My LINKcat Accounts we enter what will soon be the third week of October, the days and nights have turned decidedly colder. My porch plants have come inside and, based on the 10-day forecast, have found their final resting place – unless they decide to winter over. I went to a family baptism last Sunday over near LaCrosse. I would have to say that many of the trees are just gorgeous. Jack Frost has dipped his paintbrush in the neon oranges, reds, and yellows and painted some of the maples spectacularly. Some of the oaks and black tupelos as well turn various shades of red. Some trees, I hate to say it, just seem to be showing off especially when they’re surrounded by their still-green or yellow-leafed neighbors.
As the trees change the birds begin to migrate. Last week I hear red-winged black birds along the Yahara. These aren’t our red-winged black birds, these birds are from further north and have decided it is cold enough to start moving south. Migratory flocks are starting to form and build in number. The hummingbirds which only two weeks ago were still feeding from whatever flowers they could find, now have left the area. Those overnight frost and freezes have taken away their food source. The cranes are much more noticeable now. As fields are harvested, cranes are suddenly visible gleaning corn and other grains off of fields. While cranes will hang around here until their food source is covered by snow, some cranes are beginning to stage into our area and further south as they pack on the pounds to make that migratory flight. Cranes started showing up in the Jasper-Pulaski Wildlife Area south of Valparaiso, Indiana last week. The Indiana DNR repots 2,069 cranes hanging out in that area. And now, for something completely different! Below you will find some of the new books which recently arrived at the library. The fall book-flood has begun! Enjoy!
New Non-Fiction
“And There Was Light: Abraham Lincoln and the American Struggle” by Jon Meacham. The Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer examines life and moral evolution of Abraham Lincoln and how he navigated the crises of slavery, secession and war by both marshaling the power of the presidency while recognizing its limitations.
“Beyond the Wand: The Magic and Mayhem of Growing Up a Wizard” by Tom Felton. The actor who played iconic role of the Draco Malfoy in the Harry Potter movies recalls his experiences growing up in the whirlwind of the pop culture phenomenon while navigating life as a normal teenager.
“Dinners With Ruth: A Memoir on the Power of Friendships” by Nina Totenberg. In this moving story of the joy and true meaning of friendship, NPR’s award-winning legal affairs correspondent recounts her nearly 50-year friendship with Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, presenting an extraordinary account of how they paved the way for future generations by tearing down professional and legal barriers.
“Madly, Deeply: The Diaries of Alan Rickman” by Alan Rickman. Told through his diaries – a 25-year passion project, the beloved actor, political activist and more grants us access to his thoughts and insights on theater performances, the craft of acting, politics, friendships, work projects and his general musings on life.
“One Hundred Saturdays: Stella Levi and the Search for a Lost World” by Michael Frank. The story of 99-year-old Stella Levi whose conversations with the writer Michael Frank over the course of six years bring to life the vibrant world of Jewish Rhodes, the deportation to Auschwitz that extinguished 90 percent of her community and the resilience and wisdom of the woman who lived to tell the tale.
New Fiction
“The Furies (Charlie Parker)” by John Connolly. When murder and mayhem arrive in Portland, Maine, Charlie Parker is faced with two connected crimes involving the enigmatic sisters Strange, new clients who are more capable of taking care of themselves than anyone could have imagined as the city shuts down in the face of a global pandemic.
“Verity” by Colleen Hoover. Hired by the husband of best-selling author Verity Crawford to complete the remaining books in a successful series she is unable to finish, Lowen Ashleigh, sorting through Verity’s notes and outlines, uncovers an unfished autobiography Verity never intended for anyone to read that is filled with bone-chilling admissions.
“Dead Man’s Hand, No. 1 (Unorthodox Chronicles)”by James Butcher. In a Boston divided between the ordinary Usuals and the paranormal Unorthodox, Grimshaw Griswald Grimsby flunks out of magically elite Auditor training and becomes the prime suspect when his former mentor, the most dangerous witch alive, is murdered.
“The Oracle of Maracoor (Another Day)”by Gregory Maguire. As the very fabric of reality loosens, liberating creatures of myth and legend, Rain, Elphaba’s green-skinned daughter, and her companions hunt the fabled Oracle of Maracoor for guidance and soothsaying, hoping that the desperate wicked years will promise another day.
“Our Missing Hearts” by Celeste Ng. In a society consumed by fear, 12-year-old Bird Gardner, after receiving a mysterious letter, sets out on a quest to find his mother – a Chinese American poet who left when he was nine years old, leading him to NYC where a new act of defiance may be the beginning of much-needed change.
“The Twelve long, Hard, Topsy-turvy, Very Messy Days of Christmas” by James Patterson & Tad Safran. During the holiday season, a family of three, missing someone very dear to them, find their house filling up with unexpected guests, making Christmas memories to last a lifetime.
“Bones of Holly, No. 25 ( Sara Booth Delaney)” by Carolyn Haines. When a feud erupts between two authors at a Mississippi library's tree decorating contest, Sarah Booth and Tinkie investigate after one of them goes missing in the latest novel of the series following “Lady of Bones”.
“Whiskers and Lies, No. 14 (Magical Cats)” by Sofie Kelly. When her friend Georgia’s former mother-in-law is found dead after they had an altercation, librarian Kathleen Paulson and her intrepid magical cats must save her from a wrongful arrest and make sure the right criminal is booked.