My LINKcat AccountThis year Thanksgiving fell at about the midpoint between the earliest possible date -- November 22nd-- and the latest possible date -- November 28th. Falling when it does this year, fives a moderately long lead up to those Yuletide holidays which means more shopping days. More shipping days, theoretically mean more sales and more profits, and moving merchants and retailers from operating in the "red" (i.e. debt in accounting terms) to operating in the "black" or the profit side of the ledger, hence the name for the day after Thanksgiving of "Black Friday" -- which is what today is. This is a rather apocryphal explanation that arose in the 1980s. The first time this term appeared was in Philadelphia when police, purportedly referred to the masses of shoppers clogging the streets and sidewalks as "Black Friday". This is the first reference to shopping as the source of the term; however in 1951 or thereabouts retailers' trade journals referred to the Friday after Thanksgiving as "black" because so many workers called in sick that day to get a four day weekend. No matter the historic source, today is a day for frenzied shopping either in person or online. If you need a break and a little island of quiet, stop by the library. We are open. Checkout a book and be well-read (note awful pun on the word "red"). Below are some of the new books which recently arrived at the library. Enjoy!
New Non-Fiction
Cokie: A Life Well Lived by Steven Roberts. The husband of the late legendary journalist reflects on her career as a trailblazer for women as well as her private life, tenacious devotion to helping others and roles as wife, mother, advocate and historian.
The Correspondents: Six Women Writers on the Front Lines of World War II by Judith MacKrell. Following six remarkable woman as their lives and careers intertwine, this riveting, untold history of a group of heroic women reporters who revolutionized the narrative of WW II reveals how they were forced to fight for the right to work on equal terms with men.
Dwyane by Dwyane Wade. This photographic memoir from the NBA superstar looks at his upbringing on the South Side of Chicago, his college career at Marquette and his extraordinary rise to stardom with the Miami Heat.
The Last King of America: The Misunderstood Reign of George III by Andrew Roberts. The last king of America, George III, has been ridiculed as a complete disaster who frittered away the colonies and went mad in his old age. The truth is much more nuanced and fascinating—and will completely change the way readers and historians view his reign and legacy
New Fiction
The Last Shadow (Other Tales from the Ender Universe) by Orson Scott Card. As three sapient species live peacefully together on one planet, the children of Ender and Bean must solve the great problem of the deadly virus that could wipe out every world in the Starways Congress, killing billions.
The Survivors by Alex Schulman. To finally face what really happened that summer day long ago, three estranged brothers return to the lakeside cottage where an unspeakable accident forever altered their family and find a dangerous new current vibrating between them, testing their loyalty.
The Butler by Danielle Steel. Taking a job working for Olivia, a woman who is trying to get her life together, butler Joachim, as his life falls apart, unexpectedly reaches a place with Olivia where the past doesn’t matter and only what they are living now is true.
The Party Crasher by Sophie Kinsella. To retrieve a beloved childhood treasure hidden in her old home during a huge party, Effie breaks into Greenoaks, and, while sneaking around the house, hears conversations that make her see her family in a new light—and make wonder what she really came here to find.
The Apollo Murders by Chris Hadfield. A “New York Times” best-selling author and astronaut is back with a thriller about the dark heart of the Space Race.
Better Off Dead, No. 26 (Jack Reacher) by Lee Child & Andrew Child. Jack Reacher doesn't back down and doesn't hesitate to teach someone a lesson when a shadowy crew picks a fight with the former US Army military police major, in the latest novel of the series following The Sentinel.
Foul Play, No. 29 (Stone Barrington) by Stuart Woods. Stone Barrington uncovers a complicated scheme when he learns that a new client is in danger and putting his business and the safety of New York in jeopardy, in the latest novel of the series following Class Act.
Last Girl Ghosted by Lisa Unger. Believing she had found true love on a dating app, a young woman is shocked when her lover intentionally disappears and she discovers many other girls who also thought they were in love with the same man.
The Nameless Ones (Charlie Parker) by John Connolly. When four of his fellow assassins are murdered by Serbian war criminals, Louis arrives in Europe to find and punish five killers before they can vanish into this air—there is just one problem—the sixth.
Silverview by John LeCarre. Giving up his high-powered career to run a bookshop in a small English seaside town, Julian Lawndsley finds his life upended by Edward, a Polish émigré living in Silverview, the big house on the edge of town, who is rather too interested in the inner workings of his modest new enterprise.