My LINKcat AccountThis year, no one has reported sightings of wooly bear caterpillars and the relative width of their stripes to me (The wider the stripe ((i.e. the orange one) )the milder the winter) and I have seen none when I have been out and about. This means that I am unable to give you the official, wooly bear caterpillar forecast for the upcoming winter. Based on the weather this past week, I would guess that that orange stripe isn’t all that wide. Not having a wooly bear forecast, I know is a great disappointment to some. However, there is another, weather-lore based forecast I can make. According to the lore, the number of days past the New Moon that the first snow falls (It has to be deep enough to track a cat in) is the number of snowfalls you can expect throughout the winter. The first snow of the season was on Thursday, November 21st (It was deep enough to track a cat in because my cats were walking around in it on the porch and they definitely left tracks).The new moon was on November 1st, so that would mean an additional 20 snowfalls. There was a light, fluffy snow on the morning of the day I am writing this and my cats certainly left tracks in it. So it looks like there are only 20 more snow (or 19 if you count the first one on the 21st which got the count going). While you’re waiting for the snow to fall, why not check out some of the new books which recently arrived at the library. Enjoy!
New Non-Fiction
“Citizen: My Life After the White House” by Bill Clinton. The former president chronicles his post-presidential journey with personal insights, details his humanitarian work, reflects on major twenty-first-century events and highlights his enduring commitment to public service, family and democracy.
“From Under the Truck” by Josh Brolin. This memoir from the Academy Award-nominated actor vividly portrays a life filled with curiosity, pain and humor, recounting his unconventional childhood and personal struggles, with profound reflections on relationships, addiction, love and loss.
“Heartbreak Is the National Anthem: How Taylor Swift Reinvented Pop Music” by Rob Sheffield. A “Rolling Stone” columnist provides an intimate look at Taylor Swift's evolution into a global pop phenomenon, detailing her musical impact, storytelling prowess and cultural significance and unique connection with fans and the broader music industry.
“Melania: A Memoir” by Melania Trump. A memoir of a former first lady offers a glimpse into the life of a woman who navigated several challenges in her prominent position.
“How to Let Things Go: 99 Tips from a Zen Buddhist Monk to Relinquish Control and Free Yourself Up for What Matters” by Shunmyo Masuno. An internationally bestselling Buddhist monk offers practical tips and techniques to abandon the futile pursuit of control, teaching readers to embrace calm, focus and well-being amid the relentless demands of modern life and the constant scrolling of social media.
New Fiction
“American Rapture” by C.J. Leede. A sheltered Catholic teen confronts her faith and sexuality when a mysterious flu outbreak transforms her community into a chaotic, lust-driven hellscape, forcing her to fight for survival and question her beliefs.
“Before We Forget Kindness, No. 5 (Before the Coffee Goes Cold)” by Toshikazu Kawaguchi. Café Funiculi Funicula's time-traveling magic continues as new patrons journey to the past, experiencing reunions, making amends and revisiting memories in the fifth novel of the series following “Before We Say Goodbye”.
“The Courting of Bristol Keats, No.1 (Courting of Bristol Keats)” by Mary E. Pearson. After discovering that her father’s disappearance is linked to a hidden realm of gods, fae, and monsters, Bristol Keats embarks on a perilous journey to rescue him, making a dangerous pact with the fae leader Tyghan, who harbors his own dark motives and connection to her past.
“The Mirror, No. 2 (Lost Bride Trilogy)” by Nora Roberts. After inheriting a Victorian mansion on Maine's coast, Sonya MacTavish is greeted by visions of an murder brides and an antique mirror, which she must step through, into the past, to unravel a generations-old curse.
“Amber Alert” by Kiki Swinson. An explosive portrait of Dirty South revenge, triple-dealing, and crimes of passion as a suburban mom’s high-end criminal past comes back to haunt her, endangering her children—and propelling her into a high-stakes game she remembers all too well.
“Pride and Prejudice in Space” by Alexis Lampley. An illustrated reimagining of a classic of literary fiction, which intertwines the elegance of the Jane Austen novel with the adventurous spirit of sci-fi books.
“Shy Creatures” by Clare Chambers. In 1964 Croydon, art therapist Helen Hansford, involved in a secret affair with a married doctor, becomes intrigued by William Tapping, a mute artist discovered living in isolation with his deceased aunts; as she uncovers his past, her own life starts to unravel.
“The Third Realm” by Karl Ove Knausgaard. In the hot summer of 1994 in Fife, teenage Cora Mowat struggles with her small-town life and uncertain future while dealing with her mother's new, enigmatic boyfriend, Gunner, a one-eyed shoplifter with hidden secrets, and seeking to escape her circumstances after a tragedy strikes.
“Now or Never, No. 31 (Stephanie Plum)” by Janet Evanovich. With her personal life in turmoil, New Jersey bounty hunter Stephanie Plum navigates danger and intrigue in a high-stakes case that could change her life.