My LINKcat AccountI know last week I said I was done talking about the weather. I said this after mentioning that, once again, it seemed as if Booky the library’s prognosticating badger, had made the correct call on the day commonly referred to as “Groundhogs’ Day”. Booky had predicted that winter would endure and that there might be flowers beginning to bloom in March, which is sort of what has happened. But Booky is a smart badger (possibly residing in a library has something to do with that) and doesn’t like to get pinned down with actual number of days left in a season -- a season like winter. I don’t know how many of you noticed, but over this past weekend, the prognosticating groundhog to our east posted that he was in protective custody until spring finally decides to arrive because he, Jimmy, had said “six more weeks of winter”. Jimmy also had some interesting and amusing conspiracy theories about why winter was so persistent. Booky has asked me to relay some information. First, Booky’s forecast said winter would hang around; and it has with a few brief respites. Booky still believes that “April showers” (whether they are snow showers or rain showers) will eventually “bring May flowers.” Booky doesn’t believe the mitten cartel conspiracy theory or the weather has been hacked or other theories put forth by Jimmy. Booky does believe, however that the book publishing industry might have something to do with an extended winter which keeps people inside and reading. There has been an unusually large “spring” list of books this year. Coincidence? You decide. Booky is safe and working on photo shoots for Facebook postings and following a normal routine. Booky has received no threats -- or even harsh words-- about the length of this winter to date. Thank you for asking! Below you will find some of that suspiciously large spring list of books mentioned above. Enjoy!
New Non-Fiction
“I Feel You: The Surprising Power of Extreme Empathy” by Cris Beam. Sifts through ongoing debates and contradictory practices to present an examination of empathy and its related myths, science and power, revealing how empathy is learned, what is being discovered about its capabilities and how it has the potential to transform education, criminal justice, government and more. By the award-winning author of “To the End of June”.
“Soon: An Overdue History of Procrastination, From Leonardo and Darwin to You and Me” by Andrew Santella. A lighthearted, fact-filled defense of the universal tendency to procrastinate draws on the stories of history's most notable habitual postponers and on the insights of successful psychologists, philosophers and behavioral economists to explain why procrastination happens and how it can help promote healthy priorities.
“Brain Food: The Surprising Science of Eating for Cognitive Power” by Lisa Mosconi. A respected neuroscientist and nutritionist identifies foods and simple lifestyle practices that can safeguard brain health, sharing recipes and strategies for improving memory, preventing cognitive decline, eliminating brain fog, alleviating depression and more.
Genius Food: Become Smarter, Happier, and More Productive While Protecting Your Brain for Life” by Max Lugavere. Draws on the author's in-depth research into dementia in the wake of his own mother's mysterious diagnosis to outline practical recommendations for optimizing mental performance and balance through a high-nutrition diet tailored specifically for brain health.
“Disappointment River: Finding and Losing the Northwest Passage” by Brian Castner. A decorated Iraq War veteran and author of The Long Walk describes his journey in the footsteps of 18th-century explorer Alexander Mackenzie and his discovery of the fabled Northwest Passage that Mackenzie never realized he had found.
“In the Shadow of Statutes: A White Southerner Confronts History” by Mitch Landrieu. The New Orleans mayor who removed Confederate statues from the city confronts the racism that shapes many Americans and argues for white America to reckon with its past.
New Fiction
“The Recipe Box” by Viola Shipman. When her efforts to pursue a professional culinary life away from her family's northern Michigan orchard end in disappointment, Sam spends a summer working for the family pie shop and begins to learn about and understand the women in her life, her family's history and her passion for food as she prepares beloved ancestral recipes. By the best-selling author of “The Charm Bracelet”.
“Stray City” by Chelsey Johnson. Building a home for herself in the thriving but insular lesbian underground of Portland away from her Midwestern Catholic childhood, a young artist becomes unexpectedly pregnant after a reckless night and is forced to come to terms with her past a decade later when her precocious daughter asks about her father.
“Tomorrow” by Damian Dibben. A wise, old dog travels through the courts and battlefields of Europe and through the centuries in search of the master who granted him immortality.
“Auntie Poldi and the Sicilian Lions, No.1 (Auntie Poldi Adventures)” by Mario Giordano. Retiring to Sicily in the hopes of spending her final years enjoying the ocean view, the wine and the company of friends, 60-year-old Auntie Poldi discovers that her new home is not quite as tranquil as anticipated when her handsome young handyman is found murdered.
“The Bags of Tricks Affair, No.6 (Carpenter and Quincannon)”by Bill Proaini. When a woman who is the only witness to a murder is violently targeted by the culprit's family, Carpenter and Quincannon are forced to split up to outmaneuver two tricky con men and protect the woman's life, a situation that is complicated by Quincannon's growing feelings for her.
“The Last Equation of Isaac Severy: A Novel in Clues” by Nova Jacobs. Receiving a cryptic letter from her famous mathematician grandfather just before his suicide, adopted granddaughter Hazel, the owner of a struggling bookstore in Seattle, is charged with tracking down and protecting a dangerous equation before dangerous enemies can exploit it.
“Plum Tea Crazy, No. 19 (Tea Shop Mysteries)” by Laura Childs. When a banker believed to have died accidentally is discovered to have been hit by a crossbow, Theodosia is challenged to identify the killer among multiple suspects, including an estranged wife, a disgruntled co-worker and a real-estate partner. By the author of the “Cackleberry Club” mysteries.