Library Blog

Book Review: The Swimming Pool Library

April 7, 2025 by kmerwin

Gold Mine Processing Manager Kelly Noble recommends The Swimming Pool Library by Alan Hollinghurst.

When it comes to exceptional writing skills, Alan Hollinghurst is among the best. In his 1988 novel, The Swimming Pool Library, Hollinghurst authors an exquisite story that capture gay life in pre-AIDs London.

It is a novel of privilege, wealth, homosexuality, history, and social class.

The novel centers on the life of a young William Beckworth. Young, wealthy and gay, William’s life is all about what privilege allows. He moves from sexual exploit to sexual exploit without blinking an eye. The novel is set before the AIDs crisis and captures a time when free love was all that some people wanted.

As the story moves forward, William saves the life of an elderly aristocrat, Lord Charles Nantwich. Nantwich offers William the opportunity to write his memoirs. William starts by reading old dairies and comes to find that Lord Nantwich is also gay but lived through a different time. At one point, Lord Nantwich was imprisoned for the crime of homosexuality.

This is true history and a plug to the brave journey many young men faced growing up in a homophobic world.

In the end, William declines to write the memoir. He learns through his research of his own family’s participation in these criminal prosecutions. Most of the crimes were brought to trial by William’s grandfather. This is an exceptional novel that approaches a controversial topic with sensitivity and depth. As with many LGBTQ+ novels, the ending is not one of happiness. The novel ends with William letting go of his boyfriend and moving on with his life. It always seems difficult to find a happy conclusion in this genre. Such as life!

Overall, Alan Hollinghurst is an exceptional writer. The quality of the writing cannot be understated. If I had to site an example of what a British novel should read like, The Swimming Pool Library, would be it. Hollinghurst captures not only British dialogue but something deeper. There is something quintessential British about this novel.

Request this title through interlibrary loan here.

2025 Community Speaker Series

April 4, 2025 by mwilliams

The 2025 Community Speaker Series presented by The Community Library and the Sun Valley Writers’ Conference invites you to join us for two free lectures at The Community Library. Advance registration is required to attend. Registration opens on May 5 at 9:00 a.m. Mountain. Seating is limited.

Click here for the 2024 Summer Speaker Series featuring:

Click here for the 2023 Summer Speaker Series featuring:

Click here for the 2022 Summer Speaker Series in Forest Service Park featuring:

Click here for the 2021 Summer Speaker Series in Forest Service Park featuring:

Book Review: The God of the Woods

April 1, 2025 by kmerwin

Director of Library Operations Pam Parker recommends The God of the Woods by Liz Moore.

In the 1970s, summer was synonymous with camp for some of us. My fondest memories of summer camp are full of firsts, like sleeping away from home on iron cots and learning traditional campfire songs from teen counselors. Yet, when the flames faded to coals, the bedside stories between campers often turned to dark tales that kept us awake late into the night! Could there be a more perfect setting for a summer who-done-it?

The God of the Woods (2024), by Liz Moore, is set in upstate New York during the summer of 1975 at Camp Emerson. Moore crafts several engaging storylines across generations of the Van Laar family, who live on the property and founded the camp. Their majestic home on the property is coined “Self Reliance,” having been built by their immigrant grandfather. He also founded a summer camp for the children of his wealthy friends. While the campers experience all the normal trappings, there is a survivalist bent to the camp that reminds us that the woods are not always a safe place for the unprepared.

In an early plot twist, Barbara, a Van Laar granddaughter, goes missing from her cabin overnight.

Other campers and counselors are left trying to explain her disappearance, and state police investigators soon arrive on the scene to ask questions. Rumors start to fly when it is revealed that a local serial killer has recently escaped from prison. The engaging story follows the search for the missing girl, who has seemingly disappeared without trace.

Her parents, Peter Van Laar III and his fragile wife Alice, live a privileged life of lawn games and boozy gatherings in their mansion. Through flashbacks to the early 1960s, we realize that the Van Laar marriage has its struggles from the start, and there is a sense that the family is trapped in this reclusive world. The cast of characters – and potential suspects – also includes a rough-at-the-edges camp director, TJ, and her elderly father who has worked for the Van Laar for many years. Louise, the camp counselor who was out partying the night Barbara goes missing, struggles to explain the girl’s disappearance. We also meet the state’s first female police investigator, Judy Luptak, who is not afraid to ask probing questions as she arrives on the scene.

This mix of well-drawn characters sets this 2024 novel apart from more run-of-the-mill thrillers.

Author Liz Moore has received significant literary accolades for the work, which remains in high demand at the Library. Her fourth novel, Long Bright River (2020), has recently been adapted into a TV crime series, and the screen rights to this 2024 novel have been purchased.

You might need to place a hold for this popular book – there’s been a waitlist since it was released last year. You might also consider signing up for The Community Library Book Club to attend the June 4th event where I’ll be hosting an informal discussion of the novel. In any case, I highly recommend this page-turner for your summer reading – but do keep your flashlights nearby while reading this well-crafted psychological thriller.

Find it in our collection in print, ebook, and eaudiobook here.

The Swiss Alps to Sun Valley

March 24, 2025 by kmerwin

A Community Library Field Trip

Monday, September 8 – Wednesday, September 17
Trip begins and ends in Zurich

What is This Trip About?

This is a curated trip for The Community Library and Wood River Museum of History + Culture created by Caroline Hostettler of Quality Cheese, a cheese importing company specializing in artisanal and alp cheeses from Switzerland. Caroline is a native of Biel/Bienne, Switzerland, has owned Quality Cheese for over 25 years and has been leading trips to Switzerland for over 10 years. She’s created this itinerary to focus on cheese, the outdoors and hiking, and experiences that speak to mountain culture and sustainability.

Museum Community Engagement Manager Kristine Bretall is coordinating local logistics and will accompany the group as your host, available to assist in every way possible.

Why This Trip to Switzerland?

To create community through travel and to explore mountain culture, our connection to Switzerland and the desire of Averell Harriman to create a European ski resort in Idaho. There is a deep link to the history of Sun Valley – with food, skiing, mountains and more! We anticipate that the trip will forge a bond between each other and these mountain roots that we can share with our friends and family in Idaho.

This international field trip features visits to St. Moritz, home of the 1948 Olympics where local legend Gretchen Fraser won gold; Bad Ragatz, the old spa town featured in the book Heidi; stays in Stans and Lenzerheide, home of five World Cup skiing finals; visits to local cheese, beer, and grain producers; and a cow descent from the alps that mirrors our own Trailing of the Sheep.

Trip Highlights:

Day 1: Wine tasting, hike to Bad Ragaz, check in Schweizerhof Lenzerheide (4 nights)
Day 2: Visit to heritage grain farm (grain will be part of a meal later that week), hiking, wellness center, village exploring on your own
Day 3: Funicular ride & hiking, food & history visit to St. Moritz (site of 1948 Olympics where Gretchen Fraser won the first US gold medal in skiing)
Day 4: Walk up to Alp Parpan, tour and tasting at Calanda brewery, explore the town of Chur, dinner that night at Scalottas – the chef was awarded Best Swiss Chef 2024
Day 5: Visit to Alp Bleiki, transfer to the town of Stans, check in to Culinarium Alpinum Stans (4 nights), explore village and hotel
Day 6: Cheese making visit & tasting at Molki Stans, tour of an edible garden, Alp Sbrinz visit and cider tasting
Day 7: Visit to traditional belt and bell maker, boat ride on Lake Lucerne
Day 8: Cow alp descent – moving down from the alp, apertif in the alp dairy
Day 9: Chocolate tasting in confiserie, Zurich (may include food shop tour or boat ride), final dinner & stay at airport hotel for departure next day.

Cost per Person:

Payable to Quality Cheese Travels:
- Double occupancy: $5,900 per person
- Single occupancy: $6,900 per person
- Pay via check, credit card or Venmo

Payable to The Community Library Association:
- Tax-deductible, refundable donation
- $500 per person to reserve your space by May 1, 2025

Cost Includes:
- All breakfasts and dinners (including beverages)
- Professional, private transportation in a Mercedes 17-passenger van
- Any fees related to funiculars, boats, entrances
- Hotels: Four nights in Lenzerheide, four nights in Stans, final night at airport hotel Zurich

Not Included: Flights, extra purchases such as lunches, souvenirs, etc.

Itinerary

Monday, September 8

Arrive Zurich Airport
Short hike to Bad Ragatz: An artsy, spa village in the most regarded wine area of Switzerland and a location in Switzerland’s most renowned book, Heidi.
Regional Wine Tasting at Torkel: A restaurant with their own vineyards and they specialize in regional, small production varietals. Try wines you’ve never heard of! Best quality education in presenting and pairing wines.
Check into SCHWEIZERHOF LENZERHEIDE: Top location in a prestigious small town that has hosted five World Cup skiing finals. Incredible breakfast with local ingredients and products. Wonderful wellness/spa area, mountain culture themed library. This will be our hotel for 4 nights.

Tuesday, September 9

Breakfast at the hotel
Visit to heritage grain farm (this grain will be part of Thursday night’s dinner)
Options for the afternoon:
- Book a massage or treatment or just visit the wellness center at the hotel
- Go for a hike in the mountains outside the door
- Explore the village and eat sweets!

Wednesday, September 10

Breakfast at hotel
Funicular ride and hiking
Visit to historic St. Moritz – location for the 1948 Olympics in which Gretchen Fraser won gold and silver – becoming the first American to win a medal in skiing
Taste the iconic nusstorte in St. Moritz

Thursday, September 11

Easy hike up to Alp Parpan. What is an alp? It’s a place where humans and animals move to in the summer to take advantage of the rich meadows and produces cheese throughout the summer to preserve the best milk of the year. Seasonal living, a uniquely alpine and Swiss way of life.
Calenda Beer Tour & Tasting in Chur. Chur is the oldest Alp town and is home to a famous brewery that links the quality of its products to the clean, pure, glacial water.
Dinner at Scalottas: The chef was just nominated the Best Chef in Switzerland for 2024. Passionate purist who works on farms when not in the kitchen & supports small, local, back to the roots producers.

Friday, September 12

Visit Alp Bleiki: another Alp visit in a different region = different circumstances, work patterns and cheeses. Bleiki is a family Alp, small and authentic and dedicated to keeping the tradition of transhumance and alpine culture alive. One of only eight remaining Alp Sbrinz producers, and the one with the most perfect 20 awards.
Check into Culinarium Alpinum Stans. An abbey turned into a beautiful hotel and event space. Dedicated to good food, alpine culture, heritage, agriculture, etc. Brilliant restaurant with an open wine cellar. Bare, minimalist and totally stunning!
Explore the village, wellness area in hotel.
Stans is a small town with a pedestrian only core, historical buildings, amazing culinary options and so much character. Walk down right from our hotel and experience Swissness pure: Folks walking and biking to get groceries, to get to the train station, to meet friends. It is in this part of the country that all the battles happened, and Switzerland eventually was founded (almost 900 years ago).

Saturday, September 13

Cheese making visit & tasting at Molki Stans – two young, unorthodox cheese makers who are bringing new ideas, new philosophies and new cheeses onto the market. Tiny but efficient!
Tour of an edible garden – and most of the veggies at the hotel’s restaurant come from this garden. Also part of the hotel and former abbey is the only Alp Sbrinz aging cellar of Switzerland. It holds the wheels from all eight remaining Alp Sbrinz cheese makers, a quickly diminishing breed. Affinage, cheese history and traditions. Cider tasting, too!

Sunday, September 14

Visit to traditional belt and bell maker. Bells, belts, straps, jewelry were invented when everything still was made by hand. Only few of these artisans are left by now, and what they create is amazing
Boat ride on Lake Lucerne
Dinner with a view!

Monday, September 15

Cow Alp Descent: Surviving a summer on the Alp, far away from luxury, from what one is used to, exposed to the moods and forces of nature is a big achievement for both humans and animals. No wonder the day of the return back to civilization is celebrated and cherished. – Alp culture, mountain lifestyle, pure Swissness.
Once all the animals and their shepherds have moved on, we will be the guests of the young couple that was in charge of making cheese on the Alp during the summer. They still have to clean out and secure the hut for the winter, so their work is not done on the day of the descent yet. But before they start this last (hidden to most) part they will host us for a hearty apéritif and some insight into alp life.

Tuesday, September 16

One on one chocolate tasting with a talented, super innovative chocolate and pastry chef. She will teach and show us and of course let us taste some of the traditional and also some of the less usual creations. No Switzerland trip without chocolate!
Zurich (Food shop tour or boat tour or tour on your own). Zürich has too much to offer for one day. So guests will have to pick, and you will get great guidance from Caroline! Architecture, food, history, art, music, design, outdoors, museums and many more options…
Final group dinner
Staying at Holiday Inn Express Rümlang near the Zurich Airport – there is a quick 10-minute shuttle from the hotel to the airport.

Wednesday, September 17

Individual departures from Zurich – flights are usually EARLY morning back to the states option to stay longer in Europe/Switzerland.

Download the Questionnaire here.

Download the Travel Waiver here.

Questions? Want to reserve your space? Email Kristine Bretall, Museum Community Engagement Manager.

Book Review: The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse

March 24, 2025 by kmerwin

Systems Librarian Susie Bille recommends The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy.

Picture books are not just for children. Filled with seemingly simple and random bits of advice…

…this little book invites you to slow down and think a little more deeply.

The illustrations add to a sense of wonder, as swift pen and ink sketches give way to gorgeous watercolors. I found myself enjoying different meanings of the written words as I spent some time studying the beautiful drawings.

A little sketch shows the horse nudging the boy’s head.

“Asking for help isn’t giving up,” said the horse. “It’s refusing to give up.”

The story takes the boy and his animal friends on an unexplained journey, through a landscape filled with love, encouragement and hope. We should all be so lucky.

Find it in our collection in print (English and Spanish) and ebook here.

The Flowers Sawmill

March 20, 2025 by Liam Guthrie

Liam Guthrie, Regional History Librarian

A long wooden building in a snowy mountain-scape, with workers, a wagon, and a sleigh in front. — The Flowers Sawmill at Adams Gulch, Jeanne Rodger Lane Center for Regional History (F 00088)

Adams Gulch is well known today for its popular hiking and biking trails, but the gulch’s history is deeply intertwined with the lumber industry and the Flowers Sawmill, which inhabited it for decades. This 1911 photo shows the sawmill that once stood at the mouth of Adams Gulch, along with wagons and sleds used to haul lumber.

The gulch’s first sawmill was built much further up the gulch, near the confluence with Eve Gulch, by Abijah Adams, for whom the gulch is named. Adams had already been operating a sawmill on Warm Springs Creek since 1881, but the mines and boom towns of the valley created a high demand for lumber, so Adams opened his second sawmill in Adams Gulch by 1886. Adams operated this sawmill until his death from illness in 1892. The sawmill was sold to Hobart Beamer of Hailey, who hired Wes Flowers to work in the sawmill.

In the busier summer logging season, Wes and his family would live at the sawmill. The sawmill had several houses, cabins, a boarding house, and a blacksmith shop. Wes worked at the sawmill and his wife Addie assisted with cooking for the sawyers living in the boarding house. During the winter, the rest of the family would return to Hailey so the children could attend school, while Wes remained in Adams Gulch to run the sawmill.

By April of 1907, Wes Flowers had bought the sawmill from Beamer. The Flowers family loved their summers in Adams Gulch and soon applied for a homestead at the mouth of the gulch. Here they built a frame house and a few outbuildings. In 1910, they relocated the sawmill from its old location up Adams Gulch to be nearer the homestead. Wes also took up farming and ranching on the homestead.

This photo shows the sawmill in the winter of 1911, which unfortunately would prove a tragic year for the Flowers family. While logging that winter in Adams Gulch, Wes and his eldest son Arthur were struck by an avalanche, killing them both. This was the start of hard times for the family, as Wes’s younger sons Eugene and George, respectively eighteen and fourteen, were forced to take over the sawmill and ranch to support their family.

Though the sawmill and ranch were mortgaged and even put up for sale multiple times, the Flowers family persevered. The Flowers Brothers ran the sawmill, planted crops, ranched cattle, and even trapped wild game in the winter to get by. The brothers were well-liked and respected in the community. Even in the dead of winter, there are many stories of Ketchum residents trekking up to Adams Gulch on skis to fetch the brothers for a dance or a potluck. The brothers eventually married two Swedish women from Illinois in a 1939 double wedding and built a log cabin for each couple on the Flowers homestead. They continued operating the sawmill all the way until George’s death in 1968.

Note this story was originally published in March of 2025 in the Idaho Mountain Express.