My LINKcat AccountBack in 1921, T.S. Eliot wrote in “The Wastelands” that “April is the cruelest month”. I would beg to differ. I believe that the last few days of October, 2019 have a better claim to that title. I mean really! Two snow storms of four inches each nearly back to back in Wisconsin before (please note bolding for emphasis) Halloween and all the little kids in their costumes bedraggled by traipsing through the snow that still lay upon the ground, surely that kind of weather puts October, 2019 into the running as a strong contender for the titles of “cruelest month”. And maybe, just maybe October in Wisconsin should be considered the “cruelest month” anyway. We all remember the Halloween Blizzard of 1991, don’t we? What makes snowfall in October seem “cruel” to me is that I am still anticipated cerulean blue skies streaked with a few white clouds above while the trees hold up their arms filled with yellow and red and orange leaves. I’m still remembering the warmth of late summer days as the temperature rockets from near-freezing overnight lows to sweater weather during the day. In October I’m still holding on to those glorious fall days or at least their potential. By the time November rolls around I’m pretty much resigned to the gloomy, gray skies that accompany this transition month -- the month we start seriously moving from fall to winter. There is nothing “cruel” about November since it so often lives up to my expectations. Now that we gained back that hour from Daylight Savings Time, there is all that extra time (well, 60 minutes anyway) to read. Below are some of the new titles that recently arrived at the library. Enjoy!
New Non-Fiction
“Acid for the Children: A Memoir” by Flea.
The iconic bassist and co-founder of the Red Hot Chili Peppers tells his fascinating origin story, complete with all the dizzying highs and the gutter lows you'd want from an LA street rat turned world famous rock star.
“All the President’s Women” by Barry Levine & Monique El-Faizy. A researched report on Donald Trump's relationships with women reveals new accusations of sexual misconduct, the origins of his alleged predatory behavior and how the Trump administration has catalyzed women's activism and the #MeToo movement.
“Emily Dickenson’s Gardening Life: The Plants and Places That Inspired the Iconic Poet” 2nd Editon. By Marta McDowell. A revised edition of the illustrated exploration of how gardening and plants inspired the works of Emily Dickinson reveals the roles of winter hyacinth bulbs, saved seeds and pressed flowers in shaping cherished poems.
“For Small Creatures Such As We: Rituals for Finding Meaning in Our Unlikely World” by Sasha Sagan. The daughter of astronomer Carl Sagan and writer Ann Druyan describes how motherhood inspired her investigations into the phenomena behind treasured human milestones to provide her daughter with a secular appreciation of the natural world.
“Here We Are: American Dreams, American Nightmares” by Aarti Namdec Shahani. An award-winning NPR correspondent presents a heartfelt memoir about the immigrant experience in modern America, detailing her education as a scholarship student at an elite Manhattan prep school and her father's victimization by a notorious drug cartel
“Home Work: A Memoir of My Hollywood Years” by Julie Andrews with Emma Walton Hamilton. In a follow-up to the critically acclaimed Home, the beloved performing artist reflects on her Hollywood career and the creations of three of her most iconic films, Mary Poppins, The Sound of Music and Victor/Victoria.
New Fiction
“Kiss the Girls and Make Them Cry” by Mary Higgins Clark. When investigative journalist Gina Kane receives an email describing her “terrible experience” while working at REL, a high-profile television news network, including the comment “and I’m not the only one,” Gina knows she has to pursue the story especially after the informant dies in an accident while on holiday.
“Empire of Lies by Raymond Khoury. In a groundbreaking thriller set in an alternate future where Europe has been conquered by the Ottoman Empire, a feted officer in the sultan's secret police begins questioning his violent orders. By the best-selling author of “The Last Templar”
“Imaginary Friend” by Stephen Chbosky. A highly anticipated follow-up to “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” finds a single mother's desperate efforts to escape an abusive relationship thrown into turmoil by her son's disappearance and reappearance days later with an imaginary friend.
“A Dog’s Promise, No. 3 (A Dog’s Purpose)” by W. Bruce Cameron. A latest entry in the series that includes, “A Dog's Journey”, continues the story of Bailey, who is joined by another special dog, Lola, in an effort to fulfill a promise over the course of several lives.
“Let It Snow” by Nancy Thayer. Scrambling through the last-minute holiday rush at her Nantucket toy shop, Christina bonds with the family of her miserly landlord, forging unexpected ties along the way. By the best-selling author of “A Nantucket Wedding”.
“Olive, Again, No. 2 (Olive)” by Elizabeth Strout. A sequel to “Olive Kitteridge” finds Olive struggling to understand herself while bonding with a teen suffering from loss, a woman who gives birth unexpectedly, a nurse harboring a longtime crush and a lawyer who resists an unwanted inheritance.
“The Adventure of the Peculiar Protocols: Adapted From the Journals of John H. Watson, M.D.” by Nicholas Meyer. Investigating the murder of a Secret Service agent, Sherlock and Watson, accompanied by an enigmatic woman, uncover a plot by a covert group intent on taking over the world. By the best-selling author of “The Seven-Per-Cent Solution”.