Movies

FICTION

The American Agent by Jacqueline Winspear.  Mazie Dobbs investigates the mysterious murder of an American war correspondent in London during the Blitz.

Black Leopard, red wolf by Marlon James.  A swords-and-sorcery epic set in a mythical Africa that is also part detective story, part quest fable, and part inquiry into the nature of truth, belief, and destiny.

Bowlaway by Elizabeth McCracken.  This is about three generations of an unconventional New England family who own and operate a candlepin bowling alley.

Cemetery Road by Greg Iles.  An electrifying tale of friendship, betrayal, and shattering secrets that threaten to destroy a small Mississippi town.

Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Reid.  A gripping novel about the whirlwind rise of an iconic 1970s rock group and their beautiful lead singer, revealing the mystery behind their infamous breakup.

Early riser by Jasper Fforde.  A madcap adventure through the Welsh winter which has grown so deadly most humans literally sleep through it.  Whip-smart, tremendous fun, and an utter delight from start to finish.

Finding Dorothy by Elizabeth Letts.  The story behind the Wonderful Wizard of Oz, the book that inspired the iconic film, through the eyes of author L. Frank Baum’s intrepid wife, Maud.

The huntress by Kate Quinn.  A battle-haunted English journalist and a Russian female bomber pilot join forces to track the Huntress, a Nazi war criminal gone to ground in America.

Leading men by Christopher Castellani.  An intriguing tale of Tennessee Williams and his lover of 15 years, Frank Merlo.  It’s a wonderful examination of artists and the people who love them and change their work in large and imperceptible ways.

The lost man by Jane Harper.  Nathan and Bub Bright find their other brother dead at the border of their cattle ranch in the Australian outback.

The Malta exchange by Steve Berry.  The author has the lock on making history zing with breathless suspense and galloping action.  Malta and the Vatican are superb settings for this ecclesiastical extravaganza.

Mission critical by Mark Greaney.  A high-states thriller featuring the world’s most dangerous assassin: the Gray Man.

The military wife by Laura Trentham.  A young widow embraces a second chance at life when she reconnects with those who understand the sacrifices made by American soldiers and their families.

 The object of your affections by Falguni Kothari.  Two best friends rewrite the rules of friendship, love and family…and change everything they thought they knew about motherhood.

The river by Peter Heller.  The story of 2 college students on a wilderness canoe trip – a gripping tale of a friendship tested by fire, white water, and violence.

Run away by Harlan Coben.  You’ve lost your daughter.  She’s addicted to drugs and to an abusive boyfriend.  And she’s made it clear that she doesn’t want to be found.  Then, by chance, you see her playing guitar in Central Park…

The secretary by Renee Knight.  She could be the most dangerous person in the room…    But it would be a mistake to underestimate such a steadfast secretary as Christine.  Because as everyone is about to discover, there’s a dangerous line between obedience and obsession.

Trump Sky Alpha by Mark Doten.  One year after the president has plunged the world into nuclear war, a journalist takes refuge in the Twin Cities Metro Containment Zone.  On assignment, she documents internet humor at the end of the world.  By turns a dystopian nightmare, a cyber thriller, a spot-on treatise on memes, and a tragic tale of love and loss.

The wall by John Lanchester.  Dystopian fiction done just right, with a scenario that’s all too real.  It blends the most compelling issues of our time – rising waters, rising fear, rising political division – into a suspenseful story of love, trust, and survival.

The wedding guest by Jonathan Kellerman.  Milo Sturgis and Alex Delaware investigate the death of a stranger at a wedding reception.

NEW DVDs

Bohemian Rhapsody (2018)  starring Rami Malek

A star is born (2018) starring Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper

Green book (2018) starring Viggo Mortensen and Mahershala Ali

Can you ever forgive me? (2018) starring Melissa McCarthy and Richard E. Grant

The favourite (2018) starring Olivia Colman, Emma Stone, Rachel Weisz

At eternity’s gate (2018) starring Willem Dafoe

NEW MUSIC CDs

By the way, I forgive you by Brandi Carlile

(the teal album) by Weezer

Look alive by Guster

H.E.R. by H.E.R.

Can’t say I ain’t country by Florida Georgia Line

The essential Dinah Washington by Dinah Washington

NONFICTION

An American summer by Alex Kotlowitz.  This captures the summer of 2013 in neglected Chicago neighborhoods, rendering intimate profiles of residents and the “very public” violence they face every day.  It is a fiercely uncompromising and unforgettable portrait.

The art of dying well by Katy Butler.  An inspiring, informative, and practical guide to navigating end of life issues.

Black is the body by Emily Bernard.  Memoir from a black woman that gives stories of her grandmother’s time, her mother’s time, and her own.

The darkest year by William Klingaman.  A psychological study of the American homefront in 1941 under pressure of total war.

Monhegan by Mark Warner.  A guide to Maine’s fabled island.

Mykonos: portrait of a vanished era by Robert McCabe.  Experience the unspoiled beauty and traditional culture of this legendary Greek island as it was in the late 1950s.

On the run in Nazi Berlin by Bert Lewyn.  160,000 Jews lived in Berlin before World War II.  By 1945, only 3,000 remained.  Lewyn was one of the few, and his memoir – from witnessing the famous 1933 book burning to the aftermath of the war in a displaced persons camp – offers an unparalleled depiction of the life of a runaway Jew caught in the heart of the Nazi empire.

The salt path by Raynor Winn.  A true story of a couple who lost everything and embarked on a transformative journey walking the South West Coast Path in England.

Shortest way home by Pete Buttigieg.  The young mayor of South Bend, Indiana, now in his second term, explains what mayors do and offers ideas for the country as a whole in his memoir.

Sleeping with strangers by David Thomson.  From a celebrated film critic, this is an original, seductive account of sexuality in the movies and of how actors and actresses on screen have fed our desires.

Soar, Adam, soar by Rick Prashaw.  After a tragic accident cut his life short, Adam left a legacy of changed lives and a trove of social media posts documenting his life, relationships, transition, and struggle with epilepsy – all with remarkable transparency and directness.

Tamed by Alice Roberts.  Uncovers the deep history of 10 familiar species with incredible wild pasts:  dogs, apples and wheat, cattle, potatoes and chickens, rice, maize and horses.  The author reveals how becoming part of our world changed these and how they became our allies.

This much country by Kristin Pace.  A memoir of heartbreak, thousand-mile races, the endless Alaskan wilderness and man, many dogs from one of only a handful of women to have completed both the Yukon Quest and the Iditarod.

We were rich and we didn’t know it by Tom Phelan.  A tender recollection of growing up on a farm in Ireland in the 1940s, a captivating portrait of a bygone time.

Which side are you on? by James Sullivan.  Presented here is 20^th century American history as seen through 100 protest songs.

Children’s Books

 PICTURE BOOKS

 Are you scared, Darth Vader by Adam Rex

The bear, the piano, the dog, and the fiddle by David Litchfield

Because by Mo Willems

Blue by Laura Vaccaro Seeger

Builders & breakers by Steve Light

Carl and the meaning of life by Deborah Freedman

The dress and the girl by Camille Andros

Gittel’s journey: an Ellis Island story by Leslea Newman

The littlest things give the loveliest hugs by Mark Sperring

The pinata that the farm maiden hung by Samantha Vamos

Side by side by Chris Raschka

Thank you, Omu by Oge Mora

The very impatient caterpillar by Ross Burach

 GRAPHIC NOVELS

Aquicorn Cove by Katie O’Neill

Dog Man: Brawl of the wild by Dav Pilkey

The hidden witch by Molly Ostertag

Hilda and the bird parade by Luke Pearson

Rocket to the moon? by Don Brown

Then everything went wrong by Judd Winick

 CHAPTER BOOKS

The assassins curse by Kevin Sands

Because of the rabbit by Cynthia Lord

The bridge home by Padma Venkatraman

The friendship war by Andrew Clements

Grenade by Alan Gratz

The hive queen by Tui Sutherland

Lion down by Stuart Gibbs

Small spaces by Katherine Arden

Swallow’s dance by Wendy Orr

Sweeping up the heart by Kevin Henkes

The unteachables by Gordon Korman

 NON-FICTION

Bloom bloom! by April Sayre Pulley

Calm : mindfulness for kids by Wynne Kinder

The college football championship: the fight for the top spot by Matt Doeden

The earth gives more by Sue Fliess

Inside the Daytona 500 by Todd Kortemeier

Period power : a manifesto for the menstrual movement by Nadya Okamoto

Raindrops roll by April Sayre Pulley

The World Cup : soccer’s global championship by Matt Doeden

 MOVIES

Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch with Benedict Cumberbatch

Mary Poppins returns with Emily Blunt

Nutcracker and the four realms with Keira Knightley

Ralph breaks the internet with Sarah Silverman

Spider-Man into the Spider-Verse with Bob Persichetti

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