July 23, 2020 - "Normally"

Normally, at this time of year, I would be counting down the days to the Harry Potter Birthday party annual event at the library as well as counting down the days to the end of the Summer Reading Program which, normally, follows soon thereafter. "Normally" is the operative word here and since about March of this year, nothing has been what you could call "normal". This year we will be celebrating Harry Potter's Birthday by sending out parties in a bag so that you can celebrate at home and perhaps share some of your celebration with us via social media. We have also extended the Summer Reading Program until the end of August. "Why would we do that?", I hear you ask. For s couple of reasons. First, we put a rather high-priced prize in our prize store and want to give people a chance to earn enough dragon dollars to "buy" it. Second, getting books to read for some of you this summer has been a bit more challenging this summer than in previous years so we thought we would extend the time through the month of August.This means that there is still plenty of time to read, earn dragon dollars, get fabulous prizes with those dragon dollars, or donate them to one of three charities: the Dane County Humane Society, the DeForest Area Needs Network (D.A.N.N.) or the endowment fund of the DeForest Area Public Library. So keep reading! Below are some of the new titles recently-arrived at your library.Enjoy!

New Non-Fiction

cover artThe Golden Thread: The Cold War and the Mysterious Death of Dag Hammarskjold by Ravi Somaiya. Investigates the mystery behind the 1961 death of UN Secretary General Dag Hammarskjöld, drawing on previously undisclosed evidence, recently revealed firsthand accounts and groundbreaking interviews to identify the powerful international cabal behind his death.

 

cover artShe Proclaims: Our Declaration of Independence from a Man’s World by Jennifer Palmieri. An empowering guide to feminism by the best-selling author of Dear Madam President outlines a blueprint for activism while sharing lessons from her personal choice to live on her own terms instead of embracing toxic patriarchal norms.

 

cover artClean: The New Science of Skin and the Beauty of Doing Less by James Hamblin, A lively introduction to the new science of skin microbes and probiotics draws on expert and alternative-treatment insights to clarify contradictory recommendations and explain how to cultivate a healthy and natural biome for optimal skin health.

 

New Fiction

“The Empire of Gold (The Daevabd Trilogy)” by S.A. Chakraborty. In this final installment in the critically acclaimed trilogy, Nahri and Ali are determined to save both their city and their loved ones, but when Ali seeks support in his mother’s homeland, he makes a discovery that threatens not only his relationship with Nahri, but his very faith.

 

“The Heir Affair, No.2 (Royal We)” by Heather Cocks & Jessica Morgan. A follow-up to The Royal We finds Bex Porter and her husband, Prince Nicolas, in self-imposed exile in the wake of a scandal before a royal crisis exposes old family secrets and a brother's ongoing disgrace.

 

“The Outsider, No.12 (Kate Burkholder)” by Linda Castillo. A follow-up to the best-selling “Shamed” finds Kate Burkholder helping a friend from the police academy go into hiding among the Amish to avoid vengeful rogue cops who have wrongly accused her of murdering an undercover officer.

 

“Shadows Rising (World of Warcraft: Shadowlands)” by Madeleine Roux. Presents an all-new official prequel novel to Shadowlands, the next expansion for Blizzard Entertainment’s legendary online game World of Warcraft.

 

“The Shadows” by Alex North. Forced by his mother's failing health to return to the hometown where a misfit friend committed a shocking murder 25 years earlier, Paul learns about an investigation into a local copycat before realizing he is being followed.

 

“Peace Talks, No. 16 (Dresden Files)” by Jim Butcher. Joining the White Council's security team to help facilitate peace among hostile supernatural nations, wizard Harry Dresden is confronted by manipulative political forces that threaten all of Chicago. By the best-selling author of the Codex Alera series

“The Sin in the Steel, No. 1 (Fall of the Gods)” by Ryan Van Loan. In a debut fantasy set in a world of dead gods, pirates and shapeshifting mages, a brilliant former street youth-turned-detective and her ex-soldier partner investigate the activities of a pirate queen to expose societal corruption.

 

“The Lost and Found Bookshop” by Susan Wiggs. Inheriting her mother's San Francisco bookshop in the wake of a tragedy, Natalie bonds with her ailing grandfather and hires a contractor to perform repairs before unexpected discoveries connect her to the community and family secrets.

 

“The Book of Lost Names” by Kristin Harmel. The best-selling author of “The Winemaker's Wife” draws on true events in the story of a Polish graduate student in World War II who uses her forgery talents to help hundreds of Jewish children flee the Nazis.

 

“1st Case” by James Patterson & Chris Tebbetts. Recruited into the FBI when her unorthodox programming skills get her kicked out of MIT, a computer genius tracks a killer who has been targeted young women through a sophisticated messaging app.