From Publishers Weekly; "In this follow-up to her first memoir, Hit by a Farm, Friend details the challenges of balancing a writing career with sheep farming in southeastern Minnesota, where she lives with her partner, Melissa. As she ponders the content and meaning of her life, Friend regales readers with funny and fascinating tales of daily life on a farm, from the humor and peril unique to sheep shearing to viewing death as "part of the job." Tidbits on sheep in history and literature add color; for example, the author argues that sheepherding is actually the oldest profession and points out the animals' presence in our language, via expressions like "fleeced" and "dyed in the wool." Her voice is wry and funny; she's self-deprecating and thoughtful, and strikes a balance between teasing and kindness, whether her subject is pregnant sheep, yarn-loving "fiber freaks," or spirituality and nature."

From Library Journal: "Michael is an assassin for the mob; he's expectedly ferocious and cunning yet equally loyal, sensitive, and even loving-the unlikeliest of heroes. Yet it is Michael at the center of this complex, action-packed thriller that moves between the back mountains of North Carolina and its rolling estates and the mean streets of New York City. The story is built around children living a Lord of the Flies existence, schizophrenia, familial relationships, dirty politics, and revenge. Hart has the skill to create multi-faceted characters and weave them into multiple plotlines, creating a spellbinding story that is impossible to put down or to forget. This is only his fourth novel, and it is easy to see why he has won numerous awards for his previous three, including his Edgar Award-winning Down River and The Last Child. Hart continues to build his legacy as one of the brightest stars in crime fiction. He's at the top of his game with his darkest novel yet, and fans of Michael Connelly, James Lee Burke, and Elmore Leonard will appreciate his style."

From the Barnes & Noble review: "Antiterrorist expert Gabriel Allon would prefer to spend a quiet life as an art restorer, but events keep dragging him back into danger. In his eleventh book incarnation, Allon is strolling innocently with his wife in London when he spots a man who he instinctively identifies as a suicide bomber. Fate (in the form of a violent British undercover officer) unfortunately interferes before Gabriel can thwart the bomber's self-destructive mayhem, a detonation that marks the beginning of another Allon descent into riveting terrorist hunting. Subtle and suspenseful."

From Publishers Weekly: "The transcontinental railroads "created modernity as much by their failure as by their success," writes MacArthur fellow and Parkman Prize-winning historian White in this important and deeply researched history. Often poorly built and with no real demand for their services the railroads never paid for themselves and left chaos in their wake-e.g., displaced Native Americans, environmental disaster through encouraging the farming of nonarable land. Experienced railway men weren't interested in investing in transcontinental routes, writes White, so six Sacramento businessmen (who formed the Central Pacific) and a slapdash federally chartered corporation (the Union Pacific) took the bait of money and land offered by the federal government. Their first act was to bribe Congress to increase land grants and relax restrictions on raising money. Then the race was on. Readers will be amazed, amused, and disgusted by the antics of obscure and familiar names (Stanford, Huntington, Dodge), mostly ignorant of railroading and spectacularly dishonest. White delivers an opinionated, delightfully witty but astute account of sleazy Gilded Age politics, business, and journalism, as well as the complex (but uncomfortably familiar) financial maneuvers men used to enrich themselves."

Great Western author you may have missed

Elmer Kelton may not be as well known as western authors such as Zane Grey, Louis L'Amour or Max Brand, but he is every bit their equal as a storyteller. He is the 6 time winner of the Spur Award and has been voted the "Best Wester Author of All Time" by the Western Writers of America. If you enjoy westerns and haven't yet discovered Elmer Kelton, you're in for a treat!

From the publisher: "In this darkly comical look at the sinister side of our relationship with the natural world, Stewart has tracked down over one hundred of our worst entomological foes creatures that infest, infect, and generally wreak havoc on human affairs. From the world's most painful hornet, to the flies that transmit deadly diseases, to millipedes that stop traffic, to the bookworms that devour libraries, to the Japanese beetles munching on your roses, Wicked Bugs delves into the extraordinary powers of six- and eight-legged creatures. With wit, style, and exacting research, Stewart has uncovered the most terrifying and titillating stories of bugs gone wild. It's an A to Z of insect enemies, interspersed with sections that explore bugs with kinky sex lives ( She's Just Not That Into You ), creatures lurking in the cupboard ( Fear No Weevil ), insects eating your tomatoes ( Gardener's Dirty Dozen ), and phobias that feed our (sometimes) irrational responses to bugs ( Have No Fear )."

New music at the library

21 by Adele







Phaedra Revisited by Tangerine Dream




I Wasn't born to Rock and Roll by Roland White

From Publishers Weekly: "NYPD detective Conlon, author of the memoir Blue Blood, turns to fiction with this ambitious, sprawling epic of police life. Nick Meehan, a New York City detective slipping into mid-career burnout, takes a special case for Internal Affairs to investigate a suspected dirty cop. Meehan and his new detective partner, Esposito, look into a variety of other cases, including the apparent suicide of a recently arrived Mexican immigrant woman, gangland slayings by rival drug dealers (called "red on red" or criminal on criminal killings), and a serial rapist. In between the crime solving, Conlon examines the personal lives of his two main players, the subtle alliances and loyalties, the emotional tolls, the temptations, the shades of gray inherent to police work. The pace may be slower than the average thriller, but this expertly crafted novel will appeal to readers of literary crime masters such as George Pelecanos, Dennis Lehane, and Richard Price." Check it out!

Great book you may have missed

From Library Journal: "Imagine an episode of 24 written by Robin Cook, and you've got a pretty good idea of Swierczynski's second novel. Two parts adrenaline rush, one part medical thriller, this twisted story starts with a bang and rarely slows down. In an airport bar, Jack Eisley meets a beautiful blonde who slips some poison into his drink, but that's hardly the worst of it. Hours later, she infects him with a deadly virus containing a tracking device. As a result, Eisley must remain within ten feet of another person at all times or else risk a fatal cerebral implosion. Every time that Eisley thinks he's hit rock bottom, things just continue getting worse. To the rescue comes Mike Kowalski, a member of an ultrasecret wing of the Department of Homeland Security, who has been sent to locate the blonde before she further spreads the deadly virus. Full of offbeat characters, excruciatingly reckless twists, and sardonic humor, this fun ride shows great promise for a rising author."

From Library Journal: "After completing his trilogy on World War II in Europe (The Rising Tide; The Steel Wave; No Less Than Victory), Shaara turns his considerable talents to the war in the Pacific. His new book begins with the invasion of Okinawa and the long, terrible, and incredibly bloody campaign to subdue the island, which is garrisoned by nearly 100,000 Japanese all willing to fight to the last man. The book ends with the cataclysmic destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and Japan's final surrender. As with his previous historical novels, Shaara uses real people as his protagonists and develops their characters in a manner that is extremely plausible and realistic. Generals and admirals from both sides are portrayed, as are the grunts, who do the actual fighting. Incredibly, Shaara even portrays Japanese survivors of both Okinawa and Hiroshima. Like his father, Michael, the author of the classic Civil War novel The Killer Angels, Shaara has mastered this half-fact, half-fiction historical genre. His "novels" are not only educational but also very readable. Highly recommended."

Newly arrived at the library:


The Way Back (Rotten Tomatoes rating 75%)








The Colors of the Mountain (Rotten Tomatoes rating 100%)







American Serengeti

New from Suzanne Brockmann!

From Publishers Weekly: "n the powerful 16th Troubleshooter title, Brockman masterfully weaves the stories of the four Gillman siblings into a single narrative that reaffirms the importance of family. Ben, the youngest, asks Danny and Eden to come to Las Vegas and rescue him from their stepfather. Ben befriends Neesha, a teen running away from years of imprisonment in a brothel, as Eden struggles to prove she's not as messed up as Danny thinks she is. Eden is also dodging her estranged husband, Izzy, who served in the Navy with Danny; he and Danny's fabulous girlfriend, Jennilyn, are rare voices of sanity as the Gillmans try to forget the past and learn to get along while saving Ben and Neesha from their pursuers. The slowly rekindled attraction between Izzy and Eden is steamy, and Jennilyn is a rock for Danny, giving romance fans two delightful relationships for the price of one."

From Library Journal: "This powerful novel opens with Helene, a nurse in Germany throughout World War II, abandoning her seven-year-old son at a train station at the end of the war; the following chapters detail how she came to this point. Faced with the countless horrors of war, we realize, it is sometimes easier to care for strangers than for one's own son. Like the German people collectively during this time and like her Jewish mother before her, Helene is emotionally blinded by her own pain. Franck's writing is deliberately understated, deadened emotionally to reflect the state of the characters. Events are flatly reported without exploring their impact, and what is not said weighs heavily on the narrative. Not surprisingly, this book won the German Book Prize and has received international acclaim. Book groups will find plenty to discuss in this gripping novel, but it is not for the fainthearted or anyone who needs books to end on a happy note. There are no easy answers or pat resolutions in this dark novel, just a compelling narrative and solid writing."

Fans of dark, violent, and grisly mysteries (think Chelsea Cain, Val McDermid, Karin Slaughter, etc) may want to read the Jack Caffery/Flea Marley series by Mo Hayder. Reviewers call Hayder "easily today's best writer of visceral and elemental horror" and the books "complex, fast-paced, well written" and "brilliantly plotted." Not for the easily disturbed but exceptionally well written and exciting.

From the publisher: "In iLeadership, Jay Elliot gives the reader the opportunity of seeing Steve Jobs as only his closest associates have ever seen him, and to learn what has made him--and the mystique of his management style--capable of creating tools so extraordinary that they have remade three industries and have transformed the way we create, consume, and communicate with each other." Check it out!

It's finally here!

It's been almost 6 years since the previous book in the series came out and fans have been desperately awaiting the arrival of A Dance with Dragons, the 5th book in Martin's series, A Song of Ice and Fire. I'm happy to say it's worth the wait! "In the aftermath of a colossal battle, the future of the Seven Kingdoms hangs in the balance—beset by newly emerging threats from every direction. In the east, Daenerys Targaryen, the last scion of House Targaryen, rules with her three dragons as queen of a city built on dust and death. But Daenerys has thousands of enemies, and many have set out to find her. As they gather, one young man embarks upon his own quest for the queen, with an entirely different goal in mind. Fleeing from Westeros with a price on his head, Tyrion Lannister, too, is making his way to Daenerys. But his newest allies in this quest are not the rag-tag band they seem, and at their heart lies one who could undo Daenerys’s claim to Westeros forever. Meanwhile, to the north lies the mammoth Wall of ice and stone—a structure only as strong as those guarding it. There, Jon Snow, 998th Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch, will face his greatest challenge. For he has powerful foes not only within the Watch but also beyond, in the land of the creatures of ice." Check it out!

From Publishers Weekly; "[A] tight drama, part psychological thriller, part tragedy. Glen is an accountant living in New Jersey with his successful wife, Liz, and their six-year-old daughter, Sara. On an ordinary drive home from school, a series of mundane decisions grow increasingly dire and culminate in a car accident that sets road-raging Glen onto a path of deception and self-destruction. The novel is told from Glen's perspective, in part through a confessional letter written to Sara, an obvious but nonetheless effective tension builder. It's a slow burn as guilt chips away at Glen's sanity and his marriage crumbles, his impotent angst finds an unlikely outlet, and he comes under ever more scrutiny by a strangely motivated detective. Allison's triumph is the skillful rendering of Glen's transformation as a basically good guy whose fatal flaw leads him to a cataclysmically stupid decision.

From the publisher: "On August 5, 2010, at the San Jose mine in northern Chile, 33 men were entombed 2,300 feet below the earth when a slab of rock the size of a skyscraper sheared off the mountain and sealed shut their only access to the surface. The miners were discovered alive 17 days later, and for the next seven weeks after that discovery, as rescuers sought to bring them to the surface, the eyes of the world shifted to this previously obscure corner of South America. More than 2,000 journalists and reporters flooded in to cover the drama. But despite worldwide interest, the media rarely delved to either the front lines of the rescue or below the surface of the tragedy. Locked behind police lines, most reporters were reduced to months of interviewing family members and politicians. However, award-winning journalist Jonathan Franklin was the exception. The print journalist with the most extensive access and contacts, Franklin reported, recorded, and filmed from the front row of the operation as it unfolded and, as a result, was afforded unprecedented and unique access to the miners and the rescuers. The result is 33 Men , the most authoritative book on the Chilean mine disaster. This timely book is an uplifting story of survival, endurance, and unprecedented human conquest. Written with the author's renowned eye for detail, it captures the remarkable story of the miners who grasped the essence of the human spirit in order to survive their entrapment, and the men and women who literally moved a mountain to set them free."

From Publishers Weekly: "In this mesmerizing portrait of the Nazi capital, Larson plumbs a far more diabolical urban cauldron than in his bestselling The Devil in the White City. He surveys Berlin, circa 1933-1934, from the perspective of two American naifs: Roosevelt's ambassador to Germany, William Dodd, an academic historian and Jeffersonian liberal who hoped Nazism would de-fang itself (he urged Hitler to adopt America's milder conventions of anti-Jewish discrimination), and Dodd's daughter Martha, a sexual free spirit who loved Nazism's vigor and ebullience. At first dazzled by the glamorous world of the Nazi ruling elite, they soon started noticing signs of its true nature: the beatings meted out to Americans who failed to salute passing storm troopers; the oppressive surveillance; the incessant propaganda; the intimidation and persecution of friends; the fanaticism lurking beneath the surface charm of its officialdom. Larson offers a vivid, atmospheric panorama of the Third Reich and its leaders."

From the publisher: "When she witnesses a small child tumbling from a ferry into Lake Champlain, Troy Chance dives in without thinking. Harrowing moments later, she bobs to the surface, pulling a terrified little boy with her. As the ferry disappears into the distance, she begins a bone-chilling swim nearly a mile to shore with a tiny passenger on her back. Surprisingly, he speaks only French. He'll acknowledge that his name is Paul; otherwise, he's resolutely mute. Troy assumes that Paul's frantic parents will be in touch with the police or the press. But what follows is a shocking and deafening silence. And Troy, a freelance writer, finds herself as fiercely determined to protect Paul as she is to find out what happened to him. Sara J. Henry's powerful and compelling Learning to Swim will move and disturb readers right up to its shattering conclusion." Check it out!

An wonderful coffee-table type book commemorating 100 years of Naval Aviation, Fly Navy! is both a collection of astonishing photographs and fascinating commentary from those who flew Navy planes. Well worth a look and a read!

Zombies!

Really, what says summer more than a zombie apocalypse? Just in time for the heat is Ben Tripp's new book Rise Again. Publishers Weekly said "[z]ombie mayhem gets an interesting modern American makeover in this notable debut. In Forest Peak, a quiet town an hour outside of Los Angeles, the crowds at an Independence Day gathering suddenly go crazy, drop dead, and rise as flesh-eating corpses. As the zombies ravage the town, sheriff Danielle "Danny" Adelman, a veteran of the Iraq War, gathers together the few human survivors and they head north, looking for refuge. In San Francisco, Danny discovers signs of a military coverup for the disaster and indications that Hawkstone, a team of paramilitary independent contractors, is taking advantage of the social anarchy. Tripp balances kinetically choreographed scenes of zombie carnage with studies of well-drawn characters and enough political intrigue to give his tale more gravity and grounding than most zombie gorefests." Check it out!

From Booklist (starred review): "Raphael Semmes Cody of Clayville, Alabama, nicknamed Raff, wants to please his mismatched parents, but he isn’t comfortable with his working-class father’s rules for manliness or the ambitions of his mother’s wealthy family. He instead finds meaning, beauty, and a calling in a tract of old-growth longleaf pine forest surrounding Lake Nokobee, a rare and vulnerable swath of wilderness Wilson describes with bewitching precision and profound appreciation. A foremost authority on ants, an eloquent environmentalist, and the winner of two Pulitzer Prizes for his exceptional nonfiction, Wilson has written a debut novel of astonishing dimension, acuity, and spirit. As Raff evolves from an ardent boy naturalist to a zealous student enthralled by a mound-building ant species to a Harvard-trained lawyer, Wilson dramatizes conflicts of great complexity and consequence within “parallel worlds,” becoming the veritable Homer of “Antdom” as he brings ant colonies in peace and at war to startlingly vivid life. As gentlemanly Raff walks a fine line in his heroic efforts to save the precious, pristine Nokobee Woods, violence, a force Wilson perceives as intrinsic to “this pitiless world,” percolates. With lyrical exactitude, empathy for all life, and a shocking conclusion, Wilson’s wise, provocative novel of the interaction between humankind and the rest of nature expresses a resonant earth ethic.