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New at Peter White Public Library

Summer is here and the new shelf at the Peter White Public Library is stocked full of light reads, laugh-out-loud reads, stellar non-fiction and more for those long summer nights at camp, at home or wherever.

“Insta Style: Curate Your Life, Create Stunning Photos, Elevate Your Instagram Influence” by Tezza is a bright, bold, tip-filled guide to jumping into the fasting growing social media platform of Instagram. This book is bursting with ideas for people looking to get their work seen by others on Instagram. Tezza, a lifestyle instagrammer shares her photos, from selfies to fashion, travel and more, her presets, editing how-to’s and so much more. Other successful Instagram influencers weigh in on other types of Insta feeds including family, fitness, fashion, travel, food, beauty, interior design and flat-lays.

“Life Will Be the Death of Me and You Too” a biography by Chelsea Handler is the funny, sad, all-true story of Handler’s year of self-discovery. Handler says it’s “the best writing experience I’ve had”, as she takes an honest look at her own privilege, with insight and hilarity. She chronicles how she takes steps to be more self-sufficient — learning how to work the remote and pick up dog poop to name a couple. Amy Schumer says “this will be one of your favorite books of all time.”

“Weird Parenting Wins: Bathtub Dining, Family Screams, and Other Hacks from the Parenting Trenches” by Hillary Frank will resonate with readers who have craved a parenting win, when expert advice wasn’t working for their child. One critic wrote that the book was “The most hilarious (and practical) parenting advice ever!” Broken up into topics like soothing a child, picky eaters, making monsters less scary, sibling rivalry, keeping your cool, the art of getting your kid to tell you things, and helping your kid not be a kid and more, parents will find comfort in the tales of other families struggles to raise children in the 21st century. I was going to pick a favorite short-story, but they’re all so good.

“The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why It Matters” by Priya Parker promises a “bold new approach” to change how we spend time together, with our family, at work and in our world. Do you wish to engage other’s successfully in a group situation. Parker can help. Parker’s expertise comes from facilitating high-powered gatherings around the world, and will go back to those events sharing what works, what doesn’t and why. This look into how we interact with others promises examples of how to better host and be hosted by others.

Getting a little more serious, “More Than Before: How Suffering Transforms Us” by Steve Leder offers hope in time of suffering, giving advice on how to keep taking things one step at a time, because we can endure. Leder shares how during a time of chronic pain he reflects on all the times in his past when he suffered different types of pain and how he got through those. As he puts it “I do not intend to glorify suffering or suggest that the lessons we learn from pain are somehow worth the cost.” Rather he aims to share his story to point out that we’re never alone in pain, because it is something we all go through in life and it’s a path that can lead to a gentler life and wisdom. This fast read is worth the memories it’s sure to dredge up.

“Trailblazer: A Pioneering Journalist’s Fight to Make the Media Look More Like America” by Dorothy Butler Gilliam is one not be missed this summer. This compelling memoir takes us through her fascinating career as the first black women journalist to work for the Washington Post from 1961 until 2013. Gilliam shares how she persevered through deep racism in the newsroom and the nation’s capital as she wrote about poverty, injustice and other key social issues facing African Americans in the United States. Well written with an authentic tone, her candid voice speaks loud to the issues during the Civil Rights Movement. “I thought my work for mainstream media, shining light on the history, culture, and activities of Blacks, could help open-minded white people begin to know and understand African Americans and replace some of their fears with facts,” she said.

— Jeni Kilpela, communications coordinator

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