My LINKcat AccountCongratulations to all the summer reading program participants! We rolled past the midpoint of the Summer Reading Program on June 28th. With three full weeks left, the first challenge grant has been met. That challenge grant, as you may or may not recall, was for community readers to read 15,000 books. As of July 11th, 16,243 books have been read. That means there will be a Beach Party on Market Street at the library on August 30th. Reading 15,000 more books (we are already 1,243 books towards that goal!) means readers can then unlock a badge that will get them a free ice cream treat at the party! “And how”, I hear you ask, “has this amazing feat be accomplished?” Well, I’ll tell you. 701 people have signed up for the summer reading program of those, 516 active readers have read those 16, 243 books. Participants have also attended and logged 195 events and written 128 reviews. If you are reading this on July 15th, there are 21 days left for you to read and record the books you’ve read. If you haven’t logged the books you’ve read yet – waiting for that big Ta-da at the end – now would be a good time to start logging. Below you might find some interesting titles which recently arrived at the library to spur you on to even greater quantities of reading. Enjoy!
New Non-Fiction
“Rogues: True Stories of Grifters, Killers, Rebels, and Crooks” by Patrick Keefe. The prize-winning, New York Times best-selling author presents twelve of his most celebrated articles from “The New Yorker”that form a deeply human portrait of criminals and rascals, as well as those who stand up against them.
“We Refuse to Forget: A True Story of Black Creeks, American Identity, and Power” by Caleb Gayle. An award-winning journalist, in this paradigm-shifting, thought-provoking examination of racial and ethnic identity in American history, tells the extraordinary story of the Creek Nation, a Native tribe that two centuries ago both owned slaves and accepted Black people as full members.
“Watchmakers: The Story of Brotherhood, Survival, and Hope Amid the Holocaust” by Harry & Scott Lenga. Drawing from more than 10 years of interviews with watchmaker Harry Lenga, this dramatic first-person account details his inspiring life before, during and after WWII, as he and his brothers endured, bartered, worked, prayed and lived to see liberation.
“The Self-Healing Mind: An Essential Five-Step Practice for Overcoming Anxiety and Depression, and Revitalizing Your Life” by Gregory Brown. A leading psychiatrist offers a holistic approach to emotional and psychological healing that utilizes a combination of conventional treatments along with the Five Pillars of Self-Care—breathing mindfully, sleep, spirituality, nutrition and movement.
New Fiction
“All the Lights Above Us: Inspired by the Women of D-day” by M.B. Henry. Told in alternating viewpoints, describes the lives and experiences of five different women, including an expatriate thriving as a Nazi radio propagandist, who must summon all their courage as they each try to survive D-Day in France 1944.
“Horse” by Geraldine Brooks. A scientist from Australia and a Nigerian-American art historian become connected by their shared interest in a 19th century race horse, one studying its remains, the other uncovering the history of the Black horsemen who were critical to its success.
“Old Cowboy’s Never Die, No.1” by William Johnstone. The first book in a new series from a duo of best-selling western authors.
“The Seamstress of New Orleans” by Diane McPhail. Young widow Constance, in 1900 New Orleans, and widowed and pregnant seamstress, Alice, who, in exchange for lodging, agrees to help her create a beautiful Mardi Gras gown, form an unlikely bond that reveals the truth surrounding her Constance’s husband’s mysterious death.
“A Bride’s Guide to Marriage and Murder” by Dianne Freeman. Frances Wynn, the American-born Countess of Harleigh, finds her wedding day overshadowed by murder
“Lady of Bones, No.14 (Sarah Booth Delaney Mysteries)” by Carolyn Haines. Hired to find a missing journalist investigating the disappearance of young girls in New Orleans over a 5-year period, Sarah Booth is drawn into a secret underworld of beguiling cult leaders, witchcraft and potentially human sacrifice. By the USA Today best-selling author.
“Monkey in the Middle, No. 30 (Amos Walker Mysteries)” by Loren Estleman. When a young would-be journalist needs his protection, but is suspiciously vague why or from whom, PI Amos Walker—faced with a sketchy novelist, a fugitive whistleblower and a career assassin—searches for answers but instead finds a dead body.
“The Murder Rule” by Dervla McTiernan. A young woman, posing as an idealistic law student, tricks everyone into believing she is working to save an innocent man on death row when she is really there to bury him.
“Outside” by Ragnar Jonasson. Stranded by a snowstorm in the Icelandic highlands, four friends seek shelter in an abandoned hunting lodge where they discover they are not alone, and must come to terms with their past to survive to see their future
“The Lifestyle” by Taylor Hahn. When she catches her husband cheating, Georgina Wagman, since divorce is not part of her 5-year plan, convinces him to become swingers to save their marriage—a foolproof plan ends up putting her own happiness at risk when she runs into a college ex at a swinger’s party.