My LINKcat AccountLike all good things, the Summer Reading Program has come to an end. It finished up last Saturday, August 6th. All the books have been tallied, all the logged events, all the badges earned have been computed, all the activities completed have been counted, and all the participants duly noted. Wow!
What a remarkable Summer Reading Program it was. 808 people registered and 645 of those 808 were active readers. There were other ways to participate such as writing reviews, attending events, doing on-line activities and challenges. Those active readers / participants meet every reading challenge we put before them. They rose to the next, higher number, each time to earn rewards for all the readers. Through all their efforts we will be having a final end-of-summer-reading music event – a beach party to celebrates this summer’s “Oceans of Possibilities” theme, and frozen treats for everyone who was part of the Summer Reading Program (and followed directions and comes to the party on August 30th.
Here are the numbers for this year; 31,444 books were read. 357 events were logged. 5,070 activities were completed. 10,528 badges were earned. Tune in next week and I’ll tell you how these numbers compare to last year and how many miles all those pages laid end-to-end would result in. While you’re anxiously awaiting me doing math next week, there are some dandy new books, listed below, for you to read. Enjoy!
New Non-Fiction
“Proving Ground: The Untold Story of the Six Women Who Programmed the World’s First Modern Computer” by Kathy Kleiman. This untold, WWII-era story restores the six women who programmed the world’s first modern computer to their rightful place as technological revolutionaries.
“Path Lit by Lightning: The Life of Jim Thorpe” by David Maraniss. A Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist presents this riveting new biography of America’s greatest all-around athlete and gold medal winner who survived racism, alcohol addiction, broken marriages and financial distress to become a myth and a legend.
“Swerve or Die: Life at My Speed in the First Family of Nascar Racing” by Kyle Petty & Ellis Henican. A third generations racer, current NASCAR commentator and one of the most beloved figures in the sport, through deeply personal stories from his racing career, talks about the biggest stars, the most exciting races, the tough, defining issues the sport has had to face and his vision for NASCAR’s future.
“Dancing Cockatoos and the Dead Man Test: How Behavior Evolves and Why It Matters”by Marlene Zuk. Looks at the complicated evolution of animal behavior animal behavior, including intelligence, mating patterns an ability to fight disease and how it can be remarkably similar to that of humans.
New Fiction
“Sugar and Salt” by Susan Wiggs. Arriving in San Francisco to get a fresh start, Margot Salton, a barbecue master from Texas, shares a kitchen with baker Jerome “Sugar” Barnes—the perfect set-up that leads to love until Margot’s past comes back to haunt her.
“The 6:20 Man” by David Baldacci. After a cryptic murder, a former soldier-turned-entry-level analyst, who boards the 6:20 commuter train like clockwork, is forced into a clandestine investigation into his firm that takes him to the darkest corners of the country’s economic halls of power, rife with corruption, where a killer awaits.
“The Daughter of Doctor Moreau”by Silvia Moreno-Garcia. When the arrival of Eduardo Lizalde sets motion a dangerous chain of events, Carlota Moreau finds her carefully constructed world falling down around her as passion is ignited in the sweltering heat of the jungle where a motley group of monstrosities await.
“The Big Dark Sky” by Dean R. Koontz. Drawn to a Montana homestead and to a strange childhood companion she’d long forgotten, Joanna Chase and others converge on this remote ranch where a madman lurks with a vision to save the future through murder, forcing them all to come together to save themselves—and humanity.
“Chrysalis, No.6 (Jeremy Logan)”by Lincoln Child.
Famed enigmalogist Jeremy Logan is summoned by a multibillion dollar tech company to investigate a disturbing anomaly in their new product rollout and discovers something very wrong in the sixth novel of the series following “Full Wolf Moon”.
“Cold, Cold Bones, No.21 (Temperance Brennan)” by Kathy Reichs.
A forensic anthropologist discovers a very fresh, human eyeball in a box on her porch with coordinates etched into it that point to a murder at a Benedictine monastery in the latest novel of the series following “The Bone Code”.
“Iced” by Felix Francis. When Miles Pussett discovers something suspicious is going on in the races, something that may have a profound impact on his future, he begins a search for answers.
“Just Like Home” by Sarah Gailey. There are secrets yet undiscovered in the foundations of the notorious Crowder House. Vera must face them and find out for herself just how deep the rot goes.
“Listen to Me, No. 13 (Rizzoli & Isles)” by Tess Gerritsen. Boston homicide detective Jane Rizzoli and medical examiner Maura Isles are plagued by the seemingly senseless murder of a widow and nurse, who, as they investigate further, is linked to an open hit-and-run case from months earlier that someone will kill to keep from being solved.