The library is currently open Monday through Friday from 10:00am-5:30pm and Saturday 9:30am-12:30pm. The Children's Room and Archives are open by appointment. Please call for details: 207-582-3312.

New Items ~ October 2020

FICTION

All the devils are here by Louise Penny.  Chief Inspector Armand Gamache of the Surete du Quebec investigates a sinister plot in the City of Light.

Bear necessity by James Gould-Bourne.  A feel-good story about coping with grief that focuses on the love between a dad and his son and how it can lead to friendship.

Before she was Helen by Caroline Cooney.  Clemmie is a 70something, semi-retired Latin teacher, a spinster living in a somnolent Florida retirement community.  But there must be more to her.  Why else is she rattled when she learns that a cold case is coming back to life?

Cactus Jack by Brad Smith.  A 30something single woman, the untried colt she inherits, a horse crazy little girl, and their band of misfits and has-beens stick it to the establishment in the cut-throat world of horse racing.

Celine by Peter Heller.  She is nearly 70, has emphysema from years as a smoker, and she’s never too far from her oxygen tank.  She’s a blue blood and a sculptor.  She’s also a private eye in this smart, comic mystery.

Dear Ann by Bobbie Ann Mason.  A meditation on one woman’s life choices and the road she didn’t take.

Death at high tide by Hannah Dennison.  Two sisters inherit an old hotel in the remote Isles of Scilly off the coast of Cornwall and find it full of intrigue, danger, and romance.

The exiles by Christina Baker Kline.  Three young women are sent to the fledgling British penal colony of Australia in the 1840s.

Fast girls by Elise Hooper.  This celebrates three unheralded female athletes in a tale spanning three Olympiads.

The haunted lady by Mary Roberts Rinehart.  Someone’s trying to kill the head of the Fairbanks estate, and only her nurse can protect her.  A superior example of the plucky-heroine-in-an-old-dark-house school.

His and hers by Alice Feeney.  A brilliant cat-and-mouse game.  There are two sides to every story:  yours and mine, ours and theirs, his and hers.  Which means someone is always lying.

The killings at Kingfisher Hill by Sophie Hannah.  Lovers of classic whodunits will hope that the author will continue to offer her take on the great Belgian detective, Hercule Poirot.

The lions of Fifth Avenue by Fiona Davis.  When rarities disappear, a curator at the New York Public Library, who grapples with her grandmother’s legacy, uncovers new truths about her family heritage.

The lying life of adults by Elena Ferrante.  In this coming-of-age story, Giovanna seeks her true reflection in tow kindred cities.

The new American by Micheline Marcom.  The epic journey of a young Guatemalan American student, a “dreamer”, who gets deported and decides to make his way back home to California.

The new wilderness by Diane Cook.  This explores a moving mother-daughter relationship in a world ravaged by climate change and overpopulation.

One by one by Ruth Ware.  Ware does what she does best – gives us a familiar locked-door mystery setup and lets the tension and suspicion marinate until they reach fever pitch.

Payback by Mary Gordon.  A novel of lifelong reckoning between two women.  It contrasts the 1970s world of upper-class women’s education with the #MeToo era.

Royal by Danielle Steel.  In 1943, the 17 year old Princess Charlotte assumes a new identity in the country and falls in love.

Shadows in death by J.D. Robb.  Lt. Eve Dallas is about to walk into the shadows of her husband’s dangerous past….

Someone to romance by Mary Balogh.  Pitch-perfect – a riveting, fast-paced narrative.  Regency fans will be delighted.

Squeeze me by Carl Hiaasen.  A dead dowager, hungry pythons, and occupants of the winter White House shake up the Palm Beach charity ball season.

Thick as thieves by Sandra Brown.  Arden Maxwell returns home to uncover the truth about her father’s involvement in a heist that went wrong 20 years ago.

Troubled blood by Robert Galbraith.  Private detective Cormoran Strike is visiting his family in Cornwell when he is approached by a woman asking for help finding her mother, who went missing in mysterious circumstances in 1974.

NEW DVDs

A simple favor (2018) starring Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively

Q: the winged serpent (1982) starring Michael Moriarty and Candy Clark

Dead of night (1945) starring Michael Redgrave

Hester Street (1975) starring Carol Kane and Steven Keats

The private life of Henry VIII (1933) starring Charles Laughton

NEW MUSIC CDs

Rough and rowdy ways by Bob Dylan

Gaslighter by Dixie Chicks

100 hits: the best 70s album

Ultimate Grammy Collection: Classic Country

NONFICTION

The beauty of living by J. Alison Rosenblitt.  Focusing on a brief period in the life of poet E.E. Cummings, notably his WW I experiences as a POW and ambulance driver, this sheds new light.  The horrors of gas warfare, mass slaughter, and illness bring new life to the American poet’s work.

A better man by Michael Black.  A radical plea for rethinking masculinity and teaching young men to give and receive love.

Caste by Isabel Wilkerson.  The Pulitzer Prize winning journalist examines aspects of caste systems across civilizations and reveals a rigid hierarchy in America today.

The detective in the dooryard by Timothy Cotton.  Stories about the people, places and things of Maine.  There are sad stories, big events, and even the very mundane, all told from the perspective of a seasoned police officer and in the wry voice of a lifelong Mainer.

Disloyal by Michael Cohen.  An account of being on the inside of Donald Trump’s world from his former personal attorney.

The dynasty by Jeff Benedict.  The history of the New England Patriots from NFL laughingstock to making 10 trips to the Super Bowl.

Faith instinct by Nicholas Wade.  How religion evolved and why it endures.

How we live now by Bill Hayes.  A poignant and profound tribute in stories and images to a city (NYC) amidst a pandemic.  The photos serve as potent documentation of an unprecedented time.

Kent State: four dead in Ohio by Derf Backderf.  A graphic novel telling of the day America turned guns on its own children: a shocking event burned into our national memory.

A Libertarian walks into a bear by Matthew Hongoltz-Hetling.  Once upon a time, a group of libertarians got together and hatched a plan to take over an American town and completely eliminate its government in 2004.  They set their sights on Grafton, NH, a barely populated settlement with one paved road.  They overlooked one hairy detail: no one told the bears.

Looking for Miss America by Margot Mifflin.  A lively account of memorable Miss America contestants, protests, and scandals – and how the pageant, near its one hundredth anniversary, serves as an unintended indicator of feminist progress.

Mill Town by Kerri Arsenault.  The author writes of her hometown – Mexico, Maine.  This is an American story, a human predicament, and a moral wake-up call that asks:  what are we willing to tolerate and whose lives are we willing to sacrifice for our own survival?

Rage by Bob Woodward.  Interviews with firsthand sources provide details about Trump’s moves as he faced a global pandemic, economic disaster, and racial unrest.

The ultimate retirement guide for 50+ by Suze Orman.  Winning strategies to make your money last a lifetime.

What it’s like to be a bird by David Sibley.  From flying to nesting, eating to singing – what birds are doing and why.

 

Notes from Booklist, Publishers Weekly, Kirkus, Library Journal, and New York Times Book Review.

 

New Items ~ September 2020

 FICTION

The book of lost names by Kristin Harmel.  A young woman with a talent for forgery helps hundreds of Jewish children flee the Nazis in this historical novel.

The daughters of Erietown by Connie Schultz.  The evolving role of women in middle America in the second half of the 20th century is illuminated by the story of one Ohio family, its secrets and failures, its hopes and dreams.

Deadlock by Catherine Coulter.  A young wife, a psychopath, and three red boxes puzzle FBI agents Savich and Sherlock.

The end of her by Shari Lapena.  The parents of colicky twin girls have other troubles delivered in the form of suspicions surrounding the husband’s first wife’s death.

Girls of summer by Nancy Thayer.  One life-changing summer on Nantucket brings out exhilarating revelations for a single mother and her two grown children.

A good neighborhood by Therese Fowler.  A property line and a teenage romance strain relations between two North Carolina families.

Hieroglyphics by Jill McCorkle.  The story spools around two actual, horrific 1940 events:  The Coconut Grove nightclub fire in Boston and a train derailment in North Carolina.

Home before dark by Riley Sager.  A woman returns to the house made famous by her father’s bestselling horror memoir.  Is the place really haunted by evil forces, as her father claimed?  Or are there more earthbound – and dangerous – secrets hidden within its walls?

The house on Fripp Island by Rebecca Kauffman.  When two families – one rich, one not – vacation together off the coast, little do they know that someone won’t be returning home.

Indigo by Loren Estleman.  This effortlessly melds film history with a whodunit, clever and surprising.  Film noir buffs will be in heaven.

It’s not all downhill from here by Terry McMillan.  After a sudden change of plans, a remarkable woman and her loyal group of friends try to figure out what she’s going to do with the rest of her life.

The living dead by George Romero.  He invented the modern zombie with Night of the Living Dead.  This novel is set in the present day and is an entirely new tale.

Mexican gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia.  In 1950s Mexico, a debutante travels to a distant mansion where family secrets of a faded mining empire have been kept hidden.

Near dark by Brad Thor.  With a bounty on his head, Scot Harvath makes an alliance with a Norwegian intelligence operative.

The order by Daniel Silva.  An art restorer and spy cuts his family’s vacation short to investigate whether Pope Paul VII was murdered.

The pull of the stars by Emma Donoghue.  In an Ireland of 1918 doubly ravaged by war and disease, Nurse Julia works at an under-staffed hospital in the city center, where expectant mothers who have come down with the terrible new flu and are quarantined together.

The return by Rachel Harrison.  A group of friends reunite after one of them has returned from a mysterious two-year disappearance.  Going away to an isolated hotel to reconnect, it soon becomes impossible to deny that the Julie who vanished two years ago is not the same Julie who came back.  But then who – or what – is she?

Sex and vanity by Kevin Kwan.  Here’s a nod to A Room with a View in which Lucie Tang Churchill is torn between her WASPY billionaire fiancé and a privileged hunk born in Hong Kong.

Silas Crockett by Mary Ellen Chase.  This traces life on the Maine coast through 4 generations of a seafaring family.

To wake the giant by Jeff Shaara.  The run-up to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor is depicted in a thrilling you-are-there re-creation.  Fans of military fiction will find much to enjoy.

Tomb of Gods by Brian Moreland.  The Egyptian tombs in 1935.  The atmosphere of a dark, claustrophobic tomb creates a scary story in which the character’s fear invites the reader into the world to experience the fright themselves.

28 summers by Elin Hilderbrand.  A relationship that started in 1993 between two people comes to light while she is on her deathbed and his wife runs for president.

A walk along the beach by Debbie Macomber.  After dealing with loss and setbacks, two sisters take risks on dreams and love.

Wonderland by Zoje Stage.  Shirley Jackson meet The Shining in his tense novel.  One mother’s love may be all that stands between her family, an enigmatic presence…and madness.

NONFICTION

The answer is… by Alex Trebek.  Who is the Canadian-American game show host whose pronunciation of the word “genre” has been shared widely on social media?

Begin again by Eddie Glaude.  An appraisal of the life and work of James Baldwin and their meaning in relationship to the Black Lives Matter movement and the Trump presidency.

Decoding your cat by Meghan Herron.  Experts explain common cat behaviors and reveal how to prevent or change unwanted ones.

18 tiny deaths by Bruce Goldfarb.  The story of a woman whose ambition and accomplishments far exceeded the expectations of her time.  This follows the transformation of a young, wealthy socialite into the mother of modern forensics.

The gift of forgiveness by Katherine Pratt.  An inspiring book on learning how to forgive – with firsthand stories from those who have learned to let go of resentment and find peace.

Grandpa magic by Allan Kronzek.  116 easy tricks, amazing brainteasers, and simple stunts to wow the grandkids.

The life of William Faulkner by Carl Rollyson.  This follows Faulkner from his formative years through his introduction to Hollywood.  It sheds light on his unpromising youth and provides the fullest portrait yet of his family life and marriage, showing that his career as a screenwriter influenced his novels.

Like crazy by Dan Mathews.  A hilarious and heartbreaking memoir about an outlandish mother and son on an odyssey of self-discovery, and the rag-tag community that rallied to help them as the mother entered the final phase of her life.

The Lost Kitchen by Erin French.  Here’s the history, complete with recipes, of the famous small restaurant in Freedom, Maine.

Me and White Supremacy by Layla Saad.  Ways to understand and possibly counteract white privilege.

Stamped from the beginning by Ibram Kendi.  The National Book Award winning history of how racist ideas were created, spread, and deeply rooted in American society.

This is Chance! by Jon Mooallem.  The thrilling cinematic story of a community shattered by disaster – the 1964 earthquake in Anchorage, Alaska – and the extraordinary woman who helped pull it back together.

To start a war by Robert Draper.  How the Bush Administration took American to war in Iraq.

Troop 6000 by Nikita Stewart.  The inspiring true story of the first Girl Scout troop founded for and by girls living in a shelter in Queens, New York, and the amazing, nationwide response that it sparked.

The unidentified by Colin Dickey. A tour of the country’s most persistent “unexplained” phenomena – mythical monsters, alien encounters, and our obsession with the unexplained.

Notes from Booklist, Publishers Weekly, Kirkus, Library Journal, and New York Times Book Review.

 

Are you looking for something to read? 

As many of you know, we are open with limited access.  We are still open with our Pick-Up Window, at the rear of the building, as well.

Many of us (staff as well as patrons) have been keeping lists of items we would like to borrow from the library, or libraries when you include the Minerva lending system.  I know that my list grew rather rapidly, and by the time the items were available for requesting, there were many other folks ahead of me in the queue.

So, that led me to . . . .

What can I find to read/watch/listen to RIGHT NOW!!

As I have worked at the Pick-Up Window over the past weeks, I know that is the same question many others have as well.

As staff brainstormed how to best answer that question for you, our users, we realized several things.

Some people just don’t care what they are reading as long as it has more content than the back of the cereal box.

And . . .

Each of us has an area of “expertise”, so to speak, of what might work for different wants and needs of our Gardiner Library Friends.

On that vein, we have begun creating what we are referring to at “Binge Bags”.  Basically, it is a bag with 3 – 6 items on the same theme.  The items might be all books, though there are movies, music, and audio books included as well.  Some of these bags are items specific to floor – by this I mean Children’s, Young Adult or Adult floor, and some bags have a mix of age ranges.

So, what type of themes am I talking about?  Let’s see, so far, I know there is a bag of items pertaining to the 1970s, a bag of Fall/Autumn items, 2 bags of School items (one Adult and one Children), gentle mysteries, as well as several others.

In the works, there are collections to include Spies ; Humor ; 1920s ; Harry Potter ; Maine ; as well as several others.

If you’re interested in one of our Binge Boxes, check at the Pick-Up Window, or give us a call – 207-582-3312 – and we’ll put together a bag of items for you.