WINTER OLYMPICS

The Winter Olympics have come to a close.  This year's events were held in PyeongChang, South Korea and featured athletes from 93 countries.  These athletes competed in events such as bobsled, cross country skiing, curling, figure skating, hockey, luge, snowboarding, speed skating, and skeleton. 

The United States finished with 23 medals: 9 gold, 8 silver, and 6 bronze.  A couple highlights of the gold medals include the first American woman to win gold in cross country skiing, a gold for the men's curling team, and a gold for the women's hockey team.

The next Olympic games will be held in Tokyo in the summer of 2020 followed by the winter games in Beijing in 2020. 






If you are interested in learning more about the Winter Olympics, winter sports, or winter athletes, then give some of these books a try.


The Boys of Winter by Wayne R. Coffey
Orr: My Story by Bobby Orr
How Hockey Works by Keltie Thomas
Alpine Skiing by Ronald W. Kipp
Total Skiing by Chris Fellows
Great Moments in Olympic Snowboarding by Brian Howell
Figure Skating by Claire Throp
The Complete Book of the Winter Olympics: 2014 Edition by David Wallechinsky
Curling by Claire Throp

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PRESIDENTS' DAY

Presidents' Day is an American holiday that is celebrated each year on the third Monday in February.  It originally began to recognize George Washington and was celebrated on his actual birthday.  In the 1970s, the holiday was moved to the third Monday as a part of the Uniform Monday Holiday Act.  Some places still have individual holidays to celebrate different figures, but Presidents' Day is often viewed as a day to celebrate all of the United States presidents.

For more information on this holiday, visit http://www.history.com/topics/holidays/presidents-day

Want to learn more about your favorite president or want to learn more about the presidents?  Here are some books on our past presidents to get you started.

Valiant Ambition by Nathaniel Philbrick
The Quartet by Joseph J. Ellis
The Washingtons by Flora Fraser
Friends Divided by Gordon Wood
The Lost Founding Father by William Cooper Jr.
Lincoln and the Abolitionists by Fred Kaplan
Diaries I, 1779-1821 by John Quincy Adams
Secret Lives of the U.S. Presidents by Cormac O'Brien
Thomas Jefferson and the Tripoli Pirates by Brian Kilmeade
The Great Divide by Thomas J. Fleming
James Madison by Lynne Cheney
Jefferson and Hamilton by John Ferling
The Three Lives of James Madison by Noah Feldman
Cradles of Power by Harold Gullan
Andrew Jackson and the Miracle of New Orleans by Brian Kilmeade
Martin Van Buren by John Niven
Grant by Ron Chernow
William Henry Harrison by Gail Collins
Zachary Taylor by John S.D. Eisenhower

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VALENTINE'S DAY

It's Valentine's Day this week!

Valentine's Day is a holiday that celebrates love and romance.  And, whether you love or hate this holiday, it's hard to avoid it.  To help you get ready to celebrate Valentine's Day, we have put together a list of love stories.  Pick one up today!

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks
The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin
A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness
Come Sundown by Nora Roberts
Overseas by Beatriz Williams
Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
Venetia by Georgette Heyer
Bet Me by Jennifer Crusie
First Star I See Tonight by Susan Elizabeth Philips

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SISI: EMPRESS ON HER OWN

This month our book club will be reading Sisi: Empress On Her Own by Allison Pataki.  This story takes place during the mid-nineteenth century, and it follows Empress Elisabeth of Austria-Hungary, wife of Franz Joseph. 

Once you have finished reading Sisi, try reading one of Allison Pataki's other books.  She is the author of four novels.

1.  Where the Light Falls

2.  Sisi: Empress On Her Own

3.  Accidental Empress

4.  The Traitor's Wife

Looking for work similar to Sisi?  Give one of these books a try.

The Hidden Diary of Marie Antoinette by Carolly Erickson

Abundance by Sena Jeter Naslund

The Chess Machine by Robert Lohr

Circling the Sun by Paula McLain

The Aviator's Wife by Melanie Benjamin

The Last Tudor by Philippa Gregory

The Spy by Paulo Coelho

Bring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel

Katherine of Aragon, The True Queen by Alison Weir

The Vatican Princess by C.W. Gortner

Medici's Daughter by Sophie Perinot

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