I conducted another one of my little scientific experiments. It wasn’t on my list of things to do, but when the situation presented itself, I decided to record my observations. I was driving home from a Plum Creek Advisory Council meeting in Slayton. Along the way I stopped at a little mini-mart to grab a diet beverage. While my truck sat in the parking lot, a Japanese beetle attached itself to the side window on the driver’s side. I didn’t think much about it until I accelerated to 50 mph on the freeway entrance ramp. The bug was still attached. I asked myself the universal question that has plagued humankind for centuries, "How much wind velocity can a Japanese beetle withstand and for how long before it will let go of the window?" I began my scientific recordings at 50 mph. I accelerated to 55 mph and the beetle remained. After two minutes I increased to 60 mph. The results were the same. I boosted my speed to 65 mph but only maintained that level for one minute. The durable little fellow still hung on. I increased to 70 mph for another minute. Still the resilient little critter prevailed against the wind. Not wanting to risk a speeding ticket, I considered ending the experiment, but I desperately wanted to reach an incontrovertible conclusion. So I forged ahead to 71 mph. He was still there. I inched up to 72 mph and within 20 seconds, it was over. The stubborn little beast was gone. I think the lesson here is obvious. If the beetle would have chosen a vehicle that was not traveling on the freeway, he might have made it all the way to Luverne. Life is full of variables. There are many variables to consider when you pick out a good book to read. Do you like mysteries? Romance? International espionage? Biographies? Recorded books? Large print? All of these are available at your library. New on the fiction shelf this week is "Beach Road" by James Patterson. Montauk lawyer Tom Dunleavy's client list is woefully small. Occasional real estate closings barely keep him in paper clips. When he is hired to defend a local man accused in a triple murder that has the East Hampton world in an uproar, he knows that he has found the case of his lifetime. The crime turns the glittering playground of the super-rich into a blazing inferno. His former flame, the savvy and well-connected attorney Kate Costello, joins Dunleavy. Then the violent retaliations of billionaires threatened by his investigation begin. With the entire nation's eyes on him in the "trial of the century," Dunleavy orchestrates a series of revelations that lead to a stunning outcome — only to find afterward that the truth is wilder than anything he ever imagined. Also new on the shelf this week is "Immediate Family" by Eileen Goudge. Fifteen years after graduation, best friends Jay, Franny, Emerson, and Stevie meet at their college reunion. Life has taken each of them in different directions — Jay is a married man with a baby on the way while Franny yearns for a child as she searches for love in all the wrong places. Divorced single mom Emerson is drawn to a man who challenges everything she believes about finding love. And Stevie's life has recently been rocked by a family secret that will shatter everything she believes about herself. Now the bond among the foursome takes a surprising twist, one that changes how each feels about family and friendship. One thing is certain: They will all find their hearts’ desires in the last place they imagine.