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Author Archives: Bailee Juroshek
Friday Reads: “The Crime Brulée Bake Off” by Rebecca Connolly
I love watching cooking and baking shows. From classics like Masterchef, or more fun shows like Netflix’s Nailed It or Dropout’s Gastronauts, or YouTube content like Tasting History with Max Miller, there’s a plethora of options to choose from with different themes and vibes. But one show takes the cake, and that would be The Great British Bake Off. My friends and I will often have watch parties as the newest season airs, choosing bakers to root for as the season goes on. So when I visited my local library and saw The Crime Brûlée Bake Off by Rebecca Connolly with their new mystery arrivals, I was instantly interested and as soon as I had a chance to sit down and read it I found myself charmed by the parody it creates.
The novel follows Claire Walker, a teacher with a love for history who just learned that she will be one of the bakers on the newest season of Britan’s Battle of the Bakers. This season is set to take place on the estate of Blackfirth Park, where our secondary character and future love interest Viscount of Colburn Jonathan Ainsley lives. Claire’s peppy and quirky energy is juxtaposed with Jonathan’s more serious (and somewhat annoyed) tone every other chapter, swapping perspectives as the show goes on.
At first it seems like a simple re-imagining of the classic Bake Off show, with a few changes such as a cash prize. But after the first round of baking one of the bakers is found dead in the estate’s mill, the body found in the exact same way as the 10th Viscountess who had died mysteriously many years ago. The novel becomes a very fun murder mystery where the suspense grows alongside the budding romance between Claire and Johnathan, who are helping the lead detective look into the death and the various suspects. Some say it was the ghost of the Viscountess herself, the local government and showrunners are more than happy to say it was an accident, but they’re convinced it was a murder. But they need to prove it before the show ends, and hopefully before Claire gets sent home for a bad bake.
If you love The Great British Bake Off and enjoy a good romance mystery novel, The Crime Brûlée Bake Off makes for a fun and lighthearted read. Claire’s silly exclamations such as “crepes alive!” had me giggling, and the mystery of the murder kept me guessing. Plus, once you’re finished with the story there are six recipes in the back, each a story-relevant bake from the book. I certainly can’t wait to give one of them a try!
Connolly, Rebecca. The Crime Brûlée Bake Off. Shadow Mountain. 2025.
Posted in Books & Reading, General
Tagged Book Review, books, Friday Reads, Novel, Reading, Rebecca Connolly, The Crime Brulee Bake Off
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Throwback Thursday: Children’s Room, Kearney Public Library
Happy National Library Week #ThrowbackThursday!

This 9.5″ x 7.5″ black and white photograph of the children’s room of the Kearney Public Library shows model sailing ships sitting on top of bookcases, tables with built-in lamps, and view of circulation desk. Library building was funded by Carnegie, and completed in 1904.
This image is published and owned by the Nebraska Library Commission. 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.
#BookFaceFriday “On the Trail: A History of American Hiking” by Silas Chamberlin
Take a hike with #BookFaceFriday!

Take in the sunshine and breath some fresh air. “On the Trail: A History of American Hiking” by Silas Chamberlin (Yale University Press, 2016) is the first history of the American hiking community and its contributions to the nation’s vast network of trails.
Delving into unexplored archives, including those of the Appalachian Mountain Club, Sierra Club, Green Mountain Club, and many others, Silas Chamberlin recounts the activities of hikers who over many decades formed clubs, built trails, and advocated for environmental protection. It’s available as an eBook through Nebraska OverDrive Libraries and is currently featured in the “Take a Hike!” curated collection, along with many other novels about hiking and the wilderness.“This winning, thought-provoking book offers insight into a relatively unknown aspect of environmental history.”
— Library Journal (starred review)
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!
Throwback Thursday: C.P. Coy & Co. Seed House
It’s a corny #ThrowbackThursday!

In this 5-1/2″ x 3-1/2″ black and white photograph, “C.P. Coy Son & Co. Wholesale Seeds – Sweet, Flint & Dent Corn” is painted on the front of a three-story wood frame building next to the Union Pacific Railroad tracks. A St. Louis, Iron Mountain & Southern Railroad freight car sits at the side of the building. Printed on the photograph is: “No. 11, C.P. Coy & Co seed house, Valley, Nebr.”
The Coy Seed House was an important industry for Valley, Nebraska. The building built in 1903 was one of the largest seed houses in the country. Many kinds of seeds were packaged and sold around the country, including beans, corn and pumpkin. The seed packets were sold in hardware stores, grocery stores and nurseries. In later years, the building became the Midwest Popcorn Company. In 1947, it was destroyed by fire.
This image is published and owned by the Valley Public Library. The Friends of the Valley Public Library, Valley, Nebraska, have digitized and described a collection of photographs depicting businesses and members of the local population between the late 1800s and 1900s in Valley.
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.
Throwback Thursday: Bandstand in Hanscom Park
Enjoy the sunshine this #ThrowbackThursday!

Dated around 1907, this black and white photograph pictures a portable bandstand that has been assembled on the grass at Hanscom Park, located at 3201 Woolworth Avenue in Omaha, Nebraska. The bandstand has wheels underneath, so that it can be transported easily. There are chairs and lamps on the surface of the bandstand. Many trees can be seen in the background
This image is published and owned by the Omaha Public Library. They have a large collection of 1,100+ postcards and photographs of the Omaha area.
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.
#BookFaceFriday “Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman” by Robert K. Massie
It’s the reign of #BookFaceFriday!

Happy Woman’s History Month! “Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman” by Robert K. Massie (Random House Trade Paperbacks, 2012) is a narrative biography that delves into the story and history of Catherine the Great.
It’s available as an eBook and Audiobook through Nebraska OverDrive Libraries and is currently featured in the “Woman’s History” curated collection, along with many other novels highlighting woman throughout history.“[A] meticulously detailed work about Catherine and her world. . . . Massie makes Catherine’s story as gripping as that of any novel. His book does full justice to a complex and fascinating woman and to the age in which she lived.”
— Historical Novels Review
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!
Throwback Thursday: Immanuel Nursing School Basketball Players
March Madness is upon us #ThrowbackThursday!

In this black and white photograph, three team members of the Immanuel Deaconess Institute’s School of Nursing Basketball Team perform a jump shot on the basketball court in Bloom Hall. They are wearing basketball uniforms, knee pads, and sneakers. The letters “ISN” can be seen on the players’ shirts. This picture was taken in Bloom Hall, which was constructed in 1937 for the School of Nursing Athletics.
This image is published and owned by the Alegent Health Immanuel Medical Center, located in Bellevue, Nebraska. They have a mission to preserve, collect, display, and document objects and records related to the history of Sarpy County.
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.
#BookFaceFriday “Very Bad at Math” by Hope Larson
You can always count on #BookFaceFriday!

Everything is adding up! This week’s #BookFace, “Very Bad at Math” by New York Times bestselling and Eisner Award–winning author Hope Larson (HarperAlley, 2025) is a colorful middle grade graphic novel. Verity “Very” Nelson can do it all, except math! All seems lost until a teacher helps her discover the truth: Verity has dyscalculia, a learning disability that causes her to mix up numbers.
“Graphic novelist Larson has aimed her latest story at middle-grade readers who…will make a lot of readers feel seen. A solid addition.”
—Booklist
The Nebraska Library Commission receives a large number of children’s and young adult books sent to us as review copies from book publishers. When our Children and Young Adult Library Services Coordinator, Sally Snyder, is done with them, the review copies are available for the Library System Directors to distribute to school and public libraries in their systems. You can see some of her favorites of the past year in the recent NCompass Live webinar episodes: Best Teen Reads of 2024 and Best Children’s Books of 2024.
Love this #BookFace & reading? Check out our past #BookFaceFriday photos on the Nebraska Library Commission’s Facebook page!
Throwback Thursday: Agnes and Christina Hilger
It’s a beautiful #ThrowbackThursday!

A 4″x6″ glass plate negative, portrait photograph of Agnes and Christina Hilger, from David City, Nebraska. Agnes and Christina Hilger were the two youngest daughters of John and Florence Hilger. Agnes was born in Missouri, July 1881. Agnes married Allen B. Smith. Christine was born in Missouri, September 23, 1877, and died May 25, 1968, in David City, Nebraska, where she is buried in St. Mary’s cemetery.
This image is published as part of the Boston Studio Project collection, and is owned by both them and the Thorpe Opera House Foundation. The Boston Studio Collection consists of over 68,000 negatives that record life in and around David City, Nebraska from 1893 to 1979.
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.
#BookFaceFriday “The Dream Lover” by Elizabeth Berg
#BookFaceFriday come rescue me!

This #BookFaceFriday is a dream come true! At the beginning of “The Dream Lover” by Elizabeth Berg (Ballantine Books; Reprint edition; 2016), Aurore Duplin is leaving her estranged husband and life behind to move to Paris and pursue her dream of becoming a writer under the new name of George Sand.
We have 3 copies for your reading group to borrow in our Book Club Kit collection, and you can also find it in ebook format in the Nebraska OverDrive Libraries.“Fantastic . . . a provocative and dazzling portrait . . . Berg tells a terrific story, while simultaneously exploring sexuality, art, and the difficult personal choices women artists in particular made—then and now—in order to succeed. . . . The book, imagistic and perfectly paced, full of dialogue that clips along, is a reader’s dream.”
— The Boston Globe
Book Club Kits Rules for Use
- These kits can be checked out by the librarians of Nebraska libraries and media centers.
- Circulation times are flexible and will be based upon availability. There is no standard check-out time for book club kits.
- Please search the collection to select items you wish to borrow and use the REQUEST THIS KIT icon to borrow items.
- Contact the Information Desk at the Library Commission if you have any questions: by phone: 800/307-2665, or by email: Information Services Team
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? Check out our past #BookFaceFriday photos on the Nebraska Library Commission’s Facebook page!
Throwback Thursday: Annual Traffic Report
Pull over, it’s #ThrowbackThursday!

This is the cover of a 35 page annual report booklet from 1941, containing statistical information from the Lincoln Police Department, Traffic Division. The report has 37 tables which include the following information: review of 1941 traffic fatalities, total traffic accidents, persons injured, violations, condition of driver, type of motor vehicle, road and weather conditions, and moving violations.
This image is published and owned by the Lincoln Police Department. Their collection includes digitized images of police officers from 1885-1907 and department annual reports from 1942-1973.
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.
#BookFaceFriday “Birding with Benefits” by Sarah T. Dubb
Is that a #BookFaceFriday I see?

The sun is shining and the birds are flying! If the springtime weather has you in the mood for romance then this #BookFace has you covered! “Birding with Benefits”, Sarah T. Dubb’s debut novel (Gallery Books, 2024), follows divorcee Celeste on her “year of yes” which leads her to John, the shy but sensitive birdwatcher.
It’s available as an eBook through Nebraska OverDrive Libraries, and if you’re looking for more contemporary rom-coms the featured “You Turn My Pages” curated collection available on OverDrive is the perfect place to look!“The slowly simmering romance that blossoms between plucky heroine and heart-of-gold hero results in some love scenes that are as hot as the desert sun in July.”
— Booklist (starred review)
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!
Posted in Books & Reading, General
Tagged Birding with Benefits, Book Covers, bookface, bookfacefriday, books, Nebraska OverDrive Libraries, Reading, Rom-Com, romance, Sarah T Dubb
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Throwback Thursday: Inside Nelson & Company Post Office and Store
Got any errands to run this #ThrowbackThursday?

This 6″ x 4″ black and white photograph shows four men inside a store in Potter, Nebraska. Counters and shelves stocked with merchandise line each side of the single aisle. The floor and ceiling are covered with wooden planks. At the rear of the store, a wood stove sits in front of a bank of mailboxes and the post office window. Standing by the stove is Jake Woten, an early postmaster in Potter. Behind the counter, front to back, are: Fred Nelson, postmaster; and his brothers Joe and Emil Nelson. In the far back right corner, a ladder-type staircase rises to the second floor, and a over the door next to the staircase a sign advertises: “Snider’s pork and beans with tomato sauce”. This building now houses the Potter Museum.
This image is published and owned by the Cheyenne County Historical Society and Museum, located in Sidney, Nebraska. Their collection holds many historical photographs of people and places in Sidney, Fort Sidney, Potter, Dalton, and other communities and sites in the county.
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.
Throwback Thursday: Christmas Card with Picture of Charles B. Washington & Tony Brown
Happy Black History Month #ThrowbackThursday!
The inside of this 5-1/2″x8-1/2″ 1974 Christmas greeting card has a color photograph of Tony Brown presenting the Fredrick Douglass Liberation Award to Charles B. Washington. Washington is holding the award as Brown shakes his hand. Written inside is:
Joy for me in 1974 was receiving the Frederick Douglass Liberation Award for “truth and excellence in communications” from the Howard University School of Communications by “providing spirit and substance to a thrust for relevant Black programming in his role as television host for the weekly ‘Omaha, Can We Do?’ program” over WOW-TV.
Charles B. Washington
Picture above shows Howard Communications School Dean Tony Brown (right) making award presentation to me at Washington, D.C. banquet.
This image is published and owned by the Omaha Public Library, who’s collection includes early Omaha-related maps dating from 1825 to 1922, as well as over 1,100 postcards and photographs of the Omaha area, as well as the Charles B. Washington Collection which is comprised of items relating to the life of Washington, a local civil rights activist.
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.
Throwback Thursday: J. F. Rosenfield Peony Gardens, Omaha, Nebraska on Lincoln Highway
Have you already picked out flowers for your Valentine this #ThrowbackThursday?

This 13.5 x 8.5 cm color postcard from around 1914-1920 pictures a view of a woman standing in the middle of rows of pink, white and red peony bushes holding a red bouquet. The postcard reads “J. F. Rosenfield Peony Gardens, Omaha, Nebraska, on Lincoln Highway” on the top left side of the postcard.
This nursery, was located just outside the Omaha city limits at 77th street and the Old Lincoln Highway, the current 77th & Cass Street. People would drive from all over the country to view the flowers. Omaha’s Peony Park, located across the street, took its name from the gardens. The Lincoln Highway, running past, was the first highway across America linking the Atlantic to the Pacific and in 1913 the route through Nebraska was announced. Lincoln Highway followed Dodge Street until about 76th Street when it veered to the northwest toward 78th & Cass past these gardens. Source: Omaha Public Library Omaha History Clipping File-Peony Park.
The card is not addressed, stamped, or postmarked but does read:
J.F. Rosenfield Poeny Gardens
This charming garden spot was established in 1884 by the present owner. It contains now twenty-five acres of peonies in several hundred of the world’s very choicest varieties. Blooming season extends from middle of May throughout June. They are at their best the first half of June. The grounds are open to the public.

This image is published and owned by the Omaha Public Library. They have a large collection of 1,100+ postcards and photographs of the Omaha area.
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.
Throwback Thursday: Adah May
It’s time for another #ThrowbackThursday!

This 4″x6″ glass plate negative, dated 3/11/1910, is a full-figure portrait of child Adah May sitting in a baby carriage. She is wearing a long-sleeved sweater with large white collar and a white cap that ties under the chin. The child is seated on a long-haired fur blanket that covers her legs. Adah J. May was born in Nebraska in 1908, the daughter of Edwin & Jeanette May. According to the 1910 census, her father was a traveling salesman and her grandparents ran a hotel in David City and according to the 1920 census the family was living in Beatrice, Nebraska, where her parents ran a hotel.
This image is published as part of the Boston Studio Project collection, and is owned by both them and the Thorpe Opera House Foundation. The Boston Studio Collection consists of over 68,000 negatives that record life in and around David City, Nebraska from 1893 to 1979.
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.
Throwback Thursday: Fremont Public Library
Consider visiting your library this #ThrowbackThursday!

This week we have a black and white, real photograph post card of the 1903 Fremont Public Library, dated 1910. “Fremont Public Library” is cut in stone above the entry and a portion of the lettering may be seen. The building was built in 1902-1903 for $15,000. Featured interior details include quarter-sawed oak trim, marble entry walls and a tiled entry floor. The building was eventually razed some time after the library contents were moved to the newly constructed Keene Memorial Library in 1971.
This image is owned by the Dodge County Historical Society, and published by Keene Memorial Library. Both are located in Fremont, Nebraska, and they worked as partners to digitize and describe content owned by the historical society. The collection of photographs documents life in Fremont in the late 1800s and early 1900s.
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.