My LINKcat AccountWell, this is the first official, non-holiday, column for this year. The solemnity of this occasion is nearly overwhelming so let’s just get past that and move on to old familiar topics like the weather. It seems like we dodged the bad-weather bullet as far as travel on any of the four holidays around the end of the year were concerned. But now that we are firmly rooted in January, apparently the weather has decided to take the metaphorical gloves off and hit us with a one-two punch of winter. I mean, really? Snow and daytimes high temperatures right at or below zero? Did we really need to do this? There is that old weather adage that “as the days lengthen the cold strengthens” and that certainly does seem to be the case. Since December 10th when the sun was setting at 4:22 in the afternoon, we have gained (as of January 10th) twenty minutes—sunset is at 4:42. And as of January 10th we also gained a minute in the morning as well. Sunrise has been “stuck” at 7:29 since the 29th of December. It has now moved back to 7:28. So all this extra daylight will allow us to see how low the outdoor thermometer has dropped. But perhaps the forecast is wrong, or overblown. Be of good cheer, it’s only 23 days until February which is only 28 days from March which can be only a few days away from spring. In the meantime, there are plenty of books to read while you’re staying warm and cozy indoors. Enjoy!
New Non-Fiction
The burn : why your scale is stuck and what to eat about it / by Haylie Pomroy. A celebrity nutritionist outlines a food-based, recipe-augmented rapid-weight-loss plan for readers whose initial weight loss has halted, offering 3-day, 5-day and 10-day approaches to repairing stalled metabolic function. By the #1 best-selling author of “The Fast Metabolism Diet”.
The DASH diet younger you : shed 20 years--and pounds--in just 10 weeks / by Marla Heller. The best-selling creator of the DASH Diet series presents her prescription for not only losing weight but also looking younger, in a book that includes detoxing tips, ideas on how to go meatless, 28 days of meal plans, more than 50 recipes and much more.
Zero belly diet : the revolutionary new plan to turn off your fat genes and keep you lean for life! / by David Zinczenko. “Good Morning America’s” health and wellness editor and the best-selling author of The Abs Diet series, Eat This, Not That! series and “Eat It to Beat It!” offers a fast-acting plan for shedding dangerously unhealthy abdominal fat--in a book that includes 50 recipes, a 6-week menu plan, a series of 7-minute workouts and weight-loss success stories.
New Fiction
Saving Grace / by Jane Green. A literary power couple hides behind a carefree public face the painful realities of the husband's raging mood swings and the wife's past secrets until a too-good-to-be-true new assistant enters their lives, with dangerous consequences. By the best-selling author of “Family Pictures”.
Robert B. Parker's the bridge / by Robert Knott. Virgil Cole and Everett Hitch navigate numerous charges in the form of an ominous storm, a traveling theater group, dangers at a bridge construction site, a sheriff's disappearance and a scheming band of night riders.
The bishop's wife / by Mette Ivie Harrison. Inspired by a true crime, a Mormon mother of five investigates the missing wife of a fellow parishioner as she becomes increasingly unsettled by the patriarchal structure and secrecy of their church.
Kill 'em with cayenne / by Gail Oust. While preparing for the busy season ahead of a local barbecue festival, spice shop owner Piper Prescott investigates the murder of a potential grand prize-winner. By the author of “Rosemary and Crime”.
Hush : a thriller / by Karen Robards. Believing her estranged husband's suspicious death is the work of one of her fraud-committing father-in-law's powerful enemies, Riley Cowan teams up with FBI agent and former flame Finn Bradley to identify the killer. By the author of “Hunted”.
The Rosie effect / by Graeme Simsion. In a highly anticipated sequel to “The Rosie Project”, Don Tillman, after his wife Rosie announces that she is pregnant, sets about learning the protocols of becoming a father while helping his best friend Gene, who is living with them, reconcile with his wife Claudia.
The assassination option : a clandestine operations novel / by W.E.B. Griffin. Promoted and placed in charge of a top-secret spy operation for a fledgling Central Intelligence Agency, James Cronley discovers links between the former German intelligence chief and the Mossad before receiving shocking intelligence from an undercover agent.
Rizzoli & Isles : die again : a novel / by Tess Gerritsen. A conclusion to the series behind the smash TNT show finds Boston Detective Jane Rizzoli investigating the murder of a big game hunter whose demise is linked to several seemingly unrelated deaths and an ill-fated camping safari in Botswana.
No fortunate son : a Pike Logan thriller / by Brad Taylor. Wrongfully fired from their counterterrorist unit, operator Pike Logan and his partner investigate the disappearance of an exchange student while Taskforce teams are threatened by terrorists to cease operations at the risk of high-profile hostages. By the best-selling author of “Days of Rage”.
Rain on the dead / by Jack Higgins. Investigating the attempted assassination of a former U.S. President, black ops specialist Sean Dillon discovers a link between the would-be assassins and a powerful associate from his distant past.