My LINKcat AccountIt’s hard to believe that today is July 30th – or Harry Potter’s Birthday Party Eve. Once we are passed that big birthday bash the library’s summer reading/learning program comes to an end. And suddenly we are into August and the run up to school starts in earnest and summer is pretty much over. I know it’s hard to believe how quickly summer comes and goes. It seems like once we get past the 4th of July, retailers start beating the back-to-school-sales drum. This year’s somewhat peculiar weather has skewed things a bit too. My tomato plants are starting to finish off already even though the crops haven’t really started to arrive yet (of course my tomato plants may be looking like they’re finishing because the high winds that have accompanied some of our recent storms have knocked them and their pots right over. And tomato plants for all their height and girth are rather delicate things.). I’ve been hearing crickets since the beginning of the second week of July. And the weather lore is that it is 6 weeks from the first time you hear crickets chirp until the first frost -- which would put that first frost some time towards the middle of August. However, I believe crickets chirping has more to do with how warm it was in the spring (so it was warm enough for little crickets to emerge and start growing to the size when they can start singing) rather than them mystically knowing when the first frost will be and working backwards on their calendars to find the date six weeks before and write in “start chirping”. Even with summer evaporating as we watch, there are still plenty of good summer reads to be had at the library. Below is a sampling of the new titles that arrived this week. Enjoy!
New Non-Fiction
A force for good : the Dalai Lama's vision for our world / by Daniel Goleman. The “New York Times” best-selling author of “Emotional Intelligence” and decades-long friend of the Dalai Lama presents the values that are central to the Dalai Lama’s concept, highlights science that supports the Dalai Lama’s beliefs and offers instructive anecdotes of people and projects already bringing vision into reality.
Happily Ali after : and other fairly true tales / by Ali Wentworth. The actress, comedian and “New York Times” best-selling author picks up where she left off in “Ali in Wonderland”, dissecting modern life—and this time, on a mission of self-improvement—in a series of comic vignettes.
The better man project : 2,476 tips and techniques that will flatten your belly, sharpen your mind, and keep you healthy and happy for life! / by Bill Phillips. In response to readers' calls for more health content, the editor of “Men's Health” presents an ultimate owner's manual to the male body, which features a vast array of straightforward, personal information that will help men achieve leaner, stronger and healthier longevity.
The exhaustion breakthrough : unmask the hidden reasons you're tired and beat fatigue for good / by Holly Phillips. Helping readers to understand their exhaustion, rule out any underlying illnesses, correct any allergies or hormonal issues and incorporate lifestyle factors that will improve overall energy, an expert guide offers clear, comprehensive and practical advice for combating extreme tiredness.
Epic survival : extreme adventure, Stone Age wisdom, and lessons in living from a modern hunter-gatherer / by Matt Graham & Josh Young. The star of the Discovery Channel's “Dual Survival” and “Dude, You're Screwed”, reveals the physical, mental and emotional trials and tribulations of his life as a modern-day hunter-gatherer, in a narrative, which combines epic adventure and a spiritual quest, of one man's return to nature.
All dogs go to Kevin : everything three dogs taught me (that I didn't learn in veterinary school) / by Jessica Vogelsang. A veterinarian discusses the lessons her beloved dogs have imparted on her throughout life.
New Fiction
The novel habits of happiness / by Alexander McCall Smith. Investigating a young boy's uncanny claims about his past life in Scotland, Isabel Dalhousie discovers increasingly strange questions surrounding the house where the boy claimed to live. By the author of the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series.
Open grave : a mystery / by Kjell Erikson. When pranks escalate into violence in the neighborhood of an unpopular Nobel Prize-winning professor, police inspector Ann Lindell's subsequent investigation reveals links to her own past. By the award-winning author of “The Princess of Burundi”.
Who let the dog out? / by David Rosenfelt. While tracking down a missing dog, which was stolen from his dog-rescue operation, lawyer Andy Carpenter stumbles upon a dead body, which prompts him to launch his own investigation into the break-in, dog theft and killing that makes him believe that the cops have arrested the wrong man. By the national best-selling author of “Hounded”. Tour.
Naked greed / by Stuart Woods. Rescuing a prominent brewery owner from an attack by two rogue policemen, Stone Barrington is catapulted into the turbulent, high-stakes world of beer-making and distribution. By the Edgar Award-winning author of “Chiefs”.
Nemesis / by Catherine Coulter. Resolving to track down serial killer Eric Colby four months after the events of “Sight Unseen”, Kendra Michaels takes in Eve Duncan's troubled sister, Beth, only to find herself framed for the murder of a police officer. By a pair of “New York Times” best-selling authors.
One way or another / by Elizabeth Adler. Barely surviving an attempt on her life that implicates everyone she loves, Angie is consumed by thoughts of revenge and determinedly hunts down the four people who plotted against her. By the “New York Times” best-selling author of “Last to Know”.