Lewis & Clark Library Blog - LibGuides at Lewis & Clark Library

Today's Staff Picks blog post features two excellent reading selections, both historical fiction, one by Montana author Debra Magpie Earling, and the other a classic by Tim O'Brien. Thanks to Library Associate Millie for sharing these reading suggestions.
Thanks Millie!

Perma Red

by Debra Magpie Earling

“Do not trust anyone who tells you there is only one story. If there were only one story or one way of seeing things all stories would die."

In this award winning novel, Earling explores native identity and personal agency through Louise White Elk. As a Salish and Kootenai woman, Earling feels responsible for the stories of her ancestors and based this historical fiction on accounts of her aunt. This poignant tale embraces the more difficult of native histories, including Catholic boarding schools, forced assimilation, and assault. Most importantly this book stands tribute to how one grows into their own power and identity, despite being trapped in unfortunate systemic and social circumstances.
Find Perma Red in the library catalog Here
Also available for digital checkout:
Libby eBook and audiobook
Hoopla audiobook
Read more about author Debra Magpie Earling Here

The Things They Carried
by Tim O’Brien

“Stories are for joining the past to the future. Stories are for those late hours in the night when you can't remember how you got from where you were to where you are. Stories are for eternity, when memory is erased, when there is nothing to remember except the story.”This collection of connected short stories on the Vietnam war blurs the line between fiction and autobiography. O’Brien draws on his own experiences while sculpting a narrative that could fit for every solider. This style lends itself to the overarching themes, and is a testimony to the enduring effects of the moral ambiguities of war on the human psyche. It is a self-aware contemplation on the complexities of memory, reality, and the human mind.
Find The Things They Carried in the library catalog Here
Also available for digital checkout:
Libby eBook
Read more about author Tim O'Brien Here

Are you a fan of historical fiction? Leave a comment to share a book recommendation of your own.

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Montana Book Award Winners - Great reading recommendations!

The Montana Book Awards started in 2001 with the Friends of Missoula Public Library and has since awarded and recognized many great books that fit a number of criteria, but mainly celebrate Montana authors and books published that have to do with some aspect our great state. All genres and books for all ages are eligible to be nominated. The books nominated are then read by a select group of librarians who represent every geographical region of the state. These librarians get together and discuss the books and pick the winner! Read on to learn about some of the more recent winners. If you'd like more information about the Montana Book Award, its process, its history, and more be sure to check out their website. The Entire Sky by Joe WilkinsThe 2024 Montana Book Award winner!Click on the book cover to be taken to the library catalog listing for this great Montana book.This book is also available for digital checkout:Libby eBook and audiobookRead more about the author Here The Lost Journals of Sacajaweaby Debra Magpie EarlingThe 2023 Montana Book Award winner!Click on the book cover to be taken to library catalog listing for this great Montana book.This book is also available for digital checkout:Libby eBookHoopla eBook and audiobookRead more about the author Here More Montana Book Award winners:Brothers on Three by Abe Streep (2021)Shakespeare in Montana by Gretchen Minton (2020)Grinnell by John Taliaferro (2019)One Sentence Journal by Chris La Tray (2018)The Wonder of Birds by Jim Robbins (2017)Immortal Irishman by Timothy Egan (2016)Lentil Underground by Liz Carlisle (2015)Fourth of July Creek by Smith Henderson (2014)Let Him Go by Larry Watson (2013)Raptors of the West by Kate Davis (2011)Bound like Grass by Ruth McLaughlin (2010)Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford (2009) Be sure to check out some of these great Montana titles and don't forget the montanabookaward.org website. It is a great place for reading resources. In addition to the yearly award-winning book, there are also honor books listed as well as photographs of the commissioned artwork (also by a Montanan) which is presented to the author as a gift by the committee.Happy reading and exploring Montana's excellence in books! ...

Staff Picks - New Book Recommendations!

Are you looking for new book recommendations? Look no further than today's blog. Lewis & Clark staff members share 7 recently published novels that are hot! Read on and then tell us about a book you recommend! Kadie recommends . . .Clear by Carys DaviesLet this beautifully written novel transport you to a fascinating time and place!1843. On a remote Scottish island, Ivar, the sole occupant, leads a life of quiet isolation until the day he finds a man unconscious on the beach below the cliffs. The newcomer is John Ferguson, an impoverished church minister sent to evict Ivar and turn the island into grazing land for sheep. Unaware of the stranger's intentions, Ivar takes him into his home, and in spite of the two men having no common language, a fragile bond begins to form between them. Meanwhile, on the mainland, John's wife, Mary, anxiously awaits news of his mission.Against the rugged backdrop of this faraway spot beyond Shetland, Carys Davies's intimate drama unfolds with tension and tenderness: a touching and crystalline study of ordinary people buffeted by history and a powerful exploration of the distances and connections between us. Perfectly structured and surprising at every turn, Clear is a marvel of storytelling, an exquisite short novel by a master of the form.Find Clear in the library catalog Also available for digital checkout:Libby eBook Read more about the author HereClare recommends . . .The Ministry of Time by Kaliane BradleyPick up this book and see if it is for you-- I'm still thinking about it days after I finished it.A civil servant is offered a lucrative job in a mysterious new government ministry gathering 'expats' from across history to test whether time-travel is feasible.Her role is to work as a 'bridge': living with, supporting and monitoring expat '1847' - Commander Graham Gore, a former Victorian polar explorer. Gore, an adventurer by trade, soon adjusts to this bizarre new world of washing machines, feminism and Spotify; and during a long, sultry summer the pair move from awkwardness to friendship to something more.But as the true shape of the project that brought them together begins to emerge, Gore and the bridge are forced to confront their past choices and imagined futures. Can love triumph over the histories that have shaped them? And how do you defy that history when it is living in your house?Find The Ministry of Time in the library catalog Also available for digital checkout:Libby eBook and audiobookHoopla eBook and audiobookRead more about the author HereRachel recommends . . .The Boxcar Librarian by Brianna Labuskes I enjoyed following the three main storylines, each distinct in its own way, within the overall story. Also, I could relate to the familiar Montana locations! Inspired by the fascinating, true history of Missoula’s Boxcar Library, this novel blends the story of the strong, courageous women who survived and thrived in the rough and rowdy West with that of the power of standing together to fight for workers’ lives. And through it all shines the capacity of books to provide connection and light to those who need it most.Find The Boxcar Librarian in the library catalog Also available for digital checkout:Libby eBook Read more about the author Here Emmon recommends . . .The Bandit Queens by Parini Shroff A darkly funny and insightful look at village life and female solidarity set in present-day India! The rumors that Geeta killed her husband to escape his abuse have served her well, allowing her to live in relative peace and plenty - until other women start seeking her help for removing their problematic husbands. This book has the magical ability to handle some serious themes - women's rights, alcoholism, religion, caste - while remaining empowering, upbeat, and hilarious. Best book I've read so far this year!Find The Bandit Queens in the library catalog Also available for digital checkout:Libby eBook and audiobookRead more about the author HereMcKinzie recommends . . . Wool by Hugh HoweyApple TV+'s popular new hit sci-fi series 'Silo' is based on this page-turner, post-apocalyptic novel! The world outside has grown toxic, the view of it limited, talk of it forbidden. The remnants of humanity live underground in a single silo. But there are always those who hope, who dream. These are the dangerous people, the residents who infect others with their optimism. Their punishment is simple. They are given the very thing they want: They are allowed to go outside. Find Wool in the library catalogAlso available for digital checkout:Libby eBook and audiobookHoopla audiobookRead more about the author HereMillie recommends . . .Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins This prequel will have you enthralled! The phenomenal fifth book in the Hunger Games series! When you've been set up to lose everything you love, what is there left to fight for? As the day dawns on the fiftieth annual Hunger Games, fear grips the districts of Panem. This year, in honor of the Quarter Quell, twice as many tributes will be taken from their homes. Back in District 12, Haymitch Abernathy is trying not to think too hard about his chances. All he cares about is making it through the day and being with the girl he loves. When Haymitch's name is called, he can feel all his dreams break. He's torn from his family and his love, shuttled to the Capitol with the three other District 12 tributes: a young friend who's nearly a sister to him, a compulsive oddsmaker, and the most stuck-up girl in town. As the Games begin, Haymitch understands he's been set up to fail. But there's something in him that wants to fight . . . and have that fight reverberate far beyond the deadly arena.Find Sunrise on the Reaping in the library catalog Also available for digital checkout:Libby eBook and audiobookHoopla audiobookRead more about the author Here Lisa recommends . . . Here One Moment by Liane MoriartyWhat if someone told you how and when you would die? Would you believe them? Would it change how you live?Life is full of twists and turns you never see coming. But what if you did?Flight attendant Allegra Patel loves her job, but today is her twenty-eighth birthday and she'd rather not be placating a plane full of passengers unhappy about a long delay. There's the well-dressed man in seat 4C desperate not to miss his daughter's musical. A harried mother frantically tries to keep her toddler and baby quiet. Honeymooners still in their wedding finery dream of their new lives, while a chatty emergency room nurse dreams of retirement. Suddenly a woman traveling alone stands. She walks down the aisle making predictions about how and when passengers will die. Some dismiss her, they don't believe in psychics. Some are delighted with her prophecies! Their lives will supposedly be long. Others are appalled. Then: a few months later, the first prediction comes true. Intricately plotted, with the wonderful wit Liane Moriarty has become famous for, Here One Moment brilliantly looks at friends, lovers, and family and how we manage to hold onto them in our harried modern lives.Find Here One Moment in the library catalog Also available for digital checkout:Libby eBook and audiobookRead more about the author Here...

Staff Picks - Popular Reads

What do you choose when you're looking for a good book to read? Newly published or an old classic? Horror or literary fiction? Science fiction or romance? Lewis & Clark Library staff choose it all. Read on for some novels and one nonfiction audiobook we highly recommend. Happy Reading! Malin recommends . . . The Last Cuentista by Donna Barba Higuera This book creatively and distinctly demonstrates the critical importance of stories and diversity on culture and humanity. Higuera does this in a way that speaks to all audiences, although it is specifically written for middle grade readers. It is the perfect blend of science fiction and dystopia while also being deeply personal and emotional. It follows a young teen named Petra Peña as she and her family board a ship to leave Earth before its imminent demise. She discovers what is important to keep from Earth as those around her eliminate what they want to erase from their past. This book is honestly incredible, and I was amazed at the message that could be portrayed through a book that is essentially meant for children. I encourage everyone to give it a try! Find The Last Cuentista in the library catalog Here Also available for digital checkout: Libby eBook and audiobook Hoopla eBook and audiobook (available in Spanish) Read more about the author Here Tyler recommends . . . Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill Check out Heart-Shaped Box, the story of a jaded rock star haunted by a ghost he purchased on the internet. Creepy, trippy, and intriguing. It was one of those books that I had to keep reading because I couldn't stand to leave the story on pause - to leave the characters trapped for even a moment! A fun one. Find Heart-Shaped Box in the library catalog Here Also available for digital checkout: Libby audiobook Hoopla eBook and audiobook Read more about the author Here John recommends . . . The Financial Lives of the Poets by Jess Walters Laughed out loud during the entire first chapter! One of the best books I read last year. The Financial Lives of the Poets is a comic and heartfelt novel from National Book Award nominee Jess Walter, author of Citizen Vince and The Zero, about how we get to the edge of ruin--and how we begin to make our way back. Walter tells the story of Matt Prior, who's losing his job, his wife, his house, and his mind--until, all of a sudden, he discovers a way that he might just possibly be able to save it all . . . and have a pretty damn great time doing it. Find The Financial Lives of the Poets in the library catalog Here Also available for digital checkout: Hoopla audiobook Read more about the author Here Lisa recommends . . . Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel Station Eleven, published in 2014, is the eerily prescient story of our world following a global pandemic. Infrastructure has collapsed, civilization has crumbled. The story follows a troupe of traveling actors, moving back and forth in time, vividly depicting life before and after the pandemic. I couldn't put this book down, nor did I want it to end. Find Station Eleven in the library catalog Here Also available for digital checkout: Libby eBook and audiobook Read more about the author Here Beth recommends . . . The Phoenix Ballroom by Ruth Hogan From the wildly popular bestselling author of The Keeper of Lost Things: a heartfelt and inspiring story about a wealthy widow who revives a beloved famous local landmark--and restores joy and sparkle to her own life in the process. It's never too late to start dancing again... For fifty years, Venetia Hargreaves's world revolved around her husband. She built their life around his big career, with dinner on the table at six, a lovely home, and a dutiful son just as business-minded as his father. Now Venetia's a wealthy widow left with a beautiful but empty home, an enviable bank balance, and a distinct feeling that she missed the boat. Once upon a time, she was a dance instructor who dreamed of opening her own ballroom school with a fellow teacher who won her heart. Instead, Venetia chose the safer path. So, at seventy-four years of age, Venetia declares her independence, first with a makeover, and then by adopting a new dog. But something is still missing...until on one of her dog walks by the river she passes by a building she remembers all too well. In her youth it was the spectacular Phoenix Ballroom, where she used to teach waltzes and tangos. These days it's a community center and spiritualist church, funded by a mysterious benefactor who only pays for the upkeep. Eager to revive at least one meaningful thing from her past, Venetia buys the Phoenix Ballroom, and finds a supportive and loving community of lost souls who become a delightful multigenerational family-by-choice. As the ballroom regains its former glory, the community and Venetia's humdrum life are revived as well...proving wonderful things can come from the darkest of places. Find The Phoenix Ballroom in the library catalog: Coming Soon! (on order) Available for digital checkout: Hoopla audiobook Read more about the author Here Millie recommends . . . Twilight by Stephenie Meyer “And so the lion fell in love with the lamb.” Anything is a better love story than Twilight! While I may be inclined to agree with you, this novel is more than just another sappy YA romance novel. Through her use of supernatural beings, Meyers explores what it is like to be in a relationship with someone who has every ability to harm you, yet actively chooses not to. This is a reality many young women struggle with, the notion that their partner is inherently stronger and deadlier than them. Not only that, but Twilight began discussions about sexual assault and brutality. Emily, Rosalie, and Bella are all victims of gender based violence, something young women identify with, either from their own experiences or the experiences of their loved ones. In no way is this novel perfect, but Twilight allows for a safe place to engage in this nuanced reality in an entertaining and socially acceptable manner. Find Twilight in the library catalog Here Also available for digital checkout: Libby eBook and audiobook Hoopla eBook Read more about the author Here Emmon recommends . . . Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi What would you change if you could travel back in time? Told in incredibly sweet, sad, funny interlocking stories, this book is just a really beautiful portrait of what happens when people get one chance to go back in time. No do-overs, nothing will change the events of the past, and you must return to the present day café before your coffee runs cold. Find Before the Coffee Gets Cold in the library catalog Here Also available for digital checkout: Libby eBook and audiobook Hoopla eBook and audiobook Read more about the author Here Kristy recommends . . . The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern "Great fantasy novel featuring an ancient library hidden beneath the earth!" Zachary Ezra Rawlins is a graduate student in Vermont when he discovers a mysterious book hidden in the stacks. As he turns the pages, entranced by tales of lovelorn prisoners, key collectors, and nameless acolytes, he reads something strange: a story from his own childhood. Bewildered by this inexplicable book and desperate to make sense of how his own life came to be recorded, Zachary uncovers a series of clues--a bee, a key, and a sword--that lead him to a masquerade party in New York, to a secret club, and through a doorway to an ancient library hidden far below the surface of the earth. What Zachary finds in this curious place is more than just a buried home for books and their guardians--it is a place of lost cities and seas, lovers who pass notes under doors and across time, and of stories whispered by the dead. Zachary learns of those who have sacrificed much to protect this realm, relinquishing their sight and their tongues to preserve this archive, and also of those who are intent on its destruction. Together with Mirabel, a fierce, pink-haired protector of the place, and Dorian, a handsome, barefoot man with shifting alliances, Zachary travels the twisting tunnels, darkened stairwells, crowded ballrooms, and sweetly soaked shores of this magical world, discovering his purpose--in both the mysterious book and in his own life. Find The Starless Sea in the library catalog Here Also available for digital checkout: Libby eBook and audiobook Hoopla audiobook Read more about the author Here Rachel recommends . . . The Rules of Royalty by Cale Dietrich A very cute and quick read! Act like a prince, but don't fall for one. Jamie Johnson has never been the centre of attention, and he's perfectly okay with that. His entire world unravels as a hidden truth emerges: he's the heir to the throne of Mitanor, a sun-drenched southern European country, and the press is ready to expose this secret to the world. An invitation to spend the summer in his father's palace arrives, giving Jamie a chance to get to know the man he never thought he'd meet. Meanwhile, in a northern European kingdom known for its cold climate and stoic royals, Erik Lindstrom, the spare prince, grapples with the upcoming marriage of his golden-boy elder brother. With the country's spotlight trained on his family more than ever, Erik feels sidelined and tightly controlled. So when he receives an offer to tutor the newly found American prince in the ways of royalty, he accepts without hesitation. At a magnificent summer palace, Erik guides Jamie through the intricacies of royal etiquette, politics, and history. What neither prince anticipates is the connection that sparks between them--one that challenges both of their futures. Now each must make a choice: follow their hearts, or the time-honored royal path where crown and country reigns supreme, no matter the personal cost. Find The Rules of Royalty in the library catalog Here Read more about the author Here Camden recommends . . . As You Wish by Cary Elwes The Princess Bride is one of my all-time favorite movies and I doubt I'm alone in that. As You Wish is the story of that unforgettable movie shoot from the perspectives of the actors and crew who brought it to life. In the audiobook, you get to hear these stories in their own voices, with much of the original cast and crew reading aloud their portions of the book. And the Princess Bride is one of those wonderful movies where, when the curtain is peeled back, only becomes even more magical and enchanting! Find As You Wish in the library catalog Here Also available for digital checkout: Libby audiobook Hoopla audiobook (Spanish) ...

Readers Picks

Grizzly Confidential by Kevin Grange New Nonfiction Author Kevin Grange--former paramedic and park ranger at Yellowstone and Grand Teton--comes face-to-face with North America's most fearsome predator, Ursus Arctos. His quest takes him from his home in the Tetons to an eerie, mist-shrouded island of gigantic bruins; from the Bear Center at Washington State University--where scientists believe the secrets of hibernation might help treat diabetes, heart disease, and obesity in humans--to the dark underbelly of for-profit wildlife parks, illegal animal trade and black markets hawking bear bile. Along the way, he meets fascinating biologists and activists and discovers that everything he knew about grizzlies was wrong. Ultimately, his odyssey leads him to find answers on a remote corner of the Alaskan Peninsula where, for the last fifty years, humans have coexisted peacefully alongside the largest gathering of brown bears on the planet. Grizzly Confidential is about bears but also the inspiring people who look after them. This is a fast-paced, gripping story that educates, entertains, and gives a sneak peek into the secret life of a well-known species. Part science, part travelogue, and a passionate plea for bear conservation, Grizzly Confidential is a lively account for anyone who loves the outdoors and learning about the natural world. Find Grizzly Confidential in the library catalog Also available for digital checkout: Libby audiobook A Very Large Expanse of Sea by Tahereh Mafi Young adult fiction Longlisted for the National Book Award for Young People's Literature! It's 2002, a year after 9/11. It's an extremely turbulent time politically, but especially so for someone like Shirin, a sixteen-year-old Muslim girl who's tired of being stereotyped. Shirin is never surprised by how horrible people can be. She's tired of the rude stares, the degrading comments--even the physical violence--she endures as a result of her race, her religion, and the hijab she wears every day. So she's built up protective walls and refuses to let anyone close enough to hurt her. Instead, she drowns her frustrations in music and spends her afternoons break-dancing with her brother. But then she meets Ocean James. He's the first person in forever who really seems to want to get to know Shirin. It terrifies her--they seem to come from two irreconcilable worlds--and Shirin has had her guard up for so long that she's not sure she'll ever be able to let it down. Find A Very Large Expanse of Sea in the library catalog Also available for digital checkout: Libby eBook Hoopla audiobook Read more about the author Here Nuclear War: A Scenario by Annie Jacobsen Creative nonfiction Every generation, a journalist has looked deep into the heart of the nuclear military establishment: the technologies, the safeguards, the plans, and the risks. These projects are vital to how we understand the world we really live in: where one nuclear missile begets one in return; where the choreography of the world's end requires massive decisions made on seconds-notice, with information that is only as good as the intelligence we have. Annie Jacobsen's Nuclear War: A Scenario explores this ticking clock scenario, based on dozens of new interviews with military and civilian experts who have built the weapons; created the response plans; and been responsible for those decisions should they need to have been made. Nuclear War: A Scenario is unlike any other book in its depth and urgency. Find Nuclear War in the library catalog Also available for digital checkout: Libby eBook and audiobook Read more about the author Here Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel Science fiction An audacious, darkly glittering novel set in the eerie days following civilization's collapse, Station Eleven tells the spellbinding story of a nomadic group of actors roaming the scattered outposts of the Great Lakes region, risking everything for art and humanity. It is fifteen years after a flu pandemic wiped out most of the world's population. Kirsten is an actress with the Traveling Symphony, a small troupe moving over the gutted landscape, performing Shakespeare and music for scattered communities of survivors. But when they arrive in the outpost of St. Deborah by the Water, they encounter a violent prophet who digs graves for anyone who dares to leave. Spanning decades, moving back and forth in time, and vividly depicting life before and after the disaster brought everyone here, this suspenseful, elegiac novel is rife with beauty, telling a story about the relationships that sustain us. Find Station Eleven in the library catalog Also available for digital checkout: Libby eBook and audiobook Read more about the author Here The Library of the Unwritten by A. J. Hackwith Fantasy In the first book in a brilliant new fantasy series, books that aren't finished by their authors reside in the Library of the Unwritten in Hell, and it is up to the Librarian to track down any restless characters who emerge from those unfinished stories. Find The Library of the Unwritten in the library catalog Also available for digital checkout: Libby audiobook Read more about the author Here The Painted Girls by Cathy Marie Buchanan Historical fiction A heartrending, gripping novel about two sisters in Belle Époque Paris. 1878 Paris. Following their father's sudden death, the van Goethem sisters find their lives upended. Without his wages, and with the small amount their laundress mother earns disappearing into the absinthe bottle, eviction from their lodgings seems imminent. With few options for work, Marie is dispatched to the Paris Opéra, where for a scant seventeen francs a week, she will be trained to enter the famous ballet. Her older sister, Antoinette, finds work as an extra in a stage adaptation of Émile Zola's naturalist masterpiece L'Assommoir. Marie throws herself into dance and is soon modeling in the studio of Edgar Degas, where her image will forever be immortalized as Little Dancer Aged Fourteen. There she meets a wealthy male patron of the ballet, but might the assistance he offers come with strings attached? Meanwhile Antoinette, derailed by her love for the dangerous Émile Abadie, must choose between honest labor and the more profitable avenues open to a young woman of the Parisian demimonde. Set at a moment of profound artistic, cultural, and societal change, The Painted Girls is a tale of two remarkable sisters rendered uniquely vulnerable to the darker impulses of "civilized society." In the end, each will come to realize that her salvation, if not survival, lies with the other. Find The Painted Girls in the library catalog Also available for digital checkout: Libby audiobook Read more about the author Here Roadside Picnic by Arkady Strugatsky Science fiction Red Schuhart is a stalker, one of those young rebels who are compelled, in spite of extreme danger, to venture illegally into the Zone to collect the mysterious artifacts that the alien visitors left scattered around. His life is dominated by the place and the thriving black market in the alien products. But when he and his friend Kirill go into the Zone together to pick up a “full empty,” something goes wrong. And the news he gets from his girlfriend upon his return makes it inevitable that he’ll keep going back to the Zone, again and again, until he finds the answer to all his problems. First published in 1972, Roadside Picnic is still widely regarded as one of the greatest science fiction novels, despite the fact that it has been out of print in the United States for almost thirty years. This authoritative new translation corrects many errors and omissions and has been supplemented with a foreword by Ursula K. Le Guin and a new afterword by Boris Strugatsky explaining the strange history of the novel’s publication in Russia. Find Roadside Picnic in the library catalog Also available for digital checkout: Libby eBook Hoopla eBook Read more about the author Here ...

Staff Picks - Historical Fiction

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