My LINKcat AccountAs I was driving to work around the 8th of June, I heard crickets chirping in the lawns. I was somewhat worried by this because it is well-known weather lore that it is six weeks from hearing crickets chirping to the first frost. Now, looking at a calendar that would put the first frost around, oh, July 20th. While this has been a crazy summer weather-wise with blistering heat waves followed by heavy rains followed by cool offs and then do it all over again. Even given all that, a frost in the middle of July hardly seems possible. So I did some digging around (librarians call this research) and discovered that the weather lore refers (at least in some cases) to fall crickets. Who knew there were fall crickets, right? Not only are there fall crickets, but there are also spring crickets as well. What I had been hearing were spring crickets. These crickets survive the winter in a juvenile form and as the weather warms, they mature and start chirping. They die off and the fall crickets, who started their post-winter life as eggs, are finally mature and chirping by the end of July or early August.. When the fall crickets start singing is when the countdown to the first frost occurs. I’ll keep you posted on the first frost warnings, but for now, there is still a whole lot of summer yet to come. There are still a whole lot of summer books to be read and enjoyed indoors or outdoors. Below you will find some of the new titles that have arrived recently. Enjoy!
New Non-Fiction
“Sisters in Resistance: How a German Spy, a Banker’s Wife, and Mussolini’s Daughter Outwitted the Nazis” by Tilar Mazzeo. This real-life thriller, bringing to life a little-known moment in history, follows three daring women—a Fascist’s daughter, a German spy and an American socialite—as they, in 1944, risked their lives to ensure one of the most important documents of WWII reached the allies.
“Cabin Fever: The Harrowing Journey of a Cruise Ship at the Dawn of a Pandemic” by Michael Smith & Jonathan Franklin. The story of the Holland America cruise ship Zaandam, which set sail with 1,200 passengers days before COVID-19 shut down the world in March 2020 and found itself denied safe harbor everywhere.
“Catch Me If You Can: One Woman’s Journey to Every Country in the World” by Jessica Nobongo. When midlife changes give three different women special powers, they come together to solve the murder of a teenage girl whom the police have written off as a drug-addicted sex worker—an investigation leading to a world of stupendous wealth where rules don’t apply.
“How to Raise an Antiracist” by Ibram Kendi. This guide for parents, caregivers and teachers focuses on strategies for talking to children about racism, how to avoid the mistakes of our past and help dismantle racist behaviors in ourselves and our world.
New Fiction
“Sparring Partners, No. 4 (Jake Brigance)” by John Grisham. A #1 best-selling author collects a trio of novellas where law is a common thread.
“Call of Duty (Tom Clancy’s Op-Center)” by Jeff Rovin, et.al. Op-Center’s attempt to exfiltrate a Chinese scientist threatens to incite a full-fledged war between China and the United States.
“Clive Cussler’s Dark Vector, No. 19 (NUMA Files)” by Graham Brown. The head of the U.S. National Underwater and Marine Agency’s (NUMA) Special Assignments Team unravels a new mystery in the dangers above and below the sea in the latest addition to the long-running series following “Fast Ice”.
“Deep Water” by Emma Bamford. Responding to a rescue call in the Indian Ocean, a Captain discovers a mortally injured man and his traumatized wife who describes how their exotic trip to a tiny, remote island forced her to become a murderer.
“The Favor” by Nora Murphy. Explores what can happen when women pushed to the limit take matters into their own hands.
“In the Blood, No. 5 (Terminal List)” by Jack Carr. A former Navy SEAL relies on allies around the world to track down who is responsible when a Mossad operative dies in a plane explosion in the fifth novel of the series following “The Devil's Hand”.
“The Lost Summers of Newport” by Beatriz Williams. Three New York Times best-selling authors combine their talents in this novel of money and secrets set among the famous mansions of Newport, Rhode Island, from the Gilded Age to the present day.
“Omega Rules, No. 3 (Evan Ryder)” by Van Lustbader, Eric When a fellow Parachute agent is assassinated in Vienna, Evan Ryder is sent on a dangerous world-wide hunt for the truth, pitting her against forces so powerful they may go beyond her abilities to annihilate.
“Secrets, No. 2 (A Lost and Found Novel)” by Fern Michaels. When they find themselves saddled with life or death information, two siblings, and owners of an antique shop/café, realize they have no one to turn to but each other.
“With a Mind to Kill: A James Bond Novel” by Anthony Horowitz. Traveling behind the Iron Curtain, James Bond must convince the Russians, including a beautiful Soviet psychiatric analyst, that he is a double agent to infiltrate a group planning a major act of terrorism, which, if successful, will destabilize relations between the East and West.