Ocean City Free Public Library Book Blog

Frank Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania by Erik Larson A tragic mix of evolutionary development of submarine technology, politics of neutrality, and personal insights to the lives of her passengers.  Interesting Factoid: After the Titanic sank, new and safer life-jackets were designed. While they were installed on the Lusitania, there were no drills held that required the jackets to be used. The torpedoed ship sank within sight of Ireland, and many died because they stepped into the jack  rather than putting their arms through the armholes. Many ended up flipping upside down in the water and couldn't escape.  A Gentleman in Moscow  by Amor Towles Rostov the ever gentleman versus the Bolsheviks, all while sentenced to be a prisoner inside the Metropol Hotel. Great character, pathos and twists contained within while the outside world changes over a thirty-year period. Thomas Jefferson and the Tripoli Pirates: The Forgotten War ...

      National Hispanic Heritage Month is observed from September 15th to October 15th. It is a month dedicated to celebrating the diverse culture, the many contributions and accomplishments from Americans whose ancestors are Hispanics/Latinos. From the vast history of Spain to all the stories and histories from the Caribbean, Mexico, Central and South America, it is a month to celebrate all the people who are part of such diversified background and contribute to the ever growing and changing story of America.       It first began as a week long observance in 1968 by President Lyndon Johnson, it was eventually expanded by President Ronald Reagan in 1988 to cover a 30-day period starting on September 15 and ending on October 15.       "The day of September 15 is significant because it is the anniversary of independence for Latin American countries Costa Rica, El Salv...

" I felt that one had better die fighting against injustice than to die like a dog or a rat in a trap"  Ida B. Wells       In honor of it being February, and therefore Black History Month, I wanted to do a special entry highlighting a major historical figure of note, both in the struggle for civil rights and the struggle for women's rights: Ida B. Wells.       Ida B. Wells was born in July of 1862, in Holly Springs, MO to James and Lizzie Wells. Ida and her parents, as well as the rest of the people still held as slaves in the Confederate states, were declared free by the Union six months after Ida's birth with the issue of the Emancipation Proclamation. Ida's parents were active in the Republican party during the Reconstruction, and her father helped to found  Shaw University (now Rust College) and served on the first board of trustees for this school dedicated to educating the newly freed former slaves. Ida recieved her early school...

       Proof: the Science of Booze caught my eye when I was looking for something new to read in the science section--specifically in the topic of chemistry. Adam Rogers presents a book that is a comprehensive look at the science behind alcohol and the mystery of why it has the effect that it does...all leading the reader to the grand conclusion of: "we still don't know." Serious examination and studies all lead to the same result of "we know what it does but we don't know why."       So why would anyone be interested in a book that takes eight chapters and almost 250 pages to tell you that much about alcohol? Well, for starters there's a ton of information that is just downright cool to learn about; like the physiological effects of what is happening to your body during a hangover, a molecular explanation about what yeast is doing to the sugars and why it is vital to the final product, or a history of prohibition that you wouldn...