Month: June 2020

Hi everyone, here are our recommended titles for the week, consisting entirely of eBooks & downloadable audiobooks available through the Digital Catalog.

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Suggested Reading of the Week:

All the Flowers in Paris: A Novel by Sarah Jio (eBook)

Two women are connected across time by the city of Paris, a mysterious stack of love letters, and shocking secrets sweeping from World War II to the present—for readers of Sarah’s Key and The Nightingale.

“Sarah Jio weaves past and present in this eminently readable novel about love, gratitude, and forgiveness. I tore through the pages!”—New York Times bestselling author Christina Baker Kline

When Caroline wakes up in a Paris hospital with no memory of her past, she’s confused to learn that for years she’s lived a sad, reclusive life in a sprawling apartment on the rue Cler. Slowly regaining vague memories of a man and a young child, she vows to piece her life back together—though she can’t help but feel she may be in danger. A budding friendship with the chef of a charming nearby restaurant takes her mind off her foggy past, as does a startling mystery from decades prior.

In Nazi-occupied Paris, a young widow named Céline is trying to build a new life for her daughter while working in her father’s flower shop and hoping to find love again. Then a ruthless German officer discovers her Jewish ancestry and Céline is forced to play a dangerous game to secure the safety of her loved ones. When her worst fears come true, she must fight back in order to save the person she loves most: her daughter.

When Caroline discovers Céline’s letters tucked away in a closet, she realizes that her apartment harbors dark secrets—and that she may have more in common with Céline than she could have ever imagined.

All the Flowers in Paris is an emotionally captivating novel rooted in the resiliency and strength of the human spirit, the steadfastness of a mother’s love, and the many complex layers of the heart—especially its capacity to forgive.

“Heart-stopping . . . Fans of emotional, romantic stories set during World War II will enjoy this heartbreaking tale of love and loss.”—Booklist

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Blue Moon Promise, Under Texas Stars Series, Book 1 by Colleen Coble (eBook)

“Coble is a great writer, she knows what readers want and she does not disappoint.”—Romantic Times

Lucy Marsh’s worldly resources are running out, but she’s fiercely determined to care for her younger brother and sister. When she discovers that their father’s recent death was no accident, Lucy is eager to leave town. She accepts a proxy marriage she believes will provide safe refuge. But trouble follows her to Texas where her new husband is surprised to suddenly have a wife and children to care for.

Nate Stanton always hoped he’d marry someday, but running the family ranch meant he had no time for romance. When his father deposits Lucy Marsh—a city girl—on his doorstep, with two siblings in the bargain, he expects ranch life will send her running on the first train out of town. But Lucy is made of tougher stuff than Nate imagined. When danger moves in, Nate finds he’d give anything to protect Lucy and the children he’s grown to love. Even if it means giving up his ranch.

Blue Moon Promise is a story of hope, romance, and suspense . . . immersing the reader in a rich historical tale set under Texas stars.

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Carbs and Cadavers, Supper Club Mysteries Series, Book 1 written by Ellery Adams and read by Karen White (Audiobook):

James Henry, a kind-hearted professor of English literature, is forced to move back home to Quincy’s Gap, a tiny town in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley, to care for his aging father. Shortly after moving into a house that hasn’t changed since his childhood, the overweight, divorced, book-loving cheese puff addict accepts a position as head librarian and joins a supper club for dieters who call themselves the “Flab Five.” Avoiding carbs is almost impossible in this deep-fried, all-you-can-eat Southern town, so the mysterious death of a young and healthy athlete provides the perfect distraction. While trying to cut carbs and avoid temptations, James and his fellow supper club members work together to shed pounds and track down a killer.

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The Garden of Lamentations: A Novel by Deborah Crombie (eBook)

Scotland Yard detectives Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James are drawn into separate investigations that hold disturbing—and deadly—complications for their own lives in this powerful mystery in the bestselling series.

On a beautiful morning in mid-May, the body of a young woman is found in one of Notting Hill’s private gardens. To passersby, the pretty girl in the white dress looks as if she’s sleeping. But Reagan Keating has been murdered, and the lead detective, DI Kerry Boatman, turns to Gemma James for help. She and Gemma worked together on a previous investigation, and Gemma has a personal connection to the case: Reagan was the nanny of a child who attends the same dance studio as Toby, Gemma and Kincaid’s son.

Gemma soon discovers that Reagan’s death is the second tragedy in this exclusive London park; a few months before, a young boy died in a tragic accident. But when still another of the garden residents meets a violent end, it becomes clear that there are more sinister forces at play. Boatman and Gemma must stop the killer before another innocent life is taken.

While his wife is consumed with her new case, Kincaid finds himself plagued by disturbing questions about several previous—and seemingly unrelated—cases involving members of the force. If his suspicions are correct and the crimes are linked, are his family and friends in mortal danger as well? Kincaid’s hunch turns to certainty when a Metropolitan Police officer close to him is brutally attacked. There’s a traitor in the ranks, and now Kincaid wonders if he can trust anyone.

As Gemma begins to see a solution to her case, she realizes she holds a child’s fate in her hands. Can she do the right thing? And can Kincaid rely on his friends, both inside and outside the Scotland Yard force, to stand beside him as he faces the deadliest challenge of his career?

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Hell and Other Destinations: A 21st-Century Memoir written and read by Madeleine Albright (Downloadable Audiobook)

Six-time New York Times bestselling author and former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright—one of the world’s most admired and tireless public servants—reflects on the final stages of one’s career, and working productively into your later decades in this revealing, funny, and inspiring memoir.

In 2001, when Madeleine Albright was leaving office as America’s first female secretary of state, interviewers asked her how she wished to be remembered. “I don’t want to be remembered,” she answered. “I am still here and have much more I intend to do. As difficult as it might seem, I want every stage of my life to be more exciting than the last.”

In that time of transition, the former Secretary considered the possibilities: she could write, teach, travel, give speeches, start a business, fight for democracy, help to empower women, campaign for favored political candidates, spend more time with her grandchildren. Instead of choosing one or two, she decided to do it all. For nearly twenty years, Albright has been in constant motion, navigating half a dozen professions, clashing with presidents and prime ministers, learning every day. Since leaving the State Department, she has blazed her own trail—and given voice to millions who yearn for respect, regardless of gender, background, or age.

Featuring black and white photographs throughout, Hell and Other Destinations reveals this remarkable figure at her bluntest, funniest, most intimate, and most serious. It is the tale of our times anchored in lessons for all time, narrated by an extraordinary woman with a matchless zest for life.

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Leave Only Footprints: My Acadia-to-Zion Journey Through Every National Park by Conor Knighton (eBook)

From CBS Sunday Morning correspondent Conor Knighton, a behind-the-scenery look at his year traveling to each of America’s National Parks, discovering the most beautiful places and most interesting people our country has to offer

When Conor Knighton set off to explore America’s “best idea,” he worried the whole thing could end up being his worst idea. A broken engagement and a broken heart had left him longing for a change of scenery, but the plan he’d cooked up in response had gone a bit overboard in that department: Over the course of a single year, Knighton would visit every national park in the country, from Acadia to Zion.

In Leave Only Footprints, Knighton shares informative and entertaining dispatches from what turned out to be the road trip of a lifetime. Whether he’s waking up early for a naked scrub in a historic bathhouse in Arkansas or staying up late to stargaze along our loneliest highway in Nevada, Knighton weaves together the type of stories you’re not likely to find in any guidebook. Through his unique lens, America the Beautiful becomes America the Captivating, the Hilarious, and the Inspiring. Along the way, he identifies the threads that tie these wildly different places together—and that tie us to nature—and reveals how his trip ended up changing his views on everything from God and love to politics and technology.

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Night Diver by Elizabeth Lowell (eBook)

After her parents are killed in a diving accident, financial expert Kate Donnelly leaves her family’s marine salvage business in the Caribbean—for good, or so she thinks. But when the business hits serious financial snags, ocean-wary Kate agrees to help—as long as she can stay on dry land. Being attracted to Holden Cameron, a former British military diver and financial investigator for one of their clients, comes as a bit of a surprise; so does working with him to get to the truth when deadly things begin happening. VERDICT Sunken treasure, underwater danger, and just the right amount of diving and salvage detail make this another gripping journey from Lowell. It draws readers in, ramps up the tension, and keeps the pages turning until the last mystery is solved. Lowell (Dangerous Refuge) lives in the Sierra Nevadas. –Library Journal Review

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One Person, No Vote: How Not All Voters Are Treated Equally by Carol Anderson and Tonya Bolden (eBook)

In her New York Times bestseller White Rage, Carol Anderson laid bare an insidious history of policies that have systematically impeded black progress in America, from 1865 to our combustible present. With One Person, No Vote, she chronicles a related history: the rollbacks to African American participation in the vote since the 2013 Supreme Court decision that eviscerated the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Known as the Shelby ruling, this decision effectively allowed districts with a demonstrated history of racial discrimination to change voting requirements without approval from the Department of Justice.

Focusing on the aftermath of Shelby, Anderson follows the astonishing story of government-dictated racial discrimination unfolding before our very eyes as more and more states adopt voter suppression laws. In gripping, enlightening detail she explains how voter suppression works, from photo ID requirements to gerrymandering to poll closures. And with vivid characters, she explores the resistance: the organizing, activism, and court battles to restore the basic right to vote to all Americans as the nation gears up for the 2020 presidential election season.

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The Summer Garden by Sherryl Woods (eBook)

Falling for “Maddening Moira” O’Malley was the unexpected highlight of Luke O’Brien’s Dublin holiday. So when she pays a surprise visit to Chesapeake Shores, Luke is thrilled…at first. A fling with this wild Irish rose is one thing, but forever? Maybe someday, but not when he’s totally focused on establishing a business that will prove his mettle to his overachieving family.

Given Luke’s reaction, Moira has some soul-searching of her own to do. Scarred by her father’s abandonment, she wonders if Luke, with his playboy past, is truly the family man she longs for. Adding to her dilemma, she’s offered an amazing chance at a dream career of her own.
Deep down, though, Moira knows home is the real prize, and that love can be every bit as enchanted as a summer garden.

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We Ride Upon Sticks: A Novel by Quan Barry and Isabel Keating (Audiobook)

“We Ride Upon Sticks . . . is for the kind of adults who watch Stranger Things and still have, somewhere, an athletic award inscribed on a paper plate.” —NPR

Acclaimed novelist Quan Barry delivers a tour de female force in this delightful novel. Set in the coastal town of Danvers, Massachusetts, where the accusations began that led to the 1692 witch trials, We Ride Upon Sticks follows the 1989 Danvers High School Falcons field hockey team, who will do anything to make it to the state finals—even if it means tapping into some devilishly dark powers. In chapters dense with 1980s iconography—from Heathers to “big hair”—Barry expertly weaves together the individual and collective progress of this enchanted team as they storm their way through an unforgettable season.

Helmed by good-girl captain Abby Putnam (a descendant of the infamous Salem accuser Ann Putnam) and her co-captain Jen Fiorenza (whose bleached blond “Claw” sees and knows all), the Falcons prove to be wily, original, and bold, flaunting society’s stale notions of femininity in order to find their glorious true selves through the crucible of team sport and, more importantly, friendship.

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Be well and happy reading!

Linda Reimer, SSCL

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References

Smith, Timothy. (2018, September 20.) How Voter Suppression Threatens Our Democracy. The Washington Post., https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/how-voter-suppression-threatens-our-democracy/2018/09/20/c1dd3b8a-aad3-11e8-b1da-ff7faa680710_story.html

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Note: Book summaries are from the respective publishers unless otherwise specified.

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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.

Hi everyone, here is the weekly list of New York Times Bestsellers available in the Digital Catalog.

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If you have questions about how to access digital content, you can write a comment and post it on the blog, or send me, SSCL Librarian Linda Reimer, questions via email: reimerl@stls.org

 

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FICTION:

28 SUMMERS by Elin Hilderbrand (Downloadable Audiobooks):

A relationship that started in 1993 between Mallory Blessing and Jake McCloud comes to light while she is on her deathbed and his wife runs for president.

 

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AMERICAN DIRT by Jeanine Cummins (eBook):

A bookseller flees Mexico for the United States with her son while pursued by the head of a drug cartel.

 

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CAMINO WINDS by John Grisham (eBook):

The line between fact and fiction becomes blurred when an author of thrillers is found dead after a hurricane hits Camino Island.

 

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DADDY’S GIRLS by Danielle Steel (eBook):

After a California rancher‘s sudden death, his three daughters discover things they did not know about their father.

 

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DEACON KING KONG by James McBride (Downloadable Audiobook):

In 1969, secrets in a South Brooklyn neighborhood are uncovered when a church deacon known as Sportcoat shoots a drug dealer in public.

 

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DEVOLUTION by Max Brooks (Downloadable Audiobook):

In the aftermath of Mount Rainier erupting, Kate Holland’s newly discovered journals tell the tale of the creature known as Bigfoot.

 

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FAIR WARNING by Michael Connelly (Downloadable Audiobook):

The third book in the Jack McEvoy series. A reporter tracks a killer who uses genetic data to pick his victims.

 

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THE GUARDIANS by John Grisham (eBook):

Cullen Post, a lawyer and Episcopal minister, antagonizes some ruthless killers when he takes on a wrongful conviction case.

 

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THE GUEST LIST by Lucy Foley (Downloadable Audiobook):

A wedding between a TV star and a magazine publisher on an island off the coast of Ireland turns deadly.

 

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HIDEAWAY by Nora Roberts (Downloadable Audiobook):

A child star escapes her abductors, gathers herself in western Ireland and returns to Hollywood.

 

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IF IT BLEEDS by Stephen King (eBook):

Four novellas: “Mr. Harrigan’s Phone,” “The Life of Chuck,” “Rat” and “If It Bleeds.”

 

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LITTLE FIRES EVERYWHERE by Celeste Ng (eBook):

An artist upends a quiet town outside Cleveland.

 

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SUMMER HOUSE by James Patterson and Brendan DuBois (Downloadable Audiobook):

Jeremiah Cook, a veteran and former N.Y.P.D. cop, investigates a mass murder near a lake in Georgia.

 

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TOM CLANCY: FIRING POINT by Mike Maden (eBook):

When an old friend is killed during the bombing of a Barcelona cafe, Jack Ryan Jr. searches for those responsible.

 

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THE VANISHING HALF by Brit Bennett (eBook)

The lives of twin sisters who run away from a Southern black community at age 16 diverge as one returns and the other takes on a different racial identity.

 

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WALK THE WIRE by David Baldacci (eBook):

The sixth book in the Memory Man series. Decker and Jamison investigate a murder in a North Dakota town in a fracking boom.

 

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WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING by Delia Owens (eBook):

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 (eBook):

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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BETWEEN THE WORLD AND ME by Ta-Nehisi Coates (eBook):

Winner of the 2015 National Book Award for nonfiction. A meditation on race in America as well as a personal story, framed as a letter to the author’s teenage son.

 

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THE COLOR OF LAW by Richard Rothstein (eBooks):

An examination of the ways in which the government caused residential segregation through racial zoning and other systemic practices.

 

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EDUCATED by Tara Westover (eBook):

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

 

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FORTITUDE by Dan Crenshaw (eBook):

The Texas congressman and former Navy SEAL prescribes ways to overcome adversity.

 

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HOW TO BE AN ANTIRACIST by Ibram X. Kendi (eBook):

A primer for creating a more just and equitable society through identifying and opposing racism.

 

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I’M STILL HERE by Austin Channing Brown (Downloadable Audiobook):

A black woman who was given a white man’s name by her parents shares her journey to finding her own worth and what stands in the way of racial justice.

 

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JUST MERCY by Bryan Stevenson (Downloadable Audiobook):

: A law professor and MacArthur grant recipient’s memoir of his decades of work to free innocent people condemned to death.

 

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THE MAMBA MENTALITY by Kobe Bryant (eBook):

Various skills and techniques used on the court by the Los Angeles Lakers player.

 

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ME AND WHITE SUPREMACY by Layla F. Saad (eBook):

Ways to understand and possibly counteract white privilege.

 

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THE NEW JIM CROW by Michelle Alexander (eBook):

A law professor takes aim at the “war on drugs,” mass incarceration and their impact on black men.

 

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SO YOU WANT TO TALK ABOUT RACE by Ijeoma Oluo (Downloadable Audiobook)

A look at the contemporary racial landscape of the United States.

 

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SPLENDID AND THE VILE by Erik Larson (eBook):

An examination of the leadership of the prime minister Winston Churchill.

 

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STAMPED FROM THE BEGINNING by Ibram X. Kendi (Downloadable Audiobook):

Winner of the 2016 National Book Award for nonfiction. A look at anti-black racist ideas and their effect on the course of American history.

 

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UNTAMED by Glennon Doyle (eBook):

The activist and public speaker describes her journey of listening to her inner voice.

 

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WHITE FRAGILITY by Robin DiAngelo (eBook):

Historical and cultural analyses on what causes defensive moves by white people and how this inhibits cross-racial dialogue.

 

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WHY ARE ALL THE BLACK KIDS SITTING TOGETHER IN THE CAFETERIA? by Beverly Tatum (eBook):

The president emerita of Spelman College examines whether self-segregation is a problem or a coping strategy.

 

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Be well and read on!

Linda Reimer, SSL

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Note: this list contains all the New York Times fiction and non-fiction bestsellers for the week that are owned by libraries within the Southern Tier Library System.

Tech Talk is a Southeast Steuben County Library blog.

Hi everyone, here is our bi-weekly recommended listening posting for Friday, June 26, 2020.

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The next Suggested Listening posting will be out on Friday, July 3, 2020.

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And here are the music recommendations for today!

Bach: 4. Cello-Suite (Sarabande) by Alisa Weilerstein (Genre: Classical)

The passionate celloist plays! The suite is from her 2020 release, simply titled Bach (2020).

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Build A House by Rhiannon Giddens and Yo-Yo Ma (Genre: Americana, Classical)

A terrific collaboration between Americana singer-songwriter and musician Rhiannon Giddens and the equally great celloist Yo-Yo Ma!

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Crazy Mama by John Craigie (Genre: Folk)

From his album Asterisk the Universe (2020)

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Doggone Right by Smokey Robinson & The Miracles (Genre: Vocal, R&B, Traditional R&B)

A fun song by the classic vocal group, from their album Time Out for Smokey Robinson & the Miracles (1969).

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Light My Fire by The Doors (Genre: Rock, Classic Rock)

Recorded in concert, from their debut album, The Doors (1967).

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Memphis Rain by Victor Wainwright And the Train (Genre: Swinging Rock, Blues)

The blues-rockin’ pianist Victor Wainwright and his band, with a song from their new album, Memphis Loud (2020).

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Rain Falls Down in Amsterdam 2011 by Eric Anderson (Genre: Folk)

The folk great with a song from his new album Woodstock Under the Stars (2020).

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Song for the Morning Star by R. Carols Nakai (Genre: New Age)

Native American flutist R. Carols Nakai playing a soothing, nature-centric song, from his album The Canyon Trilogy (1989).

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The Thing Called Love by Bonnie Raitt (Genre: Blues, Rock)

One of Bonnie’s biggest hits, from her album Luck of the Draw (1991).

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Wicked Game by Chris Isaak (Genre: Vocal, Pop-Rock)

A wonderful Roy Orbison-esque song in the blue-eyed soul tradition, from the album Heart Shaped World (1989).

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Be well & happy listening!

Linda Reimer, SSCL

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REFERENCES:

Print References

The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits by Joel Whitburn

Online References

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

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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.

ABOUT LIBRARY APPS: Libby & RBDigital:

You can access digital library content on PCs, Macs and mobile devices. For mobile devices simply download the Libby and/or the RBDigital app, to check out eBooks, downloadable audiobooks and on-demand magazines, 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 is our bi-weekly recommended listening posting for Wednesday, June 24, 2020.

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The next Suggested Listening posting will be out on Friday, June 26, 2020.

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And here are the music recommendations for today!

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Big Noise From Winnetka by Gene Krupa

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Get Up And Go by The Weavers

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The Happy Organ by Dave “Baby” Cortez

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I Don’t Care if the Sun Don’t Shine by Elvis

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Last Night by The Mar-Keys

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Let There Be Drums by Sandy Nelson

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Oh Well by Fleetwood Mac

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Peter Gunn Theme by The Blues Brothers

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Shameless by Billy Joel & Garth Brooks

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Summer Breeze by Seals & Croft

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Take Five by Dave Brubeck

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Tonight from West Side Story

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Be well & happy listening!

Linda Reimer, SSCL

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REFERENCES:

Print References

The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits by Joel Whitburn

Online References

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

–

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.

ABOUT LIBRARY APPS: Libby & RBDigital:

You can access digital library content on PCs, Macs and mobile devices. For mobile devices simply download the Libby and/or the RBDigital app, to check out eBooks, downloadable audiobooks and on-demand magazines, 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 our recommended titles for the week, consisting entirely of eBooks & downloadable audiobooks available through the Digital Catalog.

–

Suggested Reading of the Week:

Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen (eBook)

A New York Times bestseller

Up all night.

Nights have always been Auden’s time, her chance to escape everything that’s going on around her.

Then she meets Eli, a fellow insomniac, and he becomes her nocturnal tour guide.
Now, with an endless supply of summer nights between them, almost anything can happen. . . .

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The Angel of the Crows by Katherine Addison (eBook)

Katherine Addison, author of The Goblin Emperor, returns with The Angel of the Crows, a fantasy novel of alternate 1880s London, where killers stalk the night and the ultimate power is naming.
This is not the story you think it is. These are not the characters you think they are. This is not the book you are expecting.

In an alternate 1880s London, angels inhabit every public building, and vampires and werewolves walk the streets with human beings in a well-regulated truce. A fantastic utopia, except for a few things: Angels can Fall, and that Fall is like a nuclear bomb in both the physical and metaphysical worlds. And human beings remain human, with all their kindness and greed and passions and murderous intent.

Jack the Ripper stalks the streets of this London too. But this London has an Angel. The Angel of the Crows.

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Barkskins by Annie Proulx (eBook)

Now a television mini-series airing on National Geographic May 2020!

A Washington Post Best Book of the Year & a New York Times Notable Book
From the Pulitzer Prize–­­winning author of The Shipping News and “Brokeback Mountain,” comes the New York Times bestselling epic about the demise of the world’s forests: “Barkskins is grand entertainment in the tradition of Dickens and Tolstoy…the crowning achievement of Annie Proulx’s distinguished career, but also perhaps the greatest environmental novel ever written” (San Francisco Chronicle).

In the late seventeenth century two young Frenchmen, René Sel and Charles Duquet, arrive in New France. Bound to a feudal lord for three years in exchange for land, they become wood-cutters—barkskins. René suffers extraordinary hardship, oppressed by the forest he is charged with clearing. He is forced to marry a native woman and their descendants live trapped between two cultures. But Duquet runs away, becomes a fur trader, then sets up a timber business. Annie Proulx tells the stories of the descendants of Sel and Duquet over three hundred years—their travels across North America, to Europe, China, and New Zealand—the revenge of rivals, accidents, pestilence, Indian attacks, and cultural annihilation. Over and over, they seize what they can of a presumed infinite resource, leaving the modern-day characters face to face with possible ecological collapse.

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Death by Dumpling written by Vivien Chien and read by Cheryl May (Downloadable Audiobook)

Welcome to the Ho-Lee Noodle House, where the Chinese food is to die for. . .

The last place Lana Lee thought she would ever end up is back at her family’s restaurant. But after a brutal break-up and a dramatic workplace walk-out, she figures that helping wait tables is her best option for putting her life back together. Even if that means having to put up with her mother, who is dead-set on finding her a husband.

Lana’s love life soon becomes yesterday’s news once the restaurant’s property manager, Mr. Feng, turns up dead—after a delivery of shrimp dumplings from Ho-Lee. But how could this have happened when everyone on staff knew about Mr. Feng’s severe, life-threatening shellfish allergy?

Now, with the whole restaurant under suspicion for murder and the local media in a feeding frenzy—to say nothing of the gorgeous police detective who keeps turning up for take-out—it’s up to Lana to find out who is behind Feng’s killer order. . . before her own number is up.

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The Empire of Gold: A Novel by S. A. Chakraborty (eBook)

The final chapter in the bestselling, critically acclaimed Daevabad Trilogy, in which a con-woman and an idealistic djinn prince join forces to save a magical kingdom from a devastating civil war.
Daevabad has fallen.

After a brutal conquest stripped the city of its magic, Nahid leader Banu Manizheh and her resurrected commander, Dara, must try to repair their fraying alliance and stabilize a fractious, warring people.

But the bloodletting and loss of his beloved Nahri have unleashed the worst demons of Dara’s dark past. To vanquish them, he must face some ugly truths about his history and put himself at the mercy of those he once considered enemies.

Having narrowly escaped their murderous families and Daevabad’s deadly politics, Nahri and Ali, now safe in Cairo, face difficult choices of their own. While Nahri finds peace in the old rhythms and familiar comforts of her human home, she is haunted by the knowledge that the loved ones she left behind and the people who considered her a savior are at the mercy of a new tyrant. Ali, too, cannot help but look back, and is determined to return to rescue his city and the family that remains. Seeking support in his mother’s homeland, he discovers that his connection to the marid goes far deeper than expected and threatens not only his relationship with Nahri, but his very faith.

As peace grows more elusive and old players return, Nahri, Ali, and Dara come to understand that in order to remake the world, they may need to fight those they once loved . . . and take a stand for those they once hurt.

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Lake Season by Denise Hunter (eBook)

Romance and old secrets beckon in this small North Carolina lake town.

When her parents die in a tragic accident, Molly Bennett and her siblings pull together to fulfill their parents’ dream of turning their historic Bluebell, North Carolina, home back into an inn. Staying in town would be temporary—three years at most—then they plan to sell the inn, and Molly can get back to chasing her own dreams.

Adam Bradford (aka bestselling author Nathaniel Quinn) is a reclusive novelist with a bad case of writer’s block. Desperate for inspiration as his deadline approaches, he travels to the setting of his next book, a North Carolina lake town. There, he meets his muse, a young innkeeper who fancies herself in love with his alter ego.

Molly and Adam strike up an instant friendship. When Molly finds a long-lost letter in the walls of her inn, she and Adam embark on a mission to find the star-crossed lovers and bring them the closure they deserve. But Adam has secrets he isn’t ready to share. Past and present collide as truths surface, and Molly and Adam will have to decide if love is worth trusting.

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Love: A Novel by Roddy Doyle (Downloadable Audiobook)

Two old friends reconnect in Dublin for a dramatic, revealing evening of drinking and storytelling in this winning new novel from the author of the Booker Prize winning Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha
Davy and Joe were drinking pals back in their Dublin youth. Davy rarely sees Joe for a pint anymore—maybe one or two when Davy comes over from England to check on his elderly father. But tonight Davy’s father is dying in the hospice, and Joe has a secret that will lead the two on a bender back to the haunts of their youth.

Joe had left his wife and family a year earlier for another woman, Jessica. Davy knows her too, or should—she was the girl of their dreams four decades earlier, the girl with the cello in George’s pub. As Joe’s story unfolds across Dublin—pint after pint, pub after pub—so too do the memories of what eventually drove Davy from Ireland: the upheaval that Faye, his feisty, profane wife, would bring into his life; his father’s somber disapproval; the pained spaces left behind when a parent dies.

As much a hymn to the Dublin of old as a delightfully comic yet moving portrait of what it means to try to put into words the many forms that love can take, Love marks a triumphant new turn for Roddy Doyle.

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The Margot Affair: A Novel by Sanaë Lemoine (eBook)

The secret daughter of a French politician and a famous actress drops the startling revelation that will shatter her family in this beguiling debut novel of intrigue and betrayal.

NAMED ONE OF SUMMER’S BEST BOOKS BY Marie Claire • LitHub • Subway Book Review • Paperback Paris

Margot Louve is a secret: the child of a longstanding affair between an influential French politician with presidential ambitions and a prominent stage actress. This hidden family exists in stolen moments in a small Parisian apartment on the Left Bank.

It is a house of cards that Margot—fueled by a longing to be seen and heard—decides to tumble. The summer of her seventeenth birthday, she meets the man who will set her plan in motion: a well-regarded journalist whose trust seems surprisingly easy to gain. But as Margot is drawn into an adult world she struggles to comprehend, she learns how one impulsive decision can threaten a family’s love with ruin, shattering the lives of those around her in ways she could never have imagined.

Exposing the seams between private lives and public faces, The Margot Affair is a novel of deceit, desire, and transgression—and the exhilarating knife-edge upon which the danger of telling the truth outweighs the cost of keeping secrets.

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Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (Genre: eBook)

An isolated mansion. A chillingly charismatic artistocrat. And a brave socialite drawn to expose their treacherous secrets. . . .

After receiving a frantic letter from her newly-wed cousin begging for someone to save her from a mysterious doom, Noemí Taboada heads to High Place, a distant house in the Mexican countryside. She’s not sure what she will find—her cousin’s husband, a handsome Englishman, is a stranger, and Noemí knows little about the region.

Noemí is also an unlikely rescuer: She’s a glamorous debutante, and her chic gowns and perfect red lipstick are more suited for cocktail parties than amateur sleuthing. But she’s also tough and smart, with an indomitable will, and she is not afraid: Not of her cousin’s new husband, who is both menacing and alluring; not of his father, the ancient patriarch who seems to be fascinated by Noemí; and not even of the house itself, which begins to invade Noemi’s dreams with visions of blood and doom.

Her only ally in this inhospitable abode is the family’s youngest son. Shy and gentle, he seems to want to help Noemí, but might also be hiding dark knowledge of his family’s past. For there are many secrets behind the walls of High Place. The family’s once colossal wealth and faded mining empire kept them from prying eyes, but as Noemí digs deeper she unearths stories of violence and madness.

And Noemí, mesmerized by the terrifying yet seductive world of High Place, may soon find it impossible to ever leave this enigmatic house behind.

Praise for Mexican Gothic

“A shiver-inducing tale combining touches of Northanger Abbey with bits of the Gormenghast trilogy . . . to create a fascinating atmosphere of dark dreams and intrigue.”—Booklist

“A terrifying twist on classic gothic horror . . . Moreno-Garcia weaves elements of Mexican folklore with themes of decay, sacrifice, and rebirth, casting a dark spell all the way to the visceral and heart-pounding finale. Fans of gothic classics like Rebecca will be enthralled as long as they don’t mind a heaping dose of all-out horror.”—Kirkus Reviews

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Summer at Lake Haven: Haven Point Series written by RaeAnne Thayne and read by Vanessa Johansson (Downloadable Audiobook).

They both thought they knew what the future held—until the summer they crossed paths in Haven Point…

Samantha Fremont has been struggling with the weight of her mother’s expectations for years. But now that her mother has passed away, it’s time for Sam to be bold and finally establish the fashion design business she’s always dreamed of. And the perfect opportunity has fallen into her lap. Her friend’s getting married and has asked Sam to create her wedding dress. It’s an honor—and something that could launch Sam’s career…if only she could avoid the bride’s infuriating brother, who’s temporarily the boy next door.

Ian Somerhill knows a sabbatical in Haven Point is exactly what he and his children need to recover from their mother’s death. His romantic relationship with his ex-wife may have ended years ago, but caring for her throughout her illness broke his heart. All he wants is to watch his little sister walk down the aisle and to see his kids smile again. And somehow his lovely new neighbor is instrumental in both. But as their uneasy truce blossoms into a genuine friendship and eventually into something more, Ian has obligations in England he can’t ignore—and a secret that threatens the fragile trust he and Sam have built.

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Be well and happy reading!

Linda Reimer, SSCL

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Note: Book summaries are from the respective publishers unless otherwise specified.

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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.

Hi everyone, here is the weekly list of New York Times Bestsellers available in the Digital Catalog.

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If you have questions about how to access digital content, you can write a comment and post it on the blog, or send me, SSCL Librarian Linda Reimer, questions via email: reimerl@stls.org

 

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FICTION:

AMERICAN DIRT by Jeanine Cummins (eBook):

A bookseller flees Mexico for the United States with her son while pursued by the head of a drug cartel.

 

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BIG SUMMER by Jennifer Weiner (eBook):

Daphne Berg’s former best friend asks her to be the maid of honor at her wedding in Cape Cod.

 

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CAMINO WINDS by John Grisham (eBook):

The line between fact and fiction becomes blurred when an author of thrillers is found dead after a hurricane hits Camino Island.

 

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DADDY’S GIRLS by Danielle Steel (eBook):

After a California rancher‘s sudden death, his three daughters discover things they did not know about their father.

 

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DANCE AWAY WITH ME by Susan Elizabeth Phillips (Downloadable Audiobook):

Tess Hartsong, a midwife and widow, goes to find peace of mind in the mountains of Tennessee.

 

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DAUGHTERS OF ERIETOWN by Connie Schultz (eBook):

The story of four generations of an Ohio family brings to life the tribulations encountered and bonds formed by women in the 20th century.

 

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FAIR WARNING by Michael Connelly (Downloadable Audiobook):

The third book in the Jack McEvoy series. A reporter tracks a killer who uses genetic data to pick his victims.

 

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THE GUEST LIST by Lucy Foley (Downloadable Audiobook):

A wedding between a TV star and a magazine publisher on an island off the coast of Ireland turns deadly.

 

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HIDEAWAY by Nora Roberts (Downloadable Audiobook):

A child star escapes her abductors, gathers herself in western Ireland and returns to Hollywood.

 

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IF IT BLEEDS by Stephen King (eBook):

Four novellas: “Mr. Harrigan’s Phone,” “The Life of Chuck,” “Rat” and “If It Bleeds.”

 

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LIES THAT BIND by Emily Giffin (eBook):

When the new man in her life disappears on 9/11, the budding reporter Cecily Gardner questions what she knew about him.

 

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LITTLE FIRES EVERYWHERE by Celeste Ng (eBook):

An artist upends a quiet town outside Cleveland.

 

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SUMMER HOUSE by James Patterson and Brendan DuBois (Downloadable Audiobook):

Jeremiah Cook, a veteran and former N.Y.P.D. cop, investigates a mass murder near a lake in Georgia.

 

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TOM CLANCY: FIRING POINT by Mike Maden (eBook):

When an old friend is killed during the bombing of a Barcelona cafe, Jack Ryan Jr. searches for those responsible.

 

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THE VANISHING HALF by Brit Bennett (eBook)

The lives of twin sisters who run away from a Southern black community at age 16 diverge as one returns and the other takes on a different racial identity.

 

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WALK THE WIRE by David Baldacci (eBook):

The sixth book in the Memory Man series. Decker and Jamison investigate a murder in a North Dakota town in a fracking boom.

 

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WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING by Delia Owens (eBook):

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 (eBook):

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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BETWEEN THE WORLD AND ME by Ta-Nehisi Coates (eBook):

Winner of the 2015 National Book Award for nonfiction. A meditation on race in America as well as a personal story, framed as a letter to the author’s teenage son.

 

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BORN A CRIME by Trevor Noah (eBook):

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

 

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THE COLOR OF LAW by Richard Rothstein (eBooks):

An examination of the ways in which the government caused residential segregation through racial zoning and other systemic practices.

 

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EDUCATED by Tara Westover (eBook):

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

 

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HOW TO BE AN ANTIRACIST by Ibram X. Kendi (eBook):

A primer for creating a more just and equitable society through identifying and opposing racism.

 

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I’M STILL HERE by Austin Channing Brown (Downloadable Audiobook):

A black woman who was given a white man’s name by her parents shares her journey to finding her own worth and what stands in the way of racial justice.

 

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JUST MERCY by Bryan Stevenson (Downloadable Audiobook):

: A law professor and MacArthur grant recipient’s memoir of his decades of work to free innocent people condemned to death.

 

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THE MAMBA MENTALITY by Kobe Bryant (eBook):

Various skills and techniques used on the court by the Los Angeles Lakers player.

 

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ME AND WHITE SUPREMACY by Layla F. Saad (eBook):

Ways to understand and possibly counteract white privilege.

 

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THE NEW JIM CROW by Michelle Alexander (eBook):

A law professor takes aim at the “war on drugs,” mass incarceration and their impact on black men.

 

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OUR TIME IS NOW by Stacey Abrams (Downloadable Audiobook):

The nonprofit chief executive and former minority leader of the Georgia House of Representatives makes her case for voter protections, elevated identity politics and moral international leadership.

 

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SO YOU WANT TO TALK ABOUT RACE by Ijeoma Oluo (Downloadable Audiobook)

A look at the contemporary racial landscape of the United States.

 

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SPLENDID AND THE VILE by Erik Larson (eBook):

An examination of the leadership of the prime minister Winston Churchill.

 

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STAMPED FROM THE BEGINNING by Ibram X. Kendi (Downloadable Audiobook):

Winner of the 2016 National Book Award for nonfiction. A look at anti-black racist ideas and their effect on the course of American history.

 

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UNTAMED by Glennon Doyle (eBook):

The activist and public speaker describes her journey of listening to her inner voice.

 

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WHITE FRAGILITY by Robin DiAngelo (eBook):

Historical and cultural analyses on what causes defensive moves by white people and how this inhibits cross-racial dialogue.

 

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WHY ARE ALL THE BLACK KIDS SITTING TOGETHER IN THE CAFETERIA? by Beverly Tatum (eBook):

The president emerita of Spelman College examines whether self-segregation is a problem or a coping strategy.

 

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Be well and read on!

Linda Reimer, SSL

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Note: this list contains all the New York Times fiction and non-fiction bestsellers for the week that are owned by libraries within the Southern Tier Library System.

Tech Talk is a Southeast Steuben County Library blog.

Hi everyone, here is our bi-weekly recommended listening posting for Friday, June 19, 2020.

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The next Suggested Listening posting will be out on Wednesday, June 24.

And as the Southeast Steuben County Library will reopen, at our annex location, starting Monday, June 29, I shall revert to a weekly suggested listening schedule with the Suggested Listening posting on Friday, June 26.

Regarding curbside appointments, initially, the library will be open for patrons to pick up and drop off books by curbside appointment only. You can make an appointment by either calling the library at 607-936-3713 or via the following link https://www.ssclibrary.org/appointment/

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And here are the music recommendations for today!

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All Night Long by Lionel Richie (Genre: R&B, Pop)

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Black Fire by Andrew Hill (Genre: Jazz)

Black Fire is the title track from Chicago based Avant-garde and bop composer and pianist Andrew Hill, originally released in 1963.

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Dance With Mr. Domino by Fats Domino (Genre: Classic R&B, Pop, Rock)

An upbeat dance tune, perfect for hanging out in the back yard or by the pool, by the legendary Fats Domino!

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Dreamboat Annie by Heart (Genre: Rock)

Pacific Northwest rockers Anne & Nancy Wilson and company with one of their classic songs!

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Girl In A Country Song by Maddie & Tae (Genre: Country)

Maddie & Tae are Maddie Marlow and Taylor Dye, who met while studying with the same vocal teacher in high school. And their Girl In A Country Song features a humorous take on how women usually appear in country music videos.

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It’s All Good by Boney James (Genre: Jazz)

Saxophonist and composer Boney James with a mellow and upbeat song from his classic 1997 album Sweet Thing.

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Lazy Summer Night by The Four Preps (Genre: Classic Pop, Vocal)

A hit in 1958 for the classic Hollywood based vocal group.

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The Lost Concert by The Beach Boys (Genre: Classic Rock, Surf Rock) (Time: 21:34)

Songs in this short 1964 concert include Fun Fun Fun, Long Tall Texan, Little Deuce Coup, Surfer Girl, Surfin’ USA, Shut Down, In My Room, Papa-Oom-Mow-Mow & Hawaii.

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A Summer Song by Chad & Jeremy (Genre: Classic Pop)

In honor of the arrival of summer this Saturday, June 20, 2020, a classic song by the English folk duo.

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You Needed Me by Anne Murray (Genre: Vocal, Pop)

A number one song in 1978!

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Be well & happy listening!

Linda Reimer, SSCL

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REFERENCES:

Print References

The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits by Joel Whitburn

Online References

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

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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.

ABOUT LIBRARY APPS: Libby & RBDigital:

You can access digital library content on PCs, Macs and mobile devices. For mobile devices simply download the Libby and/or the RBDigital app, to check out eBooks, downloadable audiobooks and on-demand magazines, 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 is our bi-weekly recommended listening posting for Wednesday, June 17, 2020.

–

The next Suggested Listening posting will be out on Friday, June 19, 2020.

–

And here are the music recommendations for today!

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Suggested Listening June 17, 2020:

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Angels Around by Kurt Rosenwinkel (Genre: Jazz, Guitar)

Angels Around is the title track from Kurt Rosenwinkel’s new LP – check it out!

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I’m Alive by Norah Jones (Genre: Pop, Rock, Jazz)

I’m Alive is featured on Norah’s new album Pick Me Up Off the Floor.

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I’m Getting Sentimental Over You by Tommy Dorsey (Genre: Jazz, Swing)

A swinging favorite from Tommy Dorsey and his Orchestra!

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In The Heights (Broadway Show/Lin-Manuel Miranda)

The title song from Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Broadway show In The Heights!

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Maybe I’m Amazed by Paul McCartney (Genre: Rock)

Maybe I’m Amazed was top ten hit for McCartney’s super-group Wings in the mid-seventies – selected today in celebration of Paul’s 78 birthday on June 18, 2020!

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Rough and Rowdy Ways by Bob Dylan (Genre: Folk, Rock)

The title track from Dylan’s new LP, coming out June 19!

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Schubert: Fantasy in C Major, Op. 15, D. 760 “Wanderer” – 4. Allegro by Seong-Jin Cho (Genre: Classical)

From the new album, The Wanderer: Schubert, Berg, Liszt, by classical pianist Seong-Jin Cho.

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Some Might Say by Oasis (Genre: Rock)

Oasis rocking out with a song from their second album, (What’s The Story) Morning Glory?

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The Urge for Going by Tom Rush (Genre: Folk)

Classic folk singer-songwriter Tom Rush singing a Joni Mitchell penned classic!

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You’d Be So Nice To Come Home To by Coleman Hawkins & Ben Webster (Genre: Jazz)

Classic jazz saxophonists Coleman Hawkins & Ben Webster playing together!

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Be well & happy listening!

Linda Reimer, SSCL

–

REFERENCES:

Print References

The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits by Joel Whitburn

Online References

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

–

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.

ABOUT LIBRARY APPS: Libby & RBDigital:

You can access digital library content on PCs, Macs and mobile devices. For mobile devices simply download the Libby and/or the RBDigital app, to check out eBooks, downloadable audiobooks and on-demand magazines, 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 our recommended titles for the week, consisting entirely of eBooks & downloadable audiobooks available through the Digital Catalog.

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Suggested Reading of the Week:

The Book of Rosy: A Mother’s Story of Separation at the Border by Rosayra Pablo Cruz & Julie Schwietert Collazo (Format: eBook)

“Offers hope in the face of desperate odds” – ELLE Magazine, ELLE’s Most Anticipated Books of Summer 2020

“[D]isturbing and unforgettable memoir…This wrenching story brings to vivid life the plight of the many families separated at the U.S.-Mexico border.” – Publisher’s Weekly, STARRED REVIEW

“[The] haunting and eloquent…narrative of a Guatemalan woman’s desperate search for a better life.” -Kirkus, STARRED Review

Compelling and urgently important, The Book of Rosy is the unforgettable story of one brave mother and her fight to save her family.

When Rosayra “Rosy” Pablo Cruz made the agonizing decision to seek asylum in the United States with two of her children, she knew the journey would be arduous, dangerous, and quite possibly deadly. But she had no choice: violence—from gangs, from crime, from spiraling chaos—was making daily life hell. Rosy knew her family’s one chance at survival was to flee Guatemala and go north.

After a brutal journey that left them dehydrated, exhausted, and nearly starved, Rosy and her two little boys arrived at the Arizona border. Almost immediately they were seized and forcibly separated by government officials under the Department of Homeland Security’s new “zero tolerance” policy. To her horror Rosy discovered that her flight to safety had only just begun.

In The Book of Rosy, with an unprecedented level of sharp detail and soulful intimacy, Rosy tells her story, aided by Julie Schwietert Collazo, founder of Immigrant Families Together, the grassroots organization that reunites mothers and children. She reveals the cruelty of the detention facilities, the excruciating pain of feeling her children ripped from her arms, the abiding faith that staved off despair—and the enduring friendship with Julie, which helped her navigate the darkness and the bottomless Orwellian bureaucracy.

A gripping account of the human cost of inhumane policies, The Book of Rosy is also a paean to the unbreakable will of people united by true love, a sense of justice, and hope for a better future.

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Broken People: A Novel Sam Lansky (Format: eBook)

A Vogue Most Anticipated Book of 2020

An O, The Oprah Magazine “LGBTQ Book That Will Change the Literary Landscape in 2020”
“Profound and affecting.”—Chloe Benjamin

“Broken People leads us through the winds of time and memory to offer a riveting portrait of transformation. I am better for having read it.”—Jamie Lee Curtis

A groundbreaking, incandescent debut novel about coming to grips with the past and ourselves, for fans of Sally Rooney, Hanya Yanagihara and Garth Greenwell

“He fixes everything that’s wrong with you in three days.”

This is what hooks Sam when he first overhears it at a fancy dinner party in the Hollywood hills: the story of a globe-trotting shaman who claims to perform “open-soul surgery” on emotionally damaged people. For neurotic, depressed Sam, new to Los Angeles after his life in New York imploded, the possibility of total transformation is utterly tantalizing. He’s desperate for something to believe in, and the shaman—who promises ancient rituals, plant medicine and encounters with the divine—seems convincing, enough for Sam to sign up for a weekend under his care.

But are the great spirits the shaman says he’s summoning real at all? Or are the ghosts in Sam’s memory more powerful than any magic?

At turns tender and acid, funny and wise, Broken People is a journey into the nature of truth and fiction—a story of discovering hope amid cynicism, intimacy within chaos and peace in our own skin.

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The Crystal Cave Trilogy: The Omnibus Edition of the Crystal Cave Trilogy by Susan Wittig Albert (Format: eBook)

The omnibus edition of the Crystal Cave Trilogy, from NYT bestselling author, Susan Wittig Albert.

NoBODY: Ruby Wilcox has always known that she has a rare gift for seeing things that others can’t. But she tries to downplay her psychic gift—until she experiences a horrifying nightmare that just won’t stop. Again and again, she dreams that a woman is abducted on the hike-and-bike trail and knows that the victim is in deadly danger.

SomeBODY Else: Ruby is spending the weekend as a vendor at the annual Mystic Creek Harvest Festival, held at a Hill Country ranch. When she begins to suspect that she knows more than she’s meant to know about a murder, she has to decide how to use this dangerous knowledge.

Out of BODY: It’s Halloween, and Ruby is planning a busy holiday weekend at the Crystal Cave. But her holiday plans are interrupted when Jessica Nelson, crime reporter at the Pecan Springs Enterprise, shows up with a hard-to-believe story about a serial killer targeting the terminally ill. When Detective Ethan Connors gets involved and Jessica herself is threatened, Ruby’s psychic abilities are put to the test in ways she could never have predicted.

Ruby Wilcox can see things that others can’t, but that doesn’t guarantee that she knows her own heart. What would her life be like if she honored her psychic gifts and found powers within herself that she had never imagined?

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The Daughters of Erietown: A Novel by Connie Schultz (Format: eBook)

Hidden desires, long-held secrets, and the sacrifices people make for family are at the heart of this powerful first novel by the popular Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist.

“A moving, unforgettable story about time, progress, and how the mistakes of one generation get repeated or repaired by the next.”—J. Courtney Sullivan, New York Times bestselling author of Saints for All Occasions

1957, Clayton Valley, Ohio. Ellie has the best grades in her class. Her dream is to go to nursing school and marry Brick McGinty. A basketball star, Brick has the chance to escape his abusive father and become the first person in his blue-collar family to attend college. But when Ellie learns that she is pregnant, everything changes. Just as Brick and Ellie revise their plans and build a family, a knock on the front door threatens to destroy their lives.

The evolution of women’s lives spanning the second half of the twentieth century is at the center of this beautiful novel that richly portrays how much people know—and pretend not to know—about the secrets at the heart of a town, and a family.

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Dead Land: V.I. Warshawski Series, Book 20 written by Sara Paretsky and read by Susan Ericksen (Format: Downloadable Audiobook)

“V.I. Warshawski is as dogged and ferocious as ever. So is Sara Paretsky, who is at the top of her crime novel game.”— C.J. Box

Chicago’s legendary detective, V.I. Warshawski, knows her city’s rotten underbelly better than most, but she’s unable to avoid it when her goddaughter drags her into a fight over lakefront land use, in this propulsive novel from New York Times bestseller Sara Paretsky.

Chicago may be the city of broad shoulders, but its political law is “Pay to Play.” Money changes hands in the middle of the night, and by morning, buildings and parks are replaced by billion-dollar projects.

Chicago PI V.I. Warshawski gets pulled into one of these clandestine deals through her impetuous goddaughter, Bernie Fouchard. Bernie tries to rescue Lydia Zamir, a famed singer-songwriter now living on the streets; Zamir’s life fell apart when her lover was murdered next to her in a mass shooting at an outdoor concert. Not only does Bernie plunge her and V.I. headlong into the path of some ruthless developers, they lead to the murder of the young man Bernie is dating. He’s a computer geek working for a community group called SLICK.

V.I. is desperate to find a mysterious man named Coop, who roams the lakefront in the middle of the night with his dog. She’s sure he holds the key to the mounting body count within SLICK. Coop may even know why an international law firm is representing the mass murderer responsible for Lydia’s lover’s death. Instead, the detective finds a terrifying conspiracy stretching from Chicago’s parks to a cover-up of the dark chapters in America’s meddling in South American politics. Before she finds answers, this electrifying novel pushes V.I. close to the breaking point: People who pay to play take no prisoners.

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The Everlasting: A Novel by Katy Simpson Smith (Format: eBook)

Spanning two thousand years, The Everlasting follows four characters whose struggles resonate across the centuries: an early Christian child martyr; a medieval monk on crypt duty in a church; a Medici princess of Moorish descent; and a contemporary field biologist conducting an illicit affair.

Outsiders to a city layered and dense with history, this quartet separated by time grapple with the physicality of bodies, the necessity for sacrifice, and the power of love to sustain and challenge faith. Their small rebellions are witnessed and provoked by an omniscient, time-traveling Satan who, though incorporeal, nonetheless suffers from a heart in search of repair.

As their dramas unfold amid the brick, marble, and ghosts of Rome, they each must decide what it means to be good. Twelve-year old Prisca defiles the scrolls of her father’s library. Felix, a holy man, watches his friend’s body decay and is reminded of the first boy he loved passionately. Giulia de’ Medici, a beauty with dark skin and limitless wealth, wants to deliver herself from her unborn child. Tom, an American biologist studying the lives of the smallest creatures, cannot pinpoint when his own marriage began to die. As each of these conflicted people struggles with forces they cannot control, their circumstances raise a profound and timeless question at the heart of faith: What is our duty to each other, and what will God forgive?

Moving back through time from today (The Wilderness) to the Renaissance (The City) to the Middle Ages (The Grave) and finally to Rome under Marcus Aurelius (The Paradise), Tom, Guilia, Felix, and Prisca search and suffer for love in the eternal city, made vivid and familiar as they reappear in each century.

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How Did We Get Here?: From Theodore Roosevelt to Donald Trump by Robert Dallek (Format: eBook)

The award-winning, New York Times bestselling historian considers the vast array of triumphs and failures of America’s modern presidents that paved a path to Donald Trump, offering an understanding of our current moment and hope for a way back to true leadership.

The struggle to preserve the Republic has never been easy or without perils. The rise of conflicting political parties, which the founders opposed, and President John Adams’ Alien and Sedition Acts repressing First Amendment rights made Franklin’s observation at the conclusion of the Constitutional Convention—”a republic, if you can keep it”—seem prescient.

In the twentieth century, America endured numerous struggles: economic depression, World War II, McCarthyism, the Vietnam War, Watergate, the Iran-contra scandal, the war in Iraq—all of which gave rise to demagogues, as did the growth and reach of mass media. But this wasn’t the Founding Fathers’ vision for our leadership. The resistance to putting a demagogue in the White House survived the anti-Communist agitation of the 1950s and the Vietnam War in the 1960s. But the latter opened the way for Richard Nixon’s election in 1968 and Watergate, which again tested our democratic institutions and the rule of law. Nixon’s resignation in August 1974 moved Vice President Gerald Ford, his successor, to declare, “My fellow Americans, our long national nightmare is over.”

But was it? Donald Trump’s 2016 election has presented a new challenge. How did past politics and presidential administrations pave the way for this current assault on American democracy? Our nation’s history provides reassurance that we will restore our better angels to government. Yet it must be considered that earlier administrations and public outlook facilitated the rise of such an un-presidential character as Trump in the first place. In How Did We Get Here?, Robert Dallek considers a century of modern administrations, from Teddy Roosevelt to today, shining a light on the personalities behind the politics and the voters who elected each. His cautionary tale reminds us that the only constant in history is change, but whether for good or ill the choice is Americans’ to make.

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One Perfect Summer by Brenda Novak (Format: eBook)

Some families we’re born into

Some we find for ourselves

When Serenity Alston swabbed her cheek for 23andMe, she joked about uncovering some dark ancestral scandal. The last thing she expected was to discover two half sisters she didn’t know existed. Suddenly, everything about her loving family is drawn into question. And meeting these newfound sisters might be the only way to get answers.

The women decide to dig into the mystery together at Serenity’s family cabin in Lake Tahoe. With Reagan navigating romantic politics at work, and Lorelei staring down the collapse of her marriage, all three women are converging at a crossroads in their lives. Before the summer is over, they’ll have to confront the past and determine how to move forward when everything they previously thought to be true was a lie. But any future is easier to face with family by your side..

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Rebel Chef: In Search of What Matters by Dominique Crenn & Emma Brockes (Format: eBook)

The inspiring and deeply personal memoir from highly acclaimed chef Dominique Crenn

By the time Dominique Crenn decided to become a chef, at the age of twenty-one, she knew it was a near impossible dream in France where almost all restaurant kitchens were run by men. So, she left her home and everything she knew to move to San Francisco, where she would train under the legendary Jeremiah Tower. Almost thirty years later, Crenn was awarded three Michelin Stars in 2018 for her influential restaurant Atelier Crenn, and became the first female chef in the United States to receive this honor – no small feat for someone who hadn’t gone to culinary school or been formally trained.

In Rebel Chef, Crenn tells of her untraditional coming-of-age as a chef, beginning with her childhood in Versailles where she was emboldened by her parents to be curious and independent. But there is another reason Crenn has always felt free to pursue her own unconventional course. Adopted as a toddler, she didn’t resemble her parents or even look traditionally French. Growing up she often felt like an outsider, and was haunted by a past she knew nothing about. But after years of working to fill this blank space, Crenn has embraced the power her history gives her to be whoever she wants to be.

Here is a disarmingly honest and revealing look at one woman’s evolution from a daring young chef to a respected activist. Reflecting on the years she spent working in the male-centric world of professional kitchens, Crenn tracks her career from struggling cook to running one of the world’s most acclaimed restaurants, while at the same time speaking out on restaurant culture, sexism, immigration, and climate change. At once a tale of personal discovery and a tribute to unrelenting determination, Rebel Chef is the story of one woman making a place for herself in the kitchen, and in the world.

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The Resisters: A novel written by Jen Gish and read by William DeMeritt (Format: Downloadable Audiobook)

“The Resisters is palpably loving, smart, funny, and desperately unsettling. The novel should be required reading for the country both as a cautionary tale and because it is a stone-cold masterpiece. This is Gish Jen’s moment. She has pitched a perfect game.” —Ann Patchett

The time: not so long from now. The place: AutoAmerica. The land: half under water. The Internet: one part artificial intelligence, one part surveillance technology, and oddly human—even funny. The people: Divided. The angel-fair “Netted” have jobs, and literally occupy the high ground. The “Surplus” live on swampland if they’re lucky, on water if they’re not.

The story: To a Surplus couple—he once a professor, she still a lawyer—is born a Blasian girl with a golden arm. At two, Gwen is hurling her stuffed animals from the crib; by ten, she can hit whatever target she likes. Her teens find her happily playing in an underground baseball league.

When AutoAmerica rejoins the Olympics, though—with a special eye on beating ChinRussia—Gwen attracts interest. Soon she finds herself playing ball with the Netted even as her mother challenges the very foundations of this divided society.

A moving and important story of an America that seems ever more possible, The Resisters is also the story of one family struggling to maintain its humanity and normalcy in circumstances that threaten their every value—as well as their very existence.

Extraordinary and ordinary, charming and electrifying, this is Gish Jen at her most irresistible.

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Be well and happy reading!

Linda Reimer, SSCL

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Note: Book summaries are from the respective publishers unless otherwise specified.

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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.

Hi everyone, here is the weekly list of New York Times Bestsellers available in the Digital Catalog.

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If you have questions about how to access digital content, you can write a comment and post it on the blog, or send me, SSCL Librarian Linda Reimer, questions via email: reimerl@stls.org

 

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FICTION:

ALL ADULTS HERE by Emma Straub (Format: eBook):

A repressed memory triggers Astrid Strick to weigh the outcomes of her parenting of her now-grown children.

 

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AMERICAN DIRT by Jeanine Cummins (Format: eBook):

A bookseller flees Mexico for the United States with her son while pursued by the head of a drug cartel.

 

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BIG SUMMER by Jennifer Weiner (Format: eBook):

Daphne Berg’s former best friend asks her to be the maid of honor at her wedding in Cape Cod.

 

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A BURNING by Megha Majumdar (Format: eBook):

Jivan, PT Sir and Lovely seek to improve their circumstances within the complexity of contemporary Indian life

 

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CAMINO WINDS by John Grisham (Format: eBook):

The line between fact and fiction becomes blurred when an author of thrillers is found dead after a hurricane hits Camino Island.

 

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FAIR WARNING by Michael Connelly (Format: Downloadable Audiobook):

The third book in the Jack McEvoy series. A reporter tracks a killer who uses genetic data to pick his victims.

 

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THE GUEST LIST by Lucy Foley (Format: Downloadable Audiobook):

A wedding between a TV star and a magazine publisher on an island off the coast of Ireland turns deadly.

 

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HIDEAWAY by Nora Roberts (Format: Downloadable Audiobook):

A child star escapes her abductors, gathers herself in western Ireland and returns to Hollywood.

 

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HUSH by James Patterson and Candice Fox (Format: eBook):

The fourth book in the Detective Harriet Blue series. The man who put her in prison asks Harriet Blue to find missing members of his family.

 

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IF IT BLEEDS by Stephen King (Format: eBook):

Four novellas: “Mr. Harrigan’s Phone,” “The Life of Chuck,” “Rat” and “If It Bleeds.”

 

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LIES THAT BIND by Emily Giffin (Format: eBook):

When the new man in her life disappears on 9/11, the budding reporter Cecily Gardner questions what she knew about him.

 

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LITTLE FIRES EVERYWHERE by Celeste Ng (Format eBook):

An artist upends a quiet town outside Cleveland.

 

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NORMAL PEOPLE by Sally Rooney (Format: Downloadable Audiobook):

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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SILENT PATIENT by Alex Michaelides (Format: Downloadable Audiobook):

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

 

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SUCH A FUN AGE by Kiley Reid (Format: Downloadable Audiobook)

Tumult ensues when Alix Chamberlain’s babysitter is mistakenly accused of kidnapping her charge.

 

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THE VANISHING HALF by Brit Bennett (Format: eBooks)

The lives of twin sisters who run away from a Southern black community at age 16 diverge as one returns and the other takes on a different racial identity.

 

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WALK THE WIRE by David Baldacci (Format: eBook):

The sixth book in the Memory Man series. Decker and Jamison investigate a murder in a North Dakota town in a fracking boom.

 

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WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING by Delia Owens (eBook):

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 (Format: eBook):

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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BETWEEN THE WORLD AND ME by Ta-Nehisi Coates (Format: eBook):

Winner of the 2015 National Book Award for nonfiction. A meditation on race in America as well as a personal story, framed as a letter to the author’s teenage son.

 

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BORN A CRIME by Trevor Noah (Format: eBook):

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

 

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THE COLOR OF LAW by Richard Rothstein (Format:eBooks):

An examination of the ways in which the government caused residential segregation through racial zoning and other systemic practices.

 

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HOW TO BE AN ANTIRACIST by Ibram X. Kendi (Format: eBook):

A primer for creating a more just and equitable society through identifying and opposing racism.

 

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HUMANKIND by Rutger Bregman (Format: eBook):

The author of “Utopia for Realists” explains why he believes humans are kind, cooperative and trusting.

 

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I’M STILL HERE by Austin Channing Brown (Format:Downloadable Audiobook):

A black woman who was given a white man’s name by her parents shares her journey to finding her own worth and what stands in the way of racial justice.

 

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JUST MERCY by Bryan Stevenson (Format:Downloadable Audiobook):

: A law professor and MacArthur grant recipient’s memoir of his decades of work to free innocent people condemned to death.

 

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THE MAMBA MENTALITY by Kobe Bryant (Format: eBook):

Various skills and techniques used on the court by the Los Angeles Lakers player.

 

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ME AND WHITE SUPREMACY by Layla F. Saad (Format: eBook):

Ways to understand and possibly counteract white privilege.

 

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THE NEW JIM CROW by Michelle Alexander (Format: eBook):

A law professor takes aim at the “war on drugs,” mass incarceration and their impact on black men.

 

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SO YOU WANT TO TALK ABOUT RACE by Ijeoma Oluo (Format: Downloadable Audiobook)

A look at the contemporary racial landscape of the United States.

 

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STAMPED FROM THE BEGINNING by Ibram X. Kendi (Format Downloadable Audiobook):

Winner of the 2016 National Book Award for nonfiction. A look at anti-black racist ideas and their effect on the course of American history.

 

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TALKING TO STRANGERS by Malcolm Gladwell (Format: eBook):

Famous examples of miscommunication serve as the backdrop to explain potential conflicts and misunderstandings.

 

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UNTAMED by Glennon Doyle (Format: eBook):

The activist and public speaker describes her journey of listening to her inner voice.

 

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WHY ARE ALL THE BLACK KIDS SITTING TOGETHER IN THE CAFETERIA? by Beverly Tatum (Format: eBook):

The president emerita of Spelman College examines whether self-segregation is a problem or a coping strategy.

 

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WHITE FRAGILITY by Robin DiAngelo (Format: eBook):

Historical and cultural analyses on what causes defensive moves by white people and how this inhibits cross-racial dialogue.

 

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Be well and read on!

Linda Reimer, SSL

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Note: this list contains all the New York Times fiction and non-fiction bestsellers for the week that are owned by libraries within the Southern Tier Library System.

Tech Talk is a Southeast Steuben County Library blog.