My LINKcat AccountLast week was our tenth (annual) Harry Potter Birthday Party. When we first started doing these parties J.K. Rowling was publishing a new book about once a year and then the Harry Potter movies started up. For a few years there we could count on the enthusiasm and hype from the book launch or the movie launch to bring people to the party. The final book in the series, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" was published in July, 2007. The final movie, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2" was released in July, 2011. Last year was the first year the party and fictional character had no outside factors to add energy and interest. But we had a good turn out and decided to try it again this year. Well. We had an extraordinary turn out this year. More people in costume, more people staying longer, and more excitement than we'd seen in a few years. It's very hard to estimate attendance when everyone is in motion all the time. I do know that an entire sheet cake was inhaled by the crowd. And that we went through three gallons of "pumpkin juice" (my secret recipe) and about a gallon of "butter beer" (again, my secret recipe which involves absolutely no butter nor beer), and that almost four pounds of pretzel rods and an equal amount of frosting (You put frosting on the end of the pretzel rod and roll it in sprinkles to make an edible wand.) and uncountable numbers of sprinkles were also consumed. All-in-all a most excellent party. We overheard people at the party already talking about next year. So, if you missed this year's party and don't want to miss the 2014 party, just put July 31st on your calendar now. In the meantime, as you wait for next year's party, there are a number of new books for you to occupy your time with. Enjoy!
New Non-Fiction
Shirley Jones : a memoir / by Shirley Jones. A candid account by the Oscar-winning stage, screen and television star reveals lesser-known facts about her two marriages, wild sexual escapades, high-risk brushes with the law and relationships with "The Partridge Family" cast-mates.
When they were boys : the true story of the Beatles' rise to the top / by Larry Kane. A veteran news anchor who traveled with the Beatles on their first American tours describes the legendary band's rise to the top from their early days in Liverpool and Hamburg with original drummer Pete Best and bassist Stu Sutcliffe.
Working memory : the connected intelligence / by Tracy Alloway. Arguing that a working memory is a stronger predictor of success than IQ, a guide to enhancing memory cites its role in life management skills and various learning disorders while outlining prescriptive exercises for improving brain function.
On the noodle road : from Beijing to Rome, with love and pasta / by Jen Lin-Liu. The Black Sesame Kitchen Beijing cooking school instructor and author of "Serve the People "traces her Silk Road investigation into regional culinary history and tradition, a journey marked by her visits to private kitchens where she bonded and ate with women from a diverse array of cultures.
A street cat named Bob : and how he saved my life / by James Bowen. A U.S. release of a best-selling account from England traces the story of an impoverished London street musician who after saving an injured and highly intelligent cat found his life profoundly changed in unexpected ways.
New Fiction
Death angel / by Linda Fairstein. Discovering the murdered body of a young woman in Ramble urban park, New York Assistant DA Alex Cooper and Detective Mike Chapman uncover disturbing links between the savage crime and a string of cold-case disappearances. By the best-selling author of "Night Watch".
The highway : a novel / by C. J. Box. When two teens go missing during a clandestine car trip, alcoholic investigator Cody Hoyt is convinced by his son and former partner to search for answers before discovering similar disappearances on a remote Montana highway that point to the work of a serial killer.
Light of the world / by James Lee Burke. A summer getaway in Montana for Dave Robicheaux's family and friends is violently shattered by the arrival of serial killer and prison escapee Asa Surrette. By the Edgar Award-winning author of "Creole Belle".
The irresistible blueberry bakeshop & cafe : a novel / by Mary Simses. When a dutiful, Manhattanite granddaughter tries to fulfill the last wish of her dying grandmother by delivering a letter to her teenage flame in rural Maine, her near-drowning forces her to stay longer than she had originally planned.
The Collini case : a novel / by Ferdinand Van Schirach. A U.S. release of an internationally best-selling courtroom drama finds the career of rookie defense lawyer Caspar Lienen placed at risk when he seeks an acquittal for an unassuming retiree who has admitted to the brutal murder of a prominent industrialist but whose refusal to defend himself is linked to World War II and vulnerabilities in the German legal system.
A decent interval : a Charles Paris novel / by Simon Brett. Enduring his part in a touring production of "Hamlet" that features drama-prone reality television contest winners in the lead roles, actor and amateur detective Charles Paris investigates a suspicious accident that has killed a company member. By the author of the Fethering mysteries.
First frost : a mystery / by James Henry. A prequel to the series by the late R. D. Wingfield, published by special arrangement with his estate, finds the non-conformist detective searching for a 12-year-old girl who went missing from a department store changing room, a case that is complicated by the recent disappearance of his mentor.
Not the killing type / by Lorna Barrett. A local election becomes complicated when a candidate is murdered and bookshop owner Tricia Miles must clear her sister's name and find the real killer in the seventh installment of the "New York Times" best-selling mystery series.