Categories
Full List of New Arrivals

New Arrivals – September 2014

ADULT FICTION

 “29” by Mary Sojourner – “Ever-ascending Sojourner (Going through Ghosts, 2010) cooks up wrenching sorrow and hilarious banter, environmental and moral conundrums, magnetizing characters, and a place of transcendent beauty in this intoxicating, provocative, and gloriously told desert tale of wildness and community, unexpected bonds and deep legacies, trauma and healing.” — Seaman, Donna, AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION, c2014.

“The Care and Management of Great Lies: A Novel of the Great War” by Jacqueline Winspear – “What kind of farm wife would educated Kezia Marchant make in 1914, wonders her dearest friend, Thea Brissenden? Just before Kezia marries Thea’s brother, Tom, who runs the family farm, Thea gives the bride-to-be an ironic gift, The Woman’s Book, the actual volume, published in 1911, that inspired this novel. As it turns out, Kezia brings a different, lighter tone to the farm, particularly in cooking, which is new to her. After Tom feels duty bound to enlist in the Great War, Kezia fills her letters with mouth-watering accounts of the meals she is preparing for him, descriptions that become ragingly popular as he reads them to members of his unit on the front lines in France. As Kezia proves proficient in managing the farm and keeping discouraging news from Tom, who has become the whipping boy of his hard-nosed sergeant, Thea, in danger of arrest for her pacifist activities, also joins the war effort. In a stand-alone departure from her popular post-WWI mystery series featuring psychologist Maisie Dobbs, Winspear has created memorable characters in a moving, beautifully paced story of love and duty.” — Leber, Michele. AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION, c2014.

“Close Your Eyes, Hold Hands: A Novel” by Chris Bohjalian – “When a disastrous meltdown occurs at a Vermont nuclear power plant, forcing people to flee for their lives and face permanent exile from their beloved homes, everyone blames Emily’s parents. Her father was chief engineer, and her mother was the communications director, and they had a reputation for drinking. Terrified, Emily, a bookish, 16-year-old only child, runs away and ends up crashing in the squalid lair of a guy called Poacher, who recruits homeless teens for his drug-and-prostitution ring. But smart Emily, who knowledgeably reveres Emily Dickinson, gets it together once she takes responsibility for a nine-year-old boy on the run from foster care and builds a trash-bag igloo to protect them from the bitter cold. … the versatile Bohjalian …has Emily tell her harrowing, tragic story retrospectively, under medical care.” .. Seaman, Donna. AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION, c2014.

“An Equal Music: A Novel” by Vikram Seth — “Seth’s third novel is a beautifully written piece set around the world of classical music. In this story of one man’s life, readers are taken on a passionate journey, as seen through the eyes of violinist Michael Holme. As Michael travels through Europe as a member of a quartet, he reminisces about his lost love, Julia McNicholl, a pianist. The former lovers are reunited, but the depth of their love and trust is put to the test when Michael discovers that not only is Julia married and the mother of a young son but that she is also going deaf. Seth’s writing is rich with emotion and imagery. His work contains strong characterizations, and his knowledge of and research into the realm of classical music is evident. Readers cannot help being drawn into the story, regardless of their level of familiarity with the world of music.” — Shirley N. Quan, Orange Cty. P. L., Stanton, CA CAHNERS PUBLISHING, c1999

“A History of the Future: A World Made By Hand Novel” by James Howard Kunstler – “In the slowly recovering upstate New York town of Union Grove, people relearn old skills as they produce their own food and libations, make music, restore old buildings, and use candles and wood-burning stoves and horses and mules. Kunstler, … revels in this back-to-basics way of life, particularly as practiced by Andrew, formerly a “dandy” in New York publishing and a painter …. As Christmas approaches, a woman commits two shocking murders, and a feudal landowner goes head-to-head with the mystically empowered Brother Jobe. All the while, the mayor longs for the return of his son, Daniel, who set out to discover the fate of the rest of America. He finds that a second civil war is underway as the white South rises again, calling itself the Foxfire Nation and worshiping its charismatic and ruthless leader, Loving Morrow, a former singer and TV evangelist. Kunstler skewers everything from kitsch to greed, prejudice, bloodshed, and brainwashing in this wily, funny, rip-roaring, and profoundly provocative page-turner”  –Seaman, Donna. AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION, c2014.

“The MIner & The Viscount” by Richard Hoskin – “…set in the author’s native Cornwall in the late eighteenth century, a time of social turbulence and historical significance, when Cornwall mirrored the history of Britain: the birth of the industrial and agricultural revolutions, the expansion of empire, the coming of the Enlightenment, the rise of Methodism. …The peninsula at the southwestern tip of Britain, Cornwall’s picturesque scenery varies from great country houses and market towns and fishing villages, to tin and copper mines, bleak moors, Neolithic monuments, rugged cliffs, the English Channel and the Atlantic Ocean. Strong characters, both historical and fictional, struggle with wealth and poverty, ambition and idealism, love and hatred, honor and revenge. They wrestle with the issues that faced them in this fascinating and vital period and offer us insights into what we face today.” — Amazon

“The Notebook” by Nicholas Sparks – “…the novel opens in a nursing home as 80-year-old Noah Calhoun, ‘a common man with common thoughts,’ reads a love story from a notebook; it is his own story. In 1946, Noah, newly returned from the war, is trying to forget a long-ago summer romance with Allie Nelson, the daughter of a powerful businessman. Allie, soon to be married, feels compelled to track Noah down. One steamed-crab dinner and a canoe ride later, they fall madly in love again. We then learn that Noah, now aged and infirm, is reading his notebook to Allie in an attempt to jog her memory, severely impaired by Alzheimer’s disease, and, miraculously, he succeeds, much to the amazement of the hospital staff. … If you want to read a novel in which the romance is grounded in something real, and the magic is truly magical, read the work of Alice Hoffman. If you want to read an upscale Harlequin romance with great crossover appeal, then read The Notebook.”  – Joanne Wilkinson AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION, c1996.

“Road Ends” by Mary Lawson – ““Mary Lawson’s story of a dysfunctional family in a northern Ontario logging town is told in scenes that are as palpably tender and surprising as they are quietly disturbing. . . . [Lawson] has an uncanny talent for evoking the textures of her characters’ moods while moving them unsentimentally through London and Struan.”—The New York Times Book Review

“Tigerman” by Nick Harkaway – “Tigerman is an irresistible delight, something like Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand as played by James Bond. . . . What really makes Tigerman roar is its captivating blend of tones—from the light hues of domestic comedy to the bold colors of Spider-man. And Harkaway doesn’t stop there: Like some Marvel mad scientist, he has crossed strains of a modern-day environmental crisis with the sweet story of a veteran of the Afghan war trying to adopt a little boy. . . . [Tigerman] is ultimately no comic-book fantasy, just as a poisoned island is no paradise. You won’t see the next punch coming.” —Ron Charles, The Washington Post

“Wayfaring Stranger” by James Lee Burke – ““Burke’s fans will recognize his lyrical strengths regarding the themes of social justice and class struggle, violence set to a stunning backdrop of natural beauty and destruction, and a Gulf Coast region that includes historically accurate details to delight Texas and Louisiana natives. . . . Perhaps more than any of Burke’s previous work, Wayfaring Stranger is a tender love story, proving yet again his versatility and skill in creating gorgeous, luscious, painful stories of the American experience. Beautifully composed and tragic, Wayfaring Stranger is a sweeping historical epic of war and the American dream.” (ShelfAwareness.com)

“Written In My Own Heart’s Blood: A Novel” by Diane Gabaldon – “With her Outlander series, [Diana] Gabaldon . . . successfully [juggles] a sizable and captivating cast of characters; developing thrilling plotlines that borrow equally from adventure, history, and romance; and meticulously integrating a wealth of fascinating period details into the story without slowing down the pace. The result is a sprawling and enthralling saga that is guaranteed to keep readers up long past their bedtimes.”—Booklist (starred review)

ADULT MYSTERY

“Back Channel: a novel” by Stephen L. Carter – “Stephen L. Carter’s gripping new novel, Back Channel, is a brilliant amalgam of fact and fiction—a suspenseful retelling of the Cuban Missile Crisis, in which the fate of the world rests unexpectedly on the shoulders of a young college student.” — Amazon.com

“Enemies At Home: A Flavia Albia Novel” by Lindsey Davis – “Set in Rome in 89 C.E., Davis’s sequel to 2013’s The Ides of April boasts a strong female lead. Flavia Albia, the adopted daughter of Marcus Didius Falco, … carries on the family tradition as an informer, the ancient Roman equivalent of a private detective. Manlius Faustus, a government official, asks Flavia to find out who strangled Valerius Aviola and Mucia Lucilla, a newlywed couple, in their apartment on the Esquiline Hill. The investigating officer has taken the easy way out by accusing some of the household’s slaves of the crime, but Faustus has his doubts. Despite violating a number of her cardinal rules (e.g., “Never take on clients who cannot pay you”), Flavia accepts the case. Diamond Dagger Award winner Davis vividly portrays the setting, “a poisoned city, where a paranoid emperor had caused often-lethal mistrust,” but she plays less than fair in her clues to the killer’s identity.” —  (July). PUBLISHERS WEEKLY, c2014.

“Leaving Time” by Jodi Picoult – “On the night one of the caretakers at a New Hampshire elephant sanctuary was killed, Jenna’s mother, Alice, was found unconscious nearby. Hours later, Alice checked herself out of the hospital and disappeared, leaving her 3-year-old daughter behind. Now, 10 years later, the precocious 13-year-old wants answers to the mysteries of her mother’s whereabouts. Is she dead? Was she also the victim of an unknown assailant? Or was she an abused wife and heartless mother who did not care about her child’s welfare? With her father, Thomas, incarcerated in a mental hospital since the tragedy that destroyed his family, Jenna has few people to turn to for help. Aided only by Virgil, the disgraced detective who bungled the initial investigation, and Serenity, a once-famous but now infamous TV psychic, Jenna seeks answers to the questions that have always plagued her.” — Haggas, Carol. AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION, c2014.

“The Long Way Home: A Chief Inspector Gamache Novel” by Louise Penny – “As with all the author’s other titles, Penny wraps her mystery around the history and personality of the people involved. By this point in the series, each inhabitant of Three Pines is a distinct individual, and the humor that lights the dark places of the investigation is firmly rooted in their long friendships, or, in some cases, frenemyships. The heartbreaking conclusion will leave series readers blinking back tears.” —Library Journal (starred review).

“The Secret Place” by Tana French – “A year after the brutal murder of a young man on the grounds of posh St. Kilda’s school for girls, the case remains unsolved. Then Holly Mackey,…approaches Detective Stephen Moran with a tantalizing clue: a card with a photo of the victim and the words, “I KNOW WHO KILLED HIM,” which she says she plucked from a school bulletin board. Moran, …knows instantly that this could be his ticket into the elite Murder Squad–if the famously combative Antoinette Conway, the lead investigator on the case, will have him. As the detectives learn more about the connections of the victim to two rival Kilda’s cliques, they begin to understand that the girls are more devious, and possibly more dangerous, than they had imagined. Complex characters and a vivid sense of place are at the heart of French’s literary success (Broken Harbor, 2012), and although Conway and Moran are fine protagonists, it is the members of the two rival cliques, and St. Kilda’s itself, that make The Secret Place much more than just a solid whodunit. French brilliantly and plausibly channels the rebellion, conformity, inchoate longings, rages, and shared bonds, as well as Kilda’s role in fostering them.” — Gaughan, Thomas. AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION, c2014.

“The Sixth Extinction (Sigma Force)” by James Rollins – “Bestseller Rollins’s exciting, well-researched 10th Sigma Force novel… has everything the genre demands: Nazis, ancient maps, alien life forms, a ticking nuclear clock, and exotic, deadly beasts. Rollins makes it all believable, and ties everything together in a satisfying climax that hints at more adventures to come.” — (Publisher’s Weekly on THE 6th Extinction)

ADULT BIOGRAPHY

 “Can’t We Talk About Something More Pleasant: A Memoir” by Roz Chast – “”Better than any book I know, this extraordinarily honest, searing and hilarious graphic memoir captures (and helps relieve) the unbelievable stress that results when the tables turn and grown children are left taking care of their parents. . . [A] remarkable, poignant memoir.” —San Francisco Chronicle  

“In Bed with Anne Boleyn” — Lacey Baldwin Smith – “This is a brutal tale of rivalry, sex and jealousy set against the sumptuous sheets of the king’s bedchamber, where dynasties were made and lives destroyed.” – – Amazon.com

ADULT NON-FICTION

“The Divide: American Injustice in the Age of the Wealth Gap” by Matt Taibbi – “Taibbi is a relentless investigative reporter. He takes readers inside not only investment banks, hedge funds and the blood sport of short-sellers, but into the lives of the needy, minorities, street drifters and illegal immigrants. . . . The Divide is an important book. Its documentation is powerful and shocking.”The Washington Post

“Kill My Mother: A Graphic Novel” by Jules Feiffer – “Jules Feiffer’s Kill My Mother is a tribute to film noir and detective fiction….But Kill My Mother isn’t mere pastiche. The story is a thoughtful meditation on female identity and whether the not-so-simple art of murder can ever be defended as a moral necessity. It is a story about stories, the myths we have to create in order to keep putting one foot in front of the other… I know what I think: Kill My Mother is terrific.” (Laura Lippman – New York Times Book Review, front page review)

“The Internal Enemy: Slavery and War in Virginia 1772-1832” by Alan Taylor – “Alan Taylor has added a remarkable chapter to American history, showing how the actions of black Virginians in the War of 1812 remade the nation’s politics in ways that profoundly influenced the racialized lead-up to the Civil War. Taylor’s meticulous research and crystal-clear prose make this essential reading for anyone seeking new insights into a troubled American past.” — Elizabeth A. Fenn, (author of Pox Americana)

ADULT AUDIO BOOK

“Power Play” by Catherine Coulter

BLUE/DVD

“Dexter: the Final Season”
“Game of Thrones: Season 4”
“Homeland: Season 3”
“Lego Movie”
“Mad Men: The Final Season: Part 1”
“Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries Series 1”
“Paulie Movie”
“True Blood: Season 6”

ADULT MUSIC

“Jersey Boys Music From the Motion Picture and Broadway Musical”

BOARD BOOK

“Book!” by Kristine O’Connell George
“Doggies” by Sandra Boynton
“Smile” by Roberta Grobel

PICTURE BOOK

“Arthur’s Birthday” by Marc Brown
“A Beasty Story” by Bill Martin, Jr.
“Benny and Penny in the Big No-No!” by Geoffrey Hayes
“The Bernstein Bears and Too Much TV” by Stan Bernstein
“The Black Book of Colors” by Menena Cottin
“The Clown of God” by Tomie dePaola
“Do You Want To Be My Friend?” by Eric Carle
“The Enchanted Book: A Tale from Krakow” by Janina Porazinska
“Firebird” by Misty Copeland
“The Flat Rabbit” by Bardur Oskarsson
“Grandfather Twilight” by Barbara Berger
“Hattie and the Fox” by Mem Fox
“I Love Bugs” by Emma Dodd
“I Love My White Shoes” by Eric Litwin
“The King Who Rained” by Fred Gwynne
“The Kissing Hand” by Audrey Penn
“Last But Not Least Lola and the Wild Chicken” by Christine Pakkala
“Perfect Square” by Michael Hall
“Quest” by Aaron Becker
“Reading Makes You Feel Good” by Todd Parr
“The Year at Maple Hill Farm” by Alice and Martin Provensen

JUVENILE AUDIO BOOK

 “How to Catch a Bogle” by Catherine Jinks

JUVENILE FICTION

“Captain Underpants and the Tyrannical and the Tyrannical Retaliation of the Turbo Toilet 2000” by Dave Pilkey – ” What do you get when you mix toilet monster villains, pterodactyl hamster heroes, Super Diaper Baby comic strip interludes, and a “glow-in-the-dark, time-traveling Robo-Squid suit?” A Captain Underpants adventure about saving the planet from impending doom! … Captivating comic drawings with flip-book mechanisms, punny toilet jokes (“It’s just a flush wound”), and action-packed adventures make this a sure winner for fans and newcomers alike.” —  Miller, Annie. 224p. AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION, c2014.

“Lost Children of the Far Islands” by Emily Raabe – “Eleven-year-old twins Gus and Leo and their younger sister, Ila, don’t know it yet, but they are Folk, creatures of Celtic legend who can transform into animals, and when their mother can no longer hide them from a scary, vengeful monster, they are secreted away to a rocky island off the coast of Maine for protection. Once there, they learn about their mysterious heritage and how to transform into animals themselves. Soon, however, the monster learns of their presence, and they race to keep him from wreaking any more havoc. Though it suffers from a couple of distracting plot gaps, Raabe’s debut novel is brimming with pleasing details, and her description of Gus and Leo’s transformation into seals really shines–as the twins get used to darting through the sea as seals, they inhabit more than just their bodies. They also experience how seals see (they’re color-blind); feel (by sensing vibration in the water around them); and communicate (in barks and clicks and without complex concepts like time). This page-turning fantasy-adventure is tailor-made for marine-life fanatics.” — Hunter, Sarah.  AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION, c2014.

“We Were Liars” by E. Lockhart – “Lockhart has created a mystery with an ending most readers won’t see coming, one so horrific it will prompt some to return immediately to page one to figure out how they missed it. At the center of it is a girl who learns the hardest way of all what family means, and what it means to lose the one that really mattered to you.” —
Publishers Weekly, starred review

“Wonder” by R. J. Palacio – “”Wonder is the best kids’ book of the year,” said Emily Bazelon, senior editor at Slate.com and author of Sticks and Stones: Defeating the Culture of Bullying and Rediscovering the Power of Character and Empathy. In a world where bullying among young people is an epidemic, this is a refreshing new narrative full of heart and hope. R.J. Palacio has called her debut novel “a meditation on kindness” —indeed, every reader will come away with a greater appreciation for the simple courage of friendship. Auggie is a hero to root for, a diamond in the rough who proves that you can’t blend in when you were born to stand out.” — Amazon.com

JUVENILE NON-FICTION

 “Buried Sunlight: How Fossil Fuels Have Changed the Earth” by Molly Bang – “This ambitious, beautifully illustrated book offers information seldom covered in science books for young children.” — Booklist, starred reviews

 “The Care and Keeping of You: The Body Book for Younger Girls, Revised Edition” by Valorie Schaefer – “Our best-selling body book for girls just got even better! With all-new illustrations and updated content for girls ages 8 and up, it features tips, how-tos, and facts from the experts. You’ll find answers to questions about your changing body, from hair care to healthy eating, bad breath to bras, periods to pimples, and everything in between.” — Publisher’s Annotations

“Star Wars: Jedi Academy, Return of the Padawan” by Jeffrey Brown – ““Brown has taken his skill for making the day-to-day of a science fiction universe entertaining, and has expanded it on a wider scale. Old and new fans of George Lucas’ creation will find something fun in Star Wars: Jedi Academy.” -The-Trades.com

“Tiny Creatures: The World of Microbes” by Nicola Davies – “A straightforward narrative packed with comparisons sheds light on “the invisible transformers of our world,” while clever, inviting watercolors help put those comparisons into context. Sutton’s paintings, reminiscent of mid 20th-century children’s book art with their subtle hues and naïve styling, lend a nostalgic, almost cozy feel to the pages. … Davies and Sutton illuminate the world of germs, fermenters, and composters in a charming, succinct package.” — Publishers Weekly

YOUNG ADULT

“Breathe, Annie, Breathe” by Miranda Kenneally – “Engaging, contemplative, and hopeful, this sensitive story recognizes the joy of romantic and physical love while reinforcing the importance of self-reliance, friendships, and personal achievement, encouraging readers to build well-rounded lives and perhaps even inspiring a future marathoner or two.” – The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

 “Illusions of Fate” by Kiersten White – “This well-written historical fantasy has romance, suspense, a fairy-tale feel, and a great ending that will leave readers cheering.” (School Library Journal)

“There Will Come a Time” by Carrie Arcos – “This nuanced story presents a close study on how different people react to loss while posing many thorny questions about relationships. . . Give this book to anyone who wants a rock-solid, character-driven story of finding one’s footing after a life-changing event.”(Booklist, STARRED REVIEW)