Month: April 2024

Hi everyone, here is the list of New York Times Bestsellers for this week.

All titles can be requested/checked out through the library. If you’d like to go the traditional route to request a title on this list and drop by, or call, the library – please do!

Our telephone number is: 607-936-3713

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If you’d like to checkout and/or request New York Times Bestsellers online, you can do that too!

There are currently three catalogs available to Southeast Steuben County Library patrons online, that you can access to search for and request New York Times Bestsellers, and other popular books and materials.

All you need is a library card to get started!

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First, the list of bestsellers for this week, and then more information on the three catalogs!

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THE BESTSELLERS

FICTION

1. A CALAMITY OF SOULS by David Baldacci: Lawyers from different backgrounds represent a Black man charged with killing a wealthy white couple in Virginia in 1968.

2. THE WOMEN by Kristin Hannah: In 1965, a nursing student follows her brother to serve during the Vietnam War and returns to a divided America.

3. A COURT OF THORNS AND ROSES by Sarah J. Maas: After killing a wolf in the woods, Feyre is taken from her home and placed inside the world of the Fae.

4. THE MURDER INN by James Patterson and Candice Fox: A crime boss moves into the town where a former cop runs an inn.

5. A COURT OF MIST AND FURY by Sarah J. Maas: The second book in the Court of Thorns and Roses series. Feyre gains the powers of the High Fae and a greater evil emerges.

6. JUST FOR THE SUMMER by Abby Jimenez: Justin and Emma, whose exes find soulmates after breaking up with them, have a fling on a private island on Lake Minnetonka.

7. FOURTH WING by Rebecca Yarros: Violet Sorrengail is urged by the commanding general, who also is her mother, to become a candidate for the elite dragon riders.

8. IRON FLAME by Rebecca Yarros: The second book in the Empyrean series. Violet Sorrengail’s next round of training might require her to betray the man she loves.

9. A COURT OF WINGS AND RUIN by Sarah J. Maas: The third book in the Court of Thorns and Roses series. As war approaches, Feyre endeavors to take charge of her magical and political powers.

10. TABLE FOR TWO by Amor Towles: A collection of six short stories based in New York City around the year 2000 and a novella set during the Golden Age of Hollywood.

11. THE FAMILIAR by Leigh Bardugo: Luzia Cotado encounters dangers when her magic draws the attention of the disgraced secretary to Spain’s king.

12. THE HOUSEMAID by Freida McFadden: Troubles surface when a woman looking to make a fresh start takes a job in the home of the Winchesters.

13. TOXIC PREY by John Sandford: The 34th book in the Prey series. Letty and Lucas must find an expert on tropical and infectious diseases before a virus becomes weaponized.

14. A COURT OF SILVER FLAMES by Sarah J. Maas: The fifth book in the Court of Thorns and Roses series. Nesta Archeron is forced into close quarters with a warrior named Cassian.

15. A COURT OF FROST AND STARLIGHT by Sarah J. Maas: The fourth book in the Court of Thorns and Roses series. After alterations incurred by war, Winter Solstice approaches.

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NON-FICTION

1. AN UNFINISHED LOVE STORY by Doris Kearns Goodwin: A trove of items collected by the Pulitzer Prize-winning historian’s late husband inspired an appraisal of central figures and pivotal moments of the 1960s.

2. THE ANXIOUS GENERATION by Jonathan Haidt: A co-author of “The Coddling of the American Mind” looks at the mental health impacts that a phone-based life has on children.

3. LOVE, MOM by Nicole Saphier: Fox News anchors and personalities contribute to a collection of reflections on motherhood.

4. KNIFE by Salman Rushdie: The Booker Prize-winning author details the attack on him at the Chautauqua Institution in 2022 and the steps he took to heal from it.

5. THE WIDE WIDE SEA by Hampton Sides: The author of “On Desperate Ground” depicts Captain James Cook’s final voyage and the controversies surrounding its legacy.

6. SOMEHOW by Anne Lamott: Meditations and stories about the transformational power of love by the author of “Dusk, Night, Dawn” and “Bird by Bird.”

7. THE BODY KEEPS THE SCORE by Bessel van der Kolk: How trauma affects the body and mind, and innovative treatments for recovery.

8. BRIEFLY PERFECTLY HUMAN by Alua Arthur: A death doula portrays some moments experienced by herself and some of her clients as they faced the end of their lives.

9. MY BELOVED MONSTER by Caleb Carr: Carr describes the 17-year relationship he had with a Siberian Forest cat named Masha.

10. I’M GLAD MY MOM DIED by Jennette McCurdy: The actress and filmmaker describes her eating disorders and difficult relationship with her mother.

11. AGE OF REVOLUTIONS by Fareed Zakaria: The CNN host draws out lessons for the present polarized era from the 17th-century Netherlands, the French Revolution and the Industrial Revolution.

12. THE WAGER by David Grann: The survivors of a shipwrecked British vessel on a secret mission during an imperial war with Spain have different accounts of events.

13. OUTLIVE by Peter Attia with Bill Gifford: A look at recent scientific research on aging and longevity.

14. KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON by David Grann: The story of a murder spree in 1920s Oklahoma that targeted Osage Indians, whose lands contained oil.

15. NUCLEAR WAR by Annie Jacobsen: The author of “Operation Paperclip” portrays possible outcomes in the minutes following a nuclear missile launch.

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THE CATALOGS:

Catalog 1: StarCat

StarCat is the catalog of physical materials including print books, DVDs, audiobooks on CD etc. StarCat is available to all patrons of all public libraries in the Southern Tier Library System*

Starcat can be found online at: https://starcat.stls.org/

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Catalog 2: The Digital Catalog

The Digital Catalog (and its companion app Libby) offers all Southern Tier Library System member library patrons access to eBooks, eAudiobooks & eMagazines via a lending model known in Library-ese as “one copy/one user;” that library speak means that eBooks & eAudiobooks found in The Digital Catalog/Libby are like print books found on library shelves, only one patron can check out a copy of a title at a time.

Exception: Magazines found in the digital catalog are available via a different lending model known as simultaneous access. And that fancy library speak means that magazines are available for all patrons to check out at the same time, i.e. if you and all your family and friends wish to read the latest digital edition of Newsweek, all of you can check out the e version of the magazine and read it at the same time.

The Digital Catalog/Libby checkout limit is 5 titles a time.

The Digital Catalog is found online at: https://stls.overdrive.com/

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Catalog 3: Hoopla

The Hoopla Digital Catalog (and its companion app, also called Hoopla) offers Southeast Steuben County Library patrons access to a second digital catalog with an on-demand lending model. In library speak, this lending model, like The Digital Catalog/Libby’s magazine lending model, is known as “simultaneous access.” The difference is, the Hoopla catalog offers access to more formats: eBooks, eAudiobooks, eComics, digital albums, TV shows & movies – and all items, in all those formats, are available  for patrons to checkout immediately. The Hoopla check out limit is ten titles per month.

Hoopla Formats: All Hoopla content can be accessed on a computer or mobile device, and TV shows and movies can be accessed on computers, mobile devices, smart TVs and media streaming players, i.e. Roku or  Apple TV.

The Hoopla Catalog is found online at: https://www.hoopladigital.com/

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*The Southern Tier Library System includes the public libraries in Steuben, Chemung, Yates, Schuyler & Allegheny counties.

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

Suggested Listening postings are published on Fridays; and our next Suggested Listening posting will be out on Friday, May 3, 2024

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And here are the 10 recommended songs of the week!

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A big Happy Birthday goes out today to the great guitarist & Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame member Duane Eddy!

He was born in the old Corning Hospital on April 26, 1938, and turns 86-years young today!

In celebration of his birthday, our Suggested Listening post for this weekend features a baker’s ten of his songs!

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Rebel Rouser

From The Album: Have “Twangy” Guitar, Will Travel (1958)

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Ramrod

From The Album: Have “Twangy” Guitar, Will Travel (1958)

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Forty Miles Of Bad Road

From The Album: $1,000,000 Worth Of Twang (1960)

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Peter Gunn

From The Album: Especially For You (1959)

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Because They’re Young

From The Album: Especially For You (1959)

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Shazam!

From The Album: $1,000,000 Worth Of Twang (1960)

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Wildwood Flowers

From The Album: Twang A Country Song (1963)

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Summer Kiss

From The Album: Lonely Guitar (1964)

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Three-30 Blues

From The Album: Have “Twangy” Guitar, Will Travel (1958)

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Dance With The Guitar Man

From The Album: Dance With The Guitar Man (1962)

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Last Date

From The Album: Twangin’ The Golden Hits (1962)

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Hoopla Recommend Album of the Week

 The Roaring Twangies (1967) by Duane Eddy

And from the album the song:

Bye Bye Blues

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Have a great weekend,

Linda Reimer, SSCL

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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, web version of Libby

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

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The Libby App

Libby is the companion app to the Digital Catalog and may be found in the Apple & Google app.

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Hoopla

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

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Tech Talk is a Southeast Steuben County Library blog.

What’s the deal with eBooks and eAudiobooks?   

In other words, the answer to the question “Can you checkout eBooks and eAudiobooks from the library for free?” is a resounding YES!  

Southeast Steuben County Library patrons can checkout eBooks, eAudiobooks and other digital content through two different catalogs, The Digital Catalog and its companion app Libby, and the Hoopla Catalog and its companion app, simply called Hoopla.  

It is free to check out materials from both The Digital & Libby Catalog and The Hoopla Catalog, the only requirement is that you must have a library card and a set up a login.  

Also of note, although you need an Internet connection to checkout and download digital content from The Digital & Libby Catalog and the Hoopla Catalog, once you’ve downloaded the items you’ve checked out, you don’t need an Internet connection to access your checked out titles.   

With that in mind, let’s move on to answer four big, related questions:  

1. What is The Digital Catalog/Libby? (A more in-depth explanation!)   

2. What is Hoopla? (A more in-depth explanation, too!)  

3. Why does the library offer patrons access to digital content through two different catalogs? (and thus, two different websites and apps!)  

4. How do you checkout digital content?  

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1. What is The Digital Catalog/Libby?  

Both The Digital Catalog online and the Libby app for mobile devices, offer access to the same catalog of titles; the difference between them is simply in how you access those titles, online through a web browser on a computer (The Digital Catalog), or through an app on your smartphone or tablet (Libby).    

The Digital Catalog & The Libby app are used collectively by libraries in the 48-member Southern Tier Library System, including SSCL, to offer eBooks, eAudiobooks and digital magazines to STLS member library patrons. The Digital Catalog is found online at: https://stls.overdrive.com/ and its companion app Libby can be found in the app store on your smartphone or tablet.    

All libraries in the Southern Tier Library System purchase eBooks and eAudiobooks for the catalog, and all titles in the catalog are available to patrons of all the libraries in the system to check out and request, in the traditional library way of one title being checked out by one patron at a time. Patrons may check out a maximum of five titles from The Digital & Libby Catalog at one time.   

Also of note, you can additionally check out eBooks from the Digital Catalog and read them on a dedicated eReader (i.e. Kindle Paperwhite, Kobo Libra etc.); just how you do that varies depending upon what make/model of eReader you are using – for more information see the “How do you check out digital content?” section.  

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2. What is Hoopla?  

Hoopla is the name of both the online catalog and app that The Southeast Steuben County Library uses to offer on-demand access to eBooks, eAudios (eBooks & albums) digital comics, digital/streaming TV shows and movies to Southeast Steuben County Library patrons. Patrons have instant access to all titles in the Hoopla Catalog, with a maximum check out limit of 10 titles per card, per month. As with The Digital Catalog & The Libby app, accessing the Hoopla Catalog online, or through the Hoopla app, gains you access to the same catalog of titles.  

Hoopla content can be accessed on a computer at https://www.hoopladigital.com, or via the Hoopla app on a smartphone, tablet, smart TV or media streaming player, (i.e. Roku, Google Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV etc.)  

Also of note, Hoopla content cannot be accessed on an eReader. So, if you have a dedicated eReader (i.e. Kindle Paperwhite, Kobo Libra, NookGlow Light etc.), you’ll have to checkout eBooks from The Digital Catalog online (https://stls.overdrive.com/) to read on your eReader.   

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3. Why does the library offer patrons access to digital content through two catalogs?  

The basic answer to that question is that our library wanted to offer more digital content to our patrons, as demand for digital library content has soared in the last ten years.  

eBooks and eAudiobooks in The Digital & Libby Catalog, as you’ll recall, can be checked out by patrons of all Southern Tier Library System Libraries, and can further be accessed, if titles are available, by patrons from STLS’s Digital Catalog/Libby partner library systems, Finger Lakes & OWWL. Thus, titles found in the Digital & Libby Catalog can be accessed by many people!   

So, our library added a second collection of digital content for our patrons to check out – Hoopla – to give our patrons access to more digital titles!  

To check out Hoopla content from our library, The Southeast Steuben County Library, you must have a Southeast Steuben County library card.  

And as mentioned, Hoopla content is available on–demand, so you don’t have to wait to check out titles you find in the Hoopla Catalog, if you haven’t reached your maximum check–out limit of 10 titles during the month, per card.   

And you might be thinking, why is there a difference in the way content is offered through The Digital & Libby Catalog vs. through the Hoopla Catalog; one copy of an item being checked out by one patron at a time via The Digital & Libby Catalog vs. patrons being able to check out any titles in the Hoopla Catalog, online or via the app, up to ten titles per month all at one time, and the answer is basically, it is a lending model thing!   

And I think I can explain the term “lending model” as it relates to the difference between The Digital & Libby Catalog and The Hoopla Catalog by offering an analogy. The eBooks and eAudiobooks in the Digital Catalog/Libby are all purchased as individual titles by the member libraries in the STLS.   

For example, eBook and eAudiobook titles are purchased for The Digital & Libby Catalog one copy of a title at a time, and can be accessed by one patron at a time, so checking out titles from The Digital & Libby Catalog is like buying a movie or episode of a TV show from Amazon, Apple, Google Play etc.  

So, for example, when David Baldacci’s new novel A Calamity of Souls recently came out, individual copies of that title in eBook and eAudiobook formats were purchased for the catalog. And if a title is very popular, as David Baldacci books tend to be, then STLS will have to purchase additional individual copies of the title to fill individual requests for it, and requesting patrons will have to wait their turn for a copy of the eBook or eAudiobook to become available to check it out. 

In contrast, The Hoopla Catalog is like Netflix, you won’t find every brand-new title released in the catalog, although you will find some of them; and the titles you find in the catalog are all available for all Southeast Steuben County Library card holders to check out at the same time.  

So, for example, if you wanted to listen to all the William Kent Krueger’s Cork O’Connor mystery eAudiobooks, from book 1 (Iron Lake) through book 19 (Fox Creek) you can do so! And at the same time, so can your local friends, co-workers, neighbors and/or family members.   

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4. How do you check out digital content?  

First off, a word about getting assistance in checking out library digital content! 

If you need assistance in setting up your login, or resetting your password, you are always welcome to drop by the library or call the Reference Desk at: 607-936-3713 x502. 

And onto the question of how you checkout digital content from The Digital & Libby Catalog or Hoopla. That question has several different answers. The process is a little different depending upon which device you’re using to checkout content, and which catalog you’re checking out content from.   

BUT BASICALLY…  

IF YOU’RE USING A COMPUTER  

If you’re checking out content to a computer through The Digital Catalog (https://stls.overdrive.com/)  or the Hoopla website (https://www.hoopladigital.com/) you create a login with your library card, and then go to the website to checkout and access the content you have checked out; eBooks, eAudiobooks & digital magazines from The Digital & Libby Catalog, and, eBooks, eAudios, eComics and digital/streaming movies and TV shows through Hoopla’s Catalog.   

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IF YOU’RE USING AN APP DEVICE:  

If you’re using an app device, a smartphone or tablet for The Digital & Libby Catalog; or a smartphone, tablet, smart TV or streaming player for Hoopla, you download the app from to your device and then everything is done within the app. You’ll initially create a login with your library card number, and then you’ll access the digital content through the app on your device, i.e. your smartphone, tablet, smart TV or media streaming player.  

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IF YOU’RE USING A KINDLE EREADER:    

If you’re using a Kindle eReader the easiest way to check out library eBooks and then access them on your eReader, is once your login is created, 1. Go online to The Digital Catalog (https://stls.overdrive.com/), 2. Login by entering your library card number and password, 3. search for an available eBook you’d like to read and find one, 4. Click on the Borrow button, a pop up window will display asking you to click on borrow again and a second pop up window will display asking you how you want to read the eBook, 5. Click on the option READ NOW WITH KINDLE and you’ll be re-routed to the Amazon website, where you’ll be prompted to 6. Log into your Amazon account, and then you can 7. Select the option to send the eBook to your Kindle eReader; once you’ve sent the eBook to your Kindle, the eBook should appear as a new title on your Kindle.   

For all other dedicated eReaders, except Kobo eReaders; the process is a bit different and requires one to download special software (Adobe Digital Editions) to a computer, connect the eReader to the computer and then, checkout eBooks online, download them to a computer and transfer them, through the Adobe Digital Editions software, to an eReader.   

The exception is Kobo eReaders. If you have a Kobo eReader you can checkout eBooks through the eReader itself. And the reason for this exception is because the parent company that owns both the software/platform/catalog known as The Digital Catalog & Libby app, also owns the Kobo Company.  

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MORE INFORMATION:  

The Digital Catalog (also known as OverDrive & the companion site to the app Libby)  

https://stls.overdrive.com

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Finger Lakes Library System: The Finger Lakes Library System (NY) encompasses the public libraries in Cayuga, Cortland, Seneca, Tioga, and Tompkins Counties.    

Welcome

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The Hoopla Catalog Online  

https://www.hoopladigital.com

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OverDrive: OverDrive is the name of the company that provides and maintains the Digital Catalog online, and its companion app Libby. Patrons who have checked out eBooks and eAudiobooks from the library for a long time, may recall the original companion app to the Digital Catalog was called OverDrive too.   

The old OverDrive app was retired and replaced by Libby. The OverDrive Company and the Kobo Company are both owned by a larger company called Rakuten, which is why Kobo  eReaders are the only eReaders that you can use to directly checkout eBooks from The Digital Catalog to your dedicated eReader.  

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OWWL: The OWWL system (NY) encompasses the public libraries in Ontario, Wayne, Wyoming, & and Livingston counties.  

Homepage

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The Southern Tier Library System (NY) encompasses all the public libraries in Steuben, Chemung, Yates, Schuyler & Alleghany counties.   

Find Your Library

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 If you have any questions about checking out digital library content, let me know!

Or stop by the library, located at 300 Civic Center Plaza, Corning, N.Y. (right across the plaza from City Hall in Corning.

Or call us at: 607-936-3713 x 502 (You’ll reach the Reference Desk, where we love questions!)

Have a great day,

Linda Reimer, SSCL

Email: reimerl@stls.org

Tel: 607-936-3713 x212

Hi everyone, here are our five suggested reads of the week!

Weekly Suggested Reading Five postings are published on Wednesdays.

And the next Suggested Reading posting will be published on Wednesday, May 1, 2024

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How to End a Love Story: A Novel by Yulin Kuang

DEBUT Helen’s successful YA novels are being adapted into a TV series, and she happily accepts a position as a screenwriter on the project. When she shows up to the writing room, however, she finds the one person she never wanted to see again: Grant, now an established producer. Thirteen years have passed since Helen’s little sister died in a car accident–and Grant was at the wheel of the car that hit her. Helen has never forgiven him, and the idea of working together seems incomprehensible. As they begin to unravel each other’s stories, they get embroiled in an ultra-steamy yet emotionally knotty relationship that becomes all-consuming. Helen tries hard to deny her attraction to the man she’s hated for so long, and Grant struggles to convince Helen that their love is real. Told in alternating points of view, this captivating novel is a sexy and emotional read that deals with the aftereffects of trauma in a realistic and heartrending way.

VERDICT Readers looking for a contemporary romance with a passionate and grand love story, characters that leap off the page, and an original storyline will relish screenwriter and director Kuang’s debut novel.-Starred Library Journal Review

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A Killing On The Hill by Robert Dugoni

A gripping new thriller from New York Times bestselling author Robert Dugoni.

The Great Depression. High-level corruption. And a murder that’s about to become Seattle’s hottest mystery. It’s the kind of story that can make a reporter’s career. If he lives to write about it.

Seattle, 1933. The city is in the grips of the Great Depression, Prohibition, and vice. Cutting his teeth on a small-time beat, hungry and ambitious young reporter William “Shoe” Shumacher gets a tip that could change his career. There’s been a murder at a social club on Profanity Hill–an underworld magnet for vice crimes only a privileged few can afford. The story is going to be front-page news, and Shoe is the first reporter on the scene.

The victim, Frankie Ray, is a former prizefighter. His accused killer? Club owner and mobster George Miller, who claims he pulled the trigger in self-defense. Soon the whole town’s talking, and Shoe’s first homicide is fast becoming the Trial of the Century. The more Shoe digs, the more he’s convinced nothing is as it seems. Not with a tangle of conflicting stories, an unlikely motive, and witnesses like Ray’s girlfriend, a glamour girl whose pretty lips are sealed. For now.

In a city steeped in Old West debauchery, Shoe’s following every lead to a very dangerous place–one that could bring him glory and fame or end his life.

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Pay Dirt by Sara Paretsky

Chicago PI V.I. Warshawski hasn’t been herself since one of her cases ended in tragedy. Friends persuade her to head to Kansas for a college basketball game featuring her protege Angela. When Angela’s housemate Sabrina goes missing, V.I. reluctantly agrees to help search for the young woman. With no support network in Lawrence, and the police suspicious of her motives, V.I. finally finds Sabrina almost dead in a drug den on Yancy Hill. It gets worse: the FBI shows up to question V.I. about kidnapping the girl, and the police don’t believe her. When V.I. returns to the drug house, she finds the body of a woman who had been stirring up trouble in town. Now V.I. is suspected of kidnapping and murder, and she only has two junk men and an ambitious young reporter to turn to for help. As V.I. investigates the death, she finds evidence that connects the land around Yancy Hill with Lawrence’s industrial future and Kansas’s bloody past before the Civil War. VERDICT History buffs will appreciate Paretsky’s exploration of Kansas’s violent past, while V.I. fans will be eager to read the latest in the award-winning series (after Overboard). – Library Journal Review

Reader’s Note: Pay Dirt is the twenty second novel in the V.I. Warshawski series. If you’d like to start reading from the beginning of the series, check out book one: Indemnity Only.

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The Rulebreaker: The Life and Times of Barbara Walters by Susan Page

In the annals of broadcast journalism, Barbara Walters is legendary. Acclaimed for her monumental “gets,” Walters interviewed a veritable who’s who of twentieth-century politicians and celebrities, amassing a master class trove of spirited and probing interrogatories that famously reduced her subjects to tears. In an era when the business of broadcast news was a firmly established old boys club, Walters took a battering ram to those clubhouse doors when, in 1976, she became co-anchor of ABC Nightly News. Not only was her position unprecedented, her million-dollar annual salary was record-shattering. Walters had toiled for decades in the trenches as a PR operative, low-level news writer, and participant in puff pieces on morning television; peers questioned her worthiness. Her career was forged during the days of second-wave feminism, and Walters was a highly visible target for the industry’s and the nation’s entrenched misogyny. Beyond the professional battles, her personal life suffered as well, through multiple marriages and a fractured relationship with her adopted daughter. Page, the Washington bureau chief for USA Today, presents an impeccably researched and deeply sourced biography and a respectful and balanced portrait of this groundbreaking icon of American journalism. – Starred Booklist Review

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A Step Past Darkness: A Novel by Vera Kurian 

In 1995, Wesley Falls, Pennsylvania, is controlled by the megachurch Golden Praise, led by charismatic pastor Jim Priess. Local teen Jia Kwon is hiding her psychic visions, unwilling to give the pious townspeople ammunition against her. Then Jia, best friend Padma, top jock Casey, Queen Bee Maddy, bad boy James, and loyal Kelly are assigned to a team history project about the local mine. While exploring, they witness Golden Praise elders tossing six teens into the mine’s virtually bottomless Heart. With that, their focus shifts to discovering the connection between the murders, Golden Praise, and the disturbing aura Jia senses around Priess. After unearthing reality-shaking secrets, they take action and believe that they’ve freed Wesley Falls from evil. But when Jia returns 20 years later to help find a missing person, she finds Maddy’s body and a new minister at Golden Praise who bears an unsettling resemblance to Priess. Jia summons the gang back to Wesley Falls to avenge Maddy and finish what they started as kids. Through flashbacks and the gang’s emotionally powerful reunion, Kurian draws readers in, invoking strong Goonies vibes. Here, as in her debut, Never Saw Me Coming (2023), Kurian creates unforgettable characters, breathless suspense, and original plotting. A must-read for fans of C. J. Tudor and Jennifer McMahon. 

Happy reading!

Linda Reimer, SSCL

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

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Information on the three library catalogs

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

The Digital Catalog, is an online catalog containing eBooks, eAudiobooks, and digital magazines. You can use your library card and checkout content on a PC; you can also use the companion app, Libby, to access titles on your mobile devices; so you can enjoy eBooks and eAudiobooks on the go!

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 on demand checkouts of eBooks, eAudiobooks, comic books, albums, movies and TV shows. Patron check out limit is 10 items per month.

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

The Hoopla companion app, also called Hoopla is available for mobile devices, 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.

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Have questions about how to access Internet based content (i.e. eBooks, eAudios)? Feel free to drop by the Reference Desk or call the library and we will assist you! The library’s telephone number is: 607-936-3713.

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Tech & Book Talk is a Southeast Steuben County Library blog.

Hi everyone, here is the list of New York Times Bestsellers for this week. All titles can be requested/checked out through the library. If you’d like to go the traditional route to request a title on this list and drop by, or call, the library – please do!

Our telephone number is: 607-936-3713

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If you’d like to checkout and/or request New York Times Bestsellers online, you can do that too!

There are currently three catalogs available to Southeast Steuben County Library patrons online, that you can access to search for and request New York Times Bestsellers, and other popular books and materials.

All you need is a library card to get started!

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First, the list of bestsellers for this week, and then more information on the three catalogs!

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THE BESTSELLERS

FICTION

1. TOXIC PREY by John Sandford

The 34th book in the Prey series. Letty and Lucas must find an expert on tropical and infectious diseases before a virus becomes weaponized.

2. THE WOMEN by Kristin Hannah

In 1965, a nursing student follows her brother to serve during the Vietnam War and returns to a divided America.

3. THE FAMILIAR by Leigh Bardugo

Luzia Cotado encounters dangers when her magic draws the attention of the disgraced secretary to Spain’s king.

4. A COURT OF THORNS AND ROSES by Sarah J. Maas

After killing a wolf in the woods, Feyre is taken from her home and placed inside the world of the Fae.

5. A COURT OF MIST AND FURY by Sarah J. Maas

The second book in the Court of Thorns and Roses series. Feyre gains the powers of the High Fae and a greater evil emerges.

6. JUST FOR THE SUMMER by Abby Jimenez

Justin and Emma, whose exes find soulmates after breaking up with them, have a fling on a private island on Lake Minnetonka.

7. FOURTH WING by Rebecca Yarros

Violet Sorrengail is urged by the commanding general, who also is her mother, to become a candidate for the elite dragon riders.

8. WILD LOVE by Elsie Silver

A billionaire who wants to open a recording studio in Rose Hill is attracted to his best friend’s sister.

9. IRON FLAME by Rebecca Yarros

The second book in the Empyrean series. Violet Sorrengail’s next round of training might require her to betray the man she loves.

10. A COURT OF WINGS AND RUIN by Sarah J. Maas

The third book in the Court of Thorns and Roses series. As war approaches, Feyre endeavors to take charge of her magical and political powers.

11. A COURT OF SILVER FLAMES by Sarah J. Maas

The fifth book in the Court of Thorns and Roses series. Nesta Archeron is forced into close quarters with a warrior named Cassian.

12. A COURT OF FROST AND STARLIGHT by Sarah J. Maas

The fourth book in the Court of Thorns and Roses series. After alterations incurred by war, Winter Solstice approaches.

13. THE HOUSEMAID by Freida McFadden

Troubles surface when a woman looking to make a fresh start takes a job in the home of the Winchesters.

14. THE TEACHER by Freida McFadden

A math teacher at Caseham High suspects there is more going on behind a scandal involving a teacher and a student.

15. THE BELOVED by J.R. Ward

The 22nd book in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series. Nalla and Nate find an attraction to each other as they fight side by side.

NON-FICTION

1. SOMEHOW by Anne Lamott

Meditations and stories about the transformational power of love by the author of “Dusk, Night, Dawn” and “Bird by Bird.”

2. THE ANXIOUS GENERATION by Jonathan Haidt

A co-author of “The Coddling of the American Mind” looks at the mental health impacts that a phone-based life has on children.

3. THE WIDE WIDE SEA by Hampton Sides

The author of “On Desperate Ground” depicts Captain James Cook’s final voyage and the controversies surrounding its legacy.

4. I’M GLAD MY MOM DIED by Jennette McCurdy

The actress and filmmaker describes her eating disorders and difficult relationship with her mother.

5. THE BODY KEEPS THE SCORE by Bessel van der Kolk

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

6. AGE OF REVOLUTIONS by Fareed Zakaria

The CNN host draws out lessons for the present polarized era from the 17th-century Netherlands, the French Revolution and the Industrial Revolution.

7. THE WAGER by David Grann

The survivors of a shipwrecked British vessel on a secret mission during an imperial war with Spain have different accounts of events.

8. THE AGE OF MAGICAL OVERTHINKING by Amanda Montell

The linguist and podcast host examines cognitive biases and coping mechanisms used in our current information age.

9. OUTLIVE by Peter Attia with Bill Gifford

A look at recent scientific research on aging and longevity.

10. KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON by David Grann

The story of a murder spree in 1920s Oklahoma that targeted Osage Indians, whose lands contained oil.

11. THE SECRET LIVES OF BOOKSELLERS AND LIBRARIANS by James Patterson and Matt Eversmann with Chris Mooney

Profiles of the workers who connect people with books.

12. NUCLEAR WAR by Annie Jacobsen

The author of “Operation Paperclip” portrays possible outcomes in the minutes following a nuclear missile launch.

13. BURN BOOK by Kara Swisher

The tech journalist and podcast host gives an overview of the tech industry and the foibles of its founders.

14. SOCIOPATH by Patric Gagne

Gagne, who was diagnosed as a sociopath when she was in college, reconnects with someone from her past who helps her chart her future.

15. GET IT TOGETHER by Jesse Watters

The Fox News host gives his take on some people whose political views differ from the ones to which he subscribes.

–

THE CATALOGS:

Catalog 1: StarCat

StarCat is the catalog of physical materials including print books, DVDs, audiobooks on CD etc. StarCat is available to all patrons of all public libraries in the Southern Tier Library System*

Starcat can be found online at: https://starcat.stls.org/

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Catalog 2: The Digital Catalog

The Digital Catalog (and its companion app Libby) offers all Southern Tier Library System member library patrons access to eBooks, eAudiobooks & eMagazines via a lending model known in Library-ese as “one copy/one user;” that library speak means that eBooks & eAudiobooks found in The Digital Catalog/Libby are like print books found on library shelves, only one patron can check out a copy of a title at a time.

Exception: Magazines found in the digital catalog are available via a different lending model known as simultaneous access. And that fancy library speak means that magazines are available for all patrons to check out at the same time, i.e. if you and all your family and friends wish to read the latest digital edition of Newsweek, all of you can check out the e version of the magazine and read it at the same time.

The Digital Catalog/Libby checkout limit is 5 titles a time.

The Digital Catalog is found online at: https://stls.overdrive.com/

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Catalog 3: Hoopla

The Hoopla Digital Catalog (and its companion app, also called Hoopla) offers Southeast Steuben County Library patrons access to a second digital catalog with an on-demand lending model. In library speak, this lending model, like The Digital Catalog/Libby’s magazine lending model, is known as “simultaneous access.” The difference is, the Hoopla catalog offers access to more formats: eBooks, eAudiobooks, eComics, digital albums, TV shows & movies – and all items, in all those formats, are available  for patrons to checkout immediately. The Hoopla check out limit is ten titles per month.

Hoopla Formats: All Hoopla content can be accessed on a computer or mobile device, and TV shows and movies can be accessed on computers, mobile devices, smart TVs and media streaming players, i.e. Roku or  Apple TV.

The Hoopla Catalog is found online at: https://www.hoopladigital.com/

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*The Southern Tier Library System includes the public libraries in Steuben, Chemung, Yates, Schuyler & Allegheny counties.

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

Suggested Listening postings are published on Fridays; and our next Suggested Listening posting will be out on Friday, April 26, 2024.

–

And here are the 10 recommended songs of the week!

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Begin The Beguine by Les Paul

From The Album: The Trio’s Complete Decca Recordings Plus (1936-47) (1997)

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Can’t Sleep At Night by Susan Tedeschi

From The Album: Back To The River (2008)

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Honky Tonk Train Blues by Mead Lux Lewis

From The Album: The Meade Lux Lewis Collection 1927-61 (2016)

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In Memory of Elizabeth Reed by The Allman Brothers Band

From The Album: Idle Wind (1970)

–

Life’s Too Short by Lucy Rose

From The Album: This Ain’t The Way You Go Out (2024)

–

Mailman Bring Me No More Blues by Buddy Holly

From The Album: Buddy Holly (1957)

–

Rockin’ Boogie by Sammy Price

From The Album: The Definitive Black & Blue Sessions – Rockin’ Boogie (2002)

–

Rumble by Link Wray

From The Album: Discover 50s Rock’n’Roll (2014) by Various Artists

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Singapore Sadie by Richard Thompson

From The Album: Ship To Shore (2024)

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We’re Gonna Make It by Sue Foley & Peter Karp

From The Album: Beyond The Crossroads (2012)

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Hoopla Recommend Album of the Week

 Tony Rice (1977) by Tony Rice

And from the album the song:

And from the album the song:

Hills Of Roan Valley by Tony Rice

–

Have a great weekend,

Linda Reimer, SSCL

–

Online Catalog Links:

StarCat

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

–

The Digital Catalog, web version of Libby

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

–

The Libby App

Libby is the companion app to the Digital Catalog and may be found in the Apple & Google app.

–

Hoopla

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

–

Tech Talk is a Southeast Steuben County Library blog.

Hi everyone, here are our five suggested reads of the week!

Weekly Suggested Reading Five postings are published on Wednesdays.

And the next Suggested Reading posting will be published on Wednesday, April 24, 2024.

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Close To Death by Anthony Horowitz  

Among his many outstanding accomplishments, Horowitz adapted Caroline Graham’s mysteries into the early episodes of the long-running and internationally popular television series Midsomer Murders. Here he’s created a tiny Midsomer village within Riverside Close in Richmond, a town near southwest London. The Close includes every manner of resident, including two ex-nuns and a chess celebrity, and becomes the scene of the murder of Charles Kenworthy, found dead on his porch with the bolt of a crossbow through his chest. Kenworthy was an arrogant and obnoxious man, and nothing in the peaceful complex was the same after he moved in. Each of the original residents had their own reason for wanting him dead. Daniel Hawthorne is called in by the baffled police. He is the shadowy (one might say shady) ex-policeman turned private investigator with whom the author himself has solved four earlier cases. Horowitz has perfected metafiction to the point where the reader settles in comfortably for the fifth time as the self-deprecating author engages with the prickly Hawthorne to create a crime novel based on his investigations. An absolutely engrossing tale, including a locked-room second murder, written with the abundance of whimsy and dark humor that seems to permeate nearly everything that Horowitz creates. Kudos to anyone who can figure this one out! 

HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Horowitz followers and all lovers of diabolically clever mysteries are primed for the latest Hawthorne and Horowitz adventure. – Starred Booklist Review  

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The Gathering by C. J Tudor 

Vampires, or “vampyrs,” roam the earth—and provoke heated political debate—in this wildly imaginative supernatural thriller from Tudor (The Drift). Though vampyrs rarely attack humans, hostility toward them in the early 20th century led to the decimation of the species and their relegation to several remote colonies across the United States. In 1983, the federal government enacted the Vampyr Protection Act, declaring them a protected species and polarizing the electorate—right-wing religious fanatics believe vampyrs should be exterminated, while “woke liberals” consider them vulnerable minorities. Against this fraught backdrop, homicide detective Barbara Atkins, who has her PhD in forensic vampyr anthropology, is dispatched to the small town of Deadhart, Alaska, after local teen Marcus Anderson is killed and his neighbors blame a vampyr. While the citizens of Deadhart prepare to cull the nearby vampyr colony in retaliation, Atkins teams up with the local sheriff to investigate Marcus’s death. As they dig, Atkins and the sheriff come to suspect the vampyr theory is cover for a much more personal motive—and then someone else turns up dead. Tudor leverages her snowbound setting for maximum atmosphere, and never lets her high-concept premise overwhelm patient character development. This frostbitten procedural is a bloody good time.  – Starred Publishers Weekly Review 

– 

The House on Biscayne Bay by Chanel Cleeton 

Just as her newest protagonists, Anna Barnes and Carmen Acosta, brave a confounding maze and a hidden passage, Cleeton (The Cuban Heiress, 2023) intrepidly ventures into the gothic arena with her latest novel. Marbrisa is an extravagant showplace built on Biscayne Bay near Miami by Anna’s husband, Robert. Anna is a mature woman whose story takes place in Miami’s burgeoning post-WWI era, when rich outsiders buying up land and building mansions clash with the locals. Cue the screeching peacocks, the road-blocking, the slumbering alligators, and murder. In alternating segments, Carmen is a young woman who has come to Marbrisa to live with her estranged sister and brother-in-law after her parents’ tragic death in Havana. It’s the early 1940s, the war is starting in Europe, and history seems set to repeat itself at this ill-fated estate. As the story unfolds, readers will wonder if there’s anyone Anna and Carmen can trust. The gruff housekeeper? The handsome gardener? The nebbishy architect? The relentless detective? This is a sure bet for Cleeton fans and lovers of mansion-centric gothic tales. – Booklist Review 

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The Kiss Countdown by Etta Easton 

DEBUT After losing her job at a prestigious Houston event-planning company and breaking up with her long-time boyfriend, Amerie Price is trying to launch a solo venture and has absolutely no time for romantic complications. But when her ex and his new girlfriend show up at Amerie’s favorite coffee shop, a random coffee-drinker (who happens to be very cute with a chiseled jawline) makes a convenient fake boyfriend. Vincent Price, a NASA astronaut, gamely plays along with Amerie’s scheme in the moment, but she’s shocked when he suggests they continue the ruse until he blasts off for a six-month mission to space. Vincent’s meddling family is concerned they’ll lose him, and Vincent hopes that having a doting (fake) girlfriend will help soothe their worries about his upcoming mission. Plus, Amerie can move into his apartment, leaving her free to focus on her new business, not making rent. What Amerie doesn’t plan on is truly falling for the secretly sweet Vincent. VERDICT Easton’s debut is perfect for readers seeking romance with excellent character development and STEM at its center. It’s a good read-alike for Denise Williams and Ali Hazelwood. – Library Journal Review  

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An Unfinished Love Story: A Personal History of the 1960s by Doris Kearns Goodwin 

Words matter. With their power to inspire, illuminate, instruct, and influence, the words a president or other prominent individual says at the right time can quell tension or encourage reform, embolden noble deeds or suppress destructive action. As speechwriter and advisor to JFK, RFK, and LBJ, Dick Goodwin wrote some of the most powerful speeches of the 1960s, a time when America was catapulting from the New Frontier to the Great Society and challenged by upheaval at home and abroad. Although he and Doris Kearns were moons orbiting the same political planets, they did not meet until 1972, when both were working at Harvard. Their adjacent experiences and shared passion for politics, justice, and the presidency was the foundation of a love that would last until Goodwin’s death in 2018. As befits all great researchers and eyewitnesses to history, the Goodwins collected a vast trove of archival material from their years as presidential advisers and authors, and it is this unparalleled source material that historian, biographer, and political commentator Kearns Goodwin mines to galvanizing effect in a memoir that purrs with beguiling intimacy and bubbles with effervescent appreciation for an exceptional marriage during more than four decades of profound mutual engagement with politics, social struggles, and each other. 

HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: The presidential biographer’s renown will lure readers to her most personal book. – Booklist Review  

–

Happy reading!

Linda Reimer, SSCL

–

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

–

Information on the three library catalogs

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

The Digital Catalog, is an online catalog containing eBooks, eAudiobooks, and digital magazines. You can use your library card and checkout content on a PC; you can also use the companion app, Libby, to access titles on your mobile devices; so you can enjoy eBooks and eAudiobooks on the go!

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 on demand checkouts of eBooks, eAudiobooks, comic books, albums, movies and TV shows. Patron check out limit is 10 items per month.

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

The Hoopla companion app, also called Hoopla is available for mobile devices, 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.

–

Have questions regarding how to access digital library content (i.e. eBooks & eAudios)? Drop by the Reference Desk at the library, or give us a call at: 607-936-3713

–

Tech & Book Talk is a Southeast Steuben County Library blog.

New York Times Bestsellers Combined Print & eBook

April 21, 2024

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Checkout New York Times Bestsellers through the library!

There are currently three catalogs available to Southeast Steuben County Library patrons that you can access to search for and request New York Times Bestsellers, and other popular books and materials.

All you need is a library card to get started!

Note: If you need assistance to set up initial access to the catalogs, call the Reference Desk at: 607-936-3713 x502 and the staff member on duty will be happy to assist you.

–

THE CATALOGS:

Catalog 1: StarCat

StarCat is the catalog of physical materials including print books, DVDs, audiobooks on CD etc. StarCat is available to all patrons of all public libraries in the Southern Tier Library System*

Starcat can be found online at: https://starcat.stls.org/

–

Catalog 2: The Digital Catalog

The Digital Catalog (and its companion app Libby) offers all Southern Tier Library System member library patrons access to eBooks, eAudiobooks & digital magazines via a lending model known in Library-ese as “one copy/one user;” that library speak means that eBooks & eAudiobooks found in The Digital Catalog/Libby are like print books found on library shelves, only one patron can check out a copy of a title at a time.

Exception: Magazines found in the digital catalog are available via a different lending model known as simultaneous access. And that fancy library speak means that magazines are available for all patrons to check out at the same time, i.e. if you and all your family and friends wish to read the latest digital edition of Newsweek, all those people could check out the magazine and read it at the same time.

The Digital Catalog/Libby Formats: eBooks can be accessed on mobile devices (AKA smartphone or tablet), computers and eReaders; eAudiobooks can be listen to on mobile devices and computers; and magazines can be accessed on mobile devices and computers.

The Digital Catalog is found online at: https://stls.overdrive.com/

–

Catalog 3: Hoopla

The Hoopla Digital Catalog (and its companion app, also called Hoopla) offers Southeast Steuben County Library patrons access to a second digital catalog with an on-demand lending model. In library speak, this lending model, like The Digital Catalog/Libby’s magazine lending model, is known as “simultaneous access.” The difference is, the Hoopla catalog offers access to more formats: eBooks, eAudiobooks, eComics, digital albums, TV shows & movies – and all items, in all those formats, are available  for patrons to checkout immediately.

Hoopla Formats: All Hoopla content can be accessed on a computer or mobile device, and TV shows and movies can be accessed on computers, mobile devices, smart TVs and media streaming players, i.e. Roku or  Apple TV.

The Hoopla Catalog is found online at: https://www.hoopladigital.com/

–

*The Southern Tier Library System includes the public libraries in Steuben, Chemung, Yates, Schuyler & Allegheny counties.

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

Suggested Listening postings are published on Fridays; and our next Suggested Listening posting will be out on Friday, April 19, 2024.

–

And here are the 10 recommended songs of the week!

–

Cow Cow Blues by Cow Cow Davenport

From The Album: N/A

–

Have You Ever Loved A Woman by Freddie King

Released as a single in 1960.

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I’m Lost Without You by Memphis Slim

From The Album: The Best of Memphis Slim (2010)

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It Could Be We’re In Love by The Cryin Shames

From The Album: Please Stay (2024)

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Nobody Knows My Troubles/Cold Cold Feeling by Otis Spann with Muddy Waters

From The Album: Otis Spann’s Chicago Blues (1966)

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One Deep River by Mark Knoplfer

From The Album: One Deep River (2024)

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Pinetop’s Boogie Woogie by Pine Top Smith

From The Album: N/A

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So Sick Of Dreaming by Maggie Rogers 

From The Album: Don’t Forget Me (2024)

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 What’s Going On With Ordinary People by The Reds, The Pinks & Purples 

From The Album: Unwishing Well (2024)

–

The Way To Your Heart by Bruce Katz

 

From The Album: Solo Ride (2019)

–

Have a great weekend,

Linda Reimer, SSCL

–

Online Catalog Links:

StarCat

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

–

The Digital Catalog, web version of Libby

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

–

The Libby App

Libby is the companion app to the Digital Catalog and may be found in the Apple & Google app.

–

Hoopla

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

–

Tech Talk is a Southeast Steuben County Library blog.

Hi everyone, here are our five recommended reads of the week!

–

Weekly Suggested Reading Five postings are published on Wednesdays.

And the next Suggested Reading posting will be published on Wednesday, April 17, 2024.

–

Has Anyone Seen Charlote Salter? A Novel by Nicci French 

The 1990 disappearance of Charlotte Salter, a well-liked mother of four, remained unsolved for decades, burdening the village of Glensted with rumors of infidelity and suspicion. As salt on the wound, the Salters’ close friend, Duncan Ackerly, drowned the day after her disappearance, and Charlotte’s son, Paul, eventually committed suicide. Twenty years later, Charlotte’s remaining adult children, Niall, Ollie, and Etty, have gathered in Glensted to sell the family home. Duncan Ackerly’s sons, Greg and Morgan, have also returned to launch a podcast about the likely connections between Charlotte’s disappearance and their father’s death. With the spotlight on the police’s questionable initial response, Bristol DI Maud O’Connor is sent to Glensted to re-investigate both cases. Maud confronts resistance from her team, raging public criticism of the original investigation, and decades of cold clues with unshakable confidence in the cases’ solvability. French cleverly plays on that suspense by doling out Maud’s plan and clues in tantalizing bits. The wolf hides in sheep’s clothing here, to great effect. – Booklist Review  

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I Cheerfully Refuse by Leif Enger 

Amid the dystopian collapse of the near future, a musician embarks on a quixotic voyage from the shore of Lake Superior. There’s both a playfulness and a seriousness of purpose to the latest from the Minnesota novelist, a spirit of whimsy that keeps hope flickering even in times of darkest despair. Things have gone dangerously dark along the North Shore, and likely for the country as a whole. A comet is coming that augurs ill, a pandemic has wreaked havoc with the public health, an autocratic despot and raging populism have made books and booksellers all but treasonous. There are corpses floating in the lake from climate change, and there are numerous instances of people swallowing something that kills them; the dead are generally considered seekers of whatever comes next (which has to be better than this) rather than suicides. As narrator Rainy sets the scene, “The world was so old and exhausted that many now saw it as a dying great-grand on a surgical table, body decaying from use and neglect, mind fading down to a glow.” Rainy is a bass player in bar bands, a jack of a variety of trades, and devoted husband to Lark, a bibliophile who runs the local bookstore. Before the collapse of the publishing industry, a cult author had been set to publish a volume with the same title as this novel, and finding one of the few advance copies has been like a holy grail for Lark. Then a copy finds her, courtesy of a fugitive pursued by the powers that be, and whatever tranquility Lark and Rainy had achieved is shattered. Rainy takes to the lake to escape the fugitive’s pursuers and reunite with Lark. He experiences a variety of hardship, challenge, and adventure, yet somehow lives to tell the tale that is this novel. The novel’s voice remains engaging, and its spirit resilient, against some staggeringly tough times. – Kirkus Review  

– 

Nosy Neighbors by Freya Sampson 

Ms. Dorothy Darling knows everything that goes on in Shelley House, a small, ramshackle apartment building in England. The opera-loving septuagenarian keeps watch from her front window, so she knows when her neighbor, Joseph Chambers, has illegally rented his spare room to Kat Bennett, a 25-year-old loner with pink hair. Kat wants nothing more than to keep her distance, so when everyone is served with an eight-week eviction notice, she figures she’ll just move on. But then Joseph is attacked, and Kat stays to watch his dog, Reggie. Dorothy and Kat both have secrets keeping them at Shelley House, and soon they are caught up in Joseph’s campaign to save the building from a shady developer. Sampson (The Lost Ticket, 2022) once again presents a charming story about intergenerational friendship leading to healing. As the narrative alternates between Dorothy and Kat’s distinct voices, readers learn why the two women have their walls up, and have the pleasure of watching those walls come down. This heartwarming tale is full of subtle humor and rich characters. – Booklist Review 

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Old Flames and New Fortunes by Sarah Hogle 

Moonville, a quaint town in rural Ohio, is where Romina Tempest and her two sisters run a whimsical shop full of candles, flowers, and fantasy books, all infused with the sisters’ magic. Romina calls herself a flora fortunist and uses the language of plants to make spellbinding arrangements. The owner of the shop, Trevor, is Romina’s best friend, and they hope to secure a loan from his father to help expand the business. They walk into what they think is a business meeting only to find that Trevor’s father is announcing his impending marriage to the mother of Romina’s high-school sweetheart, Alex King. Furthermore, Alex is there. Right there. The boy who broke her heart over a decade ago is back in Moonville. Romina and Trevor find themselves in the middle of a fake-dating scheme to get back at Alex, but through the chaos, Romina and Alex realize that an ember of their teenage love still burns. This second-chance romance is a bit jumbled at times, but Hogle (You Deserve Each Other, 2020) succeeds in crafting a fun romance with a touch of fantasy. – Booklist Review  

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The Secret Lives of Booksellers and Librarians: Their Stories Are Better Than the Bestsellers by James Patterson & Matt Eversmann 

Not to spoil the secret promised in the title, but what unites all of the booksellers and librarians interviewed for this book is a love of books and reading and other people who love books and reading. Patterson and Eversmann include such luminaries as Judy Blume, who quit writing after 50 years and opened a book store in Key West, and a bookstore owner in Rehoboth, Delaware, who regularly rubs elbows with the Bidens. Several themes emerge: subjects grew up loving reading (there are a few mentions of favorite reads, like the Lord of the Rings series and even James Patterson); they love the community-hub aspect of where they work; and they relish a book-search challenge, like “”the cover is blue.”” What they don’t enjoy are challenges to books, with several entries devoted to those who are fighting for intellectual freedom, like the librarian in Texas who was fired for not taking down a pride display. With its bite-sized chapters, this collection of profiles doesn’t go into much depth, but it will appeal to readers looking for some quick, bookish inspiration.  

HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Patterson is always in this category; add to that a topic that’s a natural for all booklovers. – Booklist Review  

–

Happy reading!

Linda Reimer, SSCL

–

Have questions or want to request a book?

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

–

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

–

Information on the three library catalogs

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

The Digital Catalog, is an online catalog containing eBooks, eAudiobooks, and digital magazines. You can use your library card and checkout content on a PC; you can also use the companion app, Libby, to access titles on your mobile devices; so you can enjoy eBooks and eAudiobooks on the go!

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 on demand checkouts of eBooks, eAudiobooks, comic books, albums, movies and TV shows. Patron check out limit is 10 items per month.

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

The Hoopla companion app, also called Hoopla is available for mobile devices, 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.

–

Tech & Book Talk is a Southeast Steuben County Library blog.