My LINKcat AccountJune has arrived and it is certainly is “bustin’ out all over/ All over the meadow and the hill! / Buds’re bustin’ outa bushes …..” Rogers and Hammerstein certainly got that right. Everything is growing, well, like weeds (and especially the weeds!). All the critters are out and about and some are raising their first batch of youngsters already. Almost all of the common songbirds should be nesting already and those who got an early start may already be rearing their young. I know there is a very noisy and territorial chickadee that lives in the tree under my bedroom window that is making sure other chickadees stay away. A robin is also making a large number of trips into a tree near my backdoor which makes me suspect their might be little robin mouths to feed. The flowers, wild and tame, are painting the landscape with a rainbow of colors and the lush green of grass makes it look edible. The early vegetables – lettuce, radishes, asparagus, and rhubarb – are abundant and freshly and locally available. All this makes me ask, along with the poet, James Russell Lowell, “And what is so rare as a day in June? / Then, if ever come perfect days;/ …No matter how barren the past may have been, /'Tis enough for us now that the leaves are green;/We sit in the warm shade and feel right well/ How the sap creeps up and the blossoms swell;” I hope you are enjoying this lovely time of year when you can still sit outside with a book (and a breeze to keep the mosquitoes away) and just feel things growing. As you read your books outside (or in) you can make your Summer Reading Program totals grow by entering your titles in the library’s new app – at Beanstack.com. Sign up then sign in and enter what you’ve read. Details are on our website or circulation desk staff can help you too. Below are some books you might like to read and then add to your total. Enjoy!
New Non-Fiction
“The Impeachers: The Trial of Andrew Jackson and the Dream of a Just Nation” by Brenda Wineapple. An account of the impeachment of Andrew Johnson shares insights into the 17th President's disregard of Congress, opposition to civil rights and anti-Reconstruction stance, exploring the roles of such impeachment contributors as Ulysses S. Grant and Thaddeus Stevens.
“Things My Son Needs to Know About the World” by Fredrik Backman. Whimsical essays by the best-selling author of A Man Called Ove celebrate the first steps, milestones and foibles of modern parenthood, sharing father-to-son advice on everything from finding a place to belong to beating Monkey Island 3.
“Truth Worth Telling: A Reporter’s Search for Meaning in the Stories of Our Times” by Scott Pelley. The award-winning CBS Evening News anchor and 60 Minutes correspondent presents an uplifting memoir from the frontlines of international journalism that includes firsthand insights into major historical events and world leaders.
“Where the Light Enters” Building a Family, Discovering Myself” by Jill Biden. The former second lady describes her marriage to Joe Biden and the role of politics in her life and teaching career, sharing intimate insights into the traditions, resilience and love that have helped her family establish balance and endure tragedy.
“The Latte Factor: Why You Don’t Have to Be Rich to Live Rich” by David Bach & John Mann. The best-selling author of The Automatic Millionaire and the award-winning author of The Go-Giver outline three inspirational secrets to financial freedom that explain how readers can use their current resources to pursue their dreams.
“How to Raise Successful People: Simple Lessons for Radical Results” by Esther Wojcicki. The co-author of Moonshots in Education outlines simple, counterintuitive approaches to raising happy, healthy and successful children through parental demonstrations of respectful examples and child-directed activities that facilitate early independence and problem-solving skills.
New Fiction
“Light From Other Stars” by Erika Swyler. Decades after her grieving father, a laid-off NASA scientist, triggers chaotic changes in his pursuit of life-extending technology, an astronaut confronts dangerous family secrets to stop a world-threatening crisis. By the author of “The Book of Speculation”.
“The Farm” by Joanne Ramos. Ensconced within a Hudson Valley retreat where expectant birth mothers are given luxurious accommodations and lucrative rewards to produce perfect babies, a Filipino immigrant is forced to choose between a life-changing payment and the outside world.
“Queen Bee” by Dorothea Frank. A Sullivan's Island beekeeper navigates her demanding hypochondriac mother and flamboyant rival sister while immersing herself in the lives of two young neighbor boys and their widowed father. By the best-selling author of “By Invitation Only”.
“The Road Home, No.3 (The Broken Road Trilogy)” by Richard Paul Evans. A conclusion to the trilogy that includes The Forgotten Road finds Charles struggling with his ex-wife's engagement while continuing his pilgrimage toward Santa Monica along the iconic Route 66. By the best-selling author of “The Christmas Box”.
“The Seven or Eight Deaths of Stella Fortuna” by Juliet Grames. Believed cursed in her rugged Italian village, a tough, intelligent teen protects her younger sister during World War II, enduring challenges that transform her views about survival and independence.
“The Abolitionist’s Daugher” by Diane McPhail. Things change for the Southern-abolitionist Mathews family when, on a Mississippi morning in 1859, Emily Matthews begs her father to save a slave, Nathan, about to be auctioned away from his family. A first novel.
“Cari Mora” by Thomas Harris. A ruthless man driven by unspeakable appetites to pursue a fortune in cartel gold finds his efforts challenged by a war survivor with unusual talents. By the award-winning author of “Silence of the Lambs”.