OKelly Memorial Library

  A wonderful story of memories, heartbreak, love, and understanding as a soldier returning from Iraq rejoins his wife and daughter, but has a very difficult time leaving the war behind. The family is renting a cottage on the shore of Lake Michigan from their elderly landlord neighbor, Iris, who is estranged from the small town in which they live, because she also is dealing with her own heartbreak. She had lost her young husband to his death fighting in WWII, and soon thereafter lost her small daughter to polio.  After decades of being withdrawn, she finds solace only in her beautiful garden hidden behind high fences surrounding her home. Until she meets her new renters: Cody, Abby, and Lily.       Their story is eloquently told by the author and made me laugh, cry, and love every moment reading this book. I highly recommend reading this one.  by S.M. O'Kelly Memorial Library Associate

Lysas book offers fresh insights, and new perspectives on finding  Unexpected strength. In the chapter, “Between two Gardens" Lysa says "sometimes to get your life back, you have to face the death of what you thought your life would look like". In these times in which we live this is truer than ever before. Lysa helps us with things to remember, reflect, and  receive to help fill our emptiness. As we walk with Lysa through her healing process of pain, and disappointments. May we find healing for ourselves.  by A.B. OKelly Memorial Library Associate

This new release to our libraries is about a Navy SEAL, John Beckett, who suffers from PTSD after returning home to his civilian life. Because he has mentally pushed everyone away, his family leaves him, even though they still love him. He needs to find a way to bring them back. Then his close friend is murdered, and John is going to find out who’s responsible. What will he do when he does find out?       I really enjoyed this action packed and emotionally driven movie. The story-lines kept me involved every minute until the end.  by S.M. OKelly Memorial Library Associate

 Kristan Stewart does a great job at playing the lead role of a mechanical engineer in an underwater mining rig. In this sci-fi thriller, she is determined to save the rest of the crew that survives after the rig is destroyed in an explosion. They must leave the rig and get to another abandoned vessel on the ocean floor, and the only way to get there is to walk to it underwater in the depths of the ocean. They are not alone...!       An edge of your seat thriller that any sci-fi enthusiast should watch. by S.M. OKelly Memorial Library Associate

This is my morning routine that is followed quite religiously.  I wake up, of course.  Sometimes rarin’ to go, more often not.  I have my morning prayer time.  This stems from having been an affiliate of a monastery for almost thirty years.  Even when I don’t feel like it, and there are many times I don’t, it is what I do every morning.  There are a couple of other things that I do every morning that never excite mebut do them out of necessity.  I feed the cat at 8:00 a.m.  That is HIS routine and he is fit to be tied if it is altered the least little bit. The third thing that is a regular part of my morning routine dates back to when I was a young lad who knew that it was in my best interests to follow the prescriptions of my mother, I make my bed.  When I heard of the book by Admiral William McRaven with the title, Make Your Bed , I could not help but hear the voice of my mother in the back of my head reminding me of this duty.  If it is not the first thing that I do, it remains

One of the advantages of working at a library is that it affords you the opportunity to peruse the stacks as you are searching for something that has been put on hold or shelving what has been returned.    During this Covid-19 curbside service that we have been offering there has been a lot of searching and shelving and therefore a significant amount of perusing.   The other day I came across a book that I had not seen in a long time.   A book my mother saw to it that all her children had a copy of.   A book she felt for sure all of us would get a big kick out of.   She was right, especially as we turned to page six.   The book is Don’t Stand Too Close to a Naked Man by Tim Allen.   Most of you have probably heard of Mr. Allen from his television shows, “Home Improvement,” and “Last Man Standing”.     His movies have been quite popular as well, most notably the Santa Clause series and the Toy Story series, as the voice of Buzz Lightyear.   I also enjoyed “Galaxy Quest” and “Jung

John Grisham takes us on a journey through the Brazilian jungle with an American lawyer, Nate O’Riley, who has been selected to find a missionary woman, Rachel Lane. She has been named beneficiary in the last will and testament of a man worth billions. She is unaware that she is being sought. Nate does find her, but has he found her too late?  There are other relatives of the billionaire that are chomping at the bit for the expanse of funds that they believe are due them.  Lots of character studies throughout Grisham’s story. It keeps you wondering who will end up with the money. Being a Grisham fan, I personally didn’t like this novel as much as I do most of his others.  By S.M. OKelly Memorial Library Associate.

A delightfully funny and heartwarming story about a father and son relationship, George and Eric, and how it affects Eric’s relationship with others.  After George’s death, Eric learns that he has inherited his dad’s beloved Aston Martin auto... with conditions.  A plot of land that George had cultivated and grew vegetables on for years will now need to be tended by Eric.  A two year contract to this responsibility is necessary in order to keep the Aston Martin. Eric knows nothing about gardening!   Can he do it and keep the car? I enjoyed Hannah Lynn’s novel.  She has a certain British style of writing that draws you in and entertains.   by S. M. OKelly Memorial Library Associate

After graduating from Marist College, Bill O’Reilly was for a brief time a secondary education history teacher in Florida.  Despite moving on to broadcasting fame, O’Reilly continues to be fascinated with history and the unbiased telling of it.  That was his purpose in producing his infamous “Killing” series.  It has also been the case in his lesser known but very effective series, “Legends & Lies”, in which the legends and lies about some of the central characters from a particular period in our nation’s history are brought to light and the truth, gets told about who they really were and what they did.  Such is the intent of Legends & Lies: The Civil War , to cut through whatever myths have been perpetuated relative to some of the central characters and events from that epic conflict and to get to the truth.   Though O’Reilly wrote the book’s introduction and lent his name to its publication, the actual author is David Fisher, who is no slouch as a writer in his own right,

From the moment I saw the murky figure appearing above the ice and then having the saw be plunged through that frigid surface as a chorus of male voices begins the song, “Frozen Heart,” I really, really liked the Disney animated film, Frozen .   It has everything a movie goer hopes for as the lights go down and a movie begins.  A compelling story that holds your interest throughout with a climactic moment that genuinely tugs at the heart.  A musical score that is not only one of the best for an animated film, but for any film.  The movie came out in 2013 and I have yet to tire of “Do You Want to Build a Snowman,” or “Let It Go.”  It has characters that you grow to love and care about, Anna, Elsa, Kristoff, Sven, and, of course, Olaf. And it has those that you are glad to see done in in the end.  Anna’s smackdown of Hans was righteous! I even got a kick out of the incidental character, Oaken, and his family in the sauna. There is nothing not to like about this movie.  It did win the

The film, “The Buccaneer,” was my introduction to the events of the Battle of New Orleans at the conclusion of the War of 1812.  It stared Charlton Heston as General Andrew Jackson, and Yul Brenner as the infamous pirate, Jean Lafitte.  This fictionalized account focused more on the character of Jean Lafitte and his romantic entanglement with the governor of New Orleans’ daughter and his personal struggle with determining which side of the upcoming battle for the port of New Orleans he would support, the British or the American. The truth of this historic and final encounter between British and American military forces is better told by Brian Kilmeade in his book, “Andrew Jackson and the Miracle of New Orleans.”  The title, itself, captures well Kilmeade’s perspective on this decisive event in American history.  He labels it a “miracle” and not simply a battle; such were the odds against an American victory in the face of their very formidable British adversary. It took inspired lea