LibGuides: February 10, 2022: Home

New Books

The Art of More by Michael Brooks
Counting is not innate to our nature, and without education humans can rarely count past three--beyond that, it's just "more." But once harnessed by our ancestors, the power of numbers allowed humanity to flourish in ways that continue to lead to discoveries and enrich our lives today. Ancient tax collectors used basic numeracy to fuel the growth of early civilization, navigators used clever geometrical tricks to engage in trade and connect people across vast distances, astronomers used logarithms to unlock the secrets of the heavens, and their descendants put them to use to land us on the moon. In every case, mathematics has proved to be a greatly underappreciated engine of human progress. In this captivating, sweeping history, Michael Brooks acts as our guide through the ages.
The Bright Ages by Matthew Gabriele; David M. Perry
The word "medieval" conjures images of the "Dark Ages"--centuries of ignorance, superstition, stasis, savagery, and poor hygiene. But the myth of darkness obscures the truth; this was a remarkable period in human history. The Bright Ages recasts the European Middle Ages for what it was, capturing this 1,000-year era in all its complexity and fundamental humanity, bringing to light both its beauty and its horrors. The Bright Ages takes us through ten centuries and crisscrosses Europe and the Mediterranean, Asia and Africa, revisiting familiar people and events with new light cast upon them. We look with fresh eyes on the Fall of Rome, Charlemagne, the Vikings, the Crusades, and the Black Death, but also to the multi-religious experience of Iberia, the rise of Byzantium, and the genius of Hildegard and the power of queens.
Dante's Divine Comedy by Mark Vernon
Dante Alighieri was early in recognizing that our age has a problem. His hometown, Florence, was at the epicenter of the move from the medieval world to the modern. He realized that awareness of divine reality was shifting, and that if it were lost, dire consequences would follow. The Divine Comedy was born in a time of troubling transition, which is why it still speaks today. Dante's masterpiece presents a cosmic vision of reality, which he invites his readers to traverse with him. In this narrative retelling and guide, from the gates of hell, up the mountain of purgatory, to the empyrean of paradise, Mark Vernon offers a vivid introduction and interpretation of a book that, 700 years on, continues to open minds and change lives.
DUNE: the Graphic Novel, Book 1: Dune by Frank Herbert; Brian Herbert (Adapted by); Kevin J. Anderson (Adapted by)
Dune, Frank Herbert's epic science-fiction masterpiece set in the far future amidst a sprawling feudal interstellar society, tells the story of Paul Atreides as he and his family accept control of the desert planet Arrakis. A stunning blend of adventure and mysticism, environmentalism, and politics, Dune is a powerful, fantastical tale that takes an unprecedented look into our universe, and is transformed by the graphic novel format. In the first volume of a three-book trilogy encompassing the original novel, Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson's adaptation retains the story's integrity, and Raúl Allén and Patricia Martín's magnificent illustrations, along with cover art by Bill Sienkiewicz, bring the book to life for a new generation of readers.
Eruption by Brad Tolinski; Chris Gill
Since his band Van Halen burst onto the scene with their self-titled debut album in 1978, Eddie had been hailed as an icon not only to fans of rock music and heavy metal, but to performers across all genres and around the world. Van Halen's debut sounded unlike anything that listeners had heard before and remains a quintessential rock album of the era. Over the course of more than four decades, Eddie gained renown for his innovative guitar playing, and particularly for popularizing the tapping guitar solo technique. Unfortunately for Eddie and his legions of fans, he died before he was ever able to put his life down to paper in his own words, and much of his compelling backstory has remained elusive--until now. In Eruption, music journalists Brad Tolinski and Chris Gill share with fans, new and old alike, a candid, compulsively readable, and definitive oral history of the most influential rock guitarist since Jimi Hendrix.
Free by Lea Ypi
For precocious 11-year-old Lea Ypi, Albania's Soviet-style socialism held the promise of a preordained future, a guarantee of security among enthusiastic comrades. That is, until she found herself clinging to a stone statue of Joseph Stalin, newly beheaded by student protests. Communism had failed to deliver the promised utopia. One's "biography"--class status and other associations long in the past--put strict boundaries around one's individual future. When Lea's parents spoke of relatives going to "university" or "graduating," they were speaking of grave secrets Lea struggled to unveil. And when the early '90s saw Albania and other Balkan countries exuberantly begin a transition to the "free market," Western ideals of freedom delivered chaos: a dystopia of pyramid schemes, organized crime, and sex trafficking.
How Photography Became Contemporary Art by Andy Grundberg
When Andy Grundberg landed in New York in the early 1970s as a budding writer, photography was at the margins of the contemporary art world. By 1991, when he left his post as critic for the New York Times, photography was at the vital center of artistic debate. Grundberg writes eloquently and authoritatively about photography's "boom years," chronicling the medium's increasing role within the most important art movements of the time, from Earth Art and Conceptual Art to performance and video. He also traces photography's embrace by museums and galleries, as well as its politicization in the culture wars of the 80s and 90s. Part memoir and part history, this perspective by one of the period's leading critics ultimately tells a larger story about the crucial decades of the 70s and 80s through the medium of photography.
How to Be Perfect by Michael Schur
From the creator of The Good Place and the cocreator of Parks and Recreation, a hilarious, thought-provoking guide to living an ethical life, drawing on 2,400 years of deep thinking from around the world. Most people think of themselves as "good," but it's not always easy to determine what's "good" or "bad"--especially in a world filled with complicated choices and pitfalls and booby traps and bad advice. Fortunately, many smart philosophers have been pondering this conundrum for millennia and they have guidance for us. With bright wit and deep insight, How to Be Perfect explains concepts like deontology, utilitarianism, existentialism, ubuntu, and more so we can sound cool at parties and become better people. Schur starts off with easy ethical questions like "Should I punch my friend in the face for no reason?" (No.) and works his way up to the most complex moral issues we all face.
Music Is History by Questlove
Most famously known as the drummer and joint frontman for the band The Roots, Questlove is also an astute musicologist and voracious historian. In this book, Questlove dives into musical history from every decade of the twentieth century, choosing one essential track from each year. The author unpacks each song's cultural significance by placing it in its historical context, discussing real world events that shaped both the song's creation and its lasting impact. Analyses of iconic classics like "Sir Duke" by Stevie Wonder include tangents into the histories of science, politics, and pop culture. Complete with comprehensive playlists organized around personal, playful themes like "Songs That Got Shafted" or "Songs With a Part I Really Like Even Though I Don't Like the Whole Song," this book is so full of Questlove's essential recommendations that it feels like a conversation with the industry's coolest music obsessive.
Silk by Lesley Ellis Miller; Ana Cabrera Lafuente
Silk reveals a breathtaking selection of fabric and fiber dating from antiquity to the early twenty-first century. Structured by technique, this outstanding new survey draws on the exceptional collections of London's Victoria and Albert Museum and shows the nest aesthetic and technical achievements of artisans, designers, and manufacturers. From dyeing to weaving and crochet to embroidery, this is a magnificent visual exploration of methods used over the centuries. From historic treasures in China and South America to nineteenth-century European International Exhibitions of art and industry, and more recently, designers' catwalk collections from the fashion capitals of America, Asia, and Europe, here is the ultimate compendium of silk, presented in a luxurious real-cloth binding.
Something to Hide by Elizabeth George
Detective Sergeant Barbara Havers and Detective Inspector Thomas Lynley are back in the next Lynley novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Elizabeth George. When a police detective is taken off life support after falling into a coma, only an autopsy reveals the murderous act that precipitated her death. She'd been working on a special task force within North London's Nigerian community, and Acting Detective Superintendent Thomas Lynley is assigned to the case, which has far-reaching cultural associations that have nothing to do with life as he knows it. In his pursuit of a killer determined to remain hidden, he's assisted by Detective Sergeants Barbara Havers and Winston Nkata. They must sort through the lies and the secret lives of people whose superficial cooperation masks the damage they do to one another.
Where the Deer and the Antelope Play by Nick Offerman
In July 2019, Nick took a hiking trip to Glacier National Park with his friends Jeff Tweedy and George Saunders. The trip, and the conversations between the three men, began a study and exploration of both the American West and its National Parks that addresses so many of the important issues that affect America today. This book both maps out the group's travels and dives deeply into subjects such as: the history and geology of the National Parks of the West; farming, animal life, and conservation; the importance of outdoor recreation, including hunting and fishing; and building both local and national communities across party lines.

February Events & Displays

Upcoming Events at the Library

The Distinguished Guest Lecture Series has returned for the Spring 2022 semester. "Engage Your Brain for Learning, Calming, and Just Simple Ease in Living" with Frank Cardamone, will be held on Monday, February 21, from 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM. The lectures will be held from 12:00 - 1:00 p.m. in the Community Room (19-147) at the Prescott Campus, through Zoom, and select screenings at the Sedona Center and Verde Valley Campus. Please visit the library events page for details.

The Spanish Café will be taking place on the first and third Monday of each month from 5:45 to 7:00 p.m. - be sure to attend the next one on Monday, February 21.

Game Night at the Library is scheduled for every fourth Monday from 5:45 to 7:00 p.m. Don't miss the first one on Monday, February 28.

The library will be hosting a Presidents' Week display in Building M, Room 130, featuring a "Path to the Presidency" poster board, presidential trivia, and a poll on which fictional character you'd want to see as President.

**THE NEXT OFF THE SHELF NEWSLETTER will be out March 10!**

Staff Picks

Check out some of our librarians' favorites!

Selected by the Verde Valley Campus library staff, these books explore
everything from the mystery of a missing child to the mysteries of reality itself.

These items, along with all library items, can be put on hold and picked up in person or at our After Hours pickup locker.

Library and After Hours pickup

Ceramics Masterclass by Louisa Taylor
Ceramics Masterclass examines 100 great pieces of ceramics from history and explores how they were made, what they do well and what we can learn from them.
Fundamentals by Frank Wilczek
In Fundamentals, Nobel laureate Frank Wilczek offers the reader a simple yet profound exploration of reality based on the deep revelations of modern science.
The Great Cholesterol Myth by Jonny Bowden; Stephen Sinatra
In The Great Cholesterol Myth, nutrition and health experts outline the latest research and a statin-free approach to help you prevent, and even reverse, heart disease.
Magpie Lane by Lucy Atkins
Roaming Oxford's secret passages and hidden graveyards, Magpie Lane explores the true meaning of family - and what it is to be denied one.
Saving the Last Rhinos by Grant Fowlds; Graham Spence
The remarkable story of Grant Fowlds, who has dedicated his life to saving the imperiled rhinos, vividly told with Graham Spence, co-author of the bestselling The Elephant Whisperer.
301 Careers in Nursing by Joyce J. Fitzpatrick; Emerson E. Ea; Laura Stark Bai
Written for nurses of all education and experience levels, 301 Careers in Nursing highlights the exceptional array of diverse opportunities available.

New DVDs & Blu-rays

Amy Tan: Unintended Memoir
DVD

An interweaving of expressive formats forms the basis for this documentary that allows the audience to journey through Ms. Tan's life and career in vivid, living colors.
The Card Counter
DVD

William Tell is a gambler and former serviceman who sets out to reform a young man seeking revenge on a mutual enemy from their past.
The Haunting of Bly Manor
DVD

The next highly anticipated chapter of the Haunting anthology series, set in 1980s England. At Bly Manor, dead doesn't mean gone.
The Long Goodbye
Blu-ray

Private eye Philip Marlowe faces the most bizarre case of his life when a friend's apparent suicide turns into a double murder involving an eccentric cast.
One Night in Miami...
DVD

A fictional account of one amazing night where icons Muhammad Ali, Malcolm X, Sam Cooke, and Jim Brown gathered to discuss their roles in the civil rights movement and cultural turmoil of the '60s.
Pig
DVD

A truffle hunter who lives alone in the Oregonian wilderness must return to his past in Portland in search of his beloved foraging pig after she is kidnapped.