Month: February 2025

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, March 14, 2025.

–

This week I’m going to do something a little different and spotlight the music of two musicians who were born on March 1. Their styles are completely different, but it is all great music – the music of Roger Daltrey, lead singer for The Who and big band master Glenn Miller.

–

First, five tunes by The Who fronted by Daltrey:

Bab O’Riley

–

Behind Blue Eyes

 

–

Pinball Wizard

–

Won’t Get Fooled Again

–

Love, Reign O’er Me

–

And now, five songs by Glenn Miller & His Orchestra:

American Patrol

–

I’ve Got a Gal in Kalamazoo

–

Pennsylvania 6-5000

–

In The Mood

–

Moonlight Serenade

 

–

And remember the Hoopla Catalog (and app) is always avaialable, if you’d like to check out more music. hoopladigital.com

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.

–

Also available, our new streaming video app – Kanopy – the app is available in your app store, check it out!

–

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, March 12, 2025.

–

If This Book Exists, You’re in the Wrong Universe by Jason Pargin 

This time, it starts with an alien bug eating a man’s brain. Then there’s a specter that manifests inside of John’s wall and gets sliced up. So begins an ouroboros of a tale involving cults, alternate time lines, the end of the world, and a possessed plastic toy. This fourth entry in Pargin’s John Dies at the End series is less frenetic than its predecessor, What the Hell Did I Just Read (2017, as David Wong). Within the snarky humor is an incisive commentary on social media and the state of our connected world, and a story about trauma and how people lash out when they’re hurt. It’s a story about love and how people can be better. It’s rewarding to witness how Pargin has grown as a writer. He’s less interested in the gimmick and more focused on his characters. His compassion runs deep. This isn’t just a funny tale of inept supernatural investigators; it’s a story of people struggling through pain to find a better path. Pargin offers us a welcome note of hope. – Booklist Review  

– 

The Lodge by Kayla Olson 

Celebrity journalist Alix Morgan just got the biggest break of her career–writing the memoir of Sebastian Green, a former member of True North, the hottest boy band in recent memory. It’s been eight years since True North’s lead singer, Jett Beckett, mysteriously disappeared in the middle of a tour, and Alix, who was one of the last journalists to interview Jett, hopes that Sebastian’s notes and voice memos can give her and the band’s fans some answers. When Sebastian offers Alix the chance to spend the month writing at a luxury ski resort in Vermont, she jumps at the chance to get out of the city and away from the tiny apartment that she shares with her sister. After she meets the guy in the room next to hers, handsome ski instructor Tyler, her month on the slopes gets even more interesting, and ultimately her work gets a lot more complicated. Even though the twists are predictable, the well-paced storytelling will draw readers into this entertaining winter romance. VERDICT Readers will love Olson’s (The Reunion) trademark blend of romance and pop culture and the unique spin on the traditional third-act conflict, which ultimately leads to a satisfying conclusion.–Library Journal Review 

– 

Show Don’t Tell: Stories by Curtis Sittenfeld 

Sittenfeld’s first story collection since You Think It, I’ll Say It (2019) is peopled by women and men in midlife, examining their pasts and the parts of themselves they’ve lost, jettisoned, or prioritized thus far. They have kids, regrets, and embarrassing little secrets; they were in marriages that ended or are in marriages that maybe should. The protagonist of “”Follow-up”” must ask “”What is this a story about?”” in her work as a corporate lawyer as she awaits a life-changing judgment in her own life. In the truly hilarious “”The Hug,”” a husband and wife spend days discussing, to the point that they are hardly speaking, whether it would be appropriate for her to embrace an ex-boyfriend who plans to visit on his way through town during a pandemic road trip. “”Given that there’s not much difference between hugging him and not hugging him, how about not doing it?”” the husband suggests. Sittenfeld can describe midlife romance as more like “”an essential recognition,”” and it does sound pretty romantic. Her perfectly contained stories are a joy for their realistically and mundanely fractured characters, moral ambiguities, movingly related moments, and the message that even the smallest tale offers lessons to uncover. – Booklist Review  

– 

Stone Yard Devotional by Charlotte Wood 

Shortlisted for the 2024 Booker Prize, a novel about forgiveness, grief, and what it means to be good, from the award-winning author of The Weekend. 

Burnt out and in need of retreat, a middle-aged woman leaves Sydney to return to the place she grew up, taking refuge in a small religious community hidden away on the stark plains of rural Australia. She doesn’t believe in God, or know what prayer is, and finds herself living this strange, reclusive existence almost by accident. 

But disquiet interrupts this secluded life with three visitations. First comes a terrible mouse plague, each day signaling a new battle against the rising infestation. Second is the return of the skeletal remains of a sister who disappeared decades before, presumed murdered. And finally, a troubling visitor plunges the narrator further back into her past. 

Meditative, moving, and finely observed, Stone Yard Devotional is a seminal novel from a writer of rare power, exploring what it means to retreat from the world, the true nature of forgiveness, and the sustained effect of grief on the human soul. 

– 

You Are Fatally Invited by Ande Pliego 

Pliego’s tongue-in-cheek debut puts a postmodern spin on the classic locked-room mystery. Six thriller authors are invited to a retreat on a private island off the coast of Maine organized by the mysterious J.R. Alastor, a pseudonymous bestseller who has never been seen in public and whose real identity remains unknown. At dinner on the first evening, each guest is invited to play a game that exposes some wrongdoing they’ve buried in their past. The next morning, the writers discover that their elusive benefactor has cut off all communication between the island and the mainland. Then one of the writers turns up dead, his mutilated corpse displayed above a gravestone with his name on it. Mila del Angél, a once-aspiring author whom Alastor has recruited to host the retreat, is stunned—mostly because she’s planning a murder of her own, and she never accounted for a second killer in her midst. Pliego gleefully toys with genre tropes while delivering a slick, satisfying mystery all her own. Seasoned Agatha Christie fans may have quibbles about mechanics and motives once the dust settles, but those issues are too minor to detract from the fun. It’s a thoroughly enjoyable ride. – Publishers Weekly 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 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.

–

Tech & Book 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, February 26, 2025.

–

Dream Girl Drama by Tessa Bailey 

Bestseller Bailey follows The Au Pair Affair with another irresistible sports rom-com. After a difficult childhood with a struggling single mother, Sig Gauthier basks in his newfound financial comfort as a member of the Boston Bearcats hockey team. When his truck breaks down while he’s driving through Connecticut with a dead cellphone, he walks into a nearby country club for help, where he meets Chloe Clifford, a beautiful blonde harp player. The pair are smitten from the first glance and share a passionate kiss. There’s just one thing standing in the way of their relationship: Sig’s absentee father, who wants back into his life, happens to be engaged to Chloe’s mother. After Chloe moves to Boston to study at Berklee College of Music and play with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the pair try to avoid each other—and their feelings—to stave off a scandal that would put both their futures in jeopardy. But the chemistry between these soon to be stepsiblings is explosive and ignoring it proves impossible. Readers who don’t like the instalove trope may not buy into the immediate connection between the leads, but Bailey backs it up with thoughtful characterization and red-hot sex scenes. This is a winner. – Publishers Weekly Review  

– 

Half a Cup of Sand and Sky by Nadine Bjursten 

Rich with longing, heartbreak, romance, and intrigue, Bjursten’s standout debut centers on Amineh, a bright young girl eager to avoid the spotlight but who finds herself caught in the tumultuous events sweeping toward the Iranian revolution. In 1977, amid student protests, Amineh, a student of Persian literature, strives to focus on her studies even as the University of Tehran is convulsed in conflict, at a moment when poets and writers, now “tired of metaphor,” dare to speak out for freedom and human rights. “The air around her felt charged, as if something new was hiding in its folds,” Bjursten writes, but for Amineh that charge isn’t just the fervor for change. She has met Farzad, a well-meaning man who is afraid of becoming his father but at the same time committed to fighting for a better country. 

With sweeping details and a life-drawn story full of political unrest, murder, and romantic uncertainty, Bjursten immerses readers in a life, a nation, and an era. Amineh is a loving, relatable protagonist, striving to fit in, to write her parent’s story in a novel, and then to survive as a wife and mother performing her duties even as “her inner world flattened.” Her perceptions illuminate a fractious, world-altering moment too rarely dramatized in English but also its complex fallout and the challenges, especially for a woman, of finding fulfillment afterwards. The novel sweeps across decades, attentive to the textures of life and hard compromises, but Bjursten moves the story briskly, and the slight romantic undertones provide relief. 

Bjursten’s prose is clear, polished, and touched with poetry and insight but never getting in the way of the heart of the story: a woman fighting for her family, love, and freedom from political injustice. Well-drawn characters and a tangible sense of living through history will grip readers of realistic and historical fiction, especially as Amineh dares to tell her own story. The final pages will bring tears. 

Takeaway: Powerful novel of regret, love, loss, and the Iranian revolution. – Publishers Weekly Review  

– 

The Medici Return by Steve Berry 

Five centuries ago, Pope Julius II asked the powerful Medici family for a favor–a very expensive favor–and made a promise, a Pledge of Christ, that the debt would be repaid. But it never was. And now, someone who claims to be a descendant of the Medici family (which history says died out 300 years ago) has come forward to demand repayment. Enter Cotton Malone, former U.S. government operative turned rare-book dealer. The nineteenth Malone thriller finds him trying to find one of two copies of the Pledge of Christ for his former bosses. At stake: the future of the Catholic Church, the fate of Italy, and the truth about the Medicis. (But no pressure, Cotton.) There is a formula to the Malone novels–a present-day mystery tied to an ancient mystery, some deliciously evil bad people, lots of scrapes and near misses–but it’s such a winning formula that we never tire of it. Cotton, too, is a marvelous character: world-weary but not jaded, cynical but not close-minded, and intensely curious. Berry’s fans will be delighted. – Booklist Review  

Reader’s Note: The Medici Return is the nineteenth book in the otton Malone series. If you’d like to binge read from the beginning, check out book one: The Templar Legacy. 

– 

Presidents at War: How World War II Shaped a Generation of Presidents, from Eisenhower and JFK Through Reagan and Bush by Steven Gillon 

Steven M. Gillon, New York Times bestselling author of America’s Reluctant Prince, is back with the story of how WWII shaped the characters and politics of seven American presidents. 

World War II loomed over the twentieth century, transforming every level of American society and international relationships and searing itself onto the psyche of an entire generation, including that of seven American presidents: John F. Kennedy, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Lyndon B. Johnson, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, and George H. W. Bush.  

The lessons of World War II, more than party affiliation or ideology, defined the presidencies of these seven men. They returned home determined to confront any force that threatened to undermine the war’s hard-won ideals, each with their own unique understanding of patriotism, sacrifice, and America’s role in global politics. 

In Presidents at War, Gillon examines what these men took away from the war and how they then applied it to Cold War policies that proceeded to change America, and the world, forever. A nuanced and deeply researched exploration of the lives, philosophies, and legacies of seven remarkable men, Presidents at War deftly argues that the lessons learned by these postwar presidents continue to shape the landscape upon which current, and future, presidents stand today. – Publisher Description  

– 

The Quiet Librarian by Allen Eskens 

Library patrons know her as “The Sweater Lady.” To Serbians, she’s “The Night Mora.” Her friends call her Hana Babic. But when this quiet librarian fled Bosnia 30 years ago, she was Nura Divjak, a woman running from war and hiding a deadly secret. Now living a mundane life in Minnesota, Hana thinks her past is behind her until her best friend is murdered, and a detective comes looking for answers. Can Hana find the killer and keep her secret? No typical whodunit, this is an intense and emotional story about grief, loss, and the horrors of war. Hana is a woman who, we learn, had to grow up too fast and whose family experienced horrific violence from those they considered friends. Eskens (Saving Emma, 2023) doesn’t hold back in his descriptions of the Bosnian War and the brutality it wrought. Hana is a compelling character readers can’t help but root for, even if they disagree with her actions. The Quiet Librarian will make readers contemplate their definition of justice and the decisions humans make when trapped in terrible situations. This book is perfect for fans of intense, bleak mysteries and those who like fiction featuring real-life history. — 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 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.

–

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

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 the library, or give us a call – please do!

Our telephone number is: 607-936-3713

–

New York Times Bestseller lists are shared via blog post on Sundays. And the next NYT blog post will be posted on Sunday, March 2, 2025.

THE BESTSELLERS

FICTION

1. ONYX STORM by Rebecca Yarros: The third book in the Empyrean series. As enemies gain traction, Violet Sorrengail goes beyond the Aretian wards in search of allies.

2. SCYTHE & SPARROW by Brynne Weaver: The third book in the Ruinous Love series. A circus motorcycle performer involved in devious exploits gets close to a doctor.

3. DEEP END by Ali Hazelwood: As the pressure leading up to the Olympics builds so do the feelings Lukas and Scarlett have for each other.

4. 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.

5. PARANOIA by James Patterson and James O. Born: The 17th book in the Michael Bennett series. Bennett goes after someone who is killing police officers.

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

7. THE CRASH by Freida McFadden: A pregnant woman, who suffers an injury during a blizzard, is taken in by a couple who might put her life in further jeopardy.

8. 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.

9. FIRST-TIME CALLER by B.K. Borison: When a young girl calls into a Baltimore radio station for dating advice for her mom, the interview goes viral.

10. WE ALL LIVE HERE by Jojo Moyes: A woman, who is besieged by calamities in several facets of her life, finds her beliefs about family are tested.

11. THREE DAYS IN JUNE by Anne Tyler: As her daughter’s wedding draws near, Gail Baines faces issues with her job, her ex-husband and her past.

12. EMILY WILDE’S COMPENDIUM OF LOST TALES by Heather Fawcett: The third book in the Emily Wilde series. Wilde joins with a former academic rival to examine the inner workings of a faerie realm.

13. QUICKSILVER by Callie Hart: Saeris is transported to a dangerous land of ice and snow, where she must contend with a Fae warrior who has suspect agendas.

14. THE MEDICI RETURN by Steve Berry: The 19th book in the Cotton Malone series. Malone goes to Italy to unravel a five-centuries-old mystery.

15. JAMES by Percival Everett: A reimagining of “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” shines a different light on Mark Twain’s classic, revealing new facets of the character of Jim.

–

NON-FICTION

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

2. ON TYRANNY by Timothy Snyder: Twenty lessons from the 20th century about the course of tyranny.

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. SOURCE CODE by Bill Gates: The philanthropist and co-founder of Microsoft describes events from his childhood and his discovery of computers.

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

6. THE SIRENS’ CALL by Chris Hayes: The MSNBC host considers the ways in which attention capitalism affects politics and society.

7. HILLBILLY ELEGY by JD Vance: The vice president, in a memoir written shortly after graduating from Yale Law School, looks at the struggles of the white working class through the story of his own childhood.

8. FRAMED by John Grisham and Jim McCloskey: Our criminal justice system viewed through the struggles of 10 wrongfully convicted people to achieve exoneration.

9. THE SERVICEBERRY by Robin Wall Kimmerer: The author of “Braiding Sweetgrass” illuminates how the gift economy in the natural world works and draws lessons for our economy; with illustrations by John Burgoyne.

10. BELIEVE by Ross Douthat: A New York Times Opinion columnist sets forth his reasons why he thinks religious faith makes sense of things.

11. GREENLIGHTS by Matthew McConaughey: The Academy Award-winning actor shares snippets from the diaries he kept over the last 35 years.

12. MELANIA by Melania Trump: The first lady describes her work as a fashion model, marriage to Donald Trump and time in the White House.

13. YOU DIDN’T HEAR THIS FROM ME by Kelsey McKinney: The host of the Normal Gossip podcast unpacks various aspects of storytelling and gossiping.

14. MEMORIAL DAYS by Geraldine Brooks: Three years after the sudden death of her partner, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author spent time on a remote island to grieve.

15. ELON MUSK by Walter Isaacson: The author of “The Code Breaker” traces Musk’s life and summarizes his work on electric vehicles, private space exploration and artificial intelligence.

–

Have a great Sunday!

Linda

–

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/Libby

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/

–

Catalog 4: Kanopy

Kanopy is the new streaming video app/catalog available to all Southern Tier Library System members libraries patrons – including patrons of the Southeast Steuben County Library!

You can find the Kanopy app in your app store, or check out the streaming service online at: https://www.kanopy.com/en

–

For more information on library materials and services, including how to get a library card call the library at 607-936-3713.

–

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

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 the library, or give us a call – please do!

Our telephone number is: 607-936-3713

–

New York Times Bestseller lists are shared via blog post on Sundays. And the next NYT blog post will be posted on Sunday, February 23, 2025.

–

THE BESTSELLERS

FICTION

1. ONYX STORM by Rebecca Yarros: The third book in the Empyrean series. As enemies gain traction, Violet Sorrengail goes beyond the Aretian wards in search of allies.

2. DEEP END by Ali Hazelwood: As the pressure leading up to the Olympics builds so do the feelings Lukas and Scarlett have for each other.

3. BONDED IN DEATH by J.D. Robb: The 60th book of the In Death series. Eve Dallas investigates the mysterious death of someone who was in a secret organization.

4. 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.

5. THE CRASH by Freida McFadden: A pregnant woman, who suffers an injury during a blizzard, is taken in by a couple who might put her life in further jeopardy.

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

7. 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.

8. OPEN SEASON by Jonathan Kellerman: The 40th book in the Alex Delaware series. Delaware and Sturgis try to get to the bottom of a series of murders in Hollywood.

9. DREAM GIRL DRAMA by Tessa Bailey: The third book in the Big Shots series. A hockey player and a harp prodigy put their relationship on ice when they discover their parents are engaged.

10. JAMES by Percival Everett: A reimagining of “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” shines a different light on Mark Twain’s classic, revealing new facets of the character of Jim.

11. 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.

12. THE FROZEN RIVER by Ariel Lawhon: In Maine, 1789, a midwife seeks to uncover the true cause of the death of a man discovered entombed in the Kennebec River.

13. LIGHTS OUT by Navessa Allen: As Aly and Josh live out their dark fantasies, someone with sinister intentions impinges on them.

14. THE WEDDING PEOPLE by Alison Espach: A woman who is down on her luck forms an unexpected bond with the bride at a wedding in Rhode Island.

15. 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.

–

NON-FICTION

1. SOURCE CODE by Bill Gates” The philanthropist and co-founder of Microsoft describes events from his childhood and his discovery of computers.

2. ON TYRANNY by Timothy Snyder: Twenty lessons from the 20th century about the course of tyranny.

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 THE HIPPIE TRAIL by Rick Steves: The travel writer and TV host recounts his journey from Istanbul to Kathmandu in the 1970s.

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

6. THE SIRENS’ CALL by Chris Hayes: The MSNBC host considers the ways in which attention capitalism affects politics and society.

7. KING: A LIFE by Jonathan Eig: A biography of the civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr., which includes new archival material and reflections from some who worked, lived and fought with him.

8. MEMORIAL DAYS by Geraldine Brooks: Three years after the sudden death of her partner, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author spent time on a remote island to grieve his loss.

9. HILLBILLY ELEGY by JD Vance: The vice president, in a memoir written shortly after graduating from Yale Law School, looks at the struggles of the white working class through the story of his own childhood.

10. THE SERVICEBERRY by Robin Wall Kimmerer: The author of “Braiding Sweetgrass” illuminates how the gift economy in the natural world works and draws lessons for our economy; with illustrations by John Burgoyne.

11. FOOD FOR THOUGHT by Alton Brown: In a collection of essays, the Peabody Award- and James Beard Award-winning chef and TV host chronicles his career.

12. MELANIA by Melania Trump: The first lady describes her work as a fashion model, marriage to Donald Trump and time in the White House.

13. THE HOUSE OF MY MOTHER by Shari Franke: Franke gives an account of abuse within her family, who gained a following with their YouTube channel “8 Passengers.”

14. THIS FAR by Allison Holker: An Emmy-nominated choreographer shares an account of how she dealt with her husband’s suicide.

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

–

Have a great Sunday!

Linda

–

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.

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, February 21, 2025.

–

And here are the 10 recommended songs of the week!

–

 

Bags With Groove by Milt Jackson 

From The Album: Bags’ Groove: Greatest Hits (2019)

–

Come Home Baby by Mel Torme 

From The Album: Comin’ Home Baby (1962)

–

Evan’s Shuffle by Muddy Waters 

Originally released as the B side of the song Louisiana Blues

–

Hideaway by Freddie King 

From The Album: Let’s Hideaway and Dance Away (1961)

–

The Lonely Surfer by Jack Nitzche 

From The Album: The Lonely Surfer (1963)

–

Night Train by James Brown & The Famous Flames 

From The Album: 20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection: The Best of James Brown (2013)

–

Out of Limits by The Markettes  

From The Album: Out of Limits! (1964)

–

Raunchy by Bill Justice 

From The Album: Raunchy & Other Great Instrumentals (1969)

–

Shazam! By Duane Eddy 

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

–

Steppin’ Out by Memphis Slim 

From The Album: Bluesville Presents (2024)

–

Hoopla Album of the Week  

Shake Your Wicked Knees: Classic Piano Rags, Blues & Stomps 1928 – 43 by Various Artists 

 And from the album the song:

Honky Tonk Train Blues by Meade Lux Lewis

–

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 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, February 19, 2025.

–

The Ghosts of Rome by Joseph O’Connor 

O’Connor’s second book in his Rome Escape Line Trilogy (after My Father’s House, 2023) is set in 1944, when WWII is at its height in the Nazi-occupied Eternal City. It’s a mesmerising, tragic, horrifying, utterly unputdownable story of the small, motley, incredibly brave band of eight people who call themselves the Choir. Their mission? To save Allied soldiers, Jews, and others persecuted by the Nazis and spirit them into the “neutral” Vatican City to keep them hidden. Risking their lives every day, living in derelict attics and damp cellars with little food and water, and being keenly aware of near-constant air raids and the ever-present danger from brutal Gestapo Obersturmbannführer Paul Hauptmann, the group keeps their “books” (as they dub those they help) in the “shelves” (hiding places), aided by a fragile network of anti-Nazi sympathizers. One book in particular requires an even more extraordinary level of bravery and cunning from the Choir. Horrifically wounded Polish soldier Bruno Wiśniewski needs urgent surgery, and the Choir members must use all their ingenuity, connections, and creativity to make that happen. A deeply affecting read with an ending that’s sad yet life affirming, this is an outstanding choice for fans of WWII fiction and of writers like Anthony Doerr. – Booklist Review  

– 

Harlem Rhapsody by Victoria Christopher Murray 

Murray’s first solo biographical novel following her popular collaborations with Marie Benedict (most recently, The First Ladies, 2023) focuses on the so-called “”midwife of the Harlem Renaissance,”” Jessie Redmon Fauset. Set during her years in New York as the literary editor of the NAACP’s influential magazine, The Crisis, founded by W. E. B. DuBois, the novel explores Jessie’s relationship with DuBois, who is her mentor, colleague, and, some say, lover. Murray uses the historical record as a springboard to imagine the complicated dynamic between Jessie; Will (as she calls him in private); Will’s wife, Nina; and the other women with whom he was romantically involved. Murray also tells of how Jessie publishes rising Black writers, including Langston Hughes, Countee Cullen, Jean Toomer, and Nella Larsen; spearheads the launch of a publication for children, The Brownies Book; and is a prolific writer herself. Jessie’s ambition and conflicting ideas about the role of art (DuBois believed that art was only useful as a form of propaganda) eventually lead her to leave the magazine, and DuBois, for good. Murray’s meticulous research brings this exciting period in American literary and artistic history into the spotlight and sheds a welcome light on an important and intriguing figure whose influence often goes unmentioned. – Starred Booklist Review  

– 

Last Twilight in Paris by Pam Jenoff 

Jenoff (Code Name Sapphire) delivers an artful parallel narrative of an Englishwoman’s investigation into her friend’s death during WWII, when they both volunteered for the Red Cross in Germany, and a Jewish woman interned in Paris by the Nazis. In 1953, Louise Burns finds a necklace with a heart pendant in a secondhand shop in Henley-on-Thames, and recognizes it as the one acquired by her friend Franny in Germany shortly before she was fatally struck by a car. Louise has always suspected Franny’s death was somehow related to the necklace, and after tracing it back to Lévitan, a Paris department store, she travels to France, hoping to track down the necklace’s most recent owner. Jenoff alternates Louise’s sleuthing with the story of Helaine Weil, a young Jewish woman who defies her parents to marry a musician and winds up imprisoned at Lévitan after the Nazis convert the store to a work camp. As Louise learns of Lévitan’s dark history, she uncovers shocking details about the necklace and about Helaine, who gave Franny the necklace before being taken prisoner. Jenoff offers a piercing depiction of Jewish life in Paris under German occupation, and keeps the pages turning with an intriguing mystery. Fans of WWII fiction will be riveted. – Publishers Weekly Review  

– 

Sleep Drink Breathe: Simple Daily Habits for Profound Long-Term Health by Michael Breus, PhD

Good health doesn’t have to be complicated. Sleeping, hydrating, and breathing are fundamental to life, and making simple adjustments to the way we perform these basic functions can have an extraordinary impact on our health and wellbeing. 

In Sleep Drink Breathe, bestselling author Dr. Michael Breus shares the most recent science on these biobehaviors and inspiring patient stories that are the basis for his innovative strategy for optimizing your sleep, hydration, and breathing habits. 

Dr. Breus’s revolutionary three-week Sleep-Drink-Breathe regimen is so straightforward, you won’t be intimidated by it and you will stick with it. After just a few days, you’ll feel better physically, mentally, and emotionally, and will be on the road to whole body balance that lasts. – Publisher Description  

– 

Waiting for the Long Night Moon: Stories by Amanda Peters 

Peters shares in her acknowledgments to this short-story collection that she wrote it before her Andrew Carnegie Medal-winning debut novel, The Berry Pickers (2023). She includes a content warning near the start of this book, noting that many of its stories address painful topics. Readers who engage will be well rewarded with a meaningful collection centering Indigenous people. Written in a woven style, integrating past and present, the stories often end at deft, surprising, and important moments. In the first, a woman whose baby died joins a group of water protectors to help make the world better for when the baby returns. In another, a young boy who was left at a religious school with his sister by a mother who loved but couldn’t feed them is locked in a cupboard for asking a question. Another story introduces a woman wanting to get off drugs and return to her mother, who made her walk in the forest to always remember city isn’t home, but a violent man wants her to stay. Braided through the longer pieces, like the sweetgrass featured in one, are shorter works focusing on an image, element of culture, or moment. Joy too is sliced throughout Peters’ stunning stories.  

HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Peters’ award-winning debut created an audience ready for anything she writes, and they won’t be disappointed by her memorable stories. – Starred 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 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.

–

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

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 the library, or give us a call – please do!

Our telephone number is: 607-936-3713

–

New York Times Bestseller lists are shared via blog post on Sundays. And the next NYT blog post will be posted on Sunday, February 16, 2025.

FICTION

THE BESTSELLERS

1. ONYX STORM by Rebecca Yarros: The third book in the Empyrean series. As enemies gain traction, Violet Sorrengail goes beyond the Aretian wards in search of allies.

2. THE CRASH by Freida McFadden: A pregnant woman, who suffers an injury during a blizzard, is taken in by a couple who might put her life in further jeopardy.

3. 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.

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

5. 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.

6. JAMES by Percival Everett: A reimagining of “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” shines a different light on Mark Twain’s classic, revealing new facets of the character of Jim.

7. THE NIGHT IS DEFYING by Chloe C. Peñaranda: The second book in the Nytefall series. Shifting alliances and impending doom add pressure to Astraea and Nyte’s tenuous relationship.

8. THE FROZEN RIVER by Ariel Lawhon: In Maine, 1789, a midwife seeks to uncover the true cause of the death of a man discovered entombed in the Kennebec River.

9. 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.

10. 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.

11. THE HANDMAID’S TALE by Margaret Atwood: In the Republic of Gilead’s dystopian future, men and women perform the services assigned to them.

12. THE WEDDING PEOPLE by Alison Espach: A woman who is down on her luck forms an unexpected bond with the bride at a wedding in Rhode Island.

13. LIGHTS OUT by Navessa Allen: As Aly and Josh live out their dark fantasies, someone with sinister intentions impinges on them.

14. 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.

15. QUICKSILVER by Callie Hart: Saeris is transported to a dangerous land of ice and snow, where she must contend with a Fae warrior who has suspect agendas.

–

NON-FICTION

1. THE SIRENS’ CALL by Chris Hayes: The MSNBC host considers the ways in which attention capitalism affects politics and society.

2. ON TYRANNY by Timothy Snyder: Twenty lessons from the 20th century about the course of tyranny.

3. HILLBILLY ELEGY by JD Vance: The vice president, in a memoir written shortly after graduating from Yale Law School, looks at the struggles of the white working class through the story of his own childhood.

4. 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.

5. MELANIA by Melania Trump: The first lady describes her work as a fashion model, marriage to Donald Trump and time in the White House.

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

7. THE SERVICEBERRY by Robin Wall Kimmerer: The author of “Braiding Sweetgrass” illuminates how the gift economy in the natural world works and draws lessons for our economy; with illustrations by John Burgoyne.

8. THE HOUSE OF MY MOTHER by Shari Franke: Franke gives an account of abuse within her family, who gained a following with their YouTube channel “8 Passengers.”

9. THE HARDER I FIGHT, THE MORE I LOVE YOU by Neko Case: The Grammy Award nominee describes her life’s journey from an impoverished childhood to international acclaim.

10. SUPERAGENCY by Reid Hoffman and Greg Beato: An overview of the pluses and minuses of artificial intelligence.

11. BE READY WHEN THE LUCK HAPPENS by Ina Garten: A memoir by the cookbook author and Food Network host known as the Barefoot Contessa.

12. NEXUS by Yuval Noah Harari: The author of “Sapiens” delves into how societies and political systems have used information and gives a warning about artificial intelligence.

13. GREENLIGHTS by Matthew McConaughey: The Academy Award-winning actor shares snippets from the diaries he kept over the last 35 years.

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

15. BRAIDING SWEETGRASS by Robin Wall Kimmerer: A botanist and member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation espouses having an understanding and appreciation of plants and animals.

–

NON-FICTION

1. THE SIRENS’ CALL by Chris Hayes: The MSNBC host considers the ways in which attention capitalism affects politics and society.

2. ON TYRANNY by Timothy Snyder: Twenty lessons from the 20th century about the course of tyranny.

3. HILLBILLY ELEGY by JD Vance: The vice president, in a memoir written shortly after graduating from Yale Law School, looks at the struggles of the white working class through the story of his own childhood.

4. 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.

5. MELANIA by Melania Trump: The first lady describes her work as a fashion model, marriage to Donald Trump and time in the White House.

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

7. THE SERVICEBERRY by Robin Wall Kimmerer: The author of “Braiding Sweetgrass” illuminates how the gift economy in the natural world works and draws lessons for our economy; with illustrations by John Burgoyne.

8. THE HOUSE OF MY MOTHER by Shari Franke: Franke gives an account of abuse within her family, who gained a following with their YouTube channel “8 Passengers.”

9. THE HARDER I FIGHT, THE MORE I LOVE YOU by Neko Case: The Grammy Award nominee describes her life’s journey from an impoverished childhood to international acclaim.

10. SUPERAGENCY by Reid Hoffman and Greg Beato: An overview of the pluses and minuses of artificial intelligence.

11. BE READY WHEN THE LUCK HAPPENS by Ina Garten: A memoir by the cookbook author and Food Network host known as the Barefoot Contessa.

12. NEXUS by Yuval Noah Harari: The author of “Sapiens” delves into how societies and political systems have used information and gives a warning about artificial intelligence.

13. GREENLIGHTS by Matthew McConaughey: The Academy Award-winning actor shares snippets from the diaries he kept over the last 35 years.

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

15. BRAIDING SWEETGRASS by Robin Wall Kimmerer: A botanist and member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation espouses having an understanding and appreciation of plants and animals.

–

Have a great Sunday!

Linda

–

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.