The library was lucky enough to get a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities for a program called "Picturing America." Click here to explore the site. NEH sent the library 50 beautiful print reproductions of classic American art, including paintings, architecture, sculpture, and fabric creations.

Currently we have Audubon's painting of a flamingo on display and a collection of some of our books about birds nearby for check-out. Every few months I'll put a new picture on display & titles that speak either to the theme of the piece or that discuss the artist's life and works. Next to the reproduction is a Reference book which discusses each piece in detail; right now it's opened to an explanation of Audubon's beautiful ornithological study. The "Picturing America" display is next to the elevator inside the library's main level. --Liz

Joni Mitchell

If, like me, you were slightly obsessed with Joni Mitchell & her music back in the '60s and '70s, two new books will take you back to that special musical time. Will You Take Me as I Am by Michelle Mercer focuses particularly on Joni's breakthrough album, Blue. Mercer interviews some of the young people who hung out with Joni and the real "Carey" in Crete; she discovers the background for the hauntingly beautiful song "River;" and reveals some of biographical sources for my personal favorite, "The Last Time I Saw Richard." Mercer also looks at Joni's other albums from that time & I really enjoyed her analysis and background on my favorite Mitchell album, Hejira (does everyone know that the cover of that album was taken Madison's own Picnic Point??).

Sheila Weller's Girls Like Us: Carole King, Joni Mitchell, Carly Simon--and the Journey of a Generation is also a fascinating book. Weller talks about the importance not only of these women's music, but the influence and inspiration they provided to women at that time. I recommend both these titles to music lovers & historians of that period. --Liz

Join us on Wednesday, June 10, 7:00 p.m. to learn about the best and most unusual places to eat in Wisconsin. Mary Bergin, author of Sidetracked in Wisconsin and Hungry for Wisconsin will take us on a visual culinary journey to good food in all parts of the state. This program is the kick-off for the Adult Summer Reading Program. For more information about the Adult Summer Reading program check out this link or call 827-7403 or email mid@scls.lib.wi.us.

You need a good book to read; so what can you do? You have several options at Middleton Public Library: you can chat with any of our service desk staff most of whom are enthusiastic readers and can pass on some great ideas; you can explore readers advisory databases like Novelist from our website (again, check with one of the service desk staff about accessing these); and a third option is checking out a book that advises readers. An example is Make Mine a Mystery: a Reader’s Guide to Mystery and Detective Fiction by Gary Warren Niebuhr (Non Fiction, Lower Level; 010 NIE). This source lists a variety of titles and websites for award winning books in the mystery field and breaks down mystery fiction into sub genres (examples: amateur, public, and private detectives) and specific types of detectives (examples: police detectives, crime specialist detectives, lawyer detectives) It lists mystery authors; a description of the detective; titles by the author with a description of the book; setting and location of the story; and type of mystery. Our non fiction checks out for four weeks which would give you, the reader, plenty of time to page through and find some reading suggestions. Enjoy! --Elizabeth

Happy Earth Day! (from Jenny & the library staff)

Farewell my Subaru by Doug Fine

Unless you are better than the average person at tuning out the all-pervasive media, or you live in a cave, you probably have heard something about the “Green Movement.” In fact, I would not be surprised to find “Green” at the top of the 2009 Buzzword list. I would say we are in the heavy education phase of this movement - lots of media out there giving us tips and practical advice on how to reduce our “carbon footprint” (another buzzword for the amount of carbon an individual contributes to the environment – mainly through the burning of fossil fuels). Many of us are becoming more aware of how our life choices effect the environment and how we can tread more softly.

In the book Farewell, My Subaru, author Doug Fine does more than make minor adjustments to reduce his carbon footprint. Instead, he embarks on a year-long experiment to turn his newly purchased New Mexico ranch into a green, sustainable farm. This conversion does not happen all at once, but in phases. First, he buys two lovable baby goats on Craigslist which, when they grow up, will be milk producers and major contributors to his protein food source. Second, he trades in his reliable old Subaru (hence the title of the book) for a “Ridiculously Oversized American Truck” that runs on used fryer oil that he collects from neighboring restaurants. Third, he installs solar panels which enables him to live “off the grid,” or completely independent from the local power company.

All this sounds fine and dandy, in theory, but Fine learns the hard way that nothing is as easy as it sounds on the Internet. Told with wit and self-deprecating humor (similar to Bill Bryson), Farewell, My Subaru is easy to read and entertaining, with the added bonus of being educational. Interspersed in his narration are surprising facts about alternative energy, organic and locally grown food, and climate change; and even recipes. Both a hilarious romp and an inspiration to push one’s “living green” envelope, I highly recommend this book. --Jenny

Jason suggests...

If you love to travel, you know that guidebooks are a dime a dozen. Occasionally, you come across that one unique travel guide that clearly points you in the direction of the best of the best for your destination. If you are a fan of craft brewed beer, that book is The Wisconsin Beer Guide : a Travel Companion by Kevin Revolinski. The “Rick Steves” of Wisconsin brew tourism, Kevin mixes in a bit of trivia and humor, a lot of history, and all the specifics you’ll need to locate, tour, and (most importantly) sample each brewery and brewpub in the great state of Wisconsin

Jenny recommends...

Place a hold!

Are you of fan of historical fiction? Contemporary fiction? How about mystery novels? Perhaps romance?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, People of the Book is the book for you! Written by Australian journalist Geraldine Brooks (whose debut novel Year of Wonders won the Pulitzer Prize), the story revolves around a real book – small, rare, and very old - known as the Sarajevo Haggadah. This beautifully illuminated Jewish manuscript, created in Spain during the middle Ages, but last surfacing in Yugoslavia after the 1992 siege, is remarkable for having survived centuries of travel.

Brooks spins her story in two directions. In the present, Hannah, a rare book expert, is called to Sarajevo to meticulously take apart and examine the book under tight U.N. security. What she discovers (a white hair, an insect wing, a drop of salt, and a wine stain) becomes the turn-key for sojourns into the past. Moving backward through time, Brooks transports us to various points in the book’s history where we learn crucial details about its journey and origin. Each of these flashbacks is an engrossing story in itself – filled with memorable characters and vivid historical events. The ending is action-packed, but I won’t give anything away here. Just know that, even today, the Sarajevo Haggadah may not be safe! --Jenny