January 7, 2022 - Eating Properly

We are just finishing up the first week of January, 2022. I hope that you did all the things you needed to do to insure a happy, healthy, and prosperous New Year and by that I mean eating black-eyed peas, corn, peas (which represent pennies, dollars, and gold); or pork or bacon (because they're fat and will bring a "fat" new year?); or eating 12 grapes quickly for good luck in each of the next 12 months; or pomegranates for abundance -- just think of all those juicy seeds!; or noodles for longevity (because they are long?); or rice because it is a staple (if you've got it, you won't starve?); honey and oranges because they are sweet and expensive?); or fish (herring on the front stoop if your Scandinavian) for abundance; or cabbage because it's green, looks like money, and in slang terms "cabbage" is money. If you haven't insured your good luck for the year yet, there is still probably time to correct things by eating properly but don't delay! Good luck is already coming your way since there is a Winter Reading Program underway for you to record what you read and earn prizes as well as attend fascinating programs on our theme "Soar with Reading" which is about eagles and other raptors. To help start you reading -- you did make that resolution, right? To read a book a day checked out from your public library or read through Overdrive or Hoopla/)-- a list of the books which recently arrived at the library are listed below. Enjoy!

New Non-Fiction

The Sleep Fix: Practical, Proven, and Surprising Solutions for Insomnia, Snoring, Shift Work, and More by Diane Macedo. A renowned ABC News anchor/correspondent and former insomniac presents cutting-edge research, expert advice, intimate stories and easy-to-implement solutions to help millions of people get the sleep they need.

 

Garbo: Her Life, Her Films by Robert Gottlieb. The acclaimed critic and editor examines the life and work of Greta Garbo, from her childhood in the slums of Stockholm to the peak of Hollywood fame and features more than 250 photos of the legend.

 

Out of Office: The Big Problem and Bigger Promise of Working From Home by Charlie Warzel & Anne Petersen. Combining groundbreaking reporting and the couple’s own experiences, two leading culture reporters describe how workers and employers are finding new ways of working that make people happier and more productive, and make companies more profitable—ultimately improving our lives and strengthening our communities.

 

The Dawn of Everything: A New History of Humanity by David Graeber & David Wengrow. An activist and public intellectual teams up with a professor of comparative archaeology to deliver an account of human history, challenging our most fundamental assumptions about social evolution—from the development of agriculture and cities to the emergence of "the state," political violence and social inequality—and revealing new possibilities for human emancipation.

 

Lost Cities, Ancient Tombs: 100 Discoveries That Changed the World by Ann Williams. Telling the story of human civilization through 100 key expeditions, spanning six continents and more than 3 million years of history, these firsthand accounts, filled with high adventure, illuminate our past.

 

New Fiction

Beasts of a Little Land by Juhea Kim. After her desperate family sells her to a courtesan school, Jade befriends JungHo, an orphan boy begging on the streets of Seoul, and must decide to pursue her dreams or risk everything in the fight for independence.

 

Cold Brew Corpse, No. 2 (Coffee Lover’s Mystery) by Tara Lush. Reporter-turned-barista Lana Lewis and her Shih Tzu puppy Stanley investigate when the owner of the hot yoga studio next door is found murdered in a nearby swamp, in the second novel of the series following Grounds for Murder.

 

Dark Night, No. 3 (Alaska Wild) by Paige Shelton. Suspicions turn towards the seemingly innocuous "census man," in Benedict, Alaska, after a battered woman stumbles into the town bar and her husband is found dead, in the third novel of the series following Cold Wind.

 

Darkness Falls, No. 3 (Kate Marshall) by Robert Bryndza. Taking on a cold case involving a journalist who disappeared after exposing a political scandal, Kate and Tristan become certain the reporter actually uncovered the identity of a serial killer, in the third novel of the series.

 

The Midnight Hour (Brighton Mysteries) by Elly Griffiths. Newly minted PI Emma Holmes, while investigating the murder of retired music-hall star Verity Malone’s husband, discovers they have a mutual connection—a man who is married to a Hollywood star who could blow this case wide open, but who could also be the killer.

 

Murder Under Her Skin, No. 2 (A Pentecost and Parker Mystery) by Stephen Spotswood. When her friend is murdered, and her former mentor stands accused of the crime, Will Parker, a knife-thrower in Hart and Halloway’s Traveling Circus and Sideshow, searches for answers in a world of illusion where she puts everything on the line in search of the truth.

 

Renewed for Murder (A Blue Ridge Library Mystery) by Victoria Gilbert. Library director Amy Webber enlists her husband, aunt, the mayor and other eccentric townsfolk to prove the innocence of Zelda Shoemaker in the murder of an unknown woman who was blackmailing her—and who was linked to a long-ago tragedy.

 

The Paris Detective by James Patterson & Richard Dilallo. Joining the NYPD for a fresh start, French detective Luc Moncrief, as gorgeous women drop dead at upscale department stories and priceless paintings vanish from a Park Avenue murder scene, must become a quick study in the art of the steal before a coldblooded killer strikes again.