Library News

From Library Director, Nathan Dowd.

James: A Novel by Percival Everett is a thought-provoking and poignant novel that explores the complexities of identity, race, and the human experience through the lens of a character named James. They novel is loosely based on Jim from Mark Twain’s Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. The story follows him as he attempts to escape enslavement, marked by a sense of alienation and the weight of historical and personal traumas. It does an excellent job of presenting themes such as passing and linguistic representations of people of color in literary and historical fiction.

For fans of graphic novels, Big Jim and the White Boy by David F. Walker and Marcus Kwame Anderson also offers a reimagining of the Mark Twian’s character Jim, and is the 2025 winner of the American Library Association’s Alex Award - Best Graphic Novel Of The Year.

Both books are available in the library and can be found in our Relax & Read collection near the front desk.

from Bonita Dickman, Librarian & Head of E-Resources and Automation Systems

Even though summer seems to be hanging around for an extended stay this year, we can move into October with the promise of crisp autumn days ahead. Consider taking a break from studying to welcome the season with one of our spooky selections and your favorite warm beverage.

Titles with an asterisk * are available as ebooks or audiobooks via Libby.  

Horror & Suspense

Do What Godmother Says by L.S. Stratton
Middle of the Night by Riley Sager
Lone Women by Victor LaValle
The Honeys by Ryan La Sala

Cozy British Murder

The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman *
A Most Agreeable Murder by Julia Seales
The Murder of Mr. Wickham by Claudia Gray *
Miss Morton and the English House Party Murder by Catherine Lloyd

Mystery

Too Close to Home by Brenda Chapman *
Velvet was the Night by Silvia Moreno-Garcia *
The Fury by Alex Michaelides *
Hidden Pictures by Jason Rekulak

Supernatural & Paranormal

The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo *
Bride by Ali Hazelwood *
The Book of Love by Kelly Link *
Book of Night by Holly Black

Back in June, we put a prompt on the large library whiteboard to find out what the Edgewood community is reading. We got a lot of responses! So many that we decided to create a book display from titles that were shared. Stop by and check one out today.

Here's the list of books that were written down.

• What the Robin Knows by Jon Young
• Circe by Madeline Miller
• If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by by Laura Numeroff and Felicia Bond
• The End of Drum-Time by Hanna Pylväinen
• The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein
• The Magician by Michael Scott
• 11/22/63 by Stephen King
• Mona Lisa Overdrive by William Gibson
• Haunting Adeline by H.D. Carlton
• A Study in Scarlet by Arthur Conan Doyle
• Crook Manifesto by Colson Whitehead
• Sorrowland by Rivers Solomon
• A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson
• The Women by Kristin Hannah
• Tell the Machine Goodnight by Katie Williams
• Ignite Me by Tahereh Mafi
• If Only I Had Told Her by Laura Nowlin
• Shaman by Kim Stanley Robinson
• Spawn by Todd McFarlane
• The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelide
• You're Not Old Until You're Ninety: Best to Be Prepared, However by Rebecca Latimer

Unfortunately we don't own every one of these titles, but you can check the Library Catalog for print books, Libby for ebooks, or you can request any of these through Oscar Express.

From Karen Cherone, Senior Library Assistant

Libby

Catch up on leisure reading (eBooks and audiobooks)

To check out eBooks and audiobooks through Libby, install the Libby app on your device or use the web browser on your computer.

• In the Libby app (or website), click "Sign In With My Card"
  • If you already use the Libby app for another library, go to the account screen and click "Add a Library."
• Search for Edgewood College, then click next.
• Sign in with your Edgewood email and password.
• Your Libby account is now ready, and you can start checking out ebooks and audiobooks.

For more info, see the help page, Getting Started with Libby.

Stay informed with news from around the world:

New York Times

First time users will have to create a New York Times account by connecting through the New York Times on our website. 

Note: Our subscription includes news only. No additional add-ons.

Wall Street Journal

First time users will need to create a Wall Street Journal account by connecting to the Wall Street Journal through our website. Once your account is created, you'll be able to access all articles on the Wall Street Journal's site.

Links to both of these can be found on research guides like the News and Current Events guide, and on the A-Z Database page.

from Julie Wendt, Circulation Supervisor

March is Women’s History Month. Check out one of these titles by or about transformative women in American history:

• My Own Words by Ruth Bader Ginsburg
• Women We Buried, Women We Burned: A Memoir by Rachel Louise Snyder
• Somebody’s Daughter: A Memoir by Ashley C. Ford
• The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
• Code Girls: The True Story of the American Women Who Secretly Broke Codes in World War II by Liza Mundy

We have a lot more where those came from. You can also browse other biographies of American women in our collection.

from Bonita Dickman, Librarian & Head of E-Resources and Automation Systems

Officially designated in 1990, National Native American Heritage Month is observed each November to recognize the history and significant contributions of indigenous Americans.

For information specific to Wisconsin's twelve tribal nations (out of 574 tribal nations in the U.S.), take a look at our Indigenous People guide.

For reading inspiration, here's just a small selection of titles by indigenous authors that we have in our library's collection:

Ceremony by Leslie Marmon Silko
Print (PS 3569 .I44 C4 1986)

The Round House by Louise Erdrich
Ebook via Libby and Print (General Collection, PS 3555 .R42 R68 2012)

There, There by Tommy Orange
Ebook via Libby and Print (General Collection, PS 3615 .R32 T48 2018)

Warrior Girl, Unearthed by Angeline Boulley
Print (LZ 7 .B685 WAR 2023)

IRL by Tommy Pico
Print (PS 3616 .I288 I75 2016)

Jonny Appleseed by Joshua Whitehead
Print (PR 9199.4 .W4745 J64 2018)

Reckonings: Contemporary Short Fiction by Native American Women ed. by Hertha D. Sweet Wong, Lauren Stuart Muller, and Jana Sequoya Magdaleno
Ebook via EBSCO eBooks

About Libby

Libby allows you to borrow ebooks and audiobooks. You can find links to Libby in our A-Z Resource List and on the library homepage (in the Ebooks, Audiobooks, & Streaming tab).

For help and more info, see our FAQ: How do I download ebooks?

from Karen Cherone, Senior Library Assistant

The Oscar Rennebohm Library has books for all readers. Looking for something cozy and/or spooky to read this October?  Below is a sampling of cozy/spooky reads.  Included in the list are print books we own, as well as audiobooks & ebooks that are available via the Libby app.

Cozier Reads

Assistant to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer
Audiobook via Libby and Print (Relax & Read, PS 3613 .A2945 A88 2023)

Book Lovers by Emily Henry
Ebook via Libby and Print (General Collection, PS 3608 .E5715 B66 2022B)

Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas
Print (Curriculum, LZ 7 .T459561 CEM 2020)

Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
Audiobook and ebook via Libby and Print (Relax & Read, PS 3625 .A7384 F68 2023)

The Golden Spoon by Jessa Maxwell
Audiobook via Libby and Print (Relax & Read, PS 3613 .A8997 G65 2023)

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
Print (Relax & Read, LZ 7 .G337 G373 2008)

Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree
Print (General Collection, PS 3602 .A59529 L44 2022)

The Night Circus by Erin Morganstern
Print (Relax & Read, PS 3613 .O74875 N54 2012)

The Unfortunate Side Effects of Heartbreak and Magic by Breanne Randall
Ebook via Libby and Print (Relax & Read, PS 3618 .A533 U54 2023)

The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna
Print (General Collection, PR 6113 .A487 V47 2022)

You, Again by Kate Goldbeck
Print (Relax & Read, PS 3607 .O4374 Y68 2023)

Spooky Reads

Flicker in the Dark by Stacy Willingham
Audiobook via Libby and Print (Relax & Read, PS 3623 .I57726 F57 2022)

Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
Audiobook via Libby

The House Across the Lake by Riley Sager
Print (Relax & Read, PS 3618 .I79 H68 2022)

The Housemaid by Freida McFadden
Print (General Collection, PS 3616 .C4365 H68 2022)

How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix
Print (Relax & Read, PS 3608 .E543 H69 2023)

Murder in the Family by Cara Hunter
Audiobook and eBook via Libby and Print (Relax & Read, PR 6108 .U588 M87 2023)

Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Audiobook via Libby and Print (Relax & Read, PR 9199.4 .M656174 M49 2020)

Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo
Audiobook via Libby and Print (Relax & Read, PS 3602 .A775325 N56 2020)

None of This is True by Lisa Jewell
Print (Relax & Read, PR 6060 .E95 N66 2023)

The Weight of Blood by Tiffany Jackson
Ebook via Libby and Print (Relax & Read, LZ 7 .J243527 WEI 2022)

The Whisper Man by Alex North
Print (Relax & Read, PR 6113 .O85 W45 2019)

About Libby

Libby allows you to borrow ebooks and audiobooks. You can find links to Libby in our A-Z Resource List and on the library homepage (in the Ebooks, Audiobooks, & Streaming tab).

For help and more info, see our FAQ: How do I download ebooks?

from Micah Scott Shaffer - Graduate Assistant

While our library’s primary mission is to support Edgewood students in their studies, we also have lots of fun materials that often go unexplored by many of our patrons, including a large collection of childhood favorites, popular fiction, and graphic and YA novels.  We have some highlights of newer books right by the stairs on the ground floor, but head upstairs to the back wall and you might feel like you are browsing the YA section of Barnes and Noble.

Need a suggestion for where to start? Maybe one of these categories might speak to you. 

I’ve been meaning to read more diverse authors…

Try Whiteout, the sequel to Blackout (we have both!), a collection of interconnecting Black love stories by BIPOC authors that takes place during a snow storm in Atlanta.

More suggestions:

• Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry by Joya Goffney
• Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me by Mariko Tamaki

Palate Cleansers aka I need something light and breezy:

Take a look at Check, Please! Book 2, Sticks & Scones by Ngozi Ukazu. This adorable graphic novel is about an unlikely love story between two Hockey Players.

More Suggestions:

• It Happened in Wisconsin by Michael Bie
• Every tool's a hammer: life is what you make it by Adam Savage.

Wait, that author wrote other books?

Pony by R.J. Palacio (who wrote Wonder), about a boy on a journey to save his father with his ghost companion. Yes, it is a book for kids, but when it is really good, who cares?

More suggestions:

• Doctor Sleep by Stephen King (sequel to The Shining)
• The Candy House by Jennifer Egan (who wrote A Visit from the Goon Squad)

I love the movie/TV show but I never read the book:

Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng. Drama, drama, drama.

More Suggestions:

• Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan
• Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin

Wow, I have not thought of that book since I was a kid:

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares. Four best friends share a pair of jeans that somehow fits each of them perfectly (it sounds sillier than it is) and accompanies them on their adventures.   

More suggestions:

• Twilight (and sequels) by Stephanie Meyer
• The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

We're celebrating LGBTQ+ Pride Month!  Everyone is welcome at the library, and while we celebrate and honor the LGBTQ+ members of our community specifically during June, we believe everyone should feel valued and respected all year long.

This month, we've got books on display featuring LGBTQ+ characters as well as those written by LGBTQ+ authors.

This week marks the start of Black History Month!

Celebrate by checking out something from our displays of books by Black authors or movies by Black filmmakers.

From Library Director, Nathan Dowd.

Currently I am reading the engaging and unique memoir The Way Through the Woods by Litt Woon Long.

Through a friend, I recently learned the basics of foraging for wild mushrooms and therefore was drawn to this book. After reading the introduction, I quickly realized it was so much more. The author provides a compelling account of their decent into grief after the sudden death of her husband. As a way to cope and get out of the house, the author teaches herself about mushrooms and foraging. It is a remarkable tale of her journey out of sorrow and grief and into the fantastical world of fungi. Even if you have little interest in mushrooms, it is a wonderful guide to dealing with loss and learning to love life again.

On a side note, while our library does not own a copy of this book I was able to get it using our excellent interlibrary loan service Oscar Express.