Library Assistant Leona Anthony recommends Everything to the Sea by Alicia Upano. A sudden tsunami devastates the town of Hilo on Hawaii Island, leaving survivors Kenji and Jane to make sense of what remains and find a way forward. What happens when tragedy strikes the place you call home and lives lost far outnumber those spared? What if you were among the survivors? How do you sustain yourself in a small community deeply shaped by local customs, traditions, and … [Read more...] about Book Review: Everything to the Sea
Library Blog
Book Review: Bad Mexicans
Regional History Librarian Carolina Estrella recommends Bad Mexicans by Kelly Lytle Hernández. As the title implies, Bad Mexicans is about a group of Mexicans who wanted to free their country from an unjust government and were deemed traitors for it. The book is a historical non-fiction narrative of the Magonistas who were revolutionary political activists dedicated to taking down the Porfirio Díaz regime in Mexico. It’s part academic essay and part lively reenactment. Hernández does an … [Read more...] about Book Review: Bad Mexicans
Book Review: Lula Dean’s Little Free Library of Banned Books
Director of Library Operations Pamela Parker recommends Lula Dean’s Little Free Library of Banned Books by Kirsten Miller. Welcome to small-town Idaho – er, Georgia – where book-banning meets a subversive twist! In Kirsten Miller’s Lula Dean’s Little Library of Banned Books, the town’s busybody, Lula Dean, sets up a "clean" Little Free Library in her yard. She hopes … [Read more...] about Book Review: Lula Dean’s Little Free Library of Banned Books
Banned Books Week 2026
Banned Books Week, October 4 - 10, celebrates the freedom to read and the power of books to open doors to new ideas, experiences, and perspectives. This year’s theme, “Let Books Be. Protect the Freedom to Read,” arrives as books continue to be challenged in Idaho and across the nation, raising questions about who gets to decide what young people can read—and what libraries and schools can provide. Starting October 5, The Community Library is offering a banned books display in the stacks … [Read more...] about Banned Books Week 2026
Book Review: All My Sisters and Me
Operations Manager Yira Massey recommends All My Sisters and Me by Sheryl Lister. If you’re looking for a wholesome story that centers around love, family and friendship, I recommend All My Sisters and Me by Sheryl Lister. This is a book about four tall, dark and handsome brothers raised in a good and loving home, and the four sisters-in-law trying to learn to love and get along with each other and find their place in the family. Papa Aaron loves his wife and isn’t afraid to show it. … [Read more...] about Book Review: All My Sisters and Me
Words in War: Readers, Writers, and World War II
On Exhibit in the Wood River Museum of History and Culture Ernest Hemingway was a world famous writer. Ray Trautman was a behind-the-scenes librarian. Both believed fervently in the power of the written word. Their stories illustrate the importance of writing and reading during World War II, as spectacles of book burnings in Germany and Victory Book Campaigns in the United States were broadcast around the world. In 1940, Ray Trautman became Chief Librarian of the U.S. Army. From this post, … [Read more...] about Words in War: Readers, Writers, and World War II
