Making Bread Out of Straw: How to Succeed with Almost Nothing By Helping Others, Thinking Creatively, and Ignoring Obstacles

January 22nd, 2025 by Goshen Public Library No comments »

By Cinzi Lavin

Year of Publication: 2024

A summary from Goodreads: 

If you have several thousand dollars with which to launch your dream, a master’s degree in your subject matter, and some decent connections, there are a lot of books about success that can help you. However, Making Bread Out of Straw is about making something out of nothing.

If you don’t have $10,000 (or even $1,000), no network of influential acquaintances, no memberships in exclusive social clubs or alumni organizations, and you may not have even been formally educated in your field, yet you believe you are capable of achieving amazing things, this book will profoundly change the way you think.

Award-winning musical dramatist Cinzi Lavin shares her own circumstances, which dictated that if she wanted to enjoy success, it would take more than hard work, luck, ambition, or even talent. In fact, she credits her success to three humanity, creativity, and the ability to recognize that most obstacles are only illusions.

With engaging storytelling, Lavin explains how you can achieve the life you want, even if you feel held back by the situation in which you find yourself. As a failed piano student who later performed by invitation at the White House, she outlines indispensable philosophies, clever tips, and practical strategies which can be powerfully leveraged to further your goals.

Anyone can achieve success by helping to create a generosity-based society, by utilizing their creativity, and by choosing their own path. Embracing the unconventional, wasting nothing, and making life good for everyone are all part of the art of Making Bread Out of Straw.

Goshen Public Library call number: 658.11 LAVIN (BOOK)

God Of The Woods

January 21st, 2025 by Goshen Public Library No comments »

By Liz Moore

Year of Publication: 2024

A summary from Goodreads: 

Early morning, August 1975: a camp counselor discovers an empty bunk. Its occupant, Barbara Van Laar, has gone missing. Barbara isn’t just any thirteen-year-old: she’s the daughter of the family that owns the summer camp and employs most of the region’s residents. And this isn’t the first time a Van Laar child has disappeared. Barbara’s older brother similarly vanished fourteen years ago, never to be found.

As a panicked search begins, a thrilling drama unfolds. Chasing down the layered secrets of the Van Laar family and the blue-collar community working in its shadow, Moore’s multi-threaded story invites readers into a rich and gripping dynasty of secrets and second chances. It is Liz Moore’s most ambitious and wide-reaching novel yet.

Goshen Public Library call number: F MOORE (BOOK)

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

January 20th, 2025 by Goshen Public Library No comments »

Year of Release: 2012

A summary from the back of the DVD: 

An award-winning, all-star cast, led by Judi Dench, Bill Nighy, Maggie Smith and Tom Wilkinson, lights up this “buoyant comedy laced with genuine emotion”(Peter Travers, Rolling Stone). When seven cash-strapped seniors decide to “outsource” their retirement to a resort in far-of India, friendship and romance blossom in the most unexpected ways. Smart, life-affirming and genuinely charming, THE BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL is a “true classic that reminds us that it’s never too late to find love and a fresh beginning at any age”(Rex Reed, The New York Observer).

Goshen Public Library call number: DVD-A (VISUAL MATERIAL)

The Sherlock Society

January 18th, 2025 by Goshen Public Library No comments »

By James Ponti

Year of Publication: 2024

A summary from Goodreads: 

In the tradition of Nancy Drew, four kids and one grandfather in Miami tackle a decades-old mystery in this first book in the action-packed and funny Sherlock Society middle grade series from New York Times bestselling, Edgar Award–winning author James Ponti! Siblings Alex and Zoe Sherlock take their last name as inspiration when choosing a summer job. After all, starting a detective agency has to be better than babysitting (boring), lawn mowing (sweaty), or cleaning out the attic (boring and sweaty). Their friends Lina, an avid bookworm, and Yadi, an aspiring cinematographer, join the enterprise, and Alex and Zoe’s retired reporter grandfather offers up his sweet aquamarine Cadillac convertible and storage unit full of cold cases. The group’s first target is the long-lost treasure supposedly hidden near their hometown Miami. Their investigation into the local doings of famed gangster Al Capone leads them to a remote island in the middle of the Everglades where they find alarming evidence hinting at corporate corruption. Together with Grandpa’s know-how and the kids’ intelligence—plus some really slick gadgets—can the Sherlock Society root out the conspiracy?

Goshen Public Library call number: JF PONTI (BOOK-J)

The Traitor(Michael Vey #9)

January 17th, 2025 by Goshen Public Library No comments »

By Richard Paul Evans

Year of Publication: 2023

A summary from Goodreads: 

In this electrifying ninth installment of the award-winning, #1 New York Times bestselling Michael Vey series, the Electroclan must fight a former friend to save their captured ally!

With Tara still in the clutches of the Elite Elgen Guard Unit the Chasqui and their malevolent leader, the Sovereign Amash, Michael Vey and the Electroclan have no choice but to continue the fierce battle that has been waging since their arrival in Peru. But saving one of their own means battling a onetime teammate, as Jack has turned traitor and joined forces with Amash and his men.

At the same time, the clan must work with the Alpha Team to act before the Chasqui can put their plan to destroy the city of Arequipa into motion. And when Taylor makes a bold yet dangerous move to save her sister, the urgency climbs even higher.

With so many lives at stake, the Electroclan has no time to waste, and no room for error as they take on this latest growing threat.

Goshen Public Library call number: YF EVANS MICHAEL VEY BK. 9 (BOOK-YA)