Garbology: Our Dirty Love Affair With Trash by Edward Humes

From Library Journal: "Pulitzer Prize and Pen Award winner Humes turns his impressive investigative skills to the subject of the economic and environmental consequences of America's waste crisis. Focusing on Puente Hills-the megalandfill serving the Los Angeles area and the largest municipal dump in the country-he explains how landfillsÅactually encourage Americans to discard (instead of recycle) because once hauled away, our trash is virtually invisible to us. But Humes also showcases some ecoenterprises that creatively repurpose refuse. Recology converts restaurant food waste into compost for California vineyards, and TerraCycle uses earthworms to convert university dining hall waste into fertilizer. There are even garbage dump artists who fashion works of art from trash. This is a horrifying, well-documented, and fascinating study of how profligate waste became a normal part of American consumer behavior and what it's going to take for our society to shift from a disposable economy to a reusable one...This should be a "One Book" reading selection in every American community."

Astray by Emma Donoghue

From Library Journal: "A woman in 1901 New York who discovers that her reputed father was actually a female in disguise. Two aging sculptors in 1968 Ontario, women before their time, reliving their glory days. A brother in 1854 London convincing the sister who's sold her body to support him to sell her story instead so that they can emigrate. A horrific instance of rape during the American Revolution. A mistress in 1864 Texas conniving to run away with her slave. These are among the stories in the new collection from Man Booker finalist Donoghue, each inspired by a news account or letter and each a little gem. Donoghue's characters face struggle or loss with determined grace; their situations are inherently dramatic, but the writing is smartly underplayed, refusing to hit hysterical high notes. What's equally intriguing is that each story concludes with the account that inspired it, which lets readers see the leap from fact to fiction. Working in a different vein from the wrenching Room, Donoghue has created masterly pieces that show what short fiction can do."

The Untold Civil War: Exploring the Human Side of War by James Robertson

From Library Journal: "Beautifully illustrated and engagingly written, this thematically arranged book reveals the human side of America's bloodiest war. While the generals, battles, and politicians are given their place, Robertson spends more time discussing the smaller, everyday experiences of soldiers and civilians. Photographs, cartoons, and other illustrations make up more than half of the content, with accompanying captions formulated so that one need not even read all the text to appreciate the book and learn from it. This book is meant more for browsing, but it would also be an excellent resource for anyone seeking a visually driven history or even examples of Civil War illustration."

Staff pick - I've Got Your Number by Sophie Kinsella

Sometimes I’m in the mood to read something light-hearted, simple, and fun. Sophie Kinsella’s I’ve Got Your Number certainly fits the bill. Poppy Wyatt loses her engagement ring—a family heirloom on her fiancés side, and then her phone gets stolen. Luck is on her side, though, when she finds a phone in a garbage can. (Though the owner of the phone, Sam, doesn’t agree.) There begins the rollercoaster ride of text messages, emails, and hiding the fact that she lost her engagement ring from Magnus and his family. The footnotes Poppy used in telling her story were a definite bonus. If you enjoy romantic comedies, you might want to give this one a try. - Laura

Weird United States: Freaky Field Trip Through the 50 States by Matt Lake and Randy Fairbanks

From Publishers Weekly: "Readers taking road trips this summer (or armchair ones, considering gas prices) will be prepared with this photographic tour of American oddities, an addition to the Weird U.S. series. Attractions include the Watts Towers in Los Angeles, which artist Simon Rodia built using objects collected by neighborhood kids; the mysterious Marfa lights in Presidio County, Tex.; and the archaeological site in Groton, Conn., known as Gungywamp. The world's biggest ball of twine makes an appearance, as does the smallest park (located in Portland, Ore.), while a section on "Haunted Highways" includes the cryptically named "Shades of Death Road" in Warren County, N.J. Lake and Fairbanks's lively descriptions demonstrate the enthusiasm that subjects like Mothman, Sarah Winchester, and the FeeJee Mermaid deserve."

Sugarhouse: A Memoir by Matthew Batt

From Publishers Weekly: "A fixer-upper is just the thing to usher a young couple into adulthood, in this winsome memoir. Writing professor Batt and his wife, in the midst of the housing bubble, found their dream home-and when that deal fell through, settled for a Salt Lake City crack house that came complete with an eye-watering stench, tacky wood paneling, and hidden structural defects. The ensuing renovation gave the neophyte handyman an epic test of masculine resolve, a new appreciation for the aesthetics of slate flooring and poured-concrete countertops, and insight into the foundation of a successful marriage-namely, complete submission to female authority over decor. Meanwhile, Batt weathers upheavals among his extended relations-deaths, tensions, his cantankerous grandfather's embarrassing fling with a younger gold digger-that form an alternately antic and glum commentary on the ricketiness of the home-building enterprise. Batt's home-rehab picaresque is hilarious, engrossing, and stocked with a cast of squirrely tradesmen and manic realtors."

This Bright River by Patrick Somerville

From Library Journal: "Ben returns to his hometown to prepare his late uncle's home for sale. A recovering addict and ex-felon, Ben feels adrift, but he seeks to rebuild some sort of relationship with his family and find direction for his life. He encounters Lauren, a high school classmate, who has escaped an abusive marriage. They find solace in each other, but dark secrets put both of them in peril. With a tantalizing opening that the reader won't make sense of until near the end, Somerville's second novel is more complex than it first appears. Ben (and one suspects, the author) loves puzzles, and as he attempts to unravel his family's secrets, Somerville drops clues and telling details, the significance of which only later become clear to the reader. Despite its dark edges (increasingly so as it progresses), this novel is also richly funny, engrossing, and humane. Though it contains elements of a murder mystery and thriller, this is a literary novel for readers who want to be simultaneously caught up in a story and impressed by the author's copious craft and skill"

We Meant Well: How I Helped Lose the Battle for the Hearts and Minds of the Iraqi People by Peter Van Buren

From Publishers Weekly: "In this shocking and darkly hilarious expose of the reconstruction of post-Saddam Iraq, former State Department team leader Van Buren describes the tragicomedy that has been American efforts at nation building, marked by bizarre decisions and wrongheaded priorities. The streets of Baghdad are piled high with mountains of trash; food and clean water are increasingly scarce, but since 2003, the State Department has poured money into such absurdities as outfitting schools (that lack electricity) with computers and importing French pastry chefs to teach cooking lessons. Programs are stymied by cultural ignorance, undermined by local corruption, and badly managed by well-intentioned if oblivious administrators. But photo ops have been enough to satisfy the higher-ups. "If publicity were democracy," Van Buren remarks, "this place would have looked like ancient Athens." A story of the American ambassador and his lawn elegantly evokes the disconnect between American intention and Iraqi suffering: despite blistering heat, seed-stealing birds, and the astronomical cost of water, the ambassador demanded-and achieved-an emerald green garden within the embassy walls. "We made things in Iraq look the way we wanted them to look," Van Buren writes. With lyrical prose and biting wit, this book reveals the devastating arrogance of imperial ambition and folly."

The Twelve by Justin Cronin

From Library Journal: "In this second book of his epic vampire trilogy (after The Passage), Cronin once again deposits readers on the front lines of a human-made apocalypse. On the North American continent, a failed government experiment has turned most of humanity into lethal, vampirelike creatures called virals and destroyed the world as we know it. Cronin's story follows the human survivors, moving smoothly between "Year Zero," when the outbreak began, and a period 97 years later, when the remaining pockets of humanity seek not only to survive but also to eradicate the viral plague and defeat a despotic regime that has risen to power. Cronin's masterly prose and intricate plotting bring an entire world to life; his cast features both the flawed and the heroic, including an impressive number of strong female characters, and the vast scope of his story begs favorable comparisons to epics such as J.R.R. Tolkein's The Lord of the Rings and Stephen King's The Stand. Readers left hanging at the end of the first book will find some resolution here, but also twists, turns, and new developments that will make them desperate for book three. Strongly recommended for readers who enjoy- thrillers, science fiction, and epic adventure tales."

The Social Conquest of Earth by Edward O. Wilson

From Library Journal: "According to two-time Pulitzer Prize winner Wilson, recent advances in evolutionary science provide practical answers to two of humanity's enduring existential questions: Who are we? Where did we come from? Succinctly, Wilson explains that we are members of a "eusocial" species with behaviors, aptitudes, and perceptions that evolved via interplay among multilevel evolutionary forces. Our innate, interdependent social organization evolved in response to pressures not fundamentally different from those that led to stratified insect "superorganism" colonies. The difference is intelligence, and Wilson shows how culture, religion, altruism, conflict, and even art can be explained by an evolutionary tug-of-war between the pressures of individual versus group selection. A positive answer to humanity's last big question-Where are we going?-depends on our ability to use our species' self-knowledge to create the world we want. Wilson is a prolific and popular biological theorist, and this significant addition to his legacy of thought will be controversial, provocative, and influential."

Enterprise: America's Fightingest Ship and the Men Who Helped Win World War II by Barrett Tillman

From Publishers Weekly: "Military historian Tillman documents life and death aboard the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (aka the Big E), interviewing the last surviving veterans who served on the ship through major Pacific battles. Launched in 1936, the Enterprise was commissioned in 1938, setting out with "some 2,070 officers, sailors, and marines." Based at Pearl Harbor, the Enterprise transported planes to island bases and was returning from Wake Island during the December 7 attack. Seaman Bobby Oglesby recalled, "We had come into Pearl on December 8, to find ships still burning and the stench of the dead on the air. Every man was hopping mad to refuel, rearm, get back to sea and kill the enemy." Revenge came six months later at Midway when Big E squadrons sank three of four enemy carriers. By 1945, Enterprise aviators were credited with the destruction of 911 enemy aircraft and 71 ships."

Wait: The Art and Science of Delay by Frank Partnoy

From Publishers Weekly: "Giving a thumbs-up to procrastination, financial expert Partnoy notes that, while we "are hard wired to react quickly," everyday experiences can be altered and improved by delaying decisions. He backs this claim with solid research across a variety of fields, from behavioral economics and neuroscience to psychology, animal behavior, finance, and law. Pacing is a key element in everything from race-car driving to comedy: "When a master comedian is on, he or she creates a new and warped world of time. The greatest comedians are masters of delay." Even such quotidian questions as "When is the ideal moment to apologize?" are ruled by subtleties of time. To illustrate the "slow hunch," a full chapter details the two 3M scientists who patiently waited and persisted for 12 years while management decided whether Post-it Notes would be a good product. Entertaining and provocative, Partnoy probes and illuminates the complexities of human decision making with surprising insights and recommendations."

At long last, direct download of library eBooks via WiFi has come to (certain models) of the Nook! Great news for those of us Nook owners who don't wish to be tethered to a computer to get our library eBooks. Here's the press release; call us if you have questions!

Blood Line by James Rollins

From Publishers Weekly: "Rollins' eighth thriller featuring the covert U.S. intelligence agency known as Sigma Force is of a piece with its predecessors-it's fast-paced, full of twists, and thick with intrigue. Beginning strong with an engaging preface discussing the shadowy history of the Knights Templar and 21st-century medical breakthroughs with the potential to make immortality possible, Rollins rewinds to the 12th-century recovery of the Bachul Isu, the staff of Jesus Christ. Just a few pages later, Rollins presses fast-forward again to "Five Days from Now," when Commander Gray Pierce of the Sigma Force has U.S. President James T. Gant in the crosshairs of his sniper rifle. The rest of the novel explains how things got to such a pass, starting with the abduction-apparently by pirates-of President Gant's pregnant daughter, Amanda, off the Seychelles."

Phantom by Jo Nesbo

Newly arrived at the library! Get your request in now, because the Nesbo books are always popular. Library Journal writes: "Norwegian crime fiction writer Nesbo is one of the best. His ninth series entry sees Harry Hole, now an ex-police officer, return to Oslo from Hong Kong to investigate drug dealer Gusto's murder. Oleg, a young man to whom Hole was once a father figure, has confessed, but Hole knows it can't be true. In a parallel narration, the dead Gusto tells what led to his murder, a literary device that enhances the novel and fills in details. Oslo's gritty and violent drug world is brought to life through the characters. The fast-paced plots are twisted and riveting, and the two stories collide to reveal a shocking climax."

Story hours begin this week!

Baby storytime (birth -18 months) will be on Tuesdays at 10:30am, preschool storyhour (3-5 years) will be on Wednesdays at 10:30am and toddler tales (18 months - 3 years) will be on Thursdays at 10:30am. Details are on our Children's programs page.