My LINKcat AccountA week ago I would not have made this avowal, but having more than a week of temperatures in the 40s, 50s, and, yes indeed- , 60s and having seen not one, but two motorcyclists driving around on a sunny day, I am willing to say (with a lot of knocking of wood) that spring has (possibly, maybe, almost for sure) arrived. And now that I've said that, I will throw in the caveat that spring in Wisconsin can mean snow blisteringly hot weather one day followed by snow showers the next. But I have moved my pots of grass for the cats out on to the porch. (We all know that grass can stand a little frost.) and dragged my big plant pots out of the basement (Did you know that there are 13 steps from my basement to first floor and then there are 15 strides to the porch? And did you know that when you're carrying 80 pounds tight to your body it's real easy to start tipping backwards but that if you lean forward and your shoes don't come off some combination of physics, gravity, and/ or Newton's first or second law of motion, will keep you moving up the stairs. Spring cleaning, getting ready for spring planting, warmer days, shorter nights, and lots of bird song, and plenty of spring book titles, all point to the overdue arrival of spring. And speaking of spring book titles, just cast your eyes down the page and you will see the latest books that have arrived at your library. Enjoy!
New Non-Fiction
Everything is perfect when you're a liar / by Kelly Oxford. With more than 300,000 followers on Twitter, and frequent retweets from heavy-hitting fans such as Diablo Cody and Kevin Nealon, one of the funniest voices ever to hit the Internet uses her trademark blend of biting wit and self-deprecation to find hilarity in everyday life.
Instant mom / by Nia Vadalos. After adopting a preschooler, the writer and star of "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" shares her hilarious and heartwarming parenting experiences, explores innovative ways to conquer the challenges new moms face and celebrates the fact that motherhood comes in many forms.
The key is love : my mother's wisdom, a daughter's gratitude / by Marie Osmond. The beloved recording artist and star of award-winning television programs sends a love letter to her mother in this memoir that recounts how her personal experience raising eight children was largely influenced by her kind, positive mother.
Liberace extravaganza! / by Connie Soloman. Featuring behind-the-scenes stories from some of his most trusted couturiers and friends, this beautiful tribute to the internationally celebrated star known for his music and his flamboyant fashion displays his most dazzling and over-the-top costumes.
Mom & me & mom / by Maya Angelou. The celebrated author of "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" shares the intimate story of her relationship with her mother, a first black woman officer in the Merchant Marines and a purveyor of a gambling business and rooming house, relating the events that prompted her mother to send young Angela away and the complicated fallout that shaped their family life.
Unsinkable : a memoir / by Debbie Reynolds. In this definitive, tell-all memoir, the film legend and Hollywood icon shares the highs and lows of her life as an actress during Hollywood's Golden Age, stories from her lifelong friendship with Elizabeth Taylor and intimate details of her marriages and family life.
Young titan : the making of Winston Churchill / by Michael Shelden. An account of the World War II Prime Minister's early career includes coverage of his contributions to building a modern navy, his experimentations with radical social reforms and his lesser-known romantic pursuits.
New Fiction
All you could ask for : a novel / by Mike Greenberg. After being betrayed by the men they love, three women--Samantha, Brooke and Katherine--find their lives intertwining in unexpected ways, resulting in a powerful friendship that can conquer anything.
Life after life : a novel / by Jill McCorkle. The staff and residents at Fulton, North Carolina's retirement facility share the realities of their respective lives, from a retired teacher who believes everyone is a third grader at heart, to a prominent lawyer who feigns dementia to escape life with his son, to a woman who keeps a scrapbook of every local crime.
Reconstructing Amelia : a novel / by Kimberly McCreight. When her high-achieving 15-year-old daughter Amelia supposedly commits suicide after she is caught cheating, litigation lawyer and single mother Kate Baron, leveled by grief, must reconstruct the pieces of Amelia's life to find the truth and vindicate the memory of the daughter whose life she could not save.
The smart one : a novel / by Jennifer Close. Raising her three children to be kind, smart and independent, Weezy and her husband become increasingly perplexed by life challenges that compel their first daughter to move back into her childhood room, their second daughter to cancel her wedding and their son to become enmeshed in a relationship disaster.
Starting now : a Blossom Street novel / by Debbie Macomber. After she is laid off, high-powered lawyer Libby Morgan, with no job prospects in sight, volunteers at a hospital where she meets a handsome doctor and rediscovers the joy of knitting, but when she is offered her job back, she must decide what matters most.
Stepping stone ; The love machine / by Walter Mosley. The best-selling author of the Easy Rawlins mysteries presents a two-in-one omnibus of stories that explores life's cosmic questions, from the meaning of life to the nature of good and evil, from the perspectives of individuals who are given unique insights that are largely inaccessible to the rest of the world. 50,000 first printing.
Edge of the Earth : a novel / by Christina Schwarz. Feeling restless in spite of her accomplishments and imminent marriage to a respectable young man, Trudy is ostracized by her late 19th-century Milwaukee community when she falls in love with an enigmatic man and relocates to a California lighthouse, where she uncovers a life-changing secret.
Alive! : a Valentino mystery / by Loren Estleman. Learning of the existence of rare footage of Bela Lugosi's screen test for the part of Frankenstein's monster, Valentino discovers that a ruthless adversary has been killing people to get his hands on the long-missing film in a case that is complicated by terrible acting and a ravenous crew of steampunk fans.