New Items ~ December 2018

FICTION

The antiquities hunter by Maya Bohnhoff.  A female detective must go undercover in the Mexican jungle to hunt down a mysterious antiquities dealer.  It’s a cross between Romancing the Stone and an Indiana Jones adventure.

Broken field by Jeff Hull.  Told from the perspective of a high school girl and a football coach, this reveals the tensions that tear at the fabric of a small town when a high school hazing incident escalates and threatens a championship season.

Dark sacred night by Michael Connelly.  Renee Ballard teams up with Harry Bosch to solve the murder of a teenage runaway.

Death of a Russian doll by Barbara Early.  What to do when you discover that your boyfriend is married and may have murdered his wife?  Get ready, get set, detect.

Elevation by Stephen King.  A man who is losing weight without getting thinner forms an unlikely alliance with his neighbors who are dealing with prejudice.

Every breath by Nicholas Sparks.  Another tale of love and loss and family.

The glass ocean by Beatriz Williams.  The lives and loves of three remarkable women – two in the past, one in the present – and the tragic final voyage of the HMS Lusitania.

Go to my grave by Catriona McPherson.  Lovers of classic manor house mysteries are in for a treat.

Gone so long by Andre Dubus.  A father, estranged for the worst of reasons, is driven to seek out the daughter he has not seen in decades.

Heads you win by Jeffrey Archer.  When Alex’s father is assassinated by the KGB, he and his mother flip a coin to decide whether to flee to America or Great Britain.

Holy ghost by John Sandford.  Virgil Flowers investigates shooting in a Minnesota town following an attempt to revive its ailing economy.

The Kennedy debutante by Kerri Maher.  A captivating novel following the exploits of Kathleen “Kick” Kennedy, the forgotten and rebellious daughter of one of American’s greatest political dynasties.

Kingdom of the blind by Louise Penny.  When a peculiar letter arrives inviting Armand Gamache to an abandoned farmhouse, he discovers that a complete stranger has named him one of the executors of her will.

The lake on fire by Rosellen Brown.  An epic narrative that begins among 19th century Jewish immigrants on a failing Wisconsin farm and follows them to the big city of Chicago.

The last night out by Catherine O’Connell.  Six friends.  A bride to be.  One murder.  Too many secrets.

Little by Edward Carey.  The tale of an ambitious orphan in Revolutionary Paris, befriended by royalty and radicals, who transforms herself into the legendary Madame Tussaud.

Nantucket counterfeit by Steven Axelrod.  This mystery takes us into the closed, gossip-riddled, back-stabbing world of Nantucket’s community theater.

No good asking by Fran Kimmel.  An overwhelmed family living in the rural plains of western Canada begins to change when an abused 11 year old enter their lives.

One day in December by Josie Silver.  This follows two young Londoners after a missed connection alters the course of their lives.  Two people. Ten chances.  One unforgettable love story.

Past Tense by Lee Child.  Jack Reacher finds trouble – or does trouble find him?

The rain watcher by Tatiana de Rosnay.  A story of family secrets and devastating disaster, set against a Paris backdrop, fraught with revelations and resolutions.

Rainsongs by Sue Hubbard.  An elegiac story of loss and valediction, set amid the stunning Irish landscape.

The red lamp by Mary Roberts Rinehart.   Fans of eerie whodunits with a supernatural tinge will relish this.  A professor tries to stop a murder spree, uncertain whether the culprit is a man or ghost.

Shell game by Sara Paretsky.  Even after decades, this landmark series remains as popular as ever, and the social consciousness behind the stories seems ever more in tune with contemporary events.

Sugar land by Tammy Lynne Stoner.  A southern friend novel about love, Lead Belly, and liberation that reads like the love child of Fannie Flagg and Rita Mae Brown.

The Winters by Lisa Gabriele.  A modern look at Du Maurier’s Rebecca, this is a suspenseful novel set in the moneyed world of the Hamptons, about secrets that refuse to remain buried, and consequences that can’t be escaped.

The witch elm by Tana French.  After Toby Hennessy retreats to his family’s ancestral home, a skull discovered in the backyard exposes his family’s past.

You don’t own me by Mary Higgins Clark.  A TV producer investigates them murder of a physician and whether it was his wife who killed him.

NEW DVDs

Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again (2018) starring Christine Baranski and Cher

Won’t you be my neighbor? (2018) documentary about Mr. Rogers

Three Sovereigns for Sarah (1985) starring Vanessa Redgrave and Kim Hunter

NONFICTION 

Becoming by Michelle Obama.  The former First Lady describes her journey from the South Side of Chicago to the White House and how she balanced work, family, and her husband’s political ascent.

Blowing the bloody doors off by Michael Caine.  The actor shares the wisdom, stories, insights, and skills that life has taught him in his remarkable career.

Girl, wash your face by Rachel Hollis.  The author presents a guide to becoming a joyous, confident woman by breaking the cycle of negativity and burnout and pursuing a life of exuberance.

Gmorning, gnight! by Lin-Manuel Miranda.  Booklist says, “When the world is bringing you down, this will remind you that you are awesome”.  It’s a book of affirmations to inspire readers at the beginning and end of each day.

Heavy by Kiese Laymon.  In this provocative memoir, Laymon explores what the weight of a lifetime of secrets, lies, and deception does to a black body, a black family, and a nation teetering on the brink of moral collapse.

How to leave by Erin Clune.  Quitting the city and coping with a new reality is the focus of this uproarious memoir/tongue-in-cheek guide to leaving the cool city in which you “found yourself” and moving somewhere far more ordinary – like your hometown.

Killing the SS by Bill O’Reilly.  A look at the postwar manhunt for members of Hitler’s inner circle.

Make time by Jake Knapp.  How to focus on what matters every day.  It’s a simple 4-step system for improving focus, finding greater joy in your work, and getting more out of every day.

Parenting through puberty by Suanne Kowal-Connelly.  Mood swings, acne, and growing pains.  Puberty is tough on kids – and maybe even more so on parents!

Presidents of war by Michael Beschloss.  How American presidents waged wars and expanded the power of the executive branch.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg by Jane De Hart.  The first full life – private, public, legal, philosophical – of the 107th Supreme Court Justice, one of the most profound and profoundly transformative legal minds of our time.

Tweak by Nic Sheff.  Memoir of a young man’s addiction to methamphetamine tells a raw, harrowing, and ultimately hopeful tale of the road from relapse to recovery.

Vietnam: an epic tragedy by Max Hastings.  No past volume has blended a political and military narrative of the entire conflict with heart-stopping personal experiences.  Hastings marshals testimony from warlords and peasants, statesmen and soldiers.

PICTURE BOOKS

A big mooncake for Little Star by Grace Lin

The crocodile and the dentist by Tar Gomi

First snow by Nancy Viau

Giraffe problems by Jory John

How do dinosaurs learn to read by Jane Yolen

Hungry bunny by Claudia Rueda

I am small by Qin Leng

Kitten and the night watchman by John Sullivan

Little Bear’s big house by Benjamin Chaud

Mary Poppins by P.L. Travers

On Gull Beach by Jane Yolen

Petra by Marianna Coppo

The rough patch by Brian Lies

Sleepy, the goodnight buddy by Drew Daywalt

The snowy nap by Jan Brett

Twig by Aura Parker

Up the mountain path by Marianne Dubuc

The wall in the middle of the book by Jon Agee

Winter is here by Kevin Henkes

CHAPTER BOOKS

Ghost: Track by Jason Reynolds

Inkling by Kenneth Oppel

The jigsaw jungle  by Kristin Levine

Mary Poppins by P. L. Travers

Project Fluffy by Kara LaReau

The rhino in right field by Stacy DeKeyser

Saving Winslow by Sharon Creech

Weather or not by Sarah Mlynowski, Lauren Myracle and Emily Jenkins

You don’t know everything, Jilly P!  by Alex Gino

Zora and me: the cursed ground by T.R.Simon

NON-FICTION

All-of-a-kind family Hanukkah by Emily Jenkins

The brilliant deep: rebuilding the world’s coral reefs by Kate Messner

Little people, big dreams: Georgia O’Keefe by Ma Isabel Sanchez Vegara

Little people, big dreams: Mother Teresa by Ma Isabel Sanchez Vegara

Mason jar science  by Jonathan Adolph

My First Book of Baseball by Beth Bugler and Mark Bechtel

My First Book of Basketball by Beth Bugler and Mark Bechtel

My First Book of Lacrosse by Beth Bugler and Sam Page

A pandemonium of parrots and other animals by Hui Skipp

Peace and me by Ali Winter

The World Series: baseball’s biggest stage by Matt Doeden

GRAPHIC NOVELS

Crush by Svetlana Chmakova

Estranged by Ethan M. Aldridge

Lafayette! by Nathan Hale

Phoebe and her unicorn in unicorn theater by Dana Simpson

PopularMMOs presents a hole new world by Pat & Jen from PopularMMos

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