New Titles – April 2018

FICTION

An American marriage by Tayari Jones.  A newlywed couple’s relationship is tested when the husband is sentenced to 12 years in prison for a crime he didn’t commit.

As you wish by Jude Deveraux.  One fateful summer, three very different women find themselves together in Summer Hill, Virginia, where they find they have much more in common than they realized.

Auntie Poldi and the Sicilian Lions by Mario Giordano.  As types of amateur sleuths go, the category of lusty Bavarian widow has been woefully under-represented…until now.

Bachelor girl by Kim Van Alkemade.  This is inspired by the true story of Jacob Ruppert, the millionaire owner of the NY Yankees, and his mysterious bequest in 1939 to an unknown actress, Helen Winthrope Weyant.

Bring out the dog by Will Mackin.  Navy vet Mackin turns in a virtuoso performance with this collection of loosely interconnected, military-themed short stories.

Caribbean Rim by Randy Wayne White.  Murder, sunken treasure, and pirates both ancient and modern send Doc Ford on a nightmare quest.

Closer than you know by Brad Parks.  A Virginia mom dutifully treading the path toward middle-class respectability is thrown down the rabbit hole when she’s accused of drug dealing and worse.

Court of lions by Jane Johnson.  An epic saga of romance and redemption, this brings one of the great turning points in human history to life, telling the dual stories of a modern woman and the last Moorish sultan of Granada, as they both move towards their cataclysmic destinies.

Dark in death by J.D. Robb.  Lt. Eve Dallas must find a killer inspired by police thrillers before another victim is murdered.

Dodging and burning by John Copenhaver.  In a small Virginia town still reeling from World War II, a photograph of a murdered woman propels 3 young people into the middle of a far-reaching mystery.

The escape artist by Brad Meltzer.  If you’ve never tried Meltzer, this is the one to read: a government conspiracy traces back through history to the escape artist Harry Houdini.

Finding Georgina by Colleen Faulkner.  What happens AFTER you get what you’ve always wanted?  A mother here is reunited with the daughter who was abducted as a toddler – only to face unexpected and painful challenges.

The French girl by Lexie Elliott.  The shifting dynamics within a group of college friends will keep the reader guessing until the end of this combination of a who-dun-it with a Big Chill vibe.

The innocent wife by Amy Lloyd.  You love him.  You trust him.  So why are you so scared?

Madness is better than defeat by Ned Beauman.  A wild thriller about Manhattan and Hollywood in the 1930s, Mayan gods, and a CIA operation gone terribly wrong.

The One by John Marrs.  This traces the stories of five people who find their soul mates – or do they?

The policeman’s daughter by Trudy Boyce.  Here is a cast of characters that bring the gritty neighborhood to life – a taunt, authentic depiction of life as a female beat cop will resonate with crime fiction fans.

The reluctant fortune teller by Keziah Frost.  This cast of senior citizens shine here and the book will charm any reader looking for a sweet, witty, zany read in the foreseeable future.

The shape of water by Guillermo del Toro and Daniel Kraus.  This is no mere movie novelization.  The book and the film still tell the same story – of a mute woman who falls in love with an imprisoned and equally mute creature – but in two very different ways.

Speak no evil by Uzodinma Iweala.  The untimely disclosure of a secret shared between two teens from different backgrounds sets off a cascade of heartbreaking consequences.

Sunburn by Laura Lippman.  Modern noir at its best, this will delight old movie lovers, satisfy suspense readers, and reward the author’s legion of fans.

Undiscovered country by Kelly McNees.  The combination of sympathetic yet flawed characters, rich and atmospheric details about Depression era America, and lyrical writing make this historical romance between Eleanor Roosevelt and Lorena Hickok a remarkable portrait.

Widow’s Point by Richard Chizmar.  An author, in search of new material, arranges to be locked inside a “haunted house” with no way of contacting the outside world.  Although no human has stepped foot inside the house in nearly 30 years, he will not be there alone….

NEW DVDs

The shape of water (2017) starring Sally Hawkins, Octavia Spencer, Michael Shannon, and Richard Jenkins

Three billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017) starring Frances McDormand, Sam Rockwell, and Woody Harrelson

Lady Bird (2017) starring Saoirse Ronan and Laurie Metcalf

Call me by your name (2017) starring Timothee Chalamet and Armie Hammer

I, Tonya (2017) starring Margot Robbie and Allison Janney

The darkest hour (2017) starring Gary Oldman and Kristin Scott Thomas

Murder on the Orient Express (2017) starring Kenneth Branagh, Michelle Pfieffer, Penelope Cruz, and Judy Dench

The Florida Project (2017) starring Wilem Dafoe

NONFICTION

Breaking sad by Shelly Fisher.  What to say after loss, what not to say, and when to just show up.

Broad band by Claire Evans.  A breakthrough book on the women – written out of history until now – who brought you the internet.

Eat the apple by Matt Young.  A gut-wrenching, beautiful memoir of the consequences of war on the psyche of a young man.

Educated: a memoir by Tara Westover.  An unforgettable memoir about a young girl who, kept out of school, leaves her survivalist family and goes on to earn a PhD from Cambridge University.

Fifty weapons that changed the course of history by Joel Levy.  This looks at 50 weapons that have helped shape the last 3,500 years from the very first hand-ax to the AK-47 and beyond.

Happiness is a choice you make by John Leland.  Wisdom and stories from six New Yorkers age 85 and older that challenge notions of aging.

How to be a better person by Kate Hanley.   This fun, enlightening book features 401 everyday activities to help you become a better person and make a positive impact on the people around you.

In praise of difficult women by Karen Karbo.  From Frida Kahlo and Elizabeth Taylor to Nora Ephron, Carrie Fisher, and Lena Dunham, here are life lessons from 29 heroines who dared to break the rules.

Junk beautiful by Sue Whitney.  30 clever furniture refreshed projects to transform your home.

Meet the Frugalwoods by Elizabeth Thames.  The story of why personal finance blogger Elizabeth Thames abandoned a successful career in the city and embraced extreme frugality in order to create a more meaningful purpose-driven life and retire to a homestead in the woods.

Niki Jabbour’s veggie garden remix by Niki Jabbour.  Here are new plants to shake up your garden and add variety, flavor, and fun.

One goal by Amy Bass.  This tells the inspiring story of the soccer team in a town (Lewiston, ME) bristling with racial tension that united Somali refugees and multi-generation Mainers in their quest for state – and ultimately national – glory.

Strange survivors by One Pagan.  Learn how organisms attack and defend in the game of life.

Tomorrow will be different by Sarah McBride.  Love, loss, and the fight for trans equality.

New Children’s Books for April 2018

PICTURE BOOKS

Great dictionary caper by Judy Sierra

This zoo is not for you by Ross Collins

I’m a duck by Eve Bunting

Of thee I sing: a letter to my daughters by Barack Obama

The rabbit listened by Cori Doerrfeld

If I had a horse by Gianna Marino

Word collector by Peter H. Reynolds

Tiptoeing Tiger by Philippa Leathers

Honk! Splat! Vroom by Barry Gott

Nobody’s duck by Mary Sullivan

What do you do with a chance by Kobi Yamada

Digger and the flower by Joseph Kuefler

CHAPTER BOOKS

Just like Jackie by Lindsay Stoddard

Problim children by Natalie Lloyd

Stink: Hamlet and cheese by Megan McDonald

Judy Moody and friends: not-so-lucky Lefty by Megan McDonald

Peg & Cat: the camp problem by Jennifer Oxley

NON-FICTION

No truth without Ruth: the life of Ruth Bader Ginsburg by Kathleen Krull

The United States v. Jackie Robinson by Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen

GRAPHIC NOVELS

Gordon: bark to the future! by Ashley Spires

DVDs

Ferdinand (2017) from the creators of Rio and Ice age

Coco (2017) starring Anthony Gonzalez and Gael Grarcia Bernal

Lego Ninjago movie (2017) starring Jackie Chan and Justin Theroux

Lion King (1994) starring Matthew Broderick

 

 

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