My LINKcat AccountI looked at the calendar today to see the date of publication for this column and saw to my great alarm, that we are looking at the month of May. How did it get to be May already? Now that I think about it, we’ve had all those April showers which, apparently, following the adage, are bringing forth May flowers. The trees, with this last round of rain, decided to suddenly leaf out. The migratory birds keep migrating in. In fact, this past Sunday morning, I heard and then saw White-crowned sparrows. These sparrows migrate through Wisconsin to their breeding grounds in Alaska and arctic Canada. They usually only hang around long enough to fuel up before heading further north. I checked my calendar from last year (Yes. I admit it. I do keep track of information like this and I do categorize things. And yes, this probably explains how I ended up being a librarian.). Last year the white-crowned sparrows didn’t show up until May 9th. They are 12 days earlier this year. The goldfinches are wearing their gold feathers already and the frogs are starting to sing. If it is May, and I believe we all agree it is May, then can the start of the Summer Reading Program be far way? I shall answer that rhetorical question with a resounding “No. It can’t be far away!” It will be upon us sooner than you think. Stay tuned for further details. In the meantime, keep your reading eyes in shape by perusing some of the recently arrived titles at the library. Enjoy!
New Non-Fiction
“The Swans of Harlem: Five Black Ballerinas…” by Karen Valby. Steeped in the glamour and grit of professional ballet, this captivating account of five extraordinarily accomplished black ballerinas, the Swans of Harlem, celebrates both their historic careers and their 50-year sisterhood, offering a window into the history of black ballet, hidden for too long.
“The Age of Grievance” by Frank Bruni. A best-selling author and longtime New York Times< columnist examines the ways in which grievance has come to define our current culture and politics, on both the right and left.
“House Rules: How to Decorate for Every Home, Style, and Budget” by Myquillyn Smith. The New York Times best-selling author, also known as “The Nester,” presents 100 decorating truths for any house, style and budget that can help beautify any room and create more vibrant and livable spaces.
“Secure Relating: Holding Your Own in an Insecure World” by Sue Marriott & Ann Kelley. Integrating modern attachment theory, relational neuroscience and depth psychology into practical tools, two experienced mental health professionals and hosts of the Therapist Uncensored podcast offer a fresh and innovative approach to understanding and improving relationships in today’s increasingly polarized world.
New Fiction
“The Cemetery of Untold Stories” by Julia Alvarez. Inheriting a small plot of land in the
Dominican Republic, celebrated writer Alma Cruz creates a graveyard for the characters whose lives she tried and failed to bring to life, but they have other ideas as they rewrite and revise themselves, revealing their true narratives to those who will listen.
“Real Americans” by Rachel Khong. In this intricately woven tapestry of class and striving, race and visibility, and family and inheritance, 15-year-old Nick Chen, who cannot shake the feeling his mother is hiding something, sets out to find his biological father—a journey that raises more questions than provides answers
"Miss Morgan’s Book Brigade” by Janet Charles. The New York Times and internationally best-selling author of The Paris Library returns with a novel based on the true story of Jessie Carson—the American librarian who changed the literary landscape of France.
“Only the Brave” by Danielle Steel. During World War II, Sophia Alexander, after her mother dies and her father is sent to a concentration camp, becomes increasingly involved in the resistance and while working with the convent nuns, the Sisters of Mercy where she risks everything to help those in need—no matter what the cost.
“Circle in the Water, No. 36 (Charon McCone Mysteries)” by Marcia Muller. Sharon McCone is hired by a coalition of concerned San Francisco homeowners whose homes have been targeted in a series of "pranks," in the latest installment of the long-running series following “A Midnight Puzzle”.
“Feline Fatale, No. 32 (Mrs. Murphy Mysteries)” by Rita Mae Brown. Mary Minor "Harry" Harristeen investigates a murder in Albermarle County, Virginia with assistance from her beloved pets, including cats Mrs. Murphy and Pewter and dogs Pirate and Tucker in the latest novel in the long-running series following “Hiss and Tell”.
“The Museum of Lost Quilts (Elm Creek Quilters)” by Jennifer Chiaverini. While staying at Elm Creek Manor to finish her thesis, Summer, the youngest founding member of Elm Creek Quilts, instead researches the antique quilts on display for a fundraiser to renovate the headquarters of the Waterford Historical Society, discovering its troubled history of racism, economic injustice and political corruption, past and present.
“Lost Birds (Leaphorn, Chee & Manuelito)” by Anne Hillerman. Retired from the Navajo Tribal Police, P.I. Joe Leaphorn is hired to find the birth parents of a woman raised by a bilagaana family, which unexpectedly turns into a complicated case, while Officer Bernadette Manuelito investigates an explosion linked his investigation.
“Pay Dirt (V.I. Warshawski)” by Sara Paretsky. While visiting Angela, one her protégées in Kansas, V.I. Warshawski, when Angela’s roommate goes missing and V.I. finds her near death in a drug house, is pitched headlong into the country’s opioid crisis and a local land use battle with roots going back to the Civil War.