Jeff Guinn’s Waco: David Koresh, the Branch Davidians, and A Legacy of Rage

Any time Jeff Guinn releases a new book is a special occasion on this blog. I’m a big Guinn fan–thanks so much to Mary-Esther to introducing me to his books a few years ago. In the past, I’ve reviewed or profiled his books that span from Jim Jones to Bonnie and Clyde to the Pershing Expedition. I always know that a Guinn nonfiction book will be thought-provoking, well-written, and well-researched, and I think he particularly shines at historical true crime. He excels at examining the social and historical contexts that his subjects both shaped and were shaped by.

His latest book, about the Branch Davidians, their leader David Koresh, and the infamous standoff that unfolded at Waco thirty years ago this spring, particularly succeeds at this and is a fascinating read. Thanks so much to Julie for purchasing it for the library!

Book Buzz: Little Women Redux, Yorkshire Fiction, Eerie Residences, Joy, Horse Girls, Gullah Foodways, and Classic Mysteries

Every month, we’re profiling new-ish releases that are getting critical and commercial buzz. For March, we’re looking at Little Women from Marmee’s point of view, a heartwarming tale set in the Yorkshire Dales (that’s not James Herriot), a gothic novel that should appeal to Silvia Moreno-Garcia fans, an anthology that’s all about joy, a historical mystery centered around the horse racing industry, a cookbook devoted to recipes from the Sea Islands, and an audiobook rendition of some classic Agatha Christie mysteries.

Book Buzz: Romances Galore, Dual-Timeline Historical Fiction, WWII Nurses, Serial Killers, Mining Mayhem, and Storytellers

Every month, we’re profiling new-ish releases that are getting critical and commercial buzz. For February, we’re looking at four different romances (right in time for Valentine’s Day!), historical fiction that spans from the Civil War to World War II, a true crime memoir from a cold case specialist, and audiobook novels about turn-of-the-twentieth-century labor strikes in Colorado and the intersection of secrets and stories.

Walk A Mile In My Shoes: February

This year, our theme is “Walk A Mile In My Shoes.” The idea that you can’t understand someone (and shouldn’t judge them) until you’ve walked a mile in their shoes is a pretty common sentiment. And research has shown that reading fiction is one way to really get such a walk going. So, that’s what we are going to do this year: use fiction (and some nonfiction when we just can’t resist) to take walks in someone’s shoes. We hope you lace up those sneakers and join our journey. For February, we’re going to be looking at a growing issue in Carroll County–homelessness.

Book Buzz: Marshy Intrigue, Wrecked Houses, Baked Inheritances, Modern Family Sagas, Avian Theft, and Thriller Audiobooks

Every month, we’re profiling new-ish releases that are getting critical and commercial buzz. For January, we’re looking at a literary mystery set in the Florida wetlands, a novel that explores the fallout of an act of vandalism, modern sagas about Caribbean and Native American/Hispanic families, true crime about a falcon thief, and an audiobook about nice couples who may not be so nice after all.

Walk A Mile In My Shoes: January

This year, our theme is “Walk A Mile In My Shoes.” The idea that you can’t understand someone (and shouldn’t judge them) until you’ve walked a mile in their shoes is a pretty common sentiment. And research has shown that reading fiction is one way to really get such a walk going. So, that’s what we are going to do this year: use fiction (and some nonfiction when we just can’t resist) to take walks in someone’s shoes. We hope you lace up those sneakers and join our journey. To kick off the series, we’re going to start close to home.

Book Buzz: 20th Century Family Sagas, Mysterious Thrillers, Short Story Collections, Native American Nonfiction, and Westerns Galore

Every month, we’re profiling new-ish releases that are getting critical and commercial buzz. For December, we’re looking at a family saga set on the cusp of WWII, a thriller about mysterious disappearances in an Appalachian resort town, a short story collection about veterans, a Western from Geronimo’s perspective, a history centered on Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull, and an audiobook about a Chinese woman’s saga in the 19th century American West.

Bill Briwa’s The Everyday Gourmet: Essential Secrets of Spices in Cooking

This is the last month of our spice club, but we’ve had quite a few patrons ask us about continuing the series. That’s not happening next year as we shift focus to a new theme, but that’s not to say we won’t potentially revisit it down the road. For those of you going through spice club withdrawals, maybe this DVD + book combination from Great Courses will do the trick.

Book Buzz: Modern-Day David Copperfields, WWII Romances, Vacations, Rivers, and Journeys

Every month, we’re profiling new-ish releases that are getting critical and commercial buzz. For November, we’re looking at Barbara Kingsolver’s latest acclaimed novel, a Rebecca-esque romance set during WWII, a throwback to summer, the real-life story of a modern mythical figure, and an audiobook set in medieval Ireland.

Alan Rickman’s Madly, Deeply: The Diaries of Alan Rickman (2022)

I imagine most people have an Alan Rickman role that is their default for him. For some, it might be one of his rogue’s gallery of villains (like Hans Gruber in Die Hard) or perhaps one of his rarer romantic roles (Colonel Brandon in Sense and Sensibility or Jamie in Truly, Madly, Deeply) or his cryptic Snape in the Harry Potter movies.

For me, it’s probably a mish mash of Gruber, his hilariously put-upon Alexander Dane in Galaxy Quest, and his condescending Obadiah Slope in The Barchester Chronicles (an early role).

Rickman died nearly seven years ago, the terminal cancer that took him a closely guarded secret from the public until his passing. Rickman had been a diligent diarist for years, and there has been mixed information on whether Rickman intended to publish these diaries. Regardless of his intentions, this collection of his diary entries were released last month.