Join us for the Central Wisconsin Book Festival, Sept. 17–26!
September 9, 2021
The following is a selection of books written by authors featured in the 2021 Central Wisconsin Book Festival (CWBF)! From fiction to nonfiction to poetry, this year's 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:
August 25, 2021
Next month is the Central Wisconsin Book Festival! This year, 11 fabulous children’s authors will be speaking at the festival. The majority of these events will be conducted virtually through Zoom, which means you can attend from anywhere! The following books are my recommended pre-festival reads for kids. The good news? They're all available for checkout from your local Marathon County Public Library! On Friday, September 17, via Zoom, Canadian artist Matthew Forsythe will read from his entertaining picture book Pokko and the Drum and also show participants how he created the illustrations. Forsythe’s artwork has been exhibited in Los Angeles, Japan, Italy, and Germany. A few of my...
July 22, 2021
The Marathon County Public Library (MCPL) recently purchased over 60 new items for its collection, thanks to a $1,000 grant from the East Asia in Wisconsin Library Program. The program was created in fall 2020 by the Center for East Asian Studies (CEAS) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, in collaboration with the Wisconsin Library Association, the Cooperative Children’s Book Center, and the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. The goal of the program is to provide public libraries with the funds to purchase East-Asia-related materials to their collections, or to plan programs and events related to East Asia. MCPL was one of 38 public libraries around the state to be awarded a...
July 8, 2021
For those fortunate enough to learn the joy of reading at a young age, books can be impactful, perhaps even life-changing. Accompanying book characters through life challenges and experiences can set a course for young readers for whom they want to be and how they want to live their lives, or can simply begin a lifelong interest in reading. With this in mind, I asked some adult readers what book they read in their childhoods that had a significant impression on their lives. The qualities of courage and fortitude were lessons some readers learned through their book choices. One individual loved the Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House on the Prairie series, particularly the early books, relating how they...
July 7, 2021
Even though summer is officially upon us, the committee behind the Central Wisconsin Book Festival — including this author — have their eyes on the fall as we plan for the 5th annual fest! The festival, an initiative of the Marathon County Public Library (MCPL), has grown in several exciting ways since its humble beginnings in 2017: The number of authors hosted, the number of people who attend, and the reach of the festival beyond Central Wisconsin to other states and even countries! The biggest way we’re growing this year is geographically: For the first time, MCPL is collaborating with the Portage County Public Library in Stevens Point and the McMillan Memorial Library in Wisconsin Rapids to host...
February 15, 2021
Have you ever passed up a book because the cover or synopsis seemed superficial or unrelatable? Or have you decided against reading a book because the genre isn’t your favorite? Sometimes bits and pieces of the story can compel you to read the entire book, which is great, because you can find bits of wisdom inside stories you wouldn’t expect. Below are some of my favorite compelling quotes that I've gleaned from books over the years that have left a lasting impression. Do you have any that you write down and keep in a journal? If so, tell us some of your favorites. “Each person seems to have separate memories that make them think they have continuous separate selves. But what if...
January 27, 2021
This is the time of year that every librarian, book seller and youth educator waits for. Will their favorite book be picked for an award by the American Library Association? What winning books flew under their radar this year? For teens, this year brings a new crop of awesome young adult literature, showing the continued growth of teen books. Starting with the Michael L. Printz Award for literary excellence in young adult literature, the winner this year is Everything Sad is Untrue by Daniel Nayen. Daniel’s story reaches across decades and miles to help his classmates understand who he is and where he came from. This book would definitely entertain younger teens as well as older...
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.
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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:
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
