Gold Mine Thrift Product Quality Supervisor Ingrid Roman recommends The Giver by Lois Lowry. The Giver is a novel about a boy named Jonas who lives in a seemingly perfect society where emotions have been suppressed in order to maintain a functional community. Basic emotions such as happiness, love, or anger are unknown, as they are believed to interfere with individual efficiency. Sameness is considered more practical; therefore, differences of any kind are eliminated. When Jonas is … [Read more...] about Book Review: The Giver
Library Blog
Book Review: Lessons from My Teachers
Library Assistant Leona Anthony recommends Lessons from My Teachers: Preschool to the Present by Sarah Ruhl. Say the word "teacher," and what often comes to mind is an elementary or high school teacher. In Lessons from My Teachers: Preschool to the Present, author Sarah Ruhl reminds us that teachers are everywhere and not just in classrooms. Our first teachers could be a mother, father, grandmother, or other family member. As we navigate the education system, we become students not only of … [Read more...] about Book Review: Lessons from My Teachers
Book Review: The Stranger
Gold Mine Processing Associate Ben Kreuzer recommends The Stranger by Albert Camus. "Today, Maman died." The blunt opening lines of Albert Camus' The Stranger perfectly drag you into the classical French novel, where Meursault's unflinching straightforwardness, bordering on complete disinterest to everything, is brought to bear against the hot, vibrant world that surrounds him. The beautiful Algerian coast and its myriad inhabitants are as familiar strangers to both the reader and … [Read more...] about Book Review: The Stranger
Best of 2025
A Year in Review, Literarily By Pam ParkerDirector of Library Operations Our “Best of 2025” is a smorgasbord of reads, with 50 fiction and 50 nonfiction titles, selected from books published during the year. Using literary awards, other ‘best of’ lists, starred reviews, staff picks, and patron suggestions, we handcraft our list with an eye for stand-out reads that we suggest will endure well beyond the … [Read more...] about Best of 2025
Review: Bethesda Fountain Puzzle
Bookmobile Librarian Lilianna Bridge recommends Bethesda Fountain, a 1000-piece puzzle by Michael Storrings. I was drawn to the puzzle Bethesda Fountain because of how reminiscent its illustrations were of a fun winter's day. The title of this puzzle really stuck out to me since Bethesda Fountian is located inside Central Park. In my mind, New York City is the epitome of holiday cheer, so I was hopeful that this puzzle would boost my holiday spirit. If anything, I should have paid a bit … [Read more...] about Review: Bethesda Fountain Puzzle
A Nearby Ghost Town: Bullion City
Mary Tyson, Director of the Center for Regional History In the early years of Wood River Valley’s mining boom, many small towns sprang beyond Bellevue, Ketchum, and Hailey. Our towns survived the mining boom and bust that occurred in many parts of the West, but many of the smaller towns didn’t survive and became ghost towns. Initially, in the boom and bust, there was a fevered search for gold and running into silver in pursuit of gold was a nuisance. Then, when silver mining technology … [Read more...] about A Nearby Ghost Town: Bullion City
