My LINKcat AccountFor the last couple of weeks I have been giving you a countdown to not only the end of the year holidays, but also to the start of the Winter Reading Program. I have, upon reflection, been rather vague about when the Winter Reading Program actually starts. This vagueness was due to my lack of information about the actual start date. (Why am I always the last to know? I ask the universe. The universe replies “You need to pay closer attention.”). Now that I am paying closer attention, I can say with great authority that the Winder Reading Program kicks off this Saturday! The program kick-off begins with a Winter Campfire party on the Library Patio from noon until 3 p.m. (or while supplies last). Since the program slogan is “Ignite Your Imagination” and our feature animal is dragons ( of all shapes and varieties) we thought an actual fire would be a good place to get imaginations firing. There will be s’mores and hot dogs and hot beverages. There will be ornament mini-painting during the same timeframe in the room that leads to the patio. Stop by on Saturday and sign-up for the Winter Reading Program. Read books. Record what you read. Earn “Dragon dollars”. Redeem those dollars in our “store” or donate them to one of my selected charities. If you need something to read, below are some of the books which recently arrived at the library. Enjoy!
New Non-Fiction
“Founding Partisans: Hamilton, Madison, Jefferson, Adams and the Brawling Birth of American Politics” by H.W. Brand. A best-selling historian examines the birth of the United States, revealing the vicious political divisions among the founders who fought with one another with competing visions of what the nation should be.
“In the Shadow of Fear: America and the World in 1950” by Nick Bunker. This look at America at the dawn of the Cold War shows a divided nation facing both threats at home such as the rise of McCarthyism as well as challenges abroad.
“The Last Outlaws: The Desperate Final Days of the Dalton Gang” by Tom Clavin. Tells the true story of the Dalton Gang and the most brazen heist in history.
“The Life and Times of Hannah Crafts: The True Story of the Bondwoman’s Narrative” by Gregg Hecimovich. Part detective story, literary chase and cultural history, this extraordinary biography of the first Black female novelist and her life as an enslaved woman uncovers friendship, betrayal and violence during America’s slide into Civil War.
“UFO: The Inside Story of the US Government’s Search for Alien Life Here – and Out There” by M. Garrett Graff. This thrilling story of science, the Cold War, Nazi research, atomic anxieties, secret spy planes and the space race draws on original archival research, declassified documents and interviews to present a narrative history of humanity’s hunt for alien life, including the military and CIA’s secret, decades-long quest to study UFOs. Illustrations.
New Fiction
“Iron Flame, No. 2(The Empyrean)” by Rebecca Yarros. After surviving her first year at Basgiath War College, dragon rider Violet Sorrengail discovers that the real danger is just beginning, in the second novel of the series following “Fourth Wing”
“A Twisted Skein, No.6 (Seaside Knitters Society)” by Sally Goldenbaum. One of the Seaside Knitters who also is also an avid birdwatcher enlists the help of her crafting crew when a fellow birder is murdered, in the sixth novel of the series following “A Dark and Snowy Night”.
“Vamp, No. 7 (Valentino Mysteries)” by Loren Estleman. Determined to save both The Comet, an extinct drive-in movie theater, and the last remaining print of the 1917 film “Cleopatra”, renowned film detective Valentino navigates Hollywood’s shady underbelly once more on a dangerous adventure that threatens not only his career—but his life.
“The Girl in the Vault” by Michael Ledwidge. A new thriller involving Swiss watch timing, nerves of steel, and $10 million in cold, hard Wall Street cash
“The Helsinki Affair” by Anna Pitoniak. It's the case of Amanda Cole's lifetime, but solving it will require her to betray another spy—who just so happens to be her father.
“The Last Exchange” by Charles Martin. Former Scottish Special Forces solider-turned-bodyguard for movie star Maybe Joe Sue, MacThomas Pockets, when she can no longer keep up the façade of her “perfect” life and hits rock bottom, steps in, answering the question: how far would you go—really—to save someone you love?
“Past Lying (Karen Pirie)” by Val McDermid. DCI Karen Pirie investigates in a new thriller of deceit and vengeance, set against the disquiet and investigative challenges of a global pandemic.
“Resurrection Walk (A Lincoln Lawyer Novel)” by Michael Connelly. With the help of his half-brother, retired LAPD Detective Harry Bosch, defense attorney Mickey Haller sets out to prove the innocence of a woman in prison for killing her husband, a sheriff’s deputy, putting Mickey in the crosshairs of a killer who doesn’t want the case reopened—or the truth coming to light