Friday, March 30, 2012

A Captivating Read for our Young Readers





The Fourth Apprentice by Erin Hunter (Warriors: Omen of the Stars Series #1)



After the sharp-eyed jay and the roaring lion, peace will come. . . .

Four warrior Clans have shared the land around the lake as equals for many moons. But a prophecy foretells that three ThunderClan cats will hold the power of the stars in their paws. Jayfeather and Lionblaze know that they are two of the cats in the prophecy. Now the brothers must wait for a sign from StarClan to discover the identity of the third cat.

Meanwhile, Dovekit and Ivykit--kin of the great leader Firestar--are poised to become ThunderClan apprentices. Soon one sister will have an ominous dream--and will begin to realize that she possesses mystical skills unmatched by any other cat.

In the midst of a cruel season that threatens the lives of all four warrior Clans, bonds will be forged, promises made, and three young cats will start to unravel the secrets that bind them together.

Thursday, March 29, 2012

Encyclopedia Britannica switches from print to online version after 200+ years


The latest victim to fall at the hands of modern technology is that long-time staple of many households, the Encyclopaedia Britannica, but don’t shed too many tears because 244 years is a pretty good run. Considering that a ton of information is just a Google search away, I’m kind of surprised the books have lasted this long.

Instead of resisting change, Encyclopaedia Britannica is going with the flow and adapting to the times. While the actual books will no longer be printed, all the information they contain will be made available online. Actually, they made the switch a while back but kept the print version going as well. I guess they wanted to cover all the bases, just in case the whole concept of online research was a passing fad.



I don’t know about you, but the Encyclopaedia Britannica collection was a normal part of the home library when I was growing up. I even vaguely remember a few door-to-door salesmen showing up to try and get us to upgrade to their newest editions.

It’s a little sad to see the books go but I’m glad the company had the wisdom to transform for the 21st century instead of resisting change, which would’ve probably doomed the company completely.

What do you think about the switch to digital? Think any other familiar items will be leaving the physical world to take up residence strictly online? Personally, I envision a future (that’s not too distant) where dictionaries, almanacs, and atlas’ all exist on the web, with no RL counterpart to take up space on bookshelves. It’s exciting but a little sad, too. I love eBooks and eReaders, but nothing that beats thumbing through an actual book.

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Romantic Reads in Larger Print

The Girl Who Came Back by Barbara McMahon

When Eliza Shaw was sixteen, her life was torn apart. False accusations meant the only home she'd ever known - a foster home - was destroyed, and she and her two foster sisters were separated. That same year, tragedy struck Cade Bennett, Eliza's first love, and it ruined their relationship.

Twelve years later Eliza returns to the small Mississippi town where she grew up. Seeing her childhood home brings back emotions Eliza hasn't felt in a long time, and she begins to search for her former foster sisters. Eliza can't ignore the feelings she still has for Cade, either, even though he blames her for his sister's death. But as the truth about the past begins to emerge, Cade and Eliza find themselves growing close. Maybe you really can go home again.



Having Justin's Baby by Pamela Bauer


There's no turning back once Paige makes a colossal mistake that could cost her the best friend she's ever had. How can life possibly stay the same for her and Justin after they spend one passionate night together? If only her fiancè hadn't run off with another woman. And if only Justin hadn't been there to comfort her when she'd been so utterly vulnerable....

But now she's pregnant and Paige can't turn back the clock and things couldn't get any more complicated. Because this innocent little baby puts a whole new spin on the term "just friends."



Her Secret Family by Sherry Lewis

Detective Jolene Preston has the right to expect backup from her partner, but the sexist attitude from the rest of the force is something the narcotic squad's lone woman fights on her own. Until she discovers a thirty-year cover-up, exposing her Cherokee heritage — and a prejudice she can't take on alone.

Mason Blackfox grudgingly helps the rookie trace her family history because he knows personally that lies cause only hurt. But then his own daughter demands to know the truth about her grandparents, and Mason needs the lady cop. She's the only one who can possibly understand.



Monday, March 26, 2012

Delicious Recipes and a Mystery too


Assault and Pepper by Tamara Myers
Pensylvania Dutch Mystery Series: Book # 13

A tasty mystery-with a side of killer chili.  

(Includes six chili recipes)

Magdalena Yoder and her Mennonite congregation gather for the annual chili cook-off, only to have beloved Reverend Schrock fall face-first into his bowl. For his widow's sake, Magdalena begins to look into the victim's death, soon discovering that Schrock wasn't all that well liked by his flock.


Catering to Nobody by Diane Mott Davidson
Goldy Bear Culinary Mystery Series: Book # 1

(Includes recipes)

Catering a wake is not Goldy’s idea of fun. Yet the Colorado caterer throws herself into preparing a savory feast including Poached Salmon and Strawberry Shortcake Buffet designed to soothe forty mourners. And her culinary efforts seem to be exactly what the doctor ordered...until her ex-father-in-law gynecologist Fritz Korman is struck down and Goldy is accused of adding poison to the menu.

Now, with the Department of Health impounding her leftovers, her ex-husband proclaiming her guilt, and her business about to be shut down, Goldy knows she can’t wait for the police to serve up the answers. She’ll soon uncover more than one family skeleton and a veritable stew of unpalatable secrets–the kind that could make Goldy the main course in an unsavory killer’s next murder!

Dying for Chocolate by Diane Mott Davidson
Goldy Bear Culinary Mystery Series: Book #2

(Includes recipes)

The Caterer--Meet Goldy Bear: a bright, opinionated, wildly inventive caterer whose personal life has become a recipe for disaster. She's got an abusive ex-husband who's into making tasteless threats, a rash of mounting bills that are taking a huge bite out of her budget, and two enticing men knocking on her door.

The Dish--Now determined to take control of her life, Goldy moves her business and her son to ritzy Aspen Meadow Country Club, where she accepts a job as a live-in cook. But just as she's beginning to think she's got it made--catering decadent dinners and posh society picnics and enjoying the favors of Philip Miller, a handsome local shrink, and Tom Shulz, her more-than-friendly neighborhood cop--the dishy doctor inexplicably drives his BMW into an oncoming bus.

The Unsavory Killer--Convinced that Philip's bizarre death was no accident, Goldy decides to do a little investigating of her own. But sifting through the unpalatable secrets of the dead doc's life will toss her into a case seasoned with unexpected danger and even more unexpected revelations--the kind that could get a caterer and the son she loves. . .killed.



Home Front by Kristin Hannah

All marriages have a breaking point. All families have wounds. All wars have a cost. . . .

Like many couples, Michael and Jolene Zarkades have to face the pressures of everyday life---children, careers, bills, chores---even as their twelve-year marriage is falling apart. Then an unexpected deployment sends Jolene deep into harm’s way and leaves defense attorney Michael at home, unaccustomed to being a single parent to their two girls. As a mother, it agonizes Jolene to leave her family, but as a solider she has always understood the true meaning of duty. In her letters home, she paints a rose-colored version of her life on the front lines, shielding her family from the truth. But war will change Jolene in ways that none of them could have foreseen. When tragedy strikes, Michael must face his darkest fear and fight a battle of his own---for everything that matters to his family.


At once a profoundly honest look at modern marriage and a dramatic exploration of the toll war takes on an ordinary American family, Home Front is a story of love, loss, heroism, honor, and ultimately, hope.


The Long Way Home by Robin Pilcher

Claire Barclay has returned to the home in Scotland where she spent her teenage years, affording her the chance to spend time with her much-loved stepfather, Leo, her only living parent.  But recognizing that Leo’s health is jeopardized, Claire extends her stay, becoming more and more frustrated as his own grown children seem more concerned about preserving their financial assets than their father's health.

Meanwhile, Claire is desperately trying to avoid Jonas, the old flame who broke her heart many years ago.  In the intervening years, he has become Leo’s neighbor and trusted confidant.   Soon he's asking Claire to trust him again, on a matter which will profoundly affect Leo. Can she forget the past and put her faith in someone who once hurt her so deeply?

Sunday, March 25, 2012

New York Times Best Seller List (3/25/2012)

FICTION BEST SELLERS

1        The Thief by Clive Cussler


2        Lone Wolf by Jodi Picoult

 
3       
A Rising Thunder by David Weber
 
4       Fair Game by Patricia Briggs

 
5      
Kill Shot by Vince Flynn

 
6       Private Games by James Patterson

 
7       Chasing Midnight by Randy Wayne White


8       Celebrity in Death by J.D. Robb

 
9       Defending Jacob by William Landay


10     Victims by Jonathan Kellerman
 
11    
The Wolf Gift by Anne Rice
 
12     11/22/63 by Stephen King


13     A Dance With Dragons by George R.R. Martin
 
14     The Expats by Chris Pavone

 
15     A Perfect Blood by Kim Harrison

 
16
    I've Got Your Number by Sophie Kinsella
_______________________________

NON-FICTION BEST SELLERS


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

2
      The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg

3       Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson

 
4       Killing Lincoln by Bill O'Reilly



5       Quiet by Susan Cain


6      Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand

7     
Ameritopia by Mark R Levin

8     
Bringing Up Bebe by Pamela Druckerman


9     
Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman

10   
Revelations by Elaine Pagels

11   
Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo

12   
Full Service by Scotty Bowers

13
   
Becoming China's Bitch by Peter D. Kiernan

14    Unorthodox by Deborah Feldman


15   
House of Stone by Anthony Shadid

16    Hilarity Ensues by Tucker Max

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

Saturday, March 24, 2012

Intriguing Nonfiction Reads


Broke: the Plan to Restore Our Trust, Truth and Treasure by Glenn Beck

THE FACTS.

THE FUTURE.

THE FIGHT TO FIX AMERICA—

BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE.

In the words of Harvard historian Niall Ferguson, the United States is “an empire on the edge of chaos.” Why? Glenn Beck thinks the answer is pretty simple: Because we’ve turned our backs on the Constitution.

Yes, our country is financially broke, but that’s just a side effect of our broken spirit, our broken faith in government, the broken promises by our leaders, and a broken political system that has centralized power at the expense of individual rights.

There is a lot of work ahead, but we can’t move forward until we first understand how we got here. Starting with the American Revolution, Glenn takes readers on an express train through 234 years of history, culminating with the Great Recession and the bipartisan recklessness of Presidents Bush and Obama. It’s the history lesson we all wished we’d had in school. (Did you know, for example, that FDR once made a key New Deal policy decision based on his lucky number?)

Along the way, you’ll see how everything you thought you knew about the political parties is a lie, how Democrats and Republicans alike used to fight for minimum government and maximum freedom, and how both parties have been taken over by a cancer called “progressivism.” By the end, you’ll understand why no president, no congress and no court can fix this problem alone. Looking toward them for answers is like looking toward the ocean for drinking water— it looks promising, but the end result is catastrophic.

After revealing the trail of lies that brought us here, Broke exposes the truth about what we’re really facing. Most people have seen pieces of the puzzle, but very few have ever seen the whole picture—and for very good reason: Our leaders have done everything in their power to hide it. If Americans understood how dire things really are, they would be demanding radical reform right now. Despite the rhetoric, that’s not the kind of change our politicians really believe in.

Finally, Broke provides the hope that comes with knowing the truth. Once you see what we’re really up against, it’s much easier to develop a realistic plan. To fix ourselves financially, Glenn argues, we have to fix ourselves first. That means some serious introspection and, ultimately, a series of actions that will unite all Americans around the concept of shared sacrifice. After all, this generation may not be asked to storm beaches, but we are being asked to do something just as critical to preserving freedom.


Broken Open: How Difficult Times Can Help Us Grow  by Elizabeth Lesser


In the more than twenty-five years since she co-founded Omega Institute - now the world's largest center for spiritual retreat and personal growth -Elizabeth Lesser has been an intimate witness to the ways in which people weather change and transition. In a beautifully crafted blend of moving stories, humorous insights, practical guidance, and personal memoir, she offers tools to help us make the choice we all face in times of challenge: Will we be broken down and defeated, or broken open and transformed? 

Lesser shares tales of ordinary people who have risen from the ashes of illness, divorce, loss of a job or a loved one - stronger, wiser, and more in touch with their purpose and passion. And she draws on the world's great spiritual and psychological traditions to support us as we too learn to break open and blossom into who we were meant to be.

Thursday, March 22, 2012

Gripping New Titles for Teens


Blue Moon by Alyson Noel
Immortals Series: Book # 2

Just as Ever is learning everything she can about her new abilities as an immortal, initiated into the dark, seductive world by her beloved Damen, something terrible is happening to him.  As Ever’s powers are increasing, Damen’s are fading—stricken by a mysterious illness that threatens his memory, his identity, his life.
Desperate to save him, Ever travels to the mystical dimension of Summerland, uncovering not only the secrets of Damen’s past—the brutal, tortured history he hoped to keep hidden—but also an ancient text revealing the workings of time. With the approaching blue moon heralding her only window for travel, Ever is forced to decide between turning back the clock and saving her family from the accident that claimed them—or staying in the present and saving Damen, who grows weaker each day.

Dreaming Anastasia by Joy Preble
Dreaming Anastasia Series: Book # 1

What really happened to Anastasia Romanov?
Anastasia Romanov thought she would never feel more alone than when the gunfire started and her family began to fall around her. Surely the bullets would come for her next. But they didn't. Instead, two gnarled old hands reached for her. When she wakes up she discovers that she is in the ancient hut of the witch Baba Yaga, and that some things are worse than being dead.

In modern-day Chicago, Anne doesn't know much about Russian history. She is more concerned about getting into a good college until the dreams start. She is somewhere else. She is someone else. And she is sharing a small room with a very old woman. The vivid dreams startle her, but not until a handsome stranger offers to explain them does she realize her life is going to change forever. She is the only one who can save Anastasia. But, Anastasia is having her own dreams.



Evermore by Alyson Noel
Immortals Series: Book # 1

Since a horrible accident claimed the lives of her family, sixteen-year-old Ever can see auras, hear people’s thoughts, and know a person’s life story by touch. Going out of her way to shield herself from human contact to suppress her abilities has branded her as a freak at her new high school—but everything changes when she meets Damen Auguste.

Ever sees Damen and feels an instant recognition. He is gorgeous, exotic and wealthy, and he holds many secrets. Damen is able to make things appear and disappear, he always seems to know what she’s thinking—and he’s the only one who can silence the noise and the random energy in her head. She doesn’t know who he really is—or what he is.  Damen is equal parts light and darkness, and he belongs to an enchanted new world where no one ever dies.
 


Shadowland by Alyson Noel
Immortals Series: Book # 3

Ever and Damen have gone through countless lives and fought off the world’s darkest enemies so they could be together.  But just when an everlasting future is finally within their reach, Damen is struck down by a curse—a dark spell separating him and Ever for eternity.  Now sharing so much as a single touch could bring about Damen’s death…and send him plummeting into the Shadowland, an eternal abyss for lost souls.   Desperate to break the curse and save Damen, Ever immerses her herself in magick.  And in her quest, she gets help from an unexpected source...a surfer named Jude.

Although she and Jude have only just met, he feels startlingly familiar.  Despite her fierce loyalty to Damen, Ever is drawn to Jude, a green-eyed golden boy with magical talents and a mysterious past.  She’s always believed Damen to be her soulmate and one true love—and she still believes it to be true.  But as Damen pulls away to save them from the darkness inhabiting his soul, Ever’s connection with Jude grows stronger—and tests her love for Damen like never before.

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Gripping New DVDs





Big Mommas Like Father Like A Son


FBI agent Malcolm Turner and his stepson Trent go undercover at an all-girls performing arts school after Trent witnesses a murder. 


Endure

After a shocking photo of a young woman is found inside the twisted metal of a fatal car crash, veteran detective Emory Lloyd must risk everything to identify and find the woman before it's too late.


Event Horizon

A rescue crew investigates a spaceship that disappeared into a black hole and has now returned...with someone or something new on-board. 


Leverage: The Art of the Con (Season Three Disc Three)

LEVERAGE, starring Timothy Hutton as a criminal who heads up a gang of con-artists who make it their mission to swindle bad guys who deserve a thorough comeuppance.

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

Sunday, March 18, 2012

New York Times Best Seller List (03/18/2012)

FICTION BEST SELLERS

1        Lone Wolf by Jodi Picoult


2        Victims by Jonathan Kellerman

 
3       
Kill Shot by Vince Flynn
 
4        Celebrity in Death by J.D. Robb

 
5      
Private Games by James Patterson 

 
6       The Wolf Gift by Anne Rice

 
7       Cinnamon Roll Murder by Joanne Fluke


8      
A Perfect Blood by Kim Harrison
 
9       Defending Jacob by William Landay


10     11/22/63 by Stephen King
 
11    
I've Got Your Number by Sophie Kinsella
 
12     Death Comes to Pemberley by P.D. James


13     A Dance With Dragons by George R.R. Martin
 
14     Home Front by Kristin Hannah

 
15     The Trail of the Spellmans: Document #5 by Lisa Lutz

 
16
    The Paris Wife by Paula McLain
_______________________________

NON-FICTION BEST SELLERS


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

2
      Killing Lincoln by Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard


3       Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson

 
4       The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg



5       Becoming China's Bitch by Peter D Kiernan


6      Indivisible by James Robinson and Jay W Richards

7     
Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand

8     
Ameritopia by Mark R Levin

9     
Bringing Up Bebe by Pamela Druckerman

10   
Quiet by Susan Cain

11    Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman


12    Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo


13
   
Unorthodox by Deborah Feldman

14    Once Upon a Secret by Mimi Alford

15    Coming Apart by Charles Murray


16    House of Stone by Anthony Shadid

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

Friday, March 16, 2012

Curl Up With An Amazing Paperback


An Irish Country Village by Patrick Taylor (Irish Country Series # 2)

Young Doctor Barry Laverty has only just begun his assistantship under his eccentric mentor, Dr. Fingal Flahertie O’Reilly, but he already feels right at home in Ballybucklebo. When the sudden death of a patient casts a cloud over Barry’s reputation, his chances of establishing himself in the village are endangered, especially since the grieving widow is threatening a lawsuit.

While he anxiously waits for the postmortem results that he prays will exonerate him, Barry must regain the trust of the gossipy Ulster village, one patient at a time. From a put-upon shop girl with a mysterious rash to the troubled pregnancy of a winsome young lass who’s not quite married yet, Ballybucklebo provides plenty of cases to keep the two country G.P.s busy.

Not all their challenges are medical in nature. When a greedy developer sets his sights on the very heart of the community, the village pub, it’s up to the doctors to save the Black Swan (affectionately known to the locals as the “Mucky Duck”) from being turned into an overpriced tourist trap. After all, the good citizens of Ballybucklebo need some place to drink to each other’s health. . . .

Whether you’ve visited in the past, or are discovering Ballybucklebo for the first time, An Irish Country Village is an ideal location for anyone looking for wit, warmth, and just a touch of blarney.


Moonlight in the Morning by Jude Deveraux (Edilean Series # 6)

Sparks are flying between Jecca Layton and Dr. Tristan Aldredge. At the urging of her dear friend Kim, Jecca put the ruthless New York City art world on hold to spend the summer pursuing her passion for painting while enjoying Edilean's tightly knit artistic community. For years, Kim's cousin Tris -- the town's handsome and dedicated doctor -- felt a deep connection to Kim's college "sister" Jecca, though they had met only once before.

Now, Jecca is swept off her feet by this strong, sensitive man in a summer of sensual delights. But when long shadows announce Jecca's return to "real life" and the big city, the lovers must decide: Can they survive the distance? And who will sacrifice the life they've created for themselves to be together?


The Mortal Bone by Marjorie Liu (Hunter Kiss Series # 4)

When the bond Maxine Kiss shares with the demons tattooed on her skin is deliberately severed, the demon hunter is left vulnerable and unprotected. For the first time in ten thousand years, the demons have a taste of freedom. And as the little demons grow more violent and unpredictable, Maxine starts to fear they will lose their minds without her. Reuniting won't be easy, since a greater temptation waits for these hellions: a chance to return to their lives as Reaper Kings, and unleash hell on Earth.


Shadow Heir by Richelle Mead (Dark Swan Series # 4)

Shaman-for-hire Eugenie Markham strives to keep the mortal realm safe from trespassing entities. But as the Thorn Land's prophecy-haunted queen, there's no refuge for her and her soon-to-be-born-children when a mysterious blight begins to devastate the Otherworld...

The spell-driven source of the blight isn't the only challenge to Eugenie's instincts. Fairy king Dorian is sacrificing everything to help, but Eugenie can't trust the synergy drawing them back together. The uneasy truce between her and her shape shifter ex-lover Kiyo is endangered by secrets he can't--or won't--reveal. And as a formidable force rises to also threaten the human world, Eugenie must use her own cursed fate as a weapon--and risk the ultimate sacrifice.

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Thrilling Reads for Teens (and Adults too!)


Scarlet by A.C. Gaughen

Many readers know the tale of Robin Hood, but they will be swept away by this new version full of action, secrets, and romance.

Posing as one of Robin Hood’s thieves to avoid the wrath of the evil Thief Taker Lord Gisbourne, Scarlet has kept her identity secret from all of Nottinghamshire. Only the Hood and his band know the truth: the agile thief posing as a whip of a boy is actually a fearless young woman with a secret past. Helping the people of Nottingham outwit the corrupt Sheriff of Nottingham could cost Scarlet her life as Gisbourne closes in.

It’s only her fierce loyalty to Robin—whose quick smiles and sharp temper have the rare power to unsettle her—that keeps Scarlet going and makes this fight worth dying for.



The Space Between by Brenna Yovanoff 

Everything is made of steel, even the flowers. How can you love anything in a place like this?

Daphne is the half-demon, half-fallen angel daughter of Lucifer and Lilith. Life for her is an endless expanse of time, until her brother Obie is kidnapped - and Daphne realizes she may be partially responsible. Determined to find him, Daphne travels from her home in Pandemonium to the vast streets of Earth, where everything is colder and more terrifying. With the help of the human boy she believes was the last person to see her brother alive, Daphne glimpses into his dreams, discovering clues to Obie's whereabouts. As she delves deeper into her demonic powers, she must navigate the jealousies and alliances of the violent archangels who stand in her way. But she also discovers, unexpectedly, what it means to love and be human in a world where human is the hardest thing to be.


Torn by Amanda Hocking (Trylle Trilogy # 2)


When Wendy Everly first discovers the truth about herself--that she's a changeling switched at birth--she knows her life will never be the same. Now she's about to learn that there's more to the story... She shares a closer connection to her Vittra rivals than she ever imagined--and they'll stop at nothing to lure her to their side.

With the threat of war looming, her only hope of saving the Trylle is to marry a powerful royal. But that means walking away from Finn, her handsome bodyguard who's strictly off limits...and Loki, a Vittra prince with whom she shares a growing attraction.

Torn between her heart and her people, between love and duty, Wendy must decide her fate. If she makes the wrong choice, she could lose everything, and everybody, she's ever wanted...in both worlds.



When the Sea is Rising Red by Cat Hellisen

After seventeen-year-old Felicita’s dearest friend, Ilven, kills herself to escape an arranged marriage, Felicita chooses freedom over privilege. She fakes her own death and leaves her sheltered life as one of Pelimburg’s magical elite behind. Living in the slums, scrubbing dishes for a living, she falls for charismatic Dash while also becoming fascinated with vampire Jannik. Then something shocking washes up on the beach: Ilven's death has called out of the sea a dangerous, wild magic. 

Felicita must decide whether her loyalties lie with the family she abandoned . . . or with those who would twist this dark power to destroy Pelimburg's caste system, and the whole city along with it.  

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Exciting New Titles This Week


An Irish Country Courtship by Patrick Taylor (Irish Country Series # 5)

Welcome to the colourful Ulster village of Ballybucklebo, where two doctors work hand in hand to mend the bodies and spirits of the town’s diverse and engaging inhabitants. But who is looking after the wounded hearts of the doctors?

After less than a year, young Barry Laverty, M.B., is settling in to the village, with only a few months to go before he becomes a full partner in the practice. He’s looking forward to becoming a fixture in the community, until an unexpected romantic reversal gives him second thoughts. Will he truly be happy tending to routine coughs and colds for the rest of his career? After all, even when a more challenging case comes along, like a rare tropical disease, all he can do is pass it on to a qualified specialist or big-city hospital. As much as Barry enjoys the rough and tumble of life in County Down, is running a humble GP’s shop all he wants out of life?

Barry’s mentor, Doctor Fingal Flahertie O’Reilly, is going through some personal upheavals as well. After mourning his deceased wife for decades, he’s finally allowed a new woman into his life. But this budding courtship is not going over well with Kinky Kincaid, the doctors’ redoubtable housekeeper, who fears having her position usurped by O’Reilly’s new flame. Tact, diplomacy, and a fair amount of blarney may be required to restore peace to the household.

Meanwhile, life goes on in Ballybucklebo, presenting both doctors with plenty of distractions from their own troubles. From a mysterious outbreak at the local school to a complicated swindle involving an unlucky racehorse, the two partners will need all of their combined wit and compassion to put things right again--just in time for their lives to change forever.



An Irish Country Girl by Patrick Taylor (Irish Country Series # 4


Readers of Patrick Taylor’s books know Mrs. Kinky Kincaid as the unflappable housekeeper who looks after two frequently frazzled doctors in the colourful Irish village of Ballybucklebo. She is a trusted fixture in the lives of those around her, and it often seems as though Kinky has always been there.

Nothing could be farther from the truth.

Some forty-odd years before and many miles to the south, the girl who would someday be Kinky Kincaid was Maureen O’Hanlon, a farmer’s daughter growing up in the emerald hills and glens of County Cork. A precocious girl on the cusp of womanhood, Maureen has a head full of dreams, a heart open to romance, and something more: a gift for seeing beyond the ordinary into the mystic realm of fairies, spirits, and even the dreaded Banshee, whose terrifying wail she first hears on a snowy night in 1922....

As she grows into a young woman, Maureen finds herself torn between love and her fondest aspirations, for the future is a mystery even for one blessed with the sight. Encountering both joy and sorrow, Maureen at last finds herself on the road to Ballybucklebo---and the strong and compassionate woman she was always destined to become. 



Out of Control by Mary Connealy (Kincaid Brides Series # 1


Rafe Kincaid controls everything in his life... until he meets Julia. Julia Gilliland has always been interested in the natural world around her. She particularly enjoys studying the fossils and formations in the magnificent cave near her fathers ever known. But when their developing relationship threatens a reconciliation with his brothers, will Rafe have to choose between his family and this new love that could heal his troubled heart and secure his happiness?


Private: # 1 Suspect by James Patterson (Jack Morgan Series # 2)

Unsolvable cases--Since former Marine Jack Morgan started Private, it has become the world's most effective investigation firm--sought out by the famous and the powerful to discreetly handle their most intimate problems. Private's investigators are the smartest, the fastest, and the most technologically advanced in the world--and they always uncover the truth.

Impossible murders--When his former lover is found murdered in Jack Morgan's bed, he is instantly the number one suspect. While Jack is under police investigation, the mob strong-arms him into recovering $30 million in stolen pharmaceuticals for them. And the beautiful manager of a luxury hotel chain persuades him to quietly investigate a string of murders at her properties.

The #1 suspect is Jack Morgan--While Jack is fighting for his life, one of his most trusted colleagues threatens to leave Private, and Jack realizes he is confronting the cleverest and most powerful enemies ever. With more action, more intrigue, and more twists than ever before, PRIVATE: #1 SUSPECT is James Patterson at his unstoppable best.




The Scent of Cherry Blossoms by Cindy Woodsmall


Annie Martin loves the Plain ways of her Old Order Mennonite people, like those revered by her beloved grandfather. Retreating from a contentious relationship with her mother, Annie goes to live with her Daadi Moses in Apple Ridge.

But as spring moves into Pennsylvania and Annie spends time amongst the cherry trees with the handsome Aden Zook, she wishes she could forget how deeply the lines between the Old Order Amish and Old Order Mennonite are drawn.

Can Annie and Aden find a place for their love to bloom in the midst of the brewing storm?



Sleepwalker by Karen Robards 

It’s not that Micayla Lange is afraid of the clinking she hears coming from the first floor of the empty McMansion she’s housesitting for her uncle Nicco. She’s a cop, after all. It’s just that finding out her boyfriend was cheating on her was enough drama for one night. Now she’s alone on New Year’s Eve, wearing flannel pajamas and wielding a Glock 22 as she zeroes in on the unmistakable source of the sound: Uncle Nicco’s private office.

Jason Davis steals things for a living, so unexpected developments are a natural part of the job. Getting caught red-handed by a hot, pigtail-sporting police officer in what is supposed to be a gangster’s deserted house is just one more twist in the game. Kind of like finding incriminating photos in Nicco Marino’s safe, only to discover the cop—and the security cameras—have gotten a real good look at his face.

Unfortunately for Mick, she also got a good look at the damned pictures. Her “uncle” might love her like family, but if he knows she’s seen evidence that implicates him in the murder of a city councilman, she doesn’t like her chances. Which is why she’s having a hard time reconciling her professional instincts with what she is rapidly concluding is an inescapable fact: She’s about to help a criminal get away with a suitcase full of stolen money. And she’s going with him.

Mick and Jason’s race for their lives hurtles them through the dangerous Michigan wilderness on speedboat and snowmobile. As their adventure heats up and their enemies close in, Mick is torn between her duty to the force and the combustible passion engulfing her and her unlikely partner in crime. She’ll have to turn Jason in sooner or later…if they survive. But will they ever get a second chance at love?




Unholy Ghosts by Stacia Kane (Downside Ghosts Series # 1)


THE DEPARTED HAVE ARRIVED.

The world is not the way it was. The dead have risen, and the living are under attack. The powerful Church of Real Truth, in charge since the government fell, has sworn to reimburse citizens being harassed by the deceased. Enter Chess Putnam, a fully tattooed witch and freewheeling ghost hunter. She’s got a real talent for banishing the wicked dead. But Chess is keeping a dark secret: She owes a lot of money to a murderous drug lord named Bump, who wants immediate payback in the form of a dangerous job that involves black magic, human sacrifice, a nefarious demonic creature, and enough wicked energy to wipe out a city of souls. Toss in lust for a rival gang leader and a dangerous attraction to Bump’s ruthless enforcer, and Chess begins to wonder if the rush is really worth it.

Sunday, March 11, 2012

New York Times Best Seller List (03/11/2012)

FICTION BEST SELLERS

1        Celebrity in Death by J.D. Robb


2        A Perfect Blood by Kim Harrison

 
3       
Kill Shot by Vince Flynn
 
4        Private Games by James Patterson 

 
5       The Wolf Gift by Anne Rice

 
6       Defending Jacob by William Landay

 
7       I've Got Your Number by Sophie Kinsella


8       The Shadow Patrol by Alex Berenson

 
9       Sonoma Rose by Jennifer Chiaverini


10     11/22/63 by Stephen King
 
11    
Death Comes to Pemberley by P.D. James
 
12    
Home Front by Kristin Hannah

13     A Dance With Dragons by George R.R. Martin
 
14     Private: #1 Suspect by James Patterson

 
15     The House I Loved by Tatiana de Rosnay

 
16
    Catch Me by Lisa Gardner
_______________________________

NON-FICTION BEST SELLERS


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

2
      Abundance by Peter H Diamandis and Steven Kotler

3       Killing Lincoln by Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard

 
4       Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson



5       Indivisible by James Robison and Jay W Richards


6      Ameritopia by Mark R Levin

7      Quiet by Susan Cain

8      Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo


9     
Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand

10   
Bringing Up Bebe by Pamela Druckerman

11    Once Upon A Secret by Mimi Alford


12    Coming Apart by Charles Murray


13
   
Unorthodox by Deborah Feldman

14    Hilarity Ensues by Tucker Max

15    Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman


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

Friday, March 9, 2012

New Additions in Adult Fiction


The Brave by Nicholas Evans

The motto of the boarding school to which Tommy Bedford is dispatched is 'Fortune Favours the Brave'. It's 1959 and the school bristles with bullies and sadistic staff. Tommy, a quirky loner, obsessed with cowboys and Indians, needs all the bravery he can summon. 

Salvation comes when his glamorous actress sister is swept off to Hollywood by one of his heroes, TV cowboy Ray Montane. But with the Cold War looming, the sinister side of Tinseltown seeps through and Tommy and Diane soon find themselves in jeopardy. Forty years on, Tommy has to confront his boyhood ghosts when his own son finds himself charged with murder.



Celebrity in Death by J.D. Robb (In Death Series # 34


Lieutenant Eve Dallas is no party girl, but she’s managing to have a reasonably good time at the celebrity-packed bash celebrating The Icove Agenda, a film based on one of her famous cases. It’s a little spooky seeing the actress playing her, who looks almost like her long-lost twin. Not as unsettling, though, as seeing the actress who plays Peabody—drowned in the lap pool on the roof of the director’s luxury building.
Talented but rude, and widely disliked, K. T. Harris had made an embarrassing scene during dinner. 


Now she’s at the center of a crime scene—and Eve is more than ready to get out of her high heels and strap on her holster, to step into the role she was born to play: cop.


Cinnamon Roll Murders by Joanne Fluke (Hannah Swensen Mystery Series # 15)

With the Cinnamon Roll Six jazz band heading toward Lake Eden for the Weekend Jazz Festival, Hannah Swensen is more than happy to bake up a generous supply of their namesake confections. But tragedy strikes when the band's tour bus overturns on its way into town. Among those injured is Buddy Neiman, the band's beloved keyboard player. At first, Buddy's injuries appear minor, until his condition suddenly takes a turn for the worse--as in dead. Hannah's no doctor, but she suspects that the surgical scissors jutting out of Buddy's chest may have something to do with it.


Turns out Buddy Neiman isn't the victim's real name. In fact, no one is really sure who he is, or what secrets may be lurking in his past. Hannah isn't sure just how she'll unravel this mystery, but there's nothing sweeter than bringing a killer to justice.


Copper Beach by Jayne Ann Krentz (Dark Legacy Series #1)


Within the pages of very rare books some centuries old lie the secrets of the paranormal. Abby Radwell's unusual psychic talent has made her an expert in such volumes-and sometimes taken her into dangerous territory. After a deadly incident in the private library of an obsessive collector, Abby receives a blackmail threat, and rumors swirl that an old alchemical text known as The Key has reappeared on the black market.
Convinced that she needs an investigator who can also play bodyguard, she hires Sam Coppersmith, a specialist in paranormal crystals and amber-"hot rocks." Passion flares immediately between them, but neither entirely trusts the other. When it comes to dealing with a killer who has paranormal abilities, and a blackmailer who will stop at nothing to obtain an ancient alchemical code, no one is safe.


Deader Homes and Gardens by Joan Hess (Claire Malloy Mystery Series # 18)

Claire Malloy discovers that house-hunting can be murder—literally—in the latest entry in Joan Hess's "wildly entertaining series." (Mystery Scene)

Back from her somewhat unusual honeymoon, Claire Malloy must face the harsh reality of life with her new husband, police chief Peter Rosen, and her teenage daughter Caron—three people simply can’t fit into her cosy two bedroom apartment. After a week of fruitless looking, she finally finds the perfect place—a well preserved large house on a large plot of land in an area called Hollow Valley. 


There are only a few problems. Such as the real estate agent disappeared mid-showing and hasn’t been seen since. And the last owner died in circumstances labeled ’accidental’ but were actually both ’mysterious’ and ’dubious’. The family that owned the estate is now suing the lover of the dead owner over the rights to the property. Oh, and it isn’t really for sale. When the previous owner’s lover dies practically at her feet, Claire decides to take matters into her own hands. 

After all, to get the house of her dreams, first she has to find a killer. And all’s fair in love, war, and real estate.


Dreadnought by Cherie Priest (The Clockwork Century Series # 3)

Nurse Mercy Lynch is elbows deep in bloody laundry at a war hospital in Richmond, Virginia, when Clara Barton comes bearing bad news: Mercy’s husband has died in a POW camp. On top of that, a telegram from the west coast declares that her estranged father is gravely injured, and he wishes to see her. Mercy sets out toward the Mississippi River. Once there, she’ll catch a train over the Rockies and—if the telegram can be believed—be greeted in Washington Territory by the sheriff, who will take her to see her father in Seattle.

Reaching the Mississippi is a harrowing adventure by dirigible and rail through war-torn border states. When Mercy finally arrives in St. Louis, the only Tacoma-bound train is pulled by a terrifying Union-operated steam engine called the Dreadnought. Reluctantly, Mercy buys a ticket and climbs aboard.

What ought to be a quiet trip turns deadly when the train is beset by bushwhackers, then vigorously attacked by a band of Rebel soldiers. The train is moving away from battle lines into the vast, unincorporated west, so Mercy can’t imagine why they’re so interested. Perhaps the mysterious cargo secreted in the second and last train cars has something to do with it?

Mercy is just a frustrated nurse who wants to see her father before he dies. But she’ll have to survive both Union intrigue and Confederate opposition if she wants to make it off the Dreadnought alive. 



A Dublin Student Doctor by Patrick Taylor (Irish Country Series # 6)




Patrick Taylor’s devoted readers know Doctor Fingal Flahertie O’Reilly as a pugnacious general practitioner in the quaint Irish village of Ballybucklebo. Now Taylor turns back the clock to give us a portrait of the young Fingal—and show us the pivotal events that shaped the man he would become.

In the 1930s, fresh from a stint in the Royal Navy Reserve, and against the wishes of his disapproving father, Fingal O’Reilly goes to Dublin to study medicine. Fingal and his fellow aspiring doctors face the arduous demands of Trinity College and Sir Patrick Dun’s Hospital. The hours are long and the cases challenging, but Fingal manages to find time to box and play rugby—and to romance a fetching, gray-eyed nurse named Kitty O’Hallorhan.

Dublin is a city of slums and tenements, where brutal poverty breeds diseases that the limited medical knowledge of the time is often ill-equipped to handle. His teachers warn Fingal not to become too attached to his patients, but can he truly harden himself to the suffering he sees all around him—or can he find a way to care for his patients without breaking his heart?

A Dublin Student Doctor is a moving, deeply human story that will touch longtime fans as well as readers who are meeting Doctor Fingal O’Reilly for the very first time.



Full Black by Brad Thor (Scot Harvath Series # 10)


Born in the shadows and kept from heads of state, there are some missions so deadly, so sensitive, that they simply don’t exist.

When one such mission goes horribly wrong, a wave of dramatic terrorist attacks is set in motion. Their goal: the complete and total collapse of the United States.

With the CIA’s intelligence abilities hobbled, former Navy SEAL Team 6 member turned covert counterterrorism operative Scot Harvath launches an audacious plan to infiltrate the terrorists’ network and prevent one of the biggest threats the United States has ever faced.

Simultaneously, a foreign wet work team has been sent to California. Their target: one of Hollywood’s most famous filmmakers.

While working on a secret documentary project, movie producer Larry Salomon has unknowingly exposed one of the world’s wealthiest and most politically connected powerbrokers—a man with a radical anti-American agenda poised to plunge the nation into deadly, irreversible chaos.


Ganymede by Cherie Priest (The Clockwork Century Series # 4)

The air pirate Andan Cly is going straight. Well, straighter. Although he’s happy to run alcohol guns wherever the money’s good, he doesn’t think the world needs more sap, or its increasingly ugly side-effects. But becoming legit is easier said than done, and Cly’s first legal gig—a supply run for the Seattle Underground—will be paid for by sap money.

New Orleans is not Cly’s first pick for a shopping run. He loved the Big Easy once, back when he also loved a beautiful mixed-race prostitute named Josephine Early—but that was a decade ago, and he hasn’t looked back since. Jo’s still thinking about him, though, or so he learns when he gets a telegram about a peculiar piloting job. It’s a chance to complete two lucrative jobs at once, one he can’t refuse. He sends his old paramour a note and heads for New Orleans, with no idea of what he’s in for—or what she wants him to fly.

But he won’t be flying. Not exactly. Hidden at the bottom of Lake Pontchartrain lurks an astonishing war machine, an immense submersible called the Ganymede. This prototype could end the war, if only anyone had the faintest idea of how to operate it…. If only they could sneak it past the Southern forces at the mouth of the Mississippi River… If only it hadn’t killed most of the men who’d ever set foot inside it.

But it’s those “if onlys” that will decide whether Cly and his crew will end up in the history books, or at the bottom of the ocean.



In Too Deep by Mary Connealy (Kincaid Brides Series # 2


He casually agrees to a marriage of convenience... never expecting to fall in love with his bride.

Ethan Kincaid proposes marriage with the same detachment he gives every decision. Audra Gilliland accepts his proposal so she can stop being a burden to her newly married stepdaughter.

But Ethan never expected Audra to affect him so profoundly, and it terrifies him. Someone he loved was once seriously injured on his watch, and he won't let that happen again. If Audra will just do as he says, he can keep her safe from the dangers that lurk on the ranch.

Audra has been cared for all her life by one man or another--and they've done a poor job of it. Now she's planning to stand up for herself. And her new husband had better agree or get out of her way!

Can two fearful hearts--wary of getting in too deep--become two trusting hearts, willing to let go and fall in love?





Lone Wolf by Jodi Picoult


Edward Warren, twenty-four, has been living in Thailand for five years, a prodigal son who left his family after an irreparable fight with his father, Luke. But he gets a frantic phone call: His dad lies comatose, gravely injured in the same accident that has also injured his younger sister Cara.

With her father’s chances for recovery dwindling, Cara wants to wait for a miracle. But Edward wants to terminate life support and donate his father’s organs. Is he motivated by altruism, or revenge? And to what lengths will his sister go to stop him from making an irrevocable decision?




A Perfect Blood by Kim Harrison (The Hollows Series # 10)


Ritually murdered corpses are appearing across Cincinnati, terrifying amalgams of human and other. Pulled in to help investigate by the FIB, former witch turned day-walking demon Rachel Morgan soon realizes a horrifying truth — a would-be creator is determined to make his (or her) own demons. But it can’t be done without Rachel’s blood.

As a bounty hunter, Rachel has battled vampires, witches, werewolves, demons, and more. But humanity itself might be her toughest challenge.



Private Games by James Patterson 

On your mark--Private, the world's most renowned investigation firm, has been commissioned to provide security for the 2012 Olympic Games in London. Its agents are the smartest, fastest, and most technologically advanced in the world, and 400 of them have been transferred to London to protect more than 10,000 competitors who represent more than 200 countries.

Get set--The opening ceremony is hours away when Private investigator and single father of twins, Peter Knight, is called to the scene of a ruthless murder. A high-ranking member of the games' organizing committee has been killed. It's clear to Peter that this wasn't a crime of passion, but one of precise calculation and execution.

Die--Newspaper reporter Karen Pope receives a letter from a person who calls himself Cronus claiming responsibility for the murders. He promises to restore the Olympics to their ancient glory and to destroy all those who have corrupted the games with lies, corruption, and greed. Immediately, Karen hires Private to examine the letter, and she and Peter uncover a criminal genius who won't stop until he's completely destroyed the modern games. "America's #1 storyteller" (Forbes) delivers an exhilarating, action-packed thriller that brings the splendor and emotion of the Olympics to a wildly powerful climax.




Pure by Julianna Baggott (Pure Trilogy # 1)


We know you are here, our brothers and sisters . . .
Pressia barely remembers the Detonations or much about life during the Before. In her sleeping cabinet behind the rubble of an old barbershop where she lives with her grandfather, she thinks about what is lost-how the world went from amusement parks, movie theaters, birthday parties, fathers and mothers . . . to ash and dust, scars, permanent burns, and fused, damaged bodies. And now, at an age when everyone is required to turn themselves over to the militia to either be trained as a soldier or, if they are too damaged and weak, to be used as live targets, Pressia can no longer pretend to be small. Pressia is on the run.

Burn a Pure and Breathe the Ash . . .
There are those who escaped the apocalypse unmarked. Pures. They are tucked safely inside the Dome that protects their healthy, superior bodies. Yet Partridge, whose father is one of the most influential men in the Dome, feels isolated and lonely. Different. He thinks about loss-maybe just because his family is broken; his father is emotionally distant; his brother killed himself; and his mother never made it inside their shelter. Or maybe it's his claustrophobia: his feeling that this Dome has become a swaddling of intensely rigid order. So when a slipped phrase suggests his mother might still be alive, Partridge risks his life to leave the Dome to find her.

When Pressia meets Partridge, their worlds shatter all over again.



Restless in the Grave by Dana Stabenow  (Kate Shugak Series # 19)


Alaska aviation entrepreneur Finn Grant died in the fiery crash of his Piper Super Cub. Someone sabotaged his engine, and virtually everyone in southwestern Alaska has a motive, including his betrayed wife, his bullied children, and Liam’s wife, bush pilot Wyanet Chouinard. With few places to turn, Liam asks his former mentor Niniltna post commander Sergeant Jim Chopin, for help, and Jim quickly brings Kate onto the case.

Working undercover as—of all things—a waitress at Bill’s Bar and Grill, Kate learns over beer and burgers that Grant’s business had expanded meteorically over the last two years. After buying the closed Air Force base south of town from the federal government at a bargain-basement price, he became a fixed-base operator running his fishing, hunting, and flight-seeing business, servicing planes flying through the area, and most interestingly and lucratively, getting into the air freight business. But what kind of freight was he moving, and where?

The answers involve Kate in her most challenging case to date, one that starts with murder and quickly sprawls into a much larger conspiracy ranging from the darkest family secrets to treason and beyond. Restless in the Grave is a treat for fans and another outstanding addition to Dana Stabenow’s acclaimed and award-winning series. 



RV There Yet? by Diana Hunt


Life's a journey. Midlife's an adventure. But two weeks in a RV with the hot-flash sisters could drive anyone over the hill.

Dede signed on for this cross-country RV trip selflessly, for Millie and Lydia's sakes. Besides, she needed to get her mind off a love gone wrong and a demanding gourmet chocolates business. And it's for a good cause--sprucing up the old summer camp in Colorado to save it from closing. It will be a fun, memorable last hurrah before she turns fifty. Right?

But Dede's more of a luxury hotel kind of girl. She likes mints on plumped pillows and room service. Bunking with friends in a motor home the size of a phone booth is not her style. And with the mysterious biker gang and a stalking ex-boyfriend, the RV seems to be shrinking.

Still, with friends, a boutiful supply of truffles, and a boy from her past who has aged very well, this trip might be the best vacation ever!

A hilarious story that celebrates the life in midlife--even the occasional moose and mosquitoes--and the surprising grace of God.



Sonoma Rose by Jennifer Chiaverini  (Elm Creek Quilts Series # 20)


As the nation grapples with the strictures of Prohibition, Rosa Diaz Barclay lives on a Southern California rye farm with her volatile husband, John, who has lately found another source of income far outside the Federal purview.

Mother to eight children, Rosa mourns the loss of four who succumbed to the mysterious wasting disease currently afflicting young Ana and Miguel. Two daughters born of another father are in perfect health. When an act of violence shatters Rosa’s resolve to maintain her increasingly dangerous existence, she flees with the children and her precious heirloom quilts to the mesa where she last saw her beloved mother alive.


Unholy Ghosts by Stacia Kane (Downside Ghosts Series # 1)