My LINKcat AccountSince we are already in August that means that the Summer Library Program has ended. This year, as in previous years, the grand finale of the summer’s program was the Harry Potter Birthday Party. Since that party is yet to be at this writing, I can only assume it will have a big turn out and everyone shall have enjoyed eating cake and pretzel wands and participating in the many crafts and contests. July 31st was not only the day of Harry Potter’s Birthday party, it was also the day the script for the J.K. Rowling play that is running in London currently, was released as a book entitled “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child”. The book has sold 4.5 million copies as noon on the 31st. I would have to admit that I had it delivered to my Kindle as an E-book and it was there waiting for me when I got up at 4:30 this morning. I’ve only read the 1st act because I had to help set up for the big birthday party. Hope you were able to attend and had a good time. The prize store will be closing down at the end of this week. Closing time on Saturday, August 6th is your last chance to spend your dragon dollars. There will also be an end of Summer Reading Party the morning of the 6th. If you have your name on the hold list for “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” there are a whole slew of other books for you to choose from. Cast your eyes down the page and enjoy!
New Non-Fiction
Being a beast : adventures across the species divide / by Charles Foster. A passionate naturalist, Oxford-trained veterinarian and ethics barrister draws on his remarkable experiments with living in nature to describe the neuroscience and psychology of animals from a firsthand perspective, sharing evocative descriptions of his feral survival challenges and how they enabled him to connect with nature on a primal level.
A book about love / by Jonah Lehrer. The author of Proust Was a Neuroscientist explores the mysteries of love from a scientific perspective, weaving together insights from clinical psychology, longitudinal studies, historical accounts, parenting manuals and online dating sites to explore how love can be a set of learned skills.
Cyberspies : the secret history of surveillance, hacking, and digital espionage / by Gordon Corera. Reveals the history of espionage and its use of and dependency on technology, beginning with the Second World War and continuing through the Cold War and into the present Internet age where hackers and surveillance are commonplace.
Self-reg : how to help your child (and you) break the stress cycle and successfully engage with life / by Stuart Shanker. Draws on the tandem sciences of child psychology and physical health to counsel parents on how to help their kids engage calmly when approaching social and educational challenges, exploring how to tap the potential of the body's stress responses and the power of the parent-child bond to promote well-being in family life.
The wicked boy : the mystery of a Victorian child murderer / by Kate Summerscale. When a pair of preadolescent boys are implicated in the murder of their mother during the summer of 1895, the older is convicted and sent to the country's most infamous criminal lunatic asylum, where he embarks on a shocking new life that raises questions about period education, pulp fiction, criminality and mental illness. By the best-selling author of “Queen of the White Cay”.
New Fiction
The lost girls / by Heather Young. More than half a century after the disappearance of her sister destroys their family, Lucy imparts the story of the tragedy to her grandniece, Justine, who would secure a stable home for her daughters in the family's Minnesota isolated lake house at the side of a neighbor who may hold the key to the mystery
One less problem without you / by Beth Harbison. While Lissa falls resorts to desperate measures to win the heart of a married man after taking an unconventional job in a metaphysical store, jewelry designer Diana agrees to an off-the-record project that she hopes will help her get over an unfaithful loser.
Truly madly guilty / by Liane Moriarty. A busy couple formerly on the brink of realizing their dreams reflects on a fortuitous gathering with their best friends and another couple, in a tale that explores the role of guilt in relationships and the power of everyday moments in family life. By the best-selling author of “Big Little Lies”.
Whitefern / by V. C. Andrews. A sequel to My Sweet Audrina finds Arden turning violent in his protestations against Audrina's bequeathed control over the family brokerage, an inheritance that causes her to wonder what her father knew about Arden's true nature.
Bloodline / by Conn Iggulden. A latest entry in the series that began with Stormbird and Margaret of Anjou follows the 1461 murder of the duke of York and the proclamation of Edward of March as England's rightful king, events that trigger shifting alliances and a deadly sibling war for the crown.
The house at the edge of night : a novel / by Catherine Banner. Four generations of women on a Mediterranean island fight to safeguard their family against the forces of history and bitterness that divide them from World War I through the 2008 recession. A first adult novel by the author of the “Last Descendants” trilogy.
Among the wicked : a Kate Burkholder novel / by Linda Castillo. Going undercover to infiltrate a reclusive Amish community and investigate the death of a young girl, chief of police Kate Burkholder unearths a dangerous world of secrets and shocking crimes that are complicated by her limited ability to contact the outside world. By the award-winning author of “Sworn to Silence”.
Arsenic with Austen / by Katherine Hyde. Emily Cavanaugh discovers that her aunt might have been murdered over real estate and notices a similarity in the situation while reading Persuasion by Jane Austen, in the first volume of a new series combining murders with classic novels.