New Items ~ April 2021

April 5, 2021 by Ann Russell, Technology Librarian

FICTION

Across the green grass fields by Seanan McGuire. In this fantasy, a young girl discovers a portal to a land filled with centaurs and unicorns.

A bright ray of darkness by Ethan Hawke. The blistering story of a young man making his Broadway debut in Henry IV, just as his marriage implodes – an utterly transfixing book about art and love, fame and heartbreak.

The burning girls by C.J. Tudor. An unconventional vicar must exorcise the dark past of a remote village haunted by death and disappearances in this unsettling thriller.

Dark sky by C.J. Box. Wyoming game warden Joe Pickett must accompany a Silicon Valley CEO on a hunting trip – but soon learns that he himself may be the hunted.

Death by chocolate snickerdoodle by Sarah Graves. When a cunning killer and a devastating fire threaten to ravage Eastport, Jacobia Tiptree must go into action before all she loves goes up in smoke.

The Duke and I by Julia Quinn. In the first book of the Bridgerton series, Daphne Bridgerton’s reputation soars when she colludes with the Duke of Hastings.

Enjoy the view by Sarah Morgenthaler. A grouchy mountaineer, a Hollywood starlet, and miles of untamed wilderness. What could possibly go wrong in this rom-com?

Faithless in death by J.D. Robb. Eve Dallas investigates the murder of a young sculptor in the West Village.

The kitchen front by Jennifer Ryan. A BBC-sponsored wartime cooking competition gives the four women who enter a chance to better their lives.

Landslide by Susan Conley. The author is at her best capturing Maine’s coastal terrain as well as her character’s emotional turmoil. Through her disarming family portrait, she speaks volumes about changing ways of life.

Later by Stephen King. With echoes of his classic novel, It, this is a powerful, haunting, unforgettable exploration of what it takes to stand up to evil in all the faces it wears.

The lowering days by Gregory Brown. Set in 1980s Maine, this explores family love, the power of myths and storytelling, survival and environmental exploitation, and the ties between cultural identity and the land we live on.

The midnight library by Matt Haig. Nora Seed finds a library beyond the edge of the universe that contains books with multiple possibilities of the lives on could have lived.

Minus me by Mameve Medwed. Her life turned upside down by a grim diagnosis, a small-town Maine woman sets about writing a “How To” life manual for her handsome yet hapless husband.

Missing and endangered by J.A. Jance. The Cochise Country Sheriff’s daughter becomes involved in a missing persons case.

The northern reach by W.S. Winslow. Set in Maine, this is a novel about the power of place and family ties, the weight of the stories we choose to tell, and the burden of those stories we hide.

Our Italian summer by Jennifer Probst. Three generations of women must heal the broken pieces of their lives on a trip of a lifetime through picturesque Italy.

The Paris Library by Janet Charles. A teenager in Montana discovers that her elderly neighbor worked decades earlier at the American Library in Paris and was part of the Resistance.

The Plague Court murders by John Dickson Carr. When a spiritual medium is murdered in a locked hut on a haunted estate, Sir Henry Merrivale seeks a logical solution to a ghostly crime.

The rebel nun by Marj Charlier. Based on the true story of Clotild, the daughter of a 6^th century king who leads a rebellion of nuns against the rising misogyny and patriarchy of the medieval church.

The sanatorium by Sarah Pearse. Elin Warner must find her estranged brother’s fiancée, who goes missing as a storm approaches a hotel that was once a sanatorium in the Swiss Alps.

Who is Maud Dixon? by Alexandra Andrews. Identity theft takes on a new meaning in this arresting thriller.

Winter’s orbit by Everina Maxwell. A famously disappointing minor royal and the Emperor’s least favorite grandchild, Prince Kiem commanded by the Emperor to renew the empire’s bonds with its newest vassal planet. The prince must marry Count Jainan, the recent widower of another royal prince of the empire.

NEW DVDs

Jojo Rabbit (2019) starring Scarlett Johansson, Rebel Wilson, Taika Waititi, and Sam Rockwell

The old maid (1939) starring Bette Davis and Miriam Hopkins

Foreign Correspondent (1940) starring Joel McCrea

The Sunshine Boys (1975) starring Walter Matthau and George Burns

NEW MUSIC CDs

Fetch the bolt cutters by Fiona Apple

Women in Music, Pt. III by HAIM

Black Pumas by Black Pumas

The new Abnormal by The Strokes

Fine line by Harry Styles

NONFICTION

Can’t slow down by Michaelangelo Matos. How 1984 became pop’s blockbuster year – the definitive account of pop music in the mid-80s from Prince and Madonna to the underground hip-hop, indie rock, and club scenes.

The crown in crisis by Alexander Larman. A juicy account of the events leading up to and following British monarch King Edward VIII’s abdication…even royal watcher will learn something new from this comprehensive account of one of the biggest scandals in the history of the British monarchy.

Dress codes by Richard Ford. A revelatory exploration of fashion through the ages that asks what our clothing reveals about ourselves and our society.

Every conversation counts by Riaz Meghji. Readers looking to have more meaningful interactions would do well to pick this up due to significant consideration as to how the pandemic era has changed relationships.

Girlhood by Masuma Ahuja. Full of pictures and the unique voices of teenage girls in a variety of situations and cultures, this provides a snapshot of teens’ lives around the world.

The soul of a woman by Isabel Allende. A passionate and inspiriting meditation on what it means to be a woman.

To raise a boy by Emma Brown. A journalist’s searing investigation into how we teach boys to be men – and how we can do better. Insightful and sometimes disturbing.

Walk in my combat boots by James Patterson. A collection of interviews with troops who fought overseas. The most moving and powerful war stories ever told, by the men and women who lived them.

Walking with ghosts by Gabriel Byrne. Bryne channels his fellow countrymen and Ireland’s literary masters as he reveals his struggle with alcoholism, aching passion for the Ireland of his youth, and is piercingly frank about his acting life.

We need to hang out by Billy Baker. In this comic adventure through the loneliness epidemic, a middle-aged everyman looks around one day and realizes that he seems to have misplaced his friends, inspiring him to set out on a hilarious and moving quest to revive old tribes and build new ones, in his own ridiculous way.

What they don’t teach teens by Jonathan Cristall. Life safety skills for teens and the adults who care for them.

The witch of eye by Kathryn Nuernberger. Essays concerning the history of women who saw things differently and dared not to be silent and silenced by power structures. Women such as Titiba, Marie Laveau, and Hildegard of Bingen.

World of wonders by Aimee Nezhukumatathil. A collection of essays about the natural world and the way its inhabitants can teach, support, and inspire us.

You’re leaving when? by Annabelle Gurwitch. Erma Bombeck meets Dorothy Parker in this topical and often laugh-out-loud take on our modern malaise.

Children’s Books

PICTURE BOOKS

The camping trip by Jennifer K Mann

Champ and Major: first dogs by Joy McCullough

Cow boy is not a cowboy by Gregory Barrington

Eyes that kiss in the corners by Joanna Ho

Idea jar by Adam Lehrhaupt

Look! I wrote a book! (and you can too!) by Sally Lloyd-Jones

Time for Kenny by J. Brian Pinkney

Welcome to the party by Gabrielle Union

Your name is a song by Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow

CHAPTER BOOKS

Clean getaway By Nic Stone

Sofia Valdez and the vanishing vote by Andrea Beaty

Two roads by Joseph Bruchac

GRAPHIC NOVELS

The baby-sitter’s club: Claudia and the new girl by Ann Martin

Baby-sitters little sister: Karen’s worst day by Ann Martin

The Challenger disaster by Pranas Naujokaitis

The great Chicago fire by Kate Hannigan

The Roanoke Colony by Christ Schweizer

NON-FICTION

Free press and censorship by Susan Brophy Down

Frogs by Gail Gibbons

Hello neighbor! : the kind and caring world of Mister Rogers by Matthew Cordell

Kamala Harris : rooted in justice by Nikki Grimes

Marie’s Ocean: Marie Tharp maps the mountains under the sea by Josie James

Memorial Day by Emma Carlson Berne

Memory superpowers: an adventurous guide to remembering what you don’t want to forget by Nelson Dellis

Monarch butterfly by Gail Gibbons

The truth about butterflies by Maxwell Eaton III

Visual guide to grammar and punctuation by Sheila Digmen

DVDS

Bill Nye the science guy: Patterns

Bill Nye the science guy: Reptiles

Bill Nye the science guy: Wetlands

Jetsons, the movie

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

Women’s History month

March 22, 2021 by Jessica Betit

Though women in history haven’t always been able (read: allowed) to fight in wars, publish books, or live adventurous lives, that has never stopped women disguised as men from stepping up to the plate and taking care of business. Women who pretended to be men have helped win wars, shape nations, and set precedents for everything women are capable of.

In honor of Women’s History Month, we’re here to celebrate some daring women who weren’t afraid to break barriers and don men’s clothing to seek their fortunes and serve their countries!

Jeanne Baret/Jean Baret (1740-1807)

Baret is recognized as the first woman to have completed a voyage of circumnavigation of the globe, which she did via maritime. In the 1700s women were banned from being aboard French Navy Ships, but that didn’t stop Jeanne Baret from doing what she dreamed of—exploring the world in search of new plants. When Jeanne’s lover Philibert Commerçon, a Royal Botanist and Naturalist, was recruited by Admiral Louis-Antoine de Bougainville for his round-the-world expedition, the pair came up with a plan to get her on-board. She disguised herself as a man and showed up on the docks to offer “his” services the day the Etoile was set to depart. Philibert hired “him” on the spot as his valet and assistant. Their plot worked, and from 1766–1769 Jeanne Baret was a part of Bougainville’s colonial expedition.

Jeanne was involved with collecting more than 6,000 plant specimens on the voyage, including her greatest find in Brazil: Bougainvillea, the spectacular pink vine she named in honor of their captain. According to Bougainville’s account, Baret was herself an expert botanist and convinced the French Navy to award her an annual pension for her work gathering plants. In 2012, Jeanne finally received well-deserved recognition when a new South American plant species was named in her honor.

Mary Ann Evans (George Eliot)

Mary Ann Evans (1819 –1880), known by her pen name George Eliot, was an English novelist, poet, journalist, translator and one of the leading writers of the Victorian era. She wrote seven novels, Adam Bede (1859), The Mill on the Floss (1860), Silas Marner (1861), Romola (1862–63), Felix Holt, the Radical (1866), Middlemarch (1871–72) and Daniel Deronda (1876). Her novels (most famously ‘Middlemarch’) are celebrated for their realism and psychological insights, as well as sense of place and detailed depictions of the countryside.

Although female authors were published under their own names during her lifetime, she used a male pen name to ensure her works were taken seriously in an era when female authors were usually associated with “silly” romantic novels.

Mary Anderson (Murray Hall)

At the turn of the twentieth century (a time when women were still fighting for the right to vote) a politician was garnering popularity in New York City and becoming a household name. His name was Murray Hall, and he was known as a poker-playing, cigar-chomping, whiskey-drinking, “man about town.” Hall was a leader of New York City’s General Committee of Tammany Hall, a member of the Iroquois Club, a personal friend of State Senator “Barney” Martin and other officials, and one of the most active Tammany workers in the district… However, after Hall’s death, it was revealed that she was in fact female, born as Mary Anderson (1841 − 1901), but had been living under the guise of her male alias in order to participate in political suffrage for over 25 years. Hall managed to vote and serve as a political leader in an era when women were denied the franchise.

Hannah Snell/James Gray

‘Why gentlemen, James Gray will cast off his skin like a snake and become a new creature. In a word, gentlemen, I am as much a woman as my mother ever was, and my real name is Hannah Snell.’

Hannah Snell (1723-1792) spent five years of her life disguised as a male soldier named James Gray. She enlisted in the Marines, traveling as far as India, and fighting in multiple battles including the siege of Pondicherry where she was severely wounded; including a hit to the groin, but managed to still mask her true identity until returning to London. After revealing herself, Snell was honorably discharged, granted a lifetime army pension from Royal Chelsea Hospital, and opened a pub called The Female Warrior. She lived for another forty years, marrying twice and raising two sons.

Margaret Ann Bulkley /Dr. James Barry

James Miranda Steuart Barry (1789–July 1865) was an Irish-born military surgeon in the British Army. Barry obtained a medical degree from the University of Edinburgh Medical School, then served first in Cape Town, South Africa, and subsequently in many parts of the British Empire. Before retirement, Barry had risen to the rank of Inspector General, the second highest medical office in the British Army, which put him in charge of all military hospitals. Barry not only improved conditions for wounded soldiers, but also the conditions of the native inhabitants, and performed the first recorded caesarean section in which both the mother and child survived the operation… The catch? Dr. James Barry was born Margaret Ann Bulkley. Barry’s was able to hide his real identity until his passing when a maid preparing his body for the funeral got quite a shock!

Sarah Edmondson/Frank Thompson

Desperate to escape an abusive father and a forced marriage, New Brunswick-born Sarah Emma Evelyn Edmonds fled home at age 15. Knowing a woman traveling alone wouldn’t make it very far, (not to mention her father was undoubtedly looking for her) Sarah cropped her hair, tanned her face with stain, and donned a suit of men’s clothing; and so Frank Thompson was born.

In May of 1861, posing as Thompson, Edmonds joined a regiment called the Flint Union Grays, which became Company F of the 2nd Michigan Infantry. Edmonds’s duties as a soldier ranged from that of a male nurse to the regiment’s postmaster, and finally a mail carrier. In addition to duties as a nurse, which included burying the dead soldiers, she picked up a gun and participated in the Battle of Williamsburg and the Seven Days’ Battles. Edmonds witnessed some of the most infamous battles of the war, including First Bull Run, Antietam, and Fredericksburg.

In 1882, Frank Thompson revealed her true identity to the utter amazement of the veterans of her regiment. Edmonds is the only known women to receive a regular army pension from the Civil War and the first women to be inducted into the Grand Army of the Republic, a veterans’ organization.

In times when a woman’s role was fixed and certain, these women were brave enough to live on their own terms, no matter what it cost them!

New Items ~ March 2021

March 5, 2021 by Ann Russell, Technology Librarian

FICTION

Beneficence by Meredith Hall. In the years after World War II, the Senter family built a wonderful life on their isolated dairy farm in rural Maine. After tragedy strikes, each must fight the isolation of their own grief and guilt to reclaim their old life – if they can.

Blood grove by Walter Mosley. A continuation of the Easy Rawlins saga, in which the iconic detective’s loyalties are tested on the sun-soaked streets of Southern California.

The bride wore black by Cornell Woolrich. A police detective seeks the rationale between seemingly-unrelated murders, connected only by the appearance of a beautiful woman each time.

The children’s blizzard by Melanie Benjamin. A story of courage on the prairie, inspired by the devastating storm that struck the Great Plains in 1888, threatening the lives of hundreds of immigrant homesteaders, especially school children.

A deadly fortune by Stacie Murphy. A historical mystery in the vein of “The Alienist”, in which a young woman in Gilded Age New York must use a special talent to unravel a deadly conspiracy.

The ex talk by Rachel Solomon. To save their jobs, rival public radio co-workers pretend to be exes for a new show and end up getting much more than they bargained for.

Faithless in death by J.D. Robb. Gwen is wealthy, elegant, and comforted by her fiancé as she sheds tears over the trauma of finding a body. But why did it take an hour to report it? And why is she lying about little things?

The four winds by Kristin Hannah. An epic novel of love and heroism and hopes, set against the backdrop of one of America’s most defining eras – The Great Depression.

The frozen crown by Greta Kelly. A princess with a powerful and dangerous secret must find a way to save her country from ruthless invaders in this exciting fantasy.

Girl A by Abigail Dean. An absorbing and psychologically immersive novel about a young girl who escapes captivity – but not the secrets that shadow the rest of her life.

A heart of blood and ashes by Milla Vane. The fun thing about romance is that it encompasses all other genres too. If you are a fantasy fan, looking for a happy-ever-after, this could be the ticket.

If I disappear by Eliza Brazier. When a true-crime podcaster disappears, her biggest fan sets out to find her.

A lie someone told you about yourself by Peter Davies. A truthful examination of fatherhood that explores the fallout from an abortion and the difficulties that follow a second pregnancy. This will strike a resonant chord with parents everywhere.

Lone stars by Justin Deabler. This follows the arc of four generations of a Texan family in a changing America and in doing so shows the hope that by uncloseting ourselves – as immigrants, smart women, gay people –we find power in empathy.

Meet me in Bombay by Jenny Ashcroft. United by love. Separated by war. Will they find their way back to each other?

Milk fed by Melissa Broder. This explores the difficulties of loving oneself in a world that prizes thinness above all else. This poignant exploration of desire, religion, and daughterhood is hard to resist.

Murder by numbers by Eric Brown. A British detective battles to unmask a killer before his wife becomes victim No. 6. A classic English mystery with plenty of unexpected plot twists.

Nick by Michael Smith. This is a look into the life of Nick Carraway before Gatsby entered his life.

People like her by Ellery Lloyd. A razor-sharp, wickedly smart suspense novel about an ambitious influencer mom whose soaring success threatens her marriage, her morals, and her family’s safety.

The perfect guests by Emma Rous. A grand estate with many secrets; an orphan caught in a web of lies; and a young woman playing a sinister game.

Perfect little children by Sophie Hannah. Beth had a falling out with her best friend, Flora, and hasn’t been in contact since. She drives by Flora’s house many years later and sees Flora, who looks the same, only older, by 12 years. Flora calls to her children to get out of the car. They emerge…exactly as Beth last saw them 12 years ago, aged 5 and 3. How can that be?

The push by Ashley Audrain. A devastating event forces a mother who questions her child’s behavior – and her own sanity – to confront the truth.

The scorpion’s tail by Douglas Preston. An FBI agent and an archaeologist identity a mummified corpse and its gruesome cause of death.

Trio by William Boyd. A rollicking novel with a dark undertow, set around three unforgettable individuals and a doomed movie set.

Tsarina by Ellen Alpsten. Before Catherine the Great, there was Catherine Alexeyevna: the first woman to rule Russia in her own right. This is the story of her rise to power from serf to murderess, to empress.

The wife upstairs by Rachel Hawkins. A recently arrived dog walker in a Southern gated community falls for a mysterious widower.

The yellow wife by Sadeqa Johnson. This harrowing story follows an enslaved woman forced to barter love and freedom while living in the most infamous slave jail in Virginia.

NEW DVDS

The King of Staten Island (2020) starring Pete Davidson and Marisa Tomei

The Godfather, Coda: the death of Michael Corleone (2020) starring Al Pacino

Slap shot (1977) starring Paul Newman and Michael Ontkean

Mulan (2020) starring Yifei Liu and Donnie Yen

Only when I laugh (1981) starring Marsha Mason, Joan Hackett, and Kristy McNichol

NEW MUSIC CDs

Folklore by Taylor Swift

Disco by Kylie Minogue

Punisher by Phoebe Bridgers

Wildflowers and all the rest by Tom Petty

NONFICTION

Coming back by Fawn Germer. How to win the job you want when you’ve lost the job you need.

Fright favorites by David Skal. 31 movies to haunt your Halloween and beyond from Turner Classic movies.

Frontier Follies by Ree Drummond. A down-to-earth, hilarious collection of stories and musings on marriage, motherhood, and country life from the star of the TV show The Pioneer Woman.

How to start and run a successful home daycare business by Christina Kamp.

Just as I am by Cicely Tyson. An icon in film, TV, and fashion, Tyson here tells the story of her remarkable life.

The secret life of Dorothy Soames by Justine Cowan. A memoir about the unearthing of her deceased mother’s secret past and a generations-long cycle of family trauma. This frank account of a real-life Dickensian dystopia captivates at every turn.

We came, we saw, we left by Charles Wheelan. In a pre-CoVid 19 world, the Wheelans decided to leave behind work, school, and even the family dogs to travel the world on a modest budget. Equal parts “how-to” and “how-not-to”, this is an insightful and often hilarious account of one family’s gap-year experiment.

Where I come from by Rick Bragg. Bragg brings us an ode to the stories and history of the Deep South, filled with eclectic nuggets about places and people he knows well.

What becomes a legend most by Philip Gefter. Biography of Richard Avedon, a monumental photographer of the 20^th century, who captured the iconic figures of his era in his starkly bold, intimately minimal, and forensic visual style.

What cats want by Yuki Hattori. An illustrated guide for truly understanding your cat.

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