We like to think we know the library pretty well, but with more than 61,000 items in our collection – and more than 9 million across the IHLS system as a whole – we’re always seeing something fun or unexpected popping up on the holds shelf. Here are a couple of the coolest finds we’ve come across this month: 

More Balloon Animals, by Aaron Hsu-Flanders. I was worried that we had run out of balloon animals, but apparently there are more.

Bibliostyle: How We Live at Home With Books, by Nina Freudenberger and Sadie Stein. It turns out “just pile them on every available flat surface” isn’t a design ethos?

The Cabinet of Linguistic Curiosities, by Paul Anthony Jones. If you’re a word nerd like me, this book has all the best ones, like Tapleyism (extreme optimism, even in the face of desperate circumstances), pelmatogram (footprint), and beaglepuss (a pair of novelty glasses with a fake nose, eyebrows, and moustache attached)

Fungarium, by Ester Gaya and Katie Scott. Fungi are cool. This is a BIG book about fungi. That makes it extra cool for all the fun guys and fun gals out there.

The Book of the Raven: Corvids in Art and Legend, by Angus Hyland and Caroline Roberts. This book is an absolute MURDER to read. Get it? Because crows? A murder of crows?

Looking for your next read? These items (and millions more) are available here at the O’Fallon Public Library, or through Interlibrary Loan. Check one out on your online account, via our new SHARE app, or by asking one of your friendly local librarians!