, they build a child out of snow. The next morning the snow child is gone - but they glimpse a young, blonde-haired girl running through the trees.

Second Chance Summer
by Morgan Matson

Taylor Edwards' family might not be the closest-knit - everyone is a little too busy and over-scheduled - but for the most part, they get along just fine. Then Taylor's dad gets devastating news, and her parents decide that the family will spend one last summer all together at their old lake house in the Pocono Mountains. Crammed into a place much smaller and more rustic than they are used to, they begin to get to know each other again.

Words of Radiance
by Brandon Sanderson

Book 2 in Sanderson's Starlight Archive series. The war with the Parshendi moves into a new, dangerous phase, as Dalinar leads the human armies deep into the heart of the Shattered Plains. Meanwhile Shallan searches for the legendary city of Urithuru, and Kaladin, leader of the restored Knights Radiant, masters the powers of a Windrunner.



If you would like to read any of these books too, you can click on the title and place a hold with your library card number in our online catalog.

Titles marked with a * are not currently available in our catalog. If you would like to request that the library purchase one, you can fill out a suggestion for purchase form on our website.

All book descriptions taken from our online catalog or Worldcat.org.

Blue Zones Power 9: 80% Rule

This is the fourth post in a nine-part series in which we are sharing resources available at the library to help you get on track with the Blue Zones Project.

The truth is hard to hear: with the convenience of fast food restaurants and ever-increasing portions, many Americans tend to overeat. The Blue Zones Project website explains that the "80% Rule is a strategy that focuses on taking things out of everyday diets, instead of putting more things in."

Simple things like using smaller plates and eating a smaller meal in the late afternoon and nothing afterward can help you achieve the 80% Rule. Here are some titles available in our collection that may offer some insight too:

The End of Overeating
by David A. Kessler

Drawn from the latest brain science as well as interviews with top physicians and food industry insiders, The End of Overeating uncovers the food industry's aggressive marketing tactics and reveals shocking facts about how we lost control over food - and what we can do to get it back.

The Best Life Diet
by Bob Greene

Divided into three phases, The Best Life Diet gives you the tools you need to change your life. In each phase, you'll be asked to reexamine the decisions you make on a daily basis and gradually alter your habits to achieve lasting results. The book also includes easy-to-follow meal plans that make it simple to meet your daily energy and nutrient requirements (Amazon.com).

The Volumetrics Eating Plan
by Barbara Rolls, PH.D.

From Dr. Barbara Rolls, one of America's leading authorities on weight management, comes a much-anticipated lifestyle guide and cookbook that empowers and encourages her readers to quit "dieting" for good, to feel full on fewer calories, and to lose weight and keep it off while eating satisfying portions of delicious, nutritious foods (Amazon.com).

Taming of the Chew
by Denise Lamothe

Psychologist and doctor of holistic health Denise Lamothe presents a complete program to combat overeating, showing compulsive eaters how to take control of the dependence on and obsession with food. Lamothe targets the enemy as "the Chew," which she describes as the "hurtful, persistent, out-of-control part of each of us."

Why Can't I Stop Eating?
by Debbie Danowski and Pedro Lazaro, M.D.

This straight talking book puts the widespread problem of food addiction into clear perspective and points the way to a life free of an obsession with food. Danowski and Lazaro combine forces to give readers a full understanding of this debilitating condition.






If you'd like to check out any of these resources, click on the title to be taken to our online catalog. You can place a hold on the item using your library card number and your PIN.

All book descriptions taken from the back covers or Amazon.com.

Staff Pick: The Naturals

In Jennifer Lynn Barnes' The Naturals, seventeen-year-old Cassie is a natural at reading people. Piecing together the tiniest details, she can tell you who you are and what you want. But, it's not a skill that she's ever taken seriously. That is, until the FBI come knocking.

They've begun a classified program that uses exceptional teenagers to crack infamous cold cases, and they need Cassie. What Cassie doesn't realize is that there's more at risk than a few unsolved homicides -especially when she's sent to live with a group of teens whose gifts are as unusual as her own. Soon, it becomes clear that no one in the Naturals program is what they seem. And when a new killer strikes, danger is closer than Cassie thinks.

Caught in a lethal game of cat and mouse with a killer, the Naturals are going to have to use all of their gifts just to survive. If you enjoy the TV show Criminal Minds, you will enjoy The Naturals. This is a great psychological thriller.

If you'd like to check out our copy of The Naturals, you can place a hold on it in our online catalog using your library card number and PIN by clicking here.

-Susan