New Items ~ November 2020

FICTION

Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse.  A powerful priest, an outcast seafarer, and a man born to be the vessel of a god come together.  This novel is inspired by the civilizations of the Pre-Columbian Americas and woven into a tale of celestial prophecies, political intrigue, and forbidden magic.

The book of two ways by Jodi Picoult.  A novel about the choice that alter the course of our lives.  Do we make choices – or do our choices make us?  And who would you be if you hadn’t turned out to be the person you are right now?

The brilliant life of Eudora Honeysett by Annie Lyons.  A moving and joyous novel about an elderly woman who is ready to embrace death and of the little girl who reminds her what it means to live.

Chaos by Iris Johansen.  CIA agent Alisa Flynn is willing to go rogue if it means catching the most heartless band of criminals she’s ever encountered.

The devil and the dark water by Stuart Turton.  A murder on the high seas.  A remarkable detective duo.  A demon who may or may not exist.  A thriller of supernatural horror, occult suspicion, and paranormal mystery on the high seas.

The evening and the morning by Ken Follett.  In a prequel to “Pillars of the Earth”, a boat builder, a Norman noblewoman, and a monk live in England under attack by the Welsh and the Vikings.

Fifty words for rain by Asha Lemmie.  In 1940s Japan, an 8-year-old child of a married Japanese aristocrat and her African-American lover searches for her place in the world.

The invisible life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab.  France, 1714.  In a moment of desperation, a young woman makes a Faustian bargain to live forever – and is cursed to be forgotten by everyone she meets.  But everything changes when, after nearly 300 years, she meets a young man in a hidden bookstore and he remembers her name.

Jack by Marilynne Robinson.  This is the story of the prodigal son of a Presbyterian minister and his romance with a high school teacher who is also the son of a preacher.  Their deeply felt, tormented, star-crossed interracial romance resonates with all the paradoxes of American life then and now.

Just like you by Nick Hornby.  A divorced 41 year old woman meets a 22 year old at a butcher’s counter.  This is about what happens when the person who makes you happiest is someone you never expected.

Leave the world behind by Rumaan Alam.  A magnetic novel about two families, strangers to each other, who are forced together on a long weekend gone terribly wrong.

The lending library by Aliza Fogelson.  This pairs a passionate bibliophile with a handsome construction worker and achieves maximum charm.  A daydreamer gives her town, and herself, an amazing gift:  a lending library in her sunroom.

The lost shtetl by Max Gross.  What if there was a town that history missed?  A small Jewish village in the Polish forest is so secluded no one knows it exists…until now.

Love and other crimes by Sara Paretsky.  A collection of crime and detective stories, many featuring legendary detective V.I. Warshawski.

Magic lessons by Alice Hoffman.  In a prequel to “Practical Magic”, Maria Owens invokes a curse that will haunt her family in Salem, MA.

Only truth by Julie Cameron.  A London painter, whose husband insists on moving to the country realizes that “there’s something not right with this place”.  Talk about an understatement.

The return by Nicholas Sparks.  The story of an injured Navy doctor – and two women whose secrets will change the course of his life.

The searcher by Tana French.  After a divorce, a former Chicago police officer resettles in an Irish village where a boy goes missing.

 The silence by Don DeLillo.  Set in the near future, five people are gathered together in a Manhattan apartment in the midst of a catastrophic event.

A time for mercy by John Grisham.  Court-appointed lawyer Jake Brigance puts his career, his financial security, and the safety of his family on the line to defend a 16 year old suspect who is accused of killing a local deputy and is facing the death penalty.

To sleep in a sea of stars by Christopher Paolini.  Kira Navarez might be the only one who can save the Earth and its colonies from being destroyed.

Until summer comes around by Glenn Rolfe.  A family of vampires terrorizes the seaside town of Old Orchard Beach in this tale of adolescent romance and murder.

Vince Flynn: total power by Kyle Mills.  When America’s power grid is shut down, Mitch Rapp goes after a cyber terrorist.

NEW MUSIC CDs

Bigger love by John Legend

The genius of Ray Charles by Ray Charles

The best of Kansas

NEW DVDs

Fosse/Verdon (2020)  starring Sam Rockwell and Michelle Williams

Marriage story (2019) starring Scarlett Johansson, Adam Driver, and Laura Dern

Casino Royale (2006) starring Daniel Craig

Colewell (2019) starring Karen Allen

NONFICTION:

The boy, the mole, the fox, and the horse by Charlie MacKesy.  A journey for all ages that explores life’s universal lessons, featuring 100 color and black-and-white drawings.

Children of ash and elm by Neil Price.  With clarity and verve, this examines various aspects of Viking society.  An exemplary history that gives a nuanced view of a society long reduced to a few clichés.

Eleanor by David Michaelis.  A break-through portrait of Eleanor Roosevelt, America’s longest-serving First Lady, an avatar of democracy whose ever-expanding agency as diplomat, activist, and humanitarian made her one of the world’s most widely admired and influential women.

The home edit life by Clea Shearer.  This is both for those who love to organize in their free time and those who want to get organized but feel they just can’t make the time.

How to astronaut by Terry Virts.  A former astronaut offers a mixture of science and adventure in this guide to space travel.  Divided into sections on training, launch, orbit, space-walking, deep space, and re-entry.

I will run wild by Thomas Cleaver.  This is a vivid narrative history of the early stages of the Pacific War, as U.S. and Allied forces desperately tried to slow the Japanese onslaught that began with the sudden attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941.

A knock at midnight by Brittany Barnett.  An urgent call to free those buried alive by America’s legal system, and an inspiring true story about unwavering belief in humanity from a young lawyer and important new voice in the movement to transform the system.

Librarian tales by William Ottens.  An insider’s look at one of the most prevalent, yet commonly misunderstood institutions.  Here is the good, the bad, and the ugly of librarian Ottens’ experience working behind the service desks and in the stacks of public libraries.

Loving sports when they don’t love you back by Jessica Luther.  Revealing some of the ugliest truths about professional sports.  An incisive, damning indictment of the world’s most popular past-times.

Modern comfort foods by Ina Garten.  The cook updates some of the comfort foods we grew up with.

The secret lives of planets by Paul Murdin.  A smooth survey of the planets and satellites.  Satisfying popular science, just right for the budding astronomer in the household.

That cheese plate will change your life by Marissa Mullen.  Creative gatherings and self-care with the cheese by numbers method.

Weird Earth by Donald Prothero.  Debunking strange ideas about our planet such as a moon landing hoax, flat earth, hollow earth, Atlantis, dowsing, and more.

New Children’s Books 

PICTURE BOOKS

Bedtime bonnet by Nancy Redd

Bo the brave by Bethan Woollvin

Cozy by Jan Brett

Federico and the wolf by Rebecca Gomez

Hurry up! by Kate Dopirak

A last goodbye by Elin Kelsey

Letters from Bear by Gauthier David

Lift by Minh Le

Madeline Finn and the therapy dog by Lisa Papp

My big family by Yanitzia Canetti

Nasla’s dream by Cecile Roumiguiere

Peter and the tree children by Peter Wohlleben

A quiet girl by Peter Carnavas

Rain Boy by Dylan Glynn

The run by Barroux

Short & sweet by Josh Funk

Sid Hoff’s Danny and the dinosaur ride a bike by Bruce Hale

Southwest sunrise by Nikki Grimes

Ty’s travels : All aboard! by Kelly Lyons

Where happiness begins by Eva Eland

While you’re away by Thodoris Papaioannou

 CHAPTER BOOKS

Percy Jackson’s Greek gods by Rick Riordan

Percy Jackson’s Greek heroes by Rick Riordan

Raising Lumie by Joan Bauer

Revenge of the enginerds by Jarrett Lerner

A wish in the dark by Christina Soontornvat

NON-FICTION

It’s a numbers game! Basketball by James Buckley, Jr.

Lost cities by Giles Laroche

The ocean in your bathtub by Seth Fishman

On your mark, get set, gold! by Scott Allen

Play in the wild by Lita Judge

A rainbow of rocks by Kate DePalma

A thousand glass flowers: Marietta Barovier and the invention of the Rosetta bead by Evan Turk

GRAPHIC NOVELS

The battle of the labyrinth by Rick Riordan

The last Olympian by Rick Riordan

The lightning thief by Rick Riordan

The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan

The Titan’s curse by Rick Riordan

JUVENILE DVDs

Daniel Tiger’s neighborhood: Explore the outdoors (2020) The Fred Rogers Company.

Red shoes and the seven dwarfs (2020) starring Chloe Grace Moretz and Sam Claflin.

The secret garden (2020) starring Colin Firth and Julie Walters.

Trolls world tour (2020) voices of Anna Kendrick and Justin Timberlake.

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