Book Club Spotlight – Anxious People

Welcome to November! The holiday season is barreling towards us faster than ever, and somehow we’re already running behind as the New Year creeps in. The holidays and winter in general are notoriously hard on our mental health, leaving many feeling lost and alone. One author I always think of when looking for a story of heart and community, even in the coldest and loneliest days, is Fredrik Backman. Backman is a prolific Swedish author known for his heart-string tugging and bestselling titles such as A Man Called Ove (adapted into a 2022 movie starring Tom Hanks), and Beartown. And today’s Book Club Spotlight features his 2019 book, Anxious People. 

In a small town outside Stockholm, Sweden, eight people viewing an apartment are taken hostage by a bank robbery gone wrong. So wrong, in fact, that the awkward bank robber tried to rob a cashless bank…and then took hostages by accident! Desperately keeping up the charade for the police, the “hostages”, and the would-be thief are stuck in the apartment. Each prospective tenant comes to the table with insecurities, stressors, and fears, but here, they are not alone. During their forced proximity, the group learns, and grows from their new relationships, as their pasts and futures intersect in the strangest of circumstances all the while being surrounded by an increasingly confused police force trying to rescue them. 

Even if I knew the world was going to end tomorrow, I would still plant an apple tree today.”

Fredrik Backman

A common thread in Backman’s work is the importance of community, whether that is of friends, neighbors, or pure strangers. No matter how fleeting an interaction may be, we are all in this together. The titular anxious people in Anxious People face many issues. The pressure of parenthood, financial struggles, marriage breakdown, and an assortment of other loss of connection to those they love. Book Club Groups will undoubtedly find characters to empathize and sympathize with, maybe even learning something about themselves and their fellow members along the way. There is a sentiment going around that I have been particularly fond of: “It’s everyone’s first time living too”. So this season, be kind, be gentle, and like the characters in Anxious People, allow for mistakes (maybe even holding you hostage by accident if you’re feeling especially generous).

This book covers the topic of mental illness and suicide. If you, or someone you know is struggling- chat, text, or call the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at https://988lifeline.org/ or dial 988.

To see more of our titles by Fredrik Backman, visit the link here

If you’re interested in requesting Anxious People for your book club, you can find the Request Form here. There are 7 copies. (A librarian must request items)

Backman, Fredrik. Anxious People. Atira Publishing. 2019

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NCompass Live: Summer Reading Program 2025: Color Our World

Get ready for the 2025 Summer Reading Program, ‘Color Our World’, by learning about quality books for your library’s collection on this week’s NCompass Live webinar on Wednesday, November 6 at 10am CT.

Kids will be clamoring for both fiction and nonfiction titles as they read all about art and creativity at the library, the topic for the 2025 Collaboarative Summer Library Program.

Presenter: Sally Snyder, Coordinator of Children and Young Adult Library Services, Nebraska Library Commission.

Upcoming NCompass Live shows:

  • Nov. 13 – Nebraska Open Meetings Act: 2024 Overview and Update
  • Nov. 20 – Building Cultures of Reading with Reader Zone
  • Nov. 27 – Pretty Sweet Tech
  • Dec. 11 – Best New Children’s Books of 2024
  • Jan. 8, 2025 – Best New Teen Reads of 2024

To register for an NCompass Live show, or to listen to recordings of past shows, go to the NCompass Live webpage.

NCompass Live is broadcast live every Wednesday from 10am – 11am Central Time. Convert to your time zone on the Official U.S. Time website.

The show is presented online using the GoTo Webinar online meeting service. Before you attend a session, please see the NLC Online Sessions webpage for detailed information about GoTo Webinar, including system requirements, firewall permissions, and equipment requirements for computer speakers and microphones.

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Continuing Education: Weekly Resources

Continuing Education. Upcoming Webinars and Events. November 4th - 8th.

Below is a list of free training opportunities coming up this week! There is also a monthly list of free training resources which is compiled each month by the Maine State Library and WebJunction. (Many webinars are recorded and can be watched later.)

For more information, please visit NLC: Free Webinars or WebJunction: Free Training

To submit CE hours for the NLC certification programs:

Questions about CE hours or the certification programs, please contact: Holli Duggan

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Apply now for Science Kits for Public Libraries (SKPL) Grants

For more grants like this one, check out the NLC’s Grant Opportunities for Nebraska Libraries.

The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) – Region 4’s Science Kits for Public Libraries (SKPL) Grant program is offering up to $2,000 in funding to public libraries to establish a new circulating science kits collection.
Open to public libraries that serve geographic areas inside or partially inside the IEEE-Region 4 – this includes portions of Nebraska – see the green-shaded area of this map: IEEE Regions in the USA

The Application deadline is January 16, 2025. Those libraries which have previously applied for the grant but did not receive funding are invited to submit again.

Public Libraries have a long tradition of building stronger communities by providing life-long learning opportunities for children and teens. The SKPL Team is honored to have the opportunity to enrich the services that public libraries offer. SKPL enables children, parents, and teachers the chance to borrow library kits for hands-on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) learning at home or in classroom.

Visit the SKPL website, https://r4.ieee.org/skpl/ for the application form and submission details.

Region 4, Science Kits for Public Libraries (SKPL) organization is a volunteer-based organization affiliated with the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). SKPL believes all children – regardless of race, gender, financial condition, or home environment – should have access to high-quality, hands-on STEM learning experiences. By making catalyst grants available to public libraries, we empower them to start their own science kit collections that are free and accessible to the public.

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Join the Nebraska WebDewey Group Purchase

WebDewey screenshots

This is a good time of year to remind Nebraska librarians that they can save money on a subscription to WebDewey by participating in the Nebraska WebDewey Group Purchase! Enjoy web-based access to an electronic version of the Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC ) database through WebDewey. It is a full representation of all published numbers, plus other mappings and new terms that have been approved by the Dewey Editorial Policy Committee (EPC).

WebDewey also includes:

  • Searching or browsing DDC numbers, Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH) and mapped MeSH headings.
  • Adding your own notes and displaying them in context.
  • An easy-to-navigate, simple user interface that is suitable for the novice as well as the power user.

Our next WebDewey Group annual subscription will begin on January 1, 2025 and run through December 31, 2025. Libraries may join the group at any time. Mid-term subscriptions will be prorated. If your library is interested in subscribing to WebDewey, you’ll find pricing information on our online WebDewey Group Order Form. OCLC Membership is NOT required to purchase WebDewey.

If you have questions please contact Susan Knisely.

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#BookFaceFriday “Five Presidents” by Clint Hill with Lisa McCubbin

#BookFace for President!

“Decisions are made by those who show up,” quoting Josiah Bartlet, and ultimately Aaron Sorkin, we want to reiterate the sentiment to get out there and vote. With election day next week, we thought we’d give you a run down on a few of the resources available at the Nebraska Library Commission. Whether your looking for voter information like overseas voting, early/absentee voting, voter check, or just need help finding your polling place check out our NebraskAccess: Election and Politics webpage for helpful links. If you love a good presidential biography or memoir we have a large selection in the Nebraska OverDrive Libraries collection, just search President! Or if you’re just looking to get away from it all we have a specially curated collection in OverDrive for “Political Fantasy.” Not to forget our large collection of book club kits includes many autobiographies, biographies, and memoirs, like this week’s #BookFace, “Five Presidents: My Extraordinary Journey with Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, and Ford” by Clint Hill with Lisa McCubbin (Gallery Books, 2017.)

“Hill’s humanity shines in the rich descriptions of the history he witnessed. The book gives nonpartisan insight about the human side of three Republican and two Democratic presidents. It discloses the huge protective challenges secret service agents face around the clock. Hill also reports many titillating personal events and shares candid views of the swarms of personalities that swirled around the White House.”

—Joseph H. Carter Sr. For The Oklahoman

Need a hand searching our collection? Here are some tips! You can browse our collection by genre or grade level, or use a keyword search to find exactly what your looking for. Still can’t find what you are looking for? Let us know and we’re happy to help.

Book Club Kits Rules for Use

  1. These kits can be checked out by the librarians of Nebraska libraries and media centers.
  2. Circulation times are flexible and will be based upon availability. There is no standard check-out time for book club kits.
  3. Please search the collection to select items you wish to borrow and use the REQUEST THIS KIT icon to borrow items.
  4. Contact the Information Desk at the Library Commission if you have any questions: by phone: 800/307-2665, or by email: Information Services Team

Love this #BookFace & reading? Check out our past #BookFaceFriday photos on the Nebraska Library Commission’s Facebook page!

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Friday Reads: Hitchcock’s Blondes: The Unforgettable Women Behind the Legendary Director’s Dark Obsession

“I abhor conflict but I draw the line with my work. It pains me when I see people who don’t live up to their full potential.”

                –Alfred Hitchcock

The TV show Alfred Hitchcock Presents originally ran between 1955 and 1965, and in the mid-90’s, one of the over the air TV channels ran blocks of the reruns. Each episode was a half hour long. In said mid-90’s, I had gotten rid of Cablevision when they upped the price to 28 bucks a month. I concluded this was way too much of my hard earned dough to spend on channels I wasn’t watching, so I installed an antenna in the attic, and never looked back. The reruns were quite entertaining. I often binge watched them, mostly because there wasn’t much else to do or watch at night. I liked the black and white format, and the plot twists. Although after a few episodes, these became predictable. Likewise, Hitchcock’s movies were (and are) entertaining, especially the décor, the double-entendres, and (sometimes) advanced storylines. Although compared to something with newer technology from someone like say David Lynch, Hitchcock seems more nostalgic than something to be taken seriously. However, that nostalgia isn’t anything to dismiss, and that’s likely one of the reasons I picked up Hitchcock’s Blondes.

For the record, Hitchcock made a few movies after Marnie (1964) that departed from his formulaic blonde leading lady, as well as some before. But, there are enough instances of this occurrence that we certainly can conclude he had a fetish of sorts for the young, blonde actress. The book takes the reader through Hitchcock’s life, chronologically from his early days in England, then Germany, moving up the ranks of the industry, and eventually moving to Hollywood in 1939. It also describes his relationship with his wife Alma (screenwriter), daughter Pat (actress and producer), and other Hollywood types (writers, producers, and agents) that he worked with. The reader comes away from the book with the conclusion that he was a stickler for details when making his films (which might be admirable on a professional level), but also a colossal creep-O.

Hitchcock’s Blondes spends a great deal of time describing the lives of the leading ladies (both personal and professional), with the majority of the time devoted between the movies Spellbound (1945, Ingrid Bergman), and Marnie (1964, Tippi Hedren). While the stories are interesting from the standpoint of describing the lives and careers of each actress (and Leamer does a good job of this), the Hitchcock interactions are mostly the same with a few notable exceptions. He was a narcissist who delighted in telling off-color jokes, reciting dirty limericks, and relishing opportunities to demonstrate his intellectual superiority. In other words, he was insecure, likely about his short appearance and obesity. Kim Novak (Vertigo) was a big target of his intellectual condescension, while Tippi Hedren (the Birds) suffered physically and emotionally in a sadistic fashion as a result of Hitchcock’s relentless harassment. And then there is some additional downright crazy stuff in this book – Leamer seems obsessed with all the details of the on and off screen romances from the leading ladies, their alcoholism, and financial difficulties (at times it almost reads like a Jackie Collins novel). Detailed depictions of their marriages, divorces, and affairs appear in each section. The berating of Kim Novak by her agent as “fat” is absolutely ridiculous, as well as other criticisms of her acting in Vertigo. Overall, I liked learning more about the lives of the actresses, how they were cast, and even the descriptions of Hitchcock’s process in making of his films. However, the usual Hollywood drama, including the broken marriages, alcoholism, and other tragedy, is more than a bit depressing, as is learning about Hitchcock’s retaliation against them.

Leamer, Laurence. Hitchcock’s Blondes: The Unforgettable Women Behind the Legendary Director’s Dark Obsession. 2023. G.P. Putnam’s Sons. 2023.

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Throwback Thursday: Palm Reader Tent

Embrace the spooky and mysterious this #ThrowbackThursday Halloween!

This black and white photograph is on a postcard, dated around 1907-1917, picturing a palm reader’s tent at a fair. A sign on the tent reads: “Madam Seero: Temple of Palmistry”. Men and women stand around outside the tent and a woman in costume stands in the entry to the tent.

This image is published and owned by the History Nebraska. The collections include material on the history of libraries in the state of Nebraska, items from the 1930s related to the Nebraska Public Library Commission bookmobile, as well as items showcasing the history of Nebraska’s state institutions.

See this collection and many more on the Nebraska Memories archive!

The Nebraska Memories archive is brought to you by the Nebraska Library Commission. If your institution is interested in participating in Nebraska Memories, see http://nlc.nebraska.gov/nebraskamemories/participation.aspx for more information.

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CCC Library Information Services Classes for Spring 2025

Central Community College announces class for the Library Information Services program for Spring 2025.

Enrollment opens November 18, 2024 for classes beginning January 13, 2025. The Library & Information Services Certificate is a 15-credit hour program. All credits can be applied to a Central Community College associate degree.

See details of classes and registration information at https://www.cccneb.edu/lis

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New Book Available on BARD!

Covered Wagon Days: A Journey Across the Plains in the Sixties, and Pioneer Days in the Northwest, from the Private Journals of Albert Jerome Dickson” edited by Arthur Jerome Dickson, with introduction by A.B. Guthrie, Jr. is now available on cartridge and for download on BARD, the Braille and Audio Reading Download service.

BARD is a service offered by the Nebraska Library Commission Talking Book and Braille Service and the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled at the Library of Congress.

Albert Jerome Dickson was fourteen years old in 1864 when he left LaCrosse, Wisconsin, in a small caravan of covered wagons headed for Montana Territory. Thousands of emigrants had preceded him on the Oregon Trail, but none ever described the journey in sharper detail. Covered Wagon Days recreates the daily progress of Dickson’s party, which included his guardians, Joshua and Rebecca Ridgley. The logistics of such a trip, the sights along a trail marked by ruts and fresh graves, the rigors of camping, the encounters with Indians and returning pilgrims and vigilantes running after road–agents all figure in Dickson’s memoir. The payoff for the Ridgleys is not the gold being discovered in the mountains near Virginia City but a fine farm in Gallatin Valley. As vivid as any novel about the Oregon Trail and pioneering in the Northwest, Covered Wagon Days, first published in 1929, is based on journals and materials that were edited by the author’s son, Arthur Jerome Dickson.

TBBS borrowers can request “Covered Wagon Days: A Journey Across the Plains in the Sixties, and Pioneer Days in the Northwest, from the Private Journals of Albert Jerome Dickson” DBC02070 or download it from the National Library Service BARD (Braille and Audio Reading Download) website. If you have high-speed internet access, you can download books to your smartphone or tablet, or onto a flash drive for use with your player. You may also contact your reader’s advisor to have the book mailed to you on cartridge.

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Friday Reads: The KLF: Chaos, Magic, and the Band Who Burned a Million Pounds by John Higgs

Bill Drummond and Jimmy Cauty of UK band, The KLF, reunited for 23 minutes at 00:23 on August 23, 2017 (8+2+3+2+0+1+7=23) for one final show. It had been 23 years since their last performance.

In 1995 they had written up a contract banning them from discussing their band (The KLF), their art foundation (the K Foundation), or the unbelievable act they committed the year prior, for 23 years. The contract, written on the top of a ‘68 junker named Ford Timelord, was then pushed off a cliff. By this point, they had already deleted their entire back catalogue of music.

The year before, they had taken one million pounds of cash they made from topping UK charts to a Scottish island with a single press witness who recorded the event and they burned it all up. It was even verified by their bank.

They made it a movie and screened it all over the UK. After each show, they would invite the audience to debate why they burned it all and what it meant. 

The public wrote them off as assholes. Not only had they burned an insane amount that most of us will never get close to, but they couldn’t even say why they did it.

Music Historian John Higgs returns to the question in his book, The KLF: Chaos, Magic, and the Band Who Burned a Million Pounds, to place it in a new context—magic.

To explain this, Higgs repeatedly turns to Alan Moore, friend of Drummond and creator of V for Vendetta and Watchmen. Moore speaks on a version of collective unconscious that he calls Ideaspace—a vast universe of ideas, invisible, but accessible to all of us. It includes the private and public, real and unreal, known and unknown; an endless place where ideas can be entire continents. It’s an ether of creativity, emotion and, in the furthest corners, madness. It does not exist but it creates. This is the magic.

I’m paraphrasing, but Higgs clarifies the path to arrival at this point: “As everyone from magicians like Moore to the most rational scientist will tell you, magic is only in the mind. But this, of course, is also the realm of art—it’s the role of art to explore and illuminate and express this very territory” (167).

Higgs traces The KLF’s journey into outer Ideaspace, moving farther and farther away from the busy main street of regular, everyday, easily digestible ideas. The spectacles they brought out of Ideaspace reflected this: they wore horns on their heads, performed fake pagan rituals, dressed as ice cream cones on Top of the Pops, they left a dead sheep at an award show after party.

Basically, this isn’t Harry Potter.

However, there is a work of fiction referenced throughout as well. The Illuminatus! trilogy by Robert Anton Wilson and Robert Shea was a sci-fi cult classic wrapped in discordianism, a 1960s neo-religion based in chaos and postmodern uncertainty.

The KLF’s first band name, The Justified Ancients of Mu Mu, was taken straight from the trilogy, and Drummond and Cauty made many references both to the trilogy, like their use of the 23 enigma. By tracing these connections, Higgs elucidates the ideas behind their crazy persona. Crazy, but meaningful to them; as Drummond put it, “there is humor in what we do, and in the records, but I really hate it when people go on about us being ‘schemers’ and ‘scammers.’ We do all this stuff from the very depths of our soul and people make out its some sort of game. It depresses me” (147).

Perhaps the money burning marks their point of no return into their ideas. Perhaps it was an attempt to break out of their spectacle and find deeper connection. Perhaps it was a ritual. Higgs doesn’t come to a solid conclusion, fittingly, but his reframing is thoughtful and so, so fun. Grab this copy from the Polley Music library, it is updated edition that includes their 2017 reunion. Their music has started reappearing online, too, while you’re at it.

Higgs, John. The KLF: Chaos, Magic, and the Band Who Burned a Million Pounds. 2012. Blackstone Publishing, 2024.

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#BookFaceFriday “A Grim Reaper’s Guide to Catching a Killer” by Maxie Dara

This #BookFaceFriday is a graveyard smash!

This week’s #BookFaceFriday is fully embracing spooky season! Join in with “A Grim Reaper’s Guide to Catching a Killer” by Maxie Dara (Berkley, 2024). This off-beat and humorous murder mystery is the first part in the author’s SCYTHE Mystery Series. It’s available as a an eBook and Audiobook through Nebraska OverDrive Libraries, and can be found in the specially curated collection “Monster Mash,” which is filled with Halloween, monster, or horror themed titles.

“Fun and lighthearted despite the presence of death, the characters are relatable and funny, and the paranormal aspects are balanced with the ordinariness of Kathy’s messy life. The ending fleshes out this creative premise and sets the book up for the next in a heartwarming series.”

Booklist

Libraries participating in the Nebraska OverDrive Libraries Group currently have access to a shared and growing collection of digital downloadable audiobooks and eBooks. 194 libraries across the state share the Nebraska OverDrive collection of 26,898 audiobooks, 36,794 ebooks, and 5,133 magazines. As an added bonus it includes 130 podcasts that are always available with simultaneous use (SU), as well as SU ebooks and audiobook titles that publishers have made available for a limited time. If you’re a part of it, let your users know about this great title, and if you’re not a member yet, find more information about participating in Nebraska Overdrive Libraries!

Love this #BookFace & reading? We suggest checking out all the titles available for book clubs at http://nlc.nebraska.gov/ref/bookclub. Check out our past #BookFaceFriday photos on the Nebraska Library Commission’s Facebook page!

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Throwback Thursday: Nebraska Corn

Have you been to a corn maze this season #ThrowbackThursday?

This black and white stereoscopic photograph is on a postcard, and pictures a close-up of ears of corn. Information printed on item: 506 Nebraska Corn, 1905; John Nelson, Commercial Photographer, Ericson, Neb. U.S.A.

This image is published and owned by the History Nebraska. The collections include material on the history of libraries in the state of Nebraska, items from the 1930s related to the Nebraska Public Library Commission bookmobile, as well as items showcasing the history of Nebraska’s state institutions.

See this collection and many more on the Nebraska Memories archive!

The Nebraska Memories archive is brought to you by the Nebraska Library Commission. If your institution is interested in participating in Nebraska Memories, see http://nlc.nebraska.gov/nebraskamemories/participation.aspx for more information.

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Help your library patrons avoid scams with resources from the FTC

The Federal Trade Commission’s latest Consumer Alert is all about how librarians can help their communities recognize, avoid, and report scams: https://consumer.ftc.gov/consumer-alerts/2024/10/help-your-library-patrons-avoid-scams

Their newly-updated website for librarians: https://ftc.gov/libraries provides free reference materials, outreach and programming ideas for all ages, social media “shareables” such images and videos, and handouts including bookmarks and brochures that you can print yourself or order in bulk for free. All resources are in the public domain and can be used without restriction.

They also offer free webinars, and “office hours” for you to drop in and get your questions answered. Upcoming library-related webinars, co-sponsored by the Association of Bookmobile and Outreach Services include:

Wednesday, October 23rd, 11:00AM CST: How to Help Your Library Patrons Avoid Holiday Scams

Thursday, December 5th, 1:00PM CST: How To Bring National Consumer Protection Week to Your Library

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Applications Now Open for NEA Big Read Grants

For more grants like this one, check out the NLC’s Grant Opportunities for Nebraska Libraries.

Applications are now open for the 2025-26 cycle of the NEA Big Read, a national program that offers matching grants of up to $20,000 to support community-wide reading programs around the theme of “Our Nature: How Our Physical Environment Can Lead Us to Seek Hope, Courage, and Connection.”

The Intent to Apply deadline is January 23, 2025. Final Application due: January 30, 2025. Visit Arts Midwest’s website for complete grant guidelines and to apply.

The 22 NEA Big Read books available for programming this cycle explore our relationship with the physical environment, from our cities and farms to our mountains and coastlines. Applicants will host book discussions, writing workshops, and other creative activities that examine how we shape our physical environment and how it shapes us.

The NEA Big Read welcomes applications from a variety of eligible organizations, including first-time applicants; organizations serving communities of all sizes, including rural and urban areas; and organizations with small, medium or large operating budgets. Eligible applicants include nonprofit arts organizations, universities/colleges, school districts, public libraries, tribal organizations, museums, and community service organizations located and operating within the United States, U.S. Territories, and the Native Nations that share this geography.

Potential applicants may sign up for a live informational webinar, being held on November 14, 2024 at 1pm CT, to learn more about the program. All registrants will be send a link to the recording, even if you cannot attend the live event.

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Book Club Spotlight – Conviction

Cover for Conviction by Denise Mina. A snake wraps around a anchor in the shape of an ampersand

It’s hard to ignore the impact that True Crime podcasts have had on pop culture. From movies to the TV Show Only Murders in the Building, and books like Listen for the Lie and A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, we cannot get enough of the everyday person who gets swept up in the adrenaline of these dangerous stories. Gone are the days of the “Gentleman Detective” who solves crimes as a profession. The Amateur Detective is in it for the love of the game…and their lives! Today’s Spotlight Conviction by Denise Mina is no different. Here, her amateur detectives listen to True Crime podcasts to escape their lives but inextricably find themselves in the middle of the story- Murderers and all.

A woman with a false identity, and a disgraced famous musician race in the dead of night across the Scottish highlands. Just hours before, their respective partners had run off together, and now the two are on the case to solve a murder they heard about on a podcast. On their heels, the looming presence of someone far more powerful than they could ever imagine wants to see them silenced. 10 years ago, Leon Parker and his two adult children perished onboard as a famously haunted yacht sank under mysterious circumstances. The woman arrested for the crime could not have possibly committed it. Connecting this case to an unassuming housewife’s mysterious past, is the enigmatic and powerful Gretchen Teigler, who will stop at nothing to end anyone who dares get in her way. 

“Just when you think something can’t get any worse, someone who dislikes you comes to watch.”

Denise Mina

A 2019 Reese’s Book Club Pick, Conviction is a great choice for those Book Club Groups looking for thrills and laughs this Halloween. Mina’s pacing and punchy characters keep you engaged and invested as the mystery of The Dana unravels. Washed-up Fin Cohen and suburban Anna McDonald, are not only trying to solve the case but make a podcast along the way, which ends up being as helpful as it is deadly. The chemistry between our mystery-solving duo is a true delight. Both come to the partnership with loads of baggage and they aren’t afraid to push each other’s buttons. Each of the copies in our collection comes with a Reading Group Guide in the back of the book including an interview with the author!

This book deals with the unfortunate reality of sexual violence and eating disorders which may be hard for some groups to discuss. For resources on how to talk to your community about these topics, I recommend these programs for education:

If you’re interested in requesting Conviction for your book club, you can find the Request Form here. There are 5 copies. (A librarian must request items)

Mina, Denise. Conviction. Mulholland Books. 2019.

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NCompass Live: Letters About Literature 2024

Learn about Nebraska’s state reading and writing contest for youth, Letters About Literature, on next week’s NCompass Live webinar on Wednesday, October 23 at 10am CT.

The Nebraska Center for the Book is a statewide organization dedicated to the promotion of reading in all its forms. Its annual Nebraska Letters About Literature contest allows students in 4th through 12th grade to write to authors (living or deceased) about their favorite book or poem about how his or her book affected their lives. This session will provide helpful information for teachers and librarians interested in the competition. It will also cover the submission process and be an excellent opportunity to ask questions about the entire competition process. Teachers will be interested in this program that will help enhance and extend their classroom instruction.

Presenter: Tessa Timperley – Communications Coordinator, Nebraska Library Commission

Upcoming NCompass Live shows:

  • Oct. 30 – Pretty Sweet Tech
  • Nov. 6 – Summer Reading Program 2025: Color Our World
  • Nov. 13 – Nebraska Open Meetings Act: 2024 Overview and Update
  • Dec. 11 – Best New Children’s Books of 2024
  • Jan. 8, 2025 – Best New Teen Reads of 2024

To register for an NCompass Live show, or to listen to recordings of past shows, go to the NCompass Live webpage.

NCompass Live is broadcast live every Wednesday from 10am – 11am Central Time. Convert to your time zone on the Official U.S. Time website.

The show is presented online using the GoTo Webinar online meeting service. Before you attend a session, please see the NLC Online Sessions webpage for detailed information about GoTo Webinar, including system requirements, firewall permissions, and equipment requirements for computer speakers and microphones.

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Friday Reads: The She Series by Karen Hallion

The She Series is a series of portraits that artist Karen Hallion has drawn celebrating strong women who inspire us. Each portrait is drawn in profile, with an action word along side. The first portrait was fictional: Princess Leia, with the word Rebel. Since then, her works have expanded to include non-fictional and male portraits.

The series has become very popular among her fanbase, with her followers on social media recommending people to be added. Hallion also asks for verb suggestions as she works on new sketches, making the project a collaboration with her fans.

In 2021, Hallion ran a Kickstarter to publish a book of some of the non-fictional women portraits, accompanied by essays written by Hallion and 58 other writers. This became The She Series: 120 Portraits & Essays Celebrating Inspiring Icons Whose Actions Changed the World.

Each essay is about 500 words, a nice quick read for when you’re looking for some motivation or just to learn about how women have impacted and influenced history.

In Karen Hallion’s own words:

My hope for this book is to show how important taking action is; that seemingly simple actions can be profound. In addition to this book being an informational biography about strong women, I hope it will also inspire people of all ages to take action in their own lives, even when they are afraid or told they shouldn’t do something. It’s just as brave and important to raise your hand in a classroom or speak up in front of friends as it is to dissent if you disagree with the other members of the Supreme Court.

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#BookFaceFriday “Breaking Rank” by Kristin D. Randle

Don’t let this #BookFace strong arm you!

Are your younger readers looking for a great book? Let us lend you a (tiny) hand in finding the right title! The Library Commission has a large collection of book club kits for children and young adults. Like this week’s #BookFace ,”Breaking Rank” by Kristen D. Randle (Turtleback Books, 2001), perfect for readers ages 12 and up; it’s a part of our Book Club Kit collection, with thirteen copies available for checkout. Diving into themes of peer pressure and independent thinking, this novel has been compared to The Outsiders, West Side Story, and Romeo and Juliet.

“This novel challenges stereotypes and stigmas when an unprecedented friendship develops between two teens of rival high school groups. “Randle is adept at conveying ingrained prejudices as well as the frustration and alienation that leads some youths to forsake the `straight’ world for a more friendly and accepting one of their own making.”

—Publishers Weekly

Need a hand searching our collection? Here are some tips! You can browse our collection by genre or grade level, or use a keyword search to find Golden Sower nominees and winners. If you need a large number of books for a whole classroom, limit your search to only those sets with enough books to meet your needs. Still can’t find what you are looking for? Let us know and we’re happy to help.

Book Club Kits Rules for Use

  1. These kits can be checked out by the librarians of Nebraska libraries and media centers.
  2. Circulation times are flexible and will be based upon availability. There is no standard check-out time for book club kits.
  3. Please search the collection to select items you wish to borrow and use the REQUEST THIS KIT icon to borrow items.
  4. Contact the Information Desk at the Library Commission if you have any questions: by phone: 800/307-2665, or by email: Information Services Team

Love this #BookFace & reading? Check out our past #BookFaceFriday photos on the Nebraska Library Commission’s Facebook page!

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Throwback Thursday: Chief American Horse (Wasicu Tasunke)

We’re celebrating Indigenous Peoples Day this #ThrowbackThursday!

This black and white studio photograph shows Chief American Horse (Wasicu Tasunke) wearing an animal skin shirt and a feathered headdress. He wears both a presidential peace medal and a bear claw necklace around his neck. The photograph was taken at the Rosebud Reservation. During the Ghost Dance Uprising of 1890, American Horse tried to diffuse confrontations between Native Americans and whites. In 1891, he led a delegation of Sioux chiefs to Washington, D.C., to try to bring about better treatment of his people. The Rosebud Sioux Indian Reservation is located nine miles north of Valentine, Nebraska, in South Dakota.

This image is published and owned by the History Nebraska. The collections include material on the history of libraries in the state of Nebraska, items from the 1930s related to the Nebraska Public Library Commission bookmobile, as well as items showcasing the history of Nebraska’s state institutions.

See this collection and many more on the Nebraska Memories archive!

The Nebraska Memories archive is brought to you by the Nebraska Library Commission. If your institution is interested in participating in Nebraska Memories, see http://nlc.nebraska.gov/nebraskamemories/participation.aspx for more information.

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