My LINKcat AccountToday is an interesting day as far as nationally designated days go. Not only is today National Cheese Curd Day, it is also National I love Lucy Day (It was this day in 1951 that the I Love Lucy Show premiered on CBS.), National Cake Decorating Day, and National Grouch Day. One wonders sometimes how specific dates – such as October 15th came to be chosen for some of these celebrations and observances. While it is obvious with the “I Love Lucy” day, some of the others make sense when you realize the celebrations held in the month of October. For example, October is National Bake and Decorate Month – so having a cake decorating day within that month correlates. So does the fact that National Cheese Curd Day occurs during American Cheese Month (which celebrates the variety of very fine cheese crafted in the USA, not that slice of orange “cheese”). Other celebrations in October which are interesting – but don’t make a lot of sense necessarily for October – National Caramel, Chili, Cookie, Dessert, and Dental Hygiene month. It is also National Pickled Peppers, Popcorn, Pizza, Pretzel, Pear and Pineapple, and Persimmons month. Oh, yeah, and it’s also National Book Month, which is a perfect segue to the books that have arrived since last I wrote. Cast your eyes down the page for exciting many exciting new titles. Enjoy!
New Non-Fiction
Black flags : the rise of ISIS / by Joby Warrick. The Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Triple Agent traces how the strain of militant Islam behind ISIS first arose in a remote Jordanian prison and spread with the unwitting aid of two American presidents.
M train / by Patti Smith. Reflections on the inner life of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee and National Book Award-winning writer are presented from the unique perspectives of the cafés and cultural haunts she has visited and worked in around the world.
The outsider : my life in intrigue / by Frederick Forsyth. The #1 New York Times author of The Day of the Jackal and numerous other best-sellers traces the story of his life, detailing the high-risk experiences as a wartime Royal Air Force pilot that inspired many of his famous storylines.
PT 109 : an American epic of war, survival, and the destiny of John F. Kennedy / by William Doyle. A moment-by-moment account of the sinking of PT-109 shares detailed perspectives into a future 35th President's heroic contributions, sharing insights into his leadership over a small band of survivors while awaiting rescue.
The courage to act : a memoir of a crisis and its aftermath / by Ben Bernanake. The former chairman of the Federal Reserve documents his rise from a Southern youth to Ivy League professorships prior to the 2007 housing bubble burst, detailing the dramatic efforts to salvage the U.S. economy that rendered him Time magazine's 2009 Person of the Year.
New Fiction
Clockwork lives / by Kevin Anderson. A follow-up to Clockwork Angels presents the steampunk-meets-Canterbury Tales adventures of Marinda Peake, who inherits from her alchemist father a blank book that she must fill with other people's stories.
The girl with the deep blue eyes / by Lawrence Block. Helping the police by going undercover as a hit man to catch a woman who would take out a contract on her husband, Florida private investigator Doak Miller unexpectedly falls in love with his target and joins in her plot to net millions under the eyes of the police.
Willow Brook Road / by Sherryl Woods. With her life in turmoil following a broken heart and the end of a glamorous fashion career, Carrie Winters finds herself unexpectedly attracted to Sam Winslow, who suddenly finds himself raising his nephew after a horrifying tragedy.
Killing Titan by Greg Bear. After an enforced isolation on earth, Master Sergeant Michael Venn returns to Mars to further investigate the ancient artifacts that have suddenly awakened on the Red Planet, but is instead led to Saturn’s moon, Titan, where war is brewing between the Drifters and the Gurus. By a New York Times best-selling author.
A knight of the seven kingdoms / by George R.R. Martin. A volume of three previously uncollected novellas set nearly a century before the events of A Game of Thrones shares historical insights and includes the tale of a young boy who grows up to become the great-grandfather of Daenerys.
Saturn run / by John Sandford. When a mid-21st-century Caltech intern discovers that a spacecraft from a technologically superior alien source is headed toward Saturn, a ragtag crew of competitors races to be the first to claim the ship and its technological advantages.
Fancy Dancer / by Fern Michaels. A #1 best-selling author of In Plain Sight delivers a new novel for her fans and new readers alike.
The gap of time : the Winter's tale retold / by Jeanette Winterson. The BAFTA Award-winning author of The Daylight Gate presents a 21st-century update of Shakespeare's The Winter's Tale.