My LINKcat AccountToday, December 5th, is St. Nicholas Day Eve. In some Northern European countries and some communities in the United States it is celebrated by children (with adults conspiring). Tonight, children put their shoes out in the foyer (or outside their bedroom doors) and in the morning the shoes are filled with small treats like candy, oranges or other fruits, tiny toys-- if the child has been good! Otherwise the shoe(s) are filled with coal. This is a nice lead in to a couple of other seasonal gift givers. In 18 days the big guy in the red suit will be making visits to good boys and girls. I don't think Santa leaves much coal in stockings these days (or at least that possibility is seriously down played in all the seasonal advertisements). The Italians have a 12th-day-after-Christmas gift-giver that ties into the story of the three kings searching for that special child.The kings stop and ask an old women (witch) for directions. She is too busy sweeping to help them. She later repents and is forever searching for that child and brings gifts or coal to all the children she visits while looking for the special child. Children today know her as Befana, the old woman who flies a broom and wears a black shawl over a dress dirty with soot from the chimneys she climbs down to deliver her gifts. For the good children she brings sweets, toys and book and she brings onions, garlic and coal for the bad children. I mention Old Bafana because the library will be hosting a musical performance based on this story on this Sunday, December 8th at 2 p.m. Bafini cookies and "coal" as well as hot chocolate will be served. Bring the whole family and enjoy this performance sponsored by the DMB Community Bank.
Below are some of the new books that have recently appeared at the library. Enjoy!
New Non-Fiction
“The Boss of the Grips: The Life of James H. Williams and the Red Caps of Grand Central Terminal” by Eric Washington. A portrait of the early 20th-century head of Grand Central Terminal's Red Caps describes his organization of the Harlem-based labor force that navigated harrowing segregation to become educated members of the middle class.
“Exposure: Poisoned Water, Corporate Greed, and One Lawyer’s Twenty-year Battle Against Dupont” by Robert Bilott. In a true story that is the inspiration for a forthcoming film, the lawyer-author chronicles how he built a case against DuPont for its use of the hazardous, chemical PFOA, uncovering a history of worldwide environmental contamination.
“A Marvelous Life: The Amazing Story of Stan Lee” by Danny Fingeroth. An award-winning Marvel Comics writer and author of Superman on the Couch shares an insider's portrait of the iconic co-creator of legendary superhero characters, discussing the collaborations and controversies that marked his successes.
“Mobituaries: Great Lives Worth Reliving” by Mo Rocca. A popular TV correspondent and writer offers an irreverent and rigorously researched book that celebrates the dead people who made life worth living.
“Plagued by Fire: The Dreams and Furies of Frank Lloyd Wright” by Paul Hendrickson. The award-winning and nationally bestselling author of Hemingway’s Boat and Sons of Mississippi turns his attention to Frank Lloyd Wright, presenting a masterful biography in which he reveals the genius and egotist’s many facades along with their cracks.
“She Came to Stay” The Life and Times of Harriet Tubman” by Erica Dunbar. A lively, informative and illustrated tribute to one of the most exceptional women in American history—Harriet Tubman—looks at a heroine whose fearlessness and activism still resonates today.
New Fiction
“An Ale of Two Cities, No.2 (Literary Pub Mysteries)” by Sarah Fox. A winter carnival becomes a recipe for disaster when a Shady Creek celebrity gets iced. By a USA Today best-selling author.
“A Christmas Gathering, No. 17 (Christmas Stories)” by Anne Perry. A beautiful spy's clandestine message complicates the holidays at a friend's country home for a newly married former head of the London Special Branch, who would prevent history from repeating itself. By the best-selling author of the William Monk series
“Criss Cross, No. 25 (Alex Cross)” by James Patterson. An ominous message by a copycat killer forces Alex Cross and John Sampson to investigate whether an innocent man has been executed. By the best-selling author of many series.
“Robert B. Parker’s Angel Eyes, No. 48 (Spenser)” by Ace Atkins. Hired by a desperate mother to search for a Hollywood starlet who has gone missing, Spenser and his former apprentice-turned-private eye, Zebulon Sixkill, follow clues to a powerful movie studio boss, the Armenian mob and a cult-like empowerment group.
“Twister Twenty-six, No. 26 (Stephanie Plum)” by Janet Evanovich. Bounty hunter Stephanie Plum is challenged to protect one of her own when her suddenly widowed grandmother is targeted by ruthless gangsters. By the best-selling author of the Fox and O'Hare series.
“Final Option, No. 14 (Oregon Files)” by Clive Cussler & Boyd Morrison. Chairman Juan Cabrillo and his team of government-sponsored operatives hide their state-of-the-art weaponry and cutting-edge scientific technologies while navigating a dangerous mission aboard the “Oregon”. By the authors of “Piranha”.
“Guilty Not Guilty, No.9 (Dick Francis)” by Felix Francis. A volunteer horseracing steward finds his life upended by sensational media allegations about the violent death of his beloved wife and his dangerous efforts to clear his name by capturing the true killer. By the author of “Crisis”