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New Items ~ January 2019

FICTION

The Adults by Caroline Hulse.  A couple (now separated), plus their daughter, plus their NEW partners, all go on an epic Christmas vacation together.  What could go wrong?

Bitter orange by Claire Fuller.  Whiffs of Shirley Jackson, Daphne du Maurier, and Charlotte Bronte as an upstairs neighbor becomes obsessed with her downstairs neighbor.

The clockmaker’s daughter by Kate Morton.  The story of a love affair and a mysterious murder that cast their shadows across generations set in England from the 1860s until the present day.

The Dakota Winters by Tom Barbash.  An evocative and wildly absorbing novel about the Winters, a family living in New York City’s famed Dakota apartment building in the year leading up to John Lennon’s assassination.

Fire and blood by George R.R. Martin.  Set 300 years before the events of “Game of Thrones”, this is the first volume of the two-part history of the Targaryens in Westeros.

Forever and a day by Anthony Horowitz.   A spy is dead.  A legend is born.  This is how it all began.  It’s the explosive prequel to the first James Bond novel, Casino Royale.

The friend by Sigrid Nunez.  When a woman unexpectedly loses her lifelong best friend and mentor, she finds herself burdened with the unwanted dog he has left behind.

Hazards of time travel by Joyce Carol Oates. Time travel and its hazards are made literal in this novel in which a recklessly idealistic girl dares to test the perimeters of her tightly controlled (future) world and is punished by being sent back in time to 1959 middle America.

The little shop of found things by Paula Brackston.  A wonderful blend of history with the time-travel elements and a touch of romance.

Look alive twenty-five by Janet Evanovich.  When several managers of a deli in Trenton disappear, a bounty hunter and her detective boyfriend look for clues.

Master of his fate by Barbara Taylor Bradford.  Victorian England is a country of sharp divides between rich and poor, but James Falconer, who spends his days working at his father’s market stall, is determined to become a merchant prince.

The Moore house by Tony Tremblay.  After something gruesome happens in a N.H. home, a priest and three excommunicated nuns are asked to cleanse the building.  It is only after they give it the all clear that the demons truly begin to unleash their wrath and power.

My sister, the serial killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite.  A short, darkly funny novel about a Nigerian woman whose younger sister has a very inconvenient habit of killing her boyfriends.

Nighttown by Timothy Hallinan.  When a professional burglar breaks one of the cardinal rules of burglary (don’t take scores that you’re being paid way too much for), he finds himself on the wrong side of, well, the wrong side.

Nine perfect strangers by Liane Moriarty.  Could ten days at a health resort really change you forever?  In this page turner, nine perfect strangers are about to find out.

Of blood and bone by Nora Roberts.  Sequel to Year One, this is a new tale of terror and magic in a brand new world.

Overkilt by Kaitlyn Dunnett.  A quiet Maine town is beset by a series of disastrous happenings.  Small town charm and a determined sleuth who does a great job uncovering clues in a tale that rings all too true.

Penelope Lemon : game on!  by Inman Majors.  A recently divorced, financially struggling mom faces online dating challenges when a nude picture of her surfaces on the internet.

The Razor by Jack Mitchell.  A riveting sci fi thriller about a man struggling to survive the chaos on a prison planet.

Robert B. Parker’s blood feud by Mike Lupica.  Sunny Randall races to protect her ex-husband – and his Mafia family – from the vengeful plan of a mysterious rival.

The spite game by Anna Snoekstra.  Mercilessly bullied in high school, Ava knows she needs to put the past behind her and move on, but she can’t – not until she’s exacted precise, catastrophic revenge on the people who hurt her the most.

Those who knew by Idra Novey.  A taut, timely novel about what a powerful politician thinks he can get away with and the group of misfits who finally bring him down.

Tony’s wife by Adriana Trigiani.  Love, ambition, and the consequences of both lie at the heart of this epic of two working-class kids who become a successful singing act during the big band era of the 1940s.

Winter in paradise by Elin Hilderbrand.  Irene’s husband is found dead in St. John’s in the Caribbean.  Why so far from home?  He had a second family AND shady dealings on that island.

NEW DVDs

Eighth grade (2018) starring Elsie Fisher

Crazy rich Asians (2018) starring Constance Wu and Henry Golding

Killing Eve (2018) staring Sandra Oh and Jodie Comer

Primal fear (1996) starring Richard Gere and Edward Norton

Serpico (1973) starring Al Pacino

A better life (2011) starring Demian Bichir

NEW MUSIC CDs

Bohemian Rhapsody (soundtrack) featuring Queen

Golden hour by Kacey Musgraves

Honey by Robyn

Shawn Mendes by Shawn Mendes

NONFICTION

All that heaven allows by Mark Griffin.  The definitive biography of the deeply complex and widely misunderstood matinee idol of Hollywood’s golden age – Rock Hudson.

Almost everything by Anne Lamott.  Brief explorations into finding hope and wisdom in times of despair and uncertainty.

The American Revolution: a world war by David Allison.  A new look at the American Revolution: more than the David vs Goliath portrayal, it was the very first world war.

The best comfort good on the planet by Kerry Altiero.  The chef and owner of Café Miranda in Rockland gives some of his favorite recipes.

The end of the end of the earth by Jonathan Franzen.  This is a Silent Spring for today, but instead of challenging readers to change the world, it pushes them to change themselves.

A forever family by Rob Scheer.  An inspirational memoir about the author’s turbulent childhood in the foster care system and the countless obstacles and discrimination he endured in adopting his four children.

Gandhi: the years that changed the world, 1914-1948 by Ramachandra Guha.  The definitive portrait of the life and work of one of the most abidingly influential – and controversial – men in world history.

The library book by Susan Orlean.  This reopens the unsolved mystery of the most catastrophic library fire in American history, the 1986 Los Angeles fire, while exploring the crucial role that libraries play in modern American culture.

My love story by Tina Turner. This sets the record straight about her illustrious career and complicated personal life.

The Smithsonian history of space exploration by Roger Launius.  Comprehensive illustrated guide to the history of U.S. and international space exploration, both manned and unmanned from ancient world to the extraterrestrial future.

Under the darkening sky by Robert Lyman.  A vivid social history of the American expatriate experience in Europe between 1939 and 1941, as the Nazi menace begins a shadow over the continent, heralding the storms of war.

Why religion? : A personal story by Elaine Pagels.  Pagels looks to her own life to help answer questions such as:  Why is religion still around?  Why do so many still believe?  And how do various traditions still shape the way we experience everything from sexuality to politics.

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

 

 

 

 

Happy New Year

Ever wonder about the tradition of the ball dropping in Times Square?  The website www.timeanddate.com says, “A particularly striking aspect of the New Year’s Eve festivities is the ball drop in Times Square in Manhattan, New York City.  The ball is made of crystal and electric lights and is placed on top of a pole, which is 77 feet, or 23 meters, high.  At one minute before midnight on December 31, the ball is lowered slowly down the pole. It comes to rest at the bottom of the pole at exactly midnight.  The event is shown on television across the United States and around the world.  The event has been held every year since 1907, except during World War II.

Across the United States a range of cities and towns hold their own versions of the ball drop.  A variety of objects are lowered or raised during the last minute of the year.  The objects are usually linked to an aspect of local history or industry.  Examples of objects ‘dropped’ or raised in this way include a variety of live and modeled domestic and wild animals, fruit, vegetables, automobiles, industrial machinery, a giant replica of a peach (Atlanta, Georgia), an acorn made of brass and weighing 900 pounds (Raleigh, North Carolina) and ping pong balls (Strasburg, Pennsylvania).”

Still looking for something to do on New Year’s Eve?  Check out these celebrations in Maine’s biggest city of Portland:

https://www.eventbrite.com/d/me–portland/new-years-eve-parties/

Let’s all plan on a wonderful and positive year in 2019!

Mrs. Claus Visits Gardiner

This month being the Children’s Librarian I had the honor of being Mrs. Claus for a few community events. I was Mrs. Claus in the Festival of Lights parade in Gardiner and reading to some students at Helen Thompson Elementary and Pittston Consolidated Schools.  It is an amazing feeling to be Mrs. Claus and to see all the happy faces on adults and children. I wish everyone could have this experience in their lifetime. So, I thought I would share some of the funny questions and comments that only children would ask Mrs. Claus.

How old are you Mrs. Claus? Oh I don’t know. You don’t know? No, I am too busy to have a birthday.

Are you married to Mr. Claus and where is your ring? Is Mr. Claus married to Mrs. Claus? I left my ring home.

Just in case you are real, tell Santa I want a cat or a dog. I will tell Santa.

How did you get here? It’s a beautiful day for a sleigh ride!

How many miles is it to the North Pole? Oh I am sorry, I don’t know that.

How many reindeer do you have and what are their names? I told them we have the 8 reindeer and their family members. Then I recite the names and the children join right in with the names.

Do you always wear that dress? No, but I always wear dresses.

How long did it take to get here?  Oh I am so sorry, I don’t know. I fell asleep on the trip here.

Are you real? Yes, I am a real person.

Do you believe in Santa? Yes,I believe in Santa.

Did you know we would see Santa today? One class, had seen Santa at the Polar Express showing at Johnson Hall. Yes, I had heard that Santa would be there.

How do you know all our names? I help Santa remember all your names.

And I was told many things that children wanted for Christmas to tell to Santa and I received many hugs.

We at the Gardiner Public Library hope you have a wonderful Holiday with family and friends.