My LINKcat AccountLast week you might have noticed that there was nothing in the newspaper written by yours truly. I have a most excellent excuse. I was on a cruise ship in Flam of Norway which is at the inner end of the Aurlandsfjord which is a branch of Sognefjord (the largest/longest fjord in Norway and the 2nd largest/longest in the world). Now with cloud based computing and internet access I was prepared, gentle reader, to send off a column from 6,000 miles, more or less, to DeForest. But, alas! Technology failed me. I was supposed to have wi-fi internet access; however, no one thought to explain to the fjords that their very tall and rocky nature interferes with satellite internet or at least it interfered with the internet being provided on shipboard. The ship’s internet was intermittent and dropped in the middle of things and ate up the allocated minutes very rapidly with little effect. Norwegians who lived in the towns and villages visited by the ship somehow managed to have access to data and wi-fi. I know this because when I was in Flam, my phone connected very well to the wi-fi provided by the tourist information center. Alack and alas! I didn’t have enough time on shore to write a library column on my phone. The day I left for the start of my trip there was a freeze and frost on the rooftops. The day I came back, it was 86 degrees and muggy. In ten short days summer apparently pounced upon us. And here we are at the start of the Summer Library Program and the beach books and summer vacation titles are also starting to arrive. Below you will find a sampling of some of them. Enjoy!
New Non-Fiction
Aeneid Book VI : a new verse translation / by Seamus Heaney. A Nobel Prize-winning poet and author offers his new translation of the fourth book of the epic, classical poem by Virgil, which follows the adventures of hero Aeneas as he descends into the underworld.
The gene : an intimate history / by Siddhartha Mukherjee. From the Pulitzer Prize-winning, best-selling author of The Emperor of All Maladies comes a magnificent history of the gene and a response to the defining question of the future: What becomes of being human when we learn to “read” and “write” our own genetic information?
The code of the extraordinary mind : ten unconventional laws to redefine your life & succeed on your own terms / by Vishen Lakhiani. A blueprint for retraining the mind to achieve whole-life transformation by the founder and CEO of Minevalley.com introduces the method of "consciousness engineering" to upgrade outdated belief systems and adopt healthier habits for working, relationships, health and overall life quality.
TED talks : the official TED guide to public speaking / by Chris Anderson. Citing the powerful potential of short inspirational talks, an insider's guide by the successful TED curator draws insights from such popular associates as Sir Ken Robinson, Amy Cuddy and Bill Gates to explain how to tap and develop one's unique public-speaking and communication skills.
Visual intelligence : sharpen your perception, change your life / by Amy Herman. A guide to seeing and communicating more clearly in accordance with the guidelines taught to FBI agents, police officers, CEOs, ER doctors and other professionals draws on the seminars of art historian Amy Herman to explain how to become more observant to recognize and convey important information..
Five presidents : my extraordinary journey with Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, and Ford / by Clint Hill with Lisa McCubbin. The former Secret Service agent and best-selling author of Five Days in November draws on his experiences throughout five presidential administrations, sharing astonishing anecdotes from some of the 20th century's most significant historical events.
New Fiction
LaRose / by Louise Erdrich. Horrified when he accidentally kills his best friend's 5-year-old son while hunting, Landreaux Iron gives away his own young son to his friend's family according to ancient tradition, a decision that helps both families reach a tenuous peace that is threatened by a vengeful adversary. By the National Book Award-winning author of “The Round House”.
The sport of kings / by C.E. Morgan. The trailblazing patriarch of a proud Kentucky clan, his daughter and a black ex-prisoner embark on an effort to reclaim the family's near-mythic legacy by breeding champion horses, an endeavor that is challenged by divided ambitions, the farm's ugly past and a willful thoroughbred filly.
Sweet lamb of heaven : a novel / by Lydia Millet. Fleeing her cold and unfaithful husband, who has just launched his first campaign for political office, Lydia, accompanied by her 6-year-old daughter, races from Alaska to Maine and hides in a dingy motel as her husband's pursuit escalates from threatening to criminal. By the Pulitzer Prize-finalist author of “Magnificence”.
The fall of man in Wilmslow / by David Lagercrantz. Suspecting that foul play may be behind the suicide of mathematical genius Alan Turing, 1950s detective Leonard Corell defies his superiors to investigate the Bletchley Park operation while making astonishing discoveries about his own life. By the best-selling author of” The Girl in the Spider's Web”.
The noise of time / by Julian Barnes. Dedicated to Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovich, a first novel since the author's Man Booker Prize-winning The Sense of an Ending reimagines the young musician's difficult creative compromises in the aftermath of his denouncement by Joseph Stalin.
Boar Island / by Nevada Barr. When her paraplegic friend's adopted daughter attempts suicide in the face of cyber-bullying and stalking, National Park Service Ranger Anna Pigeon investigates the person behind the increasingly violent harassment, who follows the troubled teen when Anna tries to move her to a safe haven.
Murder at Lambswool Farm / by Sally Goldenbaum. After a guest is found murdered at opening night of Birdie Favazza’s rustic new dining spot on an operational farm, the Seaside Knitters leap into action in the latest addition to the series following “Trimmed With Murder”.