Month: April 2018

Suggested Reading Week of April 30, 2018

Linda Reimer

Hi everyone, here are our recommended titles for the week, five digital titles available through OverDrive and five print titles available through StarCat.

(Note: Click on the photo of the item you’d like to request or check out)

Digital Suggestions Of The Week:

After Dark: A Novel by Phillip Margolin:

Gone, But Not Forgotten rocketed Phillip Margolin into the select company of million-selling novelists. Here he displays again the same genius for best-selling suspense in another intricate, breathtaking thriller of multiple murder in the legal community of the Pacific Northwest.
Laura Rizzati, a law clerk for Oregon Supreme Court Justice Robert Griffen, is found slain late one night in the deserted courthouse. Her office is ransacked–but nothing seems to be missing. There are no suspects and no clues.

The following month Griffen himself is killed by a car bomb in the driveway of his Portland home. This time, though, there is a suspect: in a shocking turn of events, Abigail Griffen, star prosecutor in the Multnomah County District Attorney’s office and estranged wife of Justice Griffen, is charged with first degree murder.

With the same gripping suspense that drove Gone, But Not Forgotten onto the bestseller lists, this is a complex legalthriller with a truly startling ending.

Between the Devil and the Duke: A Season for Scandal Series, Book 3 by Kelly Bowen: 

2017 RITA award winning author!

“Wonderful! A charming, clever, and engaging storyteller not to be missed.”-Sarah MacLean, New York Times bestselling author

Their love was always in the cards.

He should have thrown her out. But when club owner Alexander Lavoie catches a mysterious blonde counting cards at his vingt-et-un table, he’s more intrigued than angry. He has to see more of this beauty-in his club, in his office, in his bed. But first he’ll have to devise a proposition she can’t turn down.

Gossip said he was an assassin. Common sense told her to stay away. But Angelique Archer was desperate, and Lavoie’s club offered a surefire way to make quick money-until she got caught. Instead of throwing her out though, the devil offers her a deal: come work for him. Refusing him means facing starvation, but with a man so sinfully handsome and fiercely protective, keeping things professional might prove impossible . . .

Buzzard Roost by Colin Bainbridge:

When Joe Trueman rides into Dry Bluff with the injured body of Doc Drummond thrown across his horse’s back, he little realizes the trouble he is getting into. Drummond is just one more victim of Kettle and his gang of gunslicks, who threaten not only the town but the wagon-train route to Denver and beyond. Dealing with Kettle is only the start. Behind Kettle looms the more menacing figure of Cush Vogler, and it’s a long ride to Vogler’s ranch, the Buckle M. Menaced every step of the way, Trueman arrives in the nearby settlement of Buzzard Roost. Then things really get hot. As violence erupts and a range war breaks out between the Buckle M and the much smaller Two Bar Cross, the citizens must decide: do they have the nerve to dare stand by Trueman when the bullets fly?

Crow Trap: Vera Stanhope Series, Book 1, unabridged digital audiobook, written by Ann Cleeves & read by Anne Dover:

Three very different women come together to complete an environmental survey. Three women who, in some way or another, know the meaning of betrayal…For team leader Rachael Lambert the project is the perfect opportunity to rebuild her confidence after a double-betrayal by her lover and boss, Peter Kemp. Botanist Anne Preece, on the other hand, sees it as a chance to indulge in a little deception of her own. And then there is Grace Fulwell, a strange, uncommunicative young woman with plenty of her own secrets to hide…

When Rachael arrives at the cottage, however, she is horrified to discover the body of her friend Bella Furness. Bella, it appears, has committed suicide—a verdict Rachael finds impossible to accept.

Only when the next death occurs does a fourth woman enter the picture—the unconventional Detective Inspector Vera Stanhope, who must piece together the truth from these women’s tangled lives in The Crow Trap.

Ann Cleeves’s popular Vera Stanhope books have been made into the hit series “Vera” starring Brenda Blethyn and are available in the U.S.

How to Suppress Women’s Writing by Joanna Russ & Jessa Crispin:

Are women able to achieve anything they set their minds to? In How to Suppress Women’s Writing, award-winning novelist and scholar Joanna Russ lays bare the subtle—and not so subtle—strategies that society uses to ignore, condemn, or belittle women who produce literature. As relevant today as when it was first published in 1983, this book has motivated generations of readers with its powerful feminist critique.

“What is it going to take to break apart these rigidities? Russ’s book is a formidable attempt. It is angry without being self-righteous, it is thorough without being exhausting, and it is serious without being devoid of a sense of humor. But it was published over thirty years ago, in 1983, and there’s not an enormous difference between the world she describes and the world we inhabit.”
—Jessa Crispin, from the foreword

Print Suggestions Of The Week:

Circe by Madeline Miller:

#1 New York Times Bestseller

“A bold and subversive retelling of the goddess’s story, Circe manages to be both epic and intimate in its scope, recasting the most infamous female figure from the Odyssey as a hero in her own right.” — Alexandra Alter, New York Times

In the house of Helios, god of the sun and mightiest of the Titans, a daughter is born. But Circe is a strange child–not powerful, like her father, nor viciously alluring like her mother. Turning to the world of mortals for companionship, she discovers that she does possess power–the power of witchcraft, which can transform rivals into monsters and menace the gods themselves.

Threatened, Zeus banishes her to a deserted island, where she hones her occult craft, tames wild beasts and crosses paths with many of the most famous figures in all of mythology, including the Minotaur, Daedalus and his doomed son Icarus, the murderous Medea, and, of course, wily Odysseus.

But there is danger, too, for a woman who stands alone, and Circe unwittingly draws the wrath of both men and gods, ultimately finding herself pitted against one of the most terrifying and vengeful of the Olympians. To protect what she loves most, Circe must summon all her strength and choose, once and for all, whether she belongs with the gods she is born from, or the mortals she has come to love.

With unforgettably vivid characters, mesmerizing language and page-turning suspense, Circe is a triumph of storytelling, an intoxicating epic of family rivalry, palace intrigue, love and loss, as well as a celebration of indomitable female strength in a man’s world.

Twisted Prey by John Sandford:

Lucas Davenport confronts an old nemesis, now a powerful U.S. senator … A rich psychopath, Taryn Grant had run successfully for the U.S. Senate, where Lucas had predicted she’d fit right in. He was also convinced that she’d been responsible for three murders, though he’d never been able to prove it. Once a psychopath had gotten that kind of rush, though, he or she often needed another fix, so he figured he might be seeing her again. He was right. A federal marshal now, with a very wide scope of investigation, he’s heard rumors that Grant has found her seat on the Senate intelligence committee, and the contacts she’s made from it, to be very…useful. Pinning those rumors down was likely to be just as difficult as before, and considerably more dangerous. But they had unfinished business, he and Grant. One way or the other, he was going to see it through to the end.

The Fleur de Sel Murders: A Brittany Mystery by Jean-Luc Bannalec:

Commissaire Dupin is back in The Fleur de Sel Murders, this Brittany mystery from international bestselling author Jean-Luc Bannalec.

The old salt farmers have always said that the violet scent of the Fleur de Sel at harvest time on the salt marshes of the Guérande Peninsula has been known to cause hallucinations. Commissaire Dupin also starts to believe this when he’s attacked out of the blue in the salt works.

He had actually been looking forward to escaping his endless paperwork and taking a trip to the “white country” between the raging Atlantic Ocean and idyllic rivers. But when he starts snooping around mysterious barrels on behalf of Lilou Breval, a journalist friend, he finds himself unexpectedly under attack. The offender remains a mystery, and a short time later, Breval disappears without a trace. It is thanks to his secretary Nolwenn and the ambition of the prefect that Dupin is assigned to the case. But he won’t be working alone because Sylvaine Rose is the investigator responsible for the department―and she lives up to her name…

What’s going on in the salt works? Dupin and Rose search feverishly for clues and stumble upon false alibis, massive conflicts of interest, personal feuds―and ancient Breton legends.

Space Opera by Catherynne M. Valente:

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy meets the joy and glamour of Eurovision in bestselling author Catherynne M. Valente’s science fiction spectacle, where sentient races compete for glory in a galactic musical contest…and the stakes are as high as the fate of planet Earth.
A century ago, the Sentience Wars tore the galaxy apart and nearly ended the entire concept of intelligent space-faring life. In the aftermath, a curious tradition was invented—something to cheer up everyone who was left and bring the shattered worlds together in the spirit of peace, unity, and understanding.

Once every cycle, the great galactic civilizations gather for the Metagalactic Grand Prix—part gladiatorial contest, part beauty pageant, part concert extravaganza, and part continuation of the wars of the past. Species far and wide compete in feats of song, dance and/or whatever facsimile of these can be performed by various creatures who may or may not possess, in the traditional sense, feet, mouths, larynxes, or faces. And if a new species should wish to be counted among the high and the mighty, if a new planet has produced some savage group of animals, machines, or algae that claim to be, against all odds, sentient? Well, then they will have to compete. And if they fail? Sudden extermination for their entire species.

This year, though, humankind has discovered the enormous universe. And while they expected to discover a grand drama of diplomacy, gunships, wormholes, and stoic councils of aliens, they have instead found glitter, lipstick, and electric guitars. Mankind will not get to fight for its destiny—they must sing.

Decibel Jones and the Absolute Zeroes have been chosen to represent their planet on the greatest stage in the galaxy. And the fate of Earth lies in their ability to rock.

Pearls on a Branch: Arab Stories Told By Women in Lebanon Today edited by Najla Jraissaty Khoury & Translated by Inea Bushnaq:

While civil war raged in Lebanon, Najla Khoury traveled with a theater troupe, putting on shows in marginal areas where electricity was a luxury, in air raid shelters, Palestinian refugee camps, and isolated villages. Their plays were largely based on oral tales, and she combed the country in search of stories. Many years later, she chose one hundred stories from among the most popular and published them in Arabic in 2014, exactly as she received them, from the mouths of the storytellers who told them as they had heard them when they were children from their parents and grandparents. Out of the hundred stories published in Arabic, Inea Bushnaq and Najla Khoury chose thirty for this book.

Have a great week!

Linda, SSCL

Online Catalog Links:

StarCat

The catalog of physical materials, i.e. print books, DVDs, audiobooks on CD etc.

The Digital Catalog (OverDrive)

The catalog of e-books, downloadable audiobooks and a handful of streaming videos.

Freegal Music Service

This music service is free to library card holders and offers the option to download, and keep, three free songs per week and to stream three hours of commercial free music each day:

RBDigital

Digital magazines on demand and for free! Back issues are available and you can even choose to be notified by email when the new issue of your favorite magazine is available.

About Library Apps:

You can access digital library content on PCs, Macs and mobile devices. For mobile devices simply download the OverDrive, Freegal or Zinio app from your app store to get started. If you have questions call the library at: 607-936-3713 and one of our Digital Literacy Specialists will be happy to assist you.

Tech Talk is a Southeast Steuben County Library blog.

Suggested Listening April 27, 2018

Linda Reimer

Hi everyone, here are our five musical recommendations for the week; four streaming suggestions and one recommended album on CD.

(Click on the photo to stream or request the album you want to listen to!)

Freegal Streaming Suggestions*

Just Being Me (2018) by Nick Colionne (Genre: Jazz, Guitar, Vocal, Smooth Jazz):

Nick Colionne is an educator and musician who hails from Elgin, Illinois. Just Being Me is his brand new LP and it features the songs: Just Being Me, How Sweet It is (To Be Loved By You), Be Urself, Spend The Night, Still Connected and Go Nico Go.

Official Bootleg: Box Set Vol. 1 (Set issued in 2017/Tracks recorded in the 1970s) by Humble Pie (Genre: Rock, Classic Rock):

Humble Pie formed in 1969. The original line up of the band included former Small Faces singer-songwriter and guitarist Steve Marriott, former Herd singer-songwriter and guitarist Peter Frampton, bassist Greg Ridley and drummer Jerry Shirley.

Frampton left the group in 1972 and was replaced by Clem Clempson. And it is the Marriott, Ridley, Shirley Clempson line-up that is features in this official bootleg set.

The band was recorded live in concert at: The Arie Crown Theatre, Chicago on 22nd September 1972, the Shibuya Kokaido in Tokyo on 16th May 1973, the Charlton Athletic Football Ground on 18th May 1974 and at Rainbow Theatre in London on 6th June 1974.

Songs in the collection include: Watcha Gonna Do About It, Steve’s Little Jam, Up our Sleeve, Thunderbox, I Believe To My Soul, C’mon Everybody and many more.

Butterfly Ball & The Grasshopper’s Feast (1974) by Roger Glover (Genre: Rock, Classic Rock, Psychedelic Rock, Children’s Music):

The Butterfly Ball and the Grasshopper’s Feast was Deep Purple bassist Roger Glover’s first solo album. And ironically, the album was actually made for children! In 1973 Glover agreed to create a musical adaptation of the children’s book of the same name written by William Plomer and illustrated by Alan Aldridge and this LP is the fun result!

Songs on the LP include: Dawn, Get Ready, Saffron Dormouse and Lizzy Be, Old Blind Mole, Magician Moth, Behind The Smile and Watch Out for the Bat.

Hearts of Glass (2018) by Beth Nielsen Chapman (Genre: Singer-Songwriter, Country, Pop):

Singer-songwriter and Texas native Beth Nielson Chapman has been writing and recording great music since 1990.

Hearts of Glass is her brand new album. Songs on the LP include Come to Mine, Old Church Hymns & Nursery Rhymes, Enough for Me, You’re Still My Valentine, Life Holds On and Dancer to the drum.

CD Recommendation of the Week:

Both Sides Of The Sky by Jimi Hendrix:

Jimi Hendrix needs no introduction, at least not to those who have been fans or rock guitarists since the 1960s!

Both Side Of The Sky is an official Jimmy Hendrix estate release and features 13 studio recordings, including 10 songs never before released.

The recordings were made between 1968 and 1970. Songs on the LP include: Hear My Train a Comin’, $20 Fine, Power of Soul, Jungle, Things I Used to Do, Georgia Blues and Woodstock.

Videos of the Week:

Just Being Me by Nick Colionne

I Believe To My Soul by Humble Pie

Love Is All by Roger Glover

Come To Mine by Beth Nielsen Chapman

Do You Feel Like We Do by Peter Frampton

Runaway by Bonnie Raitt

Hotter Than That by Bria Skonberg

Have a great weekend!

Linda, SSCL

*A library card is required to use the Freegal Music Service. If you live in the service area of the Southern Tier Library System, which consists of the public libraries in Steuben, Chemung, Yates, Schuyler and Alleghany counties in New York State, you can get a library card for free at your nearest public library – including our own Southeast Steuben County Library in Corning, New York. The Freegal Music Service is free for all Southern Tier Library System member libraries library card holders to access.

References:

Artist Biography & Discography Information:

http://www.allmusic.com/

The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits by Joel Whitburn (Billboard Books. New York. 2009.)

P.S. If you have any questions about how to download or stream free music through the Freegal Music service to a desktop or laptop computer or how to download and use the Freegal Music app let us know! Drop by the library or give us a call at: 607-936-3713

*You must have a library card at a Southern Tier Library System member library to enjoy the Freegal Music Service. Your card can be from any library in the system, and the system includes all public libraries in Steuben, Chemung, Yates, Schuyler and Allegheny Counties and includes our own Southeast Steuben Count Library in Corning, New York!

Library cards are free if you live in our service area. And you can obtain a card by visiting the Circulation Desk and presenting staff with a form of ID that features your name and your current address.

Machine Learning?

Hannah of SSCL

Some of my friends were talking about “machine learning,” and then I saw it in the news. Today I looked up the term. The definition seems to be at the cutting edge of technology in the sense that the definition still varies depending on the application, and might not be the same everywhere.

Machine Learning...

Disclaimer aside, I watched a preview of a course by Stanford professor, Andrew Ng, available through Coursera.com. As Ng defines it, “machine learning is the science of getting computers to act without being explicitly programmed.” He explained that, for example, someone with programming experience but little skill at a board game such as Checkers could teach a machine (computer) to learn to win at Checkers ( Arthur Samuel 1959).

One description of machine learning that Ng presented distinguishes three elements used to teach a machine to learn. 1) Experience: games of Checkers based on rules and a program written by a programmer. 2) Task: win at the game of Checkers. 3) Performance: probability the machine will win the next game of checkers. My understanding is that because a machine doesn’t need to spend time on human activities, it can then spend all of its time sorting out better ways to improve the probability of success at a given task. Thus, if we program intelligently enough, machines have the potential of becoming much better at a task that a human, and much faster too.

 

My question is how much of your time would you invest preparing something to learn to do a particular task better than you? Let’s say the task itself would take you three hours to complete normally and you have to do it at least once a month. Another take on it: if you take on an apprentice in your profession, then how much of your time would you expect them to require before exceeding your abilities? In stories it seems like it’s well after the professional / mentor / teacher passes away. Computers would take a relatively short amount of time to “experience” a given task. What do you think about this “machine learning?”

The name Andrew Ng sounded familiar to me, so I checked out his homepage and it set me hopping down a rabbit-hole. Go ahead and hop in for yourself if you’re looking for Delivery O2Oentertainment: Online to Offline is abbreviated as O2O and Andrew Ng explains the idea here (YouTube video). The video peaked my interested because I heard via LinkedIn’s Daily Rundown for today that Amazon is making deliveries to people’s car trunks! #AmazonCarDelivery

 

#MachineLearning, #TechnologicalAdvancement, #AndrewNg, #LinkedInDailyRundown

 

Suggested Reading Week of April 23, 2018

Linda Reimer

Hi everyone, here are our recommended titles for the week.

This list includes five digital titles available through OverDrive and five print titles available through StarCat.

(Note: Click on the photo of the item you’re interested in to request it or check it out)

Digital Suggestions Of The Week:

50 Beautiful Deer-Resistant Plants: The Prettiest Annuals, Perennials, Bulbs, and Shrubs That Deer Don’t Eat by Ruth Rogers Clausen & Alan L. Detrick:

Keeping your beautiful garden safe from deer is as simple as choosing the right plants.

Are deer destroying your garden? There is a solution, and it doesn’t involve fencing, barriers, or chemicals. In 50 Beautiful Deer-Resistant Plants perennial expert Ruth Rogers Clausen highlights the best, most versatile plants that deer simply don’t eat. The plant choices include annuals and perennials, shrubs, ferns, bulbs, grasses, and herbs; for each Clausen shares helpful growing and design tips. This practical, authoritative, full-color guide is a must-have solution to a must-stop problem.

Ash Princess by Laura Sebastian (release date April 24, 2018):

For fans of Victoria Aveyard’s Red Queen and Sabaa Tahir’s An Ember in the Ashes, Ash Princess is an epic new fantasy about a throne cruelly stolen and a girl who must fight to take it back for her people.

Theodosia was six when her country was invaded and her mother, the Fire Queen, was murdered before her eyes. On that day, the Kaiser took Theodosia’s family, her land, and her name. Theo was crowned Ash Princess—a title of shame to bear in her new life as a prisoner.

For ten years Theo has been a captive in her own palace. She’s endured the relentless abuse and ridicule of the Kaiser and his court. She is powerless, surviving in her new world only by burying the girl she was deep inside.

Then, one night, the Kaiser forces her to do the unthinkable. With blood on her hands and all hope of reclaiming her throne lost, she realizes that surviving is no longer enough. But she does have a weapon: her mind is sharper than any sword. And power isn’t always won on the battlefield.

For ten years, the Ash Princess has seen her land pillaged and her people enslaved. That all ends here.

“Tense and imaginative, this story of a diminished yet vengeful princess inciting a rebellion to recapture her rightful place of power strikes a timely chord. Ash Princess is a smart, feminist twist on a traditional tale of a fallen heroine, with plenty of court intrigue, love, and lies to sweeten the deal. Good luck putting this one down.”-Virginia Boecker, author of The Witch Hunter series

The Garden of Evening Mists by Tan Twan Eng:

Winner of the Man Asian Literary Prize, an “elegant and haunting novel of war, art and memory” (The Independent) from the critically acclaimed author of The Gift of Rain.

Malaya, 1951. Yun Ling Teoh, the scarred lone survivor of a brutal Japanese wartime camp, seeks solace among the jungle-fringed tea plantations of Cameron Highlands. There she discovers Yugiri, the only Japanese garden in Malaya, and its owner and creator, the enigmatic Aritomo, exiled former gardener of the emperor of Japan. Despite her hatred of the Japanese, Yun Ling seeks to engage Aritomo to create a garden in memory of her sister, who died in the camp. Aritomo refuses but agrees to accept Yun Ling as his apprentice “until the monsoon comes.” Then she can design a garden for herself.

As the months pass, Yun Ling finds herself intimately drawn to the gardener and his art, while all around them a communist guerilla war rages. But the Garden of Evening Mists remains a place of mystery.

Who is Aritomo and how did he come to leave Japan?

And is the real story of how Yun Ling managed to survive the war perhaps the darkest secret of all?

The Inn at Rose Harbor, Rose Harbor Series, Book 1 by Debbie Macomber:

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Debbie Macomber comes the first book in a new series set in the beloved Pacific Northwest town of Cedar Cove.

Jo Marie Rose first arrives in Cedar Cove seeking a fresh start. A young widow coping with the death of her husband, she purchases a local bed-and-breakfast—the newly christened Rose Harbor Inn—ready to begin her life anew. Her first guest is Joshua Weaver, who has come home to care for his ailing stepfather. The two have never seen eye to eye, and Joshua has little hope that they can reconcile their differences. Jo Marie’s other guest is Abby Kincaid, who has returned to Cedar Cove to attend her brother’s wedding. Back for the first time in twenty years, she almost wishes she hadn’t come, the picturesque town harboring painful memories. And as Abby and Joshua try to heal from their pasts, and Jo Marie dreams of the possibilities before her, they all realize that life moves in only one direction—forward.

Seconds Away, Mickey Bolitar Series, Book 2 by Harlan Coben:

When tragedy strikes close to home, Mickey and his loyal new friends—sharp-witted Ema and the adorkably charming Spoon—find themselves at the center of a terrifying mystery involving the shooting of their classmate Rachel. Now, not only does Mickey need to keep himself and his friends safe from the Butcher of Lodz, but he needs to figure out who shot Rachel—no matter what it takes.

Mickey Bolitar is as quick-witted and clever as his uncle Myron, but with danger just seconds away, it is going to take all of his determination and help from his friends to protect the people he loves, even if he does not know who—or what—he is protecting them from.

From Kirkus Reviews: “Coben deftly weaves…multiple plot threads into a compelling whole. An involving thriller that moves like lightning.”

Print Suggestions Of The Week:

Wade in the Water: Poems by Tracy K. Smith:

The extraordinary new poetry collection by Tracy K. Smith, the Poet Laureate of the United States

Even the men in black armor, the ones
Jangling handcuffs and keys, what else

Are they so buffered against, if not love’s blade
Sizing up the heart’s familiar meat?

We watch and grieve. We sleep, stir, eat.
Love: the heart sliced open, gutted, clean.

Love: naked almost in the everlasting street,
Skirt lifted by a different kind of breeze.

―from “Unrest in Baton Rouge”

In Wade in the Water, Tracy K. Smith boldly ties America’s contemporary moment both to our nation’s fraught founding history and to a sense of the spirit, the everlasting. These are poems of sliding scale: some capture a flicker of song or memory; some collage an array of documents and voices; and some push past the known world into the haunted, the holy. Smith’s signature voice―inquisitive, lyrical, and wry―turns over what it means to be a citizen, a mother, and an artist in a culture arbitrated by wealth, men, and violence. Here, private utterance becomes part of a larger choral arrangement as the collection widens to include erasures of The Declaration of Independence and the correspondence between slave owners, a found poem comprised of evidence of corporate pollution and accounts of near-death experiences, a sequence of letters written by African Americans enlisted in the Civil War, and the survivors’ reports of recent immigrants and refugees. Wade in the Water is a potent and luminous book by one of America’s essential poets.

The Fallen by David Baldacci: 

The closer Amos Decker comes to the truth, the deadlier it gets in #1 New York Times bestselling author David Baldacci’s latest Memory Man thriller.

Something sinister is going on in Baronville. The rust belt town has seen four bizarre murders in the space of two weeks. Cryptic clues left at the scenes–obscure bible verses, odd symbols–have the police stumped.

Amos Decker and his FBI colleague Alex Jamison are in Baronville visiting Alex’s sister and her family. It’s a bleak place: a former mill and mining town with a crumbling economy and rampant opioid addiction. Decker has only been there a few hours when he stumbles on a horrific double murder scene.

Then the next killing hits sickeningly close to home. And with the lives of people he cares about suddenly hanging in the balance, Decker begins to realize that the recent string of deaths may be only one small piece of a much larger scheme–with consequences that will reach far beyond Baronville.

Decker, with his singular talents, may be the only one who can crack this bizarre case. Only this time–when one mistake could cost him everything–Decker finds that his previously infallible memory may not be so trustworthy after all.

Too Scot To Handle (Large Print) by Grace Burrowes:

A MAN WITH MANY TALENTS

As a captain in the army, Colin MacHugh led men, fixed what was broken, and fought hard. Now that he’s a titled gentleman, he’s still fighting-this time to keep his bachelorhood safe from all the marriage-minded debutantes. Then he meets the intriguing Miss Anwen Windham, whose demure nature masks a bonfire waiting to roar to life. When she asks for his help to raise money for the local orphanage, he’s happy to oblige.

Anwen is amazed at how quickly Lord Colin takes in hand a pack of rambunctious orphan boys. Amazed at how he actually listens to her ideas. Amazed at the thrill she gets from the rumble of his Scottish burr and the heat of his touch. But not everyone enjoys the success of an upstart. And Colin has enemies who will stop at nothing to ruin him and anybody he holds dear.

Space Opera by Catherynne M. Valente:

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy meets the joy and glamour of Eurovision in bestselling author Catherynne M. Valente’s science fiction spectacle, where sentient races compete for glory in a galactic musical contest…and the stakes are as high as the fate of planet Earth.

A century ago, the Sentience Wars tore the galaxy apart and nearly ended the entire concept of intelligent space-faring life. In the aftermath, a curious tradition was invented—something to cheer up everyone who was left and bring the shattered worlds together in the spirit of peace, unity, and understanding.

Once every cycle, the great galactic civilizations gather for the Metagalactic Grand Prix—part gladiatorial contest, part beauty pageant, part concert extravaganza, and part continuation of the wars of the past. Species far and wide compete in feats of song, dance and/or whatever facsimile of these can be performed by various creatures who may or may not possess, in the traditional sense, feet, mouths, larynxes, or faces. And if a new species should wish to be counted among the high and the mighty, if a new planet has produced some savage group of animals, machines, or algae that claim to be, against all odds, sentient? Well, then they will have to compete. And if they fail? Sudden extermination for their entire species.

This year, though, humankind has discovered the enormous universe. And while they expected to discover a grand drama of diplomacy, gunships, wormholes, and stoic councils of aliens, they have instead found glitter, lipstick, and electric guitars. Mankind will not get to fight for its destiny—they must sing.

Decibel Jones and the Absolute Zeroes have been chosen to represent their planet on the greatest stage in the galaxy. And the fate of Earth lies in their ability to rock.

Jackie, Janet & Lee: The Secret Lives of Janet Auchincloss and Her Daughters, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and Lee Radziwill by J. Randy Taraborrelli:

A dazzling biography of three of the most glamorous women of the 20th Century: Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis, her mother Janet Lee Auchincloss, and her sister, Princess Lee Radziwill.

“Do you know what the secret to happily-ever-after is?” Janet Bouvier Auchincloss would ask her daughters Jackie and Lee during their tea time. “Money and Power,” she would say. It was a lesson neither would ever forget. They followed in their mother’s footsteps after her marriages to the philandering socialite “Black Jack” Bouvier and the fabulously rich Standard Oil heir Hugh D. Auchincloss.

Jacqueline Bouvier would marry John F. Kennedy and the story of their marriage is legendary, as is the story of her second marriage to Greek shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis. Less well known is the story of her love affair with a world renowned architect and a British peer. Her sister, Lee, had liaisons with one and possibly both of Jackie’s husbands, in addition to her own three marriages—to an illegitimate royal, a Polish prince and a Hollywood director.

If the Bouvier women personified beauty, style and fashion, it was their lust for money and status that drove them to seek out powerful men, no matter what the cost to themselves or to those they stepped on in their ruthless climb to the top. Based on hundreds of new interviews with friends and family of the Bouviers, among them their own half-brother, as well as letters and journals, J. Randy Taraborrelli paints an extraordinary psychological portrait of two famous sisters and their ferociously ambitious mother.

Have a great week!

Linda, SSCL

You can request physical items, i.e. print books, DVDs & CDs, online via StarCat:

or by calling the library at: 607-936-3713 x 502.

Have a great day!

Linda, SSCL

Online Catalog Links:

StarCat

The catalog of physical materials, i.e. print books, DVDs, audiobooks on CD etc.

The Digital Catalog (OverDrive)

The catalog of e-books, downloadable audiobooks and a handful of streaming videos.

Freegal Music Service

This music service is free to library card holders and offers the option to download, and keep, three free songs per week and to stream three hours of commercial free music each day:

RBDigital

Digital magazines on demand and for free! Back issues are available and you can even choose to be notified by email when the new issue of your favorite magazine is available.

About Library Apps:

You can access digital library content on PCs, Macs and mobile devices. For mobile devices simply download the OverDrive, Freegal or Zinio app from your app store to get started. If you have questions call the library at: 607-936-3713 and one of our Digital Literacy Specialists will be happy to assist you.

Tech Talk is a Southeast Steuben County Library blog.

Suggested Listening April 21, 2018

Linda Reimer

Hi everyone, here are our five musical recommendations for the week; four streaming suggestions* and one recommended album on CD.

(Click on the photo to stream or request the album you want to listen to!)

Freegal Streaming Suggestions*

Juliana Hatfield Sings Olivia Newton-John (2018) by Juliana Hatfield (Genre: Pop, Rock):

This just released album by Hatfield, who has been a huge Olivia Newton-John fan since she was kid, is aptly described in the AllMusic Review of the LP as a “love letter” by a huge fan of Olivia Newton-John.

Songs on the LP include: I Honestly Love You, Suspended in Time, A Little More Love, Magic, Physical, Please Mr. Please and Hopelessly Devoted To You.

The Complete Beethoven Quartets (2018) by Budapest String Quartet (Genre: Classical):

About the Budapest String Quartet & The Beethoven Quartets: The modern standard of performance in the Beethoven quartets was set by the Budapest String Quartet, wrote The New York Times. One of the 20th century’s very finest chamber ensembles, the Budapest String Quartet recorded the complete Beethoven cycle three times first on 78s in the 1940s, then between 1951 and 1952 in mono, and later in stereo. The 1951-52 cycle, which has acquired legendary status, is now reissued as a complete set, the first time that Sony Classical has published it in its entirety since the first issue. The Budapest Quartet was the quartet in residence at the Library of Congress from 1938 until 1962, a position created so that they could make regular use of the Library’s collection of Stradivarius instruments. Their regular performances at the Library all made use of these remarkable instruments, and the quartet also used them on these recordings, made in the Library itself. This Beethoven cycle has acquired legendary status. Anthony Tommasini of The New York Times wrote that his favorite performances of the six early Opus 18 quartets are the ones included here, supple, luminous and insightful. NPR critic Lloyd Schwartz calls the entire cycle my touchstone for Beethoven quartet recordings. Founded 100 years ago in 1917, the Budapest Quartet was at the height of its success in the early 1950s, under the leadership of first violinist Joseph Roisman. They had settled in the United States in 1938 at the same time as taking up their position at the Library of Congress, and they disbanded after 50 years in 1967.

The Complete Beethoven Quartet collection is available through Freegal as a five album streaming set.

Oriental Jazz (50’s & 60’s Authentic Recordings) by Various Artists (Genre: Jazz):

A great collection of 50’s and 60’s Jazz featuring both western and non-western instruments, including the oud – neat stuff!

In the fifties and sixties they would have called this type of music “Oriental”, today we call it World Music — but it is great music by whatever designation one give it – check it out!

Songs on the LP include: Jazz Araby by Fuad Hassan, Swingin’ The Blues by Chick Ganimian, Caravan by Fred Elias, St. James Infirmary by Gus Vali and Oglan Oglan by Cris Vardakis

Conundrum – Thirteen Down by Bert Jansch (Genre: Folk, Guitar, Pop, Rock):

Bert Jansch was a masterful British guitarist and pillar member of the contemporary British folk music scene. Jansch was not nearly as well known in the U.S. as in the U.K.; however he was a guitar virtuoso and a master of writing accessible folks songs and if you’re not familiar with his music I urge you to check it out!

Songs in this collection include: In My Mind, Sovay, Where Did My Life Go, Time and Love, Nightfall and Sweet Mother Earth.

Recommended CD of the Week:

Starfire (2018) by Caitlyn Smith (Genre: Pop, Rock, Country):

Caitlyn Smith is a talent singer-songwriter whose first album was released in 2001 when she was just 15. Starfire is her brand new album and it features the songs: Before You Called Me Baby, Starfire, East Side Restaurant, Don’t Give Up on My Love, Scenes from a Corner Booth at Closing Time on a Tuesday and House of Cards.

Videos of the Week:

A Little More Love by Juliana Hatfield:

Beethoven String Quartet – Quartet No. 11 in F Minor, Op. 95: IV. Larghetto espressivo – Allegretto by the Budabest:

Oud in Blues by Lloyd Miller: 

The Night by Ahmed Abdul-Malik:

Let Me Sing by Bert Jansch:

60th Birthday Concert by Bert Jansch and friends:

Starfire by Caitlyn Smith:

Have a great weekend!

Linda, SSCL

*A library card is required to use the Freegal Music Service. If you live in the service area of the Southern Tier Library System, which consists of the public libraries in Steuben, Chemung, Yates, Schuyler and Alleghany counties in New York State, you can get a library card for free at your nearest public library – including our own Southeast Steuben County Library in Corning, New York. The Freegal Music Service is free for all Southern Tier Library System member libraries library card holders to access.

References:

Artist Biography & Discography Information:

http://www.allmusic.com/

The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits by Joel Whitburn (Billboard Books. New York. 2009.)

P.S. If you have any questions about how to download or stream free music through the Freegal Music service to a desktop or laptop computer or how to download and use the Freegal Music app let us know! Drop by the library or give us a call at: 607-936-3713

*You must have a library card at a Southern Tier Library System member library to enjoy the Freegal Music Service. Your card can be from any library in the system, and the system includes all public libraries in Steuben, Chemung, Yates, Schuyler and Allegheny Counties and includes our own Southeast Steuben Count Library in Corning, New York!

Library cards are free if you live in our service area. And you can obtain a card by visiting the Circulation Desk and presenting staff with a form of ID that features your name and your current address.

Ancestry DNA Follow-Up

Hannah of SSCL

This is a follow-up to another post I made about Ancestry because the same patron returned to the library when her DNA result came in! We navigated to the website and eventually found where we wanted to be:

Image result for ancestry dna

We got to a listing of regions her genes originated and also when people with DNA matches migrated across the big blue wet thing. She was quite delighted to have this information and interested to find that some regions were not as prominent as she expected, or vice versa: some regions were more prominent than she expected. All in all, a DNA study seems like a neat thing to do, but doesn’t give as much detail as I would hope unless you can pair it with a well established family history or you’re intent on developing one. Happy researching and appreciating of the insight science can provide into our history!

Suggested Reading Week of April 16, 2018

Linda Reimer

Hi everyone, here are our recommended titles for the week.

This list includes ebook titles available through OverDrive and five print titles available through StarCat.

(Note: Click on the photo of the item you’re interested in to request it or check it out)

Digital Suggestions Of The Week:

Ghost Stories, The best of The Daily Telegraph’s ghost story competition Edited by Lorna Bradbury: 

In 2010 thousands of people submitted ghost stories to The Daily Telegraph’s first ghost story competition. Standards were chillingly high and only the spookiest went through to the shortlist of six. Presented here are short stories from Gill Baconnier, Justin Crozier, Ceri Hughes, Pat Black, Craig Drew and the winner, Richard Crompton, whose story ‘Friends’ is an uncanny take on social networking. Currently available only in ebook form they are the perfect company for a long winter’s night.

Harvesting the Heart by Jodi Picoult:

From the author of the #1 New York Times bestsellers Small Great Things and My Sister’s Keeper, a novel exploring the story of a young woman overcome by the demands of having a family.

Paige has only a few vivid memories of her mother, who abandoned her at five years old. Now, having left her father behind in Chicago for dreams of art school and marriage to an ambitious young doctor, she finds herself with a child of her own. But her mother’s absence and shameful memories of her past force her to doubt whether she could ever be capable of bringing joy and meaning into the life of her child, gifts her own mother never gave.

Harvesting the Heart is written with astonishing clarity and evocative detail, convincing in its depiction of emotional pain, love, and vulnerability, and recalls the writing of Alice Hoffman and Kristin Hannah. Out of Paige’s struggle to find wholeness, Jodi Picoult crafts an absorbing novel peopled by richly drawn characters, and explores motherhood with a power and depth only she is capable of.

Heat Lightning, Virgil Flowers Series, Book 2 by John Sandford:

Virgil Flowers hunts a killer responsible for a strange string of murders in this thriller from #1 New York Times bestselling author John Sandford.

On a hot, humid summer night in Minnesota, Virgil Flowers gets a call from Lucas Davenport. A body has been found near a veterans’ memorial in Stillwater with two shots to the head and a lemon in his mouth—exactly like the body they found two weeks ago.

Working the murders, Flowers becomes convinced that someone is keeping a list—with many more names on it. And when he discovers what connects them all, he’s almost sorry. Because if it’s true, then this whole thing leads down a lot more trails than he thought it did—and every one of them is booby-trapped.

Mad Country by Samrat Upadhyay:

Samrat Upadhyay’s new collection vibrates at the edges of intersecting cultures. Journalists in Kathmandu are targeted by the government. A Nepali man studying in America drops out of school and finds himself a part of the unrest in Ferguson, Missouri. A white American woman moves to Nepal and changes her name. A Nepali man falls in love with a mysterious foreign black woman. A rich kid is caught up in his own fantasies of poverty and bank robbery. In the title story, a powerful woman, the owner of a construction company, becomes a political prisoner, and in stark and unflinching prose we see both her world and her mind radically remade.

Through the course of the stories in this collection, Upadhyay builds new modes of seeing our interconnected contemporary world. A collection of formal inventiveness, heartbreak and hope, it reaffirms Upadhyay’s position as one or our most important chroniclers of globalization and exile.

Tess of the Road by Rachel Hartman:

“In her triumphant return to the world of Seraphina (2012), Hartman introduces Tess Dombegh, one of Seraphina’s stepsiblings. After a shattering fall from grace, Tess has tried to be the dutiful daughter to her critical mother. She may never be good, but maybe she can be good enough to be forgiven. When Tess drunkenly ruins her sister’s wedding night, she’s almost relieved to run away. Disguised as a boy, she seeks oblivion on the road; instead, she’s invited to help find a legendary serpent by her childhood friend, a quigutl (dragon subspecies). Along the way, Tess runs afoul of robbers, works as a manual laborer, poses as a priest, and struggles to make peace with past trauma. First in a duology, this is a perfect example of a familiar fantasy trope being given new dimension through empathetic characters and exquisite storytelling. At first appearing bitter and self-pitying, Tess reveals compassion, courage, and resilience on her journey, which is as emotional and spiritual as it is physical. This achingly real portrayal of a young woman whose self-loathing takes help to heal is a perceptive examination of rape culture rare in high fantasy. Not to be ignored, this is also a fascinating road trip adventure. Absolutely essential.”—Booklist, starred review

The Vineyard Victims: Wine Country Mystery Series, Book 8 (unabridged audiobook) written by Ellen Crosby and read by Christine Marshall:

The death of a former presidential candidate in a fiery car crash at her Virginia vineyard has ties to a thirty-year-old murder, as well as to Lucie Montgomery’s own near-fatal accident ten years ago, as she searches for a killer who now may be stalking her.

When Jamison Vaughn-billionaire real-estate mogul, Virginia vineyard owner, and unsuccessful US presidential candidate-drives his gold SUV into a stone pillar at the entrance to Montgomery Estate Vineyard, Lucie Montgomery is certain the crash was deliberate. But everyone else in Atoka, Virginia, is equally sure that Jamie must have lost control of his car on a rain-slicked country road. In spite of being saddled with massive campaign debts from the recent election, Jamie is seemingly the man with the perfect life. What possible reason could he have for committing suicide? Or was it murder?

Before long, Lucie uncovers a connection between Jamie and some of his old friends, an elite group of academics, and the brutal murder thirty years ago of a brilliant PhD student. Although a handyman is on death row for the crime, Lucie soon suspects someone else is guilty. But the investigation into the two deaths throws Lucie a curve ball when someone from her own past becomes involved, forcing her to confront old demons. Now the race to solve the mystery behind the two deaths becomes intensely personal as Lucie realizes someone wants her silenced-for good.

Print Suggestions Of The Week:

The Golden Vial, Legends of the Realm, Book 3 by Thomas Locke:

When a hidden evil threatens to destroy the realm, a young orphan, untested and untrained, could mean the difference between victory and total defeat.

Vulnerable and weakened by grief after a terrible loss, Hyam has been struck by a mysterious illness that threatens to claim his life. Seeking to help Hyam and restore the realm, Queen Shona travels to Hyam’s remote hometown to find answers and offer aid.

Dally has always had abilities far beyond those of a normal human–far-seeing and magic come naturally to her. Before the arrival of Shona and her army, Dally had always kept her abilities secret. But with an ancient evil bearing down on her village and the fate of the realm hanging in the balance, the orphaned servant girl steps forward to do what no one else can. Will the battle claim more than Dally is willing to give?

The first two book in the Legends of the Realm series are: Emissary (Book 1) and Merchant of Alyss (Book 2)

I’ve Got My Eyes On You by Mary Higgins Clark:

A new thriller from #1 New York Times bestselling author and “Queen of Suspense” Mary Higgins Clark.
When a terrible crime shocks a New Jersey community, all signs point to one suspect. But if he’s innocent as he claims, it means the murderer is still out there…

After throwing a party when her parents were away, 18-year-old Kerry Dowling is discovered lifeless at the bottom of the family pool. The police immediately question Kerry’s boyfriend, who—despite proclaiming his love for her—was seen arguing with Kerry that night. As neighbors and classmates grieve the loss of their friend, Kerry’s 28-year-old sister Aline, a guidance counselor, searches for answers. She’ll do anything to help the Detective Mike Wilson learn what really happened the night Kerry was killed.

Was someone watching Kerry the night of the murder? For Aline, the truth could be deadly.

From #1 New York Times bestselling author and “Queen of Suspense” comes a thrilling investigation asking what we truly know about the those we trust, and the secrets lying in even the most idyllic of neighborhoods.

Knucklehead by Adam Smyer:

“While not strictly a crime novel, Smyer’s debut Knucklehead does contain a whole lot of guns, violence, and rage, as well as plenty of love and sadness. A black lawyer in the late 80s through the mid-90s deals with micro and macro aggressions from a society determined to treat him as a criminal. Also, there are cats. Lots of cats.”— Literary Hub, included in the Most Anticipated Crime, Mystery, and Thriller Titles of 2018

Shoot First (Think Later) by Stuart Woods:

In the latest nonstop adventure from #1 New York Times bestselling author Stuart Woods, Stone Barrington must defend a woman whose business–and life–are under threat.

Stone Barrington is enjoying a round of golf in Key West when the game is violently interrupted–and it seems as if the target of the disturbance may have been one of his playing companions, the brilliant businesswoman behind a software startup on the cutting edge of technology. Soon, it becomes clear that this incident is only the first thrust in a deadly scheme to push the beautiful young woman out of the way and put her company’s valuable secrets up for grabs.

From the sun-soaked Florida shores to an idyllic English country retreat, Stone embarks on a quest to protect his lovely new companion while searching for the mastermind behind the plot against her. But he may find that her enemy is far more resourceful–and dangerous–than he could have anticipated.

Too Scot To Handle by Grace Burrowes:

A MAN WITH MANY TALENTS

As a captain in the army, Colin MacHugh led men, fixed what was broken, and fought hard. Now that he’s a titled gentleman, he’s still fighting-this time to keep his bachelorhood safe from all the marriage-minded debutantes. Then he meets the intriguing Miss Anwen Windham, whose demure nature masks a bonfire waiting to roar to life. When she asks for his help to raise money for the local orphanage, he’s happy to oblige.

Anwen is amazed at how quickly Lord Colin takes in hand a pack of rambunctious orphan boys. Amazed at how he actually listens to her ideas. Amazed at the thrill she gets from the rumble of his Scottish burr and the heat of his touch. But not everyone enjoys the success of an upstart. And Colin has enemies who will stop at nothing to ruin him and anybody he holds dear.
“Grace Burrowes is a romance treasure.” –Tessa Dare, New York Times bestselling author of The Duchess Deal

Double Play Non-Fiction Bonus Suggestions (both titles available as print books, eBooks and downloadable audiobooks and audiobooks on CD will be added to the collection in the near future):

Two just released  non-fiction bestsellers that are in the news:

Fascism: A Warning by former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright:

A personal and urgent examination of Fascism in the twentieth century and how its legacy shapes today’s world, written by one of America’s most admired public servants, the first woman to serve as U.S. secretary of state

A Fascist, observes Madeleine Albright, “is someone who claims to speak for a whole nation or group, is utterly unconcerned with the rights of others, and is willing to use violence and whatever other means are necessary to achieve the goals he or she might have.”

The twentieth century was defined by the clash between democracy and Fascism, a struggle that created uncertainty about the survival of human freedom and left millions dead. Given the horrors of that experience, one might expect the world to reject the spiritual successors to Hitler and Mussolini should they arise in our era. In Fascism: A Warning, Madeleine Albright draws on her experiences as a child in war-torn Europe and her distinguished career as a diplomat to question that assumption.

Fascism, as she shows, not only endured through the twentieth century but now presents a more virulent threat to peace and justice than at any time since the end of World War II. The momentum toward democracy that swept the world when the Berlin Wall fell has gone into reverse. The United States, which historically championed the free world, is led by a president who exacerbates division and heaps scorn on democratic institutions. In many countries, economic, technological, and cultural factors are weakening the political center and empowering the extremes of right and left. Contemporary leaders such as Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong-un are employing many of the tactics used by Fascists in the 1920s and 30s.

Fascism: A Warning is a book for our times that is relevant to all times. Written by someone who has not only studied history but helped to shape it, this call to arms teaches us the lessons we must understand and the questions we must answer if we are to save ourselves from repeating the tragic errors of the past.

A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies, and Leadership written by former FBI Director James Comey:

You can also place a hold on the eBook or downloadable audiobook version, in the Digital Catalog, (use the OverDrive app or go to https://stls.overdrive.com/).

Description From The Publisher: In his forthcoming book, former FBI director James Comey shares his never-before-told experiences from some of the highest-stakes situations of his career in the past two decades of American government, exploring what good, ethical leadership looks like, and how it drives sound decisions. His journey provides an unprecedented entry into the corridors of power, and a remarkable lesson in what makes an effective leader.

Mr. Comey served as director of the FBI from 2013 to 2017, appointed to the post by President Barack Obama. He previously served as U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, and the U.S. deputy attorney general in the administration of President George W. Bush. From prosecuting the Mafia and Martha Stewart to helping change the Bush administration’s policies on torture and electronic surveillance, overseeing the Hillary Clinton e-mail investigation as well as ties between the Trump campaign and Russia, Comey has been involved in some of the most consequential cases and policies of recent history.

Have a great week!

Linda, SSCL

You can request physical items, i.e. print books, DVDs & CDs, online via StarCat:

or by calling the library at: 607-936-3713 x 502.

Have a great day!

Linda, SSCL

Online Catalog Links:

StarCat

The catalog of physical materials, i.e. print books, DVDs, audiobooks on CD etc.

The Digital Catalog (OverDrive)

The catalog of e-books, downloadable audiobooks and a handful of streaming videos.

Freegal Music Service

This music service is free to library card holders and offers the option to download, and keep, three free songs per week and to stream three hours of commercial free music each day:

RBDigital

Digital magazines on demand and for free! Back issues are available and you can even choose to be notified by email when the new issue of your favorite magazine is available.

About Library Apps:

You can access digital library content on PCs, Macs and mobile devices. For mobile devices simply download the OverDrive, Freegal or Zinio app from your app store to get started. If you have questions call the library at: 607-936-3713 and one of our Digital Literacy Specialists will be happy to assist you.

Tech Talk is a Southeast Steuben County Library blog.