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Lifestyle Columns

Best Nonfiction Books of 2025 (so Far)

There are many “Best Books of 2025 So Far” lists out right now, so I chose some of the top picks to share with you. Mark Twain by Ron Chernow (921 Twain) • Amazon’s Best Books of 2025 So Far Raising Hare by Chloe Dalton (599.324 Dalton) • New York Times Best of the Year (So ...

Vlaminck brings new styles to vases, canvases

Maurice de Vlaminck (1876-1958), born in Paris, was one of the painters who exhibited at the 1905 Salon d’Automne, considered the beginning of the Fauvism art movement. The name “Fauvism” came from a critic’s negative reaction to the exhibition, insulting the paintings on display as the ...

Penny rugs provide a historic example of repurposing

The environmentalist movement popularized the saying “Reduce, reuse, recycle” in the 1970s, but the sentiment goes back much farther than that. Historically, people avoided buying new items to save money, or simply because said new items were not as readily available to purchase as they are ...

Summer reading and beyond

This year’s summer reading program theme was Color Our World. I want to take a moment to thank all the parents, caregivers, children, and teens who participated this year. I would also like to thank the library staff. They did an excellent job helping to make the program happen throughout a ...

Mountains’ impact reflected in Japanese art

August 11 is Mountain Day in Japan. It is a very new holiday, first officially observed in 2016, but mountains have held extremely important roles in Japanese art and culture for much longer. Mount Fuji, Japan’s highest mountain, is one of the country’s most celebrated sights. Associated ...

More Recent Book Club Reads

A few months ago, I shared some books that our three book clubs had recently read and discussed. I also talked about the origins of book clubs and some of the benefits they provide. Here are a few more recent book club picks to get you thinking about trying a new author, a new genre, or about ...