My LINKcat AccountThe publication date of this is February 2nd, which, is Groundhog Day, and as all weather wonks believe, what happens this day is the best prognosticator (Wink. Wink. Nudge. Nudge.) as to how much longer we shall have to wait until spring appears on the scene. We all know about Punxsutawney Phil and his weather predicting abilities. Phil and his descendants have been making predictions in Pennsylvania for well over a century and their familial track record is none to good. According to Stormfax (a website that collects weather lore and other things to do with weather), and I quote. ”As of 2016, Punxsutawney Phil has made 129 predictions, with an early spring (no shadow) predicted 18 times (15.0%). As of 2016 the predictions have proven correct 39% of the time”. There are a ton of prognosticating rodents out and about on February 2nd. Twenty-two are listed in Wikipedia’s article on groundhogs. A Canadian study of 13 cities over thirty to forty years found a 37% accuracy rate. Not too good a track record unless you just go with the opposite of the prediction. The library’s prognosticating animal, Booky the Badger, is not a rodent. In fact, Taxidea taxus, the American Badger, is an omnivore that lives in open grasslands and literally eats groundhogs as well as mice, squirrels, and other delicacies. Booky’s first prediction was in 2015 and so far, Booky has been batting a thousand (Sure it’s only been two predictions but 100% accuracy is still 100% accuracy.). The unfortunate thing about Groundhog Day this year is that it falls after the newspaper is published; too late for Booky to make a prediction in print. But you can check out our website where that prediction will be posted for all to see. More winter or less winter, it’s still a great time to read. Below are some of the new books that arrived at the library recently. Enjoy!
New Non-Fiction
The book that changed America : how Darwin's theory of evolution ignited a nation / by Randall Fuller. Traces the impact of Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species on a diverse group of writers, abolitionists and social reformers, including Henry David Thoreau and Bronson Alcott, against a backdrop of growing tensions and transcendental idealism in 1860 America.
True South : Henry Hampton and Eyes on the Prize, the landmark television series that reframed the civil rights movement / by Jon Else. Presents the inside story of the making of one of the most important and influential TV shows in history and of its legacy as the film that reframed of the entire history of the Civil Rights movement permanently.
Why time flies : a mostly scientific investigation / by Alan Burdick. The award-winning author of Out of Eden presents an intimate exploration of how life is organized around time and its conflicting perceptions, drawing on international travels and research lab visits where he witnessed fascinating time-altering phenomena.
New Fiction
Death's mistress : sister of darkness / by Terry Goodkind. A debut entry in a new series set in the world of The Sword of Truth finds fan-favorite warrior woman Nicci leaving the stabilized kingdom of Richard and Kahlan to embark on new adventures, including a job keeping an unworldly prophet out of trouble. By the best-selling author of “The Omen Machine”.
The fifth letter / by Nicola Moriarty. A lifelong friendship shared among four women is shattered when a wine-filled vacation game involving the confessions of dark secrets gives way to an anonymous rant about deeply held resentments. A first novel.
Human acts : a novel / by Han Kang. A U.S. release of an award-winning, controversial best-seller from South Korea follows the aftermath of a young boy's shocking death during a violent student uprising as told from the perspectives of the event's victims and their loved ones.
Days without end : a novel / by Sebastian Barry. Entering the U.S. army after fleeing the Great Famine in Ireland, 17-year-old Thomas McNulty and his brother-in-arms, John Cole, experience the harrowing realities of the Indian wars and the American Civil War between the Wyoming plains and Tennessee. By the award-winning author of “The Secret Scripture”.
No man's land : a novel / by Simon Tolkien. A tale inspired by the true experiences of the author's grandfather, J. R. R. Tolkien, during World War I traces how an impoverished youth endures the loss of his mother and brutality in a Scarsdale mining community before falling in love, winning a scholarship to Oxford and seeing everything he longs for threatened by World War I.
Dark at the crossing / by Elliot Ackerman. The author of Green on Blue presents a contemporary love story set on the Turkish border of Syria, where an Arab American with a conflicted past attempts to join the fight against Bashar al-Assad's regime before the plight of his host family reshapes his loyalties.
Fatal : a novel / by John Lescroart. A fleeting crush becomes a dangerous obsession for a family woman who shares an intense encounter with a man she meets at a dinner party before a chilling act of violence marks the first of a series of horrifying events. By the best-selling author of “The Ophelia Cut”.
The fifth petal : a novel / by Brunonia Barry. The best-selling author of “The Lace Reader” returns to otherworldly Salem as chief of police John Rafferty, now married to lace reader Towner Whitney, investigates a 25-year-old triple homicide involving three descendants of Salem Witch Trial victims.
The girl before : a novel / by J.P. Delaney. Seizing a unique opportunity to rent a one-of-a-kind house, a damaged young woman falls in love with the enigmatic architect who designed the residence, unaware that she is following in the footsteps of a doomed former tenant.