A perennial favorite with Library Patrons and Staff alike are nonfiction books that feature travel, exploration and life in other countries. Here are some titles our Staff have enjoyed over the years:

Blue Latitudes: Boldly Going Where Captain Cook Has Gone Before
by Tony Horwitz
910.92 HOR

Zesty, entertaining and informative, Horwitz has a keen reporter’s eye, and mixes equal parts history and contemporary reporting as he retraces Captain James Cook’s amazing voyages of discovery in the South Pacific. Cook rose from rural poverty to become one of the world’s greatest navigators. His journals and log are pithy and perceptive, demonstrating an adventurous spirit and openness to new cultures beyond most of his contemporaries. Today his reputation and fame have declined. Activists in the lands first opened by Cook to European contact often “wonder…at those who would honour the scurvy, the pox, the filth and the racism“ that followed the European invasions. Readable and often hilarious.

Inside the Kingdom: My Life in Saudia Arabia
by Carmen Bin Laden
305.409538 BIN

Carmen Bin Laden was born in Switzerland to a Swiss father and Persian mother. In 1973, she met Yeslam Bin Laden, Osama’s older brother and married him in 1974. Eventually, they had three daughters and lived in the west until Yeslam felt the need to return to Saudi Arabia. The book describes her attempts to adjust to the repressive Saudi culture and fit into the extended Bin Laden family.

Land of a Thousand Hills: My Life in Rwanda
by Rosamond H. Carr
967.571 CAR

Mrs. Carr is part of the generation who “went out” to Africa to find fortune. What she found was a lifetime commitment to the people of Rwanda, both Hutu and Tutsi, and great sorrow at what devastation has brought to her adopted country. This book tells an interesting story and offers insight into the politics of the area.

Sixpence House: Lost in a Town of Books
by Paul Collins
002.075 COL

Follow Collins from San Francisco to Wales, where he and his family reside in a sixteenth century apartment while he polishes his first book for publication. Hay-on-Wye, the town of books, is so named because it boasts 40 antique book stores for its 1500 inhabitants.

Shanghai Diary: A Young Girl's Journey from Hitler's Hate to War-Torn China
by Ursula Bacon
951.132 BAC

Bacon recounts her family’s terrifying 8,000 mile voyage to Shanghai as they escaped Hitler’s Germany and became refugees in a city of abhorrent conditions and unforgettable excitement.

Ever get tired of that quest for the perfect book? Sometimes the best solution is to take a little time and head in the easiest and opposite direction: BROWSE. "Is this reliable?" you ask? Whether you're looking for fiction or nonfiction, read on for some examples...

*Browse the COOKBOOKS (641.5) even remotely close to mealtime you will walk out with a stack of books and a desire to try some new and delicious recipes!

*Peruse the NEW BOOKS and find the latest releases, complete with fresh, shiny covers.

*Browse the TRAVEL area (generally found throughout the 910's) and you will be making numerous additions to your "Fabulous Places to Vacation" list.

*While you're in that part of the collection, head over to the 940's for a little European HISTORY or 973 for U.S. and become reacquainted with our rich past. Keep going and you'll come to BIOGRAPHIES. So many great lives and personal stories immortalized in books.

*Stroll through our sometimes overlooked OVERSIZE collection and get lost in magnificent volumes illustrating some of the finest works of art in the world.

*Learn a new LANGUAGE when you select a CD set from the 400's for listening during your daily commmute. AUDIOBOOKS are fun to browse, too. Or, flip through our large MUSIC collection. You'll find your favorite artists as well as a variety of other tastes, too.

*Skim through the FICTION and watch for our colorful genre labels on the spine of many of the library's books. Follow these as clues as you decide to pluck a book from the shelves. You just may unearth a favorite new author for yourself.

Invest some time in stacks of the library and you'll unearth a lot of treasures you never knew you were looking for!

Still can't find that gem of a title? READERS SERVICES staff will be happy to offer some suggestions.

This year wonderful events will honor the 200th birthday of Abraham Lincoln, and for many of these years, his spirit has influenced the world regardless of religion, culture or politics. Books, dramas, poetry, essays and films have explored every facet of this man's life. I am wondering why Abraham Lincoln has commended so much attention and remained under public scrutiny for so many generations. His early years were marked by severe hardships, and he has been described as brilliant, self educated, self disciplined, a wise debater, shrewd politician and inspiring orator. Yet none of these attributes necessarily make a person, BELOVED, the word which best describes him for me. Perhaps Lincoln's transparency, his almost overwhelming sorrows with the death of his son Willie and the consequences of the Civil War plus all the responsibilities and heartbreak that accompany life, especially that of a President, endear him to all as a human being struggling to create a peaceful world despite failures.
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Much nonfiction has been written about Lincoln, so for a bit of change, I have included several fiction titles that re-create his life during in the Civil War.

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Mr. Lincoln's Wars: A Novel in Thirteen Stories
Adam Braver

Braver's thirteen somber short stories explore the personal and political wars of Abraham Lincoln, especially his almost unbearable sorrow and loneliness over the death of his son Willie and the consequences of the Civil War...An imaginative portrayal of Lincoln's impact on the nation during the final days of his presidency.

To Make Men Free: A Novel of the Battle of Antietam
Richard Croker

The bloodiest battle in American history (22,000 casualties in one day) is the subject of this panoramic, historical novel replete with maps, harrowing battle scenes, and carefully realized characters from Lincoln to his generals and ordinary recruits. Croker, an independent film maker, has done his research and presents the political turmoil and military conflicts of the day in a highly convincing manner.

Savannah, or, a Gift for Mr. Lincoln
John Jakes

Sherman's Christmas gift of charming old Savannah to Mr. Lincoln is recreated in this almost forgotten tale of the Civil War that finds the Lester women (widow Sarah and her 12-year-old daughter Hattie) fighting to save their rice plantation with some surprising consequences... Engaging, focused, historical fiction with some very memorable characters.

Pinkerton's Secret
Eric Lerner

In Lerner's fictional memoir, radical abolitionist Allan Pinkerton (founder of the first detective agency and the secret service) narrates his life, progressive politics, and such dangerous exploits that included foiling an assassination attempt on the life of President Lincoln and flushing out Confederate spies in the Union Capitol...Interesting facts are revealed in Lerner's debut novel.

Lincoln
Gore Vidal

Gore's narrative introduces the reader to Lincoln the man and shrewd politician as he enters a beleaguered Washington where Northern and Southern constituents doubt his capability to save the Union. Vidal's Lincoln agonizes over the best course of action and finally commits the nation to war as a last resolution.