10/3: New at the library this week

Audiobooks

Firefly beach / Luanne Rice (unabridged; cassette; read an exerpt)

Coolly sophisticated and steadfastly single, Caroline Renwick has always been the sister everyone could count on. As she and Clea and Skye gathered at Firefly Hill, their childhood home, Caroline thought that they had all put the past behind them. But as summer gets under way, a mysterious man arrives—a man who has the power to bring it all back….

Joe Connor was only six when his father died at Firefly Hill. Though he and Caroline had never met, the five-year-old girl reached out to him. They became pen pals and friends, until a teenaged Joe finally learned the truth about what had happened to his father that night. Now, after years of silence, Joe is suddenly here … and Caroline still feels a connection. But she can’t help but wonder if this handsome man holds the key to her family’s healing—or its destruction. And in his presence, how long will she be able to guard her heart?

Dreaming of the bones / Deborah Crombie (unabridged; cassette; Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James Series, #5)
It is the call Scotland Yard Superintendent Duncan Kincaid never expected—and one he certainly doesn’t want. Victoria, his ex-wife, who walked out without an explanation more than a decade ago, asks him to look into the suicide of local poet, Lydia Brooke—a case that’s been officially closed for five years. The troubled young writer’s death, Victoria claims, might well have been murder.

No one is more surprised than Kincaid himself when he agrees to investigate—not even his partner and lover, Sergeant Gemma James. But it’s a second death that raises the stakes and plunges Kincaid and James into a labyrinth of dark lies and lethal secrets that stretches all the way back through the twentieth century—a death that most assuredly is murder, one that has altered Duncan Kincaid’s world forever.

9/8: New at the library this week

Movies:

Planet earth
You don’t mess with the Zohan
My fair lady
The curious case of Benjamin Button

(all movies are on dvd unless otherwise noted)

Books:

Last kiss / Luanne Rice
For nearly a year after the tragedy that claimed her teenage son, Charlie, Sheridan Rosslare has lived a quiet life on Hubbard’s Point, tucked away in the beach house where they spent their happiest days. But Charlie’s girlfriend, Nell Kilvert, is determined to find out what really happened on the night none of them will ever forget. She summons the one man she believes can uncover the truth–Gavin Dawson, who long ago thought he would always be at Sheridan’s side. Now his boat sits anchored within sight of the window of the woman he once loved–and still loves. Both of them had believed in the power of love and forgiveness, connection and reconnection, to work magic. They thought they’d lost that faith forever. Can they find it one last time? (read an exerpt)

The deep blue sea for beginners / Luanne Rice
Years ago, Lyra Davis left behind a world of wealth and privilege and the people she loved most in the world, unable to reconcile the expectations of her celebrated family with the longings of her own wild heart. Now she lives quietly among a community of expatriates on the isle of Capri, slowly, carefully learning to live fully for the first time, flourishing in the friendship of a singular man who recognizes in her a kindred spirit. (read an exerpt)

5/2: New at the library this week

Audiobooks

Miracle at St. Anna / James McBride
Inspired by a historical incident that took place in the village of St. Anna di Stazzema in Tuscany and by the experiences of the famed Buffalo Soldiers of the 92nd Division in Italy during World War 11, Miracle at St. Anna is a singular evocation of war, cruelty, passion, heroism, and love. It is the story of four American soldiers, the villagers among whom they take refuge, a band of partisans, and an Italian boy, all of whom encounter a miracle — though perhaps the true miracle lies in themselves. (cassettes, unabridged)

The appeal / John Grisham
In a crowded courtroom in Mississippi, a jury returns a shocking verdict against a chemical company accused of dumping toxic waste into a small town’s water supply, causing the worst “cancer cluster” in history. The company appeals to the Mississippi Supreme Court, whose nine justices will one day either approve the verdict or reverse it.

Who are the nine? How will they vote? Can one be replaced before the case is ultimately decided? (CD; unabridged)

8/9: New at the library this week

Movies:

Chinatown (dvd)
Foyle’s War Season 6 (dvd)
Hairpray (dvd)
Schindler’s list (dvd)
Volver (dvd)
Fantasia (dvd)

Books:

Tribute / Nora Roberts
Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley is a long way from Hollywood. And that’s exactly how Cilla McGowan wants it. Cilla, a former child star who has found more satisfying work as a restorer of old houses, has come to her grandmother’s farmhouse, tools at her side, to rescue it from ruin. Sadly, no one was able to save her grandmother, the legendary Janet Hardy. An actress with a tumultuous life, Janet entertained glamorous guests and engaged in decadent affairs—but died of an overdose in this very house more than thirty years earlier. To this day, Janet haunts Cilla’s dreams. And during waking hours, Cilla is haunted by her melodramatic, five-times-married mother, who carried on in the public spotlight and never gave her a chance at a normal childhood. By coming east, rolling up her sleeves, and rehabbing this wreck of a house, Cilla intends to find some kind of normalcy for herself.

7/5: New at the library this week

Audiobooks:

As part of the National Endowment for the Arts’ The Big Read, we have just received audio guides on CD of the following books (*these novels are in our collection):

• To Kill a Mockingbird*
• The Great Gatsby*
• The Maltese Falcon*
• The Grapes of Wrath*
• A Farewell to Arms*
• Fahrenheit 451*
• The Call of the Wild*
• The Heart is a Lonely Hunter*
• The Joy Luck Club*
• The Age of Innocence*
• The Death of Ivan Ilyich
• Their Eyes Were Watching God
• Bless Me, Ultima
• My Antonia

Movies:

Charlie Wilson’s War (dvd)
Radio days (dvd)
Michael Clayton (dvd)

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)

3/4: New at the library this week

Audiobooks:

Lord John and the private matter / Diana Gabaldon (cassettes)
The year is 1757. On a clear morning in mid-June, Lord John Grey emerges from London’s Beefsteak Club, his mind in turmoil. A nobleman and a high-ranking officer in His Majesty’s Army, Grey has just witnessed something shocking. But his efforts to avoid a scandal that might destroy his family are interrupted by something still more urgent: the Crown appoints him to investigate the brutal murder of a comrade in arms, who may have been a traitor. (read an exerpt)

Outlander / Diana Gabaldon (CD)
In 1945, Claire Randall, a former combat nurse, is back from the war and reunited with her husband on a second honeymoon—when she innocently touches a boulder in one of the ancient stone circles that dot the British Isles. Suddenly she is a Sassenach—an “outlander”—in a Scotland torn by war and raiding border clans in the year of our Lord…1743. (read an exerpt)

2/2: New at the library this week

Audiobooks:

A wrinkle in time / Madeleine L’Engle — Meg Murry and her friends become involved with unearthly strangers and a search for Meg’s father, who disappeared while engaged in secret work for the government. (Age Range: 12 and up: Time Quartet Series, #1; read an sample chapter; casettes)

The Eyre affair / Jasper Fforde — When asked to summarize his creation is a single sentence, Jasper Fforde described it as “a literary detective thriller with romantic overtones, mad-inventor uncles, aunts trapped in Wordsworth poems, global multinationals, scheming evildoers, an excursion inside the novel Jane Eyre, dodos, knight-errant-time-traveling fathers, and the answer to the eternal question: Who really wrote Shakespeare’s plays?” (Thursday Next Series, #1; read an exerpt)

1/26: New at the library this week

Books:

• Hand of evil / Judith A. Jance — With his hand trapped in the door of a speeding car, a man struggles to remain upright as he’s dragged along a deserted stretch of San Juan Road in Phoenix’s South Mountain Preserve. It’s the perfect place to drive a man to his grave — literally. Starting with a crime so gruesome even prowling coyotes keep their distance from the remains, a killer begins crisscrossing the Southwest on a spree of grisly murders. (Ali Reynolds Series, #3; read an sample chapter)
• Taste of home baking book — Discover more than 725 recipes for irresistible baked goods-from cookies, bars, brownies, cakes, cheesecakes, pies, bread puddings, and meringues to yeast breads, quick breads, coffee cakes, muffins, biscuits, and more-and bask in the warm, complex aroma of a fresh-baked loaf of bread, the luscious whiff of cinnamon rolls, or the sweet, fruity fragrance of pies. Best of all, they are all made with easy-to-find ingredients. Every recipe has been tasted and reviewed by the professional home economists of the Taste of Home test kitchens. More than 675 full-color photographs illustrate mixing and baking methods and showcase the delectable baked results!
• World without end / Ken Follett — takes place in the same town of Kingsbridge, two centuries after the townspeople finished building the exquisite Gothic cathedral that was at the heart of The Pillars of the Earth. The cathedral and the priory are again at the center of a web of love and hate, greed and pride, ambition and revenge, but this sequel stands on its own. This time the men and women of an extraordinary cast of characters find themselves at a crossroad of new ideas-about medicine, commerce, architecture, and justice. In a world where proponents of the old ways fiercely battle those with progressive minds, the intrigue and tension quickly reach a boiling point against the devastating backdrop of the greatest natural disaster ever to strike the human race-the Black Death. (read an sample chapter)
• Violet goes to the country / Melanie Cecka; Jan Karon — Violet and her owner, Alice, are off to the country for a visit. Violet is as excited as can be, but she keeps getting in the way of Alice’s uncle Leo (who is “not much of a cat person”). (Age Range: 4 to 8)
• Payback / Jasmine Cresswell — For twenty-five years multimillionaire businessman Ron Raven played the loving husband and father— to two very different households. But when Ron disappears, his deception is revealed. Now it’s time for…PAYBACK. (Ravens Trilogy, #3; read an exerpt)
• Missing / Jasmine Cresswell — For twenty-five years, multimillionaire businessman Ron Raven fooled everyone, successfully playing the loving husband and father to two very different households. But when Ron suddenly disappears, the truth about his deception is revealed. Now two families are left alone with their questions, while the one man who holds the answers is . . . MISSING. (Ravens Trilogy, #2; read an sample chapter)
• Suspect / Jasmine Cresswell — For twenty-five years, multimillionaire businessman Ron Raven had been fooling everyone, successfully playing the loving husband and father to two very different households. But when Ron suddenly disappears, the truth about his deception is revealed. Now faced with the ultimate betrayal, his families are left questioning who can be trusted . . . and who remains SUSPECT. (Ravens Trilogy, #1; read an sample chapter)
• Double cross / James Patterson — A spate of elaborate murders in Washington D.C. has the whole East Coast on edge. It is like nothing Alex Cross and his new girlfriend, Detective Brianna Stone, have ever seen. With each murder, the case becomes increasingly complex. There’s only one thing Alex knows: this killer adores an audience. (Alex Cross Series, #13)
• The New Year’s quilt / Jennifer Chiaverini — As Sylvia, a late-in-life newlywed, has discovered, love can enter our lives at any age. Yet before she can truly delight in her present happiness, she must face the sorrow hidden in her past — her own role in the tragic circumstances that left her estranged from her sister, Claudia, until it was too late to make amends. Vowing not to repeat the mistake with her new daughter-in-law, Amy, who opposed Sylvia’s marriage to her father, Andrew, Sylvia must convince Amy that family is more precious than pride. (read an exerpt)
• Home to Holly Springs / Jan Karon — This novel takes Father Tim on a journey to his hometown of Holly Springs, Mississippi. A host of fascinating encounters with people along the way ensure that the trip is colorful, though as Father Tim arrives in response to a mysterious summons, he may discover that home is where the heart is but also where secrets are hidden.
• Escape / Carolyn Jessop ; Laura Palmer — When she was eighteen years old, Carolyn Jessop was coerced into an arranged marriage with a total stranger: a man thirty-two years her senior. Merril Jessop already had three wives. But arranged plural marriages were an integral part of Carolyn’s heritage: She was born into and raised in the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS), the radical offshoot of the Mormon Church that had settled in small communities along the Arizona-Utah border. Over the next fifteen years, Carolyn had eight children and withstood her husband’s psychological abuse and the watchful eyes of his other wives who were locked in a constant battle for supremacy. (read an exerpt)
• A week from Sunday / Dorothy Garlock — Adrianna Moore’s recently passed father has left his entire estate to his lawyer, who tells her that to regain her inheritance, she must marry him “a week from Sunday.” Driving desperately to a new life, Adrianna collides with Quinn Baxter’s truck, falls for him, and must deal with Quinn’s scheming housekeeper as well as the spurned lawyer, who continues to track Adrianna in order to force her to marry him. (read an sample chapter)
• On Tall Pine Lake / Dorothy Garlock — Nona Cinrad has been making it throught “by the hardest.” Each day is a struggle–to go on after her parents’ sudden death, to win her rightful inheritance from her untrustworthy half-brother, and to raise her high-spirited younger sister. Hired to manage a fishing camp deep in the Arkansas woods, the strong-willed redhead is eager to settle down…until she clashes with two men. One is a mysterious, well-dressed stranger who seems to know her. The other is the camp’s new owner, Simon Wright. (read an sample chapter)
• The abduction / Mark Gimenez — Ben Brice lives alone in the New Mexico wilderness where he battles memories of Vietnam with oceans of Jim Beam. Miles away in Texas, his estranged son, John, an internet geek-turned-billionaire, half watches his daughter Gracie’s soccer game while conducting business on his cell phone. When her mother Elizabeth arrives, the coach reports that her uncle has already collected Gracie. But Gracie has no uncle – she was kidnapped.

12/10: New at the library this week

Audiobooks:

• Mount Vernon love story: a novel of George and Martha Washington / Mary Higgins Clark — The novel charts the course of George’s tentative courtship of the young widow Martha Custis. (read an exerpt)
• Little altars everywhere / Rebecca Wells — The story unfolds in the alternating voices of Vivi and her husband, Big Shep, along with Sidda and her siblings, as well as the almost-but-not-quite family Chaney and Willetta. Wells embraces nearly thirty years of life on the Walker plantation in Thornton, Louisiana, where the cloying air of the bayou and a web of family secrets at once shelters, traps, and defines this utterly original community of souls. (read a sample chapter)
• A tree grows in Brooklyn / Betty Smith — The story of young, sensitive, and idealistic Francie Nolan and her bittersweet formative years in the slums of Williamsburg. (read a sample chapter)
• Balance of power / Richard North Patterson — President Kerry Kilcannon and his fiancée, television journalist Lara Costello, have at last decided to marry. But their wedding is followed by a massacre of innocents in a lethal burst of gunfire, challenging their marriage and his presidency in ways so shattering and indelibly personal that Kilcannon vows to eradicate gun violence and crush the most powerful lobby in Washington–the Sons of the Second Amendment (SSA). (read an exerpt)