My LINKcat AccountToday is April Fools’ Day. It is a holiday celebrate in much of Europe, parts of the Middle East and the United States. There are many pranks associated with it including sending people on hunts for left-handed monkey wrenches. Ukraine has some interesting customs – and since it is so much in the news these days I thought I would tell you what Wikipedia has to say about them. April Fools' Day is widely celebrated in Odessa and has the special local name “Humorina” - in Ukrainian. This holiday arose in 1973. An April Fools’ prank is revealed by saying, (in Ukrainian) "April the First, I trust nobody" - to the recipient. The festival includes a large parade in the city center, concerts, street fairs,and performances. Festival participants dress up in a variety of costumes and walk around the city fooling around and pranking passersby. One of the traditions on April Fools' Day is to dress up the main city monument in funny clothes. Humorina even has its own logo — a cheerful sailor in a lifebelt. During the festival, special souvenirs bearing the logo are printed and sold everywhere. Since 2010, April Fools' Day celebrations include an International Clown Festival and both are celebrated as one. Breaking News!! New Flash!! James Patterson has announced he will write no more. He has hung up his pen, broken his pencils, and unplugged his laptop! But don’t despair. There are still many new books which recently arrived at the library. They are listed below. Enjoy!
New Non-Fiction
“Pandora’s Jar: Women in the Greek Myths” by Natalie Haynes. The national best-selling author of “A Thousand Ships” returns with a fascinating, eye-opening take on the remarkable women at the heart of classical stories Greek mythology from Helen of Troy to Pandora and the Amazons to Medea
“The Anatomy of Anxiety: Understanding and Overcoming the Body’s Fear Response” by Ellen Vora. From an acclaimed functional medicine psychiatrist comes a groundbreaking approach to understanding and managing anxiety from a holistic perspective.
“Genius Kitchen: Over 100 Easy and Delicious Recipes to Make Your Brain Sharp, Body Strong, and Taste Buds Happy (Genius Living)” by Max Lugavere. Combining the dietary recommendations and lifestyle recommendations the author features shockingly delicious, nutrient-packed recipes that will energize your mind, strengthen your body, and pave a path to health that you’ll feel with the first bite.
New Fiction
“The Diamond Eye” by Kate Quinn. Known as Lady Death – a lethal hunter of Nazis, Mila Pavlichenko, sent to America on a goodwill tour, forms an unexpected friendship with First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt and a connection with a silent fellow sniper, offering her a chance at happiness until her past returns with a vengeance.
“The Tobacco Wives” by Adele Myers. In 1947 North Carolina, seamstress Maddie Sykes, a dressmaker for Bright Leaf’s most influential women – the wives of powerful tobacco executives, uncovers dangerous truths about this lucrative industry in a place where everyone depends on Big Tobacco to survive.
“The Wedding Veil” by Kristy Harvey. The sweeping new novel follows four extraordinary women across generations, bound by a beautiful wedding veil and a connection to the Vanderbilt legacy that changes their lives – and history as they know it.
“The Darkest Place, No. 5 (Robin Lockwood)” by Phillip Margolin. After a pro bono case upends her life, defense attorney Robin Lockwood retreats home to Elk Grove where she defends a surrogate accused of kidnapping the baby she carried for another couple – a case that may result in unexpected, deadly consequences.
“Death by Chocolate Chip Cupcake, No. 5 (Death by Chocolate)” by Sarah Graves. Bakery owners Jake and Ellie cater a glamorous housewarming party and investigate after witnessing one of the guests being shoved off a nearby cliff, in the fifth novel of the tasty mystery series following “Death by Chocolate Snickerdoodle”.
“Margaret Truman’s Murder at the CDC, No. 31 (Capital Crimes)” by Margaret Truman & Jon Land. Discovering a link between a mass shooting on the steps of the Capitol and the attempted murder of a CDC employee, Brixton joins forces with a former Baltimore homicide detective to stop a radical separatist from bringing on a second Civil War.
“A Relative Murder” by Jude Deveraux. The Medlar Three unexpectedly reenter sleuthing when Kate discovers a dead body with a connection to a charming, new real estate client with a mysterious past in the fourth novel of the series following “A Forgotten Murder”.
“High Stakes” by Danielle Steele. Five women work together at a boutique literary and talent agency while the challenges of their individual lives causes chaos both inside and outside the office in a new novel by one of the world's best-selling authors.
“A Sunlit Weapon, No. 17(Maisie Dobbs)” by Jacqueline Winspear. Masie Dobbs, a psychologist and investigator in 1942 London, investigates the death of a female ferry pilot and two kidnapped American servicemen in the latest novel of the best-selling series following “The Consequences of Fear”.
“A Safe House, No. 61 (Stone Barrington)” by Stuart Woods. A former New York City cop turned rainmaker for an exclusive Manhattan law firm pursues justice while handling a sensitive case for the U.S. government, in the latest addition to the long-running series following “Criminal Mischief”.