Et Cetera

 During the holiday season and as year-end approaches, many people are thinking about how they can give back to their community. Giving to a fund of the Benton County Community Foundation, an affiliate of the Community Foundation of Northeast Iowa, is an easy way to make a year-end gift that impacts the community and supports the causes you care about.

Echo                   By Pam Muñoz Ryan                                              Junior Fiction                                              History; Music                                              Large Type                                              Reviewed by                                              Connie Bennett     Oh, my goodness, where to begin?  To think that I couldn't connect with this book- that I stopped halfway through, and very nearly didn't finish at all!   After all of that, this has become one of my all-time favorite books!  To say that it was an easy read would be untrue, and yet, as I reread portions and came to the part as yet unread, in an attempt to finish this time, I couldn't put the book down.

Easy Picture Books                                             Winter/ Holidays                                             Reviewed by                                             Connie Bennett     What parent or grandparent hasn't heard the plaintive request to "read me a story"?  Especially at this time of year when outside is cold and icy, and Daddy proclaims that "it isn't good snow for making snowballs", children seem to innately crave a warm lap or chair, and a wintry book!  I've gathered three that caught my eye, that were heartily recommended by our Children's Librarian, Kellie Roberts.

I’m Glad My Mom DiedBy Jeannette McCurdyReviewed by Connie Bennett, Vinton Public Library ClerkBiographyThis book has been heavily hyped by the media, and oft-requested in the last few months at the library. In my opinion, it has no redeeming qualities.Jeannette McCurdy, in case you didn’t know, was a small-time child star on a couple of Nickelodeon programs (“iCarly” and “Sam and Kat”).

The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl                      By Stacy McAnultyJunior FictionCurrent EventsReviews by Connie Bennett & Isabel Silver     This book was highly recommended to me by a young friend, Isabel Silver, who told me it was "very, very good, and be sure to tell them that!"  Ever obedient, I have complied.

For many families, the plan of how to pay for college is uncertain. And trying to figure out that plan can be intimidating.But college is within reach, even for those with modest incomes, as long as saving begins early. Reasonable, small monthly savings, if started when kids are young, can benefit from compound interest and earnings. And those regular contributions add up over time.

The Lonely Law                       By Matt Stuart                                             Western Fiction                                              Large Type                                              Reviewed by                                              Connie Bennett     Originally copyrighted in 1957, this adventure was first renewed in 1985, then published again in September of 2022.

Agent Josephine                       By Damien Lewis                                               Adult Non-Fiction                                                Biography                                                Reviewed by                                                Connie Bennett     In a radical departure from my usual choices, this book is not only non-fiction, but also a biography.

           Olivia Claus by Kama Einhorn                 My Penguin, Osbert                by Elizabeth Cody Kimmel       A Simple Christmas on the Farm                   by Phyllis Alsdurf                                               Christmas-themed                                               Easy Reader books                                               Great pictures                                               Reviewed by                                               Connie Bennett     For anyone who is a fan of Olivia and her family, Olivia Claus is a Christmas "must"!  In this holiday story, items are mysteriously disappearing; first, Olivia's monkey, Mathilda, then Dad's snowflake sock, then her brother's missing piece from his new puzzle.

 The Inheritance Games                   By Jennifer Lynn Barnes                                Young adult fiction                                Mystery                                Reviewed by Connie Bennett     This young adult book begins, "When I was a kid.