My LINKcat AccountHere we are almost at the mid-point of September and I haven't mentioned yet that this is Library Card Sign Up month. If you're reading this column, the odds are pretty good that you already have a library card, but if you don't, this is the month to get one. Why, you can become part of the national movement to get everybody a library card during the month of September (and the start of school). September is not only Library Card Sign-up Month, it is also National Chicken Month, National Piano Month, National Honey, Courtesy, Rice, School Success, Sewing, and Read-a-New Book Months. And today, September 12th (when I assume you could be reading this) is National Chocolate Milk Shake Day - what a great excuse to have a refreshing, chocolate-y treat while reading a new book. And speaking of new books, there's a whole lot of good reading available at the library. Why did you know that at the end of 2012 the library had over 65,000 books? Did you also know that through the Wisconsin Public Library Consortium you have access to over 53,000 electronic books? Stop by and check out some of these books. Books appreciate getting off of their shelves, getting a little fresh air, having their pages turned, and seeing other places. Below are some books that haven't really had time to get bored with sitting on the shelf yet. They're brand new and ready to roam to other places before spending settling down on a shelf. Enjoy!
New Non-Fiction
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Still foolin' 'em : where I've been, where I'm going, and where the hell are my keys? / by Billy Crystal. As he prepares to turn 65, one of America's favorite comedians looks back at his extraordinary career, highlighting the most powerful and memorable moments of his long and storied life, and outlines, with his trademark wit and heart, the absurdities and challenges that come with growing old.
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Wilson / by A. Scott Berg. This biography of the 28th President of the United States from the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of "Lindbergh" includes details from recently-discovered papers that highlight the character of the scholar-leader who shepherded his country through the first World War.
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Cat sense : how the new feline science can make you a better friend to your pet / by John Bradshaw. The best-selling anthrozoologist author of "Dog Sense" draws on the latest scientific and behavioral research to explain the origins, evolution and modern-day needs of domestic cats, revealing how an understanding of a cat's ancient instincts is an essential part of a healthy cat-human relationship.
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Old Man River : the Mississippi River in North American history / by Paul Schneider. Tracing the history of the Mississippi from its origins in the deep geologic past to the present, this fascinating volume tells the story of the river at the center of America's rich history and the site of historical and literary significance.
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Three squares : the invention of the American meal / by Abigail Carroll. A soup-to-nuts history of the American meal explains the evolution of traditional fare as a reflection of national identity, describing the midday meals of colonial America, the circumscribed eating rituals of subsequent generations and the advent of processed foods in the late 19th century.
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Under fire : the untold story of the attack in Benghazi by Fred Burton & Samuel Katz. A minute-by-minute narrative account of the 2012 attack at the U.S. consulate in Libya draws on eyewitness testimonies and confidential sources to recount the brutal 12-hour engagement with Islamic militants that ended the life of the ambassador and three other Americans.
New Fiction
MaddAddam : a novel / by Margaret Atwood. A conclusion to the trilogy that includes "Oryx and Crake" finds Toby and Ren returning to the MaddAddamite cob house after rescuing Amanda and assuming the duties of the Craker's religious overseers while Zeb searches for the founder of the pacifist green religion he left years earlier.
After her / by Joyce Maynard. Thirty years after destroying her detective father's career and altering the lives of everyone she loves, Rachel, who has never given up hope of vindicating her father, finally finds The Sunset Strangler, a killer who, in the summer of 1979, preyed on young women in northern California.
Burial rites : a novel / by Hannah Kent. Based on a true story, tells the tale of a young woman in Iceland in 1829 who was accused of murder and sent to an isolated farm to await execution and tells the farmer's family her side of the story.
The childhood of Jesus / by J.M. Coetzee. David and Simón arrive in a strange land without knowledge of the language or customs in search of David's mother in this allegorical tale from the Nobel Prize-winning author of "Waiting for the Barbarians".
Early decision : based on a true frenzy : a novel / Based on a True Frenzy" by Lacy Crawford. Known as the Application Whisperer, Anne, who helps kids to create an original and honest college essay that makes them stand out from the crowd, witnesses first-hand the greed, excess, jealousy, deceit, money, ego and pressure as parents try get their children into the best colleges.
Dissident gardens : a novel / by Jonathan Lethem. A multigenerational saga focuses on two extraordinary women including tyrannical Communist Rose, who terrorizes her neighborhood with her absolute beliefs; and her brilliant but willful daughter, Miriam, who flees her mother's suffocating influence to embrace the Age of Aquarius counterculture of Greenwich Village.
The maid's version : a novel / by Daniel Woodrell. A maid for a prominent family in Missouri chases down justice after her younger sister is one of 42 people killed at a mysterious explosion at a local dance hall in this new novel from the author of "Winter's Bone".
The secret keeper / by Beverly Lewis. Setting aside her modern life to join an Amish community as a mother's helper, Jennifer attracts the attentions of multiple suitors and hides a personal secret that she fears will complicate her efforts during the Proving time. By the award-winning author of "The Brethren".
Someone / by Alice McDermott. The National Book Award-winning author chronicles the ordinary life of a woman named Marie, from her childhood to old age, as she experiences the changing world of her Irish-American enclave in Brooklyn, in this novel that speaks of life as it is daily lived.