Monday, December 31, 2012

Have a Cozy Movie Night With a Thrilling NEW DVD

Note: Our movie collection is available due to patron donations. If you would like to donate to the collection, we would greatly appreciate it.  

This Christmas (2008)
A Christmastime drama centered around the Whitfield family's first holiday together in four years.

Super 8 (2011)
During the summer of 1979, a group of friends witness a train crash and investigate subsequent unexplained events in their small town. 

The Good Thief (2003)
An aging gambler on a losing streak attempts to rob a casino in the South of France. But someone's already tipped off the cops before he even makes a move. 

Traffic (2002)
A conservative judge is appointed by the President to spearhead America's escalating war against drugs, only to discover that his teenage daughter is an addict. 

The Red Baron (2010)
Baron Manfred von Richthofen is the most feared and celebrated pilot of the German air force in World War I. To him and his companions, air combats are events of sporty nature, technical challenge and honorable acting, ignoring the terrible extent of war.

But after falling in love with the nurse Käte, Manfred realizes he is only used for propaganda means. Caught between his disgust for the war, and the responsibility for his fighter wing, von Richthofen sets out to fly again.

Think Like A Man (2012)
Four friends conspire to turn the tables on their women when they discover the ladies have been using Steve Harvey's relationship advice against them. 

Murder, Inc. (2006)
Based on the true-life book of lawman Burton Turkus, this movie chronicles the rise and fall of the organized crime syndicate known as Murder, Incorporated. Focusing on powerful boss Lepke and violent hitman Reles.

Tigerland (2001)
A group of recruits go through Advanced Infantry Training at Fort Polk, Louisiana's infamous Tigerland, last stop before Vietnam for tens of thousands of young men in 1971.

The Messenger (2009)
An American soldier struggles with an ethical dilemma when he becomes involved with a widow of a fallen officer. 

Wrong Turn 3-Pack (2009)
Wrong Turn--An indescribably nightmare begins when a group of young friends is stranded on an isolated road deep in the Appalachian hills of West Virginia, with no hope of rescue. Desperate and fearing for their lives, the horror surges as they find themselves relentlessly pursued by a force of evil beyond their imagination!

Wrong Turn 2: Dead End--A post-apocalyptic reality show, in which participants are challenged to survive a remote West Virginia wasteland, turns into a nightmarish showdown when the contestants realize they're being hunted for real by an inbred family of cannibals!

Wrong Turn 3: Left For Dead--The bloodcurdling horror continues with footage too shocking for theaters! When the most vicious killers in the country escape from a prison transport bus, Three Finger and his family of cannibalistic mutants may have met their match! 

Sunday, December 30, 2012

New York Times Best Seller List (12/30/12)

Note: 
Titles highlighted in BLUE are currently available for checkout.
Titles highlighted in RED have been ordered and will be available for checkout soon.




FICTION
  1. The Racketeer by John Grisham
  2. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
  3. Threat Vector by Tom Clancy
  4. Notorious Nineteen by Janet Evanovich
  5. The Forgotten by David Baldacci
  6. Merry Christmas, Alex Cross by James Patterson
  7. The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling
  8. Two Graves by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child
  9. The Black Box by Michael Connelly
  10. The Twelve Tribes of Hattie by Ayana Mathis
  11. The Last Man by Vince Flynn
  12. Agenda 21 by Glenn Beck
  13. Flight Behavior by Barbara Kingsolver
  14. The Time Keeper by Mitch Albom
  15. The Round House by Louise Erdrich
  16. Cross Roads by Wm. Paul Young

Young Adult -- New York Times Best Seller List (12/30/12)

Note: 
Titles highlighted in BLUE are currently available for checkout.
Titles highlighted in RED have been ordered and will be available for checkout soon.



FICTION

  1. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
  2. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
  3. Divergent by Veronica Roth
  4. Grace, Gold and Glory by Gabrielle Douglass 
  5. Looking For Alaska by John Green
  6. Insurgent by Veronica Roth
  7. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
  8. Lauren Conrad Beauty by Lauren Conrad
  9. Dodger by Terry Pratchett
  10. Paper Towns by John Green

Saturday, December 29, 2012

Bilingual Book for Children


Arroz Con Leche: Popular Songs and Rhymes from Latin America by Lulu Delacre
Arroz con leche: canciones y ritmos populares de América Latina 

A wonderful collection of traditional Latin American songs, games, and rhymes, with text in both Spanish and English, complemented by beautiful watercolor illustrations of Latin American land-and-city-scapes.


Friday, December 28, 2012

Romantic Reads with Easy to Read Larger Print

The Man Behind the Cop by Janice Kay Johnson

Being a big-city cop and being in control means everything to Bruce Walker. He knows how destructive a man can be when given the chance. That's why he's vowed never to get involved.All that changes the moment he meets psychologist Karin Jorgenson. The connection between them is instant, intense...something he's tempted to explore. Regardless of how Bruce feels, though, he can't let go of everything he knows. His control is even more important now that they're involved in a domestic violence case. Karin insists he's a different man than the one he sees in the mirror. 

But can he trust her-- and himself--enough to open his eyes and see it, too?

Trusting Ryan by Tara Taylor Quinn

A dedicated cop in the Special Victims Bureau, Ryan Mercedes has a trusted friend in lawyer-advocate Audrey Lincoln. Her compassion is the perfect counterpoint to his hard-driving fight for justice. And this good relationship only gets better the night they cross the line from friends to lovers.But they're up against seemingly insurmountable obstacles that could divide them for good. 

Worse-- now she and Ryan are on opposite sides of a controversial case. Can they trust enough to resolve their differences and find their way back to each other?

Sara's Son by Tara Taylor Quinn

Sara Calhoun has a perfectly orchestrated life. Until she opens her door one morning to come face-to-face with Ryan, the son she'd loved--and given up for adoption twenty-one years ago. Sara's memory of the night Ryan was conceived is virtually nonexistent, but the aftermath continues to haunt her. Three men went to jail after that night, but were they guilty? "And which one is her son's father? " 

Ryan, now a police officer, believes the case is rife with inconsistencies, but the only man who can help them uncover the truth is Mark Dalton--one of the accused. Still, Sara can't believe she feels so--secure with Mark. He's an enigma and her worst nightmare, isn't he?

A Marriage Between Friends by Melinda Curtis

They were just friends when they got married. Jill desperately needed a father for her unborn child, and Vince Patrizio wanted to give them both his name. And if Jill could ever learn to love him, he'd consider himself a fortunate man.Then Jill walked out of his life.

But eleven years later, it's Vince's turn to have his say. Arriving in Jill's sleepy California town, he has plans to transform it into a mini Vegas...to reclaim his wife...and to meet the son who should have been theirs.

And Vince isn't leaving until he gets what he came for.


Wednesday, December 26, 2012

Intriguing New Non-Fiction Title


Tainted Breeze: the Great Hanging at Gainesville, Texas 1862 by Richard B. McCaslin

In the early morning hours of October 1, 1862, state militia arrested more than two hundred alleged Unionists from five northern Texas counties and brought them to Gainesville. In the ensuing days, at least forty-four prisoners were hanged and several others were lynched in neighboring communities. In the first systematic treatment of this grisly climax to a heritage of violence and vigilantism in North Texas, Richard B. McCaslin provides a unique opportunity to study the tensions produced in southern society by the Civil War, the nature of disaffection in the Confederacy, and the American vigilante tradition. 

Winner of the Coral Horton Tullis Memorial Prize

Sunday, December 23, 2012

New York Times Best Seller List (12/23/12)

Note: 
Titles highlighted in BLUE are currently available for checkout.
Titles highlighted in RED have been ordered and will be available for checkout soon.



FICTION
  1. Threat Vector by Tom Clancy 
  2. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
  3. The Racketeer by John Grisham
  4. Notorious Nineteen by Janet Evanovich
  5. The Forgotten by David Baldacci
  6. Merry Christmas, Alex Cross by James Patterson
  7. The Black Box by Michael Connelly
  8. Agenda 21 by Glenn Beck 
  9. Winter of the World by Ken Follett
  10. The Last Man by Vince Flynn
  11. The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling
  12. Cold Days by Jim Butcher
  13. Flight Behavior by Barbara Kingsolver
  14. Cross Roads by Wm. Paul Young
  15. The Round House by Louise Erdrich

Thursday, December 20, 2012

Enthralling New Reads Available This Week

Desire The Night by Amanda Ashley

Held captive in a basement prison, wrapped in silver chains, the vampire Gideon is too weak to fight the monster who enslaves him. For years, she's tapped his precious blood like a fountain of youth - sustaining him with human females she captures for his pleasure. 

But with the latest victim she brings him, he senses something intriguingly different. Something dangerous, yet oh so tempting.


Close Enough to Touch by Victoria Dahl

For makeup artist Grace Barrett, Hollywood isn't the land of golden opportunity. It's the land of difficult divas, cheating boyfriends and unemployment. So when her great-aunt offers her a free place to stay in Jackson Hole, Grace thinks she'll spend a little time in the sticks to figure out her life, and then move somewhere exciting to live out her dreams. But it turns out that there are a few more thrills in this small town than Grace was expecting….Cole Rawlins is a rugged Wyoming cowboy born and bred. Yet he can't help but be drawn to the fascinating big-city girl who moves in across from him. He wants to get close enough to Grace to see past her tough facade, but if he does, she might see the real Cole. The one with a Hollywood history gone bad. As they discover a sizzling attraction, it becomes harder for him to keep his demons at bay—and those fires from long ago may burn them both.

They'll need more than scorching-hot passion to make this opposites-attract affair work. But if they can learn to trust one another enough to reveal their secrets, they just might have a chance at foreve


The Warrior Laird by Margo Maguire

Haunted by horrors of his childhood, Dugan MacMillan has sworn to protect his clan at any cost . . . even if he must search for a rumored treasure and kidnap a beautiful thief to do it.

The MacMillan laird has never crossed paths with anyone quite like Lady Maura Duncanson. After he saved her from certain death, the comely vixen had the audacity to disappear with his treasure map, his only key to restoring his clan. Dugan has no qualms about taking Maura hostage, especially when he learns she is to wed a wealthy old baron who will pay him a fortune in ransom . . . a fortune his people desperately need.

But, of course, Maura has no intention of returning to her despicable fiancE. And the longer Dugan spends in the bewitching hellion's presence, the less willing he is to surrender her to any man . . . at any price.


An Unsuitable Bride by Jane Feather

The headstrong and beautiful Alexandra Douglas is summoned to London from the seminary for young ladies upon the death of her father, Sir Arthur Douglas. There, the family lawyer explains to her that she and her invalid sister, Sylvia, have been left penniless, disinherited, delegitimized. Her father had divorced her mother on the grounds of insanity, making the children of the marriage illegitimate, but still allowing him to remarry. On Sir Arthur’s death, his considerable wealth and estates passed to a distant relative, while his widowed second wife and stepson received handsome inheritances. 

Alex is determined to get the inheritance that she and her sister are due.When she sees an advertisement for a librarian at her former family home, she applies in the guise of an impoverished middle-aged spinster with experience as a school librarian.But when The Honorable Peregrine Sullivan arrives for a weekend of hunting with Alex’s stepbrother and immediately notices that the librarian is not who she appears to be, she finds it impossible to keep her distance.With her elaborate scheme unraveling and her future in jeopardy, Alex must rely on her wits—and her new love—to make sure justice is served.


Dark Nights by Christine Feehan

In a cave of mystery and wonder deep in the Carpathian Mountains, bodyguard Joie Sanders encounters a most remarkable being. Proud, strong, immortal, he is called Traian--an ageless hunter locked in a life-and-death battle with enemy vampires--and he will be her salvation in a labyrinth protected by the ingenious traps of a mysterious ancient race. 

What awaits them in the darkness is not known, and each step could be their last--as their destined path leads them toward a fiery passion that will illuminate the perilous dark night.

Vanished in the Night by Eileen Carr


Veronica Osborne has had enough problems with the police, thanks to her volatile father. So when tall, strapping Sergeant Zach McKnight shows up at her door, she's prepared for anything--except the news that her beloved missing brother, Max, has been dead for nearly twenty years . . . ever since he ran away.
"until she meets one who'd risk everything to protect her."

Appalled when the police suspect her father of Max's murder, Veronica begins her own investigation. But as her surprising role in her brother's disappearance surfaces, so do more bodies. The ghosts of Max's past are working hard to hide the truth, while another, more sinister force will do anything to expose it. How far will a killer go to get revenge? And can Zach stop him before he targets the woman Zach's coming to love?



Courting Carolina by Janet Chapman

While building a wilderness trail for a new five-star resort in Spellbound Falls, underachieving playboy Alec MacKeage rescues a beautiful woman who is being chased by kidnappers and agrees to let her hide out with him for a few days. But when those days stretch past a week, Alec finds himself fighting his attraction to the mysterious Jane Smith—despite knowing the woman isn’t who she claims to be. Then again, neither is he…

On the run from her own life, Jane is really Carolina Oceanus—and she’ll do anything to avoid the six ancient-minded men her father has brought to Maine to vie for her hand in marriage. But as the maddening competition heats up, Carolina realizes that she’ll have to come clean to Alec, the seductive loner who’s managed to capture her heart…


Texas Bride by Joan Johnston

Miranda Wentworth never imagined becoming a mail-order bride. Now marriage to a stranger is her only hope of finding a home where she and her two younger brothers can escape the brutality of the Chicago orphanage where they live. With any luck, she can even start a family of her own, once the three of them are settled at Jacob Creed’s Texas ranch. But Miranda has one gigantic concern: Her husband-to-be knows nothing about the brothers she’s bringing along. What if he calls off the deal when he discovers the trick she’s played on him?

Jake Creed is hanging on to his Texas ranch by his fingernails. His nemesis, Alexander Blackthorne, is determined to ruin him. Jake will never give up, but he’s in desperate trouble. His wife died six months ago in childbirth, along with their stillborn son, and his two-year-old daughter needs a mother. The advertisement Jake wrote never mentioned his daughter—or the fact that he has no intention of consummating his marriage. He’s determined never to subject another wife to the burden of pregnancy. But Jake doesn’t count on finding his bride so desirable. He doesn’t count on aching with need when she joins him in bed. And he never suspected his bride would have plans of her own to seduce him.

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Gripping Reads for Teens and Tweens

The Case of the Peculiar Pink Fan by Nancy Springer

When Enola Holmes encounters her friend Lady Cecily hiding behind a pink fan, she finds it peculiar. In fact, she realizes Cecily is in danger! But what, exactly, is the matter? And how can Enola help? After examining the clues, Enola discovers Lady Cecily is being held hostage in an abysmal orphanage, and if she isn?t rescued, she?ll be forced into a miserable marriage! 

This complicated case has Sherlock and Enola (literally) running into each other all over London. If Enola joins forces with the brother she has fought desperately to elude, she risks her freedom?yet, if she doesn?t, Lady Cecily could be doomed!


Forever by Maggie Stiefvater

then.--When Sam met Grace, he was a wolf and she was a girl. Eventually he found a way to become a boy, and their loved moved from curious distance to the intense closeness of shared lives.

now.--That should have been the end of their story. But Grace was not meant to stay human. Now she is the wolf. And the wolves of Mercy Falls are about to be kill in one final, spectacular hunt.

forever.--Sam would do anything for Grace. But can one boy and one love really change a hostile, predatory world? The past, the present, and the future are about to collide in one pure moment - a moment of death or life, farewell or forever.


The Agency: A Spy in the House by Y.S. Lee

Rescued from the gallows in 1850s London, young orphan (and thief) Mary Quinn is surprised to be offered a singular education, instruction in fine manners — and an unusual vocation. Miss Scrimshaw’s Academy for Girls is a cover for an all-female investigative unit called The Agency, and at seventeen, Mary is about to put her training to the test. Assuming the guise of a lady’s companion, she must infiltrate a rich merchant’s home in hopes of tracing his missing cargo ships. 

But the household is full of dangerous deceptions, and there is no one to trust — or is there? Packed with action and suspense, banter and romance, and evoking the gritty backstreets of Victorian London, this breezy mystery debuts a daring young detective who lives by her wits while uncovering secrets — including those of her own past.

The Good Neighbors by Holly Black and Ted Naifeh

Rue Silver's mother has disappeared . . . and her father has been arrested, suspected of killing her. But it's not as straightforward as that. Because Rue is a faerie, like her mother was. 

And her father didn't kill her mother -- instead, he broke a promise to Rue's faerie king grandfather, which caused Rue's mother to be flung back to the faerie world. Now Rue must go to save her -- and must also defeat a dark faerie that threatens our very mortal world.

Fathomless by Jackson Pearce

Celia Reynolds is the youngest in a set of triplets and the one with the least valuable power. Anne can see the future, and Jane can see the present, but all Celia can see is the past. And the past seems so insignificant -- until Celia meets Lo.

Lo doesn't know who she is. Or who she was. Once a human, she is now almost entirely a creature of the sea -- a nymph, an ocean girl, a mermaid -- all terms too pretty for the soulless monster she knows she's becoming. Lo clings to shreds of her former self, fighting to remember her past, even as she's tempted to embrace her dark immortality.

When a handsome boy named Jude falls off a pier and into the ocean, Celia and Lo work together to rescue him from the waves. The two form a friendship, but soon they find themselves competing for Jude's affection. Lo wants more than that, though. According to the ocean girls, there's only one way for Lo to earn back her humanity. She must persuade a mortal to love her . . . and steal his soul.


Geek Girl by Cindy Bennett

"Think I can turn that boy bad?" 17-year-old Jen turns her life upside down when, out of boredom, she makes a bet that she can turn school geek Trevor into someone like her. Instead, the goth girl finds herself sucked into his world of sci-fi movies, charity work, and even-ugh!-bowling. 

To truly belong with him-and with her new foster family-she must first come to terms with her violent past.


Eyes Like Stars by Lisa Mantchev

All her world’s a stage
Enter Stage Right

Beatrice Shakespeare Smith (Bertie): Our heroine.
Nate: A dashing pirate who will do anything to protect Bertie.
Cobweb, Moth, Mustardseed, and Peaseblossom: Four tiny, mischievous fairies, and Bertie’s loyal sidekicks.
Ariel: A seductive air spirit. Disaster follows in his wake, but Bertie simply cannot resist him.

Welcome to the Théâtre Illuminata, where the characters of every play ever written can be found behind the curtain. The actors are bound to the Théâtre by The Book, an ancient and magical tome of scripts. Bertie is not one of the actors, but they are her family. And she is about to lose them all because The Book has been threatened, and along with it the Théâtre. It’s the only home Bertie has ever known, and she has to find a way to save it. But first, there’s the small problem of two handsome men, both vying for her attention. The course of true love never did run smooth.


All the Things I've Done by Gabrielle Zevin

In 2083, chocolate and coffee are illegal, paper is hard to find, water is carefully rationed, and New York City is rife with crime and poverty. And yet, for Anya Balanchine, the sixteen-year-old daughter of the city's most notorious (and dead) crime boss, life is fairly routine. It consists of going to school, taking care of her siblings and her dying grandmother, trying to avoid falling in love with the new assistant D.A.'s son, and avoiding her loser ex-boyfriend. That is until her ex is accidently poisoned by the chocolate her family manufactures and the police think she's to blame. 

Suddenly, Anya finds herself thrust unwillingly into the spotlight--at school, in the news, and most importantly, within her mafia family.

Stork by Wendy Delsol

Family secrets. Lost memories. And the arrival of an ancient magical ability that will reveal everything.

Sixteen-year-old Katla LeBlanc has just moved from Los Angeles to Minnesota. As if it weren’t enough that her trendy fashion sense draws stares, Katla soon finds out that she’s a Stork, a member of a mysterious order of women tasked with a very unique duty. But Katla’s biggest challenge may be finding her flock at a new school. Between being ignored by Wade, the arrogant jock she stupidly fooled around with, and constantly arguing with gorgeous farm boy and editor-in-chief Jack, Katla is relieved when her assignment as the school paper’s fashion columnist brings with it some much-needed friendship. But as Homecoming approaches, Katla uncovers a shocking secret about her past — a secret that binds her fate to Jack’s in a way neither could have ever anticipated.


Pegasus by Robin McKinley

Because she was a princess, she had a pegasus....

Princess Sylviianel has always known that on her twelfth birthday she too would be bound to her own pegasus. All members of the royal family have been thus bound since the Alliance was made almost a thousand years ago; the binding system was created to strengthen the Alliance, because humans and pegasi can only communicate formally, through specially trained Speaker magicians. Sylvi is accustomed to seeing pegasi every day at the palac, but she still finds the idea of her binding very daunting. The official phrase is that your pegasus is your "Excellent Friend." But how can you be friends with someone you can't talk to?

But everything is different for Sylvi and Ebon from the moment they meet at her binding - when they discover they can talk to each other. They form so close a bond that it becomes a threat to the status quo - and possibly to the future safety of their two nations. For some of the magicians believe there is a reason humans and pegasi should not fully understand each other...

Sunday, December 16, 2012

Young Adult -- New York Times Best Seller List (12/16/2012)

Note: 
Titles highlighted in BLUE are currently available for checkout.
Titles highlighted in RED have been ordered and will be available for checkout soon.



FICTION

1 The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
2 Divergent by Veronica Roth
3 The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
4 Insurgent by Veronica Roth
5 The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
6 Looking for Alaska by John Green
7 Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
8 Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
9 The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater
10 Every Day by David Levithan


New York TImes Best Seller List (12/16/2012)

Note: 
Titles highlighted in BLUE are currently available for checkout.
Titles highlighted in RED have been ordered and will be available for checkout soon.



FICTION

1 Cold Days by Jim Butcher 
2 The Black Box by Michael Connelly
3 Notorious Nineteen by Janet Evanovich
4 The Forgotten by David Baldacci
5 The Racketeer by John Grisham
6 Agenda 21 by Glenn Beck and Harriet Parke
7 Merry Christmas, Alex Cross by James Patterson
8 The Last Man by Vince Flynn
9 Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
10 The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling
11 Flight Behavior by Barbara Kingsolver
12 Cross Roads by Wm. Paul Young
13 Winter of the World by Ken Follett
14 The Round House by Louise Erdrich
15 The Time Keeper by Mitch Albom


NON-FICTION

1 Killing Kennedy by Bill O'Reilly 
2 Thomas Jefferson by Jon Meacham
3 Killing Lincoln by Bill O'Reilly
4 No Easy Day by Mark Owen
5 America Again by Stephen Colbert
6 The Signal and the Noise by Nate Silver
7 The Last Lion by William Manchester
8 Antifragile by Nassim Nicholas Taleb
9 Roll Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die by Willie Nelson
10 Tap Dancing to Work by Carol J. Loomis
11 Waging Heavy Peace by Neil Young 
12 Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand 
13 Far From the Tree by Andrew Solomon
14 Bruce by Peter A. Carlin 
15 The Joy of hate by Greg Gutfeld   

Friday, December 14, 2012

New Larger Print Romance Titles Available

The Wrong Man For Her by Kathryn Shay

Nick Logan had a gift for counseling teens who came from violent homes, but his job at the Rockford Crime Victims' Center wasn't easy. Three years ago he and Madelyn Walsh had started out as coworkers and turned into lovers. Until he'd broken their engagement, convinced anyone else would make a better husband. Now Madelyn was "Dr." Walsh and the boss. Their new relationship was about rules-- not romance-- and she wasn't about to let herself fall for him again. 

But time had taught Nick a thing or two about love-- like not worrying too much about being wrong for her if she was right for him.

The Other Woman's Son by Darlene Gardner

Clay Dillon is everyone's hero--especially to his family. So when his kid sister needs a kidney, he tracks down Jenna Wright. Jenna's the only one who can help, but to gain her trust he has to lie. Jenna believes Clay can be everything to her until she finds out who he really is--the son of the woman who ruined her life. In that instant Jenna's dreams for a future with Clay dissolve.

Jenna is in so deep, she actually considers doing what Clay asks. But how can she help his family at the expense of her own?


Independence Day by Amy Frazier

She won't be taken for granted!
By tossing the laundry out the bedroom window, Chessie McCabe announces to her teenage daughters and her husband, Nick—and the rest of Pritchard's Neck—she's on strike until her needs are met. 

But who could have foreseen what her personal rebellion would dredge up? Certainly not Chessie.


Patricia Cornwell's The Bone Bed

Patricia Cornwell talks about the idea for the title of her latest installment, The Bone Bed. This is the 20th installment in the long running Kay Scarpetta series that started in 1990 with Post Mortem. Patricia Cornwell has sold 100 million books around the world. Patricia discusses the research for The Bone Bed

Thursday, December 13, 2012

Sizzling Reads for Teens and Tweens

Behind the Bookcase by Mark Steensland

Spending the summer at her grandmother's house is the last thing Sarah wants to do—especially now that Grandma Winnie has died—but she has no choice. Her parents have to fix the place up before they can sell it, and Sarah and her brother, Billy, have to help. But the tedious work turns into a thrilling mystery when Sarah discovers an unfinished letter her grandmother wrote: Strange things are happening behind the bookcase. . . . 

Sarah's mother dismisses the letter as one of Grandma Winnie's crazy stories, but Sarah does some investigating and makes a remarkable discovery: behind the bookcase is a doorway into Scotopia, the land where shadows come from. With a talking cat named Balthazat as her guide, Sarah begins an unforgettable adventure into a world filled with countless dangers. Who can she trust? And can she face her fears, not only in Scotopia, but also back at Grandma Winnie's house, where more secrets and strange goings-on await her?


The Spindlers by Lauren Oliver

One night when Liza went to bed, Patrick was her chubby, stubby, candy-grubbing and pancake-loving younger brother, who irritated and amused her both, and the next morning, when she woke up, he was not. In fact, he was quite, quite different.

When Liza's brother, Patrick, changes overnight, Liza knows exactly what has happened: The spindlers have gotten to him and stolen his soul.

She knows, too, that she is the only one who can save him.

To rescue Patrick, Liza must go Below, armed with little more than her wits and a broom. There, she uncovers a vast world populated with talking rats, music-loving moles, greedy troglods, and overexcitable nids . . . as well as terrible dangers. But she will face her greatest challenge at the spindlers' nests, where she encounters the evil queen and must pass a series of deadly tests--or else her soul, too, will remain Below forever.


The Peculiar by Stefan Bachmann

Don't get yourself noticed and you won't get yourself hanged.

In the faery slums of Bath, Bartholomew Kettle and his sister Hettie live by these words. Bartholomew and Hettie are changelings--Peculiars--and neither faeries nor humans want anything to do with them.

One day a mysterious lady in a plum-colored dress comes gliding down Old Crow Alley. Bartholomew watches her through his window. Who is she? What does she want? And when Bartholomew witnesses the lady whisking away, in a whirling ring of feathers, the boy who lives across the alley--Bartholomew forgets the rules and gets himself noticed.

First he's noticed by the lady in plum herself, then by something darkly magical and mysterious, by Jack Box and the Raggedy Man, by the powerful Mr. Lickerish . . . and by Arthur Jelliby, a young man trying to slip through the world unnoticed, too, and who, against all odds, offers Bartholomew friendship and a way to belong.

Part murder mystery, part gothic fantasy, part steampunk adventure, "The Peculiar" is Stefan Bachmann's riveting, inventive, and unforgettable debut novel.


Here Where the Sunbeams Are Green by Helen Phillips

Mad's dad is the Bird Guy. He'll go anywhere to study birds. So when he's offered a bird-tracking job in Central America, his bags are packed and he's jungle bound.

But going bird tracking in the jungle and disappearing completely are very different things, and when the Very Strange and Incredibly Creepy Letter arrives, Mad can't shake the terrible feeling that her father is in trouble.

Roo, Mad's younger sister, is convinced that the letter is a coded message. And their mom is worried, because the letter doesn't sound like Dad at all. But Mad is sure it's a sign of something sinister.

The only way to get to the bottom of it is to go to Lava Bird Volcano and find their dad themselves. Though they never could have imagined what they're about to discover.


Wereworld: Rise of the Wolf by Curtis Jobling

A swashbuckling new series for Ranger's Apprentice fans
Imagine a world ruled by Werelords - men and women who can shift at will into bears, lions, and serpents. When Drew suddenly discovers he's not only a werewolf but the long-lost heir to the murdered Wolf King's throne, he must use his wits and newfound powers to survive in a land suddenly full of enemies. 


Drew's the only one who can unite the kingdom in a massive uprising against its tyrant ruler, Leopold the Lion. But the king is hot on Drew's tail and won't rest until he's got the rebel Wolf's head

The Cloak Society by Jeramey Kraatz

The Cloak Society: An elite organization of supervillains graced with extraordinary powers.

Ten years ago they were defeated by the Rangers of Justice and vanished without a trace. But the villains of Cloak have been biding their time, waiting for the perfect moment to resurface. And twelve-year-old Alex Knight wants to be one of them.

Alex is already a junior member, and his entire universe is Cloak's underground headquarters, hidden beneath an abandoned drive-in theater in Sterling City, Texas. While other kids his age are studying math and history, Alex is mastering his telekinetic powers and learning how to break into bank vaults. His only dream is to follow in his parents' footsteps as one of the most feared supervillains in the world. Cloak is everything he believes in.

But on the day of his debut mission, Alex does the unthinkable: he saves the life of a young Ranger named Kirbie. Even worse . . . she becomes his friend. And the more time he spends with her, the more Alex wonders about the world outside of Cloak--and what, exactly, he's been fighting for.


Freakling by Lana Krumwiede

In twelve-year-old Taemon’s city, everyone has a power called psi—the ability to move and manipulate objects with their minds. When Taemon loses his psi in a traumatic accident, he must hide his lack of power by any means possible. But a humiliating incident at a sports tournament exposes his disability, and Taemon is exiled to the powerless colony.

The "dud farm" is not what Taemon expected, though: people are kind and open, and they actually seem to enjoy using their hands to work and play and even comfort their children. Taemon adjusts to his new life quickly, making friends and finding unconditional acceptance.

But gradually he discovers that for all its openness, there are mysteries at the colony, too—dangerous secrets that would give unchecked power to psi wielders if discovered.

When Taemon unwittingly leaks one of these secrets, will he have the courage to repair the damage—even if it means returning to the city and facing the very people who exiled him?


The Secret Prophecy by Herbie Brennan

Imagine your father has been found dead. Strange men armed with guns show up at his funeral. And those same men have begun to follow you. Now you're on the run.

When Edward Michael "Em" Goverton uncovers the key to a five-hundred-year-old deadly prediction by the prophet Nostradamus, personal tragedy morphs into international crisis. Soon Em finds himself enmeshed in a sinister web of shocking events where nothing is quite as it seems. Aided by Victor, a mysterious stranger, and Charlotte, a family friend, Em follows a trail of cryptic clues that leads the trio into a conspiracy of world-shattering proportions.

But the ominous forces behind the plot are not about to sit back and let their plans be ruined. Soon their net begins to close in on Em, and it's a race against the clock for the trio to finish what Em's father started--and prevent a catastrophe that threatens the lives of an entire generation. 


Samantha Sutton and the Labyrinth of Lies by Jordan Jacobs

A legendary ghost, an ancient treasure, a mystery only Samantha Sutton can solve.

What happens when Indiana Jones meets Nancy Drew? You get Samantha Sutton, twelve year-old archeology buff with sharp wit and an insatiably curious personality. SAMANTHA SUTTON AND THE LABYRINTH OF LIES is the incredible page-turner about a young girl from California who is given the chance to follow her archeologist uncle to the excavation of an ancient Peruvian temple.

What she doesn’t expect, though, is the legend haunting this ancient site. When important artifacts begin to disappear overnight, Samantha must navigate the disapproving eye of her uncle’s acerbic assistant, the bungling boyishness of her annoying big brother, and the ever-present stories swirling among the locals of the hysterical spirit that wanders through the town late at night. Using her keen sensibility and her knack for mapping the unknown passageways of Chavín de Huántar, Samantha uncovers a mystery far bigger than she could have ever imagined. This is a novel for children (and adults!) who love history, mystery, and heart-stopping plot-twists.


Tuesdays at the Castle by Jessica Day George

Tuesdays at Castle Glower are Princess Celie's favorite days. That's because on Tuesdays the castle adds a new room, a turret, or sometimes even an entire wing. No one ever knows what the castle will do next, and no one-other than Celie, that is-takes the time to map out the new additions. 

But when King and Queen Glower are ambushed and their fate is unknown, it's up to Celie, with her secret knowledge of the castle's never-ending twists and turns, to protect their home and save their kingdom. 

The Unwanteds by Lisa McMann


Every year in Quill, thirteen-year-olds are sorted into categories: the strong, intelligent Wanteds go to university, and the artistic Unwanteds are sent to their deaths.

Thirteen-year-old Alex tries his hardest to be stoic when his fate is announced as Unwanted, even while leaving behind his twin, Aaron, a Wanted. Upon arrival at the destination where he expected to be eliminated, however, Alex discovers a stunning secret— behind the mirage of the "death farm" there is instead a place called Artime.

In Artime, each child is taught to cultivate their creative abilities and learn how to use them magically, weaving spells through paintbrushes and musical instruments. Everything Alex has ever known changes before his eyes, and it's a wondrous transformation.

But it's a rare, unique occurence for twins to be separated between Wanted and Unwanted, and as Alex and Aaron's bond stretches across their separation, a threat arises for the survival of Artime that will pit brother against brother in an ultimate, magical battle.


Museum of Thieves by Lian Tanner

Welcome to the tyrannical city of Jewel, where impatience is a sin and boldness is a crime.
Goldie Roth has lived in Jewel all her life. Like every child in the city, she wears a silver guardchain and is forced to obey the dreaded Blessed Guardians. She has never done anything by herself and won’t be allowed out on the streets unchained until Separation Day.


When Separation Day is canceled, Goldie, who has always been both impatient and bold, runs away, risking not only her own life but also the lives of those she has left behind. In the chaos that follows, she is lured to the mysterious Museum of Dunt, where she meets the boy Toadspit and discovers terrible secrets. Only the cunning mind of a thief can understand the museum’s strange, shifting rooms. Fortunately, Goldie has a talent for thieving.


Which is just as well, because the leader of the Blessed Guardians has his own plans for the museum—plans that threaten the lives of everyone Goldie loves. And it will take a daring thief to stop him. . . .
Museum of Thieves is a thrilling tale of destiny and danger, and of a courageous girl who has never been allowed to grow up—until now.


The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making by Catherynne Valente

Twelve-year-old September lives in Omaha, and used to have an ordinary life, until her father went to war and her mother went to work. One day, September is met at her kitchen window by a Green Wind (taking the form of a gentleman in a green jacket), who invites her on an adventure, implying that her help is needed in Fairyland. The new Marquess is unpredictable and fickle, and also not much older than September. 

Only September can retrieve a talisman the Marquess wants from the enchanted woods, and if she doesn’t . . . then the Marquess will make life impossible for the inhabitants of Fairyland. September is already making new friends, including a book-loving Wyvern and a mysterious boy named Saturday.

What's New at the Library?

Notorious Nineteen by Janet Evanovich

New Jersey bounty hunter Stephanie Plum is certain of three truths: People don’t just vanish into thin air. Never anger old people. And don’t do what Tiki tells you to do.

After a slow summer of chasing low-level skips for her cousin Vinnie’s bail bonds agency, Stephanie Plum finally lands an assignment that could put her checkbook back in the black. Geoffrey Cubbin, facing trial for embezzling millions from Trenton’s premier assisted-living facility, has mysteriously vanished from the hospital after an emergency appendectomy. Now it’s on Stephanie to track down the con man. Unfortunately, Cubbin has disappeared without a trace, a witness, or his money-hungry wife. Rumors are stirring that he must have had help with the daring escape . . . or that maybe he never made it out of his room alive. Since the hospital staff’s lips seem to be tighter than the security, and it’s hard for Stephanie to blend in to assisted living, Stephanie’s Grandma Mazur goes in undercover. But when a second felon goes missing from the same hospital, Stephanie is forced into working side by side with Trenton’s hottest cop, Joe Morelli, in order to crack the case.

The real problem is, no Cubbin also means no way to pay the rent. Desperate for money—or maybe just desperate—Stephanie accepts a secondary job guarding her secretive and mouthwatering mentor Ranger from a deadly Special Forces adversary. While Stephanie is notorious for finding trouble, she may have found a little more than she bargained for this time around. Then again—a little food poisoning, some threatening notes, and a bridesmaid’s dress with an excess of taffeta never killed anyone . . . or did they? If Stephanie Plum wants to bring in a paycheck, she’ll have to remember: No guts, no glory. 


Timeless Desire by Gwyn Cready

Two years after losing her husband, overworked librarian Panna Kennedy battles to distract herself from crushing Grief, even as she battles to deal with yet another library budget cut. During a routine search within the library’s lower levels, Panna opens an obscure, pad-locked door and finds herself transported to the magnificent, book-filled quarters of a handsome, eighteenth-century Englishman.

She soon recognizes the man as Colonel John Bridgewater, the historic English war hero whose larger-than-life statue loomed over her desk.However, the life of the dashing Bridgewater is not at all what she imagined. He’s under house arrest for betraying England, and now looks upon her a beautiful and unexpected half-dressed visitor as a possible spy.

Despite bad first impressions (on both sides), Bridgewater nonetheless warms to Panna, and pulls her into his escape while both their hearts pull the other headlong into their soul-stirring secrets.Very quickly Panna is thrown into a whirlwind of high-stakes intrigue that sweeps her from Hadrian’s Wall to a forbidding stone castle in Scotland. And somewhere in the outland, Panna must decide if her loyalties lie with her dead husband, or with the man whose life now depends on her.

Friday, December 7, 2012

Get Cozy With A New Large Print Title

Live Wire by Harlan Coben
Myron Bolitar Series #10

When former tennis star Suzze T and her rock star husband, Lex, encounter an anonymous Facebook post questioning the paternity of their unborn child, Lex runs off, and Suzze - at eight months pregnant - asks Myron to save her marriage, and perhaps her husband's life. But when he finds Lex, he also finds someone he wasn't looking for: his sister-in-law, Kitty, who along with Myron's brother abandoned the Bolitar family long ago.

As Myron races to locate his missing brother while their father clings to life, he must face the lies that led to the estrangement - including the ones told by Myron himself. If we thought we knew Myron Bolitar, Coben now proves we didn't. An electric, stay-up-all night thriller that unfolds at a breakneck pace, Live Wire proves that Harlan Coben still has the ability to shock us anew.


True Blue by David Baldacci

A mysterious high-profile homicide in the nation's capital collides with the dark side of national security in David Baldacci's new, heart-stopping thriller: TRUE BLUE.

Mason "Mace" Perry was a firebrand cop on the D.C. police force until she was kidnapped and framed for a crime. She lost everything-her badge, her career, her freedom-and spent two years in prison. Now she's back on the outside and focused on one mission: to be a cop once more. Her only shot to be a true blue again is to solve a major case on her own, and prove she has the right to wear the uniform. But even with her police chief sister on her side, she has to work in the shadows: A vindictive U.S. attorney is looking for any reason to send Mace back behind bars. Then Roy Kingman enters her life.

Roy is a young lawyer who aided the poor until he took a high-paying job at a law firm in Washington. Mace and Roy meet after he discovers the dead body of a female partner at the firm. As they investigate the death, they start uncovering surprising secrets from both the private and public world of the nation's capital.
Soon, what began as a fairly routine homicide takes a terrifying and unexpected turn-into something complex, diabolical, and possibly lethal.


Tough Customer by Sandra Brown
Mitchell and Associates Series #2

Hard-living detective-turned-P.I., Dodge Hanley tries not to dwell on the past. But when he gets a call from Caroline King, “the one” who got away, there’s no time for looking back; their daughter is in trouble.

Caroline has told Berry that Dodge is an old friend they can rely on to prove she didn’t shoot her ex-lover, even though she’s already told the cops she saw the real culprit. It was Oren Starks, Berry insists, a former co-worker fired for stalking her. Dodge believes his daughter…and he’s pretty sure Deputy Ski Nyland does, too, considering how hard he’s working to find Starks. Berry’s told them he’s depraved, and from what they learn, she’s got him pegged. But nut jobs play by their own crazy rules. The only thing clear to Dodge is that Starks is obsessed with having Berry…or killing her, and neither is acceptable to a man who’s determined to right some old wrongs, even if he has to risk his life—not to mention his heart—to do it.


Haven by Kay Hooper
Bishop/Special Crimes Unit Series #13

Another nightmare, in the woods this time. Different: She was running. Trying to escape.

But the same ending. Always the same ending. Another dead girl…


Emma Rayburn was born and raised in Baron Hollow, North Carolina, and it was a quiet life. Then came the accident…and the nightmares—each filled with unshakable visions of darkness, blind panic, and desperate women chased toward inevitable death. With no reports of local women missing or found dead, Emma has written it off to troubled imaginings—night after dreaded night. Until her sister arrives.

Jessie Rayburn, psychic investigator for a firm called Haven, has been estranged from Emma for years. Unresolved issues from Jessie’s past have not only kept them apart but have been clouding Jessie’s unique abilities. A return to her hometown to face a dark and violent incident from years gone by is her chance to regain them. But reconciliation with the past comes with a price. Few people in Baron Hollow are welcoming Jessie back. No one dares to breathe a word. And in this conspiracy of silence, Emma’s nightmares are becoming more vivid than ever.

Even with the help of Noah Bishop, head of the FBI Special Crimes Unit and co-founder of Haven, Jessie and Emma soon find themselves outnumbered by the secrets buried in Baron Hollow—and outrunning an evil that has been festering for years, one that’s targeting Jessie and Emma one last time.


Sweet Talk by Julie Garwood

Attorney and IRS agent Olivia Mackenzie is the kind of tough, wise-cracking, powerful woman fans expect from a Garwood protagonist—but this time she has outdone herself. Olivia is not just any woman, she is every woman; flawed in the familiar ways so many of us are.

On the trail of an elaborate Ponzi scheme, one that threatens to ruin the lives of naïve and unsuspecting victims, Olivia suddenly finds her own life is in danger after she asks questions of the wrong people. She is accustomed to fighting for the underdog, but being vulnerable herself is a very different story. Smart enough to know when enough is enough, Olivia calls for reinforcements.

When she meets FBI Agent Grayson Kincaid there is an immediate and obvious attraction, palpable on both sides. Together they make an excellent team to fight corruption but Olivia is also fighting the immediate and intense attraction she feels for Agent Kincaid, and that may be a battle she is bound to lose.

Thursday, December 6, 2012

What's New for Adults

An Irish Country Wedding by Patrick Taylor
Irish Country Series #7

An Irish Country Wedding is another heart-warming addition to New York Times bestselling author Patrick Taylor's Irish Country series.Love is in the air in the colourful Ulster village of Ballybucklebo, where Dr. Fingal Flahertie O’Reilly has finally proposed to the darling of his youth, Kitty O’Hallorhan. There’s a wedding to be planned, but before O’Reilly can make it to the altar, he and his young colleague, Barry Laverty, M.B., must deal with the usual round of eccentric patients—and crises both large and small.

Being a G.P. in a place like Ballybucklebo often means more than simply splinting broken bones and tending to aches and pains. It can also mean helping a struggling young couple acquire their first home, clearing the name of a cat accused of preying on a neighbor’s prize pigeons, and encouraging a bright working-class girl who dreams of someday becoming a doctor herself. And, if you’re Barry Laverty, still smarting from a painful breakup, there might even be a chance for a new romance with a lovely school teacher, if her passionate political convictions don’t get in the way.

Much has changed in Ballybucklebo, and bigger changes are in store, but the lives and practices of these Irish country doctors remain as captivating and irresistible as ever


Hearts Aglow by Tracie Peterson
Striking a Match Series #2

The future should be bright for Deborah Vandermark, who is now pursuing her interest in medicine alongside Dr. Christopher Clayton, who is courting her. But the lumber town is resistant to the idea of a woman physician, and she feels thwarted at every turn. A more devastating blow occurs, however, when Christopher breaks off their relationship to return home to his troubled family. 

Despite her own love life going awry, Deborah is still intent to be a matchmaker for both her widowed mother and her brother, who has caught the eye of the spit-fire daughter of the local pastor. But what will Deborah do when faced with the truth about Christopher's family? Is there hope for the two of them...or will Jake Wyeth's attentions finally catch Deborah's eye instead?


H10N1 by M.R. Cornelius

A deadly influenza virus rages out of control. There is no easy-fix vaccine. No eleventh-hour containment. Only death. With no workforce, power plants have been shut down, police and fire departments have collapsed, crops lie unpicked in the fields.

When Dr. Taeya Sanchez finds herself unceremoniously dismissed from an emergency medical facility in New York, she decides to steal the hospital's armored van for a midnight escape. Unfortunately, Rick DeAngelo, a driver for the hospital, has already stocked the van for his own getaway.

Thrown into an unfriendly alliance, these two must pick their way across the dangerous wasteland of America in search of a safe haven. And as the miles roll by, they discover that the living should be feared much more than the festering corpses out there.


Kiss of Snow by Nalini Singh
Psy-Changeling Series #10

Since the moment of her defection from the PsyNet and into the SnowDancer wolf pack, Sienna Lauren has had one weakness. Hawke. Alpha and dangerous, he compels her to madness.

Hawke is used to walking alone, having lost the woman who would've been his mate long ago. But Sienna fascinates the primal heart of him, even as he tells himself she is far too young to handle the wild fury of the wolf.

Then Sienna changes the rules-and suddenly, there is no more distance, only the most intimate of battles between two people who were never meant to meet. Yet as they strip away each other's secrets in a storm of raw emotion, they must also ready themselves for a far more vicious fight...

A deadly enemy is out to destroy SnowDancer, striking at everything they hold dear, but it is Sienna's darkest secret that may yet savage the pack that is her home-and the alpha who is its heartbeat.


Oil! by Upton Sinclair

In Oil! Upton Sinclair fashioned a novel out of the oil scandals of the Harding administration, providing in the process a detailed picture of the development of the oil industry in Southern California. 

Bribery of public officials, class warfare, and international rivalry over oil production are the context for Sinclair's story of a genial independent oil developer and his son, whose sympathy with the oilfield workers and socialist organizers fuels a running debate with his father. Senators, small investors, oil magnates, a Hollywood film star, and a crusading evangelist people the pages of this lively novel.



Hanging in Wild Wind by Ralph Cotton

Arizona Ranger Sam Barrack tracks Silva "The Snake" Ceran and his gang to a Badlands outpost called Wild Wind. 

But one of the outlaws is Kitty Dellaros-a woman who is beautiful, deadly, and even harder to kill than the snake she rides with...



Spirit Bound by Christine Feehan 
Sisters of the Heart Series #2

Lethal undercover agent Stefan Prakenskii knew a thousand ways to kills a man—and twice as many ways to pleasure a woman. That’s what made him look forward to his new mission: arrive in the coastal town of Sea Haven and insinuate himself in the life of an elusive beauty who had mysterious ties to his past, and a link to a dangerously seductive, and equally elusive master criminal who wanted only one thing: to possess her.

Judith Henderson was an artist on the rise—an ethereal, and haunted woman whose own picture-perfect beauty stirred the souls of two men who have made her their obsession. For years she has been waiting for someone to come and unlock the passion and fire within her—waiting for the right man to surrender it to. But only one man can survive her secrets, and the shadow she has cast over both their lives.