My LINKcat AccountIf you are reading this on what should be the publication, i.e., Friday, that means that there are only 5 -- count them-- 5 days until the Harry Potter Birthday Party on July 31st. And yes, that is a Wednesday. “Why?”,I hear you ask, “Is the party on a Wednesday instead of on the weekend ?” “That is because, July 31st is Harry Potter’s birthday (Please cf. the books. It is clearly stated as such.) and who doesn’t want to celebrate their birthday on the actual day?” I reply. It is also a long-standing tradition. The library has been celebrating Harry Potter’s Birthday for over two decades now. Admittedly, Harry would be well into adulthood at this point and should be able to deal with the delayed gratification of having to have his birthday celebration a few days after the actual natal event, but, the party is for the young readers of the books who know those books backwards and forwards. To make it easy to plan the party because it’s always the same day (weather-permitting) and to not disappoint those young readers, the party is planned for the 31st. It is from 10 a.m. to noon. There are lots of activities and some treats. Dementors, potions, a costume contest, and a slug eating contest (no slugs are harmed or, indeed used, in this contest) are just some of the highlights of the party. Plan on stopping by and wear your best hat, gown, and wand. While you’re eagerly anticipating this party, why not consider reading some of the books which recently arrived at the library. Those titles are listed below. Enjoy!
New Non-Fiction
“When the Sea Came Alive: An Oral History of D-Day” by Garrett Graff. The New York Times bestselling author and Pulitzer Prize finalist for Watergate turns his attention to D-Day, one of history’s greatest and most unbelievable miliary and human triumphs, exploring the full impact of this world-changing event and offering a fitting tribute to the men and women of the Greatest Generation.
“What This Comedian Said Will Shock You” by Bill Maher. Inspired by the “editorial” he delivers at the end of each episode of Real Time, this hilarious work of commentary about American life speaks exactly to the moment we’re in, covering free speech, cops, drugs, race, religion, cancel culture, the media, show biz, romance, health and more.
New Fiction
“A Happier Life” by Kristy Woodson Harvey. A young woman discovers the family she has always longed for when she spends a life-changing summer in North Carolina.
“The Love Shack” by Lori Foster. When the universe conspires to bring them together, will animal-shelter owner Berkley Carr and formerly impoverished Lawson Salder let past hurts go and embrace the love they deserve?
“Lula Dean’s Little Library of Banned Books” by Kirsten Miller. A satiric novel looks at a small Southern town, a pitched battle over banned books and a little lending library that changes everything.
“Malas” by Marcela Fuentes. When her beloved grandmother passes away, 14-year-old Lulu is drawn to the glamorous stranger who crashed the funeral and their unexpected kinship picks at the secrets of Lulu’s family and a curse that reverberates across generation as one woman must make peace with the past and one girl must embrace her future.
“The Summer Escape (Sunrise Cove)” by Jill Shalvis. Secrets are revealed and forbidden sparks ignited in this sizzling Sunrise Cove tale of enemies to lovers, redemption, missing treasures and love.
“The Sons of El Rey” by Alex Espinoza. A timeless, epic novel about a family of luchadores contending with forbidden love and secrets in Mexico City, Los Angeles and beyond.
“Swift River” by Essie Chambers. A sweeping family saga about the complicated bond between mothers and daughters, the disappearance of a father and the long-hidden history of a declining New England mill town.
“The Year of What If” by Phaedra Patrick. A bride-to-be is told by a fortune teller that the love of her life is not her fiancé, but instead someone she met over 20 years ago while traveling during a gap year, prompting her to visit old flames to gain closure before her wedding day.
“The Glassmaker” by Tracy Chevalier. From the height of Renaissance-era Italy to the present day, this spellbinding novel follows Orsola Rosso and her family of glassblowers as they live through creative triumph and heartbreaking loss, and how through every era, the Rosso women ensure their work, and their bonds, endure.
“The Last Twelve Miles” by Erika Robuck. During the Prohibition Rum Wars, which created a booming smuggling economy, two women masterminds—Elizebeth Friedman, the inventor of cryptanalysis working for the government, and Marie Waite, on the rise to rumrunner royalty to save her family—will go to any lengths to rule the Gulf Coast.
“Shelterwood” by Lisa Wingate. In 1990 Oklahoma, Valerie, a Law Enforcement Ranger reporting for duty at Horsethief Trail National Park, is immediately faced with the long-hidden burial site of three children, and working with the neighboring Choctaw Tribal Police, unearths old secrets and the tragic and deadly history of the land itself.
“Resurrection” by Danielle Steel. A successful influencer and one part of a power couple on the international stage, 42-year-old Darcy Gray, after her perfect life comes crashing down, must stay indefinitely in France during an escalating worldwide health crisis and, through her newfound friendships with others who are stranded, begins to see glimpses of new possibilities.