Hi!  This is Rachel Malay, director at the Port Library in Beloit. 

The novel in serial form was once very popular in newspapers and magazines.  With the decline of the popularity of magazines and newspapers as the sole source of written news and entertainment, magazines and newspapers have cut back on their issue size, mostly eliminating the serial novel.  It’s a different format than a full book – kind of like the difference between a sitcom or weekly drama and a full length theatrical movie.

Well-known Christian fiction author Wanda Brunstetter’s latest book is published in serial format.  Like her other books, the setting is Amish country in Pennsylvania but in the modern day.  Called “The Discovery – a Lancaster County Saga,” book one of the series is titled Goodbye to Yesterday and follows a newly married couple, Luke and Meredith Stoltzfus.  Luke looses his job at a furniture store in Lancaster County, and is forced to look for work elsewhere.  When his uncle in Indiana offers Luke a job, he decides to take it.  But this means leaving Meredith at home.  While the story chronicles the everyday life and faith of Meredith at home, on the road Luke experiences more of life that he’s ever seen, with some tragedy along the way.  Luke makes it only from the farm into Philadelphia before the first crisis of his journey happens.

Because this is just part one in the saga, the story ends on a cliffhanger.  The book is narrow and only has 120 pages, so there’s not much time for the author to get the story going before the end of the book cuts off the action.  While the ending is advertised as a cliffhanger (and it is!) it is more of a chapter-ending cliffhanger, instead of a book ending cliffhanger.  With the end of the series set to be published in July, the library should be able to satisfy any curiosity about the story line this summer.

You can get the book reviewed here and more great titles to watch, read, listen to, or play with at the Port Library at 1718 N. Hersey in Beloit, on the North Campus.  Just come down the drive and look for the old limestone and wood sign, close to the ground.  This is director Rachel Malay, saying “Thanks for checking us out!”

Hi!  This is Rachel Malay, director at the Port Library in Beloit.  

Author Mary Roach has only been publishing full length novels since 2008.  Before that she was more well known for her essays and articles on science and life in such publications as Reader’s Digest, National Geographic, and the New York Times.  Her humorous approach to otherwise dry or scientific topics has made her very popular in a short amount of time.  And with good reason!  Her past titles include Stiff: the curious life of human cadavers, and Packing for Mars: The curious science of life in the void.  Now she has published Gulp.: Adventures on the alimentary canal.  For those of us without a background in anatomy, the alimentary canal is the entire digestive tract, from mouth to um, “back end.”

In the introduction, Ms. Roach reveals the inspiration for her investigation: in 1968 University of California at Berkeley scientists were working on a way to make a renewable food source for future space explorers.  In their creative zeal, one experiment involved seeing if people could live on sustenance made from the dead bacteria grown from “recycled” food.  The test, though creative, was a flop.  It turns out people like to eat real food, thank you very much.  From this attention-grabbing experiment, the reader is steered through other digestive questions such as the taste and smell of food and why we prefer what we prefer, the chewing process, saliva and stomach juices, and sections of chapters on how we digest food once it’s in our stomach and intestines.  Throughout, the author cites unusual or (unintentionally) humorous scientific studies, revealing answers to questions you never knew you had.  This book manages to avoid “bathroom humor” while still being humorous, and backing quite a bit of knowledge in between the chuckles.

You can get the book reviewed here and more great titles to watch, read, listen to, or play with at the Port Library at 1718 N. Hersey in Beloit, on the North Campus.  This is director Rachel Malay, saying “Thanks for checking us out!”


Gulp: Adventures on the Alimentary Canal by Mary Roach
ISBN: 9780393081572, 348p.
Adult Non-Fiction Section

Hi!  This is Rachel Malay, director at the Port Library in Beloit. 

Many of the library’s patrons are fans of long-running series of books.  Nora Roberts writes a murder mystery series that have titles all ending in “in Death.”  Lillian Jackson Braun was known for her “Cat Who” mysteries while John Sandford’s “Prey” series has over 20 titles, plus a few crossovers into a related series.  Although the library may not have every title in a series, inter-library loan is always available for a person working through a particular author’s title list.  

A lesser known series author, Piers Anthony has been writing fantasy novels set in the magical land of Xanth.  Now it his thirty-sixth book, Mr. Anthony brings us back to the fabled land, which just happens to be shaped exactly like the state of Florida.  Only a few pages in, readers can tell the author is as committed to transporting the reader into a new setting as he is to making the next pun.  

The title of this story is Luck of the Draw and follows a retired aging widower Bryce.  Told he probably has one or two years left, Bryce starts cleaning out his possessions and finds a mysterious box with the power to transport him to Xanth.  Once there he is put into the body of a young hero, tasked with saving a princess from certain death.  His weapons are not a sword, but a pen (the pen is, after all mightier!) and a pad of paper.  Anything that Bryce draws comes to life, hence the book’s title Luck of the Draw.  I told you this book was full of puns!

Our hero Bryce has the tools to save the day, but whether he wants to win the princess and save the day is another issue entirely.  Although in a series, this book can be read alone.  The library has a few other titles in the Xanth series, and can get the rest easily though inter-library loan for you. 

You can get the book reviewed here and more great titles to watch, read, listen to, or play with at the Port Library at 1718 N. Hersey in Beloit, on the North Campus. This is director Rachel Malay, saying “Thanks for checking us out!”


Luck of the Draw by Piers Anthony
ISBN: 9870765331359, 350 pages.
Adult Science Fiction

Hi!  This is Rachel Malay, director at the Port Library in Beloit. Our summer library programs for every age of young person continue in July, and in honor of that this  review for July will be of a book new to the children’s department. I hope all my listeners have had a fun Fourth of July and I’d like to sneak in birthday wishes to my father-in-law out in western Kansas, who celebrated last weekend.

Leon is a gecko, and the star of this week’s review, Brief Thief by Michael Escoffier, illustrated by Kris Giacomo. The text from the first three pages of the book piqued my interest, and I’m sure they will have you intrigued too: “This morning Leon enjoyed his breakfast. Then he sunned himself on a big rock. And now, Leon has to go poo.” With that, Leon goes about his business but when he is done he finds the toilet paper has run out. What is a poor gecko to do? Then, on a lower branch (geckos don’t use indoor plumbing, after all!) Leon spies a lone pair of underwear. The underwear is bright red and orange, with holes. So Leon makes do. After climbing down Leon hears a little voice. It is his conscience.  Leon should not have taken something that wasn't his. And then just to toss them aside! So Leon rescues the underwear, cleans them up, and leaves them back on the branch to dry.  We see in the last few pages of the book the original owner of the underwear. And maybe discover that Leon wasn't hearing a voice in his head, but one just out of sight. But, I won’t spoil that for my listeners. You’ll have to come check the book out to see the funny ending.

This picture book is a little larger than normal, with nice, thick pages. The illustrations are bright and colorful, a mixture of ink, pencil, crayon, and watercolor. You won’t soon forget Leon’s many facial expressions! This is a great format for sitting on a lap to read, with pages easy enough for anyone to turn. The lesson learned is important too, and this book is a funny and lighthearted way to introduce the topic of keeping your hands off things that do not belong to you.

You can get the book reviewed here and more great titles to watch, read, listen to, or play with at the Port Library at 1718 N. Hersey in Beloit, on the North Campus. This is director Rachel Malay, saying “Thanks for checking us out!”

Brief Thief by Michael Escoffier, illustrated by Kris Giacomo.
ISBN: 9781592701315, illustrated
Children's fiction picture books

Hi!  This is Rachel Malay, director at the Port Library in Beloit. Our summer library programs for every age of young person have started, and in honor of that my reviews for June will be of books new to the children’s department.

Children experience emotions just like adults, but they may seem bigger because children are not practiced in dealing with their emotions, or how to best express them. Situations like a loved one dying are hard on everyone, but children may need extra attention to learn how to manage themselves.  The book Missing Mommy by debut author and illustrator Rebecca Cobb can help children and parents alike muddle through the terrible experience of losing a parent, especially a mom. 

In child-like crayon and ink illustrations we meet a young boy and his father and sister. The young boy has lost his mommy and in simple phrases expresses the emotional troubles he goes through. Can mommy come back? Is is something he has done? If she is gone, why is some of her stuff, like clothing, still here? And why doesn't she take the flowers left for her? Daddy has to tell the little boy Mommy has died, and that means she can’t come back to her body. The second half of the book shows the little boy with other members of the family, doing chores Mommy used to do with his sister, and looking at old photographs laughing and crying with Daddy and sister. Although the little boy still really misses his Mommy, he knows he will always remember her.

A great book to help a youngster along in the loss of a loved one, Missing Mommy doesn't touch on any particular religion or other belief about the afterlife. The adult helping their young one read this book is left to answer those questions.  However, to manage big emotions in little people, this title can be a welcome aid.

You can get the book reviewed here and more great titles to watch, read, listen to, or play with at the Port Library at 1718 N. Hersey in Beloit, on the North Campus. This is director Rachel Malay, saying “Thanks for checking us out!”


Missing Mommy written and illustrated by Rebecca Cobb.
ISBN: 9780805095074, illustrated
Children's picture book fiction