Delaney’s ‘The Girl Before’ tops list of requested books
The Fresno County Library’s Bookshelf column shares suggestions for books, music, and other items, and provides information about library programs.
Top 5 Most Requested Books
▪ “The Girl Before: A Novel,” by J.P. Delaney
▪ “Never Never,” by James Patterson
▪ “Below the Belt,” by Stuart Woods
▪ “Nineteen Eighty-Four,” by George Orwell
▪ “Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis,” by J.D. Vance
New Arrivals
“At the Existentialist Café: Freedom, Being, and Apricot Cocktails with Jean-Paul Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir, Albert Camus, Martin Heidegger, Karl Jaspers, Edmund Husserl, Maurice Merleau-Ponty and Others,” by Sarah Bakewell. The book for all those who wonder what 20th century philosophy is all about!
“Days Without End: A Novel,” by Sebastian Barry. A refugee from the Irish potato famine and a young American team for adventure on the Western frontier, and confront gender and ethnic issues years before their time.
“The Strays: A Novel,” by Emily Bitto. In 1930s Australia, schoolgirl Lily goes to live with her best friend’s family and is soon ensnared in a web of treachery, inflated egos and Bohemian living.
150 Years of Laura Ingalls Wilder
“A Wilder Rose,” by Susan Wittig Albert. The little-known story of how Laura Ingalls Wilder’s daughter, Rose, actively encouraged and edited her mother’s work and was instrumental in bringing the “Little House” series to publication and worldwide fame.
“Little Author in the Big Woods: A Biography of Laura Ingalls Wilder,” by Yona Zeldis McDonough. This volume, aimed at teenage readers, explains the differences between the “Little House” series and the actual lives of the Ingalls and Wilder families.
“The Wilder Life: My Adventures in the Lost World of Little House on the Prairie,” by Wendy McClure. Along with visiting the places mentioned in the “Little House” series, the author describes her attempts to learn the hard parts of frontier living, such as churning butter and grinding wheat.
Events
▪ Family Fab Lab: Co-sponsored with Fresno Ideaworks. Learn how to Take-a-Part (deconstruct electronics and appliances), 5-7 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 7, at the Selma Branch Library (details, 559-896-3323); Nerdy Derby (build a derby car), 6-8 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 8, at the Sunnyside Regional Library (details, 559-600-6594); Castle Battle (assemble a catapult), 6-8 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 9, at the Reedley Branch Library (details, 559-638-2818) and 2-4 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 11, at the Fig Garden Regional Library (details, 559-600-4071).
▪ Miyazaki Wednesdays: Spend early release days by watching these animated favorites. Bring snacks as we kick on this monthly series. 2:30-6 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 8, at the Woodward Park Regional Library. Details: 559-600-3135.
This is a weekly column written by the Fresno County Public Library staff. Events are usually free. Visit fresnolibrary.org, or call 559-600-6227 for details. Follow the library! Get information on library events, contests, and more when you connect with us on social media. Use the tag #fresnolibrary.
This story was originally published February 2, 2017 at 4:12 PM with the headline "Delaney’s ‘The Girl Before’ tops list of requested books."