My LINKcat AccountToday is the autumnal equinox. This is the day that the sun is directly overhead on the equator. In autumn the sun continues to “move” south and in spring it moves north. This is one of the two times a year when day and night are approximately the same length, at least near the equator. For those of us residing in the Northern Hemisphere it marks the official start of autumn. For those in the southern hemisphere it marks the start of spring. Today the official sunrise is 5:45 a.m. and sunset is 17:54 (using a 24-hour clock because it makes doing the math so much simpler.); as you can see, the day is 12 hours and 9 minutes long which is not quite an equal division between day and night. We have to wait until the 25th of September to get our sunrise and sunset to equal 12 hours, but no need to be a stickler about 9 minutes. We can say good bye to summer and hello to fall with the rest of the plant on the 22nd and hold our own equinox celebration a few days later. Fewer hours of daylight mean less time spent outside which could mean more time to read. If you are taking advantage of this more-time-to-read time, you will find a number of new books listed below. Enjoy!
New Non-Fiction
In such good company : eleven years of laughter, mayhem, and fun in the sandbox / by Carol Burnett. The award-winning actress and best-selling author shares uproarious behind-the-scenes anecdotes from her 25-time Emmy Award-winning show, exploring the elements of what made the series so successful and the costars, guests and off-camera talent that rendered it memorable.
Man of the world : the further endeavors of Bill Clinton / by Joe Conason. A veteran political journalist chronicles the post-presidential achievements and adventures of Bill Clinton, drawing on interviews with dozens of the former President's colleagues, friends, supporters and family members to examine his philanthropic work, the charges of corruption levied against him and the ways he continues to inspire and infuriate the world.
The trainable cat : a practical guide to making life happier for you and your cat / by John Bradshaw & Sarah Ellis. The author of the best-“Cat Sense” and a feline-behavior specialist explain the importance of cat training in establishing healthy cat-owner relationships, revealing how an understanding of cat emotions can help owners provide for their feline companions' every day and long-term needs
The power of when : discover your chronotype--and the best time to eat lunch, ask for a raise, have sex, write a novel, take your meds, and more / by Michael Breus. Provides the best time to do everything—from drinking your coffee to taking a run, asking for a raise, eating lunch, making a deal, having sex or going to bed—according to your body's chronotype.
New Fiction
Navigators of Dune / by Brian Herbert & Kevin Anderson. A finale to the trilogy set 10,000 years before Frank Herbert's classic continues the origins stories of the Bene Gesserit Sisterhood, the human-computer Mentats and the Spacing Guild Navigators as well as the battle for the future of the human race.
Commonwealth : a novel / by Ann Patchett. A five-decade saga tracing the impact of an act of infidelity on the parents and children of two Southern California families traces their shared summers in Virginia and the disillusionment that shapes their lasting bond.
Jerusalem : a novel / by Alan Moore. A novel employing a kaleidoscope of literary forms and styles provides a rich cast of characters includes the living, the dead, the celestial, and the infernal in an intricately woven tapestry that presents a vision of an absolute and timeless human reality in all of its exquisite, comical and heartbreaking splendor. By the Hugo Award-winning author of Watchmen.
Nutshell : a novel / by Ian McEwan. The Whitbread Award-winning author of “Atonement” presents a classic story of murder and deceit from the perspective of an unconventional narrator.
Fates and traitors : a novel of John Wilkes Booth / by Jennifer Chiaverini. A reimagining of the life of Lincoln's assassin by the best-selling author of “Mrs. Lincoln's Dressmaker” describes his tumultuous childhood on a Maryland farm and rise to the ballrooms of D.C. at the sides of four women before he became obsessed with avenging the Confederacy.
The orphan mother : a novel / by Robert Hicks. Following the Civil War, Mariah Reddick, former slave to Carrie McGavock—the "Widow of the South"—has quietly built a new life for herself as a midwife to the women of Franklin, Tennessee; but when her ambitious, politically-minded grown son, Theopolis, is murdered, Mariah—no stranger to loss—finds her world once more breaking apart.
An obvious fact / by Craig Johnson. Investigating a hit-and-run accident near Devils Tower that has left a young cyclist in critical condition, Walt, Henry and Vic are confronted by unexpected complications in the form of competing biker gangs, the ATF bureau, an entrepreneur's donation of a military-grade vehicle and a femme fatale.
Robert B. Parker's debt to pay : a Jesse Stone novel / by Reed Coleman. Setting aside complications in his love life to investigate the brutal murder of a high-ranking Boston crime boss, Jesse Stone suspects the work of a vengeful psychotic assassin who is targeting Stone's ex-wife. By the Shamus Award-winning author of “The Devil Wins”.
Two she-bears : a novel / by Meir Shalev. A U.S. release of a best-seller from Israel follows the efforts of teacher Ruta Tavori to promote independent thinking in a small British Palestine farming community by revealing the true story behind the suicides of three 1930s farmers. By the author of “A Pigeon and a Boy”.