My LINKcat AccountLast week I mentioned that there were three weeks left in the Winter Reading Program. I opined that there was still plenty of time to read, read, read, and the titles of what you read to earn dragon dollars which you could use for purchasing cool stuff in our Fox’s Den store or for donations to one of our designated charities. So. Did you do it? I thought so. The good news is that as of this Friday you still have two weeks to read, record, and earn dragon dollars. If you are still putting this most pleasant task off, let me remind you that National Procrastination Week does not begin until March 6th. Actually, beginning to procrastinate before National Procrastination Week seems like a direct slap in the face to the spirit of that week, i.e you are celebrating the week before the week is even here. Take some time this week to read, record, and earn some dragon dollars before the Winter Reading Program ends.
Speaking of winter ending (wasn’t that a smooth segue?), it seems as if we get four or five days of spring-like weather and then a nice big snow storm. This seems more like March weather than mid-February weather. The birds are beginning to think it’s spring. Birds that start setting up housekeeping early – your blue jays, pigeons, mourning doves, hawks, owls, house sparrows, etc.-- seem to be dating already. The chickadee’s have added their “phoebe” song to their repertoire as the start getting ready to woo. And as we all know, the Sandhill cranes (usually) start heading north to that great join up on the Platte River on February 14th. Below are some of the new books which recently arrived at the library.
Enjoy!
New Non-Fiction
“The Darkness Manifesto: On Light Pollution, Night Ecology, and the Ancient Rhythms that Sustain Life” by Johan Eklof and Elizabeth DeNoma. In the bestselling tradition of “Why We Sleep” and “The Sixth Extinction,” an urgent and insightful look at the hidden impact of light pollution, and a passionate appeal to cherish natural darkness for the sake of the environment, our own wellbeing, and all life on earth.
“The Declassification Engine: What History Reveals About America’s Top Secrets” by Matthew Connelly. Using the latest techniques in data science, the author analyzes a vast trove of state secrets to unearth not only what the government really does not want us to know but also why they don’t want us to know it. Culling this research to carefully examine a series of pivotal moments in recent history, The author sheds light on the drivers of state secrecy and how rampant over-classification makes it impossible to protect truly vital information.
“We Should Not be Friends: The Story of a Friendship” by Will Schwalbe. A warm, funny, irresistible book that follows an improbable and life-changing college friendship over the course of forty years—from the best-selling author of The End of Your Life Book Club”.
“South to America: A Journey Below the Mason-Dixon Line to Understand the Soul of a Nation” by Imani Perry. This is the story of a Black woman and native Alabaman returning to the region she has always called home and considering it with fresh eyes. Her journey is full of detours, deep dives, and surprising encounters with places and people. She renders Southerners from all walks of life with sensitivity and honesty, sharing her thoughts about a troubling history and the ritual humiliations and joys that characterize so much of Southern life.
New Fiction
“A Spell of Good Things: A Novel” by Ayobami Adebayo. A dazzling story of modern Nigeria and two families caught in the riptides of wealth, power, romantic obsession, and political corruption from the celebrated author of “Stay with Me”.
“More Than Meets the Eye” by Iris & Roy Johansen. “New York Times” bestselling authors Iris Johansen and Roy Johansen team up for another electrifying thriller that pits a serial killer against Kendra Michaels' heightened powers of deduction.
“House of Eve” by Sadeqa Johnson. This new book from the award-winning author of “Yellow Wife”, a daring and redemptive novel set in 1950s Philadelphia and Washington, DC, that explores what it means to be a woman and a mother, and how much one is willing to sacrifice to achieve her greatest goal.
“Cold People” by Tom Rob Smith. From the bestselling author of “Child 44” comes a suspenseful and fast-paced novel about an Antarctic colony of global apocalypse survivors seeking to reinvent civilization under the most extreme conditions imaginable.
“Stone Cold Fox” by Rachel Koller Croft. This debut thriller tells the story of an ambitious woman who, after a lifetime of conning alongside her mother, wants to leave her dark past behind and marry the heir to one of the country's wealthiest families.
“Essex Dogs” by Dan Jones. This historical novel begins in July, 1346, when ten men land on the beaches of Normandy. They call themselves the Essex Dogs: an unruly platoon of archers and men-at-arms led by a battle-scarred captain whose best days are behind him. The fight for the throne of the largest kingdom in Western Europe has begun.
“Three Can Keep a Secret (A Greer Hogan Mystery)” by M.E. Hilliard Greer Hogan is a librarian turned sleuth, an avid reader of crime fiction who possesses an uncanny knack for deduction—and now, she’s drawn into another murder case as late autumn slowly turns to winter in the idyllic village of Raven Hill. The library is no safe haven.
“The Last Orphan: An Orphan X Novel” by Gregg Hurwitz. Evan Smoak returns in the latest “New York Times” bestselling Orphan X thriller--when everything changes and everything is at risk. As a child, Evan Smoak was plucked out of a group home, raised and trained as an off-the-books assassin for the government as part of the Orphan program. When he broke with the program and went deep underground, he left with a lot of secrets in his head that the government would do anything to make sure never got out.
“The Last Kingdom” by Steve Berry. This is the latest Cotton Malone adventure, in which the discovery of a lost historical document challenges the global might of the United States. In a race across Bavaria for clues hidden in King Ludwig’s three fairytale castles--Neuschwanstein, Linderhof and Herrenchiemsee--Malone and protégé,Daniels, battle an ever-growing list of deadly adversaries, all intent on finding the last kingdom.