Check out Ben Maher-Jacobson’s book list! Apply to be the next C-SPL Reader of the Month! About Ben I am a marketing writer and freelance journalist. Before making an unexpected mid-pandemic career shift, I spent 10 years working as a newspaper reporter, editor and columnist. I have a […]
Becky Maher-Jacobson is a part-time Library Aide at the Carnegie-Stout Public Library.She is also a band director in the Western Dubuque Community School District. Q. What is the best book you have read within the last year (or ever)? A. The best book that I have […]
I was going through my ever growing “to be read” list recently, when I came across the ominous sounding The Devil all the Time, by Donald Ray Pollock. As with most of the titles on that doughty list of mine, I couldn’t remember what initially attracted me […]
Ever feel like you’re stuck in a rat race? Yeah, me too. RX: a graphic memoir by Rachel Lindsay explores the rat race of corporate America from the viewpoint of a woman stuck in a vicious cycle. This quick read pairs Lindsay’s basic, yet poignant drawings with her no-nonsense, […]
Adult Services Manager Bill Carroll has been selected as C-SPL Reader of the Month for June. Here he’s shared what kind of books offer him the best kind of escapism and shows what has most influenced who he is today. Q. Can you tell us about […]
xploration. The date was selected in commemoration of Alan Shepard’s successful spaceflight on Freedom 7 on May 7, 1961 which made him the first American in space. As a librarian who loves reading about space explorations both real and imagined, I thought I’d share a few of my […]
All My Colors by David Quantick is the story of Todd Milstead. Described as an egotistical a-hole— he’s a wannabe writer who talks a great deal more about writing and writers, than actually doing the work. His eidetic memory makes him able to quote books […]
Simon Muchat bares this telling sentiment near the beginning of the newly translated graphic novel Portugal by writer and artist Cyril Pedrosa, which follows the character’s journey to reconnect with his past, present, and place in the world. Simon, a fictionalized version of Pedrosa, is an aloof art […]
Spoonbenders, by Daryl Gregory made me laugh more than any other book I’ve read lately. Gregory’s story about the Amazing Telemachus family has clever dialog and plot, interesting characters, a tight-knit riotous family, and suspense. All these varying elements come together in a cohesive and enjoyable read. […]
If you’re looking for a fun, romantic read for Valentine’s Day, I suggest you check out I Believe in a Thing Called Love by Maurene Goo. This book is a sweet and goofy look at first love that will remind readers of the fun of watching a romantic […]
By Amy Muchmore, Adult Services Librarian What do I do when it is really cold out and I have some free time? I hang out with my cat, Gizmo, and read cozy mysteries by the fire. Lately I’ve been on a library mystery kick and […]
A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles is approaching its one-year anniversary on the New York Times bestseller list. Having just finished it, I can attest that it deserves every week it has spent there. For the crime of being an aristocrat after the 1917 Russian Revolution, Count Alexander Ilyich […]
What a trilogy! Wow. It is dark. It is brutal. There are shameful deeds, shocking betrayals, and blood feuds. Wars and reconciliations. Violence and tenderness. This trilogy really covers all areas of human emotion. A friend says it’s a cross between Game of Thrones and Hunger Games. I […]