Hi everyone, just a reminder the library is closed Tuesday, December 24 & Wednesday, December 25 in observance of the Christmas holiday. We’re open our regular hours of 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Friday, December 26 and 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, December 27.
And without further ado, here are our recommended titles for the week, five digital titles, eBooks & downloadable audiobooks, available through OverDrive and five print titles available through StarCat.
DIGITAL CATALOG RECOMMENDATIONS:
A Boy and His Dog at the End of the World: A Novel written and read by C. A. Fletcher (Format: Downloadable Audiobook):
“This unputdownable story has everything—a well-imagined post-apocalyptic world, great characters, incredible suspense, and, of course, the fierce love of some very good dogs.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred)When a beloved family dog is stolen, her owner sets out on a life-changing journey through the ruins of our world to bring her back in this fiercely compelling tale of survival, courage, and hope. Perfect for readers of Station Eleven and The Girl With All the Gifts. My name’s Griz. My childhood wasn’t like yours. I’ve never had friends, and in my whole life I’ve not met enough people to play a game of football. My parents told me how crowded the world used to be, but we were never lonely on our remote island. We had each other, and our dogs. Then the thief came. There may be no law left except what you make of it. But if you steal my dog, you can at least expect me to come after you. Because if we aren’t loyal to the things we love, what’s the point?
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Cover of Snow: A Novel by Jenny Milchman (Format: eBook):
WINNER OF THE MARY HIGGINS CLARK AWARD
Jenny Milchman’s Cover of Snow is a remarkable debut, a gripping tale of suspense in the tradition of Gillian Flynn, Chris Bohjalian, and Nancy Pickard.
Waking up one wintry morning in her old farmhouse nestled in the Adirondack Mountains of New York, Nora Hamilton instantly knows that something is wrong. When her fog of sleep clears, she finds her world is suddenly, irretrievably shattered: Her husband, Brendan, has committed suicide.
The first few hours following Nora’s devastating discovery pass for her in a blur of numbness and disbelief. Then, a disturbing awareness slowly settles in: Brendan left no note and gave no indication that he was contemplating taking his own life. Why would a rock-solid police officer with unwavering affection for his wife, job, and quaint hometown suddenly choose to end it all? Having spent a lifetime avoiding hard truths, Nora must now start facing them.
Unraveling her late husband’s final days, Nora searches for an explanation—but finds a bewildering resistance from Brendan’s best friend and partner, his fellow police officers, and his brittle mother. It quickly becomes clear to Nora that she is asking questions no one wants to answer. For beneath the soft cover of snow lies a powerful conspiracy that will stop at nothing to keep its presence unknown . . . and its darkest secrets hidden.
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Golden Lion, A Novel of Heroes in a Time of War by Wilbur Smith & Giles Kristian (Format: eBook):
He saw his father executed in battle. He spent his youth avenging that death. And now Henry ‘Hal’ Courtney is a man with a ship – and a family – of his own.
But fate has not finished with Hal. On a voyage along the eastern shore of Africa, a powerful enemy abducts his wife, the fearless warrior Judith… and with her, Hal’s unborn child. For Hal, a man all too familiar with loss, there is only one way forward: He must track his nemesis across desert and ocean, through the slave markets of Zanzibar and the dangerous waters of the coast, in pursuit of the woman he loves, the child he sired, and the glorious destiny that awaits him.
Bursting with action and suspense, heroism and heartache, this unforgettable novel proves once more than Wilbur Smith is the world’s greatest adventure writer.
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House of Earth: A Novel by Woody Guthrie (Format: eBook):
Finished in 1947 and lost to readers until now, House of Earth is legendary folk singer and American icon Woody Guthrie’s only finished novel. A powerful portrait of Dust Bowl America, it’s the story of an ordinary couple’s dreams of a better life and their search for love and meaning in a corrupt world.
Tike and Ella May Hamlin are struggling to plant roots in the arid land of the Texas panhandle. The husband and wife live in a precarious wooden farm shack, but Tike yearns for a sturdy house that will protect them from the treacherous elements. Thanks to a five-cent government pamphlet, Tike has the know-how to build a simple adobe dwelling, a structure made from the land itself—fireproof, windproof, Dust Bowl-proof. A house of earth.
A story of rural realism and progressive activism, and in many ways a companion piece to Guthrie’s folk anthem “This Land Is Your Land,” House of Earth is a searing portrait of hardship and hope set against a ravaged landscape. Combining the moral urgency and narrative drive of John Steinbeck with the erotic frankness of D. H. Lawrence, here is a powerful tale of America from one of our greatest artists.
An essay by bestselling historian Douglas Brinkley and Johnny Depp introduce House of Earth, the inaugural title in Depp’s imprint at HarperCollins, Infinitum Nihil.
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Shogun, Asian Saga, Book 1 written by James Clavell and read by Ralph Lister (Format: Downloadable Audiobook):
After Englishman John Blackthorne is lost at sea, he awakens in a place few Europeans know of and even fewer have seen-Nippon. Thrust into the closed society that is seventeenth-century Japan, a land where the line between life and death is razor-thin, Blackthorne must negotiate not only a foreign people, with unknown customs and language, but also his own definitions of morality, truth, and freedom. As internal political strife and a clash of cultures lead to seemingly inevitable conflict, Blackthorne’s loyalty and strength of character are tested by both passion and loss, and he is torn between two worlds that will each be forever changed.
Powerful and engrossing, capturing both the rich pageantry and stark realities of life in feudal Japan, Shogun is a critically acclaimed powerhouse of a book. Heart-stopping, edge-of-your-seat action melds seamlessly with intricate historical detail and raw human emotion. Endlessly compelling, this sweeping saga captivated the world to become not only one of the bestselling novels of all time but also one of the highest-rated television miniseries, as well as inspiring a nationwide surge of interest in the culture of Japan. Shakespearean in both scope and depth, Shogun is, as the New York Times put it, “…not only something you read-you live it.” Provocative, absorbing, and endlessly fascinating, there is only one: Shogun.
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PRINT RECOMMENDATIONS:
The Bridge To Belle Island by Julie Klassen:
Abstract: “Evidence from a mysterious death takes Benjamin to an island on the Thames. There, Isabelle is trapped by fear and a recurring dream about a man’s death. Or is it a memory? When a second death brings everyone under suspicion, she realizes her island sanctuary will never be the same”– Provided by publisher.
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Dark Queen Waiting by P. C. Doherty:
Abstract: “October, 1471. Edward IV sits on the English throne; the House of York reigns supreme. With her young son, Henry Tudor, in exile in France, Margaret Beaufort, Countess of Richmond, shelters deep in the shadows, secretly plotting for the day when Henry can be crowned the rightful king. But as her supporters are picked off one by one, it becomes clear that a traitor lurks within Margaret’s household. When one of her most loyal henchmen, Jacob Cromart, is murdered in St Michael’s Church, where he had claimed sanctuary, Margaret orders her sharp-witted clerk, Christopher Urswicke, to find out who has betrayed her. How could a man be killed inside a church where the doors are all locked, with no sign of an intruder or weapon? If he is to protect Margaret’s remaining supporters from suffering a similar fate, Urswicke must solve a baffling mystery where nothing is as it first appears.”–Provided by publisher.
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Eat Joy: Stories & Comfort Food from 31 Celebrated Writers:
Abstract: “This collection of intimate, illustrated essays by some of America’s most well-regarded literary writers explores how comfort food can help us cope with dark times–be it the loss of a parent, the loneliness of a move, or the pain of heartache.”–Provided by publisher.
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The Innocents by Michael Crummey:
Abstract: “An orphaned brother and sister … must fend for themselves on a remote fishing outpost in the late 1800s”– Provided by publisher.
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Wicked Red Head by Beatriz Williams:
Abstract: Ginger Kelly wakes up in 1924 in tranquil Cocoa Beach, Florida, after fleeing to safety with disgraced Prohibition agent Oliver Anson Marshall, and her newly-orphaned young sister, Patsy. But Marshall is reinstated to the agency with suspicious haste to patrol for rumrunners on the high seas. When he promptly disappears, Gin hurries north to rescue him, only to be trapped in an agonizing moral quandary by Marshall’s desperate mother. In 1998, Ella Dommerich is settled into her new life in Greenwich Village, inside the same apartment where a certain redheaded flapper lived long ago. Having quit her job at an accounting firm, cut ties with her unfaithful ex-husband, and begun a love affair with her musician neighbor, Hector, Ella’s eager to piece together the history of the mysterious Gin Kelly, whose only physical trace is a series of rare vintage photograph cards for which she modeled before her disappearance. Two women, two generations, and two urgent quests will require both women’s strength and determination to outwit a conspiracy spanning decades.
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Have a great week!
Linda Reimer, SSCL
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StarCat
The catalog of physical library materials, i.e. print books, audiobooks on CD, DVDs etc.
ABOUT LIBRARY APPS:
You can access digital library content, i.e. eBooks & downloadable audiobooks, on PCs, Macs and mobile devices.
For mobile devices simply download the Libby (eBooks & downloadable audiobooks) or the RB Digital app (on-demand magazines), from your app store to get started. And if you’re using a PC or Mac simply click on the following link: https://stls.overdrive.com/
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.
Tech & Book Talk at SSCL 