Tuesday, February 28, 2012

New Reads for our Young Readers


The Doll in the Garden by Mary Downing Hahn

She had been warned never to go there...But as ten year-old Ashely followed the beautiful white cat through a small opening in the hedge, she stepped into an enchanted place...A place where she might find the answers...Who is the little girl with golden curls and the huge sad eyes?Whose voice cries out in the dark of night? Why does the white cat cast no shadow in the moonlight? Who is the owner of the beautiful doll found buried in the garden? And if Ashely discovers the truth, Can she ever go back...?


The Tiger Rising by Kate DiCamillo

The National Book Award finalist from the best-selling author of BECAUSE OF WINN-DIXIE - now in paperback
Walking through the misty Florida woods one morning, twelve-year-old Rob Horton is stunned to encounter a tiger - a real-life, very large tiger - pacing back and forth in a cage. What’s more, on the same extraordinary day, he meets Sistine Bailey, a girl who shows her feelings as readily as Rob hides his. As they learn to trust each other, and ultimately, to be friends, Rob and Sistine prove that some things - like memories, and heartaches, and tigers - can’t be locked up forever.

Monday, February 27, 2012

What's New in Adult Fiction





D.C. Dead by Stuart Woods (Stone Barrington Series #22)


After a shocking loss, Stone Barrington is at loose ends, unsure if he wants to stay in New York and continue his work as a partner at Woodman & Weld. It comes as a welcome relief when he's summoned to Washington, D.C., by President Will Lee. The president has a special operation that calls for Stone's unique skill set, and it's a mission that will reunite him with his former partner in bed and in crime, Holly Barker.


Love Finds You in Groom Texas by Janice Hanna

Always the groomsman, never the groom It?'s 1914, and Jake O Farrell has gained an unusual reputation among the locals: He?'s played the roles of groomsman and best man in all four of his older brothers weddings, but he?'s never been able to find the woman to capture his heart. And now with the upcoming wedding of his best friend, Jake will become the last single man in the town of Groom. 

Anne Denning has made the difficult decision to move with her sisters to Texas, but a train derailment forces them to seek shelter in Groom, near Amarillo. Mrs. O Farrell, hopeful that Anne will catch her youngest son's eye, invites the girls to stay at her home until the train is repaired and ready to pull out. Anne has no idea of the blissful chaos that lies ahead


Lydia's Charm by Wanda Brunstetter

Widowed and jobless, Lydia King moves her son and herself to Charm, Ohio, to be close to her mother and help with her grandfather. Menno Troyer, a furniture store owner, is also recently widowed and the father of four energetic boys. Levi Stutzman, another newcomer to the area, is the only one in his family not handicapped by dwarfism and has dedicated his life to caring for them. As fall colors the countryside, will anonymous gifts left for Lydia bring her hope for a new life and romance, or will another tragedy flood her with infinite despair?



Summer Hill Secrets (Volume One) by Beverly Lewis

Volume One includes the original titles Whispers Down the Lane, Secret in the Willows, Catch a Falling Star, Night of the Fireflies, and A Cry in the Dark. 

Set in rural Pennsylvania's Amish country, SummerHill Secrets follows the true-to-life struggles and heartfelt triumphs of fourteen-year-old Merry Hanson. Preteen girls will come to love, laugh, and cry with the impulsive Merry as she encounters intriguing mysteries while also struggling to be the best she can be in God's eyes. 



Summer Hill Secrets (Volume Two) by Beverly Lewis

Volume Two contains House of Secrets, Echoes in the Wind, Hide Behind the Moon, Windows on the Hill, and Shadows Beyond the Gate. 

Set in rural Pennsylvania's Amish country, SummerHill Secrets follows the true-to-life struggles and heartfelt triumphs of sixteen-year-old Merry Hanson. Teen girls will come to love, laugh, and cry with the impulsive Merry as she encounters intriguing mysteries while also struggling to be the best she can be in God's eyes. 

Sunday, February 26, 2012

New York Times Best Seller List (2/26/12)

FICTION BEST SELLERS

1       Kill Shot by Vince Flynn


2       Catch Me by Lisa Gardner

 
3      
Defending Jacob by William Landay
 
4       Private: #1 Suspect by James Patterson

 
5      
11/23/63 by Stephen King
 
6       Death Comes to Pemberley by P.D. James
 
7       Home Front by Kristin Hannah


8      Taken by Robert Crais
 
9       The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larsson

 
10    
Left For Dead by J.A. Jance
 
11    
Raylan by Elmore Leonard
 
12    
No Mark Upon Her by Deborah Crombie

13     A Dance With Dragons by George R.R. Martin
 
14     The Litigators by John Grisham

 
15     The Fear Index by Robert Harris

16
    The Paris Wife by Paula McLain
_______________________________

NON-FICTION BEST SELLERS


1      Ameritopia by Mark R. Levin

2
     Hilarity Ensues by Tucker Max

     American Sniper by Chris Kyle with Scott McEwen and Jim DeFelice

 
4      Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson



5      Killing Lincoln by Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard

6     
Quiet by Susan Cain

7      Once Upon A Secret by Mimi Alford

8      Bringing Up Bebe by Pamela Druckerman

9      Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo

10    Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand

11    Through My Eyes by Tim Tebow with Nathan Whitaker

12    Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman


13
    Coming Apart by Charles Murray

14    The Science of Yoga by William J. Broad

15    Ali in Wonderland by Ali Wentworth


16    All There Is by Dave Isay

Note: Titles highlighted in BLUE are currently available for checkout. 

Saturday, February 25, 2012

Pick up one of our new 2012 Caldecott Honor Books for Children





Blackout by John Rocco


A 2012 Caldecott Honor Book
 
One hot summer night in the city, all the power goes out. The TV shuts off and a boy wails, "Mommm!" His sister can no longer use the phone, Mom can't work on her computer, and Dad can't finish cooking dinner. What's a family to do? When they go up to the roof to escape the heat, they find the lights--in stars that can be seen for a change--and so many neighbors it's like a block party in the sky! On the street below, people are having just as much fun--talking, rollerblading, and eating ice cream before it melts. The boy and his family enjoy being not so busy for once. They even have time to play a board game together. When the electricity is restored, everything can go back to normal . . . but not everyone likes normal. The boy switches off the lights, and out comes the board game again.

Using a combination of panels and full bleed illustrations that move from color to black-and-white and back to color, John Rocco shows that if we are willing to put our cares aside for a while, there is party potential in a summer blackout.


Me...Jane by Patrick McDonnell

A 2012 Caldecott Honor Book
 
A New York Times Best Illustrated Children's Book of 2011


In his characteristic heartwarming style, Patrick McDonnell tells the story of the young Jane Goodall and her special childhood toy chimpanzee named Jubilee. As the young Jane observes the natural world around her with wonder, she dreams of "a life living with and helping all animals," until one day she finds that her dream has come true.

One of the world's most inspiring women, Dr. Jane Goodall is a renowned humanitarian, conservationist, animal activist, environmentalist, and United Nations Messenger of Peace. In 1977 she founded the Jane Goodall Institute (JGI), a global nonprofit organization that empowers people to make a difference for all living things.

With anecdotes taken directly from Jane Goodall's autobiography, McDonnell makes this very true story accessible for the very young--and young at heart.

Friday, February 24, 2012

New Titles in Paperbacks

American Assassin by Vince Flynn (Mitch Rapp Series # 11)

Before he was considered a CIA superagent, before he was thought of as a terrorist’s worst nightmare, and before he was both loathed and admired by the politicians on Capitol Hill, Mitch Rapp was a gifted college athlete without a care in the world . . . and then tragedy struck.

Two decades of cutthroat, partisan politics has left the CIA and the country in an increasingly vulnerable position. Cold War veteran and CIA Operations Director Thomas Stansfield knows he must prepare his people for the next war. The rise of Islamic terrorism is coming, and it needs to be met abroad before it reaches America’s shores. Stansfield directs his protégée, Irene Kennedy, and his old Cold War colleague, Stan Hurley, to form a new group of clandestine operatives who will work outside the normal chain of command—men who do not exist.

What type of man is willing to kill for his country without putting on a uniform? Kennedy finds him in the wake of the Pan Am Lockerbie terrorist attack. Two-hundred and seventy souls perished that cold December night, and thousands of family and friends were left searching for comfort. Mitch Rapp was one of them, but he was not interested in comfort. He wanted retribution.

Six months of intense training has prepared him to bring the war to the enemy’s doorstep, and he does so with brutal efficiency. Rapp starts in Istanbul, where he assassinates the Turkish arms dealer who sold the explosives used in the Pan Am attack. Rapp then moves onto Hamburg with his team and across Europe, leaving a trail of bodies. All roads lead to Beirut, though, and what Rapp doesn’t know is that the enemy is aware of his existence and has prepared a trap. The hunter is about to become the hunted, and Rapp will need every ounce of skill and cunning if he is to survive the war-ravaged city and its various terrorist factions.

Bloody River Blues by Jeffrey Deaver (John Pellam Series # 2)

Hollywood location scout John Pellam thought the scenic backwater town of Maddox, Missouri, would be the perfect site for an upcoming "Bonnie and Clyde"-style film. But after real bullets leave two people dead and one cop paralyzed, he's more sought after than the Barrow Gang. Pellam had unwittingly wandered onto the crime scene just minutes before the brutal hits. Now the feds and local police want him to talk. Mob enforcers want him silenced. And a mysterious blonde just wants him. 

Trapped in a town full of sinister secrets and deadly deceptions, Pellam fears that death will imitate art, as the film shoot -- and his life -- race toward a breathtakingly bloody climax.

Crunch Time by Diane Mott Davidson (Goldy Bear Culinary Mystery Series # 16)


Colorado caterer Goldy Schulz cooks up big trouble as she tries to help her longtime friend and fellow chef Yolanda Garcia. When the rental house shared by Yolanda and her irrepressible aunt Ferdinanda is destroyed by arson, the pair move in with cop-turned-PI Ernest McLeod. But then Ernest is shot dead and his house is set on fire, nearly killing Goldy, Yolanda, Ferdinanda, and nine beagle puppies that Ernest had recently rescued from a puppy mill.

Concerned for her friends, Goldy invites them to stay with her while the sheriff’s department investigates. Yet even Goldy’s house isn’t safe, and after a failed break-in by an unknown intruder a cop is sent to keep an eye on things. Then a second body is found.

Swapping her chef’s hat for a sleuthing cap, the intrepid Goldy steps up the investigation. But she’s got to move fast. It’s crunch time to close in on a killer, before he can close in on her.


Deep Black: Death Wave by Stephen Coonts (Deep Black Series # 9)

Off the coast of Africa lie the beautiful Canary Islands, a resort destination of millionaires. Underneath this idyllic paradise is one of the most volatile fault lines in the world. There, an alliance between radical Islamic terrorists and a rogue element of the Chinese government is planning to unleash an act of unimaginable geological terrorism that could devastate the U.S. East Coast, striking it with waves up to a thousand feet high. They plan to set off nuclear devices to precipitate a gigantic landslide that will send a death-dealing tsunami across the Atlantic.

In the Central Asian Republic of Tajikistan twelve nuclear warheads, stolen by the Russian Mafia, are about to be smuggled out of the country and delivered into the hands of the conspirators. Charlie and Ilya go on an intercept mission, but before they can retrieve them, the weapons vanish.


Meanwhile, in a hotel in New Jersey, a bestselling author is assassinated to prevent the release of his stranger-than-fiction story about an Islamic plot to change the course of history. Lia, Charlie’s girlfriend, is sent to Berlin to infiltrate the empire of a ruthless Chinese billionaire whose machinations have come to the attention of the NSA. She risks immediate execution if her true identity is revealed.


Their paths all converge in the Canary Islands. Unless the Deep Black team intervenes, the islands could be the epicenter of an apocalypse, with millions of lives---and the entire world order---at stake.


Ghosts and Echoes by Lyn Benedict (Ghost Dusters Mystery Series # 1)

The first book in a new paranormal mystery series featuring Sadie Novak, a professional crime scene cleaner and amateur medium.

Sadie Novak's got the kind of job that kills cocktail chatter dead: she owns Scene-2-Clean a crime scene cleanup company. And if wiping up after murders weren't spooky enough, she can also see and talk to the ghosts of the victims...

When grieving relatives hire Sadie and her employee, ex-cop Zack Bowman, to clean up after the murder-suicide of Trudy and Grant Toth, Sadie figures she's bound to meet at least one chatty ghost. But Kent, the man Sadie first encounters at the scene, is very much alive--so much so, that Sadie soon finds herself agreeing to a date with him.

Then a real ghost shows up--the oddly silent spirit of Trudy, who seems determined to prove that her husband's innocence, and inspires Sadie to track down the real killer. But as she scours the crime scene, Sadie quickly realizes she's in way over her head, that Kent has a strange connection to the dead couple, and that someone wants her to give up the ghost...for good.



Grass Roots by Stuart Woods (Will Lee Series # 4)

Will Lee has returned to his roots to kick off his campaign for the Senate. A prominent lawyer, he has come back to his hometown of Delano, Georgia, to plan his strategies, and to argue an explosively controversial case that could seriously damage his fledgling political career. For Delano is a town with a dark secret -- a smoldering hotbed of racial hatred and moral outrage, held in the thrall of a sinister group called The Elect. Its violent, evil forces will stop at nothing to keep the candidate out of office. 

But Will Lee isn't about to back down, even though it may cost him his career -- and his life.

The Jefferson Key by Steve Berry

Four presidents of the United States have been assassinated—in 1865, 1881, 1901, and 1963—each murder seemingly unrelated. But what if those presidents were all killed for the shocking same reason: a clause contained in the United States Constitution? This is the question faced by former Justice Department operative Cotton Malone. 

When President Danny Daniels is nearly killed in the heart of Manhattan, Malone risks his life to foil the murder—only to find himself at odds with the Commonwealth, a secret society of pirates first assembled during the American Revolution. Racing across the nation and taking to the high seas, Malone and Cassiopeia Vitt must break a secret cipher originally possessed by Thomas Jefferson, unravel a mystery concocted by Andrew Jackson, and unearth a document forged by the Founding Fathers themselves—one powerful enough to make the Commonwealth unstoppable. 

The Judas Gate by Jack Higgins

A disturbing tape has made its way to British intelligence, and from them to the new President of the United States: battlefield chatter from an ambush in Afghanistan, in which twelve U.S. Army Rangers and a British medical team died. Most of the Taliban voices are Afghan, but not all of them-the voice of the commander bears an Irish accent. The idea that one of their own could be responsible for such a massacre is appalling, and Sean Dillon is put in charge of hunting down the traitor. 

But Dillon has his own way of doing things and, he will eventually discover, so does his quarry. Dillon will not only be going to war-the war will be coming to him.

The Remains of the Dead by Wendy Roberts
Wicked Appetite by Janet Evanovich

Thursday, February 23, 2012

Now Available: Large Print Paperbacks



All Roads Lead to Texas by Linda Warren
(Home to Loveless County Series #3)

Callie Lambert flees New York with her three young siblings for the small Texas town where she was born, waiting for the day their abusive stepfather is put in jail and it's safe to return to the city. The four of them quickly become attached to Homestead and its people, especially Sheriff Wade Montgomery, a man who knows what it's like to lose everything. But what will happen when he finds out Callie's secret? 

Will he turn her in, or help her at the risk of losing his badge? No matter what the future brings, she's made a promise to bring the kids back home...but what if they're already there?
 

As Big As Texas by K.N. Casper
(Home to Loveless County Series # 2)

Nobody said it would be easy. But Kayla Price hadn't expected it would be this hard to begin a new life with her daughter in the Texas Hill Country town of Homestead. She's excited to join the innovative Home Free program, take ownership of a parcel of land and start a vineyard -- doing everything she can to revitalize the dying town.

And "everything she can" includes helping her neighbor, cowboy Ethan Ritter, set up a riding program for challenged kids.

Turns out hard labor isn't enough to make Kayla's venture a success, and she and Ethan must find out who wants her gone and why they're desperate enough to resort to sabotage.

Back In Texas by Roxanne Rustland
(Home to Loveless County Series #1)

Desperate times call for desperate measures

That's why the dying town of Homestead, Texas, established the Home Free program, offering land grants in exchange for the much-needed professional services modern homesteaders bring with them.

Kristin Cantrell had leaped at the chance to return to her childhood home, accepting subsidized land for herself and her son in exchange for the service she could offer as a physician's assistant. She didn't expect her reputation to be tarnished by a crime her deceased father had supposedly committed. She also didn't expect to see Ryan Gallagher again, even though his father, the senator, practically owned the Hill Country. Now she has to prove not only her father's innocence but also her own.


Because of Our Child by Margot Early

Jen Delazzeri never expected to see Max Rickman again. Their brief but intense affair was a mistake: they were young and he was grief stricken at losing his fiancee in a fire. Besides, he'd told Jen he didn't love her. All good reasons she'd kept their daughter a secret for thirteen years.

Now they're together again on fire duty--he as a smoke jumper, she as a reporter. Max wants to get to know his daughter and wants Jen to help investigate what went wrong at that long-ago tragedy.

Will rekindling their attraction be enough to create the family their daughter needs?



Big Girls Don't Cry by Brenda Novak

Reenie decides that the first step in recovering from her ordeal is to find work; after all, she has three young children to support. She's thrilled when she lands a job at Dundee High teaching history--until Isaac Russell, the man who triggered the unraveling of her marriage, accepts a temporary position teaching science. Then she's tempted to quit. 

Reenie doesn't care if the whole town admires Isaac...and she won't admit that, secretly, she admires him, too. She doesn't want to see him or his sister in "her" town.

But a friendship with the most unlikely woman leads to a relationship with the most unlikely man....


Born Under the Lone Star by Darlene Graham

I promise you, my little one, I'll do everything I can to see that your life is safe and happy. Even if that means giving you up….

Markie McBride has kept a secret locked in her heart—and in her long-lost diary—for eighteen years. And when she finds herself back in Five Points, Texas, face-to-face with Justin Kilgore, she finally tells him what she couldn't all those years ago. They have a son.

Brandon is coming to Five Points to work as an intern on a political campaign against Justin's congressman father. When the inquisitive teenager stumbles upon evidence of his grandfather's corruption, the boy unwittingly puts himself in danger. Markie swore to always keep her son safe—but keeping this vow may mean once again losing the man she loves.


Celebrates 25 Years by Tara Taylor Quinn

A lot can happen, a lot can change, in 25 years.

Best Friends by Tara Taylor Quinn--Jolene and Tina have been best friends for twenty-five years. Too bad Jolene's marriage isn't as solid as her friendship. But who better to talk to about your most intimate problems than your very best friend?

Wade in the Water by Margot Early--Lily Moran is observing a tragic anniversary--her brother's death. She blames herself, just as her parents blame her then-boyfriend, Colin Gardner. For the first time, she's returning home to scatter the ashes of the past and--maybe--find love and peace in the present. With her family...and with Colin.

A Visit from Eileen by Janice Macdonald--Eileen Doyle left Ireland twenty-five years ago to start a new life in California. But nothing turned out as she expected, so she reinvented herself in letters home. Now Eileen has to return to face the truth--and the man who broke her heart.

Coulda Been A Cowboy by Brenda Novak

Grandpa Garnier used to say, Love is like a bucking bronco. It takes guts and determination to hang on, but it's worth the ride.
If only Grandpa was around now to help Tyson Garnier out of this mess. The famous pro football player is suddenly saddled with a very public scandal--and an illegitimate child. Tyson needs a good nanny now if he's going to salvage his career. And plain, no-nonsense Dakota Brown is the ideal candidate.
Dakota doesn't care for football--or for a man who doesn't seem to want his own son. But she needs this job, and that precious little baby needs her.
Dakota isn't Tyson's kind of woman. But the more he sees of her--and the more he sees of his son--the harder he wants to hang on.


Count On Love by Melinda Curtis

It took guts for Annie Raye to come home to Vegas. With a cardsharp for a father and a convicted embezzler for an ex, she's already got two strikes against her. The last thing the struggling single mother needs is some private investigator deep-sixing her chance to go straight! 

Annie, a former gambling protege, isn't going to pull the wool over this ex-soldier's eyes--even if Sam Knight is finding the woman and her daughter impossible to resist. She certainly has an uncanny knack for counting cards, but Sam can read people. 

And everything about Annie tells him she wants the same things he only wishes he could have; a family and a love you can rely on.

Dad For Life by Helen Brenna

Legend has it that the lost bowl of Inca ruler Manco Capac has the power to heal. And the one who finds it will gain the answers he seeks—
 
Lucas Rydall is looking for redemption. His search leads him to his ex-wife, Sydney Mitchell—and the son he didn't know he had. Even as he confronts Sydney, however, Lucas believes in his heart that his family is still better off without him.

But Lucas isn't the only one searching for the legendary bowl—and his reappearance in Sydney's life puts them all in danger.

To save those he cares about, Lucas must put aside his fears and become the man they need.



The Dad Next Door by C.J. Carmichael

His daughter needs her mother. And Gavin Gray will do anything for Tory--even reunite with the woman who abandoned them. That's the only reason they've moved to Squam Lake, his ex-wife's last known address. Now it's a waiting game.

That game has suddenly gotten more complicated. Because of Allison Bennett, the next-door neighbor he never expected to fall in love with. Just as their future looks promising, his ex-wife returns with a past that haunts them all.



A Different Kind of Man by Suzanne Cox

Emalea LeBlanc is a different kind of woman. Nicknamed “ Doc” by the locals, she’ s a psychologist, a member of the volunteer search and rescue team and an avid motorcycle enthusiast. But she’ s haunted by memories of an abusive father and relationships with men who haven’ t been much better.

What she needs is a different kind of man. Someone she can trust. Someone who won’ t hurt her. Jackson Cooper is the new investigator in Cypress Landing, and Emalea believes she knows his type—big, strong, overbearing. Dangerous. But Jackson has a tragic past of his own. And he’ s not exactly the kind of man he appears to be….



Doctor in Her House by Amy Knupp

Katie Salinger has spent most of her adult life looking for the next big adrenaline rush. But the extreme-sports journalist faces her greatest challenge when she returns to Lone Oak, Kansas...and meets the attractive, secretive doctor who's intent on buying her beloved family home.

Ever since he returned from Africa, Dr. Noah Fletcher has been haunted by a tragic loss. His hometown thinks he's a hero, including Katie, the risk taker, who's determined to uncover all his secrets. Noah can't deny their mutual attraction.

But he also can't let her close. Because the last time he fell in love, it almost killed him.

Expectant Father by Melinda Curtis

What not to expect when you're expecting…--Becca Thomas is thrilled to be pregnant, even though it means bringing up her baby alone. At thirty-eight, this may be her last chance to have a child. And she doesn't expect to see Aiden Rodas again—doesn't think that a freewheeling younger man like him would even want to be a father.

Wrong--Aiden may live the life of a devil-may-care wildland firefighter, but he's not going to walk away from his responsibilities, no matter how unexpected they are. His challenge now is making Becca see that their child needs both of them. An even bigger challenge will be to make her realize that this expectant father has fallen in love with a certain mother-to-be!


For the Sake of the Children by Cynthia Reese

Dana Wilson is a single mom and the new school nurse. Lissa's dad, Patrick Connor, is chair of the board of education. They're a perfect match, right? Well, there may be a few wrinkles to iron out first. Wrinkles such as Dana's desire for a calm and predictable life, and Patrick's reluctance to start over.

But the way Lissa--and pretty much everyone else in town--sees it, Dana and Patrick are going to have to get over their hang-ups. Because anyone can tell from the sparks between them that these two are meant to be together.

Now, how to make it happen...?


Her Sister's Child by Cynthia Thomason

Ten years ago, to be exact. Then, Julia Sommerville was just an awestruck student in love with a dashing young professor. Now, after she has saved his life, Cameron Birch sees her for the attractive, alluring woman she’ s become. A woman who proves she has the courage to make extreme decisions by taking in her sister’ s eight-year-old daughter.

However, when Julia finds out Cameron is the unwitting father of little Katie, she faces the hardest choice she’ s ever had to make: tell him and lose the child she has come to love, or lie and lose the man of her dreams for the second time….

A LITTLE SECRET...But a big surprise


More To Texas Than Cowboys by Roz Denny Fox

Out of the mouths of babes…...
 
After a decade away, Greer Bell is returning to Loveless County, hoping for a reconciliation with her family—one that includes their acceptance of her nine-year-old daughter, Shelby. Thanks to the local land-grant program, Greer’ s also the new owner of a dilapidated property she’ s turning into a guest ranch. She’ s risking her financial future on it.

But she’ s risking far more than that on Noah Kelley, the man who wants to marry her despite the town’ s disapproval and all her efforts to discourage him. Shelby, however, is definitely in favor of having Noah as her dad—and sometimes kids know best.

Monday, February 20, 2012

Nonfiction: Something for Everyone



The Complete Photo Guide to Crochet by Margaret Hubert

This is a comprehensive reference book on all aspects of crochet. This book provides a reference for all methods, including Tunisian, filet, intermeshing, broomstick lace, bruges lace, and freeform crochet. Includes step-by-step instructions for all the basic stitches and swatches of 100s of stitch patterns with complete instructions. Also provides instructions and patterns for 50 projects for garments, accessories, and decor items.


The Faith of the American Soldier by Stephen Mansfield

What goes through the mind of an American warrior spiritually and religiously when facing the enemy? Treading where few books have gone, The Faith of the American Soldier examines the religious and spiritual issues in America's wars, and then considers what is lost to our military through a secular approach to battle.

Special attention is paid to the current war in Iraq, where Mansfield reaches surprising conclusions about the need for structured faith on the battlefield-and how its absence contributes to catastrophes like those at Abu Ghraib prison.


The Jedburghs: the Secret History of the Allied Special Forces, France 1944 by Lt. Col. Will Irwin

The first full history of the pioneering Special Forces units of World War II-dropped behind German lines into France to assist with the D-Day landings-told by a former U.S. Special Forces colonel with unique access to surviving veteran.

The story of the Special Forces in World War II has never fully been told before. Information about them began to be declassified only in the 1980s. Known as the Jedburghs, these Special Forces were selected from members of the British, American, and Free French armies to be dropped in teams of three deep behind German lines. There, in preparation for D-Day, they carried out what we now know as unconventional warfare: supporting the French Resistance in guerrilla attacks, supply-route disruption, and the harassment and obstruction of German reinforcements. Always, they operated against extraordinary odds. They had to be prepared to survive pitched battles with German troops and Gestapo manhunts for weeks and months while awaiting the arrival of Allied ground forces. They were, in short, heroes.

The Jedburghs finally tells their story and offers a new perspective on D-Day itself. Will Irwin has selected seven of the Jedburgh teams and told their stories as gripping personal narratives. He has gathered archival documents, diaries and correspondence, and interviewed Jed veterans and family members in order to present this portrait of their crucial role-a role recognized by Churchill and Eisenhower-in the struggle to liberate Europe in 1944-45. 




Jerky: Make Your Own Delicious Jerky and Jerky Dishes Using Beef, Venison, Fish, or Fowl by A.D. Livingston

For backpackers, deer hunters, country-living folks, jackleg cooks, and anyone who wants a snack that isn't junk food, Jerky is a welcome and unique cookbook.


Pinheads and Patriots by Bill O'Reilly


When Bill O'Reilly interviewed then-Senator Barack Obama during the 2008 presidential elections, the two had a lively debate about the nation's future.

Since that time, America has changed rapidly--some would even say seismically. And many believe these shifts are doing more than just rocking the political and social climate; they're rocking the American core.
What are these changes? Who, in addition to President Obama, have been the biggest forces behind them? What exactly do they mean for you, the everyday American citizen? How are they affecting your money, health, safety, freedom, and standing in this nation? Which are Pinheaded moves and which are truly Patriotic? In his latest spirited book, O'Reilly prompts further debate with the President and the American people on the current state of the union.

After five consecutive, no-nonsense, tell-it-like-it-is megabestsellers, you can count on Bill to offer blunt and constructive political commentary. And as he did in his popular memoir, he offers some introspection too, looking back at his own actions and those of past Pinheads and Patriots who have inspired a code of conduct for such taxing times.

As always, O'Reilly is fair, balanced, and uncompromisingly tough when guarding the American way. Only Pinheads would fail to fight for what they love most about this country or to embrace some measure of change to make it better. The rest of us Patriots will read this book to discover the difference between the two.




23 Minutes in Hell by Bill Wiese

What is hell like, and how does one avoid an eternity of torment? Bill Wiese shares his unforgettable experience during which God allowed him to see and feel the agony people endure in hell.
Wiese's visit to the devil's lair lasted just twenty-three minutes, but he returned from this with vivid details etched in his memory. He records an accurate account of his experience in this book, presenting more than three hundred scriptures that verify the horrors he endured and observed.






We Who Are Alive and Remain: Untold Stories from The Band of Brothers by Marcus Brotherton


They were the men of the now-legendary Easy Company. After almost two years of hard training, they parachuted into Normandy on DDay and, later, Operation Market Garden. They fought their way through Belgium, France, and Germany, survived overwhelming odds, liberated concentration camps, and drank a victory toast in April 1945 at Hitler's hideout in the Alps. Here, revealed for the first time, are stories of war, sacrifice, and courage as experienced by one of the most revered combat units in military history. 

In We Who Are Alive and Remain, twenty men who were there and are alive today-and the families of three deceased others-recount the horrors and the victories, the bonds they made, the tears and blood they shed...and the brothers they lost.

Sunday, February 19, 2012

New York Times Best Seller List (2/19/12)

FICTION BEST SELLERS

1       Home Front by Kristin Hannah
 
2       Private: #1 Suspect by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro
    

 
3      
Taken by Robert Crais
 
4      
Defending Jacob by William Landay

 
5      
Death Comes to Pemberley by P.D. James
 
6       11/22/63 by Stephen King
 
7       The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larsson


8       Believing the Lie by Elizabeth George
 
9       Raylan by Elmore Leonard

 
10    
The Litigators by John Grisham
 
11    
A Dance with Dragons by George R.R. Martin

12     The Fear Index by Robert harris

13    
The Paris Wife by Paula McLain

14     The Best of Me by Nicholas Sparks

 
15    The Orphan Master's Son by Adam Johnson

16    Death of Kings by Bernard Cornwell
_______________________________

NON-FICTION BEST SELLERS


1      American Sniper by Chris Kyle with Scott McEwen and Jim DeFelice

2
      Ameritopia by Mark R. Levin

     Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson

4     
Killing Lincoln by Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard

5      Quiet by Susan Cain

6     
Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand

7     Through My Eyes by Tim Tebow and Nathan Whitaker

8     
Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman

9      Coming Apart by Charles Murray

 
10    Fairy Tale Interrupted by RoseMarie Terenzio

11    Elizabeth the Queen by Sally Bedell Smith

12   
In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson
 
13
    Strategic Vision by Zbigniew Brzezinski

14   
Greedy Bastards by Dylan Ratigan

15    Catherine the Great by Robert K. Massie



Note: Titles highlighted in BLUE are currently available for checkout. 

Friday, February 17, 2012

Relax With a Good Movie


Blade Trinity

Blade, now a wanted man by the FBI, must join forces with the Nightstalkers to face his most challenging enemy yet: Dracula. 


The Bourne Ultimatum

Jason Bourne dodges a ruthless CIA official and his agents from a new assassination program while searching for the origins of his life as a trained killer. 


Deliver Us From Eva

Eva Dandridge is a very uptight young woman who constantly meddles in the affairs of her sisters and their husbands. Her in-laws, who are tired of Eva interfering in their lives, decide to set her up with someone so she can leave them alone. They end up paying Ray, the local "playboy," $5,000 to date her. The plan goes by smoothly, but troubles comes when Ray actually falls in love with Eva. 


Doubt

In a Bronx Catholic school in 1964 a popular priest's ambiguous relationship with a troubled 12 year old black student is questioned by the school's principal. 


Family Adventures

This set Includes: "Two Bits And Pepper" - Friends Ty and Katie are kidnapped by two ragtag criminals and now it's up to their horses to bring them home safely. "Spymate" - When a young inventor is kidnapped by an evil scientist, the kung-fu fighting, skateboarding chimp Minkey swings into action. "King Of The Wind" - The courageous story of a mute Arabian boy and his prized Thoroughbred. "Dark Horse" - An inspiring and heartwarming classic about a horse and a rider who are given a second chance. "Gordy" - When Gordy's family is taken to a place from which no pig has ever returned, Gordy faithfully sets off to find them. "Into The West" - Two kids receive a gift beyond their wildest dreams - a magical horse.






Knock Around Guys (includes: A Man Apart, Boiler Room)


Four sons of big-time mobsters team up for one simple job: to retrieve a bag of cash in a small Midwestern town. Unfortunately, they get themselves into more trouble than anyone could imagine in Knockaround Guys. After his wife is brutally murdered, volatile DEA agent Sean Vetter (Vin Diesel) takes down not one, but two of Mexico's most vicious cartel drug lords in the explosive A Man Apart. With its all-star cast, Boiler Room bristles with machismo as it takes you deep inside the relentless, cutthroat and at times ethically-challenged world of high-risk finance. 


Knowing

A teacher opens a time capsule that has been dug up at his son's elementary school; in it are some chilling predictions -- some that have already occurred and others that are about to -- that lead him to believe his family plays a role in the events that are about to unfold. 


Life With Father

A financier from New York rules his numerous family, consisting of his wife and his four sons, with the meticulousity of a bookkeeper. 


Haunting of Winchester House

A family moves in to look after the Winchester mansion for a few months, and soon find themselves terrorized by vengeful spirits. With the help of a paranormal investigator they'll unravel the mystery of the house. 



Red Eye

A woman is kidnapped by a stranger on a routine flight. Threatened by the potential murder of her father, she is pulled into a plot to assist her captor in offing a politician. 


The Riddle

An ambitious London sports journalist, an enigmatic tramp and a police press officer team up to solve a series of murders that follow the discovery of an unpublished manuscript by Charles Dickens in a present day Thames-side pub. 



The Scientology Handbook: Tools For Life

Life’s everyday difficulties and challenges can be overwhelming. Whether it’s a failed marriage, trouble raising a child, problems on the job or simply the desire to achieve your goals, where do you turn for help?
Scientology has answers. What’s more, it provides an exact technology with step-by-step procedures anyone can apply to handle life’s difficulties and to better conditions for yourself and those around you.
This film offers an introduction to basic Scientology principles from The Scientology Handbook—tools you can use to improve any aspect of life.


Urban Revenge (includes: Black Godfather, Black Hooker, Velvet Smooth, TNT Jackson, Super Soul Brother, Jive Turket, Candy Tangerine Man, Brotherhood of Death, Children of the Night, Death of a Prophet, Mr. Mean, Stigma, Black Jesus, Black Force, and Black Force 2.)

Wuthering Heights

Cathy and Heathcliff, two star-crossed lovers destined for doomed romance. Realistic and with authentic locations and atmosphere Leonard Maltin, Wuthering Heights is a riveting, heartbreaking and beautifully realized telling of a classic. Inside the dark and austere farmhouse of Wuthering Heights, the impetuous Cathy first meets Heathcliff an orphan her father rescued from the streets of London. As the two grow up, they spend endless days exploring the sprawling moors of Yorkshire, eventually discovering in each other a fiery, powerful love. But when Cathy is introduced to their wealthy neighbors and promised to marry their son, her social equal a fury is ignited within Heathcliff that can only be extinguished by one thing revenge!