January 13, 2021

Do you love cozy murder mysteries? Do you love books and libraries? I’ve compiled a list of my favorite cozy murder mysteries with a book or library theme, perfect for a relaxing reading session on a cold winter's night (or, really, any time of the year). If you’re like me and love a good psychological thriller too, these are great to read in between other genres, when your mind may need a bit of a break and craves a lighter read. Looking for other cozy mystery ideas? Click here to read another article I wrote about some of my other favorite cozy mystery series that don't have a specific library or book theme.

Adults Authors Books Reading Recommendations

January 11, 2021

Sometimes, it’s difficult to choose between relaxing with a good book or sitting back and watching a movie or binge watching a favorite TV show. So why not combine the two and watch a movie or TV series based on a great book? Numerous new TV series and movies (in theaters, and streaming on digital platforms) are set to be released throughout 2021, and we’ve taken the time to compile a list of some of the most anticipated adaptations! Take a gander at the list below and, if any of the synopses sound appealing, you can check out the book from any Marathon County Public Library location and read it before you watch the movie/TV version. Please note that some of these projects are tentatively planned to be...

Adults Authors Books Movies Reading Recommendations

December 15, 2020

When you think of a detective, what comes to mind? Do you Did you think of the detectives of old – a disheveled, forgetful Colombo-in-a-trench coat? Sherlock Holmes with a magnifying class and deerstalker cap? Or a gritty gumshoe, a la Phillip Marlowe? When we presented this question to our patrons at the Mosinee Branch, and their answers showed us that the detectives of today are as colorful and diverse as the crimes they investigate. Here are a few of the responses we received. Lincoln Rhyme was once a brilliant criminologist, a genius in the field of forensics — until an accident left him physically and emotionally shattered. Now a quadriplegic, Rhyme joins NYPD detective Amelia Sachs as his “hands...

Adults Authors Books

September 8, 2020

The Central Wisconsin Book Festival will take place Sept. 21-27, 2020. Before it happens, we want to share a bit about some of the guests, so we've asked a few to answer some questions from festival organizers about themselves and their work. Below is a back-and-forth from Charles Hagner and CWBF committee member Chad Dally through email. Charles will join us virtually at 10 a.m. on Sunday, Sept. 27 to tell us why Wisconsin is a great state to look for birds, and share some tips and techniques to identify birds. He’s the director of Bird City Wisconsin and author of the American Birding Association Field Guide to Birds of Wisconsin.   What's your background and how did you get involved with...

Authors Books Central Wisconsin Book Festival Community History Nature Wisconsin

September 3, 2020

On September 1, Netflix launched a new 12-episode collection called Bookmarks: Celebrating Black Voices. The show, which you can watch with your Netflix account – or for FREE without a subscription on the Netflix Jr. YouTube page – features prominent Black celebrities and artists reading children’s books by Black authors about Black kids. Some of the featured celebrities include Lupita Nyong’o, Karamo Brown, Common, Misty Copeland, Tiffany Haddish and Jacqueline Woodson. For more about the series, click here or watch the trailer below!  Want to read the books that are featuring in Bookmarks, or check them out so you can follow along to the episodes at home? See the titles below and click on the...

Authors Books Children Early Literacy Reading Recommendations Video

September 2, 2020

The fourth annual Central Wisconsin Book Festival (CWBF) takes place September 21–27, 2020, with events happening each of the six days, bringing authors and literature lovers together in exciting, creative and introspective ways! Although organizers felt it was necessary to make this year’s festival all-virtual, we’re still really excited about this year’s lineup and hope you will be, too. About a dozen volunteers have met monthly — first in person, then virtually — since the end of the 2019 festival to set up this year’s events. It’s been a challenge to reorganize the whole festival to take place online, due to the coronavirus pandemic. We’ll certainly miss the opportunity to gather together and...

Adults Authors Books Central Wisconsin Book Festival Community Events Poetry Reading Recommendations Writing

September 1, 2020

The following is a selection of books written by authors featured in the 2020 Central Wisconsin Book Festival (CWBF)!  From fiction to nonfiction to poetry, this year's "virtual" CWBF will be a great opportunity for members of the community to hear from notable writers with diverse backgrounds.  Check out the following items before or after the festival to explore their creations:

Authors Books Catalogs and Collections Central Wisconsin Book Festival E-books Events Graphic Novels Poetry Reading Recommendations

July 1, 2020

The Marathon County Public Library, on behalf of all its partners, is happy to share that the Central Wisconsin Book Festival will return to the Wausau area for its fourth year. The first event of this year's festival is Monday, Sept. 21 and we'll follow that with SIX more days of events and finish the festival on Sunday, Sept. 27. As Central Wisconsin (and the rest of the world) continues to deal with the coronavirus pandemic, we will err on the side of caution and host an all-virtual festival this year. Although virtual events have a different feel than in-person readings, we hope our audience will enjoy not only the lineup of authors we've booked, but also being able to watch events from the comfort and...

Authors Books Central Wisconsin Book Festival Events

June 9, 2020

With recent events in America, it is more important than ever to expose young children to people of all races and ethnicities. It is never too early to start talking to children about race and its place in our country. Parents, caregivers, and educators have the power and responsibility to broaden children's understanding of the world. Talking about race may be intimidating and uncomfortable, so check out this great article by embracerace.org that gives small talking points and advice on how to start the conversation with children. Representation in children's books is very unequal. Studies show that children need to see people that look like them in books and other media to form a positive self...

Authors Books Children Community Early Literacy Reading Recommendations

January 28, 2019

On January 9 and January 12, local author Cindy Meyering visited the Marathon County Public Library’s Marathon City Branch to talk about, and read from, her new book I’m There for You. Meyering lives in Wisconsin with her husband, Mark. She is a retired teacher, but continues to enjoy time in the classroom by substitute teaching. I’m There for You is her first novel for children. It was self-published through AuthorHouse and was a winner in MCPL’s Community Writing Competition last year. The following interview took place during the author’s visit to the Marathon City Branch Library on January 9th, 2019, and was conducted by Branch Assistant Elizabeth Lutz. Elizabeth Lutz: Did this book’s story spring...

Writing Books Children Authors

September 25, 2018

Would you like to hear about Wisconsin politics from an author receiving national attention? Ask an award-winning mystery writer a question? Want to learn how to start your own blog or create your own podcast? Maybe you’d like to hear Wausau-area writers — teenagers to senior citizens — read their own, original work? Over the course of 4 days, a person has a chance to do any of that — maybe ALL of that — and much more during the 2nd annual Central Wisconsin Book Festival, taking place around the Wausau area September 27–30, 2018. The festival began in 2017 as a way to connect authors of all stripes with fans of the written word around Central Wisconsin. At the same time, it was meant to...

Events Central Wisconsin Book Festival Books Authors Poetry

July 24, 2018

Organizers behind the second annual Central Wisconsin Book Festival are hard at work setting up a wide variety of free community events, and this year’s festival is already shaping up to be bigger— and hopefully as good or better — than last year’s festival! What started as a two-day book festival in 2017 with about 10 events has grown to at least 15 events (with more still to be added) over the course of four days, featuring fiction and nonfiction authors, poets, and maybe even you! The festival begins Thursday, September 27, 2018, and continues through Sunday, September 30. Visit www.mcpl.us/cwbf for more information! One of the goals of the festival — besides bringing in well-known, lesser-known...

Authors Books Central Wisconsin Book Festival Events

August 10, 2017

The Marathon County Public Library is working with other community partners to present the first-ever Central Wisconsin Book Festival, starting Friday, September 29, and continuing through September 30 with a diverse lineup of events. The festival begins Friday night with “Fact or Fiction,” a live and interactive storytelling event at the Center for Civic Engagement (CCE) in Wausau. Other events include, but aren’t limited to, a presentation on early childhood literacy from Dr. Dipesh Navsaria, a conversation with comic writer and artist Tim Seeley and a discussion about Alzheimer’s disease with former Wisconsin governor Martin Schreiber, who recently co-authored a book on Alzheimer’s care and whose wife is...

Authors Central Wisconsin Book Festival Community Events