My LINKcat AccountThe 29th of July. All Harry Potter fans know what two days from this is. That is correct! It will be Harry Potter’s birthday. We have been celebrating Harry’s birthday (Yes. I do know that he is a fictional character; however, in the books, he does have a birthday. Which we are celebrating for the 20th time this year. This is the 20th anniversary of the Harry Potter Birthday party at our library. If I’m doing the math correctly-- and I’m not saying that I am-- the first party we held was about four years after the publication of the first book in the series when Harry would have been 11. So Harry (I know he is a fictional character) would have been 15 years old when we started the parties. As I previously noted, we are 20 years into partying with Harry on his big day. That would make him 35 on this July 31st, My how time flies even when you are a wizard. This year we will be celebrating on Saturday, July 30th -- That’s tomorrow!. On Sunday we will be having a wizard rock concert featuring Tonks -- of Tonks on the Aurors. The party will be from 10 a.m. to 1p.m. It will be all around the library grounds (the weather is being handled by the Ministry of Magic and will be perfect for being outside). Tonks will be performing in the Community Room at 3 p.m. If there is any cake left over, we might be serving it then, but I wouldn’t count on it. If you want cake, come to the party on July 30th.
All this talk of birthday parties overshadows the rapidly approaching end of the Summer Reading Program. There is but one week left. It all ends on August 6th. The last I heard, we had 606 active readers, 798 registered readers (so you can still become “active” by adding a title to your account), 23,398 books have been read (so all the reading challenges have been met which means a beach party concert and ice cream for program participants. Yay, you! As you head into the final week, if you are looking for some books to inspire you to read quickly and add another title or two to the totals, cast your eyes further down the page. Below are some of the new books, recently arrived at the library. Enjoy!
New Non-Fiction
“How to Create a Wildlife Garden: Bringing Nature In: What to Plant Where” by Christine and Nick Lavelle. An inspiring and accessible award-winning book shows how simple gardening techniques can provide a dazzling plant display while helping the native wildlife.
“Quarterlife: The Search for Self in Early Adulthood” by Satya Byock. Utilizing personal storytelling, mythology, Jungian psychology, pop culture, literature and client case studies, a trailblazing psychotherapist explores the overlooked stage of Quarterlife—the years of adulthood between adolescence and midlife—and presents a compassionate road map to finding understanding, happiness and wholeness in adulthood.
“Cults: Inside the World’s Most Notorious Groups and Understanding the People Who Joined Them” by Max Culter. Discusses what goes on inside the minds of cult leaders and the people who join them.
“The Art of Teaching Children: All I Learned From a Lifetime in the Classroom”by Phillip Done. An essential guide for teachers and parents that’s destined to become a classic, The Art of Teaching Children is one of those rare and masterful books that not only defines a craft but offers a magical reading experience.
New Fiction
“Portrait of an Unknown Women” by Daniel Silva. In this thrilling story of deception in the world of international fine art, restorer and spy Gabriel Allon scours Europe for the secret behind the forgery of a 17th-century masterpiece that has fooled experts and exchanged hands for millions.
“Robert Ludlum’s the Bourne Sacrifice, No. 3” by Brian Freeman. Fast on the trail of Lennon, a dangerous and cruelly inventive assassin, Jason Bourne, believing Lennon’s employer is the Pyramid, a corrupt conglomerate, draws his ex-lover, reporter Abbey Laurent, into his investigation and must keep her safe when Lennon sets his sights on her.
“Master of Furies (The Fireman Saga)” by Raymond Feist. When his wife is murdered by ruthless raiders, Declan Smith, hellbent on revenge, joins forces with a man on the same mission, while Hava, whose gift for piracy has earned the name of “The Sea Demon,” closes in on those who unleased the murderous hordes.
“What Moves the Dead” by T. Kingfisher. When his receives world that his childhood friend Madeline Usher is dying, retired soldier Alex Easton races to the House of Usher where he, after encountering a nightmare of fungal growths and possessed wildlife, recruits a British mycologist and a baffled American doctor to unravel the truth.
“Acts of Violet” by Margarita Montimore. As the 10-year anniversary of the mid-act disappearance of her magician sister approaches, responsible Sasha, who has been raising her niece Quinn, is pursued by a podcaster devoted to the mystery who is becoming increasingly intrusive.
“The Bodyguard” by Katherine Center. Hired as superstar actor Jack Stapleton’s bodyguard, Hannah Brooks must pose as his girlfriend while visiting his family’s ranch in Texas where she finds it easy to protect him, but hard to protect her own, long-neglected heart.
“Other Names for Love” by Taymour Soomro. A novel about a boy’s life-changing summer in rural Pakistan: a story of fathers, sons, and the consequences of desire. A first novel.
“The Falcon’s Eyes” by Francesca Stanfill. Illuminating the end of the twelfth century and the notorious queen—Eleanor of Aquitaine—who dominated it, this sweeping, suspenseful tale follows Isabelle, a spirited, questing young woman, who defies convention—and her controlling, falconry-obsessed husband—to lead an extraordinary life.
“A Lady’s Guide to Fortune-Hunting” by Sophie Irwin. Left with her father's enormous debts, Kitty Talbot sets off for the London season to find a wealthy husband and save her family from ruin in the new novel from the author of the best-selling “The Party Crasher”.