Nebraska Books

07/14/2017

This walking stick was a gift to William Kloefkorn, State Poet of Nebraska, from Ted Kooser, United States Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress from 2004-2006. Kooser recently donated the walking stick to the Jane Pope Geske Heritage Room of Nebraska Authors.

07/13/2017

A love story set during the 1898 Omaha World's Fair, THE SWAN GONDOLA by Timothy Schaffert was on the Nebraska 150 book list.

06/26/2017

"'Playing House' by Lincoln author Laura Chapman is a fictional account of the real lives of reality TV stars. Chapman gives us a glimpse into the off-camera lives of Waverly and Wilder Aldrich, the stars of home improvement reality TV show, 'Playing House with Waverly and Wilder,' and it turns out they may need editing to end their episode happily ever after."

Erin Willis reviews PLAYING HOUSE by Laura Chapman for the Lincoln Journal Star.

"Playing House" by Laura Chapman, CreateSpace, 354 pages, $12.99 (paperback)

06/23/2017

This week's Friday Find from the Jane Pope Geske Heritage Room of Nebraska authors is this copy of NEBRASKA LEGENDS AND POEMS by Orsamus Charles Dake. Published in 1871 by Pott & Amery, Cooper Union of New York, it holds the distinction of being the first book produced in Nebraska.

06/22/2017

to last Saturday when Google honored Susan La Flesche Picotte’s 152nd Birthday with a Doodle.

After growing up on the Omaha reservation, she left her village to attend the Woman's Medical College of Pennsylvania and became the first American Indian to earn a medical degree. She returned to Nebraska after her education and became a public health advocate and social reformer.

In 2016, Nebraska author Joe Starita published a book on her legacy: A WARRIOR OF THE PEOPLE: HOW SUSAN LA FLASCHE OVERCAME RACIAL AND GENDER INEQUALITY TO BECOME AMERICA'S FIRST INDIAN DOCTOR.

Visit https://www.google.com/doodles/susan-la-flesche-picottes-152nd-birthday for more.

06/22/2017

We'll be there--will you?

06/21/2017

THE WAY OF KINGS is the first book in Nebraska native Brandon Sanderson's THE STORMLIGHT ARCHIVE series. Published in 2010, the third book in the epic fantasy series is scheduled for release later this year.

In 2016, DMG Entertainment acquired the rights to adapt the book--and others in Sanderson's universe--for screen.

06/20/2017

You can visit the John G. Neihardt State Historic Site in Bancroft, to learn more about Nebraska's Poet Laureate and author of BLACK ELK SPEAKS, the 2017 One Book One Nebraska selection. The Neihardt Center features the one-room study he used from 1911-1920, and the site was entered into the National Register of Historic Places in 1970.

For more information, or to plan a trip, visit http://neihardtcenter.org/.

06/19/2017

"Serial killers, psychopaths and pseudo-satanic rituals haunt the pages of "Ill Will" by Nebraska native Dan Chaon, but the most unnerving aspect of this literary thriller is Chaon’s exploration of unreliable memories and the characters’ inconsistent versions of reality."

Andrew Willis reviews ILL WILL by Dan Chaon for the Lincoln Journal Star.

"Ill Will" by Dan Chaon, Ballantine Books, 480 pages, $28

06/17/2017

Today is Susan La Flesche Picotte's 152nd Birthday. Read her story, A WARRIOR OF THE PEOPLE, by Nebraska Author Joe Starita.
Also check out the Google Doodle for today!

06/16/2017

Throughout a book's life, it can be printed in various formats and languages. These copies of A LANTERN IN HER HAND by Bess Streeter Aldrich at the Jane Pope Geske Heritage Room of Nebraska Authors show some of the many prints the story has had since it published in 1928.

06/14/2017

Published in 1933, MISS BISHOP by Bess Streeter Aldrich tells the life story of teacher Ella Bishop. The 1941 movie "Cheers for Miss Bishop" starring Martha Scott as the title character is based on the novel.