My LINKcat AccountThis third week of July puts us only 9 days away from the Harry Potter Birthday Party and only 15 days away from the end of the Summer Reading Program. For those of you who don't follow us on FaceBook or Twitter, the community goal set way back in May of reading 15,000 books was reached on July 15th. The reward for reaching that goal was to offer one more summer concert. T.R. (Truly Remarkable) Loon will be providing the entertainment at that special concert on August 30th. Two more stretch goals have been set which will require you to really buckle down and read, read, read. If 17,500 books are read by Summer Reading Program participants by August 6th at 5 p.m. (when the program ends_. Free Kona Ice will be provided at the August 30th performance. If somehow the Summer Reading Program participants read 20,000 books by August 6th, Brian the Library Elf will shave his head. I don't know what motivates you to read, but I would have to admit that one of these stretch goals has me reading pretty much all the time. If these goals appeal to you, or even if they don't, below you will find some new book titles to add to your TBR (To Be Read) list. Enjoy!
New Non-Fiction
Forget the Alamo: The Rise and Fall of an American Myth by Bryan Burrough, Chris Tomlinson, and Jason Stanford. Three noted Texan writers combine forces to tell the real story of the Alamo, dispelling the myths, exploring why they had their day for so long, and explaining why the ugly fight about its meaning is now coming to a head.
From the River to the Sea: The Untold Story of the Railroad War That Made the West by John Sedgwick. A sweeping and lively history of one of the most dramatic stories never told—of the greatest railroad war of all time, fought by the daring leaders of the Santa Fe and the Rio Grande to seize, control and create the American West.
How the Word is Passed: A Reckoning With the History of Slavery Across America by Clint Smith. A staff writer and poet at “The Atlantic” offers a revealing and contemporary portrait of America as a slave owning nation.
The Nine: The True Story of a Band of Women Who Survived the Worst of Nazi Germany by Gwen Strauss. Presents the previously untold World War II story of nine female resistance fighters who banded together to survive the camps and ultimately escaped from a final death march across war-torn Germany.
The Ride of Her Life: The True Story of a Woman, Her Horse, and Their Last-chance Journey Across America by Elizabeth Letts. The #1 “New York Times” best-selling author of “The Perfect Horse” and “The Eighty-Dollar Champion” presents the triumphant true story of 63-year-old Maine farmer Annie Wilkins who, in 1954, rode her horse across America, fulfilling her dying wish to see the Pacific Ocean.
New Fiction
The Keepers, No. 2 (Mace Reid K-9 Mysteries) by Jeffrey Burton. The next installment of the Mace Reid K9 series, featuring golden retriever cadaver dog, Vira, and her handler, Mason Reid.
The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict & Victoria Murray. Hired by J. P. Morgan to curate a collection of rare manuscripts, books and artwork for his newly built Pierpont Morgan Library, Belle de Costa Greene becomes one of the most powerful women in New York despite the dangerous secret she keeps.
The Secret Keeper of Jaipur by Alka Joshi. Back in the Pink City where he was once a wily street urchin, Malik, assigned to help Samir Singh’s feckless son Ravi build the new public cinema, finds his livelihood, reputation and the people he loves most threatened after Ravi implicates him in a ruthless scandal.
Songs in Ursa Major by Emma Brodie. The year is 1969, and the Bayleen Island Folk Fest is abuzz with one name: Jesse Reid, whose intricate guitar riffs and supple baritone are poised to tip from fame to legend with this one headlining performance. That is, until his motorcycle crashes on the way to the show.
The Abduction of Pretty Penny, No. 5 (The Daughter of Sherlock Holmes Mysteries) by Leonard Goldberg. While investigating the disappearance of actress Pretty Penny, Joanna and the Watsons, following the clues, discover that she is being held hostage by a Jack-the-Ripper copycat killer and must race against time to save her from an agonizing death.
Dead by Dawn, No. 12 (Mike Bowditch) by Paul Doiron. Mike Bowditch is ambushed and forced off the road into a frozen river on his way back from investigating the suspicious drowning of a wealthy professor in the twelfth novel of the series following One Last Lie.
A Peculiar Combination, No. 1 (Electra McDonnell Series) by Ashley Weaver. Set in England during World War II, this delightful mystery follows thief Electra McDonnell as she, caught red-handed, is forced to help a government official break into a safe and retrieve blueprints that will be critical to the British war effort before they fall into the wrong hands.
The Quiet Boy by Ben Winters. From the best-selling author of Underground Airlines and Golden State comes a sweeping legal thriller that follows a 16-year-old who suffers from a neurological condition that has frozen him in time—and the team of lawyers, doctors, and detectives who are desperate to wake him up.