Month: May 2019

Hi everyone, here are our lucky seven musical streaming* suggestions for the week.

This week, since it is almost summer, I’m going to highlight seven playlists you can enjoy during June, and indeed, all the lazy, hazy days of summer!

Age Against The Machine: A Playlist for Getting Older by Various Artists:

This is an eighty song set that features songs that range from reflective to humorous as the singer/narrators ponder life, where we’ve been, where we are and where we are going.

Songs in the set include Growin’ Up by Bruce Springsteen, Grow Old With Me by Tom O’Dell, That Silver Haired Daddy of Mine by Johnny Cash, Time Marches on by Tracy Lawrence and People Get Old by Lori McKenna.

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Book It: A Summer Reading Playlist by Various Artists:

This playlist is a vibrant eclectic collection of 80 songs that range the gamut from relaxing to modern in-your-face rock.

There is, undoubtedly, a song for every mood and listener in this set!

Songs in the collection include Reading by Matt Pond PA, I Could Write A Book by Dinah Washington, Tell Me A Story by Iggy Pop, Summer Jam by The Piano Guys, Read About It by Midnight Oil, Open Book by Cake, Sugar by Louis Armstrong and Word Crimes by Weird Al Yankovic.

Bonus Light Summer Reading Music Suggestion (for those that prefer more relaxing reading music!):

Classical Reading Backdrop by Martin Jacoby & Northern String Quartet:

Songs in this collection of soft relaxing music include Orchestra Suite No. 3, The Carnival Of The Animals, Peer Gynt Suite No. 1, Symphony No. 9 and November Rain by Northern String Quartet.

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The Journey is Long: A Hiking Playlist by Various Artists:

This eighty nine song playlist features a solid mix of classic and contemporary artists and, you could indeed listening to it while hiking; however, it would also make a nice barbeque-summer party playlist!

Songs in the collection include American Summer by Giilants, Pretty Shinning People by George Ezra, On The Road by Buddy Guy, People Going Places by The Servants, Can’t Run by Paul Simon and Riders on the Storm by Santana with Ray Manzarek.

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Midnight Jazz Playlist by Various Artists:

This is a great seventy-three song playlist that heavily features classic jazz artists including Bill Evans, Helen Merrill, Yoshiyuki Okayasu, Larry Coryell, Buddy Rich, Dexter Gordon, Duke Ellington, Dizzy Gillespie and Miles Davis.

Songs in the set include To the Ends of the Earth by Nat King Cole, Along Came Betty by Art Blakey, Just The Way You Look by Art Farmer, Sugar by Stanley Turrentine and Jutterbug Waltz by Earl Hines.

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The Setting of the Sun: A Singer-Songwriter Playlist by Various Artists:

The Setting of the Sun is an eighty-three song playlist featuring some great, thoughtful folk songs including 1952 Vincent Black Lightning by Richard Thompson, Where’s My Tribe? By Charlene Soraia, Summers End by John Prime, The One That Got Away by The Civil Wars, The Lily of the West by Joan Baez, Hotel St. Cecilia by Joy Williams, This Land Is your Land by Woody Guthrie and The Timers Are A-Changin’ by Bob Dylan.

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Summer Heat Playlist by Various Artists:

Summer Heat, indeed! This is a ninety-four song collection of modern music including Giant by Calvin Harris, Deeper Shade of Soul by Urban Dance Squad, Summer Nights by Demy, 50 Ways to Leave  Your Lover by PPP & Rogier and Summertime Magic by Childish Gambino.

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Take it Easy: A Relaxation Playlist by Various Artists:

Take It Easy is a seventy six-song playlist of modern relaxation classics including Lighthouse by Grouper, Never Is a Promise by Fiona Apple, Requiem for a Fallen Tree by Lubomyr Melnyk, Yin and Yang by uyama hiroto and Africa by The Orb.

Bonus Relaxation Playlist:

The “V Discs” – The Columbia Years 1943 – 1952 by Frank Sinatra:

If your idea of easy listening is a more traditional vocal one, then check out this collection by the great Frank Sinatra.

The “V Discs” were specially made by various record companies in conjunction with the U.S Government, and were played for U.S. serviceman during the War, and the “V” actually stands for “Victory.”

In Sinatra’s case, since he was signed to Columbia Records, the recordings were made by Columbia who saved the masters.

This is a terrific fifty-three song collection!

Songs in the set include Kiss Me Again, (There’ll Be A) Hot Time In The Town of Berlin, I Couldn’t Sleep A Wink, The Way You Look Tonight, A Lovely Way To Spend An Evening, Speak Low and You Are Too Beautiful.

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Videos of the Week:

Grow Old With Me by Tom O’Dell

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Still Crazy After All These Years by Paul Simon

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Those Were The Days by Mary Hopkin

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Time Waits for No One by The Friends of Distinction

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I’m Going To Sit Right Down And Write Myself A Letter by Fats Waller

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Summer Jam by The Piano Guys

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Writer’s Retreat by Lloyd Cole

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American Summery by Giiants

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Can’t Run But by Paul Simon

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Texas by Jennifer Castle

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Gypsy Blue by Freddie Hubbard

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Second Balcony Jump by Dexter Gordon

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When You Wish Upon A Star- Ken Peplowski Quartet

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1952 Vincent Black Lightning by Richard Thompson

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Heart Like a Kite by John Paul White

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Hotel St. Cecilia by Joy Williams

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Montego Sunset by Menahan Street Band

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Summer Breese by The Isley Brothers

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Summer Nights by Demy

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Doughnuts Forever by The Orb

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Gavotte by Mark De Clive

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Lighthouse by Grouper

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I Only Have Eyes For You by Frank Sinatra

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Over The Rainbow by Frank Sinatra

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Stormy Weather by Frank Sinatra

Have a great weekend!

Linda, SSCL

REFERENCES:

Print References

The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits by Joel Whitburn

Online References

AllMusic: https://www.allmusic.com/

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*Freegal is a free streaming music service available for free to library cardholders of all Southern Tier Library System member libraries. STLS member libraries include all the public libraries in Steuben, Chemung, Yates, Schuyler, and Allegany counties — including our own Southeast Steuben County Library.

You can download the Freegal music app to your mobile device or access the desktop version of the site by clicking on the following link:

*The Freegal service offers library card holders the option to download, and keep, three free songs per week and to stream three hours of commercial free music each day.

Tech Talk is a Southeast Steuben County Library blog.

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

DIGITAL SUGGESTIONS OF THE WEEK:

Bearskin: A Novel by James A. McLaughlin (Format: eBook):

WINNER OF THE 2019 EDGAR FOR BEST FIRST NOVEL

“Bearskin is visceral, raw, and compelling—filled with sights, smells, and sounds truly observed. It’s a powerful debut and an absolute showcase of exceptional prose. There are very few first novels when I feel compelled to circle brilliant passages, but James McLaughlin’s writing had me doing just that.” —C.J. Box, #1 NYT bestselling author of The Disappeared

Rice Moore is just beginning to think his troubles are behind him. He’s found a job protecting a remote forest preserve in Virginian Appalachia where his main responsibilities include tracking wildlife and refurbishing cabins. It’s hard work, and totally solitary—perfect to hide away from the Mexican drug cartels he betrayed back in Arizona. But when Rice finds the carcass of a bear killed on the grounds, the quiet solitude he’s so desperately sought is suddenly at risk.

More bears are killed on the preserve and Rice’s obsession with catching the poachers escalates, leading to hostile altercations with the locals and attention from both the law and Rice’s employers. Partnering with his predecessor, a scientist who hopes to continue her research on the preserve, Rice puts into motion a plan that could expose the poachers but risks revealing his own whereabouts to the dangerous people he was running from in the first place.

James McLaughlin expertly brings the beauty and danger of Appalachia to life. The result is an elemental, slow burn of a novel—one that will haunt you long after you turn the final page.

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Horse Latitudes by Morris Collins (Format: eBook):

Ethan, haunted by guilt in the wake of his wife’s tortured descent into madness, loses himself in a lawless and sensual world when he crosses the US’s southern border.

Wandering without hope in a place that obeys only raw power, he meets a woman who saves his life and, in return, extracts his promise to rescue her sister, Mirabelle, from a Central American country on the brink of revolution before Mirabelle can be lured into deeper danger by the false coyote Soto. Pursued through crumbling cities and down a jungle river, Ethan finds himself in a country where personal and political traumas converge in a guerrilla war in which the sides are unclear and the stakes beyond reckoning. Ethan sought absolution and relief when he abandoned everything he knew, but to save Mirabelle, he must make a choice that will place him far beyond the borders of redemption.

Horse Latitudes is a lushly-written modern gothic — part thriller, part nightmarish journey into the moral uncertainty at the heart of the American experience in Central America.

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House Witness written by Mike Lawson & read by Joe Barrett (Format: Downloadable Audiobook):

This novel in Mike Lawson’s critically acclaimed series takes political fixer Joe DeMarco to New York for behind—the—scenes work on a high—stakes murder case as the witnesses start to decamp one by one.

In House Witness, the expertly plotted twelfth novel in this critically acclaimed series, Mike Lawson puts his likable protagonist on the trail of a different kind of fixer-one whose job is to inject reasonable doubt into seemingly air-tight criminal cases.

Minority Leader of the House and Joe DeMarco’s long-time employer John Mahoney has kept more than one secret from his wife over the years but none so explosive as this: He has a son, and that son has just been shot dead in a bar in Manhattan. Mahoney immediately dispatches DeMarco to his native New York to provide prosecutor Justine Porter with any assistance necessary, but with five bystanders willing to testify against rich- boy Toby Rosenthal, the case seems like a slam -dunk-that is, until Porter begins to suspect that someone is interfering with those witnesses and that this may be connected to a pattern of cases across the country. Could someone be helping to get witnesses out of the way when the fate of a wealthy defendant is on the line?

With the help of Porter’s intern, as outrageously smart as she is young, DeMarco becomes determined to follow that question through to its violent resolution in what turns out to be Joe DeMarco most unexpected adventure yet.

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A Knife in the Fog by Bradley Harper (Format: eBook):

Physician Arthur Conan Doyle takes a break from his practice to assist London police in tracking down Jack the Ripper in this debut novel and series starter.

September 1888. A twenty-nine-year-old Arthur Conan Doyle practices medicine by day and writes at night. His first Sherlock Holmes story, A Study in Scarlet, although gaining critical and popular success, has only netted him twenty-five pounds. Embittered by the experience, he vows never to write another “crime story.” Then a messenger arrives with a mysterious summons from former Prime Minister William Gladstone, asking him to come to London immediately.

Once there, he is offered one month’s employment to assist the Metropolitan Police as a “consultant” in their hunt for the serial killer soon to be known as Jack the Ripper. Doyle agrees on the stipulation his old professor of surgery, Professor Joseph Bell—Doyle’s inspiration for Sherlock Holmes—agrees to work with him. Bell agrees, and soon the two are joined by Miss Margaret Harkness, an author residing in the East End who knows how to use a Derringer and serves as their guide and companion.

Pursuing leads through the dank alleys and courtyards of Whitechapel, they come upon the body of a savagely murdered fifth victim. Soon it becomes clear that the hunters have become the hunted when a knife-wielding figure approaches.

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A Lady’s Guide to Etiquette and Murder, Countess of Harleigh Mystery Series, Book 1 written by Dianne Freeman and read by Sarah Zimmerman (Format: Downloadable Audiobook): 

In this exciting historical mystery debut set in Victorian England, a wealthy young widow encounters the pleasures—and scandalous pitfalls—of a London social season . . .

Frances Wynn, the American-born Countess of Harleigh, enjoys more freedom as a widow than she did as a wife. With her young daughter in tow, Frances rents a home in Belgravia and prepares to welcome her sister, Lily, arriving from New York—for her first London season.

But no sooner has Frances begun her new life than the Metropolitan police receive an anonymous letter implicating Frances in her husband’s death. Frances assures Inspector Delaney of her innocence, but she’s also keen to keep him from learning the scandalous circumstances of Reggie’s demise. As fate would have it, her dashing new neighbor, George Hazelton, is one of only two other people aware of the full story.

While busy with social engagements on Lily’s behalf, and worrying if Reggie really was murdered, Frances rallies her wits, a circle of gossips, and the ever-chivalrous Mr. Hazelton to uncover the truth. A killer is in their midst and Frances must unmask the villain before Lily’s season—and their lives—come to a most unseemly end . . .

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PRINT BOOK SUGGESTIONS OF THE WEEK:

Into The Jungle by Erica Ferencik:

Starred Publishers Weekly Review * A Publishers Weekly “Big Summer Books” * Featured in the New York Post Summer Round Up * A Crime by the Book “Most Anticipated” Novel

In this pulse-pounding thriller from the author of the “haunting, twisting thrill ride” (Megan Miranda, New York Times bestselling author) The River at Night, a young woman leaves behind everything she knows to take on the Bolivian jungle, but her excursion abroad quickly turns into a fight for her life.

Lily Bushwold thought she’d found the antidote to endless foster care and group homes: a teaching job in Cochabamba, Bolivia. As soon as she could steal enough cash for the plane, she was on it.

When the gig falls through and Lily stays in Bolivia, she finds bonding with other broke, rudderless girls at the local hostel isn’t the life she wants either. Tired of hustling and already world-weary, crazy love finds her in the form she least expected: Omar, a savvy, handsome local man who’d abandoned his life as a hunter in Ayachero—a remote jungle village—to try his hand at city life.

When Omar learns that a jaguar has killed his four-year-old nephew in Ayachero, he gives Lily a choice: Stay alone in the unforgiving city, or travel to the last in a string of ever-more-isolated river towns in the jungles of Bolivia. Thirty-foot anaconda? Puppy-sized spiders? Vengeful shamans with unspeakable powers? Love-struck Lily is oblivious. She follows Omar to this ruthless new world of lawless poachers, bullheaded missionaries, and desperate indigenous tribes driven to the brink of extinction. To survive, Lily must navigate the jungle–its wonders as well as its terrors—using only her wits and resilience.

Primal, gripping, and terrifying, Into the Jungle features Erica Ferencik’s signature “visceral, white-knuckle” (Entertainment Weekly) prose that will sink its fangs into you and not let go.

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The Last Day: A Novel by Domenica Ruta:

The fates of a cast of seemingly unconnected people converge during the celebration of an ancient holiday in a thought-provoking debut that brings to mind such novels as Station Eleven and The Age of Miracles.

In Domenica Ruta’s profoundly original novel, the end of the world comes once a year. Every May 28, humanity gathers to anticipate the planet’s demise—and to celebrate as if the day is truly its last.

On this holiday, three intersecting sets of characters embark on a possibly last-chance quest for redemption. In Boston, bookish wunderkind Sarah is looking for love and maybe a cosmic reversal from the much older Kurt, a tattoo artist she met at last year’s Last Day BBQ—but he’s still trying to make amends to the family he destroyed long ago. Dysfunctional Karen keeps getting into trouble, especially when the voices she’s been hearing coax her to abandon everything to search for her long-lost adoptive brother; her friend Rosette has left the Jehovah’s Witnesses to follow a new pastor at the Last Kingdom on Earth, where she brings Karen on this fateful day. Meanwhile, above them all, three astronauts on the International Space Station, Bear, an American; Russian Svec; and billionaire Japanese space tourist Yui, contemplate their lives as well as their precious Earth from afar.

With sparkling wit, verbal ingenuity, and wild imagination, Ruta has created an alternate world in which an ancient holiday brings into stark reflection our deepest dreams, desires, hopes, and fears. In this tour-de-force debut novel she has written a dazzling, haunting love letter to humanity and to our planet.

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Much Ado About Lewrie: An Alan Lewrie Naval Adventure (Alan Lewrie Naval Adventures) by Dewey Lambdin:

Lewrie loses his ship and his command when he receives news that Vigilance must return to England to be decommissioned and turned over to the dockyards for a complete refit. Lewrie is grounded, put on half-pay, and his crew disperses to look for new positions.

It’s late Autumn, and being ashore is heavenly, after a time. Lewrie spends time with his wife Jessica, helps his son Hugh find a new ship, and happily marries off Charlotte. Life onshore is quiet until Lewrie finds himself once again in the headlines of the city papers after discovering a dognapping gang and uncovering stolen Bisquits and Rembrants. The headlines should be positive, but soon the tides turn against Lewrie once again. There’s never a dull moment for Lewrie.

Dewey Lambdin is the reigning master of maritime fiction, celebrated as the heir to Patrick O’Brian and C.S. Forester. For over twenty years, his devoted fans have followed the adventures of Alan Lewrie, Royal Navy, from his days as a midshipmen to captain of his own ship and, though on somewhat dubious grounds, a baronetcy.

Just in case you should wish to start this swashbuckling series from the beginning, the first book in the series is:

The King’s Coat by Dewey Lambdin:

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Where The Light Enters The Building by Jill Biden

An intimate look at the love that built the Biden family and the delicate balancing act of the woman at its center

“How did you get this number?” Those were the first words Jill Biden spoke to U.S. senator Joe Biden when he called her out of the blue to ask her on a date.

Growing up, Jill had wanted two things: a marriage like her parents’―strong, loving, and full of laughter―and a career. An early heartbreak had left her uncertain about love, until she met Joe. But as they grew closer, Jill faced difficult questions: How would politics shape her family and professional life? And was she ready to become a mother to Joe’s two young sons?

She soon found herself falling in love with her three “boys,” learning to balance life as a mother, wife, educator, and political spouse. Through the challenges of public scrutiny, complicated family dynamics, and personal losses, she grew alongside her family, and she extended the family circle at every turn: with her students, military families, friends and staff at the White House, and more.

This is the story of how Jill built a family―and a life―of her own. From the pranks she played to keep everyone laughing to the traditions she formed that would carry them through tragedy, hers is the spirited journey of a woman embracing many roles.

Where the Light Enters is a candid, heartwarming glimpse into the creation of a beloved American family, and the life of a woman at its center.

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The Woman in the White Kimono by Ana Johns:

Oceans and decades apart, two women are inextricably bound by the secrets between them.

Japan, 1957. Seventeen-year-old Naoko Nakamura’s prearranged marriage to the son of her father’s business associate would secure her family’s status in their traditional Japanese community, but Naoko has fallen for another man—an American sailor, a gaijin—and to marry him would bring great shame upon her entire family. When it’s learned Naoko carries the sailor’s child, she’s cast out in disgrace and forced to make unimaginable choices with consequences that will ripple across generations.

America, present day. Tori Kovac, caring for her dying father, finds a letter containing a shocking revelation—one that calls into question everything she understood about him, her family and herself. Setting out to learn the truth behind the letter, Tori’s journey leads her halfway around the world to a remote seaside village in Japan, where she must confront the demons of the past to pave a way for redemption.

In breathtaking prose and inspired by true stories from a devastating and little-known era in Japanese and American history, The Woman in the White Kimono illuminates a searing portrait of one woman torn between her culture and her heart, and another woman on a journey to discover the true meaning of home.

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

*Magazines are available for free and on demand! You can check out magazines and read them on your computer or download the RBDigital app from your app store and read them on your mobile devices.

ABOUT LIBRARY APPS:

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

Tech Talk is a Southeast Steuben County Library blog.

Hi everyone, here are the top New York Times fiction and non-fiction bestsellers for the week that ends June 2, 2019.

(Click on the book covers to read a summary of each plot and to request the books of your choice.)

FICTION:

18TH ABDUCTION by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro:

The 18th book in the Women’s Murder Club series. Lindsay Boxer investigates the disappearance of three female teachers.

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BIG KAHUNA by Janet Evanovich and Peter Evanovich:

The sixth book in the Fox and O’Hare series. An F.B.I. agent teams up with a con man to search for a Silicon Valley billionaire.

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BLESSING IN DISGUISE by Danielle Steel:

Isabelle McAvoy faces challenges as she raises three daughters from three separate fathers on her own

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FIRE AND BLOOD by George R.R. Martin:

The first volume of the two-part history of the Targaryens in Westeros.

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GAME OF THRONES by George R.R. Martin:

In the frozen wastes to the north of Winterfell, sinister and supernatural forces are mustering. Basis of the HBO series.

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THE GUEST BOOK by Sarah Blake:

Evie Milton uncovers a story going back a couple generations that may shatter a family myth.

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LITTLE FIRES EVERYWHERE by Celeste Ng:

An artist upends a quiet town outside Cleveland.

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LOST ROSES by Martha Hall Kelly:

In 1914, the New York socialite Eliza Ferriday works to help White Russian families escape from the revolution.

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THE MISTER by E L James:

Maxim Trevelyan inherits several estates and overpowers his cleaner Alessia Demachi, an Albanian piano prodigy who has been trafficked into England.

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NEON PREY by John Sandford:

The 29th book in the Prey series. Lucas Davenport goes after a serial killer.

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NEVER GAME by Jeffery Deaver:

Colter Shaw, the son of a survivalist family, probes the underbelly of Silicon Valley to go after a kidnapper.

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THE NIGHT WINDOW by Dean Koontz:

The fifth book in the Jane Hawk series. The former F.B.I. agent pursues a slew of bad guys, including a Vegas mob boss.

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NORMAL PEOPLE by Sally Rooney:

The connection between a high school star athlete and a loner ebbs and flows when they go to Trinity College in Dublin.

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PAST TENSE by Lee Child:

Jack Reacher explores the New England town where his father was born and a Canadian couple now find themselves stranded.

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REDEMPTION by David Baldacci:

The fifth book in the Memory Man series. The first man Amos Decker put behind bars asks to have his name cleared.

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THE SILENT PATIENT by Alex Michaelides:

Theo Faber looks into the mystery of a famous painter who stops speaking after shooting her husband.

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SUNSET BEACH by Mary Kay Andrews:

Drue Campbell inherits a run-down beach bungalow and takes a job at her estranged father’s personal injury attorney office.

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TATTOOIST OF AUSCHWITZ by Heather Morris:

A concentration camp detainee tasked with permanently marking fellow prisoners falls in love with one of them.

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UNHONEYMOONERS by Christina Lauren: 

When food poisoning spoils a wedding, Olive Torres goes with the best man — who is also her nemesis — on her twin sister’s honeymoon.

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WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING by Delia Owens:

In a quiet town on the North Carolina coast in 1969, a young woman who survived alone in the marsh becomes a murder suspect.

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NON-FICTION:

BECOMING by Michelle Obama:

The former first lady describes her journey from the South Side of Chicago to the White House, and how she balanced work, family and her husband’s political ascent.

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THE BRITISH ARE COMING by Rick Atkinson:

The Pulitzer Prize-winning historian and journalist begins his Revolution Trilogy with events from 1775 to 1777.

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COMMANDER IN CHEAT by Rick Reilly:

A sportswriter handicaps the current president’s character, based on how he plays golf.

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EDUCATED by Tara Westover:

The daughter of survivalists, who is kept out of school, educates herself enough to leave home for university.

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FURIOUS HOURS by Casey Cep:

Harper Lee’s work on the true-crime story about a rural preacher accused of murdering five of his family members in the 1970s.

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HOWARD STERN COMES AGAIN by Howard Stern:

The radio interviewer delves into some of his favorite on-air conversations from the past four decades of his career.

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LET LOVE HAVE THE LAST WORD by Common with Mensah Demary: 

Personal stories from the actor and Oscar, Golden Globe, Emmy and Grammy Award-winning music artist.

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LIFE WILL BE THE DEATH OF ME by Chelsea Handler:

The comedian chronicles going into therapy and becoming an advocate for change.

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MAYBE YOU SHOULD TALK TO SOMEONE by Lori Gottlieb:

A psychotherapist gains unexpected insights when she becomes another therapist’s patient.

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MOMENT OF LIFT by Melinda Gates: 

The philanthropist shares stories of empowering women to improve society.

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THE MUELLER REPORT with an introduction by Alan Dershowitz: 

Redacted findings from the special counsel’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election and potential obstruction of justice by the president.

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THE MUELLER REPORT with related materials by The Washington Post: 

Redacted findings from the special counsel’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election and potential obstruction of justice by the president.

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THE PIONEERS by David McCullough:

The Pulitzer Prize-winning historian tells the story of the settling of the Northwest Territory through five main characters.

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SACRED DUTY by Tom Cotton:

The veteran and Republican senator from Arkansas describes the services enacted by the Army unit known as the Old Guard.

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SAPIENS by Yuval Noah Harari:

How Homo sapiens became Earth’s dominant species.

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THE SECOND MOUNTAIN by David Brooks:

A New York Times Op-Ed columnist espouses having an outward focus to attain a meaningful life.

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UPHEAVAL by Jared Diamond:

The ways in which six countries outlasted recent crises and adopted selective changes.

Have a great day!

Linda Reimer, SSL

Tech Talk is a Southeast Steuben County Library blog.

Hi everyone, here are our lucky seven musical streaming* suggestions for the week.

The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan (1963) by Bob Dylan (Genre: Folk, Singer-Songwriter):

Today, Friday, May 24, 2019 is Bob Dylan’s 78th birthday.

In celebration of the remarkable work of this, to say the very least, phenomenal songwriter – I’m going to recommend you give a listen to my favorite Bob Dylan album – The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan from 1963.

This album, showcases early sixties folk-era Dylan before he went electric, and features some of Dylan’s best songs including Blowin’ in the Wind, Masters of War, A-Hard Rain is Gonna Fall, Down the Highway, Girl From The North Country, Honey, Allow Me Just One More Chance and I Shall Be Free.

This is a terrific album and if you haven’t heard it – I urge you to give it a listen!

And as a related note to anyone who may not be aware of this fact, sixties era Dylan sang, gravely but clearly – so if you’re turned off by his voice on recordings made past about 1975 that feature Dylan singing with a nasally, what-is-he-singing-it-sounds-like-he’s-got-a-mouth-full-of cotton singing style – not to worry – that style came later!

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Transform (2019) by Howard Jones (Genre: Pop/Snyth-Pop):

A brand new album by one of the great synthesizer-pop artist best known for his mid-eighties hits New Song, No One Is To Blame and Things Can Only Get Better.

Songs on the new LP include: The One to Love You, Take Us Higher, Hero in Your Eyes, Transform and Tin Man Song.

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The New York-Barcelona Crossing (1993) by Brad Mehldau (Genre: Jazz, Piano):

Pianist Brad Mehldau is accompanied by bassist Mario Rossy, drummer Jordi Rossy and saxophonist Perico Sambeat on this smooth collection of songs, recorded live at Barcelona’s Jamboree Jazz Club in 1993.

This LP features a lovely, soothing collection of songs – perfect for listening to whilst unwinding at the end of a long week.

Songs in the set include: Old Folks, Spring Can Really Hang You Up the Most, Just One of Those Things, No Blues and Wonderful.

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Spirtyouall (2013) by Bobby McFerrin (Genre: Vocal, Jazz, Pop, Spirtual):

Bobby McFerrin is best known for his 1988 hit Don’t Worry, Be Happy and that title reflects his view that music should be a soothing and healing influence in our lives.

On this album McFerrin adds to that theme by focusing on spiritual songs with his usual light jazz-vocal style.

And this is, indeed, a soothing album!

Songs on the LP include: Everytime, Swing Low, I Shall Be Released, Whole World and Rest/Yes, Indeed.

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Yo-Yo Ma Plays Bach (2017) by Yo-Yo Ma (Genre: Classical, Cello):

A great collection of Bach’s pieces by the equally great Yo-Yo Ma!

Compositions in the set include: Suite for Solo Cello No. 3 in C major BWV 1009, St. Matthew Passion BWV 244, Orchestral Suite No. 3 in D major BWV 1068, Cantata Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben BWV 147 and Sonata for Viola da gamba (Cello) and Harpsichord No. 1 in G major BWV 1027

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Sound (1966/2018) by the Roscoe Mitchell Sextet (Genre: Avant Gard, Jazz):

Roscoe Mitchell is an exceptionally talented multi-instrumental brass player who is known for founding the avant-garde group Art Ensemble of Chicago.

And in contrast to the soothing albums I’ve recommended this week by Brad Mehldau and Bobby McFerrin – this one is just the opposite! You’d better have your coffee before you listen to this one, or perhaps listening to this album could be a substitute for a cup of coffee as it is what I would describe as in-your-face-experimental music! But then Roscoe Mitchell is renowned for his Avant Gard style! Song on this, his 1966 debut LP, include: Ornette, The Little Suite, Sound, Ornette (Alternate) and Sound (Take 1).

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1634 Lexington Avenue (2019) by Carlton Jumel Smith (Genre: Classic Soul/R&B):

1634 Lexington Avenue is a great soul album by the Harlem born singer-songwriter Carlton Jumel Smith. Smith has been singing soul music for many years and this is only his third album, which is a shame as he is one talented singer!

Songs on the LP include: Woman You Made Me, Love Our Love Affair, This Is What Love Looks Like! and We’re All We Got.

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Art-Work (2013) by Hal Galper, Reggie Workman & Rashied Ali (Genre: Jazz, Piano):

Pianist, songwriter and educator Hal Galper was born in Salem, Massachusetts in 1938 and emerged as a talented pianist as a child. He attended Boston’s Berklee School of Music in the fifties and through the years has played with a variety of jazz greats including Chet Baker, Joe Henderson, Cannonball Adderley and Phil Woods.

This 2013 LP is a vibrant collaborative album that features Galper on piano, Reggie Workman on bass and Rashid Ali on drums.

Songs in the set include Take The Coltrane, Blue In Green, Stella by Starlight, Soliloquy and Constellation.

BONUS: An eight recommendation just in time for Memorial Day weekend:

Patriotic Songs by Various Artists:

This patroitic collection features songs by The U.S. Navy Band, The U.S. Air Force Band, The U.S. Army Band and the U.S. Marine Band.

Songs on the LP include Armed Forces on Parade by the U.S.  Navy Band, Stars and Stripes Forever by The Presidents Own United States Marine Band, Yankee Doodle by the U.S. Navy Band, The Entertainer by Scott Joplin, The Chimes of Liberty by the U.S. Army Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps, American Patrol by The U.S. Air Force Band and Oh! Susanna by the U.S. Air Force Band

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Videos of the Week:

Corinna, Corinna by Bob Dylan

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A Hard Rains A-Gonna Fall by Bob Dylan

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Beating Mr. Neg by Howard Jones

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No One Is To Blame

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And I Love Her by Brad Mehldau

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Old Folks by Brad Mehldau

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I Shall Be Released by Bobby McFerrin

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Swing Low by Bobby McFerrin

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Bach: Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major, Prélude by Yo-Yo Ma

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Bach Cello Suite No. 3 in C Major by Yo-Yo Ma

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Bells for the South Side by Roscoe Mitchell

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The Little Suite by Roscoe Mitchell Sextet

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I Can’t Love You Anymore by Carlton Jumel Smith

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Woman You Made Me by Carlton Jumel Smith

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Take The Coltrane by Hal Galper

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Soliloquy by Hal Galper

Have a great weekend!

Linda, SSCL

REFERENCES:

Print References

The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits by Joel Whitburn

Online References

AllMusic: https://www.allmusic.com/

Carlton Jumel Smith Delivers Soulful Salute ‘Woman You Made Me’: Premiere, Review, by Gary Graff, Billboard, https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/8510435/carlton-jumel-smith-woman-you-made-me

Meet The NEA’s 2020 Jazz Masters: McFerrin, Mitchell, Workman And Kirk by Nate Chinen, NPR, https://www.npr.org/2019/05/21/725251568/meet-the-neas-2020-jazz-masters-mcferrin-mitchell-workman-and-kirk

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*Freegal is a free streaming music service available for free to library cardholders of all Southern Tier Library System member libraries. STLS member libraries include all the public libraries in Steuben, Chemung, Yates, Schuyler, and Allegany counties — including our own Southeast Steuben County Library.

You can download the Freegal music app to your mobile device or access the desktop version of the site by clicking on the following link:

*The Freegal service offers library card holders the option to download, and keep, three free songs per week and to stream three hours of commercial free music each day.

Tech Talk is a Southeast Steuben County Library blog.

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

DIGITAL SUGGESTIONS OF THE WEEK:

The Better Sister by Alafair Burke:

Keep your enemies close and your sister closer.

Though Chloe was the younger of the two Taylor sisters, she always seemed to be the one in charge. She was the honor roll student with big dreams and an even bigger work ethic. Nicky—always restless and more than a little reckless—was the opposite of her ambitious little sister. She floated from job to job and man to man, and stayed close to home in Cleveland.

For a while, it seemed that both sisters had found happiness. Chloe earned a scholarship to an Ivy League school and moved to New York City, where she landed a coveted publishing job. Nicky married promising young attorney Adam Macintosh and gave birth to a baby boy they named Ethan. The Taylor sisters became virtual strangers.

Now, more than fifteen years later, their lives are drastically different—and Chloe is married to Adam. When he’s murdered by an intruder at the couple’s East Hampton beach house, Chloe reluctantly allows her teenage stepson’s biological mother—her estranged sister, Nicky—back into her life. But when the police begin to treat Ethan as a suspect in his father’s death, the two sisters are forced to unite . . . and to confront the truth behind family secrets they have tried to bury in the past.

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Bone on Bone by Julia Keller:

The next powerful chapter in Pulitzer Prize-winner Julia Keller’s beloved Bell Elkins series sends readers headlong into the thick of a mystery as young as today’s headlines — but as old as the mountains that hold these lives in a tight grip.

How far would you go for someone you love? Would you die? Would you kill? After a three-year prison sentence, Bell Elkins is back in Acker’s Gap. And she finds herself in the white-hot center of a complicated and deadly case — even as she comes to terms with one last, devastating secret of her own.

A prominent local family has fallen victim to the same sickness that infects the whole region: drug addiction. With mother against father, child against parent, and tensions that lead inexorably to tragedy, they are trapped in a grim, hopeless struggle with nowhere to turn.

Bell has lost her job as prosecutor — but not her affection for her ragtag, hard-luck hometown. Teamed up with former Deputy Jake Oakes, who battles his own demons as he adjusts to life as a paraplegic, and aided by the new prosecutor, Rhonda Lovejoy, Bell tackles a case as poignant as it is perilous, as heartbreaking as it is challenging.

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Contagion by Erin Bowman:

Edgar Award Nominee for Best Young Adult Mystery

Perfect for fans of Madeleine Roux, Jonathan Maberry, and horror films like 28 Days Later and Resident Evil, this pulse-pounding, hair-raising, utterly terrifying novel is the first in a duology from the critically acclaimed author of the Taken trilogy.

After receiving a distress call from a drill team on a distant planet, a skeleton crew is sent into deep space to perform a standard search-and-rescue mission.

When they arrive, they find the planet littered with the remains of the project—including its members’ dead bodies. As they try to piece together what could have possibly decimated an entire project, they discover that some things are best left buried—and some monsters are only too ready to awaken.

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Genesis Begins Again by Alicia D. Williams:

This deeply sensitive and powerful debut novel tells the story of a thirteen-year-old who must overcome internalized racism and a verbally abusive family to finally learn to love herself.

There are ninety-six things Genesis hates about herself. She knows the exact number because she keeps a list. Like #95: Because her skin is so dark, people call her charcoal and eggplant—even her own family. And #61: Because her family is always being put out of their house, belongings laid out on the sidewalk for the world to see. When your dad is a gambling addict and loses the rent money every month, eviction is a regular occurrence.

What’s not so regular is that this time they all don’t have a place to crash, so Genesis and her mom have to stay with her grandma. It’s not that Genesis doesn’t like her grandma, but she and Mom always fight—Grandma haranguing Mom to leave Dad, that she should have gone back to school, that if she’d married a lighter skinned man none of this would be happening, and on and on and on. But things aren’t all bad. Genesis actually likes her new school; she’s made a couple friends, her choir teacher says she has real talent, and she even encourages Genesis to join the talent show.

But how can Genesis believe anything her teacher says when her dad tells her the exact opposite? How can she stand up in front of all those people with her dark, dark skin knowing even her own family thinks lesser of her because of it? Why, why, why won’t the lemon or yogurt or fancy creams lighten her skin like they’re supposed to? And when Genesis reaches #100 on the list of things she hates about herself, will she continue on, or can she find the strength to begin again?

“The novel truly becomes novel again in Luiselli’s hands—electric, elastic, alluring, new.” —Parul Sehgal, The New York Times

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The Good Enough Mother by Bev Thomas:

Ruth Hartland is the director of a trauma unit, a psychotherapist with years of experience, wise and respected by her peers. But professional skill is no guard against private grief. The mother of grown twins, she is haunted by the fact that her beautiful, difficult, fragile son Tom, a boy who never “fit in,” disappeared a year and a half earlier. She cannot give up hope of finding him, but feels she is living a kind of half-life, waiting for him to return. Enter a new patient, Dan — unstable and traumatized — who looks exactly like her missing son. She is determined to help him, but soon, her own complicated feelings, about the dissolution of her marriage and her family, about how she has failed her own boy, cloud her professional judgement. Boundaries she would never have crossed with another patient are crossed. And before long, events spiral out of control. … An utterly compelling pageturner with a timebomb at its core, A Good Enough Mother is a brilliant, beautiful story of mothering, and how to let go of the ones we love when we must.

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Lost Children Archive: A Novel by Valeria Luiselli:

“Impossibly smart, full of beauty, heart and insight . . . Everyone should read this book.” —Tommy Orange

Longlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction

From the two-time NBCC Finalist, an emotionally resonant, fiercely imaginative new novel about a family whose road trip across America collides with an immigration crisis at the southwestern border—an indelible journey told with breathtaking imagery, spare lyricism, and profound humanity.

A mother and father set out with their two children, a boy and a girl, driving from New York to Arizona in the heat of summer. Their destination: Apacheria, the place the Apaches once called home.

Why Apaches? asks the ten-year-old son. Because they were the last of something, answers his father.

In their car, they play games and sing along to music. But on the radio, there is news about an “immigration crisis”: thousands of kids trying to cross the southwestern border into the United States, but getting detained—or lost in the desert along the way.

As the family drives—through Virginia to Tennessee, across Oklahoma and Texas—we sense they are on the brink of a crisis of their own. A fissure is growing between the parents, one the children can almost feel beneath their feet. They are led, inexorably, to a grand, harrowing adventure—both in the desert landscape and within the chambers of their own imaginations.

Told through several compelling voices, blending texts, sounds, and images, Lost Children Archive is an astonishing feat of literary virtuosity. It is a richly engaging story of how we document our experiences, and how we remember the things that matter to us the most. With urgency and empathy, it takes us deep into the lives of one remarkable family as it probes the nature of justice and equality today.

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PRINT BOOK SUGGESTIONS OF THE WEEK:

African Americans and the Presidents: Politics and Policies from Washington to Trump
by F. Erik Brooks and Glenn L. Starks:

The president is arguably the most recognized and powerful individual in the United States. This reference work explores the American presidency in relation to issues of race concerning the African American community.

This work provides a contemporary and refreshing examination of the American presidency through the prism of race and race relations in America, revealing a long and complicated relationship between the U.S. presidency and the African American community.

The book evaluates each of the forty-five American presidents’ policies, cabinet appointments, and handling of race matters in the United States. Following an extensive timeline, chronological chapters take an incisive look at each American president’s life and career as well as the policies enacted during his presidency that affected the African American community. The presidents’ personal writings, memoirs, autobiographies, and biographies frame their views on the issue of race and how they dealt with it before, during, and after their presidency.

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A Risky Undertaking for Loretta Singletary by Terry Shames:

A FAVORITE SERIES CHARACTER FINDS HERSELF IN HARM’S WAY. After using an online dating site for senior citizens, town favorite Loretta Singletary–maker of cinnamon rolls and arbiter of town gossip–goes missing. Chief Samuel Craddock’s old friend Loretta Singletary–a mainstay of the Jarrett Creek community–has undergone a transformation, with a new hairstyle and modern clothes. He thinks nothing of it until she disappears. Only then does he find out she has been meeting men through an online dating site for small-town participants. When a woman in the neighboring town of Bobtail turns up dead after meeting someone through the same dating site, Craddock becomes alarmed. Will Craddock be able to find Loretta before she suffers the same fate? Finding out what happened to Loretta forces him to investigate an online world he is unfamiliar with, and one which brings more than a few surprises.

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Seven Blades in Black by Sam Sykes:

Her magic was stolen. She was left for dead.

Betrayed by those she trusts most and her magic ripped from her, all Sal the Cacophony has left is her name, her story, and the weapon she used to carve both. But she has a will stronger than magic, and knows exactly where to go.

The Scar, a land torn between powerful empires, where rogue mages go to disappear, disgraced soldiers go to die and Sal went with a blade, a gun, and a list of seven names.

Revenge will be its own reward.

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The Summer Cottage by Viola Shipman:

From the bestselling author of The Charm Bracelet and The Recipe Box comes the perfect summer escape about the restorative power of family tradition, small-town community and the feel of sand between your toes

Adie Lou Kruger’s ex never understood her affection for what her parents called their Cozy Cottage, the charming, ramshackle summer home—complete with its own set of rules for relaxing—that she’s inherited on Lake Michigan. But despite the fact she’s facing a broken marriage and empty nest, and middle age is looming in the distance, memories of happy childhoods on the beach give her reason for hope. She’s determined not to let her husband’s affair with a grad student reduce her to a cliché, or to waste one more minute in a career she doesn’t love, so it becomes clear what Adie Lou must do: rebuild her life and restore her cottage shingle by shingle, on her terms.

But converting the beloved, weather-beaten structure into a bed-and-breakfast isn’t quite the efficient home-reno experience she’s seen on TV. Pushback from Saugatuck’s contentious preservation society, costly surprises and demanding guests were not part of the plan. But as the cottage comes back to life, Adie Lou does, too, finding support in unexpected places and a new love story on the horizon. One cottage rule at a time, Adie Lou reclaims her own strength, history and joy by rediscovering the magic in every sunset and sandcastle.

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

*Magazines are available for free and on demand! You can check out magazines and read them on your computer or download the RBDigital app from your app store and read them on your mobile devices.

ABOUT LIBRARY APPS:

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

Tech Talk is a Southeast Steuben County Library blog.

Hi everyone, here are the top New York Times fiction and non-fiction bestsellers for the week that ends May 26, 2019.

(Click on the book covers to read a summary of each plot and to request the books of your choice.)

FICTION:

18TH ABDUCTION by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro:

The 18th book in the Women’s Murder Club series. Lindsay Boxer investigates the disappearance of three female teachers.

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BIG KAHUNA by Janet Evanovich and Peter Evanovich:

The sixth book in the Fox and O’Hare series. An F.B.I. agent teams up with a con man to search for a Silicon Valley billionaire.

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BLESSING IN DISGUISE by Danielle Steel:

Isabelle McAvoy faces challenges as she raises three daughters from three separate fathers on her own

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FIRE AND BLOOD by George R.R. Martin:

The first volume of the two-part history of the Targaryens in Westeros.

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GAME OF THRONES by George R.R. Martin:

In the frozen wastes to the north of Winterfell, sinister and supernatural forces are mustering. Basis of the HBO series.

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THE GUEST BOOK by Sarah Blake:

Evie Milton uncovers a story going back a couple generations that may shatter a family myth.

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LOST ROSES by Martha Hall Kelly:

In 1914, the New York socialite Eliza Ferriday works to help White Russian families escape from the revolution.

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THE MISTER by E L James:

Maxim Trevelyan inherits several estates and overpowers his cleaner Alessia Demachi, an Albanian piano prodigy who has been trafficked into England.

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NEON PREY by John Sandford:

The 29th book in the Prey series. Lucas Davenport goes after a serial killer.

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NORMAL PEOPLE by Sally Rooney:

The connection between a high school star athlete and a loner ebbs and flows when they go to Trinity College in Dublin.

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PAST TENSE by Lee Child:

Jack Reacher explores the New England town where his father was born and a Canadian couple now find themselves stranded.

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REDEMPTION by David Baldacci:

The fifth book in the Memory Man series. The first man Amos Decker put behind bars asks to have his name cleared.

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THE ROAD HOME by Richard Paul Evans:

The third book in the Broken Road series. Charles James continues his journey on Route 66 to his ultimate destination.

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THE SILENT PATIENT by Alex Michaelides:

Theo Faber looks into the mystery of a famous painter who stops speaking after shooting her husband.

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STORM CURSED by Patricia Briggs:

The 11th book in the Mercy Thompson series. Dangers swell as Death approaches.

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SUNSET BEACH by Mary Kay Andrews:

Drue Campbell inherits a run-down beach bungalow and takes a job at her estranged father’s personal injury attorney office.

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TATTOOIST OF AUSCHWITZ by Heather Morris:

A concentration camp detainee tasked with permanently marking fellow prisoners falls in love with one of them.

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TIGHTROPE by Amanda Quick:

A former trapeze artist’s plan to start a new life goes sideways when a man is murdered by his robot invention

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WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING by Delia Owens:

In a quiet town on the North Carolina coast in 1969, a young woman who survived alone in the marsh becomes a murder suspect.

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NON-FICTION:

BECOMING by Michelle Obama:

The former first lady describes her journey from the South Side of Chicago to the White House, and how she balanced work, family and her husband’s political ascent.

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EDUCATED by Tara Westover:

The daughter of survivalists, who is kept out of school, educates herself enough to leave home for university.

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EVERY TOOL’S A HAMMER by Adam Savage:

The star of “MythBusters” shares his tools for creativity.

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FURIOUS HOURS by Casey Cep:

Harper Lee’s work on the true-crime story about a rural preacher accused of murdering five of his family members in the 1970s.

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LAKE OF THE OZARKS by Bill Geist:

Coming-of-age anecdotes set in a 1960s Midwestern summer vacation destination.

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LIFE WILL BE THE DEATH OF ME by Chelsea Handler:

The comedian chronicles going into therapy and becoming an advocate for change.

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THE MATRIARCH by Susan Page:

A biography of the former first lady Barbara Bush, based on interviews and her private diaries.

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MAYBE YOU SHOULD TALK TO SOMEONE by Lori Gottlieb:

A psychotherapist gains unexpected insights when she becomes another therapist’s patient.

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MOMENT OF LIFT by Melinda Gates: 

The philanthropist shares stories of empowering women to improve society.

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THE MUELLER REPORT with an introduction by Alan Dershowitz: 

Redacted findings from the special counsel’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election and potential obstruction of justice by the president.

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THE MUELLER REPORT by the office of the special counsel:

Redacted findings from the special counsel’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election and potential obstruction of justice by the president.

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THE MUELLER REPORT with related materials by The Washington Post: 

Redacted findings from the special counsel’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election and potential obstruction of justice by the president.

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NANAVILLE by Anna Quindlen:

The Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist observes the joys of being a grandmother.

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NO WALLS AND THE RECURRING DREAM by Ani DiFranco:

A memoir by the Grammy Award-winning folk and alternative rock musician.

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THE PIONEERS by David McCullough:

The Pulitzer Prize-winning historian tells the story of the settling of the Northwest Territory through five main characters.

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SEARCHING FOR SUNDAY by Rachel Held Evans: 

The late author’s pursuit of a renewed faith in the community and her misgivings about organized religion.

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THE SECOND MOUNTAIN by David Brooks:

A New York Times Op-Ed columnist espouses having an outward focus to attain a meaningful life.

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UPHEAVAL by Jared Diamond:

The ways in which six countries outlasted recent crises and adopted selective changes.

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WHERE THE LIGHT ENTERS by Jill Biden:

The former second lady’s challenges in being a mother, educator and political spouse.

Have a great day!

Linda Reimer, SSL

Tech Talk is a Southeast Steuben County Library blog.

Hi everyone, here are our lucky seven musical streaming* suggestions for the week.

(Click on the photo of the album or playlist you’d like to hear, to play it!)

Baby Symphony by Various Artists (Genre: Easy Listening, Classical):

I attended a meeting earlier this week and they had this album playing in the background before the meeting began.

As I don’t have any children I can’t say if the album would sooth a baby or small child!

However, it does feature a nice relaxing mix of classical songs adults will enjoy!

Songs in the collection include:

Bach: Brandenburg Concerto No.3 in G First movement: Allegro, English Chamber Orchestra, Geoffrey Simon

Beethoven, Romance No.2 in F, Op.50 , Stephanie Chase violin The Hanover Band, Roy Goodman

Brahms: Symphony No.2 in D, Op.73 Third movement: Allegretto grazioso, National Philharmonc Orchestra, Leopold Stokowski

Holst: The Planets Fourth movement: Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity, London Symphony Orchestra, Geoffrey Simon

&

Mendelssohn: Symphony No.4 in A—Italian Second movement: Andante National Philharmonc Orchestra, Leopold Stokowski

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Young At Heart (1954) by Doris Day (Vocal, Pop):

Doris Day was one of the brightest and best singers and pop culture personalities of the 20th Century; who portrayed the girl and later lady next door in many movies during her fifties and sixties heyday.

She had a great voice and if you haven’t ever listened to one of her albums, check this one out as it is a classic.

Doris is accompanied by several guests artists/orchestras on the album including Frank Sinatra, The Ken Lane Singers, Paul Weston, Percy Faith and his Orchestra and Buddy Cole and his orchestra.

Songs on the album include: Let’s Take an Old-Fashioned Walk with Frank Sinatra, Till My Love Comes To Me, Hold Me In Your Arms with Percy Faith, Just One of Those Things and Ready, Willing and Able with Buddy Cole.

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Further Chaos (2019) by Gilad Hekselman (Genre: Jazz):

Gilad Hekselman was born in Israel in 1983 an showed and early gift for music playing classical piano, and then turning his focus to guitar music while still a young boy.

While in college he won the 2005 Gibson Montreux International Guitar Competition – so it is safe to say Gilad is a top-notch guitarist!

Further Chaos is his just released new album which features six jazz length songs and runs 39 minutes.

Songs on the LP are Seoul Crushing, Toe Stepping Waltz, The Hunting, A Part of the View, Teen Town and Boyd and Soul.

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J.S. Bach Cello Suites (2019) by Rachel Podger (Genre: Classical, Violin):

I don’t think I can describe Rachel Podger and her music better than Joseph Stevenson has in his AllMusic Bio of her – so I’m not going to try!

Instead, here, in brief, is how Stevenson describes Podger and her music “Rachel Podger, Baroque violinist, is known for her highly accurate, virtuosic playing, outstanding musicianship and understanding of period style, and a cheerful, warm, and decidedly non-stuffy stage presence.”

Basically, Rachel Podger loves music and loves to share her love of music which makes her music both enjoyable to listen to and very accessible!

Songs on her new J.S. Bach Cello Suites LP are – of course, cello suites by J.S. Bach including Cello Suites 1 – 6. Enjoy!

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Orange (1972) by Al Stewart (Genre: Rock, Pop-Rock, Soft Rock, Folk):

On this early seventies release Scottish folk-pop singer songwriter Al Stewart offers some great introspective songs. This album has a nice mixture of music with pop and folk threads, with a bit more emphasis on the folk.

Songs on the album include You Don’t Even Know Me, Amsterdam, Don’t Believe You, The News from Spain and Night of the 4th of May.

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NPR Milestones of the Millennium: World War I (1997) by Various Artists including New York Philharmonic, London Symphony Orchestra (Genre: Classical, Vintage, Pop):

This album offers a cool collection of vintage songs from the World War I era.

It’s a cool, both from a musical and historical perspective, to listen to these songs as they both reflect they era in which they were popular and show us how much popular music has changed in the last hundred years.

Disclaimer, I was a history major in college so I do love history!

If you like history too – check out this collection!

Songs on the LP include Pop and Circumstance performed by Leonard Berstein & New York Philharmonic, Der Rosenkavalier Suite (excerpt) by Eugene Ormandy, Classical Symphony by London Symphony Orchestra, Shine On Harvest Moon by Hal Kemp, Alexander’s Ragtime Band by Ted Lewis, Over There by Arthur Fields, How You Gonna Keep ‘em Down On The Farm After They’ve Seen Paree by Nora Bayes and West End Blues by Louis Armstrong.

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Halfway To Home (2019) by Rita Wilson (Genre: Country):

Singer-songwriter, and of course actress, Rita Wilson offers her just released second album for your listening pleasure.

Wilson shows she is a Renaissance woman by branching out and co-writing all the songs on her sophomore release. She offers a mixture of songs that are warm and welcoming with insightful folk lyrics.

Songs on the album include Big City Small Town Girl, The Spark, Demolition Man and Rule Breaker.

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Bonus: NPR’s 2019 Tiny Desk Concert Winner – Quinn Christopherson

NPR offers a series of music podcasts called Tiny Desk Concerts that feature, just that – concerts that are recorded in the NPR Music office near the desk of the series host Bob Bolien. The concerts are short, usually less than 20 minutes and always fun.

Each year NPR has a contest to pick the best new Tiny Desk artist. Video submissions are sent by musicians from all corners of the United States. This year they had more than 6,000 entries and the just announced winner for 2019 is an Alaskan songwriter and musician named Quinn Christopherson.

Here’s his winning entry for his song Erase Me

Videos of the Week:

Brandenburg Concert No. 3 by English Chamber Orchestra, Benjamin Britten

 

Holst: The Planets: Jupiter, The Bringer Of Jollity · London Symphony Orchestra, Chorus & Geoffrey Simon

 

Let’s Take an Old-Fashioned Walk by Doris Day & Frank Sinatra

 

Ready, Willing & Able by Doris Day

 

Gilad Hekselman Trio at WBGO’s Yamaha Piano Salon (26:57)

 

Double Violin Concerto: Part 1 by Andrew Manze and Rachel Pogder

 

Cello Suite No. 3 in C Major, BWV1009: V. Bourrée (Transcribed by Rachel Podger, G Major)

 

The News from Spain by Al Stewart with Dave Nachmanoff

 

Songs Out Of Clay by Al Stewart

 

How You Gonna Keep ‘Em Down on the Farm (After they’ve seen Paree) ? · Nora Bayes · Walter Donaldson

 

L’Histoire du Soldat Suite: IV. The Royal March · Israel Baker · Igor Stravinsky

 

Over There · Arthur Fields · George M. Cohan

 

Big City Small Town Girl by Rita Wilson

 

Pay Me In Wine by Rita Wilson

 

Mary Alee by Quinn Christopherson

Have a great weekend!

Linda, SSCL

REFERENCES:

Print References

The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits by Joel Whitburn

Online References

AllMusic: https://www.allmusic.com/

Baby Symphony, Sony Records, http://www.calarecords.com/acatalog/info_CACD0121.html

The Great War with Linda Kobler, NPR, https://www.npr.org/programs/specials/milestones/990127.motm.war.html

Tiny Desk Concerts, NPR, https://www.npr.org/series/tiny-desk-concerts/

TINY DESK CONTEST, Announcing The 2019 Tiny Desk Contest Winner, https://www.npr.org/sections/allsongs/2019/05/16/723269208/announcing-the-2019-tiny-desk-contest-winner

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*Freegal is a free streaming music service available for free to library cardholders of all Southern Tier Library System member libraries. STLS member libraries include all the public libraries in Steuben, Chemung, Yates, Schuyler, and Allegany counties — including our own Southeast Steuben County Library.

You can download the Freegal music app to your mobile device or access the desktop version of the site by clicking on the following link:

*The Freegal service offers library card holders the option to download, and keep, three free songs per week and to stream three hours of commercial free music each day.

Tech Talk is a Southeast Steuben County Library blog.

The library has recently added the Lynda.com service to its digital collection.

The Lynda.com service offers access to a digital library that consists of thousands of professionally made learning videos on a great variety of subjects; from how to write a song to how to use PowerPoint to how to edit photos and videos and how to use online college class access software like Blackboard!

You can access the Lynda.com video library on demand and for free!

All you need is a Southeast Steuben County library card and your PIN (the last four digits of your telephone number)

And here is a downloadable PowerPoint tour of how to acess Lynda.com videos and and some of the subjects of available videos:

Did You Know The Library Has Lynda.com

And for those who may not have PowerPoint on their comptuers, here is the same presentation as a PDF:

Did You Know The Library Has Lynda.com

And for those of you who are super tech savvy and just want to jump in and check out Lynda.com

Here are two photos that that walk you through the steps to quickly access the Lynda.com video library:

Steps To Quicly Access Lynda.com: Photo 1

Steps To Quicly Access Lynda.com: Photo 2

Have a great day!

Linda Reimer, SSCL

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

DIGITAL SUGGESTIONS OF THE WEEK:

Atomic Habits, Tiny Changes, Remarkable Results written and read by James Clear (Format: Downloadable Audiobook):

Tiny Changes, Remarkable Results

No matter your goals, Atomic Habits offers a proven framework for improving—every day. James Clear, one of the world’s leading experts on habit formation, reveals practical strategies that will teach you exactly how to form good habits, break bad ones, and master the tiny behaviors that lead to remarkable results.

If you’re having trouble changing your habits, the problem isn’t you. The problem is your system. Bad habits repeat themselves again and again not because you don’t want to change, but because you have the wrong system for change. You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems. Here, you’ll get a proven system that can take you to new heights.
Clear is known for his ability to distill complex topics into simple behaviors that can be easily applied to daily life and work. Here, he draws on the most proven ideas from biology, psychology, and neuroscience to create an easy-to-understand guide for making good habits inevitable and bad habits impossible.

Along the way, readers will be inspired and entertained with true stories from Olympic gold medalists, award-winning artists, business leaders, life-saving physicians, and star comedians who have used the science of small habits to master their craft and vault to the top of their field.

Learn how to:
* make time for new habits (even when life gets crazy);
* overcome a lack of motivation and willpower;
* design your environment to make success easier;
* get back on track when you fall off course;
…and much more.

Atomic Habits will reshape the way you think about progress and success, and give you the tools and strategies you need to transform your habits—whether you are a team looking to win a championship, an organization hoping to redefine an industry, or simply an individual who wishes to quit smoking, lose weight, reduce stress, or achieve any other goal.

 

City of Girls: A Novel written by Elizabeth Gilbert and read by Blair Brown (Format: Downloadable Audiobook):

From the # 1 New York Times bestselling author of Eat, Pray, Love and The Signature of All Things, a delicious novel of glamour, sex, and adventure, about a young woman discovering that you don’t have to be a good girl to be a good person.

Named a Most Anticipated Book of 2019 by Oprah.com, Real Simple, Buzzfeed, Cosmopolitan, GoodReads, PureWow, Vulture, The Millions and more.

“Life is both fleeting and dangerous, and there is no point in denying yourself pleasure, or being anything other than what you are.”

Beloved author Elizabeth Gilbert returns to fiction with a unique love story set in the New York City theater world during the 1940s. Told from the perspective of an older woman as she looks back on her youth with both pleasure and regret (but mostly pleasure), City of Girls explores themes of female sexuality and promiscuity, as well as the idiosyncrasies of true love.

In 1940, nineteen-year-old Vivian Morris has just been kicked out of Vassar College, owing to her lackluster freshman-year performance. Her affluent parents send her to Manhattan to live with her Aunt Peg, who owns a flamboyant, crumbling midtown theater called the Lily Playhouse. There Vivian is introduced to an entire cosmos of unconventional and charismatic characters, from the fun-chasing showgirls to a sexy male actor, a grand-dame actress, a lady-killer writer, and no-nonsense stage manager. But when Vivian makes a personal mistake that results in professional scandal, it turns her new world upside down in ways that it will take her years to fully understand. Ultimately, though, it leads her to a new understanding of the kind of life she craves – and the kind of freedom it takes to pursue it. It will also lead to the love of her life, a love that stands out from all the rest.

Now ninety-five years old and telling her story at last, Vivian recalls how the events of those years altered the course of her life – and the gusto and autonomy with which she approached it. “At some point in a woman’s life, she just gets tired of being ashamed all the time,” she muses. “After that, she is free to become whoever she truly is.” Written with a powerful wisdom about human desire and connection, City of Girls is a love story like no other.

 

An Earl Like You by Caroline Linden (Format: eBook):

When you gamble at love . . .

When Hugh Deveraux discovers his newly inherited earldom is bankrupt, he sets about rebuilding the family fortune—in the gaming hells of London. But the most daring wager he takes isn’t at cards. A wealthy tradesman makes a tantalizing offer: marry the man’s spinster daughter and Hugh’s debts will be paid and his fortune made. The only catch is that she must never know about their agreement . . .

You risk losing your heart . . .

Heiress Eliza Cross has given up hope of marriage until she meets the impossibly handsome Earl of Hastings, her father’s new business partner. The earl is everything a gentleman should be, and is boldly attentive to her. It doesn’t take long for Eliza to lose her heart and marry him.

But when Eliza discovers that there is more to the man she loves—and to her marriage—her trust is shattered. And it will take all of Hugh’s power to prove that now his words of love are real . . .

 

Spring Forward by Catherine Anderson (Format: eBook):

The New York Times bestselling author returns to Mystic Creek, Oregon, with a story about finding an unforgettable love just around the corner….

When a favorite customer on his delivery route needs a favor, Tanner Richards agrees to help without a second thought. The last thing he expects is to face off against the man’s spitfire granddaughter.

Crystal Malloy is near her breaking point. Her beloved grandfather skirts the rules constantly at the retirement center where he’s recovering from surgery. She’s caring for his escape artist dog, even if it means abandoning her salon customers, and has no time for a romantic attraction to the handsome new stranger.

After Tanner’s reassigned to Mystic Creek, Crystal can no longer ignore how much she misjudged the man’s good intentions. She has known too much sorrow to easily open her heart, but she can’t deny that Tanner and his children could gift her with a happiness beyond compare—if only she can forgive herself for the past and accept that she’s deserving of such a love.

 

We Rule the Night by Claire Eliza Bartlett (Format: eBook):

Two girls use forbidden magic to fly and fight—for their country and for themselves—in this riveting debut that’s part Shadow and Bone, part Code Name Verity.

Seventeen-year-old Revna is a factory worker, manufacturing war machines for the Union of the North. When she’s caught using illegal magic, she fears being branded a traitor and imprisoned. Meanwhile, on the front lines, Linné defied her father, a Union general, and disguised herself as a boy to join the army. They’re both offered a reprieve from punishment if they use their magic in a special women’s military flight unit and undertake terrifying, deadly missions under cover of darkness. Revna and Linné can hardly stand to be in the same cockpit, but if they can’t fly together, and if they can’t find a way to fly well, the enemy’s superior firepower will destroy them—if they don’t destroy each other first.
We Rule the Night is a powerful story about sacrifice, complicated friendships, and survival despite impossible odds.

 

PRINT BOOK SUGGESTIONS OF THE WEEK:

The City In The Middle Of The Night by Charlie Anders:

Charlie Jane Anders, the nationally bestselling author of All the Birds in the Sky delivers a brilliant new novel set in a hauntingly strange future with #10 LA Times bestseller The City in the Middle of the Night.

“If you control our sleep, then you can own our dreams… And from there, it’s easy to control our entire lives.”

January is a dying planet–divided between a permanently frozen darkness on one side, and blazing endless sunshine on the other. Humanity clings to life, spread across two archaic cities built in the sliver of habitable dusk.

But life inside the cities is just as dangerous as the uninhabitable wastelands outside.

Sophie, a student and reluctant revolutionary, is supposed to be dead, after being exiled into the night. Saved only by forming an unusual bond with the enigmatic beasts who roam the ice, Sophie vows to stay hidden from the world, hoping she can heal.

But fate has other plans–and Sophie’s ensuing odyssey and the ragtag family she finds will change the entire world.

 

Condor: The Short Takes by James Grady:

The legendary CIA spy is back—in a “superb” collection featuring an all-new novella, by the New York Times–bestselling author of Six Days of the Condor (Publishers Weekly, starred review).

James Grady, “king of the modern espionage thriller” (George Pelecanos, award-winning writer/producer of The Wire), first introduced his clandestine CIA operative—codename: Condor—in a debut novel that became Three Days of the Condor, one of the key films of the paranoid era of the 1970s, and is now the basis for the hit AT&T original series, Condor, starring Max Irons and William Hurt.

In this explosive collection featuring a new introduction on the writing and publication history of Condor, a never-before-published original novella, and short fiction collected for the first time, Grady brings his covert agent into the twenty-first century. From the chaos of 9/11 to the unprecedented Russian cyber threats, Condor is back.

In condor.net, the intelligence analyst chases an unfathomable conspiracy that begins in Afghanistan and leads to the secrets of his own superiors. In Caged Daze of the Condor, Jasmine Daze of the Condor, and Next Day of the Condor, the paranoia of National Security’s sworn soldier reaches a screaming pitch when he’s locked behind the walls of the CIA’s private insane asylum. Classified documents in the basement of the Library of Congress draw Condor into a murderous subterranean world where no one can be trusted in Condor in the Stacks. And in Russian Roulette of the Condor, the striking new novella shot through with the biggest spy scandal since the Cold War, the underground patriot faces a dictator determined to turn American politics into an insidious spy game.

Brace yourself for six shots of the iconic Condor from James Grady, who has been called a “master of intrigue” by John Grisham, and whose prose was compared to George Orwell and Bob Dylan by the Washington Post.

 

Fumbled by Alexa Martin:

A second chance doesn’t guarantee a touchdown in this new contemporary romance from the author of Intercepted.

Single-mother Poppy Patterson moved across the country when she was sixteen and pregnant to find a new normal. After years of hard work, she’s built a life she loves. It may include a job at a nightclub, weekend soccer games, and more stretch marks than she anticipated, but it’s all hers, and nobody can take that away. Well, except for one person.

T.K. Moore, the starting wide receiver for the Denver Mustangs, dreamt his entire life about being in the NFL. His world is football, parties, and women. Maybe at one point he thought his future would play out with his high school sweetheart by his side, but Poppy is long gone and he’s moved on.

When Poppy and TK cross paths in the most unlikely of places, emotions they’ve suppressed for years come rushing back. But with all the secrets they never told each other lying between them, they’ll need more than a dating playbook to help them navigate their relationship.

 

The Unlikely Adventures of the Shergill Sisters: A Novel by Balli Kaur Jaswal:

The British-born Punjabi Shergill sisters—Rajni, Jezmeen, and Shirnia—were never close and barely got along growing up, and now as adults, have grown even further apart. Rajni, a school principal is a stickler for order. Jezmeen, a thirty-year-old struggling actress, fears her big break may never come. Shirina, the peacemaking “good” sister married into wealth and enjoys a picture-perfect life.

On her deathbed, their mother voices one last wish: that her daughters will make a pilgrimage together to the Golden Temple in Amritsar to carry out her final rites. After a trip to India with her mother long ago, Rajni vowed never to return. But she’s always been a dutiful daughter, and cannot, even now, refuse her mother’s request. Jezmeen has just been publicly fired from her television job, so the trip to India is a welcome break to help her pick up the pieces of her broken career. Shirina’s in-laws are pushing her to make a pivotal decision about her married life; time away will help her decide whether to meekly obey, or to bravely stand up for herself for the first time.

Arriving in India, these sisters will make unexpected discoveries about themselves, their mother, and their lives—and learn the real story behind the trip Rajni took with their Mother long ago—a momentous journey that resulted in Mum never being able to return to India again.

The Unlikely Adventures of the Shergill Sisters is a female take on the Indian travel narrative. “I was curious about how different the trip would be if it were undertaken by women, who are vulnerable to different dangers in a male-dominated society,” Balli Kaur Jaswal writes. “I also wanted to explore the tensions between tradition and modernity in immigrant communities, and particularly how those tensions play out among women like these sisters, who are the first generation to be raised outside of India.”

Powerful, emotionally evocative, and wonderfully atmospheric, The Unlikely Adventures of the Shergill Sisters is a charming and thoughtful story that illuminates the bonds of family, sisterhood, and heritage that tether us despite our differences. Funny and heartbreaking, it is a reminder of the truly important things we must treasure in our lives.

 

The Victory Garden: A Novel by Rhys Bowen:

From the bestselling author of The Tuscan Child comes a beautiful and heart-rending novel of a woman’s love and sacrifice during the First World War.

As the Great War continues to take its toll, headstrong twenty-one-year-old Emily Bryce is determined to contribute to the war effort. She is convinced by a cheeky and handsome Australian pilot that she can do more, and it is not long before she falls in love with him and accepts his proposal of marriage.

When he is sent back to the front, Emily volunteers as a “land girl,” tending to the neglected grounds of a large Devonshire estate. It’s here that Emily discovers the long-forgotten journals of a medicine woman who devoted her life to her herbal garden. The journals inspire Emily, and in the wake of devastating news, they are her saving grace. Emily’s lover has not only died a hero but has left her terrified—and with child. Since no one knows that Emily was never married, she adopts the charade of a war widow.

As Emily learns more about the volatile power of healing with herbs, the found journals will bring her to the brink of disaster, but may open a path to her destiny.

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

*Magazines are available for free and on demand! You can check out magazines and read them on your computer or download the RBDigital app from your app store and read them on your mobile devices.

ABOUT LIBRARY APPS:

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

Tech Talk is a Southeast Steuben County Library blog.

Hi everyone, here are the top New York Times fiction and non-fiction bestsellers for the week that ends May 5, 2019.

(Click on the book covers to read a summary of each plot and to request the books of your choice.)

FICTION:

18TH ABDUCTION by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro:

The 18th book in the Women’s Murder Club series. Lindsay Boxer investigates the disappearance of three female teachers.

–

CELTIC EMPIRE by Clive Cussler and Dirk Cussler:

The 25th book in the Dirk Pitt series.

–

DAISY JONES & THE SIX by Taylor Jenkins Reid:

A fictional oral history charting the rise and fall of a ’70s rock ’n’ roll band.

–

FIRE AND BLOOD by George R.R. Martin:

The first volume of the two-part history of the Targaryens in Westeros.

–

GAME OF THRONES by George R.R. Martin:

In the frozen wastes to the north of Winterfell, sinister and supernatural forces are mustering. Basis of the HBO series.

–

LOST ROSES by Martha Hall Kelly:

In 1914, the New York socialite Eliza Ferriday works to help White Russian families escape from the revolution.

–

MIRACLE AT ST. ANDREWS by James Patterson and Peter de Jonge:

A former professional golfer visits the course in Scotland.

–

THE MISTER by E L James:

Maxim Trevelyan inherits several estates and overpowers his cleaner Alessia Demachi, an Albanian piano prodigy who has been trafficked into England.

–

NORMAL PEOPLE by Sally Rooney:

The connection between a high school star athlete and a loner ebbs and flows when they go to Trinity College in Dublin.

–

NOTHING TO HIDE by Allison Brennan:

The 15th book in the Lucy Kincaid series. An F.B.I. agent uncovers lies when she tracks a killer of married men.

–

PAST TENSE by Lee Child:

Jack Reacher explores the New England town where his father was born and a Canadian couple now find themselves stranded.

–

PURSUITS OF LORD KIT CAVANAUGH by Stephanie Laurens:

Miss Sylvia Buckleberry confronts an aristocrat when his yacht business displaces her school for impoverished children.

–

REDEMPTION by David Baldacci:

The fifth book in the Memory Man series. The first man Amos Decker put behind bars asks to have his name cleared.

–

RUN AWAY by Harlan Coben:

A family is torn apart when the daughter becomes addicted to drugs and goes missing.

–

THE SILENT PATIENT by Alex Michaelides:

Theo Faber looks into the mystery of a famous painter who stops speaking after shooting her husband.

–

SOMEONE KNOWS by Lisa Scottoline:

A dark secret emerges when Allie Garvey returns home to attend a childhood friend’s funeral.

–

SPYMASTER by Brad Thor:

The 18th book in the Scot Harvath series.

As a war looms, a counterterrorism operative takes on a new role his own way.

–

TATTOOIST OF AUSCHWITZ by Heather Morris:

A concentration camp detainee tasked with permanently marking fellow prisoners falls in love with one of them.

–

UNFINISHED BUSINESS by Nora Roberts: 

Former high school sweethearts fall tentatively back into each other’s orbits after more than a decade.

–

THE VIEW FROM ALAMEDA ISLAND by Robyn Carr:

Lauren Delaney leaves her controlling husband and meets a man in a rocky marriage.

–

WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING by Delia Owens:

In a quiet town on the North Carolina coast in 1969, a young woman who survived alone in the marsh becomes a murder suspect.

–

THE WOMAN IN THE WINDOW by A.J. Finn:

A recluse who drinks heavily and takes prescription drugs may have witnessed a crime across from her Harlem townhouse.

–

A WOMAN IS NO MAN by Etaf Rum A Palestinian:

A Palestinian-American teenager, much like her mother before her, faces the prospect of an arranged marriage.

–

NON-FICTION:

ACCIDENTAL PRESIDENTS by Jared Cohen:

The stories of eight men who became president without being elected because their predecessors died in office.

–

BAD BLOOD by John Carreyrou:

The rise and fall of Theranos, the biotech startup that failed to deliver on its promise to make blood testing more efficient.

–

BECOMING by Michelle Obama:

The former first lady describes her journey from the South Side of Chicago to the White House, and how she balanced work, family and her husband’s political ascent.

–

BORN A CRIME by Trevor Noah:

A memoir about growing up biracial in apartheid South Africa by the host of “The Daily Show.”

–

EDUCATED by Tara Westover:

The daughter of survivalists, who is kept out of school, educates herself enough to leave home for university.

–

LIFE WILL BE THE DEATH OF ME by Chelsea Handler:

The comedian chronicles going into therapy and becoming an advocate for change.

–

THE MATRIARCH by Susan Page:

A biography of the former first lady Barbara Bush, based on interviews and her private diaries.

–

MAYBE YOU SHOULD TALK TO SOMEONE by Lori Gottlieb:

A psychotherapist gains unexpected insights when she becomes another therapist’s patient.

–

MOMENT OF LIFT by Melinda Gates: 

The philanthropist shares stories of empowering women to improve society.

–

NANAVILLE by Anna Quindlen:

The Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist observes the joys of being a grandmother.

–

SAPIENS by Yuval Noah Harari:

How Homo sapiens became Earth’s dominant species.

–

THE SECOND MOUNTAIN by David Brooks:

A New York Times Op-Ed columnist espouses having an outward focus to attain a meaningful life.

–

SHORTEST WAY HOME by Pete Buttigieg:

A memoir by the current mayor of South Bend, Ind., and the first openly gay Democratic candidate to run for president of the United States.

–

TELL ME MORE by Kelly Corrigan:

A dozen essays based on short phrases that have defined some of the memoir writer’s close relationships.

–

WOMAN OF NO IMPORTANCE by Sonia Purnell:

The true story of a Baltimore socialite who joined a spy organization during World War II and became essential to the French Resistance.

Have a great day!

Linda Reimer, SSL

Tech Talk is a Southeast Steuben County Library blog.