We are the Central Minnesota Libraries Exchange, a multitype system serving all types of libraries. We are here to help you find new books, for yourself or for your library.
This season we are moving through the state of Minnesota, looking at an interesting fact about each county and giving you a book prompt from that fact. We will share six book suggestions to meet that prompt, to get you started on reading new books. You can also take that prompt and find any other book to meet the challenge!
The county of Wilkin contains Breckenridge Lake; read a book set in Colorado or about skiing to celebrate another Breckenridge!
We give you links to each of these books on our show notes page, taking you to Amazon.com. If you click on any of them, and buy anything at all – including a nice book – Amazon will send us a small percent of the profits they made on these sales. Thank you for supporting CMLE!
Silence: In the Age of Noise, by Erling Kagge
In 1993, Norwegian explorer Erling Kagge spent fifty days walking solo across Antarctica, becoming the first person to reach the South Pole alone, accompanied only by a radio whose batteries he had removed before setting out. In this book. an astonishing and transformative meditation, Kagge explores the silence around us, the silence within us, and the silence we must create. By recounting his own experiences and discussing the observations of poets, artists, and explorers, Kagge shows us why silence is essential to sanity and happiness—and how it can open doors to wonder and gratitude.
Spartan Heart: A Mythos Academy Novel (Mythos Academy spinoff Book 1)
New school year, same old problems . . .
At Mythos Academy, everyone knows exactly who I am: Rory Forseti, Spartan girl and the daughter of Reapers.
Even though I fought alongside my cousin Gwen Frost to save the mythological world from Loki and his evil Reapers of Chaos, I’m still the most hated girl at the academy because of all the horrible things my parents did. I had hoped that this school year would be different, but the other kids just won’t let me forget about my parents.
But something strange is going on at the Colorado academy. First, I run into a Viking guy who dislikes me more than most. Then I notice some odd artifacts in the Library of Antiquities. And worst of all, I start hearing rumors about a new group of Reapers who can summon mythological monsters.
I might be the most hated girl at Mythos Academy, but I’m also the only one who can save it . . .
Where the Water Goes: Life and Death Along the Colorado River, by David Owen
The Colorado River is an essential resource for a surprisingly large part of the United States, and every gallon that flows down it is owned or claimed by someone. David Owen traces all that water from the Colorado’s headwaters to its parched terminus, once a verdant wetland but now a million-acre desert. He takes readers on an adventure downriver, along a labyrinth of waterways, reservoirs, power plants, farms, fracking sites, ghost towns, and RV parks, to the spot near the U.S.–Mexico border where the river runs dry.
Water problems in the western United States can seem tantalizingly easy to solve: just turn off the fountains at the Bellagio, stop selling hay to China, ban golf, cut down the almond trees, and kill all the lawyers. But a closer look reveals a vast man-made ecosystem that is far more complex and more interesting than the headlines let on.
The story Owen tells in Where the Water Goes is crucial to our future: how a patchwork of engineering marvels, byzantine legal agreements, aging infrastructure, and neighborly cooperation enables life to flourish in the desert —and the disastrous consequences we face when any part of this tenuous system fails.
Boundary Crossed (Boundary Magic #1), by Melissa F. Olson [takes place in Boulder, Colorado]
After her twin sister’s brutal murder, former US Army Sergeant Allison “Lex” Luther vowed to protect her niece, Charlie. So when two vampires try to kidnap the baby, it quickly turns into a fight to the death—Lex’s death, that is.
She wakes up to two shocking discoveries: she has miraculously survived the fight, and baby Charlie is a “null,” gifted with the ability to weaken supernatural forces…and a target for creatures who want to control that power. Determined to guarantee her niece’s safety, Lex makes a deal with the local vampires. She sets out with the mysterious—and undead—“fixer” Quinn to track down whoever’s responsible for the kidnapping, sharpening her newfound magic skills along the way. But the closer she gets to the truth, the more dangerous her powers become.
Boundary Crossed is a dark, thrilling journey into a world where the line between living and dead isn’t nearly as solid as it appears…
Unbound: A Story of Snow & Self Discovery, by Steph Jagger
Steph Jagger had always been a force of nature. She grew up emulating the men in her life—chasing success, climbing the corporate ladder, playing by the rules of a masculine ideal—and by all accounts, she was living “the Dream.” But it wasn’t her dream.
While skiing with friends one day, the universe caught her attention with a sign: Raise Restraining Device. The words suddenly became a personal call to shake off the life she had built and start a search for something different—something more.
Steph decided to walk away from the success and security she had worked hard to obtain. She took a second mortgage on her house, sold everything except her ski equipment and her laptop, and bought a bundle of plane tickets. For the next year, she followed winter up and down the mountains of North and South America, Asia, Europe, and New Zealand on a mission to ski four million vertical feet in a year.
What hiking was for Cheryl Strayed, skiing became for Steph: a crucible in which to crack open her life and get to the very center of herself. Through this journey of body and soul, she came to understand how to be a woman, how to love, and how to live authentically.
Electrifying, heartfelt, and full of humor, Unbound will inspire readers to remove their own restraining devices and pursue the life they are meant to lead.
A-B-Skis: An Alphabet Book About the Magical World of Skiing, by Libby Ludlow (Author), Nathan Y Jarvis (Illustrator)
Award-winning book written by Olympic skier Libby Ludlow and illustrated by internationally-known illustrator Nathan Y Jarvis, A-B-Skis is a playground of words and pictures from A to Z! World class author and illustrator team present a playful introduction to skiing that’s sure to get tiny rippers excited for winter fun. Adults treasure sharing their love for skiing, and kids can’t wait for their next trip to the mountains.
A-B-Skis is written to get kids curious and excited about skiing. With an eye for fun, every letter of the alphabet is a playful rhyme and illustration about some element of skiing…from life lessons (N is for never give up) and important expectations (G is for goggles), to skiing culture (H is for hot chocolate) and outdoor appreciation (V is for the view). A-B-Skis is an alphabet book that every skiing family will want to get their mittens on! Includes two pages of “pro tips” to help grown-ups make kid’s experience on the slopes fun and positive, and also featuring an interactive “My Mountain Memories” page, where kids can write and draw in their favorite skiing memories.
CONCLUSION:
Thanks for joining us! We’ll be back next week with a look at the next county and the next book prompt!