Month: July 2024

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

Weekly Suggested Reading Five postings are usually published on Wednesdays, unless Monday is a holiday and then they are published later in the week.

And the next Suggested Reading posting will be published on Wednesday, August 7, 2024.

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Catalina by Karla Cornejo Villavicencio

At first glance, khipus (or quipus) look like messy strings with raggedy knots, but they are the material vestiges of a sophisticated Inca system of communication. In her first novel, Cornejo Villavicencio introduces brazen, smart Catalina, who is as tangled, textured, and cryptic as the khipus that thread throughout this tale. The year is 2010 when Catalina recounts her senior year at Harvard. The Dream Act has not yet passed, and her undocumented status is only one of the stressors she confronts. Another is the deportation order she discovers in the trash for her adored and contentious grandfather, the man who, along with her opinionated, feminist abuela, raised her in Queens after her parents died in Ecuador. Catalina is irreverent and often laugh-out-loud funny, but the dark strings of her khipu are never far from that bright surface (her thesis is about feminicide in Roberto Bola’o’s 2666). She invokes cultural figures from Anzaldea to JLo, Harurki Murakami, and Henry Kissinger. And she knows her own value, which she asserts at an Inca museum exhibit as part of a mordant rundown of the Spanish conquest: “Anyway, the gold was here now, just like khipu and just like me.” Catalina demands her due from friends, lovers, professors, and familia in Cornejo Villavicencio’s bravura bildungsroman. – Starred Booklist Review

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The Indispensable Right: Free Speech in an Age of Rage by Jonathan Turley

Freedom of speech, from the founding of the republic, has been perhaps the most sacrosanct right enumerated in the Constitution. Ironically, almost from the founding, legal restrictions were placed on speech, especially relating to the crime of sedition. Attorney and legal scholar Turley posits that much of seditious speech is sparked by rage–rage at the government because of perceived oppression and injustice. Thomas Jefferson believed that such speech should be forgiven, as it often sparked helpful political dialogue on difficult subjects (a position he himself was not always able to adhere to during his administration). Turley pulls many examples from history (the Boston Tea Party, the Whiskey Rebellion, January 6th) to illustrate the free-speech issues raised and the arguments put forth on all sides. He finishes by exploring possible paths for protecting the “indispensable right” in today’s rage-filled society, given the difficult obstacles of pervasive disinformation and the constant threat of fascistic violence. It’s a complicated issue, and Turley’s examination of it is a heavy journey but well worth the effort. – Booklist Review

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A Refiner’s Fire by Donna Leon

There are certainly more violent crimes that inspire gripping police procedurals, but in the thirty-third installment of Leon’s beloved Venetian mystery series showcasing the emotional depth and intellectual acumen of Commissario Guido Brunetti, a late-night dustup between teenage rival gangs has far-reaching impact. Maybe the altercation has less to do with what the “baby gangs” are doing than what the father of one teen did as a member of the Carabinieri police force. The national press once regarded Dario Monforte as a hero for his actions during a terrorist bombing in the Iraq war, yet Brunetti can find no official acknowledgement of his alleged act of valor. When Monforte’s son is caught up in the gang activity, Brunetti’s colleague Claudia Griffoni takes a special interest in the boy’s demeanor and background, leading to charges of scandalous impropriety. With the understated elegance and empathy imbued throughout this internationally acclaimed series, Leon once again examines the confluence of solid police work with issues of redemption and social justice.

HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Following Leon’s memoir, Wandering through Life (2023), her fans will be even more intrigued by the latest Brunetti investigation. – Booklist Review

Reader’s Note: As mentioned in the review, this is the thirty-third book in the Commissario Guido Brunetti mystery series. If you’d like to start reading the series from the beginning check out book one: Death at La Fenice.

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The Summer Pact by Emily Giffin

People-pleaser Hannah, brash Lainey, and intense Tyson had their world turned upside down when athletic Summer, the fourth in their tight-knit circle, took her own life not long before college graduation. Devastated, the remaining three vowed to support each other through any crisis, so when, a decade later, Hannah catches her fiancé cheating on her, she immediately calls Lainey and Tyson. Up-and-coming actress Lainey blows off an audition, and Tyson, a brilliant attorney, leaves a big case to be by Hannah’s side. The trio decides to go on a whirlwind trip; first up is Texas, where Hannah hopes Lainey will finally have the courage to introduce herself to her two half-sisters, who have no idea Lainey exists. After that, they head to Capri, a place Summer longed to visit, where secrets each of the three are keeping as well as Lainey’s complicated relationship to alcohol threaten their bond. Giffin is at her best when she’s delving into the hard and sometimes outwardly questionable choices that her characters make in their pursuit of happiness, and her latest harks back to her bold, layered debut, Something Borrowed (2004). This thirtysomething coming-into-one’s-own tale feels true to life, messy in all the best ways, and hopeful. A triumph. – Booklist Review

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What Have You Done? by Shari Lapena

Lapena delivers another top-notch twisty thriller. Teenagers Riley, Evan, and Diana are best friends, 17 years old and ready to take on the world. They just need to get through one more year in sleepy Fairhill, VT, where nothing. ever. happens. Content (for now) to hang out in the graveyard on Friday nights, drink vodka, and tell ghost stories, they even tolerate Diana’s controlling boyfriend, Cameron. Only Riley knows that Diana is unhappy with the clingy Cameron, who wants them to go to the same college, and that she plans to break away from him soon. Then a local farmer discovers Diana’s naked, dead body surrounded by vultures in a field one morning, changing the friends forever. Rumors and questions about Diana’s death swirl in the once-peaceful town, and no one is above suspicion.

VERDICT Lapena is a master of suspense, and she doesn’t disappoint here. Her many fans and those who enjoy domestic suspense, small-town crimes, and twisty thrillers will flock to this one. Very highly recommended. – Starred Library Journal

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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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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 in a variety of formats, i.e. print books, eBooks, streaming videos.

All you need is a library card to get started!

Links to the catalogs are found after the list of New York Times Bestsellers.

New York Times Bestseller lists are shared via blog post on Sundays. And the next NYT blog post will be posted on Sunday, August 4, 2024.

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THE BESTSELLERS

FICTION

1. THE BLACK BIRD ORACLE by Deborah Harkness: The fifth book in the All Souls series. Diana faces her family’s dark past and determines to forge a different future.

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. IT ENDS WITH US by Colleen Hoover: A battered wife raised in a violent home attempts to halt the cycle of abuse.

4. 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.

5. 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.

6. THE HOUSEMAID IS WATCHING by Freida McFadden: The third book in the Housemaid series. Dangers lurk in a quiet neighborhood.

7. THE AU PAIR AFFAIR by Tessa Bailey: The second book in the Big Shots series. A hockey veteran who recently became a single dad becomes attracted to his live-in nanny.

8. REMARKABLY BRIGHT CREATURES by Shelby Van Pelt: A widow working the night shift at the Sowell Bay Aquarium is aided in solving a mystery by a giant Pacific octopus living there.

9. 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.

10. THE HOUSEMAID’S SECRET by Freida McFadden: The second book in the Housemaid series. The sound of crying and the appearance of blood portend misdeeds.

11. A DEATH IN CORNWALL by Daniel Silva: The 24th book in the Gabriel Allon series. Gabriel forges six impressionist canvases and enlists an unlikely team of operatives to go after a new foe.

12. SWAN SONG by Elin Hilderbrand: Nantucket residents are alarmed when a home, recently sold at an exorbitant price, goes up in flames and someone goes missing.

13. NEVER LIE by Freida McFadden: A winter storm traps a pair of newlyweds in a remote manor whose previous owner mysteriously disappeared.

14. 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.

15. THE INMATE by Freida McFadden:  A nurse practitioner at a maximum-security prison gave testimony against her former boyfriend that put him behind bars.

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NON-FICTION

1. HILLBILLY ELEGY by J.D. Vance: The Yale Law School graduate and 2024 Republican vice presidential nominee looks at the struggles of the white working class through the story of his own childhood.

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 DEMON OF UNREST by Erik Larson: The author of “The Splendid and the Vile” portrays the months between the election of Abraham Lincoln and the beginning of the Civil War.

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

5. JFK JR. by RoseMarie Terenzio and Liz McNeil: Twenty-five years after his death, an oral biography of John F. Kennedy Jr.

6. CHAOS by Tom O’Neill with Dan Piepenbring: A reassessment of events surrounding the murders committed by Charles Manson’s followers.

7. ASK NOT by Maureen Callahan: The author of “American Predator” puts forward a history of the Kennedy family that describes the abuse of women in its orbit.

8. THE ART THIEF by Michael Finkel: The author of “The Stranger in the Woods” tells the story of Stéphane Breitwieser, who stole art more than 200 times for the sake of admiring it.

9. EVERYTHING I KNOW ABOUT LOVE by Dolly Alderton: The British journalist shares stories and observations; the basis of the TV series.

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

11. ON CALL by Anthony S. Fauci: The physician-scientist and immunologist chronicles his six decades of public service, including his work during the AIDS crisis and the Covid-19 pandemic.

12. THE WAR ON WARRIORS by Pete Hegseth: The “Fox & Friends Weekend” host shares his experiences serving in the Army and his views on the current state of the American military.

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

14. FRIENDS, LOVERS, AND THE BIG TERRIBLE THING by Matthew Perry: The late actor, known for playing Chandler Bing on “Friends,” shares stories from his childhood and his struggles with sobriety.

15. 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.

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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.

And here is a brief second Suggested Listening post for this week!

Today, Friday, July 26, 2024 is the 81st birthday of Rolling Stone singer Mick Jagger. And as I was just finishing up a post on the great British blues player John Mayall, it occurred to me that there are probably music fans out there that don’t realize that the Rolling Stones started out life as a blues-rock band, lead by their blond haired, blues loving guitarist Brian Jones. In short order, Jagger and Richard came to prominence in the band by writing their own material; but early on their music, and the songs they covered, showed their love of the blues.

With that in mind, I’m going to recommend their first album from 1964, available via the Hoopla catalog:

The Rolling Stones (1964) by The Rolling Stones

And from the album, the song:

Route 66 by The Rolling Stones

Have a great evening,

Linda Reimer, SSCL

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, August 2, 2024.

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This week we’re celebrating the music of the great British bluesman John Mayall, who died this past week at the age of ninety; by featuring a dozen of his songs.

It is hard to sum up the life and music of a figure as influential as John Mayall in a couple of paragraphs, but I will try! (And yes indeed, as a disclaimer, Linda is a big John Mayall fan!)

John Mayall, was born in Macclesfield, England (U.K.)  in 1933. As a youth, he was a huge music fan and compiled an in-depth record collection of blues artists, while learning to play the piano, organ, harmonica and the guitar; he moved to London in his early thirties and formed a band, which shortly thereafter morphed into his Blues Breakers band*

And it quickly became apparently that Mayall was exceptional at finding talented young   players for his band! His second album, released in 1966, and the first one to be credited to John Mayall & The Blues Breakers, featured a guitarist who was known to music fans, having previously played with The Yardbirds, but was not the internationally renowned guitarist he would shortly become; and his name is Eric Clapton. The full title of that seminal second LP is John Mayall’s Blues Breakers with Eric Clapton (1966).

Some of the other musicians who played in John Mayall’s band in the sixties, who also became internally well-known include: the great guitarist Peter Green who co-founded Fleetwood Mac with fellow John Mayall’s Blues Breaker alumni John McVie and Mick Fleetwood, guitarist Mick Taylor who replaced Brian Jones in the Rolling Stones; and briefly, after his stint in the Graham Bond Organization and before he co-founded Cream, bassist Jack Bruce; and that is only a few of the great players who went through Mayall’s band over the years.

And too, Mayall came out with some terrific albums all on his own; and kept touring and recording albums for decades, right into the 2020s; indeed, his last studio album, The Sun Is Shining Down, was released in 2022!

And on a related ironic note, I recall listening with amusement to a song on Mayall’s 1990 album, A Sense Of Place, called I Can’t Complain, and during the song he sings “I never got invited to the Grammy show, if my luck every changes…I really don’t know.” And I’m struck by the fact that John Mayall is being inducted into the Rock N’ Roll Hall of Fame in October of this year, by being awarded a Musical Influence Award; and unfortunately, he won’t be there to receive the award, although at least he knew that honor was belatedly coming his way. And as a long-time fan, I think he’d probably like it best if instead of watching the Rock Hall of Fame ceremony in October, you listened to some of his music, or any blues music for that matter.

And on that note, you can check out a number of John Mayall albums via the Hoopla catalog, including the three great guitar albums featuring Eric Clapton, Peter Green and Mick Taylor; listed below is a brief, early-to-mid-sixties discography which includes those LPs:

The first five John Mayall albums can be checked out via Hoopla, accessible through the app or line at https://www.hoopladigital.com,  and they are:

1. John Mayall Plays John Mayall (1965) (recorded live and featuring a very young John McVie on bass; McVie can also be heard playing the bass on the albums: John Mayall’s Blues Breakers with Eric Clapton, A Hard Road and Crusade)

2. John Mayall’s Blues Breakers with Eric Clapton (1966)

3. A Hard Road (1967) (featuring Peter Green on guitar)

4. Crusade (1967) (featuring Mick Taylor on guitar)

5. The Blues Alone (1967) (Mayall played all the instruments on the LP, except the drums)

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And here are a dozen songs by John Mayall and his band, in chronological order:

R and B Time: Night Train/Lucille by John Mayall 

From The Album: John Mayall Plays John Mayall (1965) (Recorded live in December 1964 and featuring a very young John McVie on bass)

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Hideaway (featuring Eric Clapton on guitar)

From The Album: John Mayall’s Blues Breakers with Eric Clapton (1966) (this album too features John McVie on bass)

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Rambling On My Mind (featuring Eric Clapton on vocals)

From The Album: From The Album: John Mayall’s Blues Breakers with Eric Clapton (1966) (Ditto, this album too features John McVie on bass)

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Someday After A While (You’ll Be Sorry) by John Mayall and the Blues Breakers (featuring Peter Green on guitar)

From The Album: A Hard Road (1967)

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The Stumble by John Mayall And The Blues Breakers (featuring Peter Green on guitar)

From The Album: A Hard Road (1967)

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My Time After A While by John Mayall and the Blues Breakers (featuring Mick Taylor on guitar)

From The Album: Crusade (1967)

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Snowy Wood by John Mayall and the Blues Breakers (featuring Mick Taylor on guitar)

From The Album: Crusade (1967)

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Bare Wires Suite by John Mayall and the Blues Breakers (Note: This is a long late sixties jazzy-blues-rock song, clocking in at 22:59!)

From The Album: Bare Wires (1968)

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Vacation by John Mayall

From The Album: Blues From Laurel Canyon (1968)

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Chicago Line by John Mayall’s Blues Breakers

From The Album: Chicago Line (1988)

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I Can’t Complain by John Mayall

From The Album: A Sense Of Place (1990)

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Wake Up Call by John Mayall with Mavis Stapleton on vocals and Mick Taylor on guitar

From The Album: Wake Up Call (1993)

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Hoopla Recommend Album of the Week

A Hard Road by John Mayall and the Blues Breakers

And from the album the song

The Super-Natural (featuring Peter Green on guitar)

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* The official John Mayall biography can be found on his website via the following link: https://www.johnmayall.com/bio

And the complete John Mayall discography, can be accessed on the discography page on the same official John Mayall website, found here: https://www.johnmayall.com/discography

 

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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.

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

Weekly Suggested Reading Five postings are usually published on Wednesdays, unless Monday is a holiday and then they are published later in the week.

And the next Suggested Reading posting will be published on Wednesday, July 31, 2024.

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The Birds That Audubon Missed: Discovery And Desire In The American Wilderness by Ken Kaufman 

Birder and naturalist Kaufman (A Season on the Wind, 2019) offers a compelling look at the ornithological rivalries of the early 1800s, noting specifically at the start that trying to pin down the details of Audubon’s life and discoveries is like finding oneself in a “”dimly lit hall of mirrors.”” This age of natural history discovery was an exciting period, pitting Audubon against other well-known ornithologists in a race to find and, equally importantly, name newly found bird species. But even these determined naturalists and artists missed a number of not-uncommon species in their quests to be the best. Kaufman muses on how Audubon would have painted these “”missing”” birds had he encountered them, then, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Kaufman experimented with illustrating them in Audubon’s style. Kaufman illuminates this key period and the competitions that jump-started it in a lively narrative in which he also weaves in his own experiences as a budding naturalist-become-science-historian. Kaufman’s blend of history, science, art, biography, and memoir will intrigue birders and readers fascinated by the larger context. – Booklist Review  

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It’s Elementary by Elise Bryant 

This fun and twisty mystery from YA author Bryant (Reggie and Delilah’s Year of Falling) proves that she can also write for the adult audience. Mavis Miller, a hard-working single mom, lives with her feisty daughter, her retired dad, and a new puppy. Her plate is full, and she doesn’t consider herself PTA mom material. When Trisha, the formidable PTA president at her daughter’s school, asks Mavis if she’d like to run the DEI committee there, Mavis’s first reaction is no, but then she reconsiders. As one of the few Black parents at the school, she thinks maybe she could make a difference there. But after the first contentious meeting, the school principal vanishes under suspicious circumstances. Mavis is determined to get to the bottom of his disappearance. Mavis’s life is about to get very interesting, with the hot school psychologist helping her and her ex back on the scene,   VERDICT Filled with snappy dialogue, laugh-out-loud scenes, quirky characters, a solid mystery, and a dash of romance, here’s hoping there’ll be more stories about Mavis. – Library Journal Review  

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This is Why We Lied by Karin Slaughter 

Will Trent and Sara Linton have barely arrived for their honeymoon at McAlpine Lodge when screams lead them to lodge manager Mercy McAlpine, who has been savagely stabbed. She whispers her last words in Will’s arms. Will, who has been struggling with the loss of his mother, now must deliver Mercy’s message to her teenage son and secure the scene for local police. But Sheriff Biscuits Hartshorne has already pinned Mercy’s murder on her abusive ex-husband, Dave, and isn’t interested in investigating. Will knows what Dave is capable of. Dave was called “the Jackal” in the group home in which they were placed as kids. But why would he kill Mercy now? Alternative motives abound. Mercy threatened to reveal family secrets that would derail plans to sell the lodge, her brother’s creepy friend Chuck was obsessed with her, and the lodge’s other guests are throwing up a myriad of red flags. The sheer number of motives should stretch credulity, but Slaughter’s skillfully nuanced portrayal of the investigation, exposing abuse, manipulation, and desperate greed, creates a disturbingly realistic page-turner. This bar-raiser for the classic locked-room mystery is in good company with Sarah Pearse’s The Sanitorium (2021), Adrian McKinty’s The Island (2022), and One by One, by Ruth Ware. – Starred Booklist Review  

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Under A Rock: A Memoir by Chris Stein 

Blondie guitarist Stein, now 74 years old, begins his engaging memoir with his childhood in New York City. He details his middle-class upbringing in a left-wing family, his school days, his fascination with photography, and the phase that led to his hospitalization due to hallucinogens. He recounts his meeting singer Deborah Harry, the early days of Blondie at the NYC performance space CBGB, and the late-1970s New York punk scene. In the last half of the book, he chronicles the mainstream success of Blondie with the 1978 disco-influenced album Parallel Lines (which contained the song “Heart of Glass”), their increasingly funky pop on the 1980 single “Call Me,” and the group’s 1980 Autoamerican album (featuring “The Tide Is High”). The book ends with a description of Stein’s substance-use disorder, the end of his romantic relationship with Harry, his sobriety and family life, and the band’s ongoing tours and recordings. It also relates engaging stories about such notables as William S. Burroughs, David Bowie, H.R. Giger, Andy Warhol, and Jean-Michel Basquiat.  

VERDICT Written in an off-the-cuff style, this memoir offers a descriptive, highly impressionistic account of the author’s role in Blondie and his life in New York City. Will engage general readers. – Library Journal Review  

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The Wilds by Sarah Pearse 

“An atmospheric chiller with shocking twists.” —Shari Lapena, New York Times bestselling author of The Couple Next Door 

Detective Elin Warner unravels the mystery behind the disappearance of a young woman in a propulsive new thriller from the New York Times bestselling author of The Sanatorium 

Since the dark events that scarred her childhood, Kier Templer escaped her hometown to live life on the road. She and her twin have never lost contact until, on a trip to a Portuguese national park, Kier vanishes without a trace. 

Detective Elin Warner arrives in the same park ready to immerse herself in its vast wilderness – only to hear about Kier’s disappearance, and discover a disturbing map she left behind. The few strangers at an isolated campsite close ranks against Elin’s questions, and the park’s wild beauty starts to turn sinister. 

Elin must untangle the clues to find out what really happened to Kier. But when you follow a trail, you have to be careful to watch your back… 

Sarah Pearse brilliantly introduced readers to Elin Warner in The Sanatorium, with her exploits continuing in The Retreat; here, the series concludes with The Wilds, where the unanswered questions plaguing Elin are finally resolved.  

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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

–

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 in a variety of formats, i.e. print books, eBooks, streaming videos.

All you need is a library card to get started!

Links to the catalogs are found after the list of New York Times Bestsellers.

New York Times Bestseller lists are shared via blog post on Sundays. And the next NYT blog post will be available on Sunday, July 28, 2024.

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THE BESTSELLERS

FICTION

1. A DEATH IN CORNWALL by Daniel Silva: The 24th book in the Gabriel Allon series. Gabriel forges six impressionist canvases and enlists an unlikely team of operatives to go after a new foe.

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

4. THE HOUSEMAID IS WATCHING by Freida McFadden: The third book in the Housemaid series. Dangers lurk in a quiet neighborhood.

5. 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.

6. THE SUMMER PACT by Emily Giffin: Ten years after a tragedy close to graduation, Hannah and her college friends grapple with turning points in their lives.

7. IT ENDS WITH US by Colleen Hoover: A battered wife raised in a violent home attempts to halt the cycle of abuse.

8. THE HOUSEMAID’S SECRET by Freida McFadden: The second book in the Housemaid series. The sound of crying and the appearance of blood portend misdeeds.

9. 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.

10. SWAN SONG by Elin Hilderbrand: Nantucket residents are alarmed when a home, recently sold at an exorbitant price, goes up in flames and someone goes missing.

11. 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.

12. 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.

13. 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.

14. 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.

15. FUNNY STORY by Emily Henry: After their exes run off together, Daphne and Miles form a friendship and concoct a plan involving misleading photos.

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NON-FICTION

1. 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.

2. THE DEMON OF UNREST by Erik Larson: The author of “The Splendid and the Vile” portrays the months between the election of Abraham Lincoln and the beginning of the Civil War.

3. TRUE GRETCH by Gretchen Whitmer with Lisa Dickey: The governor of Michigan recounts defining moments from her life and time in office.

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

5. THE WAR ON WARRIORS by Pete Hegseth: The “Fox & Friends Weekend” host shares his experiences serving in the Army and his views on the current state of the American military.

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

7. THE ART THIEF by Michael Finkel: The author of “The Stranger in the Woods” tells the story of Stéphane Breitwieser, who stole art more than 200 times for the sake of admiring it.

8. ON CALL by Anthony S. Fauci: The physician-scientist and immunologist chronicles his six decades of public service, including his work during the AIDS crisis and the Covid-19 pandemic.

9. ASK NOT by Maureen Callahan: The author of “American Predator” puts forward a history of the Kennedy family that describes the abuse of women in its orbit.

10. THE SINGULARITY IS NEARER by Ray Kurzweil: A look at the potentially positive and negative aspects of biotechnology, nanotechnology and artificial intelligence.

11. FRIENDS, LOVERS, AND THE BIG TERRIBLE THING by Matthew Perry: The late actor, known for playing Chandler Bing on “Friends,” shares stories from his childhood and his struggles with sobriety.

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

13. 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.

14. 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.

15. WE ARE EXPERIENCING A SLIGHT DELAY by Gary Janetti: The author of “Start Without Me” shares recollections of trips he has taken to various parts of the world.

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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, July 26, 2024.

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And here are the 10 recommended songs of the week!

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Chimes Of Freedom by Bob Dylan

From The Album: Another Side of Bob Dylan (1964)

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Cuckoo! by Jake Xerxes Fussell

 

From The Album: When I’m Called (2024)

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Dream Rag by Eubie Blake

 

From The Album: Eighty Years Of Eubie Blake (1969)

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Eyes On The Prize by Mavis Staples

 

  From The Album: We’ll Never Turn Back (2007)

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Hip Trip by Smokey Robinson

From The Soundtrack: Big Time (1977)

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I Feel So Good by Muddy Waters

From The Album: Live At Newport (1960)

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I’m In The Mood by John Lee Hooker

From The Album: I’m John Lee Hooker (1959)

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It’s Always You by Chet Baker

 

From The Album: Chet baker Sings (1954)

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The Lion Turtle by Oded Tzur

 

From The Album: Isabel (2022)

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Mojito Moon (Live) by Jim Messina

From The Album: In The Groove (2021)

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Hoopla Album Of The Week 

With His Hot And Blue Guitar (1957) by Johnny Cash

And from the album, the song:

I Heard That Lonesome Whistle Blow  by Johnny Cash

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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.

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

–

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 in a variety of formats, i.e. print books, eBooks, streaming videos.

All you need is a library card to get started! Links to the catalogs are found after the list of New York Times Bestsellers.

–

THE BESTSELLERS

FICTION

1. 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.

2. THE HOUSEMAID IS WATCHING by Freida McFadden: The third book in the Housemaid series. Dangers lurk in a quiet neighborhood.

3. 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.

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. SWAN SONG by Elin Hilderbrand: Nantucket residents are alarmed when a home, recently sold at an exorbitant price, goes up in flames and someone goes missing.

6. THE GOD OF THE WOODS by Liz Moore: When a 13-year-old girl disappears from an Adirondack summer camp in 1975, secrets kept by the Van Laar family emerge.

7. FLASHPOINT by Catherine Coulter: The 27th book in the F.B.I. thriller series. Cases involving an attempted terrorist attack and an act of embezzlement put Savich and Sherlock in danger.

8. ERUPTION by Michael Crichton and James Patterson: The Big Island of Hawaii comes under threat by a volcano at the same time a secret held by the military comes to light.

9. 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.

10. THE HOUSEMAID’S SECRET by Freida McFadden: The second book in the Housemaid series. The sound of crying and the appearance of blood portend misdeeds.

11. 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.

12. IT ENDS WITH US by Colleen Hoover: A battered wife raised in a violent home attempts to halt the cycle of abuse.

13. ALL THE COLORS OF THE DARK by Chris Whitaker: Questions arise when a boy saves the daughter of a wealthy family amid a string of disappearances in a Missouri town in 1975.

14. FUNNY STORY by Emily Henry: After their exes run off together, Daphne and Miles form a friendship and concoct a plan involving misleading photos.

15. CAMINO GHOSTS by John Grisham: The third book in the Camino series. The last living inhabitant of a deserted island gets in the way of a resort developer.

NON-FICTION

1. THE DEMON OF UNREST by Erik Larson: The author of “The Splendid and the Vile” portrays the months between the election of Abraham Lincoln and the beginning of the Civil War.

2. ASK NOT by Maureen Callahan: The author of “American Predator” puts forward a history of the Kennedy family that describes the abuse of women in its orbit.

3. 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.

4. ON CALL by Anthony S. Fauci: The physician-scientist and immunologist chronicles his six decades of public service, including his work during the AIDS crisis and the Covid-19 pandemic.

5. THE ART THIEF by Michael Finkel: The author of “The Stranger in the Woods” tells the story of Stéphane Breitwieser, who stole art more than 200 times for the sake of admiring it.

6. THE SINGULARITY IS NEARER by Ray Kurzweil: A look at the potentially positive and negative aspects of biotechnology, nanotechnology and artificial intelligence.

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

8. FRIENDS, LOVERS, AND THE BIG TERRIBLE THING by Matthew Perry: The late actor, known for playing Chandler Bing on “Friends,” shares stories from his childhood and his struggles with sobriety.

9.  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.

10. 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.

11. THE WAR ON WARRIORS by Pete Hegseth: The “Fox & Friends Weekend” host shares his experiences serving in the Army and his views on the current state of the American military.

12. THE SITUATION ROOM by George Stephanopoulos with Lisa Dickey: The ABC host and former adviser to President Clinton describes the location where and conditions under which a dozen presidential administrations handled crises.

13. THE FRIDAY AFTERNOON CLUB by Griffin Dunne: The actor and director mixes stories from his family with tales of celebrities.

14. WHAT THIS COMEDIAN SAID WILL SHOCK YOU by Bill Maher: The host of “Real Time With Bill Maher” gives his take on a variety of subjects in American culture and politics.

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

–

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 & 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/

–

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/

–

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