Traditionally known for his Scottish mystery series, award-winning Peter May’s latest, Runaway, is a standalone, a superbly executed story of five friends who have to relive the past in order to resolve their regrets and guilt. In 1965, Jack Mackay is a headstrong 17-year-old, ready to leave his unhappy life in Glasgow, Scotland, with his […]
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One Book’s Finale Week
We have so enjoyed all of the participation from our readers over the past month of One Book, and we’re greatly anticipating J Ryan’s talk at the end of the week. J Ryan will speak at the Avalon Theatre (645 Main St.) on Saturday, March 5th at 7pm. The doors will open at 6 pm, […]
Continue readingLearn from Elephant and Piggie
Grown ups are always wondering what the moral of the story is. I didn’t even know what “moral of the story” meant until I asked a librarian the other day. It means the lesson that you learn from a story. Since I love Mo Willems’ Elephant & Piggie books, I thought I would share with you some […]
Continue readingThe Locavores are Coming
Kitchens of the Great Midwest’s Pat Prager lovingly crafts her Peanut Butter Bars to compete at her local fair. After some success, friends convince her to apply for a more elite competition. When she arrives, she is greeted by perhaps the most negative stereotype of the foodie snob and uber locavores. Her competition seems obsessed […]
Continue readingThe Science of Taste
One of the enjoyable factors to Kitchens of the Great Midwest is the change in perspective and narrator that each chapter brings. In the only chapter that is from Eva’s point of view, she is a young girl, experimenting in the growth of chili peppers and breeding for the hottest possible. In her bedroom closet. […]
Continue readingDontcha know where the Midwest is?
Location, location, location. In some books, the sense of place becomes its own character. The location provides a meaning and impact all its own, contributing to the actions of the characters as well as the readers’ understanding of them. Kitchens of the Great Midwest is one such book. The first giveaway, of course, is the […]
Continue readingNo football this weekend? No problem!
Here are some options (pun intended) for your viewing pleasure. Broncos: The Complete History, 2006 Denver Broncos Greatest Moments, 2013 Broncos 3 Greatest Games, 2008 America’s Game: Denver Broncos Collection, 2007
Continue reading2016 One Book, One Mesa County kicks off celebration of “Kitchens of the Great Midwest”
The 2016 edition of Mesa County Libraries One Book, One Mesa County will present a tasty lineup of special events in February and March centered on “Kitchens of the Great Midwest,” the debut novel of author J. Ryan Stradal. The novel is a coming-of-age story about an orphaned girl with extraordinary culinary abilities. Mesa County […]
Continue readingBefore the Grand Mesa National Forest Existed
Many residents of western Colorado recognize the Grand Mesa as one of the dominant landmarks in the Grand Valley. It rises to over 10,000 feet in elevation and contributes to the overall beauty of our region. The Grand Mesa National Forest was established on March, 11 1924 but it didn’t always go by that name. In […]
Continue readingPhilip K. Dick’s The Man in the High Castle
The Man in the High Castle is one of Philip K. Dick’s most well-known books. In 1963 it won the Hugo Award for Best Novel. The book is an alternate history in which World War II lasted until 1947 and the United States is ruled by Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan in present day 1962. […]
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