New Items ~ January 2020

FICTION

Africaville by Jeffrey Colvin.  Set in a small Nova Scotia Town settled by former slaves, this depicts several generations of one family bound together and torn apart by blood, faith, time, and fate.

After Kilimanjaro by Gayle Woodson.  Medical fiction of this kind is rare – it’s not a thriller or tearjerker, but a thoughtful novel about doctors, the work they do, and the impact that has on their patients.

The Andromeda evolution by Michael Crichton.  In this sequel to the techno-thriller that started it all, the threat returns in a gripping sequel that is terrifyingly realistic and resonant.  The Evolution is coming.

Arapaho summer by Kinley Roby.  In 1867 two Union veterans and two Arapaho women they rescue from a Lakota war party set off on the Oregon Trail in search of a new beginning.

Bloody genius by John Sandford.  Virgil Flowers will have to watch his back – and his mouth – as he investigates a college culture war turned deadly.

The confession club by Elizabeth Berg.  An uplifting novel about friendship, surprising revelations, and a second chance at love.

Crossroad by Bill Cameron.  On a desolate road in the Oregon high desert, an apprentice mortician stumbles upon a horrific crash – and into a vortex of treachery, long-buried secrets, and growing menace.

Dread journey by Dorothy Hughes.  On a transcontinental train, a starlet fears her director may be trying to kill her.

The family upstairs by Lisa Jewell.  Libby Learns the identity of her parents and inherits a London mansion, but this comes with a mystery of multiple murders.

Genesis by Robin Cook.  This takes on the ripped-from-the-headlines topic of harnessing DNA from ancestry websites to catch a killer.

Guilty, not guilty by Felix Francis.  The husband and brother of an unstable woman who’s been strangled get into a battle royal over which of them will get the other convicted of her murder.

The innocents by Michel Crummey.  Orphaned and alone in 1800s Newfoundland, a young brother and sister contend with the dire hazards of their coastal surroundings.

The kill club by Wendy Heard.  A desperate woman at the end of her rope is drawn into an intriguing, but deadly, scheme.  Just try to put this one down.

A minute to midnight by David Baldacci.  When Atlee Pine returns to her hometown to investigate her sister’s kidnapping from 30 years ago, she winds up tracking a potential serial killer.

Nothing more dangerous by Allen Eskens.  In a small Southern town where loyalty to family and to “your people” carries the weight of a sacred oath, defying those unspoken rules can be a deadly proposition.

The off-islander by Peter Colt.  A Boston-born Vietnam vet and P.I. is hired to find a missing father – but my find far more than he bargained for…

The rise of Magicks by Nora Roberts.  This closes out the trilogy “Chronicles of the One”.

Swede Hollow by Ola Larsmo.  A riveting family saga immersed in the gritty, dark side of Swedish immigrant life in America in the early 20th century.

Stuck in Manistique by Dennis Cuesta.  Two troubled lives intersect in a novel combining cozy mystery, comedy, and reflections on fractured relationships.  A hypnotic tale of family secrets that also features delightfully silly humor.

NEW DVDs

The Crown: the complete second season (2019) starring Claire Foy, Matt Smith, Victoria Hamilton, Vanessa Kirby, and John Lithgow

It: Chapter two (2019) starring Jessica Chastain and James McAvoy

Never too late (1965) starring Paul Ford and Connie Stevens

NONFICTION

A Bookshop in Berlin by Francoise Frenkel.  A rediscovered, prize-winning memoir of a fearless Jewish bookseller on a harrowing fight for survival across Nazi-occupied Europe.

Dynamic dames by Sloan De Forest.  Celebrate 50 of the most empowering and unforgettable female characters ever to grace the silver screen, as well as the artists who brought them to vibrant life!

Eightysomethings by Katharine Esty.  A practical guide to letting go, aging well, and finding unexpected happiness over the age of 80.

Finding Chika by Mitch Albom.  A moving memoir of love and loss.  You can’t help but fall for Chika.  A page-turner that will not doubt become a classic.

Here all along by Sarah Hurwitz.  Finding meaning, spirituality, and a deeper connection to life – in Judaism (after finally choosing to look there).

Hymns of the Republic by S.C. Gwynne.  An engrossing history of the final gasps of the Civil War, a year in which Americans mourned their fathers and brothers and sons but also the way their lives used to be, the people they used to be, the innocence they had lost.

If you tell by Gregg Oslen.  A shocking and empowering true-crime story of three sisters determined to survive their mother’s house of horrors.  A story of murder, family secrets, and the unbreakable bond of sisterhood.

Letters from an astrophysicist by Neil DeGrasse Tyson.  This is like a scientific Dear Abby advice column that talks about black holes, extraterrestrial sightings, and human predicaments.

The lie by William Dameron.  A candid memoir of denial, stolen identities, betrayal, faking it, and coming out.

On flowers by Amy Merrick.  Lessons from an accidental florist.  Merrick is a rare and special kind of artist who uses flowers to help us see the familiar in a completely new way.

On the plain of snakes by Paul Theroux.  Legendary travel writer Theroux drives the entire length of the U.S.-Mexico border, then goes deep into the hinterland on the back roads to uncover the rich, layered world behind today’s brutal headlines.

Unexplained by Richard Smith.  Real-life supernatural stories for uncertain times and not for the easily frightened.

A warning by Anonymous.  A senior official in the Trump administration offers an assessment of the president and makes a moral appeal.

What we will become by Mimi Lemay.  A mother’s memoir of her transgender child’s odyssey, and HER journey outside the boundaries of the faith and culture that shaped her.

The witches are coming by Lindy West.  In this wickedly funny cultural critique, the author exposes misogyny in the #MeToo era.

You are awesome by Neil Pasricha.  How to navigate change, wrestle with failure, and live an intentional life.

 NEW CHILDREN’S BOOKS

PICTURE BOOKS

Aalfred and Aalbert by Morag Hood

Around the table that grandad built  by Melanie Heuiser Hill

Astro girl by Ken Wilson-Max

A big bed for Little Snow by Grace Lin

The Christmas tree who loved trains by Anne Silvestro

A day for skating by Sarah Sullivan

Freedom soup by Tami Charles

Good morning, snowplow! by Deborah Bruss

How to hide a lion at Christmas by Helen Stephens

Just in case you want to fly by Julie Fogliano

Little fox in the snow by Jonathan London

Making a friend by Tammi Sauer

The serious goose by Jimmy Kimmel

Small Walt and Mo the Tow by Elizabeth Verdick

The snowflake mistake by Lou Treleaven

Sofia Valdez, future prez by Andrea Beaty

Telling time by David Adler

This is not that kind of book by Christopher Healy

CHAPTER BOOKS

Beverly, right here by Kate DiCamillo

The forgotten girl by India Hill Brown

Night of the new magicians by Mary Pope Osborne

The Princess in Black and the bathtime battle by Shannon Hale

Two dogs in a trench coat go on a class trip by Julie Falatko

Wings of Fire: the poison jungle by Tui Sutherland

GRAPHIC NOVELS

Dog Man. Fetch 22 by Dav Pilkey

Sunny rolls the dice by Jennifer Holm

Welcome to Wanderland by Jackie Ball

NON-FICTION

Can I eat a mammoth? by Madeline King

Do penguins have emotions? by World Book

Greek myths and mazes by Jan Bajtlik

Why are monkeys so flexible? by World Book

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