Soon to be published books

Get a glimpse at what's coming soon from your favorite author at USA Today's Winter Book Calendar. Then call us to place a request for you - many of these books are guaranteed to be best sellers!

Julia Quinn's latest romance, What Happens in London, is drawing rave reviews and winning awards. Lady Olivia Bevelstoke and Sir Harry Valentine’s unconventional courtship begins when she is caught spying on him. Endearingly quirky characters, a windowsill romance, and laugh-out-loud scenes make this witty and charming story the perfect Regency romp.

Author Faith Sullivan to speak at library

As part of the Friends of the Red Wing Public Library Hot Reads for Cold Nights 2010 programs, award winning author Faith Sullivan will speak at the library Saturday, January 30 at 10:00am.
All programs are free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served.

2010 Edgar Award nominees

The six novels nominated for the 2010 Edgar Award for best mystery novel are:


The Missing by Tim Gautreaux








The Odds by Kathleen George







The Last Child by John Hart








Mystic Arts of Erasing All Signs of Death by Charlie Huston









Nemesis by Jo Nesbø, translated by Don Bartlett









A Beautiful Place to Die by Malla Nunn

Great thriller you may not have heard of

South African author Deon Meyer is not familiar to many US readers, but anybody that enjoys suspenseful, well written thrillers should definitely give him a try. His latest, Blood Safari, has gotten rave reviews from all over the world.
When three masked men break into the Cape Town home of Emma le Roux on Christmas Eve, Emma manages to escape over the wall into her neighbor's yard. Emma fears the attack may be connected to recent evidence that her brother, Jacobus, who she thought died 20 years before while serving as a temporary game ranger, is actually alive. She hires professional bodyguard Martin Lemmer to protect her while she investigates.
Publisher Weekly says "full of page-turning tension, [Blood Safari] will strongly appeal to mystery and suspense fans seeking intelligent, hard-boiled action. Readers who like their crime fiction in exotic locations may also enjoy this excellent thriller."

Sad news from the publishing world

Robert Parker, bestselling and award-winning author of the Spenser mystery series (among others), has died at the age of 77. Parker wrote the first of his 37 Spenser novels in 1971, all featuring his street smart, tough investigator who would inspire the 1980s television series Spenser: For Hire. In 2002, he was named Grand Master at the Edgar awards by the Mystery Writers of America, and has sold more than four million copies of his books around the world.

"I read Parker's Spenser series in college," crime writer Harlan Coben said in 2007 in an interview with the Atlantic Monthly. "When it comes to detective novels, 90% of us admit he's an influence, and the rest of us lie about it."

For a complete list of his books in series order, see the Kent District Library's What's Next page.

Delicious, nutritious and sustainable!

Famed chef Mario Batali calls Clean Food "the most exciting book based on fresh produce and simple recipes I have used in years." it includes hundreds of recipes along with information on the best ways to shop for and prepare locally grown food Check it out!

The moon landing

In this, the 40th anniversary year of the first men to land on the moon, comes the book Rocket Men: The Epic Story of the First Men on the Moon by Craig Nelson. Through "interviews, 23,000 pages of NASA oral histories, and declassified CIA documents on the space race, Nelson creates a vivid and detailed account of the Apollo 11 mission. From the quotidian to the scientific to the magical, readers are taken right into the cockpit with Aldrin and Armstrong and behind the scenes at Mission Control." Check it out!

Winter Saturdays Family Story Time

This Saturday, January 16, at 9:30am marks the return of our Winter Saturdays Family Story Time. The theme is Exercise! and includes stories, songs, rhymes and a take home craft. Dress up if you like! Other story hours will be presented the first and third Saturdays of February and March. Older siblings welcome and no registration is required.

Great fantasy you may have missed

Acacia: The War With the Mein, is the first in a series written by novelist David Anthony Durham. The Washington Post says "From the first pages of Acacia, Durham demonstrates that he is a master of the fantasy epic…Durham sacrifices nothing—not psychological acuity, not political complexity, not lyrical phrases—as he drives the plot of this gripping book forward. And the story always surprises." The book tells the story of "four royal children of the Akaran dynasty, who know little of the world outside their opulent island paradise. But when an assassin strikes at the heart of their power, their lives are changed forever." it's been compared to George R. Martin's Song of Ice and Fire series - high praise indeed! Check it out!

Coming soon!

Elizabeth Gilbert's bestseller Eat, Pray, Love, made her an international sensation. She has just written a follow-up to that book, titled Committed: A Skeptic Makes Peace with Marriage. It will arrive soon at the library - call now to reserve your copy!

How much do you know about Minnesota?

I guarantee you it won't be as much as the authors of Minnesota Trivia! Take a look at this book and learn all sorts of interesting bits of Minnesota lore (Minnesota has more miles of shoreline than California, Florida and Hawaii combined!) Check it out!