My LINKcat AccountAccording to my sources, who happen to share their domicile with me, today is the greatest national holiday of the year. Yes, my sources claim, this holiday eclipses Christmas, New Year’s, Easter, and Halloween combined. That holiday is, of course, National Cat Day. National Cat Day was founded to help the public recognize the number of cats that need to be rescued. The day also encourages cat lovers to celebrate the cats in their lives for the unconditional love and companionship that they so selflessly bestow upon them. (This last sentence was obviously dictated by a cat to its keyboarding human.). Celebrate with your felines by spreading a little of the old catnip around, giving them an extra head rub, and reading “The Cat in the Hat” to them. It is also National Oatmeal Day—who knew? So eat some oatmeal, bake some oatmeal raisin cookies and bring some to the library for staff (hint, hint) and instead of putting milk or butter on your oatmeal, give it to your cat (if they are lactose tolerant) to help them party on (the last part of this sentence was dictated by a cat to this keyboarding human). It is also National Hermit Day which is the perfect day to unplug your phone and computer, spend time with your pet (cat), take long walks by yourself, take a (cat) nap, and read a book (about cats or with cats in the title). Speaking of books (about cats)*, if you cast your eyes further down the page, you will find a slew of new books that arrived recently. Enjoy! [*all comments in parenthesis were dictated by a cat to its keyboarding human).] Merry cat day!
New Non-Fiction
Find a way / by Diana Nyad. A firsthand account of the author's record-breaking, 110-mile swim from Cuba to Florida describes her early achievements and setbacks, the support behind her decision to return to competitive swimming after decades out of the water and her determination to live life at the highest level.
Hemingway in love : his own story : a memoir / by A.E. Hotchner. Hemingway's deeply reflective account of his destructive Paris affair and how it affected the legendary life he rebuilt afterward is told to his best friend, the writer A. E. Hotchner.
Keep moving : and other tips and truths about aging / by Dick Van Dyke. A movie and TV star, as he approaches his 90th birthday, shares how to embrace old age with a positive attitude. By the New York Times best-selling author of My Lucky Life.
Unfaithful music & disappearing ink / by Elvis Costello. A personal introspective by the influential pop songwriter and performer traces his Liverpool upbringing, artistic influences, creative pursuit of original punk sounds and emergence in the MTV world.
America's bank : the epic struggle to create the Federal Reserve / by Roger Lowenstein. Chronicles the tumultuous era and remarkable personalities that created the Federal Reserve, tracing the financial panic and widespread distrust of bankers that prompted the landmark 1913 Federal Reserve Act and launched America's first steps onto the world financial stage.
New Fiction
Host / by Robin Cook. Devastated by the death of her boyfriend after a routine surgery, fourth-year medical student Lynn Pierce investigates the accident and discovers a string of suspicious deaths at the hospital.
Captain in Calico / by George MacDonald Fraser. Calico Jack, a fearless pirate in the 18th-century British West Indies, makes an attempt to go legit and find love, but things don't quite go his way, and soon he once again hears the siren call of the sea.
They all love Jack : busting the Ripper / by Bruce Robinson. Puts a new spin on the legend of Jack the Ripper, focusing on the “why” instead of the “who,” and theorizing that the residents of London society’s finest homes created him as an outlet for their own hidden violent and taboo proclivities.
City on fire / by Garth Halberg. A tale set against a backdrop of the infamous 1977 blackout follows the experiences of two New York heirs, their paramours, two punk-loving teens, an obsessive reporter and a detective who would learn what any of them have to do with a Central Park shooting. A first novel.
Golden age : a novel / by Jane Smiley. A conclusion to the trilogy that began with Some Luck and Early Warning finds a new generation of Langdons tackling the unique economic, social, cultural and political challenges of the 1980s and beyond. By a Pulitzer Prize-winning , best-selling author.
An Irish doctor in love and at sea : an Irish Country novel / by Patrick Taylor. Decades after enduring painful losses throughout his World War II service, Dr. Fingal Flahertie O'Reilly tends a series of medical challenges in the colorful Irish village of Ballybucklebo while struggling to let go of the ghosts of his past. By a New York Times, USA Today and Globe and Mail best-selling author.
The lake house : a novel / by Kate Morton. Decades after the disappearance of her toddler brother shatters her family, successful author Alice Edevane is approached by a young London police force detective who triggers a series of events that lead to a shocking revelation. By the New York Times best-selling author of The Secret Keeper.
Winter stroll : a novel / by Elin Hilderbrand. A sequel to Winter Street finds inn owner Kelley Quinn and his family busily preparing for the holiday season, which is thrown into unexpected chaos by the machinations of three vindictive exes. By the author of the best-sellers Beautiful Day and The Matchmaker.