October 17, 2019 - Crisp Days

Another week gone by and frost warnings and advisories are showing up with greater frequency -- after all it is the middle of October and it is only 14 days until that first holiday of the last quarter of the year.

The garden harvesting has pretty much finished. There are a few late bloomers that are continuing to finish up fruit/ vegetable production or to go out in a blaze of floral extravagance but the end of the season is upon us. Many fields are standing empty as those crops are harvested. As the absolute end of the growing season approaches the football season is well underway. "How about those Packers?, eh"

With the crisp days and even crisper nights that are upon us, and with the number of daylight hours dwindling, it is the perfect time for book lovers to curl up with a good book -- perhaps under a blanket with a dog or cat serving as foot warmer-- and a hot cup of something. The fall book titles continue to show up which makes curling up with a good book that much easier. Below are some of the book titles which recently arrived at the library. Enjoy!

BTW, if anyone has seen any woolly bear caterpillars, let me know. I can't make my winter forecast without collecting as much data as possible about the size of the stripes. Your participation makes for a better forecast. Thanks in advance for your help.

New Non-Fiction

“The Grammarians” by Cathleen Shine. A comic love letter to sibling rivalry and the English language by the author of "The Three Weissmanns of Westport" follows the experiences of identical twins whose respective literary careers are upended by their battle to claim an heirloom dictionary.

 

“World War II Map by Map” by DK Publishing & Smithsonian. In this stunning visual history book, custom maps tell the story of the Second World War from the rise of the Axis powers to the dropping of the atom bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.Written by a team of historians in consultation with Richard Overy, the books examines how the deadliest conflict in history changed the face of our world.

 

“Lifespan: The Revolutionary Science of Why We Age—and Why We don’t Have to” by David Sinclair. The acclaimed Harvard professor and one of Time's "Most Influential People" identifies common misconceptions about aging, sharing provocative insights into the cutting-edge, global effort to slow, stop and reverse aging.

 

“The Math Book” by DK Publishing. Applying the Big Ideas Simply Explained series' trademark combination of authoritative, accessible text and bold graphics to chart the development of math through history. There are more than 85 of the most important mathematical ideas, theorems, and proofs ever devised, and the great minds behind them, with this original, graphics-led book.

New Fiction

“The Dutch House” by Ann Patchett. A tale set over the course of five decades traces a young man's rise from poverty to wealth and back again as his prospects center around his family's lavish Philadelphia estate. By the award-winning author of “Commonwealth”.

 

“The Testaments, No. 2 (The Handmaid’s Tale)” by Margaret Atwood. A long-anticipated sequel to the best-selling The Handmaid's Tale is set 15 years after Offred stepped into an unknown fate and interweaves the experiences of three female narrators from Gilead. TV tie-in.

 

“Quichotte” by Salman Rushdie. The award-winning author of "Midnight's Children" presents a modern adaptation of "Don Quixote" that finds a courtly, addled salesman embarking on a cross-country journey with his imaginary son after falling impossibly in love with a television star.

 

“Akin” by Emma Donoghue. A retired New York professor's life is thrown into chaos when he takes a young great-nephew to the French Riviera in hopes of uncovering his own mother's wartime secrets. By the best-selling author of "Room".

 

“Ghost Fire, No. 18 (Courtney)” by Wilbur Smith. Torn apart by their parents' death, Theo seeks redemption by joining the British military during the French Indian War, while his beloved sister navigates her way from abusive guardians into France's high society.

 

“The Last Train to London”by Meg Waite Clayton. A tale inspired by the Kindertransports of World War II finds a Jewish teen's life shattered by the Nazi takeover before he joins a member of the Dutch resistance in a life-risking effort to escape Germany.

 

“The Secrets We Kept” by Lara Prescott. A tale of spycraft, love and sacrifice inspired by the true story of Doctor Zhivago follows the efforts of two CIA agents to help publish Boris Pasternak's censored masterpiece against a backdrop of Cold War politics in Moscow.

 

“A Single Thread” by Tracy Chevalier. Facing limited prospects after the loss of her loved ones, a woman joins a circle of embroiderers continuing a centuries-long tradition at the Winchester Cathedral. By the best-selling author of Girl with a Pearl Earring.