News from the Jacksonville Public Library:
“Everything is just beginning” by Erin Bartels: Michael Sullivan is a talented lyricist and a good guitarist, but since he’s been kicked out of his band (and his apartment), he’s not sure he’ll ever get a record deal. Living in a run-down trailer with his failure-to-work uncle and working a job with no prospects for advancement, Michael has little reason to hope for a better future. Until an invitation to a fancy New Year’s Eve party arrives in the mailbox. It’s for his uncle, who shares his name, but his uncle is leaving town. On the stormy night of December 31, 1989 – as the Berlin Wall falls, the Soviet Union moves toward democracy, and anything seems possible – Michael crosses paths with the accomplished and enigmatic young heir to a fading musical dynasty, changing both of their futures forever.
“Cloud observation for beginners” by Gavin Pretor-Pinney: Renowned journalist, speaker, and founder of the Cloud Appreciation Society Gavin Pretor-Pinney describes key facts and characteristics about each major cloud type. Accompanying these scientific tidbits are William Grill’s beautiful illustrations of vast, colorful skies and fascinating cloud patterns, making for a calming, thought-provoking learning experience. From low-lying stratus to soaring cirrus clouds, Cloudspotting for Beginners covers how clouds are formed, what altitudes they prefer, the strange shapes they take, how they affect other meteorological events, and more. The book analyzes the life and structure of a cloud at the molecular level, then even goes into their interesting cross-planetary variations—for example, Jupiter’s clouds are made of ammonia ice crystals, and Saturn’s clouds gather in an inexplicable hexagon around the planet’s north pole.
“Ezra”: “Ezra” is about Max, a stand-up comedian who lives with his father while trying to raise his autistic son Ezra with his ex-wife. When Max and Ezra face difficult decisions about the future, they embark on a cross-country road trip.
“Katie Ledecky: A Little Golden Book Biography” by Shana Corey: Young readers will be inspired by Katie Ledecky—American swimmer and world record holder, two-time AP Female Athlete of the Year Award winner, and Olympic gold medalist—when reading her biography in the Little Golden Book.
Page Turners, the library’s book club for adults, meets on Wednesdays at 6 p.m. The book being discussed is “Dark Currents” by Jacqueline Carey.
The garden club meets for the last time in the summer on Thursday at 9 a.m. It is worm day and the participants help to clean up the garden. The club is aimed at children aged 5 to 10 years.
Local author John C. Dailey will speak about his book “The Story of Gunnar Hansen” on August 21 at 7 p.m. Admission is free.
