My LINKcat AccountThe 10th day of January. The second Friday of the month. And, as I foretold sometime back in the dark days of December, we have started to gain minutes of daylight back at the end of the day. Since that earliest sunset of 4:22 p.m. during the 7-10th of December, we have gained a whopping 21 minutes of light as evening falls. And, sunrise has also started to get earlier and earlier. We have been stuck at the latest sunrise of 7:29 a.m. from around the 27th of December until just this week when on January 8th, sunrise was a minute earlier. This is all great news for those of us who look forward to longer hours of sunlight. These longer days, however, come with a caveat. Weatherlore in this neck of the woods states that “as the days lengthen, the cold strengthens”. The weather between January 6th and the 23rd are typically the coldest stretch of days we get around Madison. This year’s weather seems to be bearing that out. This is perfect weather to stay indoors and read. Remember the Winter Reading Program is underway and books that you read can be logged and earn you dragon dollars to either spend in our store, gift to a friend or relative to spend in our store, or donate to one of the designated charities. There are lots of new books arriving at the library. Below you will find a sampling of some of the titles. Enjoy!
New Non-Fiction
“Four Points of the Compass: The Unexpected History of Direction” by Jerry Brotton. The history and significance of the four cardinal directions are explored and shows how societies have defined and used them for navigation and travel while examining the evolving impact of technology on our orientation and connection to the world.
“Sisters in Science: How Four Women Physicists Escaped Nazi Germany and Made Scientific History” by Olivia Campbell. Explores the lives of physicists Hedwig Kohn, Lise Meitner, Hertha Sponer, and Hildegard Stücklen, who made groundbreaking discoveries during the golden age of physics before fleeing Nazi Germany due to their Jewish ancestry or anti-Nazi sentiments, continuing their revolutionary work abroad and inspiring future generations.
“The White Ladder: Triumph and Tragedy at the Dawn of Mountaineering” by Daniel Light. A sweeping history of mountaineering before Everest looks at the epic human quest to reach the highest places on Earth.
“The Miraculous From the Material: Understanding the Wonders of Nature” by Alan Lightman. Combines full-color photographs with accessible essays to explore the science behind some of nature’s awe-inspiring phenomena, from rainbows and snowflakes to galaxies, while reflecting on how these wonders connect with both spiritual and scientific perspectives.
“Vanishing Treasures: A Bestiary of Extraordinary Endangered Creatures” by Katherine Rundell. Highlights the beauty and fragility of the natural world through detailed explorations of extraordinary animals facing extinction, showcasing their unique behaviors and adaptations while making an urgent call to appreciate and protect these remarkable species.
New Fiction
“The Shutouts” by Gabrielle Korn. In a dystopian 2041, Kelly embarks on a perilous journey across a storm-ravaged United States to reunite with her estranged daughter, while another mother-daughter duo flees a sinister climate change project, uncovering deep connections and human resilience amidst environmental and societal collapse.
“A Sky of Emerald Stars (Golden Court)” by A.K. Mulford. As war looms, royal guard Sadie embarks on a mission to uncover a rival king's secrets, while Queen Calla navigates a treacherous alliance in the second novel of the series following “A River of Golden Bones”.
“The Rest is Memory” by Lily Tuck. In a fictionalized retelling of a real-life tragedy, fourteen-year-old Czeslawa’s brief life, from her upbringing in a Polish village to her death at Auschwitz, is explored alongside the broader suffering of millions during the German occupation, bringing her forgotten story to light.
“Irish Soda Bread Murder” by Carlene O’Connor, Peggy Ehrhart, & Liz Ireland. A collection of cozy mystery novellas feature the popular St. Paddy’s Day treat Irish soda bread.
“Knife Skills for Beginners” by Orlando Murrin. A MasterChef semi-finalist and cookbook writer presents a locked-room culinary mystery set in a London cooking school.
“Pretty Dead Things” by Lilian West. A small-town bride-to-be’s discovery of long-lost wedding rings at an estate sale reveals the key to a decades-old cold case.
“Eddie Winston Is Looking for Love” by Marianne Cronin. Ninety-year-old Eddie Winston, a lifelong romantic who has never been kissed, embarks on an unexpected adventure with grieving young woman, Bella, to finally find love and discover the enduring power of friendship and second chances.
“Lawbreaker” by Diana Palmer. Aspiring Met singer Odalie Everett and New York art gallery owner and former crime boss Tony Garza meet and give in to passion, but when they escape danger by fleeing to her family’s Texas ranch, she must decide between true love or a shot at her dream.
“The Close-up” by Pip Drysdale. A struggling author’s life takes a terrifying turn when a stalker starts reenacting violent scenes from her failed thriller, just as she begins to rekindle a romance with her former flame, now a famous actor, and her career experiences an unexpected revival.
“Locked in” by Jussi Alder-Olssen. Detective Carl Mørck, head of Department Q, is framed for a violent case from his past, so his colleagues Rose, Assad, and Gordon ignore direct orders to find answers and free Carl from Copenhagen’s Vestre prison, where there’s a million-dollar bounty on his head to ensure he doesn’t talk.