My LINKcat AccountToday is July 3rd or, I suppose, the eve of the 4th of July. Two hundred and thirty-eight years ago some mighty big decisions were made by a group of over fifty representatives of the thirteen American colonies. A resolution was passed unanimously (with New York abstaining because at the time they lacked authorization) on July 2nd to sever the bands which had bound the colonies to Great Britain. After that resolution passed, the next day was spent editing the document. On July 4th it was printed and published. And the rest, as they say, is history. In my nostalgic memories of an America I didn't actually experience, I "remember" standing in a crowd listening to some elected dignitary reading the 1,337 words of the Declaration of Independence in a strong, clear, steady voice. Standing in a crowd, listening to those courageous words in the hot July sun with fellow Americans, I felt part of the history that reaches back 238 years to the first crowd that stood and heard those words. I still get goose bumps when the signatories, at the very end, pledge their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor to this undertaking. These are powerful words and it's a document that should be read regularly. Here's a link to the National Archives where you can view a high-definition image of the original among other things. Happy Independence Day! We are looking for some volunteers to help with delivering books to the homebound, helping with the Monday Matinee Movie, and putting flyers up around town. If you have a couple of hours to spare a month, give Jane Henze a call at 846-5482.
New Non-Fiction
Joe and Marilyn : legends in love / by C. David Heymann. A portrait of the volatile relationship between baseball great Joe DiMaggio and Hollywood icon Marilyn Monroe describes their sensational 1954 elopement, their enduring friendship after their divorce and DiMaggio's devotion to Monroe's memory after her mysterious death in 1962.
Diary of a mad diva / by Joan Rivers. In this follow-up to her best-selling "I Hate Everyone ... Starting with Me", the legendary comedienne presents the hilarious contents of her diary, which offer insights, quips, musings and critiques on her daily life, pop culture and celebrities.
New Fiction
The keeper : a novel / by John Lescroart. When one of his counselor wife's clients suspiciously disappears and the woman's husband, a San Francisco jail guard, is accused of her murder, lawyer Dismas Hardy examines possible suspects before discovering evidence of the corruption-related death of an inmate. By the best-selling author of "The 13th Juror".
Mambo in Chinatown / by Jean Kwok. Enduring a limited existence with her Chinese-American father, Charlie Wong discovers new opportunities and perspectives when she takes a job at a ballroom studio where her natural talents begin to emerge. By the author of "Girl in Translation".
The matchmaker : a novel / by Elin Hilderbrand. Storied matchmaker and Nantucket resident Dabney Kimball has her own life and match turned upside down when her true love of 27 years prior returns to the island in this new novel from the best-selling author of "Summerland".
All day and a night / by Alafair Burke. Taking the wrongful conviction claim of Anthony Amaro, who believes he has evidence exonerating him in the murder of her sister, Carrie Blank works alongside NYPD Detective Ellie Hatcher to reopen the investigation that led to Amaro's arrest, which results in violence as they get closer to the truth.
Dead heading : a Sloan and Crosby mystery / by Catherine Aird. Investigating a baffling series of greenhouse break-ins that are rumored to be the work of a saboteur, detectives Sloan and Crosby discover unsettling links between the case and the suspicious disappearance of a mysterious woman.
The late scholar : the new Lord Peter Wimsey/Harriet Vane mystery / by Jill Paton Walsh. A latest entry in the series that continues Dorothy L. Sayers's classic mysteries finds Lord Peter and Harriet returning to the scene of their literate courtship to resolve an Oxford University dispute that is complicated by the disappearance of several prominent Fellows.
Nine lives to die : a Mrs. Murphy mystery / by Rita Mae Brown. A busy holiday season for Harry, her husband and her posse of pet detectives is interrupted by dark secrets from the community's past involving a cold case and a 25-year-old love triangle.
Terminal City / by Linda Fairstein. A latest Alex Cooper thriller by the best-selling author of "Death Angel" finds the assistant DA and detective Mike Chapman confronting Grand Central Terminal's dark secrets as well as their own changing relationship.
Vertigo 42 : a Richard Jury mystery / by Martha Grimes. A latest Richard Jury tale is partially inspired by Alfred Hitchcock's "Vertigo" and follows the inimitable Scotland Yard Superintendent's investigation into a cold-case involving a vertigo sufferer's fatal accident after a young girl's death in the same house. By the award-winning author of "Double Double".
Stormy persuasion / by Johanna Lindsey. Postponing her London debut to join her cousin and best friend in America, Judith Malory meets deckhand Nathan Tremayne, an undercover smuggler who would escape a death sentence. By the best-selling author of "One Heart to Win".