My LINKcat AccountThe Summer Library Program is over. All the books have been counted and all the pages read have been added up. I can now give you all of the amazing numbers about how many people read how many books! I have been reporting the number of pages read in concrete terms every year by converting the number of pages read into inches, then converting those inches into miles, and then plotting those miles on a map. Since I have been doing this annually for enough years for this to have become a tradition, and since I’m wise enough not to tamper with a fine tradition, here goes!
This year 425 people participated. Those participants managed to read 1,169,500 pages. Now, on to the calculations which begin with this question: “If you laid all the pages of the books that were read end-to-end how many miles would they stretch?” The average size of a page is 9 inches tall which gives us (1,169,500 times 9” or 10,525,500 inches—(always show your work if you want to receive full credit.)). Then we take those inches and divide by 12 to give us 877,125 feet and then divide by 5,280 to give us 166.1 miles. And, voilà! If you laid all the pages read during the Summer Reading Program end to end and drove east on I-90 and I-294 you would end up at the Swap-O-Rama Flea Markets in Alsip, IL. Or heading north and west on I-90 you’d end up about a mile west of Fremont, MN. Any way you look at it, a whole lot of reading was done this summer! Congratulations to all the Summer Library program participants.
Now, if you haven’t worn your eyes out yet, below you will find some new book titles. Enjoy!
New Fiction
The fourth monkey / by J.D. Barker. Investigating the death of a serial killer who has terrorized Chicago for years, Detective Sam Porter reads the murderer's diary, subjecting the demons of his own mind to the twisted rationalizations of a psychopath, in the hopes of tracking down one last victim. By the award-nominated author of “Forsaken”.
Indecent exposure / by Stuart Woods. New York City cop-turned-Manhattan law firm rainmaker Stone Barrington uses his signature charm, foresight and allure with the ladies. By the Edgar Award-winning author.
Lockdown : a novel of suspense / by Laurie King. A school career day that is hosted by a range of presenters is thrown into turmoil by an anonymous enemy with a thirst for revenge in a stand-alone novel of psychological suspense by the best-selling author of the Mary Russell series.
Magpie murders / by Anthony Horowitz. Ignoring the troubling behavior of an eccentric crime writer with whom she has worked for years, Editor Susan Ryeland is dismayed when a subplot hidden in the author's latest manuscript reveals a real-world murder. By the best-selling author of “Moriarty”.
The Marsh King's daughter / by Karen Dionne. A woman whose birth occurred as a result of her teen mother's abduction and imprisonment in an isolated marshland cabin risks the adult family that does not know her past when she uses survival skills honed in childhood to track down her murderous father.
Midnight at the Bright Ideas bookstore : a novel / by Matthew Sullivan. A first novel by an award-winning short story writer follows the efforts of a bookstore clerk to unravel a puzzle left behind by a patron who has committed suicide, an effort that is complicated by memories of the clerk's violent childhood.
Murder games / by James Patterson. A tenacious Manhattan police officer determined to stop a serial killer who leaves playing cards at the scenes of unrelated victims teams up with a brilliant professor whose book has been connected to the murders against a backdrop of high-profile tabloid speculation. By the National Book Award-winning co-author of “Truth or Die”.
Robert Ludlum's The Bourne initiative / by Eric Lustbader. Amnesiac secret agent Jason Bourne joins forces with dubious enemies when the murder of a high-ranking Russian official triggers a retaliatory plot to steal the U.S. president's nuclear launch codes.
The silent corner : a novel of suspense / by Dean Koontz. A first entry in a two-part novel of suspense finds shattered widow Jane Hawk investigating the inexplicable truth behind her happy and successful husband's suicide and is rendered a fugitive when she discovers that powerful enemies are somehow forcing accomplished and popular people to end their lives.
Tom Clancy point of contact / by Mike Maden. An ordinary audit turns deadly when Jack Ryan, Jr. helps investigate a potential investment opportunity, only to discover the dangerous past of his seemingly harmless assistant. By the best-selling author of the Drone series.
The ultimatum / by Karen Robards. A talented master of disguise who devotes herself to conning thieves and returning stolen money to its rightful owners hides her Robin Hood activities behind a day job as a personal assistant to her thief father's alluring former partner.
Unsub : a novel / by Meg Gardiner. A psychological thriller inspired by the unsolved case of the Zodiac Killer follows the efforts of a young detective who resolves to apprehend the serial murderer who destroyed her family and terrorized a city 20 years earlier. By the Edgar Award-winning author of “China Lake”.
Use of force / by Brad Thor. When the body of a high-value terrorist washes ashore after a severe storm across the Mediterranean Sea, Scot Harvath is tapped by the CIA to determine if the suspect was connected to months of rumors about a major attack. By the best-selling author of “Foreign Agent”.