FICTION:
Accidental heroes by Danielle Steel. Strangers pull together to avert a disaster involving two flights from New York to San Francisco.
After Anna by Lisa Scottoline. Scottoline keeps the pace relentless as she drops a looming threat into the heart of an idyllic suburban community, causing readers to hold their breath in anticipation.
Alternate side by Anna Quindlen. In this novel about money, class, and self-discovery, the tensions in a tight-knit neighborhood – and a seemingly happy marriage – are exposed by an unexpected act of violence.
Anatomy of a miracle by Jonathan Miles. A novel about a paralyzed young man’s unexplainable recovery – a stunning exploration of faith, science, mystery, and the meaning of life.
The baby plan by Kate Rorick. Here we enter the wild, bewildering world of modern pregnancies. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll shake your head as you wonder where everyone’s sanity went.
The bishop’s pawn by Steve Berry. Cotton Malone discovers revelations about the day Martin Luther King Jr was assassinated.
The broken girls by Simone St. James. A riveting genre-blender that combines a supernatural tale with intertwined mysteries from the 1950s and today.
The disappeared by C.J. Box. Wyoming game warden, Joe Pickett, has two lethal cases to contend with.
The female persuasion by Meg Wolitzer. A novel about the flame we all believe is flickering inside of us, waiting to be seen and fanned by the right person at the right time. It’s a story about the people who guide and the people who follow (and how those roles evolve over time).
The gunners by Rebecca Kauffman. Reminiscent of The Big Chill and St. Elmo’s Fire, this novel is just as satisfying and provides readers with an entire cast of characters who feel like old friends upon finishing.
Hard aground by Brendan DuBois. A riveting Rear Window-type drama of a man trapped in a menacing environment, forced to rely on his wits rather than brawn to solve a crime.
I bring sorrow and other stories of transgression by Patricia Abbott. One of the stories here is about a Maine fisherman who makes an unusual catch and is the longest story in this sparkling collection.
I’ve got my eyes on you by Mary Higgins Clark. A high school guidance counselor tries to uncover the identity of her sister’s murderer.
Lake silence by Anne Bishop. In this thrilling and suspenseful fantasy, an inn owner and her shape-shifting lodger find themselves enmeshed in danger and dark secrets.
Let me lie by Clare MacKintosh. The police say it was suicide. Anna says it was murder. They’re both wrong. Sometimes it’s safer to let things lie.
No one ever asked by Katie Ganshert. Challenging perceptions of discrimination and prejudice, this drama explores three women navigating challenges in a changing school district – and in their lives.
The perfume burned his eyes by Michael Imperioli. 16 year old Matthew is moved by his mother from Queens to a posh apartment in Manhattan in 1976 after she gets a large inheritance. Having just lost his 2 important male models – his father and grandfather – Matthew becomes fascinated by another resident in the new building: the singer Lou Reed.
The punishment she deserves by Elizabeth George. Inspector Thomas Lynley of Scotland Yard and detective sergeant Barbara Havers are approached by a Member of Parliament with a request to investigate the supposed suicide of a constituent’s son.
A reckoning by Linda Spalding. This is set in the late 1850s as conflicts over slavery and abolition tear apart a Virginia plantation family.
Tangerine by Christine Mangan. Living in sultry 1956 Tangier with her husband, Alice is dismayed when a troublesome former college roommate comes calling.
This scorched earth by William Gear. An amazing tour de force depicting a family’s journey from devastation to rebirth following the American Civil War.
To die but once by Jacqueline Winspear. In the new Maisie Dobbs novel, Winspear does a smashing job describing the bravery exhibited by everyday Britons as the fear of invasion becomes ever more real during World War II.
Trenton Makes by Tadzio Koelb. Here is a vivid, brutal, razor-sharp debut about a woman who carves out her share of the American dream by living as a man in 1946.
Varina by Charles Frazier. Frazier returns to the time and place of Cold Mountain, vividly bringing to life the chaos and devastation of the Civil War as he tells the story of the wife of Jefferson Davis – a woman who comes to realize that complicity carries consequences.
Worst fear by Matt Hilton. In Portland, Maine, private investigator Tess Grey discovers that someone from her past is pursuing a deadly vendetta – and she could be the next to die.
NEW DVDs:
The Phantom Thread (2017) starring Daniel Day-Lewis
The Handmaid’s Tale (2017) starring Elisabeth Moss and Joseph Fiennes
Quiz Show (1994) starring Rob Morrow, Ralph Fiennes, and Paul Scofield
Decoy (1957) starring Beverly Garland
Psycho (1960) starring Anthony Perkins and Janet Leigh
NONFICTION:
Everything you love will burn by Vegas Tenold. The dark story of the shocking resurgence of white supremacist and nationalist groups, and their path to political power.
Fascism: a warning by Madeleine Albright. A personal and urgent examination of Fascism in this day and how its legacy shapes today’s world, written by the first woman to serve as U.S. Secretary of State.
A higher loyalty by James Comey. The former FBI director shares his experience from some of the highest-stakes situations of his career in the past two decades, exploring what good, ethical leadership looks like, and how it drives sound decisions.
Historic New England by Patricia Harris. A tour of the region’s top 100 national landmarks – touchstones of our collective past that still resonate with our present.
Let it rot! by Stu Campbell. Since 1975 this has been where gardeners have looked for advice on keeping useful organic stuff out of the trash.
Life without plastic by Chantal Plamondon. The practical step-by-step guide to avoiding plastic to keep your family and the planet healthy.
The line becomes a river by Francisco Cantu. A former border patrol agent ponders what it means to be successful at his job.
The Lyme solution by Darin Ingels. Here’s a five part plan to fight the inflammatory auto-immune response and beat Lyme disease.
More than true by Robert Bly. Bly revisits a selection of fairy tales and examines how these enduring narratives capture the essence of human nature.
Norman: the doll that needed to be locked away by Stephen Lancaster. A chilling true tale of life with a doll. Dedicated readers of horror and internet creepy-pasta stories will thrill to the mounting evil and solution Lancaster and his wife devise to appease Norman. A must-read for fans of the Chucky and Annabelle movies.
Redemption by Joseph Rosenbloom. An immersive, humanizing, and demystifying look at the final hours of Dr. King’s life as he seeks to revive the non-violent civil right movement and push to end poverty in America.
Rise, decline, and renewal by Douglas Rooks. A history of the Democratic Party in Maine from an editor of the Kennebec Journal.
12 rounds in Lo’s Gym by Todd Snyder. Part love letter to Appalachia, part rigorous social critique, readers may find this book – and its narrative of individual and community strength in the face of globalism’s headwinds – a welcome corrective to narratives that blame those in the region for their troubles.
Notes from Booklist, Publishers Weekly, Kirkus, Library Journal, and New York Times Book Review.