6/26: New at the library this week

Movies:

August rush (dvd)
The bucket list (dvd)
Don’t come knocking (dvd)

Books:

Forest health conditions in Alaska — 2007 : A forest health protection report / Cynthia Snyder

How computers work / Ron White
The full-color, detailed illustrations will take you deep inside your PC and show you just how intricate it is. This latest edition has been updated with information on all of the latest technologies, including: PCI Express Bus Serial ATA Connections Digital Photography Software TiVos, Gas Plasma Screens, iPods, and Other Home Entertainment Equipment Google and eBay 3D Game Development, Two-Slot Video Cards, and Overclocking (table of contents)

How the Internet works / Preston Gralla
The Internet has changed the world… and, with everything from blogs to podcasts, Internet phones to video, it’s still changing the world. Now, it’s easy to understand how it all works! This book’s big, brilliant, full-color illustrations and clear explanations make it all incredibly simple! (tab le of contents)

The broken window / Jeffery Deaver
A psychotic killer with access to the country’s biggest data miner—Strategic Systems Datacorp—is using detailed information to work his way into the lives of victims, rape, rob and kill them and then blame unsuspecting innocents for the crimes. The killer’s voluminous knowledge of the victims and his ability to plant damning evidence mean that even the most vocal protests of innocence go ignored by the police and juries. (Lincoln Rhyme Series, #8; read a samp le chapter)

Twilight / Stephenie Meyer
When Isabella Swan moves to the gloomy town of Forks and meets the mysterious, alluring Edward Cullen, her life takes a thrilling and terrifying turn. With his porcelain skin, golden eyes, mesmerizing voice, and supernatural gifts, Edward is both irresistible and impenetrable. Up until now, he has managed to keep his true identity hidden, but Bella is determined to uncover his dark secret. What Bella doesn’t realize is the closer she gets to him, the more she is putting herself and those around her at risk. And, it might be too late to turn back. . . (Age Range: Young Adult; read an exerpt)

Off camera : private thoughts made public / Ted Koppel
Ted Koppel, anchor of Nightline, is one of America’s most intelligent and respected journalists. With this fascinating book, he finally lets us know the man behind the face we’ve trusted late at night for almost twenty years. (read an exerpt)

The host / Stephenie Meyer
Melanie Stryder refuses to fade away. The earth has been invaded by a species that take over the minds of their human hosts while leaving their bodies intact, and most of humanity has succumbed. Wanderer, the invading “soul” who has been given Melanie’s body, knew about the challenges of living inside a human: the overwhelming emotions, the too vivid memories. But there was one difficulty Wanderer didn’t expect: the former tenant of her body refusing to relinquish possession of her mind.

Alaska wildlife notebook series / Alaska Department of Fish and Game

Waiting / Ha Jin
Waiting is a story of long-suffering love between a dutiful married doctor, Lin Kong, and an unmarried nurse, Manna Wu, he meets while working in a Chinese army hospital. Lin wants to divorce his wife, Shuyu, and marry Manna. He approaches his wife about a divorce several times, but each time she refuses. A loophole in Chinese law will allow Lin to divorce her, without her consent, if they are separated for 18 years. The “waiting” for Lin’s divorce is the focus of the story. (read a sample chapter)

Round robin / Jennifer Chiaverini
The Elm Creek Quilters have begun a round robin … a quilt created by sewing concentric patchwork to a central block as it is passed around a circle of friends. Led by Sarah McClure, who came to Waterford, Pennsylvania, with her husband, Matt, a few years ago, the project is to be their gift to their beloved fellow quilter Sylvia Compson. But like the most delicate cross-stitch, their lives are held together by the most tenuous threads of happiness … and they can unravel. (read a sample chapter)

Wideacre / Philippa Gregory Beatrice
Lacey, as strong-minded as she is beautiful, refuses to conform to the social customs of her time. Destined to lose her family name and beloved Wideacre estate once she is wed, Beatrice will use any means necessary to protect her ancestral heritage. Seduction, betrayal, even murder — Beatrice’s passion is without apology or conscience. “She is a Lacey of Wideacre,” her father warns, “and whatever she does, however she behaves, will always be fitting.” Yet even as Beatrice’s scheming seems about to yield her dream, she is haunted by the one living person who knows the extent of her plans…and her capacity for evil. (read an exerpt)

Our strange new land / Patricia Hermes
Nine-year-old Lizzie Barker has finally arrived in Jamestown, Virginia. She is keeping a journal for her twin brother, who stayed behind in England because of his weak lungs. She describes her strange new land–the abundant forests, trading with and learning from the Indians, and adventures with her best friend. (Age Range: 7 to 10)

Crochet wishes and wonders / Jennifer Christiansen McClain
A superb collection of crochet patterns for the serious crocheter! From colorful wearables and cozy afghans to holiday designs and more, each pattern is guaranteed to brighten any home. This versitile collection of 71 brand-new, never-before-published patterns is fast becoming a collector’s edition for the needlecrafter’s libraries everywhere!

Afghans on the double / Oxmoor House
A wonderful collection of favorite crocheted afghans from Leisure Arts instruction leaflets “Make Every Day Special” and “Leisure Arts the Magazine.” Includes over 50 full-color photos of designs, complete instructions, a variety of afghan designs, and more.

Out of the dust / Karen Hesse
When Billie Jo is just fourteen she must endure heart-wrenching ordeals that no child should have to face. The quiet strength she displays while dealing with unspeakable loss is as surprising as it is inspiring.
Written in free verse, this award-winning story is set in the heart of the Great Depression. It chronicles Oklahoma’s staggering dust storms, and the environmental—and emotional—turmoil they leave in their path. An unforgettable tribute to hope and inner strength. (Age Range: 10 to 12)

The last fish tale : the fate of the Atlantic and survival in Gloucester, America’s oldest fishing port and most original town / Mark Kurlansky
The culture of fishing is vanishing, and consequently, coastal societies are changing in unprecedented ways. The once thriving fishing communities of Rockport, Nantucket, Newport, Mystic, and many other coastal towns from Newfoundland to Florida and along the West Coast have been forced to abandon their roots and become tourist destinations instead. Gloucester, Massachusetts, however, is a rare survivor. The livelihood of America’s oldest fishing port has always been rooted in the life and culture of commercial fishing. (read a sample chapter)

Simplexity : why simple things become complex (and how complex things can be made simple) / Jeffrey Kluger
Complexity, as any scientist will tell you, is a slippery idea. Things that seem complicated can be astoundingly simple; things that seem simple can be dizzyingly complex. A houseplant may be more intricate than a manufacturing plant. A colony of garden ants may be more complicated than a community of people. A sentence may be richer than a book, a couplet more complicated than a song.
These and other paradoxes are driving a whole new science— simplexity—that is redefining how we look at the world and using that new view to improve our lives in fields as diverse as economics, biology, cosmology, chemistry, psychology, politics, child development, the arts, and more. Seen through the lens of this surprising new science, the world becomes a delicate place filled with predictable patterns—patterns we often fail to see as we’re time and again fooled by our instincts, by our fear, by the size of things, and even by their beauty. (read an exerpt)

Fearless fourteen / Janet Evanovich
Personal vendettas, hidden treasure, and a monkey named Carl will send bounty hunter Stephanie Plum on her most explosive adventure yet. (Stephanie Plum Mystery Series, #14)

Alaska park science : Connections to natural and cultural resource studies in Alaska’s national parks / Monica Shah

[Note: All synopses are provided by the publisher unless otherwise noted and do not constitute reviews by the Seldovia Public Library.]