My LINKcat AccountThis morning I opened the porch door to let the cats out. The porch is totally snow-free and the little tree that has its topmost branches waving in the breeze at about 4 feet above the porch rail was filled with chickadees. The chickadees were hopping around energetically. It was 42 degrees and the birds didn’t need to spend all their calories keeping warm. It seemed as if, even in the cloudy, foggy gloom, that these little birds were feeling their oats; starting to think about spring; starting to think about staking out some territory; starting to think about finding a mate. They were singing their chick-a-dee songs and buzzing at each other as if it were high spring – which we all know it is not. We all know this January thaw is only an illusion that draws us in and gives us hope that the days will be brighter, longer, and warmer again. We all know that temperatures will drop and snow will fall from the sky once more. Sometimes I think knowing this limits our capacity to enjoy what is; to be in the moment and let the moment be enough. Those handful of chickadees certainly do know how to live in the moment and enjoy the warmth and energy a drab day in January has given them. So do the geese taking wing and making a ruckus and the little flocks of migratory song birds that have ventured this far north to scope things out. Reading is one of those activities that can center you in what you’re reading and puts you in the moment of what you’re reading about. Now, I’m not sure if any of the books listed below will perform that function for you, but if these don’t we have thousands more. Enjoy!
New Non-Fiction
How America lost its secrets : Edward Snowden, the man and the theft / by Edward Epstein. Challenges the popular image of Edward Snowden as hacker turned avenging angel, while revealing how vulnerable the United States' national security systems have become.
Get your sh*t together : how to stop worrying about what you should do so you can finish what you need to do and start doing what you want to do / by Sarah Knight. The author of the international best-seller “The Life-Changing Magic of Not Giving a F*ck” provides a straight-talking, humorous and helpful guide to shedding self-doubt and finding one's own path to success.
The little book of hygge : Danish secrets to happy living / by Meik Wiking. A guide to the Danish philosophy of well-being shares advice and ideas for taking healthy breaks, living in the moment, creating positive atmospheres, building relationships and finding the richness of life in everyday small comforts.
New Fiction
Human acts : a novel / by Han Kang. A U.S. release of an award-winning, controversial best-seller from South Korea follows the aftermath of a young boy's shocking death during a violent student uprising as told from the perspectives of the event's victims and their loved ones.
Lillian Boxfish takes a walk : a novel / by Kathleen Rooney. Embarking on a walk across the unsafe landscape of Manhattan on New Year's Eve in 1984, 85-year-old Lillian Boxfish recalls her long and eventful life, which included a brief reign as the highest-paid advertising woman in America, whose career was cut short by marriage and loss. By the author of “O, Democracy!”
The fire by night / by Teresa Messineo. A first novel commemorating the unsung heroines of World War II traces the experiences of two military nurses who fight for survival and care for others in a makeshift medical unit and a POW camp, enduring dangerous existences while waiting for the war to end.
A puzzle to be named later : a Puzzle Lady mystery / by Parnell Hall. Delighted when a Yankee rookie decides to rehabilitate from an injury in her town, diehard fan Cora happily accepts his invitation to a pool party only to be embroiled in a mystery when some of the guests are killed. By the author of “Presumed Puzzled”.
Hey Harry, hey Matilda / by Rachel Hulin. A story told entirely in uproarious emails follows the misadventures of fraternal twins Harry and Matilda, who fumble their way into adulthood by telling lies and keeping secrets before eventually confronting the dynamics of their complicated twinship.
The believer : a novel / by Joakim Zander & Elizabeth Wessel. An NYC trend spotter returns to her Stockholm borough home to discover the truth about her missing brother's alleged ties to ISIS, while a human rights researcher discovers she may be unwittingly contributing to the dark agendas of powerful forces. By the author of “The Swimmer”.
Never never / by James Patterson & Candice Fox. A follow-up to Black & Blue, a first novel-length collaboration between Patterson and the award-winning author of “Hades”, embroils detective Harriet Blue in a baffling missing-persons case.
The old man / by Thomas Perry. The toppling of a Middle Eastern government renders a decades-old case urgent for covert army intelligence retiree Dan Chase, who must fight for his life to escape a past he had hoped to leave behind. By the best-selling author of the Jane Whitefield series.
The sleepwalker : a novel / by Christopher Bohjalian. When a sleepwalker who has experienced episodes of near violence while unconscious goes missing, her eldest daughter, Lianna, finds herself drawn to a lead detective who seems to know more than he is revealing. By the author of “The Guest Room”.
The Rising. by Heather Graham & Jon Land. When a college-bound football star is targeted by the same forces that kill his family and land him in the hospital, he flees at the side of the school valedictorian he loves to investigate the dangerous truth about his real identity. By the best-selling author of the”Krewe of Hunters” series and the best-selling author of the “Texas Ranger Caitlin Strong” series.