My LINKcat AccountWe are on the other side of the 4th of July. As we all know, aside from the fireworks and cookouts and parades, the 4th of July celebrates the United States declaring its Independence from Britain. Except, that didn’t happen on July 4th, it happened on, Tuesday, July 2nd. On July 4th the final wording of the document was agreed to and then that verbiage was sent to a printer who typeset the document overnight so it could be read at public gatherings on July 5th. On July 19th an engrossed copy, hand written on vellum in a clear hand was ordered by Congress for signatures. No one got around to signing the actual document until August 2nd. So if you missed celebrating or feel like you want to prolong the celebration you could use that August date when the actual signing occurred.
Being on the other side of the 4th of July means that we are heading into the countdown for the Harry Potter Birthday Party (which is on July 31st, as it is every year because it is his birthday) which is a mere 26 days away. Still plenty of time to decide if you’re wearing a costume and if you are, then assembling said costume. This year the Summer Reading Program extends into August, so there is still plenty of time to read, take challenges, attend programs, earn Dragon Dollars and spend or donate those dollars to one of three charities. Below you will find some titles to inspire you to ramp up your reading and earn some dragon dollars too. Enjoy!
New Non-Fiction
“The Killing of Uncle Sam: The Demise of the United States of America” by Rodney Howard-Browne. Drawing from over 2,000 footnotes and quotes from former presidents, prime ministers and state officials, the authors capture details of the last 200 years of U.S. history that they assert the mainstream media does not want people to know, dissecting the "legalized" system of the private central banks that has gone unchecked, and delivering the truth about the real domestic and foreign enemies of the U.S.
“The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why It Matters” by Priya Parker. A conflict-resolution facilitator describes why most of the gatherings in our lives are boring and unproductive and uses examples ranging from conferences, meetings, a courtroom and a flash mob to demonstrate how simple, but specific changes can energize any gathering.
“Chose Wonder Over Worry: Move Beyond Fear and Doubt to Unlock Your Full Potential” by Amber Rae. Aims to help each reader face his or her fears, navigate discomfort and rewrite the "worry" narratives in his or mind that hide the best and truest self.
“Barracoon: The Story of the Last “Black Cargo” by Zora Neale Hurston. Presents a never-before-published work from the author of the American classic Their Eyes Were Watching God that illuminates the horror and injustices of slavery as it tells the true story of one of the last known survivors of the Atlantic slave trade—abducted from Africa on the last “Black Cargo” ship to arrive in the United States.
“The Last Cowboys: A Pioneer Family in the New West” by John Branch. The Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter and award-winning author of Boy on Ice presents a portrait of the Wright family of Smith Mesa and their generations-long achievements as some of the world's most successful cattle ranchers and rodeo champions, tracing three generations of their battles against natural obstacles, federal regulation and injuries and how the changes of the 21st century are challenging their future.
New Fiction
“The Shadow Killer, No. 2 (Flovent and Thorson)” by Arnaldur Indridason. When a man is found murdered execution-style in a small Reykjavík apartment in the summer of 1941, Flóvent and Thorson follow leads implicating the foreign soldiers only to find themselves on a dark and unexpected path that forces them to reckon with their own demons. By the award-winning author of “Silence of the Grave”.
“The Other Lady Vanishes, No. 2 (Burning Cove)” by Amanda Quick. Escaping from a private sanitarium and taking a job at an herbal tea shop in a 1930s California seaside resort town, Adelaide bonds with a man hiding under the cover of a therapy-seeking widower before a local con artist is murdered, drawing them both into a shadowy underground of duplicity and misdirection. By the best-selling author of the Arcane Society series.
“Shelter in Place” by Nora Roberts. A group of survivors navigate trauma and recovery challenges in the aftermath of a mass shooting at a movie theater, an event that inspires a career in law enforcement, triggers devastating PTSD and gives way to an escaped killer's plot to orchestrate an event with an even higher death toll. By the best-selling author of “Whiskey Beach”.
“The Crooked Staircase, No.3 (Jane Hawk)” by Dean Koontz. Rogue FBI agent Jane Hawk tracks a powerful Department of Justice operative at the center of a high-tech conspiracy that killed her husband and now threatens those closest to her as part of an agenda to seize power. By the best-selling author of “The Whispering Room”.
“The Gray Ghost, No.10 (Dam and Remi Fargo Adventures)” by Clive Cussler & Robin Burcell. The grandson of a man who was wrongly accused of stealing a recovered Rolls-Royce prototype a century earlier hires husband-and-wife team Sam and Remi Fargo to solve the mystery and clear his grandfather's name, a case that is complicated by dangerous enemies and the rare vehicle's repeat disappearance.
“The Hellfire Club” by Jake Tapper. A debut political thriller by the CNN anchor and author of the best-selling The Outpost finds an unlikely Congressman navigating the dangerous waters of 1950s Washington, D.C., in the aftermath of a predecessor's mysterious death, a situation that is complicated by backroom deals, underworld societies and a plot that could change the course of history.
“How It Happened” by Michael Koryta. After a troubled teen, no stranger to the law, admits to her involvement in a brutal murder, Rob Barrett, an FBI investigator and interrogator stakes his reputation on her confession only to have the information she provided prove false.
“The Outsider” by Stephen King. In the aftermath of a boy's brutal murder in Flint City, a local detective is forced to arrest a popular Little League coach who in spite of an alibi presents with open-and-shut evidence that is called into question when the suspect's true nature and the realities of the crime come to light. By the Edgar Award-winning author.