My LINKcat AccountThanks to everyone that helped out on the library’s float and as dispensers of candy in the 4th of July parade. Rosie/ Buttercup, the library’s cow who usually occupies a spot on the shelves at the beginning of fiction on the second floor, joined us on the float this year. She had a really good time feeling the breeze, smelling the scent of new mown grass wafting on the breeze, hearing hundreds of children yelling “We love the library!” (She knew they were cheering for her too), and keeping me company. BTW, that gray blob in front of her with the United States flag sticking out of it represented the moon landing: she was our cow about to jump over it which ties back to the summer reading program theme of a Universe of Reading – so all things about space, the planets, astronomy, etc., can tie into that theme. She and I decided that there would be no actual jumping on the float as it went down the street. Brian, the library’s mischievous elf, also joined us and walked the parade route. He was more interested in getting candy than dispensing but he sure had a good time! The 4th of July is an important holiday for public libraries. The idea of free speech, of a free press, of access to information so the citizenry can make informed decisions about who represents them and what laws there should be, all sort of come together in the idea of the public library. It’s great to have candy, picnics, and fireworks to celebrate the 4th of July. It’s great to have public libraries to get your bestselling books and dvds and attend entertaining programs. But we shouldn’t lose sight of the seriousness of actions the day commemorates and celebrates. And now for something completely different! The countdown to the big Harry Potter Birthday Party is twenty days and counting from today (the 11th). It is July 31st because that is Harry’s birthday. It is always on the 31st because it is Harry’s birthday. Hope you can attend. There will be cake. There will be crafts. There will be photo ops. I will be bartending and mixing up library’s version of Butter Beer. Costumes are encouraged but no required. New books are listed below. Enjoy!
New Non-Fiction
“The Kennedy Heirs: John, Caroline, and the New Generation- A Legacy of Triumph and Tragedy” by J. Taraborrelli. The best-selling author of Jackie, Janet and Lee reveals lesser-known details about the younger Kennedy generation, from undisclosed facts about JFK and Carolyn Bessette's deaths to Joseph Kennedy III's compelling response to Trump's State of the Union.
“Let Me Not Be Mad: My Story of Unraveling Minds” by A.K. Benjamin. Inspired by the author's years spent working as a clinical neuropsychologist at a London hospital, a multilayered personal account reveals the impact of his relationships with mentally disordered patients on his own perceptions of reality, sanity and healthcare.
“The Targeter: My Life in the CIA, Hunting Terrorists and Challenging the White House” by Nada Bakos and David Coburn. A former CIA analyst reveals the world of high-stakes foreign intelligence and her role within the campaign to stop top-tier targets inside Al-Qaida.
New Fiction
“The Alphabet Squadron, No.1 (Star Wars: Alphabet Squadron)” by Alexander Freed. A debut entry in a crossover trilogy companion to the simultaneous Tie Fighter series is set after the events of Return of the Jedi and traces the experiences of five unlikely New Republic hero pilots.
“The Hive, No. 2(Second Formic War)” by Orson Scott Card. A second prequel to Ender's Game continues the sci-fi history of the Formic Wars and finds the warring nations and corporations of Earth struggling to set aside their differences to defend against an imminent alien invasion.
“The Daughters of Temperance Hobbs” by Katherine Howe. A follow-up to “The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane” follows the experiences of a New England history professor and Salem witch descendant who races against time to free her fiancé from a curse. Tour.
“Evvie Drake Starts Over” by Linda Holmes. The host of NPR's "Pop Culture Happy Hour" podcast presents a heartfelt debut about the unlikely relationship between a young widow and a major league pitcher who has lost his game. A first novel.
“More News Tomorrow” by Susan Shreve. Receiving an unexpected letter on the morning of her 70th birthday, Georgianna embarks on a dangerous canoe trip near her Wisconsin childhood home to unearth the truth about her father's imprisonment for her mother's murder more than 60 years earlier. Tour.
“My Life as a Rat” by Joyce Carol Oates. Exiled from her family and church since the age of 12 for testifying honestly about a racist murder, a young woman reflects on the wrenching choice she was forced to make between her family and the truth.
“On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous” by Ocean Vuong. A first novel by the award-winning author of Night Sky with Exit Wounds is written in the form of a letter from a son to a mother who cannot read about the impact of the Vietnam War on their family. A first novel.
“City of Girls” by Elizabeth Gilbert. The best-selling author of “Eat, Pray, Love” traces the experiences of a theater insider in 1940s New York who discovers that she does not have to be a "good girl" in order to be a good person.