My LINKcat AccountWe finally had our first frosts this past weekend. It seems to me that we used to have a light frost rather early in September. Then, the weather would snap back to more summer-like temperatures before begin the slow decline in daily and nightly lows until arriving at a freeze and then a hard freeze. It seems to me like we’re way off schedule. This past week I have noticed robins hopping on the lawn and hanging out in the trees. These aren’t the robins that nested and reared young during the spring and summer. These are migrant robins from further north having a little stopover on their way to warmer climes those warmer climes where “our” robins are already hanging out. The red-wing blackbirds and white crown sparrows are also moving through on their ways south. The Rowe Sanctuary, near Kearney, Nebraska, reported on October 7th that about 100 cranes had arrived that evening on their stopover to the southern parts of the United States. These cranes could have been as far north as the tundra. The temperatures are starting to dip which moves the birds farther south. There have been no wholesale mass migrations yet. Migration for a lot of birds is more dependent on lack of forage caused by snow cover than cold (They are all wearing down jackets, after all. Around here, with the harvest underway and tons of grain to be gleaned the birds will be with us for a while yet. But winter is definitely coming. Below you will find some of the new books that have arrived this week that will while away the evenings. It’s perfect weather for sleeping and for curling up with a great book. Enjoy!
New Non-Fiction
Forty autumns : a family's story of courage and survival on both sides of the Berlin Wall / by Nina Willner. A former American military intelligence officer traces the experiences of five women in her family who were separated by the Iron Curtain for more than 40 years and who endured terrifying Communist rule before being reunited after the fall of the Berlin Wall.
Forward : a memoir / by Abby Wambach. The U.S. Women's national team captain—winner of the 2015 World Cup and the highest international goal scorer of all time—shares her story, her struggles and her worldview in a memoir that is also a rousing call to arms to dream big and fight for a better world.
A life everlasting : the extraordinary story of one boy's gift to medical science / by Sarah Gray. This book describes the author's poignant journey as a donor parent who gave her infant's organs to research when he died at birth from anencephaly, sharing intimate insights into the invaluable contributions of donor organ research and its pioneering medical scientists.
My own words / by Ruth Bader Ginsburg. A first book by the Supreme Court Justice since her 1993 appointment collects engaging, serious and playful writings and speeches on topics ranging from gender equality and the workings of the Court to Judaism and the value of looking beyond U.S. shores when interpreting the Constitution.
Sing for your life : a story of race, music, and family / by Daniel Bergner. A chronicle of a young black man's journey from violence to the world's elite opera circles describes Ryan Speedo Green's abuse-marked upbringing and struggles with racism and imprisonment before winning a New York Metropolitan Opera competition. By the author of the award-winning “In the Land of Magic Soldiers”.
Spaceman : an astronaut's unlikely journey to unlock the secrets of the universe / by Mike Massimino. A memoir by an unlikely astronaut who helped save the Hubble telescope describes his early attempts to gain admission into NASA, his first spacewalks, the loss of his fellow astronauts in the Columbia disaster, his decision not to return to space and his ongoing support of future space travel ventures.
New Fiction
The heart of Henry Quantum / by Pepper Harding. A quirky, socially awkward man goes on a quest to find his wife a last-minute Christmas gift and encounters several distractions, including the ex-girlfriend who he has never stopped loving.
Today will be different : a novel / by Maria Semple. Initiating small changes that she hopes will reverse negative patterns in her life, Eleanor Flood is derailed by her family members' unethical practices before an encounter with a former colleague triggers dramas that reveal a buried secret. By the author of national best-seller “Where'd You Go, Bernadette” .
Two by two / by Nicholas Sparks. The seemingly charmed life of a Charlotte family man abruptly tumbles around him, leaving him an unemployed single father who embarks on a new reality that tests his skills and emotional resources beyond his imagining. By the #1 New York Times best-selling author of The Longest Ride .
The Wangs vs. the world / by Jade Chang. A wealthy but fractured Chinese family loses everything in the financial crisis before embarking on a haphazard but ultimately redemptive journey across America as part of an effort to reclaim ancestral lands in China.
Winter storms / by Elin Hilderbrand. A conclusion to the best-selling trilogy finds the Quinn family's efforts to reunite and prepare for a long-anticipated wedding during the Christmas season overshadowed by a health scare, addiction problems and commitment issues. By the author of “Here's to Us”.
By gaslight : a novel / by Steven Price. Determined to track down a notorious con man who his famous detective father never brought to justice, William Pinkerton forges an unlikely bond with Adam Foole, a man with a secret past whose lost love is tied to the criminal Pinkerton seeks. By the award-winning author of “Into that Darkness”.
Cruel beautiful world / by Caroline Leavitt. It’s 1969, and 16-year-old Lucy is about to run away to live off the grid in rural Pennsylvania, a rash act that will have vicious repercussions for both her and her older sister, Charlotte.