My LINKcat AccountIf you are reading this on the publication date, i.e, Friday, December 20th, then you are reading this on the eve of both the Winter Reading Program kick-off and the Winter Solstice. The Winter Solstice takes place at 3:20 a.m. on Saturday morning. The Winter Reading Program kick-off takes place at a more reasonable hour. It starts at Noon and goes until approximately 3 p.m. (while supplies last). This year’s theme is “Woodland Winter Reading Adventure”. There will a winter campfire complete with s’mores, hot dogs, warm drinks, and seasonal music. The “campfire” will be on the patio. There will also be 3-D printed miniature woodland creatures to paint inside (they are soooo cute!). You can also sign up and start logging books and activities in Beanstack. Library staff will be available to help you get going. This is an event for all ages. Come one, come all! And since it is a reading program, you might be interested in checking out a few of the new titles listed below. Enjoy!
New Non-Fiction
“American Heroes” by James Patterson & Matt Eversmann. U.S. soldiers who served in overseas conflicts—from World War II, Korea, and Vietnam to Iraq and Afghanistan—share true stories of the actions that earned them some of America’s most distinguished military medals, up to and including the Medal of Honor.
“Cabinet of Curiosities: A Historical Tour of the Unbelievable, the Unsettling, and the Bizarre” by Aaron Mahnke with Harry Marks. Brings the popular podcast to print, sharing stories about the invention of the croissant in a country that was not France; a dog that stowed away and went to war, only to help capture a German spy; and much more.
“Explorers: A New History” by Matthew Lockwood. A professor of history reveals the overlooked stories of diverse explorers across 40 centuries and six continents, highlighting the contributions of immigrants, indigenous interpreters, female voyagers, local guides and others typically excluded from traditional narratives of exploration.
“Ghosts of Panama: A Strongman Out of Control, a Murdered Marine, and the Special Agents Caught in the Middle of an Invasion” by Mark Harmon & Leon Carroll. On December 16, 1989, when a young U.S. Marine is gunned down at a checkpoint in Panama City, Naval Investigative Service (NIS) Special Agent Rick Yell and his cadre of trusted agents deploy immediately to investigate the killing, and what they determine will decide the fate of two nations.
“Subpar Planet: The World’s Most Celebrated Landmarks and Their Most Disappointed Visitors” by Amber Share. New York Times bestselling author and illustrator takes readers from continent to continent to celebrate the world's greatest wonders alongside hysterical reviews from their harshest critics. By the creator of Subpar Parks.
New Fiction
“Lazarus Man” by Richard Price. The author of “Clockers” and a writer on “The Wire” presents a novel that takes place in an ever-changing Harlem.
“Women’s Hotel” by Daniel Lavery. In a funny and poignant debut novel about the Beidermeier, a women’s hotel in 1960s New York City, residents Katherine, Lucianne, Kitty, Ruth, and Pauline are aware that their days as an institution are numbered, and they’d better make the most of it while it lasts.
“All’s Fair in Love and Treachery, No.2 (Lady Petra Inquires)” by Celeste Connally. In early 19th-century London Bridgerton meets Agatha Christie in this new installment in a Regency-era mystery series with a feminist spin.
“The Herringbone Harbor Mystery, No,7 (Seaside Knitters Society)” by Sally Goldenbaum. It’s beginning to feel a lot like tourist season in Sea Harbor, Massachusetts, and beachside shopkeepers are getting ready for the annual wave of visitors; but even before the season starts, the heat is on to find a killer.
“Tooth and Claw (Longmire Mysteries)” by Craig Johnson. In Alaska, Vietnam veterans Walt and Henry find work with an oil company, only to face a deadly polar bear and uncover a more dangerous threat from their co-workers, who are fiercely pursuing priceless treasure and will go to any lengths to obtain it.
“We Three Queens, No. 18 (Royal Spyness Mysteries)” by Rhys Bowen. In late 1936 as King Edward faces a scandalous dilemma over his love for Wallis Simpson, he hides her with friends Georgie and Darcy at their estate, but the stakes are raised when a film star is murdered on set, forcing Georgie to solve the crime before it ignites a scandal.
“Christmas in Bethel” by Richard Paul Evans. The New York Times bestselling author of The Christmas Box returns with another quiet tale of parental love, the sacrifices they are willing to make for their children and the true meaning of Christmas.
“I Think I Was Murdered” by Colleen Coble & Rick Acker. A grieving young widow; the AI program that allows her to continue to "talk" to him; and a message she never expected: "I think I was murdered."