Month: April 2026

High Plains Library District Board Seeking Candidates

The High Plains Library District Board is seeking candidates to fill one vacancy on its Board of Trustees.

The Board of Trustees consists of seven (7) members, all of whom must reside within the boundaries of the District’s legal service area. The area needing representation is: Region 4: Greeley, Evans, and Garden City

This interim term runs until December 31, 2026.

Interested applicants can find an application link at www.mylibrary.us/board

Application deadline is May 22, 2026 at 5:00pm.

Trustee Interviews will be held June 12, 2026 from 1:00-3:00pm.

70s Glam

The 1970s provided a bridge between the folksy ’60s and the over-the-top ‘80s, filling the disco decade with flowy bohemian fashion, manmade fabrics designed to show off bodies on the dance floor, and vintage references like turbans and feather boas. Sink into the glamour of the 1970s by reading a book set in that era. Not sure where to start? Here are some ideas!

Daisy Jones & the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Written as an oral history of the fictional biggest band of the 70s, Daisy Jones & the Six, this book will scratch your tell-all itches. The ups and downs of stage life will have you feeling like a Fleetwood Mac roadie without all the hassle. (Hint: This one is especially good as an audiobook!)

Daisy Jones – Book

Daisy Jones – Large Print

Daisy Jones – CD Audiobook

Daisy Jones – eAudiobook

Nothing to Lose: The Making of Kiss 1972-1975 by Ken Sharp

70s music wasn’t all folksy singer/songwriters and disco, and the proof lies in this memoir about the formative years of the iconic rock band KISS. It’s an oral history of the band’s creation, and includes interviews not only with band members, roadies, and publicists, but also fellow musicians who watched it all happen, like Alice Cooper, Ted Nugent, and members of Black Sabbath.

Nothing to Lose – Book

Never a Dull Moment: 1971 The Year That Exploded by David Hepworth

To look at the musical releases and events of 1971 is to see an overwhelming list of iconic songs, people, and moments. Here are just a select few covered in this history of the year: Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven,” David Bowie’s arrival in the US, The Who’s “Baba O’Reilly,” the death of Jim Morrison, Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On,” and the release of Carole King’s “Tapestry.”

Never a Dull Moment – Book

Never a Dull Moment – CD Audiobook

Never a Dull Moment – eAudiobook

Come Fly the World: the Jet-Age Story of the Women of Pan Am by Julia Cooke

In addition to an iconic music scene, the 70s were also the glory days of air travel. This history of Pan Am stewardesses explores not only the freedom found in a jet setting lifestyle, but also the historical role that these women played during the Vietnam War and Operation Babylift.

Come Fly – Book

Come Fly – Large Print

Come Fly – eAudiobook

Groupies by Sarah Priscus

In 1977, Faun Novak loses her mother and starts a new life by hopping a bus to California with nothing more than a love of music and a Polaroid camera. She reconnects with a childhood friend and ends up enmeshed in the life of a rock ‘n roll hangaround, photographing the band and especially the groupies while also getting closer and closer to the dark side of the lifestyle.

Groupies – Book

Mysteries Around the World

Read a mystery set anywhere outside of the USA. No passport or tickets necessary – Why spend money and stress on travel when you can go anywhere in the world with a good story?! And if you are a fan of the mystery genre you are in luck. Many talented authors have written whodunnit page-turners set in a wide variety of locations. Pick a country, pick a mystery, and be transported.

Still Life by Louise Penny

Canada. This first book of the ‘Three Pines Series’ introduces you to a rural town of quirky characters and the popular series hero, Armand Gamache.

Still Life – Book

Still Life – eBook

Still Life – Audio CD

Still Life – eAudiobook

The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman

England. The first book in a bestselling mystery series set in a cozy retirement village. When a developer is found dead, a group of residents are on the case, whether the local police appreciate it or not! Charming and engaging, this series has captured the hearts of mystery readers, young and old.

The Thursday Murder Club – Book

The Thursday Murder Club – Large Print

The Thursday Murder Club – eBook

The Thursday Murder Club – eAudiobook

The Keeper of Lost Causes by Jussi Adler-Olsen (translated by Lisa Hartford)

Denmark. Our introduction to detective Carl Mørck finds him recovering from a life-threatening case and leading Department Q, the less-than-prestigious dept that deals with cold cases. If you like strong settings and a flawed hero with quirky side characters this series will appeal to you.

The Keeper of Lost Causes – Book

The Keeper of Lost Causes – eBook

The Keeper of Lost Causes – Audio CD

In the Woods by Tana French

Ireland. If you like gritty crime with complex and flawed characters then you can join the numerous fans of this wildly popular series by Tana French. This first book in the ‘Dublin Murder Squad Series’ introduces detective Rob Ryan and his partner Cassie Maddox as they investigate the murder of a 12-year-old girl.

In the Woods – Book

In the Woods – eBook

In the Woods – Audio CD

In the Woods – eAudiobook

Malice by Keigo Higashino (translated by Alexander O. Smith)

Japan. Police detective Kyochiro Kaga must solve the “who” and the “why” of an author’s death. This twist on the “locked room” mystery will show you why this is an international bestselling series.

Malice – Book

Malice – eAudiobook

Poetry on the Pages of Prose

April is National Poetry Month, the largest literary celebration in the world. Launched by the Academy of American Poets in 1996, National Poetry Month’s goals are to honor the vital role poets and poetry play in our cultural identity and to celebrate the beauty and power of language. This booklist highlights five works of fiction written by poets. The books on this list offer readers stories that are intriguing, dark, poignant, witty, and satirical – all in language that possesses the sensorial and evocative qualities of poetry.

The Bell Jar by Slyvia Plath

The Bell Jar is the only novel written by American poet Sylvia Plath. The novel tells the story of Esther Greenwood, a 19-year-old undergraduate from Boston, as she experiences a mental breakdown during a summer internship with the fictional Ladies’ Day magazine in New York City. Esther is ambitious but finds she cannot feel anything about the work she’s doing for the magazine or for the bustling world of fashion and society the internship immerses her in. Plath’s novel is witty and dark, and deals with themes of women’s roles in society, identity, and mental health. After years of struggling with her own mental health issues, Plath took her own life, and many critics draw parallels between The Bell Jar’s storyline and Plath’s lived experiences.

Read Plath’s poetry in The Collected Poems, The Colossus & Other Poems, Ariel, Crossing the Water, and Winter Trees.

The bell jar print book

The bell jar ebook

The bell jar Audio ebook

The letters of Sylvia Plath print book

Red comet : the short life and blazing art of Sylvia Plath print book

10:04 by Ben Lerner

The narrator of American poet Ben Learner’s second novel is a young and successful writer. After receiving a potentially devastating medical diagnosis, the unnamed narrator is asked by his best friend to conceive a child with her. These events lead the narrator to a reckoning between his past and present. Set against the backdrop of a New York City facing increasingly frequent super storms and political unrest, the narrator must also confront the volatility of his (and everyone’s) future. 10:04 explores multiple plot lines and immerses the reader in Lerner’s sophisticated, playful language.

Read Lerner’s poetry in The Lights, Angle of Yaw, The Lichtenberg Figures, and Mean Free Path.

The Topeka school Audio ebook

Transcription ebook

Transient Worlds by Arthur Sze

Transient Worlds by Arthur Sze

Arthur Sze was appointed as the U.S. Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry. Born in New York City in 1950 to Chinese immigrant parents, Sze has authored 12 poetry collections, including Into the Hush (2025) and Sight Lines (2019), which won the National Book Award for Poetry. His other notable works include Compass Rose (2014), a Pulitzer Prize finalist, and The Glass Constellation (2021), which received the 2024 Science and Literature Award from the National Book Foundation. Sze has also published translations of Chinese poetry, including The Silk Dragon II (2024), reflecting his commitment to cross-cultural literary exchange.

Transient Worlds print book

The glass constellation print book

The glass constellation ebook

Into the hush print book

Into the hush ebook

The white orchid print book

“April is the cruelest month”: Poet Memoirs and Biographies

In honor of one of the most influential poems of the 20th century that begins with the line, “April is the cruellest month”, this April check out these biographies about poets, their muses, and their influence. Not a fan of T.S. Eliot’s The Waste Land or poetry in general? Try out some memoirs and biographies that don’t rhyme, couplet, or break midsentence— Give prose a chance and learn about some of the most influential poets from different eras.

The World Broke in Two: Virginia Woolf, T. S. Eliot, D. H. Lawrence, E. M. Forster and the Year that Changed Literature by Bill Goldstein

Following the lives of some of the most famous modernist writers in 1922, this book chronicles the personal experiences and literary triumphs of Virginia Woolf, T. S. Eliot, D. H. Lawrence, and E. M. Forster during a pivotal year. If you’re interested in how these writers were propelled by the same artistic movements and environments, this will be a fun read for you.

The World Broke in Two print book

The world broke in two Audio ebook

Upstream: Selected Essays by Mary Oliver

This collection of autobiographical essays and poetry from renowned Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award contemporary poet, Mary Oliver, deals head on with the concepts of creativity, artistic expression, and finding your way with the help of writers who have come before.

Upstream print book

Upstream Audio ebook

A poetry handbook ebook

A poetry handbook Audio ebook

A rare recording of Mary Oliver reading her own poetry Audio ebook

Dream work print book

Little Alleluias : collected poetry and prose print book

Poet warrior: a memoir by Joy Harjo

Poet Laureate Joy Harjo offers a vivid, lyrical, and inspiring call for love and justice in this contemplation of her trailblazing life. In the second memoir from the first Native American to serve as US poet laureate, Joy Harjo invites us to travel along the heartaches, losses, and humble realizations of her “poet-warrior” road.