Month: January 2021

Hi everyone, here is the weekly list of New York Times Bestsellers.

Each title is followed by a listing of which formats it is available in for check out within the three catalogs: StarCat (Print, Large Print & CD Audiobooks), The Digital Catalog (eBook & Downloadable Audiobook) and the Hoopla Catalog (Hoopla eBook & Hoopla Audiobook).

For more information on the three catalogs skip to the section below the bestselling titles*

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The next New York Times Bestselling blog posting will be published on Sunday, February 7, 2021.

 

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FICTION:

ANXIOUS PEOPLE by Fredrik Backman

(Available Formats: Regular Print & Large Print Book, Audiobook on CD, eBook & Downloadable Audiobook)

A failed bank robber holds a group of strangers hostage at an apartment open house.

 

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BEFORE SHE DISAPPEARED by Lisa Gardner Dutton

(Available Formats: Print Book, eBook & CD Audiobook)

A recovering alcoholic puts herself in danger when she searches for a Haitian teenager in a Boston neighborhood.

 

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DEADLY CROSS by James Patterson

(Available Formats: Print Book, Large Print, CD Audiobook, eBook & Downloadable Audiobook)

The 28th book in the Alex Cross series. An investigation of a double homicide sends Alex Cross to Alabama.

 

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THE DUKE AND I by Julia Quinn

(Available Formats: Print Book & eBook)

The first book in the Bridgerton series. Daphne Bridgerton’s reputation soars when she colludes with the Duke of Hastings. The basis of the Netflix series “Bridgerton.”

 

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THE DUTCH HOUSE by Ann Patchett

(Available Formats: Print Book, Large Print, CD Audiobook & Downloadable Audiobook, eBook coming shortly)

A sibling relationship is impacted when the family goes from poverty to wealth and back again over the course of many decades.

 

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FIREFLY LANE by Kristin Hannah

(Available Formats: Print Book, Large Print & CD Audiobook, eBook coming shortly)

A friendship between two women in the Pacific Northwest endures for more than three decades.

The basis for the new Netflix series.

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THE GUEST LIST by Lucy Foley

(Available Formats: Print Book, Large Print, eBook & 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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THE INVISIBLE LIFE OF ADDIE LARUE by V.E. Schwab

(Available Formats: Print Books, Large Print, eBook & Downloadable Audiobook)

A Faustian bargain comes with a curse that affects the adventure Addie LaRue has across centuries.

 

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THE MIDNIGHT LIBRARY by Matt Haig

(Available Formats: Print Book, eBook & Downloadable Audiobooks)

Nora Seed finds a library beyond the edge of the universe that contains books with multiple possibilities of the lives one could have lived.

 

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NEIGHBORS by Danielle Steel

(Available Formats: Print Book, Large Print, eBook coming soon)

A Hollywood recluse’s perspective changes when she invites her neighbors into her mansion after an earthquake.

 

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NEWS OF THE WORLD by Paulette Jiles

(Available Formats: Print Book, Large Print, CD Audiobook, eBook, Downloadable Audiobook & Hoopla eBook)

Following the Civil War, a man who reads newspapers to paying audiences agrees to deliver an orphan girl across difficult terrain to her relatives.

 

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THE PUSH by Ashley Audrain

(Available Formats: Print Book)

A devastating event forces a mother who questions her child’s behavior and her own sanity to confront the truth.

 

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READY PLAYER TWO by Ernest Cline

(Available Formats: Print Book, Large Print & eBook)

In a sequel to “Ready Player One,” Wade Watts discovers a technological advancement and goes on a new quest.

 

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THE RETURN by Nicholas Sparks

(Available Formats: Print & Large Print Book, Audiobook on CD & eBook)

A doctor serving in the Navy in Afghanistan goes back to North Carolina where two women change his life.

 

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THE SCORPION’S TAIL by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child

(Available Formats: Print Book, Large Print, eBook & Downloadable Audiobook)

The second book in the Nora Kelly series. An F.B.I. agent and an archaeologist identify a mummified corpse and its gruesome cause of death.

 

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STAR WARS: LIGHT OF THE JEDI by Charles Soule

(Available Formats: Print Book & eBook both coming shortly)

In this installment of the High Republic series, a disaster in hyperspace may cause far greater damage.

 

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A TIME FOR MERCY by John Grisham

(Available Formats: Print & Large Print Book, eBook & Downloadable Audiobook)

The third book in the Jake Brigance series. A 16-year-old is accused of killing a deputy in Clanton, Miss., in 1990.

 

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THE VANISHING HALF by Brit Bennett

(Available Formats: Print & Large Print Book, eBook & Downloadable Audiobook)

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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THE VISCOUNT WHO LOVED ME by Julia Quinn

(Available Formats: Print Book, eBook, Downloadable Audiobook & Hoopla Audiobook)

The second book in the Bridgerton series. Kate Sheffield gets in the way of Anthony Bridgerton’s intent to marry.

 

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WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING by Delia Owens:

(Available Formats: Print Book, Large Print, CD Audiobook, eBook & Downloadable Audiobook)

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

(Available Formats: Print Book, Large Print, CD Audiobook, eBook & Downloadable Audiobook)

The former first lady describes how she balanced work, family and her husband’s political ascent.

 

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BETWEEN THE WORLD AND ME by Ta-Nehisi Coates

(Available Formats: Print Book, CD Audibook, eBook & Downloadable Audiobook)

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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BODY KEEPS THE SCORE by Bessel van der Kolk

(Available Formats: Print Book, eBook, Downloadable Audiobook & Hoopla Audiobook)

How trauma affects the body and mind, and innovative treatments for recovery.

 

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BORN A CRIME by Trevor Noah

(Available Formats: Print Book, CD Audiobook & eBook)

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

 

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BRAIDING SWEETGRASS by Robin Wall Kimmerer

(Available Formats: Print Book, eBook, Downloadable Audiobook & Hoopla Downloadable Audiobook)

A botanist and member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation espouses having an understanding and appreciation of plants and animals.

 

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BREATH by James Nestor

(Available Formats: Print Book, eBook & Downloadable Audiobook)

A re-examination of a basic biological function and a look at the science behind ancient breathing practices.

 

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CASTE by Isabel Wilkerson

(Available Formats: Print Book, Audiobook on CD, eBook & Downloadable Audiobook)

The Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist examines aspects of caste systems across civilizations and reveals a rigid hierarchy in America today.

 

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THE DOCTORS BLACKWELL by Janice P. Nimura

(Available Formats: Print Book)

Two pioneering women receive medical degrees and start the first hospital staffed entirely by women.

 

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GREENLIGHTS by Matthew McConaughey

(Available Formats: Print Book, Audiobook on CD & Downloadable Audiobook)

The Academy Award-winning actor shares snippets from the diaries he kept over the last 35 years.

 

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HOW TO BE AN ANTIRACIST by Ibram X. Kendi

(Available Formats: Print Book, CD Audiobook, eBook & Downloadable Audiobook)

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

 

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ON TYRANNY by Timothy Snyder

(Available Formats: Print Book, eBook & Downloadable Audiobook)

Twenty lessons from the 20th century about the course of tyranny.

 

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A PROMISED LAND by Barack Obama

(Available Formats: Print Book, CD Audiobook, eBook & Downloadable Audiobook)

In the first volume of his presidential memoirs, Barack Obama offers personal reflections on his formative years and pivotal moments through his first term.

 

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A SWIM IN A POND IN THE RAIN by George Saunder

(Available Formats: Print Book)

A collection of essays examining the functions and importance of works of fiction.

 

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THE TRUTHS WE HOLD by Kamala Harris

(Available Formats: Print Book, Downloadable Audiobook & eBook coming shortly)

A memoir by the daughter of immigrants who is currently serving as the 49th vice president.

 

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UNCOMFORTABLE CONVERSATIONS WITH A BLACK MAN by Emmanuel Acho

(Available Formats: Print Book, Large Print, eBook & Downloadable Audiobook)

A look at some questions and concepts needed to address systemic racism.

 

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UNTAMED by Glennon Doyle

(Available Formats: Print Book, Audiobook on CD, eBook & Downloadable Audiobook)

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

 

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WHITE FRAGILITY by Robin DiAngelo

(Available Formats: Print Book, eBook & Downloadable Audiobook)

 

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

 

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WORLD OF WONDERS by Aimee Nezhukumatathil

(Available Formats: Print Book & Hoopla eBook)

In a collection of essays, the poet celebrates various aspects of the natural world and its inhabitants.

 

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YOU’LL NEVER BELIEVE WHAT HAPPENED TO LACEY by Amber Ruffin and Lacey Lamar

(Available Formats: Print Book)

A pair of sisters who live in different parts of the country share their perspectives on the absurdities and everyday experiences of racism.

 

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Be well and read on!

Linda Reimer, SSL

 

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*Information on the Three Catalogs*

Digital Catalog: https://stls.overdrive.com/

The Digital Catalog has two companion apps, Libby & OverDrive. Libby is the app for newer devices and the OverDrive app should be used for older devices and Amazon tablets.

All card holders of all Southern Tier Library System member libraries can check out items from the Digital Catalog.

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Hoopla Catalog: https://www.hoopladigital.com/

The Hoopla Catalog features instant check outs of eBooks, downloadable audiobook, comic books, albums and streaming videos. Patron check out limit is 4 items per month.

Hoopla is a Southeast Steuben County Library service available to all Southeast Steuben County Library card holders.

The Hoopla App is available for Android or Apple devices and most smart TVs & media streaming players.

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StarCat: The catalog of physical/traditional library materials: https://starcat.stls.org

Card holders of all Southern Tier Library System member libraries can access StarCat to search for and request materials available at libraries through out the Southern Tier Library System.

The StarCat app is called Bookmyne and is available for Apple and Android devices.

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Southeast Steuben County Library Tel: 607-936-3713

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Tech Talk is a Southeast Steuben County Library blog.

Hi everyone, welcome to our Suggested Listening posting for this week!

Our Suggested Listening postings focus on the music of the past, with a few new songs mixed in for good measure.

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Suggested Listening postings come out weekly, on Fridays, and the next Suggested Listening posting will be out on Friday, February 5, 2021.

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America by Simon & Garfunkel (Genre: Pop-Rock, Folk)

A terrific song by the premier folk-rock duo of the sixties!

From their album Bookends (1968).

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Down The Dirt Road Blues by Charley Patton (Genre: Blues, Delta Blues)

A classic Delta blues song from the great Charley Patton, whom to my ears – doesn’t sound like anyone else – what a cool voice he had!

Patton is considered to be the Father of the Delta Blues.

Down The Dirt Road Blues can be found on the album The Complete Recordings: 1929-34.

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Dreamsicle, Overseas & It Gets Easier (NPR Tiny Desk Concert) by Jason Isbell with Amanda Shires on fiddle (Genre: Country, Southern Rock)

Singer and guitarist Jason Isbell hails from Alabama and first came to the music world’s attention as a member of the band Drive-By Truckers. He went solo in 2007 and has honed his music writing skill since then – producing thoughtful songs that well chronicle they everyday lives of their musical characters.

All three of the songs in the Tiny Desk Concert set appear on Isbell’s album Reunions (2020).

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Funky Nation: The Detroit Instrumentals (2021) by Marvin Gaye (Genre: R&B, Instrumental)

A new release of mostly instrumentals recorded by Marvin Gaye back in the day. If you love music of the 1970s – this is a fun album to play while hanging out at home, relaxing or reading.

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I’ve Seen All Good People: Your Move by Yes (Genre: Classic Rock, Seventies Rock)

From The Yes Album (1971) and the now, shockingly, 20-year-old soundtrack for the film Almost Famous (2000).

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Journey Of The Sorcerer by the Eagles

A cool instrumental from one of the most popular bands of the seventies (and beyond!)

From the album One Of These Nights (1975)

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Kindred Spirits by the Charles Lloyd Quintet (Genre: Jazz)

Saxophonist and multi-instrumentalist Charles Lloyd celebrated his 80th birthday in 2018, by playing a concert at the Libero in Santa Barbara, California; the resulting album, 8: Kindred Spirits Live at the Libero (2020), is top notch!

Kindred Spirits is from the album 8: Kindred Spirits Live at the Libero.

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Let It Roll by Lucky Millinder & Annastine Allen (Genre: Big Band, Jazz)

This video is from the film The Black Big Bands; and the song Let It Roll can be found on the collection Are You Ready To Rock – Singles 1942-1955 by Lucky Millinder.

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Too Much Heaven by Barry Gibb & Alison Krauss (Genre: Country, Pop-Rock, Americana)

This version of the song Too Much Heaven is from the new album Greenfield:s The Gibb Brothers’ Songbook (Vol. 1) (2021).

On the album Green, Barry Gibb sings songs made famous by the Bee Gees in collaboration with country artists including Keith Urban, Jason Isbell, Alison Krauss, Dolly Parton and Oliva Newton-John.

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Urban Driftwood by Yasmin Williams (Genre: Folk, Guitar, Pop-Rock)

Yasmin Williams is a very talented young guitarist who hails from Woodbridge, Virginia.

The song Urban Driftwood is from Williams’s album of the same name, Urban Driftwood (2021)

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Recommended Hoopla Album of the Week:

Carnival Town (2004) by Norah Jones (Genre: Jazz, Folk, Country, Vocal)

Carnival Town is from the second album by the talented pianist and singer Feels Like Home (2004).

The album Feels Like Home is available for instant check out through the Hoopla Catalog.

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Have a peaceful weekend,

Linda Reimer, SSCL

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REFERENCES:

Print References

The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits by Joel Whitburn

Online References

AllMusic. 2021. AllMusic | Record Reviews, Streaming Songs, Genres & Bands. [online] Available at: <https://www.allmusic.com/&gt; [Accessed 29 January 2021].

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Lingan, J., 2021. Yasmin Williams puts a fresh spin on finger-style guitar. [online] https://www.washingtonpost.com. Available at: <https://www.washingtonpost.com/goingoutguide/music/yasmin-williams-fingerstyle-guitar/2021/01/21/be624808-5b64-11eb-a976-bad6431e03e2_story.html&gt; [Accessed 29 January 2021].

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Thompson, S., Detrow, S. and Touros, C., 2021. 20 Years Later, ‘Almost Famous’ Is Still A Golden God. [online] Npr.org. Available at: <https://www.npr.org/2021/01/22/959705791/20-years-later-almost-famous-is-still-a-golden-god&gt; [Accessed 29 January 2021].

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Yasmin Williams. 2021. Bio — Yasmin Williams. [online] Available at: <http://www.yasminwilliamsmusic.com/bio&gt; [Accessed 29 January 2021].

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Online Catalog Links:

StarCat

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

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The Digital Catalog (OverDrive & Libby Apps)

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

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Hoopla

A catalog of instant check out items, including eBooks, downloadable audiobooks, comic books, TV shows and movies for for patrons of the Southeast Steuben County Library.

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Tech Talk is a Southeast Steuben County Library blog.

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

Format Note: Under each book title you’ll find a list of all the different formats that specific title is available in; including: Print Books, Large Print Books, CD Audiobooks, eBooks & Downloadable Audiobooks from the Digital Catalog (OverDrive & Libby apps) and Hoopla eBooks & Hoopla Downloadable Audiobooks (Hoopla App).

*More information on the three catalogs is found at the end of the list of recommended reads*

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Weekly Suggested Reading postings are published on Tuesdays.  The next Suggested Reading posting will be published on Tuesday, February 2, 2021.

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Better Luck Next Time by Julia Claiborne Johnson

(Available Formats: Print Book)

The long anticipated second novel from the bestselling author of Be Frank with Me, a charming story of endings, new beginnings, and the complexities and complications of friendship and love, set in late 1930s Reno.

It’s 1938 and women seeking a quick, no-questions split from their husbands head to the “divorce capital of the world,” Reno, Nevada. There’s one catch: they have to wait six-weeks to become “residents.” Many of these wealthy, soon-to-be divorcees flock to the Flying Leap, a dude ranch that caters to their every need.

‘Twenty-four-year-old Ward spent one year at Yale before his family lost everything in the Great Depression; now he’s earning an honest living as a ranch hand at the Flying Leap. Admired for his dashing good looks—”Cary Grant in cowboy boots”—Ward thinks he’s got the Flying Leap’s clients all figured out. But two new guests are about to upend everything he thinks he knows: Nina, a St Louis heiress and amateur pilot back for her third divorce, and Emily, whose bravest moment in life was leaving her cheating husband back in San Francisco and driving herself to Reno.

A novel about divorce, marriage, and everything that comes in between (money, class, ambition, and opportunity), Better Luck Next Time is a hilarious yet poignant examination of the ways friendship can save us, love can destroy us, and the family we create can be stronger than the family we come from.

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A Crooked Tree by Una Mannion

(Available Formats: Print Book)

A haunting, suspenseful literary debut that combines a classic coming of age story with a portrait of a fractured American family dealing with the fallout of one summer evening gone terribly wrong.

“The night we left Ellen on the road, we drove up the mountain in silence.”

It is the early 1980s and fifteen-year-old Libby is obsessed with The Field Guide to the Trees of North America, a gift her Irish immigrant father gave her before he died. She finds solace in “The Kingdom,” a stand of red oak and thick mountain laurel near her home in suburban Pennsylvania, where she can escape from her large and unruly family and share menthol cigarettes and lukewarm beers with her best friend.

One night, while driving home, Libby’s mother, exhausted and overwhelmed with the fighting in the backseat, pulls over and orders Libby’s little sister Ellen to walk home. What none of this family knows as they drive off leaving a twelve-year-old girl on the side of the road five miles from home with darkness closing in, is what will happen next.

A Crooked Tree is a surprising, indelible novel, both a poignant portrayal of an unmoored childhood giving way to adolescence, and a gripping page-turner about the unexpected reverberations of one rash act.

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Deadly Fortune by Stacy Murphy

(Available Formats: Print Book)

A historical mystery in the vein of The Alienist, in which a young woman in Gilded Age New York must use a special talent to unravel a deadly conspiracy.

Amelia Matthew has done the all-but-impossible, especially for an orphan in Gilded Age New York City. Along with her foster brother Jonas, she has parleyed her modest psychic talent into a safe and comfortable life. But safety and comfort vanish when a head injury leaves Amelia with a dramatically-expanded gift. After she publicly channels an angry spirit, she finds herself imprisoned in the notorious insane asylum on Blackwell’s Island. As Jonas searches for a way to free her, Amelia struggles to control her disturbing new abilities and survive a place where cruelty and despair threaten her sanity.

Andrew Cavanaugh is familiar with despair. In the wake of a devastating loss, he abandons a promising medical career—and his place in Philadelphia society—to devote himself to the study and treatment of mental disease. Miss Amelia Matthew is just another patient—until she channels a spirit in front of him and proves her gift is real.

When a distraught mother comes to Andrew searching for her missing daughter—a daughter she believes is being hidden at the asylum—he turns to Amelia. Together, they uncover evidence of a deadly conspiracy, and then it’s no longer just Amelia’s sanity and freedom at stake. Amelia must master her gift and use it to catch a killer—or risk becoming the next victim.

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The Haunting of Cold Creek Hollow by Alexia Aaron

(Available Formats: eBook)

Little Mia Cooper’s ability to see the dead made her an outcast in her hometown. Several years later, she has finally managed to blend in, but her hard-won peace is threatened by the arrival of a bumbling team of paranormal investigators. Mia is drawn in reluctantly as an adviser on what, at first, seems to be a fairly straightforward case, only to discover that the Hollow has much more in store for her. An ancient evil is rising in Cold Creek Hollow. What begins as a ghost hunt will become a fight for survival.

The Hauntings of Cold Creek Hollow is book one of Alexie Aaron’s 31 book and growing Haunted Series.

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Murder At Mabel’s Motel by G. A. McKevett

(Available Formats: Print Book)

As quirky as McGill’s residents can be, they usually welcome society’s oddballs and outcasts into the community with open arms. But the three members of the Lone White Wolf Pack are a different story. Townsfolk aren’t feeling the least bit neighborly toward the ignorant gang widely believed to have orchestrated several hate crimes in the area . . .

When the small group’s irredeemable leader, Billy Ray Sonner, is found dead in an abandoned motel, most assume it was the result of an accidental overdose. An unfortunate yet predictable end for a man who lived the way Billy did. Only Stella and the sheriff have witnessed the crime scene in person, and the smell of cyanide means something more disturbing happened in that ramshackle room. Something like homicide . . .

While Stella wades through a flood of suspects, uncovered secrets link both Billy’s closest allies and respected locals to the incident. One thing is certain—this wasn’t an impulsive act of revenge. There’s a sophisticated killer on the loose, and Stella must expose deep-rooted fears and dark pasts if she wants to crack a carefully planned murder and stop McGill from descending into chaos.

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Our Darkest Night by Jennifer Robson

(Available Formats: Print Book, Large Print & eBook)

To survive the Holocaust, a young Jewish woman must pose as a Christian farmer’s wife in this unforgettable novel from USA Today bestselling author Jennifer Robson—a story of terror, hope, love, and sacrifice, inspired by true events, that vividly evokes the most perilous days of World War II.

It is the autumn of 1943, and life is becoming increasingly perilous for Italian Jews like the Mazin family. With Nazi Germany now occupying most of her beloved homeland, and the threat of imprisonment and deportation growing ever more certain, Antonina Mazin has but one hope to survive—to leave Venice and her beloved parents and hide in the countryside with a man she has only just met.

Nico Gerardi was studying for the priesthood until circumstances forced him to leave the seminary to run his family’s farm.

A moral and just man, he could not stand by when the fascists and Nazis began taking innocent lives. Rather than risk a perilous escape across the mountains, Nina will pose as his new bride. And to keep her safe and protect secrets of his own, Nico and Nina must convince prying eyes they are happily married and in love.

But farm life is not easy for a cultured city girl who dreams of becoming a doctor like her father, and Nico’s provincial neighbors are wary of this soft and educated woman they do not know. Even worse, their distrust is shared by a local Nazi official with a vendetta against Nico. The more he learns of Nina, the more his suspicions grow—and with them his determination to exact revenge.

As Nina and Nico come to know each other, their feelings deepen, transforming their relationship into much more than a charade. Yet both fear that every passing day brings them closer to being torn apart . . .

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Shipped by Angie Hockman

(Available Formats: Print)

The Unhoneymooners meets The Hating Game in this witty, clever, and swoonworthy novel following a workaholic marketing manager who is forced to go on a cruise with her arch-nemesis when they’re up for the same promotion.

Between taking night classes for her MBA and her demanding day job at a cruise line, marketing manager Henley Evans barely has time for herself, let alone family, friends, or dating. But when she’s shortlisted for the promotion of her dreams, all her sacrifices finally seem worth it.

The only problem? Graeme Crawford-Collins, the remote social media manager and the bane of her existence, is also up for the position. Although they’ve never met in person, their epic email battles are the stuff of office legend.

Their boss tasks each of them with drafting a proposal on how to boost bookings in the Galápagos—best proposal wins the promotion. There’s just one catch: they have to go on a company cruise to the Galápagos Islands…together. But when the two meet on the ship, Henley is shocked to discover that the real Graeme is nothing like she imagined. As they explore the Islands together, she soon finds the line between loathing and liking thinner than a postcard.

With her career dreams in her sights and a growing attraction to the competition, Henley begins questioning her life choices. Because what’s the point of working all the time if you never actually live?

Perfect for fans of Christina Lauren and Sally Thorne, Shipped is a fresh and engaging rom-com that celebrates the power of second chances and the magic of new beginnings.

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The Fortunate Ones by Ed Tarkington

(Available Formats: Print Book & Hoopla eBook)

“The Fortunate Ones feels like a fresh and remarkably sure-footed take on The Great Gatsby, examining the complex costs of attempting to transcend or exchange your given class for a more gilded one. Tarkington’s understanding of the human heart and mind is deep, wise, and uncommonly empathetic. As a novelist, he is the real deal. I can’t wait to see this story reach a wide audience, and to see what he does next.” —Paula McLain, author of The Paris Wife

When Charlie Boykin was young, he thought his life with his single mother on the working-class side of Nashville was perfectly fine. But when his mother arranges for him to be admitted as a scholarship student to an elite private school, he is suddenly introduced to what the world can feel like to someone cushioned by money. That world, he discovers, is an almost irresistible place where one can bend—and break—rules and still end up untarnished. As he gets drawn into a friendship with a charismatic upperclassman, Archer Creigh, and an affluent family that treats him like an adopted son, Charlie quickly adapts to life in the upper echelons of Nashville society. Under their charming and alcohol-soaked spell, how can he not relax and enjoy it all—the lack of anxiety over money, the easy summers spent poolside at perfectly appointed mansions, the lavish parties, the freedom to make mistakes knowing that everything can be glossed over or fixed?

But over time, Charlie is increasingly pulled into covering for Archer’s constant deceits and his casual bigotry. At what point will the attraction of wealth and prestige wear off enough for Charlie to take a stand—and will he?

The Fortunate Ones is an immersive, elegantly written story that conveys both the seductiveness of this world and the corruption of the people who see their ascent to the top as their birthright.

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The Ruthless Lady’s Guide to Wizardry by C. M. Waggoner

(Available Formats: Print Book & Hoopla Audiobook)

Sparks fly in this enchanting fantasy novel from the author of Unnatural Magic when a down-and-out fire witch and a young gentlewoman join forces against a deadly conspiracy.

Dellaria Wells, petty con artist, occasional thief, and partly educated fire witch, is behind on her rent in the city of Leiscourt—again. Then she sees the “wanted” sign, seeking Female Persons, of Martial or Magical ability, to guard a Lady of some Importance, prior to the celebration of her Marriage. Delly fast-talks her way into the job and joins a team of highly peculiar women tasked with protecting their wealthy charge from unknown assassins.

Delly quickly sets her sights on one of her companions, the confident and well-bred Winn Cynallum. The job looks like nothing but romance and easy money until things take a deadly (and undead) turn. With the help of a bird-loving necromancer, a shapeshifting schoolgirl, and an ill-tempered reanimated mouse named Buttons, Delly and Winn are determined to get the best of an adversary who wields a twisted magic and has friends in the highest of places.

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The Uncollected Stories of Allan Gurganus

(Available Formats: Print Book)

One of “the best writers of our time” (Ann Patchett) offers this hilarious yet haunting cycle of stories—all previously uncollected.

Since the explosive publication of Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All, Allan Gurganus has dazzled readers as “the most technically gifted and morally responsive writer of his generation” (John Cheever). He has been praised as “one of America’s preeminent novelists, our prime conductor of electric sentences” (William Giraldi). Above all, Allan Gurganus is a seriously funny writer, an expert at evoking humor, especially in our troubled times.

Now he offers nine classic tales—never before between covers. They attest to his mastery of the short story and the growing depth of his genius.? Offering characters antic and tragic, Gurganus charts the human condition—masked and unmasked—as we live it now. “Once upon a time” collides with the everyday. We meet a mortician whose dedication to his departed clients exceeds all legal limits. We encounter a seaside couple fighting to save their family dog from Maine’s fierce undertow. A virginal seventy-eight-year-old grammar school librarian has her sole erotic experience with a polyamorous snake farmer. A vicious tornado sends twin boys aloft, leaving only one of them alive. And, in an eerily prescient story, cholera strikes a rural village in 1849 and citizens come to blame their doomed young doctor who saved hundreds.

These meticulously crafted parables recall William Faulkner’s scope and Flannery O’Connor’s corrosive wit. Imbuing each story with charged drama, Gurganus, a sublime ventriloquist, again proves himself among our funniest writers and our wisest.

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Have a great week!

Linda Reimer

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*Information on the Three Catalogs*

Digital Catalog: https://stls.overdrive.com/

The Digital Catalog has two companion apps, Libby & OverDrive. Libby is the app for newer devices and the OverDrive app should be used for older devices and Amazon tablets.

All card holders of all Southern Tier Library System member libraries can check out items from the Digital Catalog.

–

Hoopla Catalog: https://www.hoopladigital.com/

The Hoopla Catalog features instant check outs of eBooks, downloadable audiobook, comic books, albums and streaming videos. Patron check out limit is 6 items per month.

Hoopla is a Southeast Steuben County Library service available to all Southeast Steuben County Library card holders.

The Hoopla App is available for Android or Apple devices and most smart TVs & media streaming players.

–

StarCat: The catalog of physical/traditional library materials: https://starcat.stls.org

Card holders of all Southern Tier Library System member libraries can access StarCat to search for and request materials available at libraries through out the Southern Tier Library System.

The StarCat app is called Bookmyne and is available for Apple and Android devices.

–

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

–

Have questions or want to request a book?

Feel free to call the library! Our telephone number is 607-936-3713.

Tech Talk is a Southeast Steuben County Library blog.

Hi everyone, here is the weekly list of New York Times Bestsellers.

Each title is followed by a listing of which formats it is available in for check out within the three catalogs: StarCat (Print, Large Print & Audiobooks on CD), The Digital Catalog (eBook & Downloadable Audiobook) and the Hoopla Catalog (Hoopla eBook, Hoopla Audiobook etc).

For more information on the three catalogs skip to the section below the bestselling titles*

 

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The next New York Times Bestselling blog posting will be published on Sunday, January 31, 2021.

 

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FICTION:

 

ANXIOUS PEOPLE by Fredrik Backman

(Available Formats: Regular Print & Large Print Book, Audiobook on CD, eBook & Downloadable Audiobook)

A failed bank robber holds a group of strangers hostage at an apartment open house.

 

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BLOOD HEIR by Ilona Andrews

(Available Formats: eBook)

Julie Lennart returns to Atlanta with a new face and magic abilities and is known as Aurelia Ryder.

 

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DAYLIGHT by David Baldacci

(Available Formats: Print Book, Large Print, CD Audiobook, eBook & Downloadable Audiobook)

The F.B.I. agent Atlee Pine’s search for her twin sister overlaps with a military investigator’s hunt for someone involved in a global conspiracy.

 

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THE DUKE AND I by Julia Quinn

(Available Formats: Print Book & eBook)

The first book in the Bridgerton series. Daphne Bridgerton’s reputation soars when she colludes with the Duke of Hastings. The basis of the Netflix series “Bridgerton.”

 

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THE GUEST LIST by Lucy Foley

(Available Formats: Print Book, Large Print, eBook & 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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HAMNET by Maggie O’Farrell

(Available Formats: Print Book & eBook)

An imagined exploration of how the death of an 11-year-old boy to the Black Plague in 1596 might have affected a famous playwright and his wife.

 

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THE INVISIBLE LIFE OF ADDIE LARUE by V.E. Schwab

(Available Formats: Print Books, Large Print, eBook & Downloadable Audiobook)

A Faustian bargain comes with a curse that affects the adventure Addie LaRue has across centuries.

 

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THE MIDNIGHT LIBRARY by Matt Haig

(Available Formats: Print Book, eBook & Downloadable Audiobooks)

Nora Seed finds a library beyond the edge of the universe that contains books with multiple possibilities of the lives one could have lived.

 

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NEIGHBORS by Danielle Steel

(Available Formats: Print Book, Large Print, eBook coming soon)

A Hollywood recluse’s perspective changes when she invites her neighbors into her mansion after an earthquake.

 

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OUTLAWED by Anna North

(Available Format: Print Book, eBook coming soon)

 

Ada, who apprentices midwifery under her mother, must decide whether to aid a band of outlaws who want to create a safe haven for outcast women.

 

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READY PLAYER TWO by Ernest Cline

(Available Formats: Print Book, Large Print & eBook)

In a sequel to “Ready Player One,” Wade Watts discovers a technological advancement and goes on a new quest.

 

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THE RETURN by Nicholas Sparks

(Available Formats: Print & Large Print Book, Audiobook on CD & eBook)

A doctor serving in the Navy in Afghanistan goes back to North Carolina where two women change his life.

 

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ROBERT B. PARKER’S SOMEONE TO WATCH OVER ME by Ace Atkins

(Available Formats: Print Book, CD Audiobook & eBook)

The 48th book in the Spenser series. An eccentric billionaire might have ties to a sex-trafficking ring.

 

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ROMANCING MISTER BRIDGERTON by Julia Quinn

(Available Formats: Print Book, eBook, Downloadable Audiobook & Hoopla Downloadable Audiobook)

The fourth book in the Bridgerton series. Penelope Featherington and Colin Bridgerton discover each other’s secrets.

 

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THE SCORPION’S TAIL by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child

(Available Formats: Print Book, Large Print, eBook & Downloadable Audiobook)

The second book in the Nora Kelly series. An F.B.I. agent and an archaeologist identify a mummified corpse and its gruesome cause of death.

 

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STAR WARS: LIGHT OF THE JEDI by Charles Soule

(Available Formats: Print Book & eBook both coming shortly)

In this installment of the High Republic series, a disaster in hyperspace may cause far greater damage.

 

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A TIME FOR MERCY by John Grisham

(Available Formats: Print & Large Print Book, eBook & Downloadable Audiobook)

The third book in the Jake Brigance series. A 16-year-old is accused of killing a deputy in Clanton, Miss., in 1990.

 

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THE VANISHING HALF by Brit Bennett

(Available Formats: Print & Large Print Book, eBook & Downloadable Audiobook)

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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THE VISCOUNT WHO LOVED ME by Julia Quinn

(Available Formats: Print Book, eBook, Downloadable Audiobook & Hoopla Audiobook)

The second book in the Bridgerton series. Kate Sheffield gets in the way of Anthony Bridgerton’s intent to marry.

 

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WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING by Delia Owens:

(Available Formats: Print Book, Large Print, CD Audiobook, eBook & Downloadable Audiobook)

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:

 

THE ANSWER IS …by Alex Trebek

(Available Formats: Print Book, CD Audiobook, eBook & Downloadable Audiobook)

A memoir by the host of the TV game show “Jeopardy!,” from 1984 to 2020.

 

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BECOMING by Michelle Obama

(Available Formats: Print Book, Large Print, CD Audiobook, eBook & Downloadable Audiobook)

The former first lady describes how she balanced work, family and her husband’s political ascent.

 

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BODY KEEPS THE SCORE by Bessel van der Kolk

(Available Formats: Print Book, eBook, Downloadable Audiobook & Hoopla Audiobook)

How trauma affects the body and mind, and innovative treatments for recovery.

 

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BRAIDING SWEETGRASS by Robin Wall Kimmerer

(Available Formats: Print Book, eBook, Downloadable Audiobook & Hoopla Downloadable Audiobook)

A botanist and member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation espouses having an understanding and appreciation of plants and animals.

 

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BREATH by James Nestor

(Available Formats: Print Book, eBook & Downloadable Audiobook)

A re-examination of a basic biological function and a look at the science behind ancient breathing practices.

 

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CASTE by Isabel Wilkerson

(Available Formats: Print Book, Audiobook on CD, eBook & Downloadable Audiobook)

The Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist examines aspects of caste systems across civilizations and reveals a rigid hierarchy in America today.

 

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EDUCATED by Tara Westover

(Available Formats: Print Book, Large Print Book, eBook & Downloadable Audiobook)

 

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

 

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EVIL GENIUSES by Kurt Andersen

(Available Formats: Print Book & eBook)

The author of “Fantasyland” looks at the economic, cultural and political forces to which he ascribes the undermining and dismantling of the American middle class.

 

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GREENLIGHTS by Matthew McConaughey

(Available Formats: Print Book, Audiobook on CD & Downloadable Audiobook)

The Academy Award-winning actor shares snippets from the diaries he kept over the last 35 years.

 

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HOW TO BE AN ANTIRACIST by Ibram X. Kendi

(Available Formats: Print Book, CD Audiobook, eBook & Downloadable Audiobook)

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

 

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ON TYRANNY by Timothy Snyder

(Available Formats: Print Book, eBook & Downloadable Audiobook)

Twenty lessons from the 20th century about the course of tyranny.

 

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A PROMISED LAND by Barack Obama

(Available Formats: Print Book, CD Audiobook, eBook & Downloadable Audiobook)

In the first volume of his presidential memoirs, Barack Obama offers personal reflections on his formative years and pivotal moments through his first term.

 

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SAVING JUSTICE by James Comey

(Available Formats: Print Book & eBook)

The former F.B.I. director incorporates his experiences into lessons on how the federal justice system functions.

 

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THE SPLENDID AND THE VILE by Erik Larson:

(Available Formats: Print Book, Large Print, CD Audiobook, eBook & Downloadable Audiobook)

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

 

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A SWIM IN A POND IN THE RAIN by George Saunder

(Available Formats: Print Book)

A collection of essays examining the functions and importance of works of fiction.

 

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UNCOMFORTABLE CONVERSATIONS WITH A BLACK MAN by Emmanuel Acho

(Available Formats: Print Book, Large Print, eBook & Downloadable Audiobook)

A look at some questions and concepts needed to address systemic racism.

 

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UNTAMED by Glennon Doyle

(Available Formats: Print Book, Audiobook on CD, eBook & Downloadable Audiobook)

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

 

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WORLD OF WONDERS by Aimee Nezhukumatathil

(Available Formats: Print Book & Hoopla eBook)

In a collection of essays, the poet celebrates various aspects of the natural world and its inhabitants.

 

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YOU’LL NEVER BELIEVE WHAT HAPPENED TO LACEY by Amber Ruffin and Lacey Lamar

(Available Formats: Print Book)

A pair of sisters who live in different parts of the country share their perspectives on the absurdities and everyday experiences of racism.

 

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Be well and read on!

Linda Reimer, SSL

 

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*Information on the Three Catalogs*

Digital Catalog: https://stls.overdrive.com/

The Digital Catalog has two companion apps, Libby & OverDrive. Libby is the app for newer devices and the OverDrive app should be used for older devices and Amazon tablets.

All card holders of all Southern Tier Library System member libraries can check out items from the Digital Catalog.

–

Hoopla Catalog: https://www.hoopladigital.com/

The Hoopla Catalog features instant check outs of eBooks, downloadable audiobook, comic books, albums and streaming videos. Patron check out limit is 4 items per month.

Hoopla is a Southeast Steuben County Library service available to all Southeast Steuben County Library card holders.

The Hoopla App is available for Android or Apple devices and most smart TVs & media streaming players.

–

StarCat: The catalog of physical/traditional library materials: https://starcat.stls.org

Card holders of all Southern Tier Library System member libraries can access StarCat to search for and request materials available at libraries through out the Southern Tier Library System.

The StarCat app is called Bookmyne and is available for Apple and Android devices.

–

Southeast Steuben County Library Tel: 607-936-3713

–

Tech Talk is a Southeast Steuben County Library blog.

Hi everyone, welcome to our Suggested Listening posting for this week!

Our Suggested Listening postings focus on the music of the past, with a few new songs mixed in for good measure.

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Suggested Listening postings come out weekly, on Fridays, and the next Suggested Listening posting will be out on Friday, January 29, 2021.

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All Right Now by Free (Genre: Classic Rock)

Pre-Bad Company vocalist Paul Rodgers co-founded Free with former Black Cat Bones guitarist Paul Kossoff; they were joined by bassist Andy Fraser and drummer Simon Kirke and played wonderful roots and blues-based rock music. The group’s biggest hit was this one – All Right Now, originally released in 1970.

All Right Now is from the album Fire And Water (1970)

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Dreams by Jeremiah Fraites (Genre: Piano)

Singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Jeremiah Fraites is best known as a founding member of the folk group The Lumineers.

The Lumineers 2020 touring plans were waylaid by the pandemic, and Fraites found himself with some extra time on his hands – so he recorded his first solo album, Piano Piano (2021) which features eleven instrumental piano-centric songs and offers a lovely listen – check it out!

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Freight Train by Elizabeth Cotton (Genre: Folk)

Elizabeth Cotton played music from the time she was a youth but didn’t record her first album until she was 66 years old! Freight Train is from that first album, Folksongs and Instrumentals with Guitar (1958).

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Italian Concerto in F Major, BWV 971 composed by J.S. Bach and performed by pianist Alicia de Larrocha (Genre: Classical, Piano)

A super hopeful sounding concerto played solo by the great Twentieth Century classical pianist Alice de Larrocha. The recording was mentioned last week on NPR, and wow, what a talented player and what a joyful composition!

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Respect by Aretha Franklin (Genre: R&B, Vocal, Pop)

A classic and empowering song by the great Aretha Franklin!

From the album I Never Loved A Man The Way I Love You (1967).

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Second Balcony Jump by Dexter Gordon (recorded live in 1963) (Genre: Jazz)

The great jazz saxophonist Dexter Gordon supported by super players including bassist Butch Warren, pianist Sonny Clark and drummer Billy Higgins recorded this song for one of his best albums – Go! (1962)

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Strawberry Fields by The Beatles (Genre: Classic Rock)

A classic tune from the Fab Four from their album Magical Mystery Tour (1967).

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Struggle by James Yorkston & The Second Hand Orchestra (Genre: Folk, Pop-Rock)

Struggle is from the new album by the talented Scottish folk singer-songwriter James Yorkstone and The Second Hand Orchestra – The Wide Wide River (2021).

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That’s Alright by Laura Mvula (Genre: Pop, Rock, Jazz, Soul)

The Birmingham, UK based singer and educator’s empowering music sounds great and doesn’t remind this listener of anyone else’s music. That’s Alright is from her debut LP Sing to the Moon (2013).

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Worried Man Blues by Pete Seeger & Johnny Cash

The traditional folk song; recorded live for Johnny Cash’s variety show in 1970.

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Hoopla Pick of the Week

Three Score And Ten by Peggy Seeger & Friends (2007)

American folk singer Peggy Seeger, sister of Mike and half sister of Pete, was born in New York City and played folk music in the U.S. as a youth. She later met and married the British folk singer Ewan MacColl and has lived in the U.K. for most of the last forty years. Three Score and Ten was recorded in celebration of her seventieth birthday. Now 85, she has a new album, The Farewell Tour, coming out in February.

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And here’s one of fun songs on the LP, Home Sweet Home

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Have a peaceful weekend,

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.

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The Digital Catalog (OverDrive & Libby Apps)

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

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Hoopla

A catalog of instant check out items, including eBooks, downloadable audiobooks, comic books, TV shows and movies for for patrons of the Southeast Steuben County Library.

–

Tech Talk is a Southeast Steuben County Library blog.

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

Format Note: Under each book title you’ll find a list of all the different formats that specific title is available in; including: Print Books, Large Print Books, CD Audiobooks, eBooks & Downloadable Audiobooks from the Digital Catalog (OverDrive & Libby apps) and Hoopla eBooks & Hoopla Downloadable Audiobooks (Hoopla App).

*More information on the three catalogs is found at the end of the list of recommended reads*

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Weekly Suggested Reading postings are published on Tuesdays.  The next Suggested Reading posting will be published on Tuesday, January 26, 2021.

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And Still I Rise by Henry L. Gates and Kevin M. Burke

(Available Formats: Print Book, eBook, Hoopla eBook & DVD)

Black America Since MLK

The companion book to Henry Louis Gates, Jr.’s PBS series, And Still I Rise-a timeline and chronicle of the past fifty years of black history in the U. S. in more than 350 photos.

Beginning with the assassination of Malcolm X in February 1965, And Still I Rise: From Black Power to the White House explores the last half-century of the African American experience. More than fifty years after the passage of the Civil Rights Act and the birth of Black Power, the United States has both a black president and black CEOs running Fortune 500 companies-and a large black underclass beset by persistent poverty, inadequate education, and an epidemic of incarceration. Harvard professor and scholar Henry Louis Gates, Jr. raises disturbing and vital questions about this dichotomy. How did the African American community end up encompassing such profound contradictions? And what will “the black community” mean tomorrow? Gates takes readers through the major historical events and untold stories of the sixty years that have irrevocably shaped both the African American experience and the nation as a whole, from the explosive social and political changes of the 1960s, into the 1970s and 1980s-eras characterized by both prosperity and neglect-through the turn of the century to today, taking measure of such racial flashpoints as the Tawana Brawley case, OJ Simpson’s murder trial, the murders of Amadou Diallo and Trayvon Martin, and debates around the NYPD’s “stop and frisk” policies.

Even as it surveys the political and social evolution of black America, And Still I Rise is also a celebration of the accomplishments of black artists, musicians, writers, comedians, and thinkers who have helped to define American popular culture and to change our world.

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The Devil and the Dark Water by Stuart Turton

(Available Formats: Print Book, CD Audiobook, eBook, Hoopla eBook & Hoopla Audiobook)

A murder on the high seas. A remarkable detective duo. A demon who may or may not exist. The extraordinary new novel from Stuart Turton, author of the bestselling The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, winner of the Costa Best First Novel Award. It’s 1634 and Samuel Pipps, the world’s greatest detective, is being transported to Amsterdam to be executed for a crime he may, or may not, have committed. Travelling with him is his loyal bodyguard, Arent Hayes, who is determined to prove his friend innocent.

But no sooner are they out to sea than devilry begins to blight the voyage. A twice-dead leper stalks the decks. Strange symbols appear on the sails. Livestock is slaughtered. And then three passengers are marked for death, including Samuel. Could a demon be responsible for their misfortunes? With Pipps imprisoned, only Arent can solve a mystery that connects every passenger. A mystery that stretches back into their past and now threatens to sink the ship, killing everybody on board.

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Find The Good by Heather Lende

(Available Formats: Print Book, Hoopla eBook & Hoopla Audiobook)

Unexpected Life Lessons from a Small-Town Obituary Writer

As the obituary writer in a spectacularly beautiful but often dangerous spit of land in Alaska, Heather Lende knows something about last words and lives well lived. Now she’s distilled what she’s learned about how to live a more exhilarating and meaningful life into three words: find the good. It’s that simple–and that hard. Quirky and profound, individual and universal, Find the Good offers up short chapters that help us unlearn the habit–and it is a habit–of seeing only the negatives. Lende reminds us that we can choose to see any event–starting a new job or being laid off from an old one, getting married or getting divorced–as an opportunity to find the good. As she says, ‘We are all writing our own obituary every day by how we live. The best news is that there’s still time for additions and revisions before it goes to press

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House of Ghosts by W. C. Ryan

(Available Format: Print Book, Large Print, Hoopla eBook & Hoopla Audiobook)

Winter 1917. As the First World War enters its most brutal phase, back home in England, everyone is seeking answers to the darkness that has seeped into their lives. At Blackwater Abbey, on an island off the Devon coast, armaments manufacturer Lord Highmount has arranged a spiritualist gathering to contact his two sons, both of whom died at the front.

Among the guests, two have been secretly dispatched from the intelligence service: Kate Cartwright, a friend of the family who lost her beloved brother at the Somme and who, in the realm of the spiritual, has her own special gift; and the mysterious Captain Donovan, recently returned from Europe. Top secret plans for weapons developed by Lord Highmount’s company have turned up in Berlin, and there is reason to believe enemy spies will be in attendance. As the guests arrive, it becomes clear that each has something they would rather keep hidden. Then, when a storm descends, they find themselves trapped on the island. Soon one of their number will die. For Blackwater Abbey is haunted in more ways than one . . .

An unrelenting, gripping mystery, packed with twists and turns and a kindling of romance, A House of Ghosts is the perfect cold-weather read.

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The Innkeeper’s Daughter by Bianca M. Schwarz

(Available Formats: Hoopla eBook & Hoopla Audiobook)

Part 1 of the Gentleman Spy Mysteries series

In the twilight of a November evening, Sir Henry, a man of wealth and charm, comes across a badly beaten Eliza, desperate to escape her cruel stepfather. Realizing she has nowhere to go, Sir Henry takes her to his home in Mayfair. There, as she recovers, Henry introduces the lovely Eliza to a world of art and literature she never knew existed. But Eliza’s brutal world follows her to London, where the salons of the aristocratic elite co-exist with the back alleys of the criminal underworld. Thankfully, Henry, a secret agent to the crown, is able and willing to deal with the man Eliza’s stepfather had sold her to, and the pimp who plans to enslave her. As romance blossoms between them, Eliza unearths an old secret that leads them into the dark sadistic world of sex trafficking, and finally allows Henry to identify the traitor responsible for selling military secrets to the French, causing the death of thousands. A natural at the spy game, Eliza proves herself a worthy partner in their fight for truth and justice. But with time running out, and the fate of one girl hanging in the balance, Henry and Eliza must find a way to outwit a nasty pimp and eliminate a dangerous enemy agent.

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Lethal Intent by Cara C. Putman

(Available Formats: Hoopla eBook)

When Caroline takes a job with a promising medical start-up, she believes she’s on the side of angels … until she’s asked to go too far.

When the judge she’s clerked for dies, Caroline Bragg starts over as in-house counsel for a pharmaceutical start-up working on innovative adult stem cell research with the potential to save thousands of lives. But when her charismatic new boss ignores her legal advice, Caroline’s left unsettled. Then the company launches into headlines when a furious family demands answers regarding how the start-up used their deceased relative’s cells for innovation-with neither informed consent nor agreement for compensation. Caroline must defend the work of the company even as she realizes informed consent couldn’t have been given and the business is operating on questionable legal and ethical grounds.
Caroline’s friend Brandon Lancaster is at risk of losing his life’s work-a group foster care called

Almost Home that has provided for sibling groups needing a landing place. He’s desperate for a solution, but then the pharmaceutical company’s he invested his last dime in is losing value fast.

He’s been counting on the eventual sale of the start-up to save Almost Home, but with every other effort failing, he’s out of options and out of time.

With the start-up in trouble, Caroline’s and Brandon’s problems intersect. He needs the story to end so he can salvage his investment, and she wants the truth to come out. Will their relationship survive? And will they survive the changes that are inevitably headed their way?

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The Lost Art of Reading Nature’s Signs by Tristan Gooley

(Available Formats: Print Book & Hoopla eBook)

Use Outdoor Clues to Find Your Way, Predict the Weather, Locate Water, Track Animals-and Other Forgotten Skills

Part of the Natural Navigation series

Gooley’s more than two decades of pioneering outdoor experience include research among the Dayak people of Borneo and the Tuareg of the Sahara. With his first book, The Natural Navigator, he started a renaissance in the rare art of reading nature’s clues. Now, in The Lost Art of Reading Nature’s Signs, Gooley has compiled more than 850 outdoor tips-many not found in any other book in the world-that will open readers’ eyes to nature’s hidden logic. He shares techniques for forecasting and tracking, and for walking in the country or city, along the coast, and by night. This is the ultimate resource on what the land, sun, moon, stars, plants, animals, and clouds can reveal-if you only know how to look!

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Upstairs At The White House by J. B. West, Mary Lynn Kotz

(Available Formats: Print Book, CD Audiobook, Hoopla eBook)

My Life with the First Ladies

A New York Times bestseller: A fascinating behind-the-scenes look at life on Pennsylvania Avenue with America’s first families, by the man who spent nearly three decades in their midst J. B. West, chief usher of the White House, directed the operations and maintenance of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue-and coordinated its daily life-at the request of the president and his family. He directed state functions; planned parties, weddings and funerals, gardens and playgrounds, and extensive renovations; and with a large staff, supervised every activity in the presidential home. For twenty-eight years, first as assistant to the chief usher, then as chief usher, he witnessed national crises and triumphs, and interacted daily with six consecutive presidents and first ladies, their parents, children and grandchildren, and houseguests-including friends, relatives, and heads of state. In Upstairs at the White House, West offers an absorbing and novel glimpse at America’s first families, from the Roosevelts to the Kennedys and the Nixons. Alive with anecdotes ranging from the quotidian (Lyndon B. Johnson’s showerheads) to the tragic (the aftermath of John F. Kennedy’s assassination), West’s book is an enlightening and rich account of the American history that took place just behind the Palladian doors of the North Portico.

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The Way The Story Goes by Samantha Chase

(Available Formats: Hoopla eBook & Hoopa Audiobook)

Thriller writer Mia Kingsley has been hit with a serious case of writer’s block and she needs a little peace and quiet. A beach front property in Magnolia Sound seemed like the perfect escape and just the change of scenery she needs to get the words flowing again. That is, until her noisy neighbor starts running power tools and blasting music at all hours of the day and night. Before long, the next victim in her story starts to bear an uncanny resemblance to the contractor next door.

Austin Coleman never wanted to come back to Magnolia Sound. But sometimes, life takes an unexpected turn and the only way to get back on your feet is to go home. His plan is to avoid all things connected to his past, and renovating a beach house in the off-season is just the way to do that-there’ll be no neighbors and no distractions. Or so he thought until he almost maims his sexy neighbor with a flying sink. Despite his best efforts, trouble follows everywhere he goes.

At first she wanted to kill him. Now she wants to kiss him. Sometimes you have to wait and see where the story goes.

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Word Gets Around by Lisa Wingate

(Available Formats: Print Book, Large Print Book, eBook, Hoopla eBook & Hoopla Audiobook)

Lauren Eldridge had avoided returning home to Daily, Texas, until her father confesses to being in over his head. Paying back an old favor, he’s invested in a horse that’s supposed to be the star of a new Hollywood movie. Only the horse won’t behave. And Lauren is the best trainer in the state. Convinced to return, she soon finds more than she bargained for when the movie’s screenwriter turns out to be leading-man handsome. This movie may be Nate Heath’s last shot at turning his career around. He didn’t have high hopes at first, but the town of Daily may be just what everyone needs to find hope and healing. And maybe even a little romance.

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Have a great week!

Linda Reimer

–

*Information on the Three Catalogs*

Digital Catalog: https://stls.overdrive.com/

The Digital Catalog has two companion apps, Libby & OverDrive. Libby is the app for newer devices and the OverDrive app should be used for older devices and Amazon tablets.

All card holders of all Southern Tier Library System member libraries can check out items from the Digital Catalog.

–

Hoopla Catalog: https://www.hoopladigital.com/

The Hoopla Catalog features instant check outs of eBooks, downloadable audiobook, comic books, albums and streaming videos. Patron check out limit is 6 items per month.

Hoopla is a Southeast Steuben County Library service available to all Southeast Steuben County Library card holders.

The Hoopla App is available for Android or Apple devices and most smart TVs & media streaming players.

–

StarCat: The catalog of physical/traditional library materials: https://starcat.stls.org

Card holders of all Southern Tier Library System member libraries can access StarCat to search for and request materials available at libraries through out the Southern Tier Library System.

The StarCat app is called Bookmyne and is available for Apple and Android devices.

–

Also feel free to call the Southeast Steuben County Library and request titles via tel 607-936-3713.

–

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

–

Have questions?

Feel free to call the library! Our telephone number is 607-936-3713.

Tech Talk is a Southeast Steuben County Library blog.

Hi everyone, here is the weekly list of New York Times Bestsellers.

Each title is followed by a listing of which formats it is available in for check out within the three catalogs: StarCat (Print, Large Print & Audiobooks on CD), The Digital Catalog (eBook & Downloadable Audiobook) and the Hoopla Catalog (Hoopla eBook, Hoopla Audiobook etc).

For more information on the three catalogs skip to the section below the bestselling titles*

 

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The next New York Times Bestselling blog posting will be published on Sunday, January 24, 2021.

 

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FICTION:

ALL THE COLORS OF NIGHT by Jayne Ann Krentz

(Avaialble Formats: Print Book, eBook coming shortly)

The second book in the Fogg Lake series. North Chastain and Sierra Raines use their psychic abilities to search for a deadly artifact.

 

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AMERICAN TRAITOR by Brad Taylor

(Available Formats: Print Book & Large Print Book)

The 15th book in the Pike Logan series. Pike Logan and Jennifer Cahill uncover a plot by China to reclaim Taiwan.

 

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ANXIOUS PEOPLE by Fredrik Backman

(Available Formats: Regular Print & Large Print Book, Audiobook on CD, eBook & Downloadable Audiobook)

A failed bank robber holds a group of strangers hostage at an apartment open house.

 

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BLACK BUCK by Mateo Askaripour

(Available Formats: Print Book, eBook coming soon)

The only Black person at a tech startup determines to get other young people of color into America’s sales force.

 

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THE DUKE AND I by Julia Quinn

(Available Formats: Print Book & eBook)

The first book in the Bridgerton series. Daphne Bridgerton’s reputation soars when she colludes with the Duke of Hastings. The basis of the Netflix series “Bridgerton.”

 

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THE MIDNIGHT LIBRARY by Matt Haig

(Available Formats: Print Book, eBook & Downloadable Audiobooks)

Nora Seed finds a library beyond the edge of the universe that contains books with multiple possibilities of the lives one could have lived.

 

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THE MYSTERY OF MRS. CHRISTIE by Marie Benedict

(Available Format: Print Book, eBook & Hoopla eBook)

What might have happened during the 11 days in which a rising mystery author went missing in 1926.

 

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NEIGHBORS by Danielle Steel

(Avaialble Formats: Print Book, Large Print, eBook coming soon)

A Hollywood recluse’s perspective changes when she invites her neighbors into her mansion after an earthquake.

 

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OUTLAWED by Anna North

(Avaiable Format: Print Book, eBook coming soon)

 

Ada, who apprentices midwifery under her mother, must decide whether to aid a band of outlaws who want to create a safe haven for outcast women.

 

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PROPHETS by Robert Jones Jr.

(Avaialble Formats: Print Book, eBook coming soon)

When an older slave begins preaching on a Southern plantation, the love between two slaves, Isaiah and Samuel, is seen in a different light.

 

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PUSH by Ashley Audrain

(Available Formats: Print Book, eBook coming soon)

A devastating event forces a mother who questions her child’s behavior and her own sanity to confront the truth.

 

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READY PLAYER TWO by Ernest Cline

(Available Formats: Print Book, Large Print & eBook)

In a sequel to “Ready Player One,” Wade Watts discovers a technological advancement and goes on a new quest.

 

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THE RETURN by Nicholas Sparks

(Available Formats: Print & Large Print Book, Audiobook on CD & eBook)

A doctor serving in the Navy in Afghanistan goes back to North Carolina where two women change his life.

 

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ROMANCING MISTER BRIDGERTON by Julia Quinn

(Available Formats: Print Book, eBook, Downloadable Audiobook & Hoopla Downloadable Audiobook)

The fourth book in the Bridgerton series. Penelope Featherington and Colin Bridgerton discover each other’s secrets.

 

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STAR WARS: LIGHT OF THE JEDI by Charles Soule

(Available Formats: Print Book & eBook both coming shortly)

In this installment of the High Republic series, a disaster in hyperspace may cause far greater damage.

 

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A TIME FOR MERCY by John Grisham

(Available Formats: Print & Large Print Book, eBook & Downloadable Audiobook)

The third book in the Jake Brigance series. A 16-year-old is accused of killing a deputy in Clanton, Miss., in 1990.

 

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THE VANISHING HALF by Brit Bennett

(Available Formats: Print & Large Print Book, eBook & Downloadable Audiobook)

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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THE VISCOUNT WHO LOVED ME by Julia Quinn

(Available Formats: Print Book, eBook, Downloadable Audiobook & Hoopla Audiobook)

The second book in the Bridgerton series. Kate Sheffield gets in the way of Anthony Bridgerton’s intent to marry.

 

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WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING by Delia Owens:

(Available Formats: Print Book, Large Print, CD Audiobook, eBook & Downloadable Audiobook)

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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WIFE UPSTAIRS by Rachel Hawkins

(Avaialable Formats: Print Book, eBook & Hoopla Audiobook)

 

A recently arrived dog walker in a Southern gated community falls for a mysterious widower.

 

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NON-FICTION:

 

THE ANSWER IS …by Alex Trebek

(Available Formats: Print Book, CD Audiobook, eBook & Downloadable Audiobook)

A memoir by the host of the TV game show “Jeopardy!,” from 1984 to 2020.

 

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BAG MAN by Rachel Maddow and Michael Yarvitz

(Available Formats: Print Book & eBook)

The MSNBC host gives an account of the 1973 investigation of then Vice President Spiro T. Agnew and its impact on politics and the media.

 

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BECOMING by Michelle Obama

(Available Formats: Print Book, Large Print, CD Audiobook, eBook & Downloadable Audiobook)

The former first lady describes how she balanced work, family and her husband’s political ascent.

 

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BODY KEEPS THE SCORE by Bessel van der Kolk

(Available Formats: Print Book, eBook, Downloadable Audiobook & Hoopla Audiobook)

How trauma affects the body and mind, and innovative treatments for recovery.

 

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BRAIDING SWEETGRASS by Robin Wall Kimmerer

(Available Formats: Print Book, eBook, Downloadable Audiobook & Hoopla Downloadable Audiobook)

A botanist and member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation espouses having an understanding and appreciation of plants and animals.

 

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BREATH by James Nestor

(Available Formats: Print Book, eBook & Downloadable Audiobook)

A re-examination of a basic biological function and a look at the science behind ancient breathing practices.

 

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CASTE by Isabel Wilkerson

(Available Formats: Print Book, Audiobook on CD, eBook & Downloadable Audiobook)

The Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist examines aspects of caste systems across civilizations and reveals a rigid hierarchy in America today.

 

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EDUCATED by Tara Westover

(Available Formats: Print Book, Large Print Book, eBook & Downloadable Audiobook)

 

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

 

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GREENLIGHTS by Matthew McConaughey

(Available Formats: Print Book, Audiobook on CD & Downloadable Audiobook)

The Academy Award-winning actor shares snippets from the diaries he kept over the last 35 years.

 

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HOW TO BE AN ANTIRACIST by Ibram X. Kendi

(Available Formats: Print Book, CD Audiobook, eBook & Downloadable Audiobook)

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

 

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ON TYRANNY by Timothy Snyder

(Available Formats: Print Book, eBook & Downloadable Audiobook)

Twenty lessons from the 20th century about the course of tyranny.

 

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A PROMISED LAND by Barack Obama

(Available Formats: Print Book, CD Audiobook, eBook & Downloadable Audiobook)

In the first volume of his presidential memoirs, Barack Obama offers personal reflections on his formative years and pivotal moments through his first term.

 

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THE SPLENDID AND THE VILE by Erik Larson:

(Available Formats: Print Book, Large Print, CD Audiobook, eBook & Downloadable Audiobook)

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

 

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TOO MUCH AND NEVER ENOUGH by Mary L. Trump

(Availalbe Formats: Print Book, CD Audiobook, eBook & Downloadable Audiobook)

The clinical psychologist gives her assessment of events and patterns inside her family and how they shaped President Trump.

 

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UNCOMFORTABLE CONVERSATIONS WITH A BLACK MAN by Emmanuel Acho

(Available Formats: Print Book, Large Print, eBook & Downloadable Audiobook)

A look at some questions and concepts needed to address systemic racism.

 

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UNTAMED by Glennon Doyle

(Available Formats: Print Book, Audiobook on CD, eBook & Downloadable Audiobook)

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

 

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WHITE FRAGILITY by Robin DiAngelo

(Available Formats: Print Book, eBook & Downloadable Audiobook)

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

 

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WINTERING by Katherine May

(Available Formats: Print Book)

Personal reflections on the potential benefits of embracing and living through painful times of isolation.

 

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WORLD OF WONDERS by Aimee Nezhukumatathil

(Available Formats: Print Book & Hoopla eBook)

In a collection of essays, the poet celebrates various aspects of the natural world and its inhabitants.

 

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Be well and read on!

Linda Reimer, SSL

 

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*Information on the Three Catalogs*

Digital Catalog: https://stls.overdrive.com/

The Digital Catalog has two companion apps, Libby & OverDrive. Libby is the app for newer devices and the OverDrive app should be used for older devices and Amazon tablets.

All card holders of all Southern Tier Library System member libraries can check out items from the Digital Catalog.

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Hoopla Catalog: https://www.hoopladigital.com/

The Hoopla Catalog features instant check outs of eBooks, downloadable audiobook, comic books, albums and streaming videos. Patron check out limit is 4 items per month.

Hoopla is a Southeast Steuben County Library service available to all Southeast Steuben County Library card holders.

The Hoopla App is available for Android or Apple devices and most smart TVs & media streaming players.

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StarCat: The catalog of physical/traditional library materials: https://starcat.stls.org

Card holders of all Southern Tier Library System member libraries can access StarCat to search for and request materials available at libraries through out the Southern Tier Library System.

The StarCat app is called Bookmyne and is available for Apple and Android devices.

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Southeast Steuben County Library Tel: 607-936-3713

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Tech Talk is a Southeast Steuben County Library blog.

Hi everyone, welcome to our Suggested Listening posting for this week!

Our Suggested Listening postings focus on the music of the past, with a few new songs mixed in for good measure.

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Suggested Listening postings come out weekly, on Fridays, and the next Suggested Listening posting will be out on Friday, January 22, 2021.

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Blackwater Side by Ronn McFarlane & Carolyn Anderson Surrick (Genre: Folk)

Blackwater Side is from the new album Fermi’s Paradox (2021); a back to the basics LP recorded during the pandemic by viola player Surrick and lutenist McFarlane – the instrumental album has a hopeful vibe mixed into the folk music and, for added spice, the paring of top-notch viola and lute players an uncommon but pleasant musical pairing.

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Blue Suede Shoes by Carl Perkins, I Walk the Line by Johnny Cash & Crazy by Patsy Cline – From the Ranch Party with Tex Ritter (Genre: Rockabilly, Traditional Rock & Country)

Vintage rock and country classics!

Blue Suede Shoes is from the album Dance Album (1962) by Carl Perkins

I Walk The Line is from the LP With His Hot Red & Blue Guitar (1957) by Johnny Cash

razy is from the album Showcase (1961) by Patsy Cline
Great music all the way around!

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Candle by Buck Meek (Genre: Country-Rock, Country)

Buck Meek, best known as a member of the band Big Thief; as a solo artists is known for singing and playing softly introspective acoustic guitar-centric music -as this song aptly illustrates!

Candle is a track from Meek’s new album Two Saviors (2021).

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Grimstock by The Baltimore Consort with Howard Bass (Folk, Classical)

Grimstock is a perfect example of the top-notch renaissance music The Baltimore Consort is known for!

From the album Watkins Ale: Music of the English Renaissance (1991).

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Happy New Year by The McGuire Sisters (Genre: Vocal, 1950s Pop)

I came across this clip while doings research for this posting and have not yet been able to track down which album this song appears on – if indeed it does – it appears to have been recorded for television. And even though we are well into the new year now, I thought I’d include this song as it is super upbeat and positive to the max!

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Piano Sonata No. 14 composed by Beethoven and performed by Annie Lennox (Classical, Piano)

The very talented Annie Lennox, best known as half of the duo The Eurythmics, plays a bit of classical music!

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Sherry by The Four Seasons (Pop, Rock, Vocal)

A classic song from the great Four Seasons!

From the album Sherry and 11 Others (1962).

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Strawberry Window by East Village (Genre: Pop-Rock)

East Village was a short-lived London based band that recorded in the late 1980s. The indie group’s music featured Byrds-ish guitar playing and is lovely guitar-based pop music to listen to. A collection of the group’s work, including this song, was re-issued last year on the album Hotrod Hotel and the album is definitely worth a listen!

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Vivaldi Aria by Philippe Jaroussky (Genre: Classical, Vocal)

Philippe Jaroussky has an incredible voice to say the very least! The sound of his crystal-clear singing of this aria is soulful in a classical way.

Jaroussky critically acclaimed new album is La Vanità del Mondo: Oratorios Arias (2021).

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You Need Us by The Honeybees (AKA Mary Ann, Ginger and Mrs. Howell on Gilligan’s Island)

From the Gilligan’s Island episode Don’t Bug the Mosquitoes.

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Hoopla Pick of the Week

Terrific songs from the classic age of vocal pop! Artists include Nat King Cole, Ella Fitzgerald, Tom Jones, Peggy Lee, Bobby Darin, Julie London and more! Perfect background music for the cocktail hour!

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Have a peaceful weekend,

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.

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The Digital Catalog (OverDrive & Libby Apps)

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

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Hoopla

A catalog of instant check out items, including eBooks, downloadable audiobooks, comic books, TV shows and movies for for patrons of the Southeast Steuben County Library.

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Tech Talk is a Southeast Steuben County Library blog.