Library news

This month’s Book Club pick is Escape from Camp 14: One Man’s Remarkable Odyssey from North Korea to Freedom in the West. Swing by the library for a copy. The book club meets in the library the first Thursday of each month at 11:00 a.m. Next gathering is March 7.

Your local Seeley Lake Public Library has added these new titles to the Montana Collection.

For our quilters: Border to Border: Quilts and Quiltmakers of Montana. The quilts chronicle Montana's history over the last 150 years, telling the stories of statehood, the struggle for women's suffrage, two world wars, the Great Depression, as well as the recent past. This highly illustrated book showcases Montana's best, most unique, and most interesting quilts and describes the life and times of the extraordinary people who made them.

For those who fly fish: Cowboy Trout: Western Fly Fishing as if it Mattered. Fly fishing intersects western history in so many ways that it is surprising that more writers have not sensed its rhetorical and scholarly opportunities. The heightened sense of a wild place — not merely of the water but of a whole landscape — has turned out to be fly fishing's greatest gift to the West and to those who pursue fish in its rugged embrace. (Provided by publisher)

For a local Pend d’Oreille folktale: Mary Quequesah’s Love Story. This story is primarily for the young, but also great for the young-at-heart! This is a tale from the buffalo-hunting era of the nineteenth century. Mary Quequesah confronts the difficulties of love. After Mary's husband leaves her, a wise old woman dreams of her sorrow and tells her how to win him back. The book includes elegant woodcuts by noted Native American artist Dwight Billedeaux.

For those who love the stories of Montana’s tough women: Beyond Schoolmarms and Madams: Montana Women’s Stories. Sheriff Garfield had just been elected to a second term in 1920 when he was fatally shot. His wife Ruth, a ranching woman with a young son, set aside her grief to serve out her husband's term. Stories like Ruth’s fill the pages of this amazing collection.

For Montana history buffs: A History of Montana in 101 Objects: Artifacts and Essays from the Montana Historical Society. This great book highlights the Montana Historical Society's collections and features objects from the museum and archives. Each object is accompanied by an essay that explains the historical significance of the object.

And finally: A Basic System of Free Quality Education: Montana Public Schools, 1972-2012. This book presents a clear synthesis of the major trends in Montana public education from 1972-2012, detailing the policy changes, governance and oversight of Montana schools. With an introduction by Bob Brown and a chapter on Indian Education by Mary M. Johnson, the book provides a handy and concise overview of public education in Montana, valuable to educators, parents and readers who want to understand the historical context for present debate and discussion of public education.

Come on in and check them out!