Oktoberfest

This list is a celebration of Oktoberfest, the annual festival held in Munich Germany during the end of September until the first weekend in October. Munich's Oktoberfest is the largest volksfest, or beer festival and travelling funfair, in the world and has been held annually since 1810. You can learn more about the history of the festival on its Wikipedia page.

Cities around the world, including Evansville!, celebrate their own versions of Oktoberfest as well. Get into the Bavarian spirit with this list of music and books!

Music
Check out a variety of traditional German music on Hoopla where you can stream music for free with your library card!

German Beer Drinking Favourites by The Bavarian Lager Band
German Beer Festival by Bavarian Brass
The Music of Oktoberfest by The Bavarian Oktoberfest Orchestra
Oktoberfest by Fasching Songs
Super Oktoberfest Gaudi by Otto Edner
World's A Stage: Oktoberfest! by The Bavarian Oktoberfest Orchestra
200 Jahre Oktoberfest by Lichtensteiner

Oktoberfest Eats
Try out some traditional German recipes with these cookbooks.

Oktoberfest Cookbook by Julia Skowronek

German Milwaukee: Its History, Its Recipes by Trudy Knauss Paradis

The German Kitchen: Traditional Recipes, Regional Favorites by Christopher Knuth

Spoonfuls of Germany: Culinary Delights of the German Region in 170 Recipes by Nadia Hassani


Books about Beer
Everything you ever wanted to know about the history of beer, different types of beer, and how to go about tasting it.

Beer Lover's Wisconsin by Kathy Flanigan

Beer School: A Crash Course in Craft Beer by Jonny Garret

Lonely Planet's Global Beer Tour 

Miracle Brew: Hops, Barley, Water, Yeast and the Nature of Beer by Pete Brown

Tasting Beer by Randy Mosher

Books about Brewing Beer at Home
Everything you need to know about home brewing. There are books for novices and pros.

Home Brew Beer: A Step-by-Step Guide to Making Your Own Beer by Bob Bridle

Home Brew Beyond the Basics: All-Grain Brewing and Other Next Steps by Mike Karnowski

How to Brew: Everything You Need to Know to Brew Great Beer Every Time by John Palmer

Mastering Homebrew: The Complete Guide to Brewing Delicious Beer by Randy Mosher


Prost!

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Mars Science Fiction

Mars has long been a topic of interest for humans. Currently, NASA's Mars Exploration Program is working hard to learn more about the red planet. You can stay up to date on their work by visiting their website.

Space exploration meets imagination in this subset of our science fiction collection. Over the years, there have been many science fiction books published that are set on a futurist Mars, or are about humans reaching Mars, or are about alien life on Mars, or one of a million other premises. You're sure to find one that interests you! Here are a few of the Mars inspired science fiction books we have in our collection:

Series

Mars Trilogy by Kim Stanley Robinson

Red Mars (1992)
Green Mars (1993)
Blue Mars (1996)
The Martians (1999) - A collection of short stories set in the same fictional universe as the original series

Barsoom Series by Edgar Rice Burroughs

A Princess of Mars (1912)

The Gods of Mars (1913)

The Warlord of Mars (1914)

Thuvia, Maid of Mars (1916)

The Chessmen of Mars (1922)

The Master Mind of Mars (1927)

A Fighting Man of Mars (1930)

Swords of Mars (1934)

Synthetic Men of Mars (1939)

Llana of Gathol (1941)

John Carter of Mars (1964, stories from 1940-1943)

Mars Series by Ben Bova

Mars (1992)
Return to Mars (1999)
Mars Life (2008)

Stand Alone Books

Before Mars: a Planetfall Novel by Emma Newman
The Finches of Mars by Brian W. Aldiss

Mars Crossing by Geoffrey Landis

The Martian by Andy Weir

Mars One by Jonathan Maberry
Moving Mars by Greg Bear

Old Mars by George R. R. Martin

Rainbow Mars by Larry Niven

Winning Mars by Jason Stoddard

And if you have any young kids interested in Mars be sure to check out Life on Mars by Jon Agee, a gem of a picture book recently published in 2017.

Museum Day

According to the Smithsonian Magazine, Museum Day is "an annual celebration of boundless curiosity hosted by Smithsonian Magazine. Participating museums and cultural institutions across the country provide free entry to anyone presenting a Museum Day ticket." This annual event is held on Saturday, September 22, 2018. You can search for participating museums (including several in Wisconsin) here.

If you can't make it all the way to a Smithsonian in Washington, D.C. or want more information after your museum visit then check out one of these books about museums today!

Smithsonian Field Trip Series

This recently published series will take you on a trip to Washington, D.C. to visit some of the Smithsonian museums.

The National Air and Space Museum by Megan Cooley Peterson
The National Museum of American History by Megan Cooley Peterson
The National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute by Tamra Orr
The National Museum of Natural History by Sally Lee

Welcome to the Museum Series

This series is beautifully illustrated and aims to take you inside the walls of some of the world's best museums. The large size of the picture books allow readers to peruse through the detailed illustrations. There are currently four volumes in the series.

Animalium  by Jenny Bloom
Botanicum by K. J. Wills
Dinosaurium by Lily Murray
Historium  by Jo Nelson



Museums of the World Series

This long running series highlights museums from around the world. A few of the more recent titles published include:

The Lourve by Jennifer Howse
The Smithsonian by Megan Kopp
The Metropolitan Museum of Art by Gregory Joy
The British Museum by Jennifer Howse




The Big Book of... Series by Yuval Zommer

These detail filled books will delight young and old naturalists! Full of facts and interesting illustrations.

The Big Book of Bugs 
The Big Book of Blue
The Big Book of Beasts






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Grandparents Day!

Grandparents Day is celebrated on September 9th. In honor of the day, here are some recommended books for young children featuring grandparents.


Grandma's Purse by Vanessa Brantley-Newton
A little girl is fascinated by the treasures she finds in her Gradma Mimi's purse. A fun and cute story.

I Love Saturdays y domingos by Alma Flor Ada
A sweet story about a young girl who visits her English speaking grandma and grandma on Saturdays and her Spanish-speaking Abuelito and Abuelita on Sundays.

Nana in the City by Lauren Castillo
A little boy from a small town visits his grandmother int he big city. The beautiful illustrations show a vibrant city during the fall season for grandmother and grandson to explore.

Grandpa Green by Lane Smith
A young boy learns about his great grandfather by exploring the topiary garden he designed.

Rain by Sam Usher
Rain keeps a little boy stuck in side, waiting for an adventure with his grandfather. The pair of grandfather and grandson are featured in a series of Sam Usher's books.  It started with Snow, which features granddad and grandson enjoying a snowy day in the park. The story continues in Sun and Storm, both published in 2018.

I Really Want To See You, Grandma by Tar Gomi
Yumi really wants to see her grandmother, but when they both leave home at the same time they keep missing each other.

Alma and How She Got Her Name by Juana Martinez-Neal
Alma Sofia Esperanza José Pura Candela has a long name! When she asks her father about her name she learns about her amazing grandparents who she was named after.

Silas' Seven Grandparents by Anita Horrocks
Silas loves having seven grandparents, but when he is invited to all of their houses he doesn't know how to choose where to go.

The Hello, Goodbye Window by Norton Juster
This Caldecott Medal winning books tells the story of the special relationship between a granddaughter and her Nanna and Poppy.

Fireflies for Nathan by Shulamith Levey Oppenhiem
On a visit to his grandparents, Nathan gathers fireflies with his grandparents just like his father did when he was a child. A sweet story that captures the love of a family through multiple generations.

AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT: LAINI TAYLOR

Laini Taylor is the young adult author of the Daughter of Smoke and Bone trilogy.  This series opens with the story of Karou, an art student at a Prague boarding school.  Karou carried a sketchbook of hideous monsters, chimaerae, that form the only family she has ever known.

If you are interested in learning more about Laini Taylor and her work, visit her website at http://www.lainitaylor.com/

Here is a list of some of Laini Taylor's novels.

Daughter of Smoke and Bone Series:

Daughter of Smoke and Bone

Days of Blood and Starlight

Dreams of Gods and Monsters

Strange the Dreamer Series:

Strange the Dreamer

Muse of Nightmares (to be released in October 2018)

If you are a fan of Laini Taylor, then you might enjoy some of these novels as well.

The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

The Girl at Midnight by Melissa Grey

Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr

The Reader by Traci Chee

Deep Blue by Jennifer Donnolly

Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

Furyborn by Claire Legrand

The Cruel Prince by Holly Black

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IRON HEARTED VIOLET

Iron Hearted Violet by Kelly Regan Barnill tells the story of Princess Violet.  She is plain, reckless, and clever, especially when it comes to storytelling.  One day, Violet and her friend Demetrius come upon a hidden room and encounter an odd and forbidden book.  This book tells the story of an evil being that has been imprisoned in their world.  As changes begin to occur, Violet, Demetrius, and an old dragon may be the key to save the kingdom.

Kelly Barnhill is the author of multiple novels, including a Newbery Medal winner.  A list of her novels is below.

Iron Hearted Violet
The Witch's Boy
The Mostly True Story of Jack
The Girl Who Drank the Moon (Newbery Winner)

If you enjoyed Iron Hearted Violet, you may want to try some of these read-alikes.

Night of the Ninth Dragon by Mary Pope Osborne - Jack and Annie receive a mysterious note inviting them to Camelot.  Once in Camelot, they must find a lost dragon.

The Wide Awake Princess by E.D. Baker - This is the story of Annie, the younger sister of the princess who is known as Sleeping Beauty.  Annie is immune to the magic that causes the rest of the castle to fall into an enchanted sleep, so she sets out to find a way to break the spell.

Storybound by Marissa Burt - Una Fairchild comes across a mysterious book buried in her school library.  Upon opening the book, she finds herself transported into the land of Story.  The land of Story is a world filled with heroes, villains, and other fairy-tale characters.  While there, Una must figure out why she has been written in before someone discovers that she doesn't belong there.

Inkheart by Cornelia Funke - In this story, Meggie learns that her father, a man who repairs and binds books for a living, can read fictional characters to life.  One day, one of these characters abducts Meggie and her father and tries to force her father into servitude.


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WINSTON CHURCHILL

This month our book club is reading Hero of the Empire by Candice Millard.  This book tells the story of the Boer War, Winston Churchill's capture and escape, and Churchill's development in his early years.

If you enjoy Candice Millard's writing style, you may want to check out one of her other books:

Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine, and the Murder of a President

The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt's Darkest Journey

If you want to read more about Winston Churchill, then give one of these books a try:

The Last Lion by William Manchester (3 volumes)
Ministers at War: Winston Churchill and His War Cabinet by Jonathan Schneer
Winston and Clementine: the Personal Letters of the Churchills by Winston Churchill & Clementine Churchill
Franklin and Winston: an Intimate Portrait of an Epic Friendship by Jon Meacham
Churchill: a Biography by Roy Jenkins

Or, check out one of these movies!
The Darkest Hour
Churchill

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