My LINKcat AccountSpring arrives astronomically today at 11:47 a.m. I qualify the statement about spring arriving because meteorologically spring hasn't decided if it's going to stick around yet. We've had nice sunny days in the 50s followed by overnight lows approaching single digits. Migratory birds have started to arrive but I have yet to see (or hear) a red-winged black bird or a turkey vulture. Of course, the birds I'm really listening for are sandhill cranes but as of Sunday (St. Patrick's Day Eve) they have yet to arrive. I was in Indianapolis for the Public Library Association Biannual (or is that biennial? It happens every two years) Conference last week and came back on Saturday. I did see sandhill cranes in Indiana, turkey vultures, red-winged black birds and motorcyclists too. Spring seems to be creeping its way north. It could creep a little faster as far as I'm concerned! Spring titles from all the publishing houses are arriving almost daily, so while you wait for the snow cover to disappear so you can get outside and start raking and rototilling there are plenty of good books to read. Enjoy!
New Non-Fiction
Duty : memoirs of a Secretary at war / by Robert Gates. A former secretary of defense offers a candid, vivid account of serving Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Beasts : what animals can teach us about the origins of good and evil / by J. Masson. The best-selling author of "When Elephants Weep" reveals what the world's largest predators can teach humans about the origins of ethical behavior, arguing that humans are more violent than animals and have a limited capacity for stopping species-threatening behaviors.
Beyond addiction : how science and kindness help people change / by Jeffrey Foote. Leading innovators in progressive addiction treatment outline a science-based program for helping loved ones overcome addiction-related problems, challenging common practices to demonstrate how to effectively use positive reinforcement and motivational and behavioral strategies.
Blood will out : the true story of a murder, a mystery, and a masquerade / by Walter Kirn. The true story of a young novelist, who meets and befriends an eccentric, privileged New Yorker when he delivers a crippled hunting dog to him from an animal shelter, and later discovers that his friend was a serial imposter and brutal double-murderer.
Cycle of lies : the fall of Lance Armstrong / by Juliet Macur. Based on interviews with more than 100 people close to the famous athlete, from his childhood through his glory days as the head of a multi-million dollar empire, a "New York Times" investigative journalist chronicles the rise and fall of Lance Armstrong.
I see you made an effort : compliments, indignities, and survival stories from the edge of fifty / by Annabelle Gurwitch. The co-host of "Dinner and a Movie" and co-author of "You Say Tomato, I Say Shut Up" chronicles her experiences of entering midlife, marked by her teenage child, her best friend's suicide and the realities of a generation that may never retire.
New Fiction
Night broken / by Patricia Briggs. When her mate's ex-wife shows up on the run from her new boyfriend, who turns out to be less-than-human, shapeshifter Mercy Thompson must stop the bodies from piling up in the latest addition to the best-selling series following "Frost Burned".
Night of the hunter / by R.A. Salvatore. Returning with his reunited companions to Gauntlgrym in the hopes of rescuing Bruenor's loyal shield dwarf, dark elf Drizzt Do'Urden navigates the dangers of the Underdark while struggling to outmaneuver a murderous drow colony. By the best-selling author of the "Forgotten Realms: The Legend of Drizzt" series.
Words of radiance / by Brandon Sanderson. A sequel to "The Way of Kings" finds Dalinar leading the human armies into an escalating war with the Parshendi, while Shalland and Jasnah search for a mythical city to secure humanity's survival and Kaladin struggles to master his Windrunner powers.
The haunted life : and other writings by Jack Kerouac. Published for the first time, this previously lost work by the iconoclastic novelist and poet follows working-class Peter Martin as he tries to find himself as the world hinges on the brink of World War II.
Power play : a novel / by Danielle Steel. A high-powered CEO and mother of two, a mom who gave up a promising law career and a struggling artist and mother with an absent husband are forced to reevaluate their sacrifices and beliefs when they confront the realities of power and family.
A king's ransom / by Sharon Kay Penman. A sequel to the best-selling "Lionheart" reimagines the dangerous final years of Richard I, tracing his captivity by the Holy Roman Emperor in spite of papal decrees protecting crusaders and Eleanor of Aquitaine's considerable efforts to secure his freedom.
Steeped in evil / by Laura Childs. Indigo Tea Shop owner Theodosia Browning investigates after a body turns up in a wine barrel at a fancy wine-tasting party in South Carolina, in the latest mystery of the series following "Sweet Tea Revenge".