Month: June 2019

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

And as the 4th of July is next week this week our listening suggestions are all of a patriot bent! Happy 4th of July!

(Click on the album cover to stream the album.)

1776 Original Broadway Cast (Genre: Musical):

The original Broadway cast features William Daniels as John Adams and Virginia Vestoff as Abigail Adams. Songs in the set include Yours, Yours, Yours, Is Anybody There?, Molasses to Rum, The Lees of Old Virginia and The Egg.

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American Music Classics (Instrumental) by Patriotic Fathers (Genre: Folk, Instrumental, Ragtime):

Bill Bailey Won’t You Please Come Home, When The Saints Go Marching In, Down By The Riverside, Maple Leaf Rag, Camptown Races and Yellow Rose of Texas.

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America the Musical: 1776-1899 by Kindermusik International (Musical, Family, Audiobook):

Songs include America the Beautiful, Yankee Doodle, Erie Canal, Oh! Susannah, Follow The Drinking Gourd and This Is Your Land.

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I Love A Parade by the Boston Pops Orchestra, John Williams conduction (Genre: Classical, Pop): 

Songs on the LP include Midway March, Seventy-Six Trombones, Washington Post March, Liberty Bell March, Strike Up The Band and Stars And Stripes Forever.

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Patriotic USA – Old Time Radio Shows & Music by Various Artists (Radio Shows, Vintage Hollywood):

Songs in the collection include They Met The Boat by Gary Cooper, Cavalcade Of America by Orson Wells, New World A-coming: They Knew Lincoln by Radio Show Cast, Proudly We Hail by Radio Show Case, This Is My Country by Radio City Cast, Home on the Range by Patriotic Big Band & Chorus and I’m A Yankee Doodle Dandee by Patriotic Big Band and Chorus.

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Songs Of The Civil War by Various Artists (Folk, Americana) 

Songs on the LP include Ashokan Farewell by Jay Unger & Molly Mason, No More Auction Block by Sweet Honey In The Rock, Dixie Land by United States Military Academy, Aura Lee by John Hartford, Rebel Soldier by Waylon Jennings and Battle Hymn Of The Republic by Judy Collins.

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The Spirit of America: The Patriotic Music of John Phillip Sousa by John Phillip Sousa (Genre: Band Music): 

Songs on the album include Stars and Stripes Forever, Semper Fidelis, Hands Across the Sea, The Thunderer, Manhattan Beach March and High School Cadets.

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The Top Hits of 1776 by John Townley (Vintage, Folk): 

Songs include The Lamplighter, The Hare Hunt, The Banks Of The Dee, Lovely Nan, Drink To Me With Thine Eyes and Batchelor’s Hall.

Videos of the Week:

The Lees of Old Virginia from the film 1776 (the singing starts about 1:57)

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Sit Down John from the film 1776 (the singing start at about 1:10)

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Bill Bailey Won’t You Please Come Home by Patriotic Fathers

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Maple Leaf Rag by Patriotic Fathers

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Drill, Ye Tarriers, Drill! by Kindermusik International

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Yankee Doodle by Kindermusik International

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Seventy-Six Trombones by the Boston Pops

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Strike Up The Band by the Boston Pops

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The United States of America by Stan Freberg

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You Are There: Philadelphia 1776 (Part 2) by Radio Show Cast

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Ashokan Farewell by Jay Ungar and Molly Mason

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Aurora Lee by John Hartford & Friends

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SOUSA The Liberty Bell – “The President’s Own” U.S. Marine Band

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SOUSA The Stars and Stripes Forever – “The President’s Own” U.S. Marine Band

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The Lamplighter by John Townley

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Lovely Nan by John Townley

Have a great weekend!

Linda Reimer, 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, eBooks & downloadable audio books, available through OverDrive and five print titles available through StarCat.

EBOOK SUGGESTIONS:

Dark Storm by Karen Harper 

The suspenseful tale of Forensic psychologist Claire Markwood suspenseful hunt for her missing sister.

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Fleishman Is In Trouble by Taffy Brodesser-Akner

The story of Toby Fleishman, recently divorced after fifteen years of marriage, who is trying to find his way in the world only to be thrown a curve ball when his ex-wife drops their kids off for their weekend visitation and never returns.

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The Rogue of Fifth Avenue

A romantic account of the romance between rogue Frank Tripp and the adventurous Mamie Greene in 19th Century New York.

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Summer Country by Lauren Willig

A historical mystery chronicling why young Englishwoman Emily Dawson’s grandfather left her a previously unknown sugar plantation in Barbados.

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Theodore Roosevelt for the Defense by Dan Abrams 

The true-life story of Theodore Roosevelt accusing his former friend William Barnes of political corruption and being sued by Barnes for libel in reply; the ensuing court-room spectacle was avidly followed by people across the nation in 1915.

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PRINT BOOK SUGGESTIONS:

The Course of History: Ten Meals That Changed The World by Struan Stevenson and Tony Singh:

The Course of History lets the reader be a proverbial fly-on-the -wall by offering ten true stories of monumental historical events that were decided over a meal, while also describing just what type of food was being served! The meals tales include that of Bonnie Prince Charlie who partook of liberal amounts of whiskey with his lamb and cheese the night of April 15, 1746, before sending his troops across Culloden Moor to meet the British Army the next morning, that Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton and James Madison were served Baked Alaska in 1789 while they worked out a compromise that included just where to put the capital of the United States, and that barley soup was served to FDR, Churchill and Stalin when they met in 1943 to finalize the Allied plan that would allow the Allies to win World War II. The book includes 10 recipes so you can make some of the vintage dishes at home!

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Evvie Drake Starts Over by Linda Holmes

The hopeful and humorous tale Evvie Drake Starts Over. Evvie, recently widowed and living alone in a large old house in a coastal Maine town, is drawn out of her increasingly solitary life when she rents an apartment at the back of her house to Dean, an out of sorts Major League pitcher who can longer pitch. A top-notch read from Linda Holmes co-host of NPR’s Pop Culture Happy Hour.

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The Light Brigade by Kameron Hurley

The Light Brigade is cool, cerebral science fiction yarn telling the tale of Dietz who joins the corporate military after her home city is destroyed by Martian extremists. In this tale, that has a time travel twist, intergalactic soldiers are turned to light and then reassembled on the battle field. And as the story unfolds Dietz begins to experience things out of sequence – events and the war in general. If you want to dig deep into a science fiction tale this is one for your proverbial money!

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The Most Fun We Ever Had by Claire Lombardo

The Most Fun We Ever Had relays the story of Marilyn Connolly and David Sorenson a couple deeply in love, who marry in the 1970s and raise four daughters Wendy, Violet, Liza and Grace.

By 2016 Wendy is a lawyer who has put her career on hold to stay at home with her children, Violet is a young widow who tries to alleviate her pain with alcohol and dalliances, Liza is a professor at the pinnacle of her career who has just discovered she is expecting a baby and Liza, the youngest, has a big secret.

Clarie Lombardo has written a neat saga that chronicles more than 50 years in the life of the Sorenson Family – this a perfect summer read!

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One Night At The Lake by Bethany Chase

Author Bethany Chase relays the story of Leah, her best friend June and Ollie, the man who first is Leah’s fiancée, and after a tragedy on Seneca Lake, becomes June’s fiancée. A dramatic tale to say the least!

Have a great week!

Linda Reimer, 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 30, 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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BEFORE WE WERE YOURS by Lisa Wingate:

A South Carolina lawyer learns about the questionable practices of a Tennessee orphanage.

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CITY OF GIRLS by Elizabeth Gilbert:

An 89-year-old Vivian Morris looks back at the direction her life took when she entered the 1940s New York theater scene.

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FALL by Neal Stephenson:

A dead multibillionaire’s brain is scanned and turned back on at a time when humans live as digital souls.

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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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MRS. EVERYTHING by Jennifer Weiner: 

The story of two sisters, Jo and Bethie Kaufman, and their life experiences as the world around them changes drastically from the 1950s.

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ON EARTH WE’RE BRIEFLY GORGEOUS by Ocean Vuong:

Little Dog writes a letter to a mother who cannot read, revealing a family history.

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THE ORACLE by Clive Cussler and Robin Burcell: 

Treasure-hunting couple, Sam and Remi Fargo, embark on a new adventure to find a sacred ancient scroll and lift its curse.

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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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RECURSION by Blake Crouch:

A dark force alters people’s memories so drastically that reality itself starts to shift. Barry and Helena team up to save the city.

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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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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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SUMMER GUESTS by Mary Alice Monroe:

A hurricane threatening the coasts of Florida and South Carolina leads to a group of strangers sheltering together in a home.

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SUMMER OF SUNSHINE AND MARGOT by Susan Mallery:

Two sisters, Margot and Sunshine, will find themselves in new romantic settings that may end well for the first time.

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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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TOM CLANCY: ENEMY CONTACT by Mike Maden: 

Jack Ryan Jr.’s latest adventures take him on a mission to stop an international criminal conspiracy and deal with tragic news.

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UNSOLVED by James Patterson and David Ellis:

A string of seemingly accidental and unrelated deaths confound F.B.I. agent Emmy Dockery.

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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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BORN A CRIME by Trevor Noah:

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

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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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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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ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE by Jim Acosta:

CNN’s chief White House correspondent details his experience covering Donald Trump’s presidential campaign and administration.

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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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MOMENT OF LIFT by Melinda Gates: 

The philanthropist shares stories of empowering women to improve society.

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MORE THAN ENOUGH by Elaine Welteroth:

The journalist explores several themes such as race, power, identity and love.

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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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ONE GIANT LEAP by Charles Fishman:

A behind-the-scenes account of the race to plan and execute the first mission to the moon in the 1960s.

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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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SAPIENS by Yuval Noah Harari:

How Homo sapiens became Earth’s dominant species.

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SEA STORIES by William H. McRaven:

A memoir by the retired four-star Navy admiral, including the capture of Saddam Hussein and the raid to kill Osama bin Laden.

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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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SIEGE by Michael Wolff:

The author of “Fire and Fury” weaves a story of the second year of the Trump White House.

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SONGS OF AMERICA by Jon Meacham and Tim McGraw:

Pulitzer Prize winner Jon Meacham and Grammy Award winner Tim McGraw explore how America was shaped by music.

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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 album cover to stream the album.)

Today, Friday, June 21, 2019 is the summer solstice. The summer solstice, in the northern hemisphere, is the longest day of the year and the first day of summer. After today the days start getting shorter until we reach the first day of winter on the winter solstice – December 22, 2019; then the days will again get a little longer each day until the 2020 summer solstice.

The word “solstice” and its older cousin “Litha” refer to the longest day of the year when the Earth’s axis is as close to the sun as it ever gets in its early trip around the sun. And the most famous place in the western hemisphere to actually see the summer solstice is at Stonehenge; where the prehistoric circle of standing stones was engineered so that if you stand in the circle of stones and ace northeast toward the entrance, toward what is known as the Heel Stone, you’ll see the sun rise above the Heel Stone. Thousands of peoples congregate at Stonehenge in the hours before dawn on the summer solstice to witness the incredible light display and to festively welcome summer.

In Europe Midsummer, a celebration of the solstice, occurs between June 21 and June 25 the exact date varying by country. Midsummer celebrations include the building of bon fires, feasting, dancing and generally making merry whist welcoming summer.

And in celebration of the fact that summer is finally here, despite all the rain we’ve been having, this week our musical suggestions all relate to the solstice and midsummer celebrations!

What fun!

And without further ado here are the solsticey-summery listening suggestions for the week!

Celtic Solstice by Paul Winter & Friends (Genre: New Age, Celtic, Jazz, Classical – great music!):

You might think Paul Winter’s Celtic Solstice is a more appropriate album to listen to during winter solstice. However, Paul Winter plays summer solstice music too!

Celtic Solstice is a terrific, ethereal album and includes the songs Golden Apples of the Sun, Hollow Hills, Dawnwalker, My Fair Faithful Love and The Minstrel’s Adieu.

On a related Paul Winter music note, since we are close enough in our region for one to easily visit New York City, just as an FYI, Paul Winter has given a sunrise summer solstice concert every year for the last 23 years at The Cathedral Church of Saint John The Divine in Manhattan. And today he is giving his 24th annual summer solstice concert there. The Paul Winter Consort has a residency at the Cathedral of Saint John The Divine, so if you like their music you might check their website, or like Paul Winter’s Facebook page, to keep track of upcoming concerts and you might perhaps, one year, go to New York and attend the annual Paul Winter Summer Solstice Concert!

And for those of us who aren’t able to get to New York City, Paul Winter is graciously offering a free download of his summer solstice music which is accessible through the Summer Solstice site and via the following link:
http://solsticeconcert.com/summersolstice/#venue

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Litha (2011) by Skarazula (Genre: Medieval, Ancient Music, World Music):

Sharazula is a Montreal based trio consisting of Francois Rainville, Steve Grenier and Francois Perron. The group plays music from the medieval  era on modern versions of medieval stringed instruments, and listening to their music is like going back in time. This, their 2011 release, is titled Litha, which is an old name for the summer solstice and sets the tone for the album.

Songs on the LP include Dans ar keriadenn, Kurdi azeri, Tre fontane, La rosa enflorece, Tarantella and Taqsim.

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A Midsummer Night’s Dream: Complete Incidental Music & Play by The Scottish Chamber Orchestra & Scottish Philharmonic Singers, Conducted by Jamie Laredo (Genre: Classical):

The renowned Scottish Chamber Orchestra & the Scottish Philharmonic Singers offer a treat in presenting the complete incidental music composed by Mendelson for William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream – perfect for summer listening!

Songs on the album include A Midsummer Night’s Dream: The Scene. Overture, A Midsummer Night’s Dream: Act One, Scene One, A Midsummer Night’s Dream: Fairy March, Oberion Creeping, Begomask Dance, Wedding March and Finale.

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A Midsummer Night’s Jazz by Signe Juhl & Nikolaj Bentzon Trio (Genre: Jazz):

“In the warm midsummer of 2015, a tour around Denmark brought Signe Juhl and Nikolaj Bentzon Trio to Jazzhus Montmartre in the heart of Copenhagen. The music and the atmosphere from the two nights they played has now been made to last forever with the new record, A Midsummer Night’s Jazz, which is released in April 2016 on Denmark’s great jazz label, Storyville Records.

There’s something unique about listening to live music: And jazz – that living, playful and impulsive music – should be experienced at close range. A Midsummer Night’s Jazz captures this special and intense live feel. With the Nikolaj Bentzon Trio the energy is guaranteed to reach new heights. Espen Laub von Lillienskjold (drums) delivers both nerve and elegance to the quick swing classics and soulful ballads. Nikolaj Bentzon (piano) has a unique ability to bring new life to well-known standards with groovy and swinging riffs among other creative impulses. The interplay between him and his musical partner Signe Juhl (vocals) is unrivalled.

In the last few years, their close companionship has resulted in several releases – for example Signe Juhl’s debut Silver Tongued and the large-scale symphony Bluray-release Luxury Jazz. And 31-year old Juhl is an extraordinarily noteworthy contributor to the Danish musical stage. She is a full-grown vocalist with an extraordinary depth and vocal span for our Northern latitudes. Her excess in melodic skill often brings her to new and interesting places in songs, you used to think you already knew. She possesses, in other words, a true jazz instinct. It’s swinging!” Storyville Records

Songs on the album include When You’re Smilin’, It Don’t Mean A Thing, Dinah, Night Piece, You’ve Changed and I Cover The Waterfront.

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Spiritual Music for Midsummer Solstice in Stonehenge by Various Artists (Litha, Midsommarafton, Sommersonnenwende, Sankthansaften, Enyovden, Ukon Juhla, Inti Raymi, Pachakuti) (Genre: World Music):

This various artist collection of reflective music has a middle eastern vibe to it. I wasn’t able to discover much online about the artists on the album. However, this is an ethereal collection of music perfect for contemplating the arrive of summer!

Songs in the collection include India by Saint Spirit, Leit Motiv by Lukkah, El Camino de Regreso (Return Way) by Pedro Gonzalez and Deserto de Atacama by Alexander Gonzalez.

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Summer Solstice: A Windham Hill Collection (1997) by Various Artists (Genre: New Age, Acoustic, World Music):

A collection of songs that complement the season by some of Windham Hill’s finest artists including Will Ackerman, Liz Story, George Winston, David Arkenstone and Philip Aaberg.

Songs in the set include Summer Solstice by Sean Harkness, In Our Jasmine Days by Paul McCandless, Summer from Vivaldi’s ‘The Four Seasons’ by Tracy Silverman and The Warmth of the Sun/Surfer Girl by Philip Aaberg & Scott Matthews.

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Summer Solstice (1995/2007) by Slavek Hanzlik (Genre: Bluegrass, Folk, Roots):

Slavek Hanzlik is a very versatile guitarist who plays a mixture of bluegrass, folk, jazz and country music; and on this release he has a stellular group of supporting musicians including Bela Fleck on banjo, Tim O’Brien on mandolin, Mark Schatz on bass banjo and Rob Ickes on dobro.

Songs on the LP include Summer Solstice, Wind In The Heather, My Grandfather’s Clock, Pauper’s Cotillion and Sally Noggin.

Videos of the Week:

Golden Apples of the Sun by Paul Winter & Friends

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Sweet Cameraghs by Paul Winter & Friends

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Dans ar keriadenn by Skarazula

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Kurdi azeri by Skarazula

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A Midsummer Night’s Dream: The Scene. Overture by Scottish Chamber Orchestra & Scottish Philharmonic Singers

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A Midsummer Night’s Dream: Wedding March by Scottish Chamber Orchestra & Scottish Philharmonic Singers

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Night Piece by Signe Juhl & Nikolaj Bentzon Trio

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When You’re Smilin’ by Signe Juhl & Nikolaj Bentzon Trio

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Flores Tristes (Sad Flowers) by Pedro Gonzalez

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India by Saint Spirit

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Summer Solstice by Sean Harkness

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The Warmth of the Sun/Surfer Girl by Philip Aaberg & Scott Matthews

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Wind In The Heather by Slavek Hanzlik with Bela Fleck

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My Grandmother’s Clock by Slavek Hanzlik with Rob Ickes

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Have a great weekend!

Linda Reimer, SSCL

REFERENCES:

Print References

The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits by Joel Whitburn

Online References

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

History of Stonehendge, English Heritage

https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/stonehenge/history-and-stories/history/

Midsummer in Sweden: Origins and Traditions, Real Scandinavia, http://realscandinavia.com/midsummer-in-sweden-origins-and-traditions/

Midsummer Night’s Jazz, https://www.storyvillerecords.com/products/a-midsummer-nights-jazz-1018455

Midsummer, Sweden, https://sweden.se/culture-traditions/midsummer/

Paul Winter’s Solstice Celebrations, http://solsticeconcert.com/summersolstice/

Scottish Chamber Orchestra, https://www.sco.org.uk/

Sharazula, Magnature, Online, http://magnatune.com/artists/skarazula/

The Summer Solstice and its Celtic Traditions by John Cunningham, June 20, 2015 Etc. Ancient History, Online, http://etc.ancient.eu/education/summer-solstice-celtic-traditions/

The Summer Solstice will be welcomed through the rhythmic beat of drums written by Kate Day Sager, Olean Times Herald, June 18, 2019, http://www.oleantimesherald.com/olean/summer-solstice-will-be-welcomed-through-the-rhythmic-beat-of/article_265861d6-f63f-58b1-bfb5-25f188697e62.html

The Summer Solstice, June 21, 2011, BBC, https://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/paganism/holydays/summersolstice.shtml

The Summer solstice: Traditions around the world, Daisy Carrington for CNN, June 2019, https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/summer-solstice-world-traditions/index.html

The Summer Solstice Weekend, New York Botanical Garden, https://www.nybg.org/event/summer-solstice-weekend/

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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, eBooks & downloadable audio books, available through OverDrive and five print titles available through StarCat.

DIGITAL SUGGESTIONS OF THE WEEK:

A Dangerous Act of Kindness by LP Fergusson:

What would you risk for a complete stranger?

When widow Millie Sanger finds injured enemy pilot Lukas Schiller on her farm, the distant war is suddenly at her doorstep. Compassionate Millie knows he’ll be killed if discovered, and makes the dangerous decision to offer him shelter from the storm.

On opposite sides of the inescapable conflict, the two strangers forge an unexpected and passionate bond. But as the snow thaws, the relentless fury of World War Two forces them apart, leaving only the haunting memories of what they shared, and an understanding that their secret must never see light.

As Millie’s dangerous act of kindness sets them on paths they never could have expected, those closest to them become their greatest threats, and the consequences of compassion prove deadly…

A Dangerous Act of Kindness is a beautiful, harrowing love story, perfect for fans of Rachel Hore and Santa Montefiore

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Fall; or, Dodge in Hell A Novel by Neal Stephenson:

The #1 New York Times bestselling author of Seveneves, Anathem, Reamde, and Cryptonomicon returns with a wildly inventive and entertaining science fiction thriller—Paradise Lost by way of Philip K. Dick—that unfolds in the near future, in parallel worlds.

In his youth, Richard “Dodge” Forthrast founded Corporation 9592, a gaming company that made him a multibillionaire. Now in his middle years, Dodge appreciates his comfortable, unencumbered life, managing his myriad business interests, and spending time with his beloved niece Zula and her young daughter, Sophia.

One beautiful autumn day, while he undergoes a routine medical procedure, something goes irrevocably wrong. Dodge is pronounced brain dead and put on life support, leaving his stunned family and close friends with difficult decisions. Long ago, when a much younger Dodge drew up his will, he directed that his body be given to a cryonics company now owned by enigmatic tech entrepreneur Elmo Shepherd. Legally bound to follow the directive despite their misgivings, Dodge’s family has his brain scanned and its data structures uploaded and stored in the cloud, until it can eventually be revived.

In the coming years, technology allows Dodge’s brain to be turned back on. It is an achievement that is nothing less than the disruption of death itself. An eternal afterlife—the Bitworld—is created, in which humans continue to exist as digital souls.

But this brave new immortal world is not the Utopia it might first seem . . .

Fall, or Dodge in Hell is pure, unadulterated fun: a grand drama of analog and digital, man and machine, angels and demons, gods and followers, the finite and the eternal. In this exhilarating epic, Neal Stephenson raises profound existential questions and touches on the revolutionary breakthroughs that are transforming our future. Combining the technological, philosophical, and spiritual in one grand myth, he delivers a mind-blowing speculative literary saga for the modern age.

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Horse Latitudes by Morris Collins:

Morris Collins’ Horse Latitudes is one of the most impressive debuts I’ve read. A hybrid narrative that’s part thriller, part surreal noir, and part tropical gothic, it reads like a collaboration between William Faulkner, Louis-Ferdinand Céline, and Hunter S. Thompson, as directed by David Lynch.

Ethan is a New York photographer whose crumbling marriage ends when his wife commits herself to a mental institution after being raped by a stranger. Confused and haunted by guilt over not being able to help her, Ethan flees to Mexico. He doesn’t know if he wants to find himself, find some sense of purpose, or just drink himself into oblivion and find death at the hands of a machete-wielding gangbanger. While figuring it out, he gets in a bar fight, smashes a bottle into the face of a man with cartel connections, and ends up on a journey to the interior of the country to save a young woman from being trafficked — a journey that will put him in touch with violent gangs, crazy expatriates, strange detectives, mystics, and the ubiquitous aftermath of colonialism. Gabino Iglesias, NPR

Access the full NPR review here: https://www.npr.org/2019/01/24/687519241/horse-latitudes-is-a-gripping-mix-of-genres

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Mr. Norris Changes Trains by Christopher Isherwood (An NPR Summer Reading selection):

Two Englishmen meeting on a train to Berlin in 1930 kick off one of Isherwood’s most enduring novels. On a train to Berlin in late 1930, William Bradshaw locks eyes with Arthur Norris, an irresistibly comical fellow Englishman wearing a rather obvious wig and nervous about producing his passport at the frontier. So begins a friendship conducted in the seedier quarters of the city, where Norris runs a dubious import-export business and lives in excited fear of his bullying secretary, his creditors, and his dominatrix girlfriend, Anni. As the worldwide economic Depression strangles the masses and the Communists make a desperate stand against Fascism and war, Norris sells himself as political orator, spy, and double agent. He also sells his friends. Like its companion novel, Goodbye to Berlin, Mr Norris Changes Trains offers unforgettable characters struggling in the vortex as the Nazis rise to power.

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Patsy: A Novel by Nicole Dennis-Benn:

One of the “Most Anticipated Books of the Summer”

Entertainment Weekly • Washington Post • Buzzfeed • Vulture • O Magazine • Vanity Fair • Elle • Real Simple
A beautifully layered portrait of motherhood, immigration, and the sacrifices we make in the name of love from award-winning novelist Nicole Dennis-Benn.

“Nicole Dennis-Benn’s debut novel, Here Comes the Sun, stunned critics when it was released in 2016. The story of a woman and her two daughters fighting for survival in their drought-stricken Jamaican town, it was a powerful look at issues like poverty, colorism and homophobia.

Admirers of Here Comes the Sun have waited three years for Dennis-Benn’s followup, and anyone who was enchanted by her gorgeous writing are in for a happy surprise: Patsy isn’t just as good as its predecessor, it’s somehow even better.

The title character of the novel is a young single mother in Jamaica, living with her devoutly Christian mother, Mama G, and her young daughter, Tru. She works a minimum-wage civil service job to support her family; it’s barely enough to cover her family’s rent and food and her daughter’s private school tuition.

Patsy has a dream: “a dream every Jamaican of a certain social ranking shares: boarding an airplane to America.” She’s determined to get a travel visa to visit Cicely, her longtime friend and former lover, who moved to New York years before. She envisions herself and Cicely living what she sees as a normal American life, “trying on clothes in boutiques and zipping up each other’s dresses like they did as girls, and shopping for household items together, like real couples do for their house — a two-story brick house.” , Michael Schaub, NPR

Access the full-NPR review here: https://www.npr.org/2019/06/04/726728394/patsy-discovers-her-dreams-dont-match-reality

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PRINT BOOK SUGGESTIONS OF THE WEEK:

Angel Thieves by Kathi Appelt:

An ocelot. A slave. An angel thief.

Multiple perspectives spanning across time are united through themes of freedom, hope, and faith in a most unusual and epic novel from Newbery Honor–winning author and National Book Award finalist Kathi Appelt.

Sixteen-year-old Cade Curtis is an angel thief. After his mother’s family rejected him for being born out of wedlock, he and his dad moved to the apartment above a local antique shop. The only payment the owner Mrs. Walker requests: marble angels, stolen from graveyards, for her to sell for thousands of dollars to collectors. But there’s one angel that would be the last they’d ever need to steal; an angel, carved by a slave, with one hand open and one hand closed. If only Cade could find it…

Zorra, a young ocelot, watches the bayou rush past her yearningly. The poacher who captured and caged her has long since lost her, and Zorra is getting hungrier and thirstier by the day. Trapped, she only has the sounds of the bayou for comfort—but it tells her help will come soon.

Before Zorra, Achsah, a slave, watched the very same bayou with her two young daughters. After the death of her master, Achsah is free, but she’ll be damned if her daughters aren’t freed with her. All they need to do is find the church with an angel with one hand open and one hand closed…

In a masterful feat, National Book Award Honoree Kathi Appelt weaves together stories across time, connected by the bayou, an angel, and the universal desire to be free.

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The Behavior of Love: A Novel by Virginia Reeves: 

An incredibly compulsive, poignant exploration of marriage, lust, and ambition from one of America’s great young literary talents, the Man-Booker Prize longlisted author of Work Like Any Other.

Doctor Ed Malinowski believes he has realized most of his dreams. A passionate, ambitious behavioral psychiatrist, he is now the superintendent of a mental institution and finally turning the previously crumbling hospital around. He also has a home he can be proud of, and a fiercely independent, artistic wife Laura, whom he hopes will soon be pregnant.

But into this perfect vision of his life comes Penelope, a beautiful, young epileptic who should never have been placed in his institution and whose only chance at getting out is Ed. She is intelligent, charming, and slowly falling in love with her charismatic, compassionate doctor. As their relationship grows more complicated, and Laura stubbornly starts working at his hospital, Ed must weigh his professional responsibilities against his personal ones, and find a way to save both his job and his family.

A love triangle set in one of the most chaotic, combustible settings imaginable, The Behavior of Love is wise, riveting, and deeply resonant.

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The Devouring Gray by Christine Lynn Herman:

Branches and stones, daggers and bones, They locked the Beast away.

After the death of her sister, seventeen-year-old Violet Saunders finds herself dragged to Four Paths, New York. Violet may be a newcomer, but she soon learns her mother isn’t: They belong to one of the revered founding families of the town, where stone bells hang above every doorway and danger lurks in the depths of the woods. Justin Hawthorne’s bloodline has protected Four Paths for generations from the Gray—a lifeless dimension that imprisons a brutal monster. After Justin fails to inherit his family’s powers, his mother is determined to keep this humiliation a secret. But Justin can’t let go of the future he was promised and the town he swore to protect. Ever since Harper Carlisle lost her hand to an accident that left her stranded in the Gray for days, she has vowed revenge on the person who abandoned her: Justin Hawthorne. There are ripples of dissent in Four Paths, and Harper seizes an opportunity to take down the Hawthornes and change her destiny—to what extent, even she doesn’t yet know. The Gray is growing stronger every day, and its victims are piling up. When Violet accidentally unleashes the monster, all three must band together with the other Founders to unearth the dark truths behind their families’ abilities… before the Gray devours them all.

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Eat to Sleep: What to Eat and When to Eat It for a Good Night’s Sleep―Every Night by Karman Meyer:

Utilize food as your all-natural solution to sleeplessness with this easy guide that teaches you just what to eat—and when to eat it—to fall asleep faster and wake up refreshed.

We’ve all heard that it’s the turkey that makes you so sleepy after every Thanksgiving dinner, and a cup of warm milk is just the thing to help you settle down for night, but it may surprise you to find just how much what you eat can affect how well you sleep at night.

Whether you experience occasional insomnia or suffer from chronic sleeplessness, Eat to Sleep explains which foods to eat and when to eat them in order to get the best night’s rest possible. With information on how to easily incorporate “sleepy” foods into your diet, and how to prepare your food to increase its sleep-inducing effectiveness, Eat to Sleep shows you the way to getting optimal shuteye—naturally.

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Invisible Heroes of World War II: Extraordinary Wartime Stories of Ordinary People by Jerry Borrowman:

Invisible Heroes of World War II, documents ten fascinating true stories of a diverse group of soldiers and noncombatants from all over the world, including African Americans, women, and Native Americans, who fought with the Allies during World War II. These heroes made significant contributions in the war effort, and sometimes gave their lives for freedom and liberty, often without much recognition or fanfare. Some were frontline soldiers who were captured by the enemy and endured horrific conditions as POWs, others were ordinary citizens who fought in the French Resistance and provided vital operations to undermine Nazi occupation, while others were engineers, workers in industry, or war correspondents and photographers. All served with valor and distinction as part of the massive Allied forces who fought to free the world from tyranny and oppression.

Have a great week!

Linda Reimer, SSCL

References

All Aboard! A Reading List For Riding The Rails, June 17, 2014, NPR, https://www.npr.org/2014/06/17/318601772/all-aboard-a-reading-list-for-riding-the-rails

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 23, 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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ASK AGAIN, YES by Mary Beth Keane:

The lives of neighboring families in a New York City suburb intertwine over four decades.

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BEFORE WE WERE YOURS by Lisa Wingate:

A South Carolina lawyer learns about the questionable practices of a Tennessee orphanage.

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CITY OF GIRLS by Elizabeth Gilbert:

An 89-year-old Vivian Morris looks back at the direction her life took when she entered the 1940s New York theater scene.

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FALL by Neal Stephenson:

A dead multibillionaire’s brain is scanned and turned back on at a time when humans live as digital souls.

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FRIENDS WE KEEP by Jane Green:

Berkley A 30th reunion between three college friends reveals shattered hopes and a dark secret.

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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 GIRLS OF PARIS by Pam Jenoff:

Grace Healey investigates the fates of 12 women who were sent to occupied Europe to help the resistance during World War II.

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ON EARTH WE’RE BRIEFLY GORGEOUS by Ocean Vuong:

Little Dog writes a letter to a mother who cannot read, revealing a family history.

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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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SEARCHING FOR SYLVIE LEE by Jean Kwok:

An immigrant Chinese family’s secrets emerge as Amy looks for her older sister, who vanished after flying to the Netherlands.

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SKIN GAME by Stuart Woods and Parnell Hall:

The third book in the Teddy Fay series. Teddy Fay scours Paris’s underworld to find a treasonous criminal.

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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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UNSOLVED by James Patterson and David Ellis:

A string of seemingly accidental and unrelated deaths confound F.B.I. agent Emmy Dockery.

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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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BORN A CRIME by Trevor Noah:

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

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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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CONSERVATIVE SENSIBILITY by George F. Will:

The Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist describes what he considers to be threats to conservatism.

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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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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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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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NATURALLY TAN by Tan France: 

A coming-of-age memoir by the “Queer Eye” star, with behind-the-scenes stories of the reality TV show.

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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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RANGE by David Epstein:

An argument for how generalists excel more than specialists, especially in complex and unpredictable fields.

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SEA STORIES by William H. McRaven:

A memoir by the retired four-star Navy admiral, including the capture of Saddam Hussein and the raid to kill Osama bin Laden.

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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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SIEGE by Michael Wolff:

The author of “Fire and Fury” weaves a story of the second year of the Trump White House.

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UNFREEDOM OF THE PRESS by Mark R. Levin:

The conservative commentator and radio host makes his case that the press is aligned with political ideology.

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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.

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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 album cover to stream the album.)

Boppin’ Acetates, Coast to Coast Various Artists (Genre: Traditional Country):

This 31 song collection features rare tracks recorded by country and bluegrass players in the 1930s and 1940s. It offers a fascinating listen to country music of the era, which sounds grassroots-y and quaint by modern standards.

Songs featured in the collection include Black Mountain Rag by Curly Fagan & The Watkins Brothers, Sleeping in the Cellar by Eddie Moore, Mixed Boogie by Burton Harris & Billy Smith, Looking for a Date Tonight by Carl Petz & The Drifting Cowboys and Pistol Packin’ Mama by Red Belcher.

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Hits of Western Swing (1999) by Western Swing All Stars (Genre: Country, Western Swing):

Information on the Western Swing All Stars is scarce, at least online; Amazon, Spotify and iTunes all have this album for sale but their album description pages simply list the song titles and no-other information. However, that is okay because one listen to this album and you’ll know this group plays great instrumental music in the country swing style.

Songs on this fun and upbeat collection include My Window Faces South, Rout 66, Hey Good Lookin’, Settin’, The Woods On Fire and Call Me The Breeze.

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Unbreakable: A Juneteenth Playlist by Various Artists (Genre: Pop, Vocal, Blues, Jazz, Rap, Rock etc.)

The celebration of Juneteenth commemorates the ending of slavery in the United States. The celebration dates to June 19, 1865 when U.S. soldiers, under the command of General Gordon Granger, landed at Galveston Texas and relayed the news that all slaves in the United States were free.

The celebration is held annual on June 19 and this playlist is great for listening to whilst celebrating or really at any time — it is a terrific playlist. Songs on the eighty-two song list include Feeling Good by Nina Simone, Young Woman’s Blues by Queen Latifah, People Get Ready by The Staple Singers, Freedom by Pharrel Williams, Freedom (traditional) by The Golden Gate Quartet, Noah by Harry Belafonte and Don’t Stop Til’ you Reach The Top by The Sounds of Blackness.

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Peace…Back By Popular Demand (2004) by Keb’ Mo’ (Genre: Blues):

Modern blues guitarist Keb’ Mo’, born Kevin Moore, covers some classic protest songs in this thoughtful collection. Songs on the LP include Wake Up Everybody, Get Together, Someday We’ll All Be Free, What’s So Funny About Peace, Love And Understanding, The Times They Are A-Changin’ and Imagine.

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Western Stars by Bruce Springsteen (Genre: Singer-Songwriter, Rock):

The brand new album from The Boss, released June 14, 2019!

Songs in the set include Hitch Hikin’, The Wayfarer, Western Stars, Sleepy Joe’s Cafe, Drive Fast, Chasin’ Wild Horses and Moonlight Motel.

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Mothers of Blues – An Introductory Collection of the Most Influential Women of Blues with Ma Rainey, Bessie Smith, Ida Cox, Trixie Smith, Memphis Minnie, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Mamie Smith, And More! by Various Artists (Genre:Blues):

That long title certainly gives us a clue that the music on this LP offers an introduction to some of the most influential female blues players of the early 20th century. And that is true! Ma Rainey, Ida Cox, Bessie Smith, Memphis Minnie and Rosetta Tharpe were wonderful blues sings and if you’re not familiar with their works, this set offers a great place to start listening to their music.

Songs in the collection include Million Dollar Blues by Memphis Minnie, Strange Things Happen by Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Dope Head Blues by Victoria Spivey, My Man Rocks Me by Trixie Smith and Wild Women Don’t Have The Blues by Ida Cox.

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Yesterday’s Gone (1964/2010) by Chad & Jeremy (Genre: Pop, Folk-Pop, British Invasion):

Chad Stuart and Jeremy Clyde were a British folk-pop duo known for their sophisticated sound. They recorded this their first album in 1963, became popular in the wake of the Beatles and appeared on a number of television shows of the era including the Hollywood Palace, The Dick Van Dyke Show, The Danny Kaye Show, Hullabaloo and Shindig.

Three of their most popular, and best known songs appear on this LP: A Summer Song, Yesterday’s Gone and Willow Weep for Me. Other songs include

Videos of the Week:

Black Mountain Rag by Curly Fagan & The Watkins Brothers

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Mixed Boogie by Burton Harris & Billy Smith

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Call Me The Breeze by Western Swing All-Stars

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Route 66 by Western Swing All-Stars

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Feeling Good by Nina Simone

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Wake Up Everybody by Harold Melvin & The Notes

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Get Together by Keb’ Mo’

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Walking Blues by Keb’ Mo’ & Others

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What’s So Funny About Peace Love & Understanding by Keb’ Mo’

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Hello Sunshine by Bruce Springsteen

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Western Stars by Bruce Springsteen

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Booze and Blues by Ma Rainey

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Million Dollar Blues by Memphis Minnie

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A Summer Song by Chad & Jeremy

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Yesterday’s Gone by Chad & Jeremy

Have a great weekend!

Linda Reimer, SSCL

REFERENCES:

Print References

The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits by Joel Whitburn

Online References

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

The Emancipation Proclamation, National Archives,
https://www.archives.gov/exhibits/featured-documents/emancipation-proclamation

Ma Rainey, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Online,
https://www.rockhall.com/inductees/ma-rainey

Transcription of the Emancipation Proclamation, National Archives, https://www.archives.gov/exhibits/featured-documents/emancipation-proclamation/transcript.html

What Is Juneteenth? by Henry Louis Gates Jr., PBS (origianlly posted on The Root), https://www.pbs.org/wnet/african-americans-many-rivers-to-cross/history/what-is-juneteenth/

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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 Cliff House by RaeAnne Thayne:

Three women—two sisters and their aunt—and the cliff house on the northern California coast that served as a beacon to them all…

After the death of their mother, sisters Daisy and Beatriz Davenport found a home with their aunt Stella in the beautiful and welcoming town of Cape Sanctuary. They never knew all the dreams that Stella sacrificed to ensure they had everything they’d ever need. Now, with Daisy and Bea grown, it’s time for Stella to reveal the secret she’s been keeping from them—a secret that will change their family forever.

Bea thought she’d sown all her wild oats when she got pregnant far too young. The marriage that followed was rocky and not destined to last, but it gave Bea her wonderful, mature, now eleven-year-old daughter, Marisol. But just as she’s beginning to pursue a new love with an old friend, Bea’s ex-husband resurfaces and turns their lives completely upside down.

Then there’s Daisy—sensible, rational, financially prudent Daisy. She’s never taken a risk in her life—until she meets a man who makes her question everything she thought she knew about life, love and the power of taking chances.

In this heartwarming story, Stella, Bea and Daisy will discover that the path to true happiness is filled with twists and turns, but love always leads them back home.

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The Dream Daughter: A Novel by Diane Chamberlain:

New York Times bestselling author Diane Chamberlain delivers a thrilling, mind-bending novel about one mother’s journey to save her child.

When Carly Sears, a young woman widowed by the Vietnam war, receives the news that her unborn baby girl has a heart defect, she is devastated. It is 1970, and she is told that nothing can be done to help her child. But her brother-in-law, a physicist with a mysterious past, tells her that perhaps there is a way to save her baby. What he suggests is something that will shatter every preconceived notion that Carly has. Something that will require a kind of strength and courage she never knew existed. Something that will mean an unimaginable leap of faith on Carly’s part.

And all for the love of her unborn child.

The Dream Daughter is a rich, genre-spanning, breathtaking novel about one mother’s quest to save her child, unite her family, and believe in the unbelievable. Diane Chamberlain pushes the boundaries of faith and science to deliver a novel that you will never forget.

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The Fifth Doctrine by Karen Robards:

With her back against the wall, everything’s on the line for Bianca St. Ives. She’s either going to save the world—or die trying.

It took one hell of an effort for the authorities to finally get the jump on master manipulator Bianca St. Ives, but now that they have, it’s far from the capture she expected. Instead of taking her in, there’s an offer on the table, a one-shot deal that would allow Bianca to walk away scot-free as if they’d never found her. And all she has to do is run one last mission—the kind she might never return from. But if Bianca wants to go back to her normal life in Savannah, it’s not like she has a choice.

An intelligence operation is already under way in North Korea, one that’s poised to end the country’s existing tyrannical regime for good. But first, the US need one of their own to go undercover as the female hacker who recently stole top secret intel from NORAD. Enter Bianca. After everything she’s seen, Bianca knows feeding fake information directly into the belly of the beast is about as dangerous as it gets. It could mean torture or endless imprisonment—assuming she survives. But it might also ignite the kind of chaos that forces a revolution. It might just change the world. Besides, if Bianca has to go down, she’s gonna go down swinging…

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The New Health Rules: Simple Changes to Achieve Whole-Body Wellness by Frank Lipman & Danielle Claro:

Frank Lipman, M.D., is one of the country’s top pioneers in the field of integrative medicine. A leading international speaker on health and wellness, he has been featured in Men’s Health, Vogue, Men’s Journal, Redbook, and Martha Stewart Living.

Danielle Claro is a writer, editor, longtime yogi, and former professional dancer. She has ghostwritten two New York Times bestsellers, launched an indie lifestyle magazine called Breathe, and served as special projects director at Condé Nast’s Domino magazine. She’s currently deputy editor of Real Simple.

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The Things We Cannot Say by Kelly Rimmer:

“Fans of The Nightingale and Lilac Girls will adore The Things We Cannot Say.” —Pam Jenoff, New York Times bestselling author

In 1942, Europe remains in the relentless grip of war. Just beyond the tents of the Russian refugee camp she calls home, a young woman speaks her wedding vows. It’s a decision that will alter her destiny…and it’s a lie that will remain buried until the next century.

Since she was nine years old, Alina Dziak knew she would marry her best friend, Tomasz. Now fifteen and engaged, Alina is unconcerned by reports of Nazi soldiers at the Polish border, believing her neighbors that they pose no real threat, and dreams instead of the day Tomasz returns from college in Warsaw so they can be married. But little by little, injustice by brutal injustice, the Nazi occupation takes hold, and Alina’s tiny rural village, its families, are divided by fear and hate.

Then, as the fabric of their lives is slowly picked apart, Tomasz disappears. Where Alina used to measure time between visits from her beloved, now she measures the spaces between hope and despair, waiting for word from Tomasz and avoiding the attentions of the soldiers who patrol her parents’ farm. But for now, even deafening silence is preferable to grief.

Slipping between Nazi-occupied Poland and the frenetic pace of modern life, Kelly Rimmer creates an emotional and finely wrought narrative. The Things We Cannot Say is an unshakable reminder of the devastation when truth is silenced…and how it can take a lifetime to find our voice before we learn to trust it.

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PRINT BOOK SUGGESTIONS OF THE WEEK:

Home Remedies: Stories by Xuan Juliana Wang:

“These dazzling stories interrogate the fractures, collisions and glorious new alloys of what it means to be a Chinese millennial.”—Adam Johnson, author of the Pulitzer Prize–winning The Orphan Master’s Son

Named One of the Most Anticipated Books of 2019 by Nylon, Electric Literature, The Millions, and LitHub • An Elle Best Book of Spring

In dexterous, electric prose, the twelve stories in Xuan Juliana Wang’s first collection reveal the new face of a generation of Chinese youth.

Her characters stand at the threshold of bold and uncertain futures, navigating between their heritage and the chaos of contemporary life. In a crowded apartment on Mott Street, an immigrant family raises its first real Americans. At the Beijing Olympics, a pair of synchronized divers stands poised at the edge of success and self-discovery. And in New York, a father creates an algorithm to troubleshoot the problem of raising a daughter born into a world so different from his own.

From fuerdai (second-generation rich kids) and livestream stars to a glass-swallowing qigong grandmaster, these stories upend the well-worn immigrant narrative to reveal a new experience of belonging: of young people testing the limits of who they are and who they will one day become, in a world as vast and varied as their ambitions.

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More Deadly than the Male: Masterpieces from the Queens of Horror edited by Graeme Davis:

A darkly luminous new anthology collecting the most terrifying horror stories by renowned female authors, presenting anew these forgotten classics to the modern reader.

Readers are well aware that Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein: few know how many other tales of terror she created. In addition to Uncle Tom’s Cabin, Harriet Beecher Stowe wrote some surprisingly effective horror stories. The year after Little Women appeared, Louisa May Alcott published one of the first mummy tales. These ladies weren’t alone. From the earliest days of Gothic and horror fiction, women were exploring the frontiers of fear, dreaming dark dreams that will still keep you up at night.

More Deadly than the Male includes unexpected horror tales by Louisa May Alcott and Harriet Beecher Stowe, and forgotten writers like Mary Cholmondely and Charlotte Riddell, whose work deserves a modern audience. Readers will be drawn in by the familiar names and intrigued by their rare stories.

In The Beckside Boggle, Alice Rea brings a common piece of English folklore to hair-raising life, while Helene Blavatsky, best known as the founder of the spiritualist Theosophical Society, conjures up a solid and satisfying ghost story in The Cave of the Echoes. Edith Wharton’s great novel The Age of Innocence won her the Pulitzer prize, yet her horror stories are known only to a comparative few.

Readers will discover lost and forgotten women who wrote horror every bit as effectively as their male contemporaries. They will learn about their lives and careers, the challenges they faced as women working in a male-dominated field, the way they overcame those challenges, and the way they approached the genre―which was often subtler, more psychological, and more disturbing.

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Odd Partners: An Anthology by Mystery Writers Of America, Allison Brennan, Jeffery Deaver et al.

Unlikely pairs join forces to crack a slew of intriguing cases in an anthology edited by New York Times bestselling author Anne Perry, featuring original stories by Jacqueline Winspear, Jeffery Deaver, Allison Brennan, Charles Todd, and many more, including Perry herself.

Throughout the annals of fiction, there have been many celebrated detective teams: Sherlock Holmes and John Watson. Nick and Nora Charles. Hercule Poirot and Arthur Hastings. Thomas and Charlotte Pitt. That last pair is the creation of beloved mystery writer Anne Perry, who, as the editor of Odd Partners and in conjunction with Mystery Writers of America, has enlisted some of today’s best mystery writers to craft all-new stories about unlikely duos who join forces—sometimes unwillingly—to solve beguiling whodunits.

From Perry’s own entry, in which an English sergeant and his German counterpart set out to find a missing soldier during World War I, to a psychological tale of an airplane passenger who wakes up unsure of who he is and must enlist his fellow passengers to help him remember, to a historical mystery about a misguided witch-hunt and the unlikely couple that brings it down, each story deals in the wonderful complexities of human interactions. And not just human interactions: Honey bees avenge the death of their beekeeper, a wandering cat brings home clues to a murder, and a gray wolf and a fly fisherman in the Minnesota woods try to protect their land from a brash billionaire.

Featuring work by New York Times bestselling authors, Edgar Award winners, and up-and-coming members of the Mystery Writers of America, these tales of friends, enemies, and pairs who lie somewhere in the middle will satisfy every type of mystery reader. With each author’s signature brand of suspense, these stories give new meaning to the word “teamwork.”

Featuring stories by:

Ace Atkins • Allison Brennan • Shelley Costa • Jeffery Deaver • Robert Dugoni • William Frank • Georgia Jeffries • Lou Kemp • William Kent Krueger • Joe R. Lansdale • Lisa Morton • Claire Ortalda • Anne Perry • Adele Polomski • Stephen Ross • Mark Thielman • Charles Todd • Jacqueline Winspear • Amanda Witt

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Scientists Against Time: The Role of Scientists in World War II by Harold Feiveson:

In early 1942, the fate of the Allies appeared dire. Germany had conquered most of Western Europe, and its armies were deep into Russia. Japan had overrun Manchuria, the Philippines, and the Dutch East Indies, had conquered large swathes of China, and had destroyed much of the US battle fleet at Pearl Harbor. But the tide of World War II turned dramatically in favor of the Allies, and in this, Allied scientists played a critical role. The chapters covered in this book include an Overview summary of the entire war, the Battle of Britain, the Battle of the Atlantic against the German U-boats, the battle for command of the air, the Allied breaking of the German Enigma cipher, D-Day and the Allied invasion of Europe, and the Manhattan Project to develop an atomic bomb.

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Walking on the Ceiling by Aysegül Savas:

After her mother’s death, Nunu moves from Istanbul to a small apartment in Paris. One day outside of a bookstore, she meets M., an older British writer whose novels about Istanbul Nunu has always admired. They find themselves walking the streets of Paris and talking late into the night. What follows is an unusual friendship of eccentric correspondence and long walks around the city. M. is working on a new novel set in Turkey and Nunu tells him about her family, hoping to impress and inspire him. She recounts the idyllic landscapes of her past, mythical family meals, and her elaborate childhood games. As she does so, she also begins to confront her mother’s silence and anger, her father’s death, and the growing unrest in Istanbul. Their intimacy deepens, so does Nunu’s fear of revealing too much to M. and of giving too much of herself and her Istanbul away. Most of all, she fears that she will have to face her own guilt about her mother and the narratives she’s told to protect herself from her memories.

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 16, 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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ASK AGAIN, YES by Mary Beth Keane:

The lives of neighboring families in a New York City suburb intertwine over four decades.

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BEFORE WE WERE YOURS by Lisa Wingate:

A South Carolina lawyer learns about the questionable practices of a Tennessee orphanage.

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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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CARI MORA by Thomas Harris:

Hans-Peter Schneider pauses his ghastly deeds to seek a dead man’s gold hidden under a Miami mansion, but its caretaker’s surprising skills prove daunting.

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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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A GENTLEMAN IN MOSCOW by Amor Towles:

A Russian count undergoes 30 years of house arrest in the Metropol hotel, across from the Kremlin.

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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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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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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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THE QUEEN BEE by Dorothea Benton Frank:

A beekeeper’s quiet life is unsettled by her demanding mother, outgoing sister and neighboring widower.

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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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SENTENCE IS DEATH by Anthony Horowitz:

Detective Daniel Hawthorne teams up with the author Anthony Horowitz to solve the mysterious killing of a celebrity divorce lawyer.

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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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THE STIEHL ASSASSIN by Terry Brooks:

The third book in the Fall of Shannara series.

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

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

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NON-FICTION:

ANTHONY BOURDAIN REMEMBERED by CNN:

Ecco A collection of photographs and remembrances by some who were impacted by the chef and television host.

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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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BORN A CRIME by Trevor Noah:

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

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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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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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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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RANGE by David Epstein:

An argument for how generalists excel more than specialists, especially in complex and unpredictable fields.

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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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SEA STORIES by William H. McRaven:

A memoir by the retired four-star Navy admiral, including the capture of Saddam Hussein and the raid to kill Osama bin Laden.

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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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SPYING ON THE SOUTH by Tony Horwitz:

A retracing of Frederick Law Olmsted’s time as an undercover correspondent during the 1850s in the South for The New York Times and one of the designers of Central Park.

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THEODORE ROOSEVELT FOR THE DEFENSE by Dan Abrams and David Fisher:

The 1915 courtroom fight between William Barnes and the former president who had accused him of political corruption.

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UNFREEDOM OF THE PRESS by Mark R. Levin:

The conservative commentator and radio host makes his case that the press is aligned with political ideology.

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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 album cover to stream the album.)

Solo Wurlitzer Electric Piano: Peter Frampton’s Frampton Comes Alive (2017) by Rob Arthur (Genre: Pop, Electric Piano):

Keyboardist and guitarist Rob Arthur is a friend of, and has been the musical director for, Peter Frampton. On this instrumental LP from 2017, he offers a fun, upbeat keyboard-centric take on Frampton’s 1976 break out album Frampton Comes Alive.

Songs on the album include: Show Me The Way, All I Want To Be, It’s A Plain Shame, Wind of Change and Baby, I Love Your Way

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The Rolling Thunder Revue: The 1975 Live Recordings (2019) by Bob Dylan (Genre: Folk, Rock):

“A comprehensive anthology of music from the mythic first leg of Bob Dylan’s groundbreaking Rolling Thunder Revue, this 147 song digital box-set includes all five of Dylan’s full sets from that tour that were professionally recorded. The collection also provides the listener with an intimate insider’s seat for recently unearthed rehearsals at New York’s S.I.R. studios and the Seacrest Mote in Falmouth.” – Columbia Records

Songs in the collection include: One More Cup of Coffee, The Ballad of Ira Hayes, She Belongs to Me, A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall, I Shall Be Released and Ballad of a Thin Man.

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Begin Again (2019) by Fred Hersch with WDR Big Band (Genre: Jazz):

The new album by the incomparable jazz composer and pianist Fred Hersch accompanied by the WDR Big Band!

Songs Without Words, No. 2 Ballad, Rain Waltz, Forward Motion, The Big Easy, Out Some Place (Blues for Matthew Shephard) and Pastorale.

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Chasing Lights (2019) by Ida Mae (Rock, Folk, Blues):

“Hailing from Norfolk, U.K., Ida Mae are an acoustic alt-folk duo made up of husband-and-wife Chris Turpin and Stephanie Jean. Delivering romantic and atmospheric songs with resonant guitar and passionate vocals, the pair owe their influences to the sound of Americana and deep South blues-rock. Their work can be heard on their 2019 debut LP Chasing Lights.” AllMusic

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Play Our Favorite Country Classics (2016) by Ozarkansas Travelers (Genre: Country, Classic Country):

I wasn’t able to find out much about the band The Ozarkansas Travelers. Their website doesn’t seem to be up at the moment; and although they have a Facebook page, their is only a brief description of the group – “A band playing Classic Country Music from the 1940s and 1950s.”

Their FB page does feature a neat photo of the band:

And, really, as their music is great, perhaps all we need to know about them is that they play classic country music. If you like classic country music you should enjoy this album; the lead singer has a terrific deep voice, whoever he is!

Songs on the LP include Get Rhythm, Billy Bayou, Shotgun Boogie, Thanks A Lot and Oh Lonesome Me.

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Full Moon (1993) by Dave Stryker (Genre: Jazz, Guitar):

Dave Stryker is a New York City based jazz guitarist who mixes blues and soul into his jazz for a delightful musical mixture. Full Moon is his 1993 break-out album, featuring great songs, some originals and some classics including The Sphinx composed by Ornette Coleman, Monk’s Mood composed by Thelonious Monk, I Mean You composted by Hawkins and Monk, Wise One composed by John Coltrane and Bayou Blues and Full Moon composed by Dave Stryker.

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Father’s Day Playlist by Various Artists:

In the week up to Father’s Day, Sunday, June 16, now seems like a good time to listen to a collection of songs that focus on dads!

Songs in this 82 song collection include Daddy Sang Bass by Johnny Cash, Daddy Lessons by Beyoncé with the Dixie Chicks, Father’s House by Bruce Springsteen, Father and Daughter by Paul Simon, Papa Loves Mambo by Perry Como and I’m a Ding Dong Daddy by Louis Armstrong.

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Videos of the Week:

Do You Feel Like We Do by Rob Arthur

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Jumpin’ Jack Flash by Rob Arthur

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Ballad of a Thin Man by Bob Dylan

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One More Cup of Coffee (Valley Below) (S.I.R. Studio Rehearsals, Oct. 21, 1975)

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The Big Easy by Fred Hersch & WDR Big Band

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Forward Motion by Fred Hersch & WDR Big Band

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Chasing Lights by Ida Mae

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Rightfully, Honestly

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Get Rhythm by Ozarkansas Travelers

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Thanks a Lot by Ozarkansas Travelers

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Bayou Blues by The Dave Stryker Quartet

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The Sphinx by The Dave Stryker Quartet

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Daddy Lessons by Beyoncé with the Dixie Chicks

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I’m Her Daddy by Bill Withers

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Papa Loves Mambo by Perry Como

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Seeing My Father In Me by Paul Overstreet

Have a great weekend!

Linda Reimer, SSCL

REFERENCES:

Print References

The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits by Joel Whitburn

Online References

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

Bill Withers: Still Himselft, but He’ll Allow the Attention by Ben Sisario (9/18/2015), New York Times, https://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/20/arts/music/bill-withers-still-himself-but-hell-allow-the-attention.html

Fred Hersch & the WDR Big Band: Begin Again Review by Jack Bowers (May 4, 2019), https://www.allaboutjazz.com/begin-again-fred-hersch-palmetto-records-review-by-jack-bowers.php

Ozark Travelers, Bandcamp, https://theozarktravelers.bandcamp.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.