Madison Library District
Choice Awards
Nonfiction NOMINEES FOR 2023
Voting has ended for 2023.
Find all the nominees below.
Winners
1. The Law of Love
by Steve Young
The law of love–loving as God loves, seeking another’s healing, expecting nothing in return–is a simple principle with profound, life-changing implications …
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2. Grace to Become
by Emily Belle Freeman
God’s plan for each of His children includes progress, increase, and transformation. At the center of that plan is Jesus Christ, who offers enabling grace through His Atonement. This enabling strength includes …
Read the full synopsis
3. What If? 2
by Randall Munroe
Planning to ride a fire pole from the moon back to Earth? The hardest part is sticking the landing. Hoping to cool the atmosphere by opening everyone’s freezer door at the same time? Maybe it’s time for …
Read the full synopsis
4. River of the Gods
by Candice Millard
For millennia the location of the Nile River’s headwaters was shrouded in mystery. In the 19th century, there was a frenzy of interest in ancient Egypt. At the same time …
Read the full synopsis
5. Stolen Focus
by Johann Hari
Our ability to pay attention is collapsing. Like so many of us, Johann Hari was finding it much harder to focus than he used to. He found that a life of …
Read the full synopsis
6. Find Your People
by Jennie Allen
In a world that’s both more connected and more isolating than ever before, we’re often tempted to do life alone, whether because we’re so …
Read the full synopsis
7. The Homestead Sourdough Cookbook
by Georgia Varozza
Is there anything more satisfying than a thick, warm slice of homemade bread served fresh out of the oven? Join baking and homestyle cooking veteran Georgia Varozza as she …
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8. Clean(ish)
by Gin Stephens
Gin shows you how to become clean(ish) where it counts: you’ll learn how to eat (mostly) clean and live (mainly) clean to …
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9. Encanto
by Lin-Manuel Miranda
Lin-Manuel Miranda’s soundtrack to Encanto has taken the music world by storm. The soundtrack and its catchy single …
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10. Putin’s Russia
by Darryl Cunningham
In this educational and frank biography, Putin’s journey is characterized by shifting loyalties, brutal treatment of detractors, and lawless financial dealings. Despite all of this …
Read the full synopsis
Other Nominees
The Lazy Genius Kitchen
by Kendra Adachi
Not a cookbook, but a way to organize your kitchen– and everything in it …
Read the full synopsis
The Savory Baker
by America’s Test Kitchen
From super simple quick breads to showstopping special-occasion centerpieces, the staff at America’s Test Kitchen help you transform your baking …
Read the full synopsis
Refuse to Be Done
by Matt Bell
They say writing is rewriting. So why does the second part get such short shrift? Refuse To Be Done will guide you …
Read the full synopsis
Delicious Disney
by Pam Brandon
Filled with a heartfelt narrative and behind-the-scenes anecdotes, mouth-watering food photos, gorgeous Walt Disney Imagineering concept artwork, nostalgic restaurant menus and ephemera, and a little Disney magic …
Read the full synopsis
How to Raise an Intuitive Eater
by Steven T. Collis
Kids are born intuitive eaters. Well-meaning parents, influenced by the diet culture that surrounds us all, are often concerned about how to best feed their children. Nearly everyone …
Read the full synopsis
The Path to Kindness
edited by James Crews
Following the success and momentum of his anthology How to Love the World, James Crews’s new collection, The Path to Kindness, offers more …
Read the full synopsis
Finding Me
by Viola Davis
In my book, you will meet a little girl named Viola who ran from her past until she made a life changing decision to stop running forever. This is my story …
Read the full synopsis
Modern Origami
by Muneji Fuchimoto
In this book, master origami designer Muneji Fuchimoto presents a collection of 34 totally unique origami models! These pieces will …
Read the full synopsis
Half Baked Harvest Every Day
by Tieghan Gerard
Half Baked Harvest Book 3 delivers more of Tieghan’s trademark simple, wholesome decadence with 125 all-new recipes for food that everyone can feel good about. This time around …
Read the full synopsis
The Doomsday Mother
by John Glatt
At first, the residents of Kauai Beach Resort took little notice of their new neighbors. The glamorous blonde and her tall husband fit the image of the ritzy gated community. The couple seemed …
Read the full synopsis
Queen of Our Times
by Robert Hardman
Shy but with a steely self-confidence; inscrutable despite ten decades in the public eye; unflappable; devout; indulgent; outwardly reserved, inwardly passionate; unsentimental; inquisitive; young at heart. All of these describe Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II …
Read the full synopsis
Food Triggers
by Amber Lia
How do we manage those unruly portions at restaurants? Why are we eating leftovers from our kids’ plates? How do we stop boredom munchies? …
Read the full synopsis
Fat Girls Hiking
by Summer Michaud-Skog
Summer Michaud-Skog, founder of the Fat Girls Hiking community, offers a book brimming with heartfelt stories, practical …
Read the full synopsis
The Light We Carry
by Michelle Obama
Mrs. Obama offers readers a series of fresh stories and insightful reflections on change, challenge, and power, including her belief that when we light up for others, we can …
Read the full synopsis
Outdoor Kids in an Inside World
by Amber Share
The average American spends ninety percent of their time indoors, and children are no exception. Today, kids can spend up to seven hours per day looking at screens. Not only …
Read the full synopsis
The Art of Talking with Children
by Rebecca Rolland
Science has shown that the best way to help our kids become independent, kind, and happy is by talking to them– yet we are at a loss on …
Read the full synopsis
Lore Olympus, Volume One
by Rachel Smythe
Scandalous gossip, wild parties, and forbidden love — witness what the gods do after dark in this stylish and contemporary reimagining of one of mythology’s best-known stories from creator Rachel Smythe. Persephone, young goddess of spring, is …
Read the full synopsis
The Art of Living
by Grant Snider
With both humor and a touch of reality, The Art of Living centers on mindfulness, but also empathy, relaxation, gratitude, and awareness–evergreen subjects that …
Read the full synopsis
Breadsong
by Kitty and Al Tait
Kitty Tait grew up a funny, chatty redhead who made everyone in her family laugh. But around the time she turned 14, Kitty began experiencing anxiety. Slowly, she …
Read the full synopsis
Thank You. I’m Sorry. Tell Me More.
by Rod Wilson
Practice the three simple phrases that heal relationships, strengthen connection, and change the world. We all believe that saying …
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The Lazy Genius Kitchen: Have What You Need, Use What You Have,
and Enjoy It Like Never Before
by Kendra Adachi
Not a cookbook, but a way to organize your kitchen– and everything in it– so that it will work for you. Adachi teaches you to apply a five-step process– prioritize, essentialize, organize, personalize and systemize– so that you can turn your hardest-working room into your favorite one, too.
6. Finding Your People: Building Deep Community in a Lonely World
by Jennie Allen
In a world that’s both more connected and more isolating than ever before, we’re often tempted to do life alone, whether because we’re so busy or because relationships feel risky and hard. But science confirms that consistent, meaningful connection with others has a powerful impact on our well-being. We are meant to live known and loved. But so many are hiding behind emotional walls that we’re experiencing an epidemic of loneliness. You were created to play, engage, adventure, and explore–with others. In Find Your People, you’ll discover exactly how to dive into the deep end and experience the full wonder of community. Because while the ache of loneliness is real, it doesn’t have to be your reality.
The Savory Baker: 150 Creative Redipes, from Classic to Modern
by America’s Test Kitchen
From super simple quick breads to showstopping special-occasion centerpieces, the staff at America’s Test Kitchen help you transform your baking. Their inventive recipes showcase fresh vegetables, herbs and spices, nuts and seeds, and cheeses and meats. They thoroughly explain preparation techniques so that everything is totally achievable.
Refuse to Be Done: How to Write and Rewrite a Novel in Three Drafts
by Matt Bell
They say writing is rewriting. So why does the second part get such short shrift? Refuse To Be Done will guide you through every step of the novel writing process, from getting started on those first pages to the last tips for making your final draft even tighter and stronger. From lauded writer and teacher Matt Bell, Refuse to Be Done is encouraging and intensely practical, focusing always on specific rewriting tasks, techniques, and activities for every stage of the process.
You won’t find bromides here about the “the writing Muse.” Instead, Bell breaks down the writing process in three sections. In the first, Bell shares a bounty of tactics, all meant to push the writer through the initial conception and get words on the page. The second focuses on reworking the narrative through outlining, modeling, and rewriting. The third and final section offers a layered approach to polishing through a checklist of operations, breaking the daunting project of final revisions into many small, achievable tasks.
Whether you are a first time novelist or a veteran writer, you will find an abundance of strategies here to help motivate you and shake up your revision process, allowing you to approach your work, day after day and month after month, with fresh eyes and sharp new tools.
Delicious Disney: Walt Disney World:
Recipes and Stories from the Most Magical Place on Earth
by Pam Brandon
Filled with a heartfelt narrative and behind-the-scenes anecdotes, mouth-watering food photos, gorgeous Walt Disney Imagineering concept artwork, nostalgic restaurant menus and ephemera, and a little Disney magic, this cookbook-meets-culinary-history coffee table book enchants with more than sixty recipes. Including an assortment of appetizers, main courses, sides, desserts, and even joyful libations, these dishes come from fine-dining and quick-service establishments across the resort. Each has been tested by home chefs to help you bring your cherished vacation memories to life . . . and inspire new ones for years to come.
How to Raise an Intuitive Eater:
Raising the Next Generation with Food and Body Confidence
by Sumner Brooks
Kids are born intuitive eaters. Well-meaning parents, influenced by the diet culture that surrounds us all, are often concerned about how to best feed their children. Nearly everyone is talking about what to do about the childhood obesity epidemic. Meanwhile, every proposed solution for how to feed kids to promote health and prevent weight-related health concerns don’t mention the importance of one thing: a healthy relationship with food. The consequences can be disastrous and are indistinguishable from the predictable and well-researched impact that dieting has on adults.
Weight cycling, low self-esteem, deviations from normal growth, and eating disorders are just some of the negative health effects children can experience from the fear-based approach to food and eating that has become the norm in our culture. Sumner Brooks and Amee Severson believe that parents want the best for their kids and know a parent’s job is to make them feel safe in the world and their bodies. They want them to grow up to be competent, healthy eaters, living their best lives in the bodies they were born to have. Intuitive Eating is more talked about than ever, and the time is now to make sure parents truly understand what it means to raise an intuitive eater. With a compassionate and relatable voice, How to Raise an Intuitive Eater is the only book of its kind to teach parents what they need to know to improve health, happiness, and wellbeing for the littlest among us.
The Path to Kindness: Poems of Connection and Joy edited by James Crews
Following the success and momentum of his anthology How to Love the World, James Crews’ new collection, The Path to Kindness, offers more than 100 deeply felt and relatable poems from a diverse range of voices. Presented in the same perfect-in-the-hand format as How to Love the World, the collection includes prompts for journaling and exploration of selected poems, a book group guide, bios of all the contributing poets, and stunning cover art by award-winning artist Dinara Mirtalipova.
10. Putin’s Russia: The Rise of a Dictator by Darryl Cunningham
In this educational and frank biography, Putin’s journey is characterized by shifting loyalties, brutal treatment of detractors, and lawless financial dealings. Despite all of this, Putin has retained public support and tremendous importance in Russian society, due to his ever-tightening control over the media and harsh muzzling of critics. Born in 1952, Putin grew up idealizing the KGB, and he became a member of its ranks by early adulthood.
Cunningham posits that the speed with which Putin advanced politically was a reflection of the KGB’s need to cement their control of the Russian political system after the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. Since Boris Yeltsin appointed him to the presidency in 2000, Putin has annexed Crimea, rolled back democratic reforms, and led a life of luxury, all the while fostering a cult of personality.
Finding Me by Viola Davis
In my book, you will meet a little girl named Viola who ran from her past until she made a life changing decision to stop running forever. This is my story, from a crumbling apartment in Central Falls, Rhode Island, to the stage in New York City, and beyond. This is the path I took to finding my purpose and my strength, but also to finding my voice in a world that didn’t always see me.
As I wrote Finding Me, my eyes were open to the truth of how our stories are often not given close examination. They are bogarted, reinvented to fit into a crazy, competitive, judgmental world. So I wrote this for anyone who is searching for a way to understand and overcome a complicated past, let go of shame, and find acceptance. For anyone who needs reminding that a life worth living can only be born from radical honesty and the courage to shed facades and be…you. Finding Me is a deep reflection on my past and a promise for my future. My hope is that my story will inspire you to light up your own life with creative expression and rediscover who you were before the world put a label on you.
2. Grace to Become by Emily Belle Freeman
God’s plan for each of His children includes progress, increase, and transformation. At the center of that plan is Jesus Christ, who offers enabling grace through His Atonement. This enabling strength includes saving grace, which helps us overcome, but also exalting grace, which helps us to become.
In her signature meditative, soul-expanding style, Emily Belle Freeman explores how each of us can receive the power of Christ’s exalting grace as she draws out connections and parallels in the story of Abraham and the covenants that lead us to eternal life. A companion to Grace Where You Are, this book will help you better understand the relationship between faith and works as you seek transformation in your own life. Discover how both our incremental progression and our ultimate exaltation are made possible through grace.
Modern Origami: The Amazing Art of Paper Sculpture by Muneji Fuchimoto
In this book, master origami designer Muneji Fuchimoto presents a collection of 34 totally unique origami models! These pieces will delight and challenge origami enthusiasts with their clever folding patterns and striking realism. With a play on modern design and art, Fuchimoto’s stunning models offer a clever way to show off your skills. In this book you’ll find: More than 20 realistic origami animals–from a bird in a birdhouse to a long-necked Alpaca to an Asian Elephant with decorative headgear, six modern origami chairs, fashionable origami spectacles, a “mounted” deer head, and much more! In addition to the easy-to-follow project instructions, this book features special sections with origami display idea and instructions for constructing an origami mobile.
Half Baked Harvest Every Day: Recipes for Balanced, Flexible, and Feel-Good Meals
by Tieghan Gerard
Half Baked Harvest Book 3 delivers more of Tieghan’s trademark simple, wholesome decadence with 125 all-new recipes for food that everyone can feel good about. This time around, the recipes are just as easy as her last cookbook, Half Baked Harvest Super Simple, but they also bring a new, good-for-you feeling to the table. With a greater emphasis on balancing rich comfort with lighter ways of amping up flavor, Tieghan’s signature style takes on a more health-conscious (or healthyish) attitude, such as swapping half of the pasta for a lasagna with zucchini ribbons.
Tieghan is a pro at creating recipes to light up all your senses. The food here–including Crispy Baked Proscuitto Breakfast Cups, Giant Twisted Spinach and Artichoke Soft Pretzel, Oven-Baked Chicken Parmesan Melt, and Blueberry-Lavender Cake–doesn’t just taste good. It’s also fun to cook, makes the whole kitchen smell fantastic, and looks absolutely beautiful. Each recipe is accompanied by Tieghan’s stunning photography that brings the food to life and transports you to her cozy kitchen in the snowy Colorado mountains.
The Doomsday Mother: Lori Vallow, Chad Daybell, and the End of an American Family
by John Glatt
At first, the residents of Kauai Beach Resort took little notice of their new neighbors. The glamorous blonde and her tall husband fit the image of the ritzy gated community. The couple seemed to keep to themselves–until the police knocked on their door with a search warrant. Lori Vallow and Chad Daybell had fled to Hawaii in the midst of being investigated for the disappearance of Lori’s children back in Idaho–Tylee and JJ–who hadn’t been seen alive in five months.
For years, Lori Vallow had been devoted to her children and her Mormon faith. But when her path crossed with Chad Daybell, a religious zealot who taught his followers how to prepare for the end-times, the tumultuous relationship transformed her into someone unrecognizable. As authorities searched for Lori’s children, they uncovered more suspicious deaths with links to both Lori and Chad, including the death of Lori’s third and fourth husbands, her brother, and Chad’s wife.
In June 2020, the gruesome remains of JJ and Tylee were discovered on Chad’s property, and the newlyweds were arrested and charged with murder. And in a shocking development, horrifying statements revealed that the couple’s fanatical beliefs had convinced them the children had become zombies–a belief that may have led to their deaths. Bestselling author and journalist John Glatt takes readers deeper into the devastating crimes of Lori Vallow and Chad Daybell in an attempt to unravel the lethal relationship of this doomsday couple.
Queen of Our Times: The Life of Queen Elizabeth II by Robert Hardman
Shy but with a steely self-confidence; inscrutable despite ten decades in the public eye; unflappable; devout; indulgent; outwardly reserved, inwardly passionate; unsentimental; inquisitive; young at heart. All of these describe Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, who has reigned through more seismic social change than any monarch in British history. From the Abdication to the Sussexes, from World War II to the loss of her life-long partner, she has witnessed family crises on a scale not seen since the days of George III. She is a 21st Century global phenomenon commanding unrivalled respect and affection. Sealed off during the greatest peacetime emergency of modern times, she has stuck to her own maxim: ‘I have to be seen to be believed.’ And now she is preparing for an event without parallel in Europe since the reign of Louis XIV: her Platinum Jubilee, celebrating seventy years on the Throne.
Robert Hardman, the acclaimed and respected author of Her Majesty and Queen of the World has already examined the Queen as a modern monarch and her role as a stateswoman abroad. Now, in this entirely new study, including unpublished Royal Family papers and photographs along with personal stories from other world leaders, he wraps up the full story of one of the undisputed greats in a thousand years of monarchy. Hardman distils Elizabeth’s complex life into a must-read study of dynastic survival and renewal. It is a portrait of a world leader who remains as intriguing today as the day she came to the Throne at age twenty-five. With peerless access to members of the Royal Family, staff, friends and royal records, Queen of Our Times brings fresh insights and scholarship to the modern royal story. There will be no more thorough, more readable, more original book on the record-breaking Elizabeth II as she reaches a landmark which, surely, can never be equaled.
5. Stolen Focus: Why You Can’t Pay Attention — and How to Think Deeply Again
by Johann Hari
Our ability to pay attention is collapsing. Like so many of us, Johann Hari was finding it much harder to focus than he used to. He found that a life of constantly switching from device to device, from tab to tab, is diminishing and depressing. He tried all sorts of self-help solutions-even abandoning his phone for three months-but in the long-term, nothing seemed to work. So Hari went on an epic journey across the world to interview the leading experts on human attention and to study their scientific findings-and learned that everything we think we know about this crisis is wrong.
In the U.S., teenagers now focus on a task for only sixty-five seconds on average, and office workers manage only three minutes. We think this inability to focus is a personal flaw, an individual failure to exert enough willpower over our devices. The truth is even more disturbing: Our focus has been stolen by powerful external forces, and the science shows that these forces have been ramping up for decades-leaving us uniquely vulnerable, when social media arrived, to corporations determined to raid our attention for profit. These forces have been so successful that our collapse in attention is behind many of the wider problems society faces.
In Stolen Focus, Hari embarks on a thrilling journey, taking readers from veterinarians who diagnose dogs with ADHD, to Silicon Valley dissidents who exposed social media companies’ furtive attempts to hack our focus; from a favela in Rio where everyone lost their attention in a particularly catastrophic way, to an office in New Zealand that discovered a remarkable technique to restore their workers’ attention. In this urgent, deeply researched book, Hari shows that if we understand the twelve true causes of this crisis-from the collapse of sustained reading to the disruption of boredom to rising pollution-we, as individuals and as a society, can finally begin to solve it by staging an “attention rebellion.” Finally, we have a way to get our focus back.
Food Triggers: Exchanging Unhealthy Patterns for God-Honoring Habits
by Amber Lia
How do we manage those unruly portions at restaurants? Why are we eating leftovers from our kids’ plates? How do we stop boredom munchies? Certified health coach Amber Lia exposes 31 common food struggles and offers solutions to unhealthy eating habits, so you can break free from the cycle of reactionary eating and shame and walk in victory.
Fat Girls Hiking: An Inclusive Guide to Getting Outdoors at Any Size or Ability
by Summer Michaud-Skog
Summer Michaud-Skog, founder of the Fat Girls Hiking community, offers a book brimming with heartfelt stories, practical advice, personal profiles of FGH community members, and trail reviews. It all serves to spread the Fat Girls Hiking message of inclusivity in the outdoors. Equal parts empowering and impassioned, personal and practical, this book adds an important voice to the conversation about diversity in the outdoors, raising visibility of hikers who have too long been marginalized. As the Fat Girls Hiking motto goes, “Trails Not Scales!”
4. River of the Gods: Genius, Courage, and Betrayal
in the Search for the Source of the Nile
by Candice Millard
For millennia the location of the Nile River’s headwaters was shrouded in mystery. In the 19th century, there was a frenzy of interest in ancient Egypt. At the same time, European powers sent off waves of explorations intended to map the unknown corners of the globe – and extend their colonial empires. Richard Burton and John Hanning Speke were sent by the Royal Geographical Society to claim the prize for England. Burton spoke 29 languages, and was a decorated soldier. He was also mercurial, subtle, and an iconoclastic atheist. Speke was a young aristocrat and Army officer determined to make his mark, passionate about hunting, Burton’s opposite in temperament and beliefs. From the start the two men clashed.
They would endure tremendous hardships, illness, and constant setbacks. Two years in, deep in the African interior, Burton became too sick to press on, but Speke did, and claimed he found the source in a great lake that he christened Lake Victoria. When they returned to England, Speke rushed to take credit, disparaging Burton. Burton disputed his claim, and Speke launched another expedition to Africa to prove it. The two became venomous enemies, with the public siding with the more charismatic Burton, to Speke’s great envy. The day before they were to publicly debate, Speke shot himself.
Yet there was a third man on both expeditions, his name obscured by imperial annals, whose exploits were even more extraordinary. This was Sidi Mubarak Bombay, who was enslaved and shipped from his home village in East Africa to India. When the man who purchased him died, he made his way into the local Sultan’s army, and eventually travelled back to Africa, where he used his resourcefulness, linguistic prowess and raw courage to forge a living as a guide. Without his talents, it is likely that neither Englishman would have come close to the headwaters of the Nile, or perhaps even survived.
9. Encanto: Music from the Motion Picture Soundtrack
by Lin-Manuel Miranda
Lin-Manuel Miranda’s soundtrack to Encanto has taken the music world by storm. The soundtrack and its catchy single “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” have topped their Billboard charts, making it one of the most successful Disney musicals of all time! Songs include: All of You * Colombia, Mi Encanto * Dos Oruguitas * The Family Madrigal * Surface Pressure * Two Oruguitas * Waiting on a Miracle * We Don’t Talk About Bruno * What Else Can I Do?
3. What If? 2: Addition Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions
by Randall Munroe
Planning to ride a fire pole from the moon back to Earth? The hardest part is sticking the landing. Hoping to cool the atmosphere by opening everyone’s freezer door at the same time? Maybe it’s time for a brief introduction to thermodynamics. Want to know what would happen if you rode a helicopter blade, built a billion-story building, made a lava lamp out of lava, or jumped on a geyser as it erupted? Okay, if you insist.
Before you go on a cosmic road trip, feed the residents of New York City to a T. rex, or fill every church with bananas, be sure to consult this practical guide for impractical ideas. Unfazed by absurdity, Randall consults the latest research on everything from swing-set physics to airplane-catapult design to clearly and concisely answer his readers’ questions. As he consistently demonstrates, you can learn a lot from examining how the world might work in very specific extreme circumstances. Filled with bonkers science, boundless curiosity, and Randall’s signature stick-figure comics, What If? 2 is sure to be another instant classic adored by inquisitive readers of all ages.
The Light We Carry: Overcoming in Uncertain Times by Michelle Obama
Mrs. Obama offers readers a series of fresh stories and insightful reflections on change, challenge, and power, including her belief that when we light up for others, we can illuminate the richness and potential of the world around us, discovering deeper truths and new pathways for progress. Drawing from her experiences as a mother, daughter, spouse, friend, and First Lady, she shares the habits and principles she has developed to successfully adapt to change and overcome various obstacles–the earned wisdom that helps her continue to “become.” She details her most valuable practices, like “starting kind,” “going high,” and assembling a “kitchen table” of trusted friends and mentors. With trademark humor, candor, and compassion, she also explores issues connected to race, gender, and visibility, encouraging readers to work through fear, find strength in community, and live with boldness.
Outdoor Kids in an Inside World: Getting Your Family Out of the House and
Radically Engaged with Nature
by Steven Rinella
The average American spends ninety percent of their time indoors, and children are no exception. Today, kids can spend up to seven hours per day looking at screens. Not only does this phenomenon have consequences for our kids’ physical and mental health, it calls into question their ability to understand and engage with anything beyond the built environment. We can talk about environmental stewardship, but until more people make meaningful contact with nature, the welfare of our planet is in jeopardy. Thankfully, with the right mindset, families can find beauty, meaning, and connection in a life lived outdoors.
Now, outdoors expert Steven Rinella shares the parenting wisdom he has garnered as a father whose family has lived amid the biggest cities and wildest corners of America. Throughout, he offers practical advice for getting your kids radically engaged with nature in a muddy, thrilling, hands-on way, guided by black-and-white illustrations throughout-with the ultimate goal of helping them see their own place within the natural ecosystem.
No matter their location-rural, suburban, or urban-caregivers and kids will bond over activities such as: Camping to conquer fears, build tolerance for dirt and discomfort, and savor the timeless pleasure of swapping stories around a campfire. Growing a vegetable garden to develop a capacity to nurture and an appreciation for hard work. Foraging for wild berries, nuts, and mushrooms as a way to experience the delight of discovery. Fishing local lakes and rivers to learn the value of patience while grappling with the possibility of failure. Cooking together with naturally sourced ingredients you procured. Hunting for sustainably managed wild game to face the realities of life, death, and what it really takes to obtain our food.
The Art of Talking with Children: The Simple Keys to Nurturing Kindness,
Creativity, and Confidence in Kids
by Rebecca Roland
Science has shown that the best way to help our kids become independent, kind, and happy is by talking to them– yet we are at a loss on how to have meaningful conversations. Rolland reveals that a great conversation has a double benefit: helping adults and kids connect better in the moment, and boosting children’s learning and well-being for years to come. Here she shares a methodology for quality conversations that will make you feel more confident as a parent.
Lore Olympus: Volume One by Rachel Smythe
Scandalous gossip, wild parties, and forbidden love — witness what the gods do after dark in this stylish and contemporary reimagining of one of mythology’s best-known stories from creator Rachel Smythe. Persephone, young goddess of spring, is new to Olympus. Her mother, Demeter, has raised her in the mortal realm, but after Persephone promises to train as a sacred virgin, she’s allowed to live in the fast-moving, glamorous world of the gods.
When her roommate, Artemis, takes her to a party, her entire life changes: she ends up meeting Hades and feels an immediate spark with the charming yet misunderstood ruler of the Underworld. Now Persephone must navigate the confusing politics and relationships that rule Olympus, while also figuring out her own place — and her own power. This edition of Smythe’s original Eisner-nominated webcomic Lore Olympus features a brand-new, exclusive short story, and brings the Greek pantheon into the modern age in a sharply perceptive and romantic graphic novel.
The Art of Living: Reflections on Mindfulness and the Overexamined Life
by Grant Snider
With both humor and a touch of reality, The Art of Living centers on mindfulness, but also empathy, relaxation, gratitude, and awareness–evergreen subjects that are more important and relevant now than ever. With a striking package, The Art of Living is an extension of the themes of Snider’s first two books–which explored the creative process and the love of reading–and is the perfect gift for those in a need of reflection, commiseration, hope, and a little extra self-care. Above all, Snider’s cartoons will inspire and encourage a more thoughtful way of experiencing the world.
8. Clean(ish): Eat (Mostly) Clean, Live (Mainly) Clean, and Unlock Your Body’s
Natural Ability to Self-Clean
by Gin Stephens
Gin shows you how to become clean(ish) where it counts: you’ll learn how to eat (mostly) clean and live (mainly) clean to unlock your body’s natural ability to self-clean. Instead of aiming for perfection (which is impossible) or changing everything at once (which is hard, and never leads to lasting results), you’ll cut through the confusion, lose the fear, and embrace the freedom that comes from becoming clean(ish). As you learn how to lower your toxic load through small changes, smart swaps, and simple solutions, you’ll evolve simply and easily toward a clean(ish) lifestyle that works for you.
Breadsong: How Baking Changed Our Lives by Kitty and Al Tait
Kitty Tait grew up a funny, chatty redhead who made everyone in her family laugh. But around the time she turned 14, Kitty began experiencing anxiety. Slowly, she disconnected from everyone around her and struggled to wake up, get dressed, and leave the house. Full of worry, her parents tried everything, from new hobbies like reading and painting to medication and visits to a specialist. Nothing seemed to help. Then, one day, as Kitty stood on a stool watching her dad mix flour, water, and salt, she determined Al’s gloopy, sludgy blob of bread looked a whole lot like her brain. The next day, peaking under the tea towel as the mix gently bubbled and popped, Kitty came to a stunning realization: bread is alive. Al asked Kitty if she’d like to try baking bread herself, and their lives were never the same again.
One loaf quickly escalated into an obsession, and Kitty felt better than she had for a long time. Within nine months, Kitty and Al opened The Orange Bakery–and they haven’t stopped since. Featuring more than 80 recipes–including cinnamon buns, cheese swirls, and tahini brownies–Breadsong is a celebration of bread and baking, and an inspiring story of the life-saving power of discovering a passion.
7. The Homestead Sourdough Cookbook by Georgia Varozza
Is there anything more satisfying than a thick, warm slice of homemade bread served fresh out of the oven?
Join baking and homestyle cooking veteran Georgia Varozza as she teaches you everything you “knead” to know about making craveable sourdough creations from scratch, including how to make or source a quality sourdough starter, what tools and supplies to collect and where to locate them, and of course, how to make a basic sourdough loaf.
Packed with over 100 delicious recipes, expert advice, and a heaping helping of homestyle goodness, this cookbook is the ideal place to start your sourdough baking adventure.
Thank You. I’m Sorry. Tell Me More.: How to Change the World with 3 Sacred Sayings
by Rod Wilson
Practice the three simple phrases that heal relationships, strengthen connection, and change the world. We all believe that saying, “Thank you,” “I’m sorry,” and “Tell me more” will help us become better people, friends, partners, employees, neighbors, and global citizens. And yet, having been brought up on rugged individualism, we often slip into self-centeredness and a corresponding sense of entitlement. We have lost the ability to speak with gentleness toward one another. We have replaced kind words that connect us to one another with ones that divide, isolate, and hurt. Everywhere we turn there is deep conflict.
In this simple yet profound book, clinical psychologist Rod Wilson introduces us to the sacredness of these familiar but forgotten sayings. What impact do these sayings have on our relationships? When we say, “Thank you,” we acknowledge the way others impact us. When we say, “I’m sorry,” we acknowledge the way we impact others. When we say, “Tell me more,” we acknowledge the way we impact each other. Try it. Read this book and be encouraged and equipped to deliver kindness in your speech. As you engage with these three phrases more thoughtfully and speak them more frequently, you will enjoy a life full of deeper friendships and joy.
1. The Law of Love by Steve Young
The law of love — loving as God loves, seeking another’s healing, expecting nothing in return — is a simple principle with profound, life-changing implications. Latter-day Saint author (and NFL MVP, business investor, and broadcaster) Steve Young shares insights from his own multifaceted life as well as from others who are scientists, fellow Latter-day Saints, Anglican, atheist, Baptist, Catholic, Confucian, Hindu, Jewish, Muslim, and secular people of wisdom, as well as from the scriptures.
Regular Hours of Operation
- Monday: 9:00 am – 6:00 pm
- Tuesday - Wednesday: 9:00 am – 8:00 pm
- Thursday: 11:00 am – 8:00 pm
- Friday: 10:00 am – 6:00 pm
- Saturday: 10:00 am – 2:00 pm
- Sunday: CLOSED
Closures in 2024
- January 1 – New Year’s Day
- January 15 – Martin Luther King, Jr., Day
- February 19 – Presidents Day
- March 22 – Staff Development Day
- April 6 – Building Maintenance
- May 25-27 – Memorial Day
- June 19 – Juneteenth
- July 4 – Independence Day
- August 31 – September 2 – Labor Day
- September 20 – LCEI Conference
- October 5 – Building Maintenance
- October 31 – Open from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm
- November 11 – Veterans Day
- November 27 – Closing at 5:00 pm
- November 28-30 – Thanksgiving
- December 24-26 – Christmas
- December 31 – New Year’s Eve
- January 1, 2025 – New Year’s Day
Address
73 North Center
Rexburg, Idaho 83440
We are located on Center Street, just north of Main Street, by the Historic Rexburg Tabernacle.
Contact Us
(208) 356-3461
24 Hour Phone Renewal: (208) 356-6658
askmadisonlibrary@madisonlib.org