My LINKcat AccountWhat a summer this has been (so far) weather-wise. Heat wave in May followed by a cool off for June and rain – lots of rain. Then a heat wave for the 4th of July weekend followed by a cool off followed by heat and humidity but very little rain. The weather has certainly confused my crops (tomatoes, sweet peppers); some are large, some are small, some have peppers and tomatoes set, some don’t. I was driving to a meeting the other day and farmers’ crops seem just about as confused as my crops are. I drove past corn that was head-high and some that was knee-high (which if you grew up when I did the adage about corn was “knee-high by the 4th of July”. I saw soybeans that were just getting around to thinking about making an effort, some are nice and tall and bushy. A field of wheat was ready for harvesting but the oats down the road a piece looked a long way from harvest. And hay! What can I say? Some of it looks ready to cut again (or for the third time?) And some got cut and rained on and we all know what that means. Any way you look at it, the weather has been interesting and doesn’t look to quit being interesting for a while. In the meantime, if you’re looking for something interesting to help you beat the heat or ignore the rains or the droughts, below you will find some of the new books that arrived at the library recently. Enjoy!
New Non-Fiction
“Astroball: The New Way to Win it All” by Ben Reiter. The Sports Illustrated writer who predicted the Houston Astros’ unexpected rise to win the World Series three years before it happened offers an account of the team's breathtaking 2017 season.
“Valley of Genius: The Uncensored History of Silicon Valley, As Told by the Hackers, Founders, and Freaks Who Made it Boom” by Adam Fisher. A candid and comprehensive oral history of Silicon Valley's secrets traces the disruptions and start-ups that impacted its economy from the origins of Apple and Atari through the present-day clashes of Google and Facebook.
“Lincoln’s Last Trial: The Murder Case That Propelled Him to the Presidency” by Dan Abrams & David Fisher. This gripping true story recreates Abraham Lincoln’s last murder trial—a case during which he defended the son of a close friend and loyal supporter who was accused of killing Lincoln’s mentor, and was forced to form an unholy alliance with a longtime enemy to win.
“The Prison Letters of Nelson Mandala” by Nelson Mandala. Published on the centenary of his birth, a selection of 255 of the anti-apartheid champion's letters, written during his incarceration, convey his intimate perspectives on such subjects as his wife's imprisonment, the death of his son and human rights.
“The Cold War’s Killing Fields: Rethinking the Long Peace” by Paul Chamberlain. Offers an international military history of the Cold War arguing that the decade-long superpower struggles were one of the three great conflicts of the 20th century alongside the two World Wars, and reveals how bloody the “Long Peace” actually was.
“Blood & Ivy: The 1849 Murder that Scandalized Harvard” by Paul Collins. Traces the scandalous murder of a wealthy Harvard Medical School graduate and the ensuing trial that riveted mid-19th-century America, exploring how the case established important precedents in medical forensics and the definition of reasonable doubt.
New Fiction
“European Travel for the Monstrous Gentlewoman, No.2 (Extraordinary Adventures of the Athena Club)” by Theodora Cass. The Athena Club races to the Austro-Hungarian Empire to rescue a kidnapped Lucinda Van Helsing, who has been subjected to horrific experimentation by her own father. By the award-winning author of “The Strange Case of the Alchemist's Daughter”.
“The Mere Wife” by Maria Headley. A modern retelling of Beowulf recasts classic themes from the perspectives of the attackers and finds a suburban housewife and a battle-hardened veteran navigating dark realities to protect the sons they love. By the best-selling author of “Aerie”.
“Clock Dance” by Anne Tyler. A lifetime of painful milestones and fading grandchild prospects compel a woman to help her son's ex, whose 9-year-old daughter needs protection from violent local dynamics. By the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of “A Spool of Blue Thread”.
“Harry’s Trees” by Jon Cohen. A 38-year old traumatized widow fortuitously meets an 11-year old girl who sets him on a feverish road to redemption.
“The Last Cruise” by Kate Christensen. A final voyage for a 1950s vintage ocean liner is disrupted by strife and malfunctions above and below decks, unexpectedly testing a former journalist, a sous-chef and a violinist. By the PEN/Faulkner Award-winning author of “The Great Man”.
“The Summer Wives” by Beatriz Williams. Drawn into and then banished from exclusive Winthrop Island when a complex relationship between her stepsister and a working-class college youth ends in violence, a Shakespearean actress returns after 20 years to pursue justice.
“Poisoned Pages, No. 12 (Booktown Mysteries) by Lorna Barrett. After hosting a dinner party, a mystery-bookstore owner and amateur sleuth tries to determine whether her cooking or foul play killed one of the guests. By the New York Times best-selling author of “A Just Clause”.