My LINKcat AccountThe summer weather pattern certainly arrived over the weekend with heat, humidity, and a little bit of rain now and then. Since the official start of summer has yet to arrive and since it could be either Memorial Day or the summer solstice (It's your choice) neither of which we have gotten to yet on the calendar, the summer-like weather is do to retreat rather quickly by the middle of this week. Even if the temperatures retreat a bit the oat crops and hay fields are growing apace. Corn fields are planted in many fields along I 90 between here and Tomah and in many places the corn is starting to emerge. First crop hay has been cut and is drying in winnows in some fields (Why, I remember when we didn't cut first crop hay until Memorial Day weekend so this seems remarkably early to me, and so I am remarking upon it.) At the library, the Summer Reading Program, began on May 15th, so sign up now before you get overwhelmed by all the many things you want to do this summer. The summer books have begun to arrive from the publishers as well. While I don't think any of the titles listed below would qualify as "beach reads" which is a subgenre all its own, you could certainly take any of these books to the beach or anywhere outside ( or inside, they're not really fussy) and have a nice read. Enjoy!
New Non-Fiction
The Happiest Man on Earth: The Beautiful Life of an Auschwitz Survivor by Eddie Jaku. A 100-year-old Holocaust survivor who, despite all he suffered calls himself the “happiest man on earth,” shares his wisdom and reflects on how he has led his best possible life, talking warmly and openly about the power of gratitude, tolerance and kindness.
Beautiful Things: A Memoir by Hunter Biden. Hunter Biden writes in this deeply moving memoir of addiction, loss, and survival.
How Stella Learned to Talk: The Groundbreaking Story of the World’s First Talking Dog by Christina Hunger. An incredible, revolutionary true story and surprisingly simple guide to teaching your dog to talk from a speech-language pathologist who has taught her dog to communicate using simple paw-sized buttons associated with different words.
Lincoln in Private: What His Most Personal Reflections Tell Us About Our Greatest President by Ronald White. The “New York Times” best-selling author of A. Lincoln and American Ulysses and renowned Lincoln historian walks us through 12 of Lincoln’s most private notes, showcasing his brilliance, empathy, very human anxieties and ambitions.
Punch Me Up to the Gods by Brian Broome. A coming-of-age memoir about Blackness, masculinity and addiction follows the author, a poet and screenwriter, as he recounts his experiences, revealing a perpetual outsider awkwardly squirming to find his way in.
Yearbook: Essays by Seth Rogen. collection of funny personal essays from one of the writers of Superbad and Pineapple Express and one of the producers of The Disaster Artist.
New Fiction
When the Stars Go Dark by Paula McLain. Retreating to her childhood foster home in the wake of a tragedy, a veteran missing-persons detective becomes entwined in the search for a local teen whose disappearance eerily resembles an unsolved case from the detective's past.
The Perfect Daughter by D. J. Palmer. When the abandoned girl she adopted years earlier is locked in a decaying psychiatric hospital amid murder allegations, Grace embarks on a desperate search for the origins of her daughter's multiple-personality disorder. By the author of “Delirious”.
The Night Gate by Peter May. Enzo's investigations reveal an unexpected link between two murders—the Mona Lisa.
You’ll Thank Me for This by Nina Siegal. A psychological thriller is based on the popular Dutch tradition of blindfolding and dropping teens and pre-teens in the middle of a forest—and what happens when it goes horribly wrong.
The Blacktongue Thief by Christopher Buehlman. When he tries to rob Galva, a knight and handmaiden of the goddess of death, thief Kinch Na Shannack finds their fates intertwined as they, due to common enemies, embark on an epic journey where honor is a luxury few can afford.
An Amish Surprise (The Berlin Bookmobile Series) by Shelley Shepard Gray. Returning the Amish community of Berlin, bookmobile owner Sarah Anne Miller helps Miriam and Calvin Gingerich for the family they’ve always prayed for when she meets a 10-year-old boy named Miles who needs a home.
A Dog’s Courage, No.2 ( A Dog’s Way Home) by W. Bruce Cameron. A weekend camping trip in the Rocky Mountains turns into a harrowing struggle for survival when a raging inferno separates Bella from her people, and, alone in the wilderness, must protect two defenseless mountain lion cubs as she searches for Lucas and Olivia.
21st Birthday by James Patterson & Maxine Paetro. Investigating the disappearance of a young mother and her baby girl, Detective Lindsay Boxer is presented with evidence that not only proves the innocence of the husband but places the lives of women all over the state of California in grave danger.