Breaking News

Life

New Literary Fiction

Lifestyle Columns

The difference between literary fiction and genre fiction can be highly debatable. For my purposes here–sharing great new books–I’ll offer loose definitions. Literary fiction is character-driven and tells a story using complex characters and themes. Genre fiction is plot-driven and tells the story using tropes, plot structures and genre conventions. Literary fiction is about why and how things happen while genre fiction focuses on what happens. After reading a literary fiction story, readers are often left with more questions than answers. After reading genre fiction, readers have ...

Weddings

Weddings

Elizabeth Burns and Connor Olson were married Jan. 25, 2025 in Waukesha, Wisconsin. Parents of the bride are Neil and Michele Burns of Theresa, Wisconsin. Parents of the groom are Curtis and Teresa Olson of Gibbon. The couple is residing in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin.

New Ulm’s shot to preserve battery

Lifestyle Feature

The New Ulm Battery, one of the city’s oldest institutes, has a new home. For 44 years, the battery’s headquarters were located at North 21st Street next to the city’s compost site and trap shooting range. In March this year, the headquarters were moved to a new building next door, to ...

The open road is calling!

Lifestyle Columns

School days are soon coming to an end and summer vacation plans have begun. Are you thinking about an epic road trip this summer? I have some road trip books for you to check out. Experience the beauty of Minnesota by taking a drive with “Scenic Driving Minnesota: Including Lake Superior’s North Shore, Itasca State Park, and Minneapolis Lakes” by Phil Davies (917.7604 Davies). It includes beautiful photos and full-color maps. As long as you are touring Minnesota, you might as well take “Waterfalls of Minnesota” by Lisa Crayford (917.76 Crayfor) along with you. It is arranged ...

Graphoscope is art, science, and entertainment

Lifestyle Columns

English inventor Charles John Roswell patented the first graphoscope in 1864. The graphoscope, a device to enhance viewings of photographs and other still images, consists of a round magnifying glass attached to an adjustable stand. Later models, like the one pictured here, included a stereoscope to view stereocards that create a 3-D illusion. Collectors call these models stereo-graphoscopes. This one, which sold for $366 at Austin Auction Gallery, was made by the London firm Negretti and Zambra. Established in 1850, the company started as a partnership between Joseph Zambra, a ...