Month: September 2025

New York Times Bestsellers: October 5, 2025

Linda Reimer

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

You can also request titles through StarCat found at https://starcat.stls.org

–

THE BESTSELLERS

FICTION

1. THE SECRET OF SECRETS by Dan Brown: As he searches for the missing noetic scientist he has been seeing, Robert Langdon discovers something regarding a secret project.

2. THE ACADEMY by Elin Hilderbrand and Shelby Cunningham: Harmful rumors cause trouble for the students and staff at a New England boarding school.

3. THE GINGERBREAD BAKERY by Laurie Gilmore: The fifth book in the Dream Harbor series. As a wedding approaches, a bakery owner and a bar owner get closer.

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. THE LAST LETTER by Rebecca Yarros: Ryan asks his friend Beckett to help his sister, who is caring for her twin children in Telluride.

6. THE SURROGATE MOTHER by Freida McFadden: Abby’s personal assistant, who offers to be her surrogate, also carries an unspeakable secret.

7. AMONG THE BURNING FLOWERS by Samantha Shannon: In this installment of the Roots of Chaos series, Marosa Vetalda and her betrothed seek to give rise to a better world.

8. KATABASIS by R.F. Kuang: A pair of rival graduate students descend into the underworld to save their late professor and secure his recommendation.

9. THE SHATTERING PEACE by John Scalzi: The seventh book in the Old Man’s War series. Gretchen Trujillo makes a discovery that may alter the course of history for both humans and aliens.

10. ASSISTANT TO THE VILLAIN by Hannah Nicole Maehrer: Evie Sage gets a job doing unspecified office duties for the most infamous villain in the kingdom of Rennedawn.

11. WILD CARD by Elsie Silver: The fourth book in the Rose Hill series. Gwen gets close to her ex-boyfriend’s dad, who is trying to repair his relationship with his son.

12. PROJECT HAIL MARY by Andy Weir: Ryland Grace awakes from a long sleep alone and far from home, and the fate of humanity rests on his shoulders.

13. BUCKEYE by Patrick Ryan: Consequences created by a secret forged between members of two families in a small Ohio town affect a new generation.

14. MY FRIENDS by Fredrik Backman: A young woman looks into the story behind a painting that was made 25 years ago and a small group of teens depicted in it; translated by Neil Smith.

15. THE NIGHTINGALE by Kristin Hannah: Two sisters are separated in World War II France: one in the countryside, the other in Paris.

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NON-FICTION

1. POEMS & PRAYERS by Matthew McConaughey: The actor and author of “Greenlights” explores elements of belief and reason that make up our lives.

2. CONFRONTING EVIL by Bill O’Reilly and Josh Hammer: O’Reilly and Hammer profile some of history’s nefarious characters.

3. ALL THE WAY TO THE RIVER by Elizabeth Gilbert: The author of “Eat, Pray, Love” depicts her journey through a cycle involving self-destructive tendencies.

4. THE BOOK OF SHEEN by Charlie Sheen: The actor, known for his roles in “Platoon” and “Two and a Half Men,” shares stories about his life in Hollywood.

5. HISTORY MATTERS by David McCullough: A posthumous collection of essays by the Pulitzer Prize-winning author on history’s impact on our present and our future; edited by Dorie McCullough Lawson and Michael Hill.

6. WE THE PEOPLE by Jill Lepore: The author of “These Truths” examines the history of the U.S. Constitution and challenges its interpretation by the Supreme Court and the theory of originalism.

7. IF ANYONE BUILDS IT, EVERYONE DIES by Eliezer Yudkowsky and Nate Soares: A warning regarding how machine superintelligence may bring about human extinction.

8. TIME FOR A TURNING POINT by Charlie Kirk with Brent E. Hamachek: The late founder of Turning Point USA gives his take on the direction of the country.

9. 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.

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

11. BLACK AF HISTORY by Michael Harriot: A columnist at TheGrio.com articulates moments in American history that center the perspectives and experiences of Black Americans.

12. DEAD CENTER by Joe Manchin: The former senator from West Virginia recalls his time in government.

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

14. REPLACEABLE YOU by Mary Roach: The author of “Fuzz” looks at various efforts to create replacement human body parts.

15. WHY FASCISTS FEAR TEACHERS by Randi Weingarten: The president of the American Federation of Teachers explains why fascist regimes clamp down on educators and reinforces the importance of teaching critical thinking skills.

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Have a great Sunday!

Linda

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New York Times Bestseller lists are shared via blog post on Sundays.

–

THE CATALOGS:

(Information on the four library catalogs)

The Digital Catalog aka Libby: 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.

–

Kanopy Catalog: https://www.kanopy.com/en

The Kanopy Catalog features thousands of streaming videos available on demand.

The Kanopy Catalog is available for all Southern Tier Library System member library card holders, including all Southeast Steuben County Library card holders!

You can access the Kanopy Catalog through a web browser, or download the app to your phone, tablet or media streaming player (i.e. Roku, Google or Fire TV).

–

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.

–

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

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

Enjoy The Weekend! September 26, 2025

Linda Reimer

Hi everyone, this new weekly post will combine and replace our Suggested Listening and Suggested Viewing posts, into one entertainment post, published on Fridays, just in time for the weekend. Enjoy! 

Our Enjoy The Weekend posts will contain ten songs and two streaming video recommendations, one from a mainstream service and the other from Kanopy, the library’s free to access streaming service (all you need is a library card!).

First the songs: 

Blue by Joni Mitchell  

 

Found on the Album: Blue (1971) 

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Blue in Green by Miles Davis  

 

Found on the Album: Kind of Blue (1959) 

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Cast Your Fate To The Wind by Vince Guaraldi Trio  

 

Found on the Album: Jazz Impressions of Black Orpheus (1959) 

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Let’s Stay Together by Al Green  

 

Found on the Album: Let’s Stay Together (1972) 

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Lovely Day by Bill Withers   

 

Found on the Album: Menagerie (1977) 

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Mercy, Mercy Me by Marvin Gaye   

 

Found on the Album: What’s Going On? (1971) 

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Moondance by Van Morrison  

 

Found on the Album: Moondance (1970) 

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Northern Sky by Nick Drake  

 

Found on the Album: Northern Sky (1971) 

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Our House by Crosby, Stills & Nash  

 

Found on the Album: Déjà vu (1970) 

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Scarborough Fair/Canticle by Simon & Garfunkel   

 

Found on the Album: Parsley, Sage, Rosemary & Thyme (1966) 

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Something On You Mind by Karen Dalton  

 

Found on the Album: In My Own Time (1971) 

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Waltz for Debby by The Bill Evans Trio  

 

Found on the Album: Watz for Debby (1962) 

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Second The Videos: 

A new title available through one of the usual U.S. streaming services, followed by a Kanopy title that you can check out with your library card and stream on-demand.

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General Streaming Recommendation of the Week :

All Of You (Apple TV+) (September 26)  

 

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Kanopy Streaming Pick of the Week (A title available to library card holders) 

Take Me Home (2011) 

 

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Have a great weekend!

Linda Reimer, SSCL

–

Information on the four library catalogs 

The Digital Catalog aka Libby: 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. 

And The Digital Catalog/Libby features titles that may be checked out via the one-copy-one-user lending model, just like print books.  

– 

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

The Hoopla Catalog features on demand checkouts of eBooks, eAudiobooks, comic books, albums, movies and TV shows. Patron checkout 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. 

Titles in the Hoopla Catalog are available to be checked out on-demand by all library card holders, with the caveat of being able to check out a maximum of ten titles per month, per card.  

– 

Kanopy Catalog: https://www.kanopy.com/en 

The Kanopy Catalog features thousands of streaming videos available on demand.  

The Kanopy Catalog is available for all Southern Tier Library System member library card holders, including all Southeast Steuben County Library card holders! 

You can access the Kanopy Catalog through a web browser, or download the app to your phone, tablet or media streaming player (i.e. Roku, Google or Fire TV). 

– 

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. 

Suggested Reading Five: September 24, 2025

Linda Reimer

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

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Mrs. Lilienblum’s Cloud Factory: A Novel by Iddo Gefen  

The precipitous rise of an Israeli tech startup dedicated to making rain in the desert. In a fitting follow-up to his debut story collection, Jerusalem Beach (2021), winner of the Sami Rohr Prize for Jewish Literature, Gefen explores a speculative premise in a mordantly comic tone. As it opens, the middle-aged inventor Sarai Lilienblum is sighted drinking a martini in the Israeli desert after disappearing from her home for several days. One of the reasons this captures media attention is because “home” is a semi-cooperative tourist lodge atop a cliff overlooking a desert crater which primarily draws visitors interested in the case of a long-disappeared Irish hiker named McMurphy. But Mrs. Lilienblum is not out there looking for McMurphy. She’s testing her latest invention–an unplugged vacuum cleaner that sucks up sand and emits a cloud, which forthwith dissolves into rain. As they say at the press conference for Cloudies, the startup her children, Eli and Naomi, co-found to promote their mother’s invention, “Everyone in this room knows that when Ben-Gurion spoke about making the desert bloom, it was the Cliff he had in mind.” The plot gets most of its energy from the siblings’ pursuit of various funding schemes. After a wealthy neighbor’s offer to underwrite the company falls through, Eli and Naomi pursue a very funny, subtly devised phishing scam under the persona of General Luciano Rodriguez Ancelotti III. Meanwhile, a billionaire named Ben Gould has posted online: “If in four months this device brings down rain on an entire town, I’ll make an offer. No lower than twenty million.” And so, things kick into high gear. The biggest shortcoming of Gefen’s high-spirited fable is character development, often gestured at but never achieved. For example, Sarai Lilienblum often tells her son that they’re “made from the same stuff.” He wonders if this could be true. So does the reader. No shortage of promising premises. – Kirkus Review 

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Poems & Prayers by Matthew McConaughey 

From the Academy Award–winning actor and #1 New York Times bestselling author of Greenlights comes an inspiring, faith-filled, and often hilarious collection of personal poetry and prayers about navigating the rodeo of life and chasing down the original dream, belief. 

My prayers are my poems are my prayers. 

I’ve always relied on logic to make sense of myself and the world. 

A prescriptionist at heart, I’ve always looked to reason to find the rhyme, the practical to get to the mystical, the choreography to find the dance, the proof to get to the truth, and reality to get to the dream. 

I’ve been finding that tougher to do lately. It’s more than hard to know what to believe in; it’s hard to believe. 

But I don’t want to quit believing, and I don’t want to stop believing in . . . humanity, you, myself, our potential. 

I think it’s time for us to flip the script on what’s historically been our means of making sense, and instead open our aperture to enchantment and look to faith, belief, and dreams for our reality. 

Let’s sing more than we might make sense, believe in more than the world can conclude, get more impressed with the wow instead of the how, let inspiration interrupt our appointments, dream our way to reality, serve some soul food to our hungry heads, put proof on the shelf for a season, and rhyme our way to reason. 

Forget logic, certainty, owning, or making a start-up company of it; let’s go beyond what we can merely imagine, and believe, in the poetry of life. 

– 

Sisters of Fortune: A Novel by Esther Chehebar 

Fortune’s wedding day is fast approaching, and she’s doing her best be the perfect daughter to her family and her future in-laws in their tight-knit Syrian Jewish community in Brooklyn. Meanwhile, her sister Nina, who, by community standards, is a spinster at 26, is struggling to reconcile her desire to push back against the patriarchy and the weight of tradition. Their youngest sister, Lucy, seems to be living the dream, having landed a wealthy doctor, but will community pressure threaten the relationship? Sisters of Fortune is part coming-of-age story, part slice-of-life exploration of conservative Syrian Jewish life in America. The family dynamics are compelling, with each character offering a different perspective: from grandmother Sitto, who immigrated from Aleppo; to Sally, their mother who wasn’t raised in the community; to the three sisters, each navigating the tension between tradition and modern American values. This debut is fun and engaging, featuring alternating points of view among the sisters. It will especially appeal to readers interested in culture, family, and Jewish traditions. – Booklist Review  

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Softly, as I Leave You: Life After Elvis by Priscilla Presley 

This engaging memoir finds Presley just as her first marriage is ending, the new mother and heartbroken 27-year-old terrified of striking out on her own after devoting half of her life to Elvis. Two things become apparent as this multifaceted and accomplished woman, now 80, shares important milestones from the five decades since that time. First, Priscilla will always be a person thrust into unimaginable fame and relentless public scrutiny, and second, she remains fiercely loyal to Elvis and his continuing legacy. She expresses endless gratitude to members of the Presley family and to the many mentors who helped her realize her business enterprises, charities, acting career, and her successful efforts to save Graceland from financial ruin. These warm sentiments turn dark only when she talks about mean-spirited people who wronged her loved ones (she’s especially vocal about Michael Jackson exploiting her daughter, Lisa Marie). Priscilla sets the record straight on many of the seemingly never-ending tabloid stories, candidly discussing her relationships with her kids and grandchildren plus marriages, divorces, substance abuse, Scientology rumors, money squabbles, and legal wranglings. She also weighs in on the depictions of her in recent movies. The King and all things Elvis remain as popular as ever, so expect lots of demand.  

HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: It’s been 40 years since the release of Presley’s best-selling Elvis and Me. Especially on the heels of Lisa Marie Presley and Riley Keogh’s blockbuster, From Here to the Great Unknown, readers are primed and ready to hear from Priscilla again. – Booklist Review  

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The Summer War by Naomi Novik 

Sorceress Celia is the youngest of her father’s children. Her beloved eldest brother, Argent, has decided to leave home, to leave her, and with immature rage and new power, Celia curses him to live a life without love. Immediately knowing that she has made a horrible mistake, Celia attempts to undo the curse, all the while mending her relationship with her rejected middle brother, Roric. Meanwhile, the king pursues the young sorceress as a bride for his son, Crown Prince Gorthan. When her wedding day with Gorthan arrives, Celia finds herself caught in the middle of a centuries-old battle between her people and the summerlings, immortal beings who despise their human neighbors, especially the prince to whom she is now married. Then Argent returns, determined to fight for his sister’s freedom, no matter the cost, but Celia knows it’s up to her to save her brother, her people, and herself.  

VERDICT This delightful novella is an immersive fairy tale highlighted by Novik’s (The Golden Enclaves) vivid prose, with a sharp woman protagonist. Fans of Amal El-Mohtar’s The River Has Roots looking for their next read will find this book enjoyable. – Starred Library Journal Review  

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

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Information on the four library catalogs

The Digital Catalog aka Libby: 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.

–

Kanopy Catalog: https://www.kanopy.com/en

The Kanopy Catalog features thousands of streaming videos available on demand.

The Kanopy Catalog is available for all Southern Tier Library System member library card holders, including all Southeast Steuben County Library card holders!

You can access the Kanopy Catalog through a web browser, or download the app to your phone, tablet or media streaming player (i.e. Roku, Google or Fire TV).

–

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.

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

New York Times Bestsellers: September 28, 2025

Linda Reimer

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

You can also request titles through StarCat found at https://starcat.stls.org

–

THE BESTSELLERS

FICTION

1. THE SECRET OF SECRETS by Dan Brown: As he searches for the missing noetic scientist he has been seeing, Robert Langdon discovers something regarding a secret project.

2. WILD CARD by Elsie Silver: The fourth book in the Rose Hill series. Gwen gets close to her ex-boyfriend’s dad, who is trying to repair his relationship with his son.

3. CLOWN TOWN by Mick Herron: The ninth book in the Slough House series. Lessons from old spies may come to bear as the ugly side of state security is threatened with exposure.

4. THE SURROGATE MOTHER by Freida McFadden: Abby’s personal assistant, who offers to be her surrogate, also carries an unspeakable secret.

5. KATABASIS by R.F. Kuang: A pair of rival graduate students descend into the underworld to save their late professor and secure his recommendation.

6. LOVER FORBIDDEN by J.R. Ward: The 23rd book in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series. Devlin’s secret may sour Lyric’s new zest for life.

7. FRAMED IN DEATH by J.D. Robb: The 61st book of the In Death series. Eve Dallas investigates the murder of a woman found in the doorway of two gallery owners’ home.

8. PITCHER PERFECT by Tessa Bailey: The fourth book in the Big Shots series. A hockey player poses as the boyfriend of a softball pitcher.

9. CLIVE CUSSLER: THE IRON STORM by Jack Du Brul: The 15th book in the Isaac Bell series. During the Great War, evil forces want to take the fight to the streets of the United States.

10. BUCKEYE by Patrick Ryan: Consequences created by a secret forged between members of two families in a small Ohio town affect a new generation.

11. THE HALLMARKED MAN by Robert Galbraith: The eighth book in the Cormoran Strike series. A dismembered corpse found in a silver shop sets off an investigation.

12. PROJECT HAIL MARY by Andy Weir: Ryland Grace awakes from a long sleep alone and far from home, and the fate of humanity rests on his shoulders.

13. MY FRIENDS by Fredrik Backman: A young woman looks into the story behind a painting that was made 25 years ago and a small group of teens depicted in it; translated by Neil Smith.

14. PEOPLE WATCHING by Hannah Bonam-Young: A relationship between Prudence and Milo in a small Ontario town may shift to something beyond their expectations.

15. ATMOSPHERE by Taylor Jenkins Reid: In the summer of 1980, Joan Goodwin begins training with a group of candidates for NASA’s space shuttle program.

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NON-FICTION

1. CONFRONTING EVIL by Bill O’Reilly and Josh Hammer: O’Reilly and Hammer profile some of history’s nefarious characters.

2. ALL THE WAY TO THE RIVER by Elizabeth Gilbert: The author of “Eat, Pray, Love” depicts her journey through a cycle involving self-destructive tendencies.

3. LISTENING TO THE LAW by Amy Coney Barrett: The Supreme Court justice explains her approach to interpreting the Constitution and recounts some personal and professional experiences.

4. THE BOOK OF SHEEN by Charlie Sheen: The actor, known for his roles in “Platoon” and “Two and a Half Men,” shares stories about his life in Hollywood.

5. 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.

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

7. TIME FOR A TURNING POINT by Charlie Kirk with Brent E. Hamachek: The late founder of Turning Point USA gives his take on the direction of the country.

8. SISTER WIFE by Christine Brown Woolley: Known for her appearances on the reality TV series “Sister Wives,” Woolley chronicles how she moved away from polygamy.

9. SHADOW CELL by Andrew Bustamante and Jihi Bustamante: A married couple portray some cat-and-mouse games they encountered while working at the C.I.A.

10. AMERICAN KINGS by Seth Wickersham: A senior writer at ESPN characterizes the phases of a professional football quarterback’s career.

11. LIONS AND SCAVENGERS by Ben Shapiro: A co-founder of The Daily Wire and conservative podcast host shares his views on inequality.

12. ART WORK by Sally Mann: The photographer and author of “Hold Still” gives insights into some of the challenges and delights of making art.

13. A FINE LINE BETWEEN STUPID AND CLEVER by Rob Reiner, Christopher Guest, Michael McKean and Harry Shearer with David Kamp: Behind-the-scenes stories of the cult film “This Is Spinal Tap” and its sequel.

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

15. THE FORT BRAGG CARTEL by Seth Harp: An Iraq war veteran and investigative reporter delves into unsolved murders connected to drug trafficking at the Special Operations base.

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Have a great Sunday!

Linda

–

New York Times Bestseller lists are shared via blog post on Sundays.

–

LIBRARY CATALOGS:

The Digital Catalog aka Libby: 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.

–

Kanopy Catalog: https://www.kanopy.com/en

The Kanopy Catalog features thousands of streaming videos available on demand.

The Kanopy Catalog is available for all Southern Tier Library System member library card holders, including all Southeast Steuben County Library card holders!

You can access the Kanopy Catalog through a web browser, or download the app to your phone, tablet or media streaming player (i.e. Roku, Google or Fire TV).

–

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.

–

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.

Enjoy The Weekend! September 19, 2025

Linda Reimer

Hi everyone, this new weekly post will combine and replace our Suggested Listening and Suggested Viewing posts, into one entertainment post, published on Fridays, just in time for the weekend. Enjoy! 

Our Enjoy The Weekend posts will contain ten songs and two streaming video recommendations, one from a mainstream service and the other from Kanopy, the library’s free to access streaming service (all you need is a library card!).

–

This week we are turning the musical spotlight on Rock & Roll Hall of Fame member Duane Eddy and giving a listen to ten of his great songs. 

As you may know, Eddy was born in Corning and spent his first thirteen years living in our region. And on Saturday, The Corning Duane Eddy Circle & friends will unveil a historic marker to celebrate the man, his music and his connection to our region.  

Here are the details: 

What: The unveiling of the new Duane Eddy historic marker. The ceremony will be attended by Duane Eddy’s widow Deed, other family members and several local dignitaries and is open to the public – everyone is welcome! 

Where: Riverfront/Centennial Park in Corning, across the street from the clock tower in Centerway Square, just off of East Tioga Ave., at the edge of the walk that leads over the Centerway Walking Bridge. 

When: Saturday, September 20, 2025, at 2:00 p.m. 

To learn more about Duane Eddy & the new historic marker, check out the Corning Twang website found at: https://www.corningtwang.com/

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And here are ten great songs by Duane Eddy! 

Rebel Rouser 

Found on the Album: Have Twangy Guitar Will Travel (1958)

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Because They’re Young  

Found on the Album: $1,000,000 Worth of Twang (1960)

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Peter Gunn  

Found on the Album: Especially For You (1959)

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Night Train To Memphis 

Found on the Album: Twangs The Thang (1959)

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The Lonely One 

Found on the Album: Have Twangy Guitar Will Travel (1958)

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High Noon 

Found on the Album: Twangy Guitar – Silky Strings (1962)

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A Satisfied Mind 

Found on the Album: Twang A Country Song (1963)

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The Son of Rebel Rouser

Found on the Album: Twang A Country Song (1963)

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Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright

Found on the Album: Duane Does Dylan (1965)

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The Trembler  

Found on the Album: Duane Eddy (1987)

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Second The videos: 

A new title available through one of the usual U.S. streaming services, this week available for free via YouTube and a Kanopy title that you can check out with your library card and stream on-demand.

Duane Eddy did a bit of acting and appeared in several films including the following classic western, which is our general streaming recommendation of the week:  

A Thunder of Drums (1961) 

 

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And our Kanopy recommendation for this week, which is the lone non-Duane Eddy title recommended this week, is: 

This Beautiful Fantastic (2016) 

Trailer 

 

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Have a great weekend!

Linda Reimer, SSCL

–

Information on the four library catalogs 

The Digital Catalog aka Libby: 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. 

And The Digital Catalog/Libby features titles that may be checked out via the one-copy-one-user lending model, just like print books.  

– 

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

The Hoopla Catalog features on demand checkouts of eBooks, eAudiobooks, comic books, albums, movies and TV shows. Patron checkout 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. 

Titles in the Hoopla Catalog are available to be checked out on-demand by all library card holders, with the caveat of being able to check out a maximum of ten titles per month, per card.  

– 

Kanopy Catalog: https://www.kanopy.com/en 

The Kanopy Catalog features thousands of streaming videos available on demand.  

The Kanopy Catalog is available for all Southern Tier Library System member library card holders, including all Southeast Steuben County Library card holders! 

You can access the Kanopy Catalog through a web browser, or download the app to your phone, tablet or media streaming player (i.e. Roku, Google or Fire TV). 

– 

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. 

Suggested Reading Five: October 17, 2025

Linda Reimer

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

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The Academy by Elin Hilderbrand 

In her newest novel, bestselling Hilderbrand (Swan Song) teams up with her teenage daughter, Cunningham, to explore a drama-filled year at an elite New England boarding school. It opens with a surprising boost in the school rankings for Tiffin Academy, a seemingly average institution now shining under the national spotlight. But as the school year unfolds, secrets spill and reputations crumble thanks to a mysterious gossip app called ZipZap. The characters are wide-ranging, from a glamorous influencer to a guarded transfer student to a young, unsure teacher, as the novel navigates shifting alliances and personal revelations, all set against the school’s deceptively idyllic setting. While the plot is packed with potential, the overly descriptive writing tends to slow the narrative’s pace. This style may appeal to fans of immersive detail but could be challenging for those looking for a brisk, engaging read.  

VERDICT A juicy mix of scandal and coming-of-age moments. Fans of Hilderbrand’s signature ensemble dramas and readers who enjoy stories about secrets in privileged worlds will likely appreciate this buzzy take on boarding-school life. – Library Journal Review  

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The Belles by Lacy N. Dunham 

Freshmen at an exclusive Southern women’s college bond, and their swings between obedience and recklessness lead to long-term trauma. Alumnae of Bellerton College should be able “to hold our own during conversations on both politics and literature, and we would also know how to arrange excellent charcuterie. We might be smarter than our husbands, but at Bellerton we would have learned the necessary tact to never point this out.” It’s 1951, and in the Old Dominion State, young women are expected to graduate with both B.A. and M.R.S. degrees, flaunting engagement rings even before mortarboards are donned. Deena Evangeline Williams knows this before she arrives at her room in South Hall. Despite her background–she was raised by her housecleaner grandmother–Deena hopes to learn her peers’ ways while she keeps a secret that might ruin her chances for a Bellerton-approved future. If this territory has been mined by other writers, it doesn’t matter much as debut novelist Dunham juggles gothic elements including a nasty poetry professor, a drunken misery of a housemother, and glimpses of ghosts in the campus trees. Queen Bee Ada May Delacourt; closeted Winifred (Fred) Scott and her bestie, Sheba Wyatt; Nell Lawton-Peters; and Prissy Nicholson from Texas at first hew so closely to the expectations of Mrs. Tibbert, the wife of the college’s president, that she declares them the Belles of their class. But small things start to go missing from the girls’ rooms and as they snipe at each other, they also discover how good it feels to be bad, brandishing their signature hair ribbons like battle standards and roaming the woods at night, damn the consequences. Deena begins to encounter the apparition of a 19th-century student, Mary Burden, and wonders why only she can see her; even if readers guess, they’ll already be under the spell of this isolated school. As the Belles prepare for their 50th reunion in 2002, their 21st-century lives offer bitter commentary on the real lessons they learned. Both a time capsule, and a ticking bomb, of womanhood repressed in service of societal conformity. – Kirkus  

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Gray Dawn by Walter Mosely  

Easy Rawlins hasn’t been taking cases since readers last saw him in Farewell, Amethystine (2024), preferring to pass them along to his WRENS-L detective agency partners. But when Santangelo Burris shows up simmering with rage Easy knows too well, he’s reminded of his early PI days when he took cases to help poor Blacks whose plights rarely concerned police. Burris wants somebody to find his mother, Lutisha James, claiming that his grandmother wants to hear from her, and Easy accepts. It turns out, though, that card shark Lutisha has a reputation so deadly that Fearless Jones insists on watching Easy’s back. Meanwhile, Easy’s son Jesus is being hunted by federal agents who allege he’s been trafficking drugs from Mexico, and Easy’s dangerous lost love Amethystine has returned, determined to reclaim his affection. This would overwhelm most detectives, but even after Lutisha’s trail leads to a triple murder and a depraved powerbroker, Easy weaves together a plan that punishes predators and redraws the boundaries of his family. Mosley’s moving author’s note implores readers to see this work as a reminder of the ongoing toxicity of segregation, lynchings, and generations of casual hatred. In Mosley’s masterful hands, this is a portal to Los Angeles streets and their vastly different worlds, communities born of disadvantage, and mysteries that highlight universal truths.  

HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Easy Rawlins fans are primed as this epic series hones its edge. 

Reader’s Note: As mentioned in the review, Gray Dawn is the seventeenth book in the Easy Rawling’s series. If you’d like to start reading the series from the beginning, check out book one: Devil In A Blue Dress.  

– 

History Matters by David McCullough  

Avuncular observations on matters historical from the late popularizer of the past. McCullough made a fine career of storytelling his way through past events and the great men (and occasional woman) of long-ago American history. In that regard, to say nothing of his eschewing modern technology in favor of the typewriter (“I love the way the bell rings every time I swing the carriage lever”), he might be thought of as belonging to a past age himself. In this set of occasional pieces, including various speeches and genial essays on what to read and how to write, he strikes a strong tone as an old-fashioned moralist: “Indifference to history isn’t just ignorant, it’s rude,” he thunders. “It’s a form of ingratitude.” There are some charming reminiscences in here. One concerns cajoling his way into a meeting with Arthur Schlesinger in order to pitch a speech to presidential candidate John F. Kennedy: Where Richard Nixon “has no character and no convictions,” he opined, Kennedy “is appealing to our best instincts.” McCullough allows that it wasn’t the strongest of ideas, but Schlesinger told him to write up a speech anyway, and when it got to Kennedy, “he gave a speech in which there was one paragraph that had once sentence written by me.” Some of McCullough’s appreciations here are of writers who are not much read these days, such as Herman Wouk and Paul Horgan; a long piece concerns a president who’s been largely lost in the shuffle too, Harry Truman, whose decision to drop the atomic bomb on Japan McCullough defends. At his best here, McCullough uses history as a way to orient thinking about the present, and with luck to good ends: “I am a short-range pessimist and a long-range optimist. I sincerely believe that we may be on the way to a very different and far better time.” A pleasure for fans of old-school historical narratives. – Kirkus Review  

– 

Hopelessly Teavoted by Audrey Goldberg Ruoff 

DEBUT Azrael Hart has been in love with Victoria Starnberger, his best friend and the girl next door, since they were children, but he never dared to risk their friendship. When they both return to their hometown after tragedy strikes, the universe and a meddling younger sister keep pushing them back together and into their old friendly rhythms. Azrael struggles with his lingering feelings for Vickie, and the recent loss of his parents compounds it as she takes over his mother’s beloved tea shop. Vickie’s parents cut her off when she refuses to do their bidding and leave her with the debt they made with a handsome devil to give her the power to summon spirits. With Az back in the picture, she turns to him as a witch and a friend for help with the mysterious warnings she keeps getting from ghosts and her pending devilish debt. Can they solve the mystery of what is rotten in Hallowcross before their second chance at love goes up in flames?  

VERDICT Ruoff’s debut is a magical rom-com full of hijinks, featuring an eclectic cast of characters in a quirky small town and a slow-burn romance to savor. – Library Journal Review  

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Happy reading!

Linda Reimer, SSCL

–

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

–

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

–

Information on the four library catalogs

The Digital Catalog aka Libby: 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.

–

Kanopy Catalog: https://www.kanopy.com/en

The Kanopy Catalog features thousands of streaming videos available on demand.

The Kanopy Catalog is available for all Southern Tier Library System member library card holders, including all Southeast Steuben County Library card holders!

You can access the Kanopy Catalog through a web browser, or download the app to your phone, tablet or media streaming player (i.e. Roku, Google or Fire TV).

–

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.

New York Times Bestsellers: September 21, 2025

Linda Reimer

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

You can also request titles through StarCat found at https://starcat.stls.org

–

THE BESTSELLERS

FICTION

1. FRAMED IN DEATH by J.D. Robb: The 61st book of the In Death series. Eve Dallas investigates the murder of a woman found in the doorway of two gallery owners’ home.

2. THE HALLMARKED MAN by Robert Galbraith: The eighth book in the Cormoran Strike series. A dismembered corpse found in a silver shop sets off an investigation.

3. KATABASIS by R.F. Kuang” A pair of rival graduate students descend into the underworld to save their late professor and secure his recommendation.

4. THE SURROGATE MOTHER by Freida McFadden: Abby’s personal assistant, who offers to be her surrogate, also carries an unspeakable secret.

5. BILLION-DOLLAR RANSOM by James Patterson and Duane Swierczynski: Five members of a billionaire’s family are simultaneously kidnapped.

6. BUCKEYE by Patrick Ryan: Consequences created by a secret forged between members of two families in a small Ohio town affect a new generation.

7. WILD REVERENCE by Rebecca Ross: In a novel written for adults that is set in the world of “Divine Rivals,” a goddess named Matilda is faced with making a great sacrifice.

8. APOSTLE’S COVE by William Kent Krueger: The 21st book in the Cork O’Connor mystery series. Cork runs into trouble as he reinvestigates a decades-old closed case.

9. TOM CLANCY: TERMINAL VELOCITY by M.P. Woodward: The 14th book in the Jack Ryan Jr. series. A terror group returns with a new leader.

10. THE THURSDAY MURDER CLUB by Richard Osman: Four septuagenarian friends, who meet to discuss unsolved crimes, find themselves taking on their first live case.

11. 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.

12. PROJECT HAIL MARY by Andy Weir: Ryland Grace awakes from a long sleep alone and far from home, and the fate of humanity rests on his shoulders.

13. DEADLY STORMS by Christine Feehan: A woman with a troubled past may have more in store.

14. THE COLOR OF DEATH by Trey Gowdy with Christopher Greyson: After a tragedy strikes his family, an assistant district attorney investigates the murder of a young woman.

15. LEAVE ME BEHIND by K.M. Moronova: A candidate for a Special Ops team has a one-night stand with a mysterious man who turns out to be her immediate superior.

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NON-FICTION

1. SISTER WIFE by Christine Brown Woolley: Known for her appearances on the reality TV series “Sister Wives,” Woolley chronicles how she moved away from polygamy.

2. LIONS AND SCAVENGERS by Ben Shapiro: A co-founder of The Daily Wire and conservative podcast host shares his views on inequality.

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

5. CHASING EVIL by John Edward and Robert Hilland with Natasha Stoynoff: A psychic medium and a former F.B.I. agent portray their partnership.

6. ON POWER by Mark R. Levin: The Fox News host considers various facets of power and its effect on history.

7. BLACK AF HISTORY by Michael Harriot: A columnist at TheGrio.com articulates moments in American history that center the perspectives and experiences of Black Americans.

8. MOTHER MARY COMES TO ME by Arundhati Roy: The author of “The Ministry of Utmost Happiness” ruminates on her relationship with her late mother.

9. THEY ALL CAME TO BARNEYS by Gene Pressman: How three generations of the Pressman family developed the business of the luxury department store Barneys.

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

11. EVERYTHING IS TUBERCULOSIS by John Green: The author of “The Anthropocene Reviewed” chronicles the fight against the deadly infectious disease tuberculosis.

12. WHEN BREATH BECOMES AIR by Paul Kalanithi: A memoir by a physician who received a diagnosis of Stage IV lung cancer at the age of 36.

13. BREAKNECK by Dan Wang: An examination of rapid growth and political repression in China and how it compares to the United States.

14. THE FORT BRAGG CARTEL by Seth Harp: An Iraq war veteran and investigative reporter delves into unsolved murders connected to drug trafficking at the Special Operations base.

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.

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Have a great Sunday!

Linda

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New York Times Bestseller lists are shared via blog post on Sundays.

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LIBRARY CATALOGS:

The Digital Catalog aka Libby: 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.

–

Kanopy Catalog: https://www.kanopy.com/en

The Kanopy Catalog features thousands of streaming videos available on demand.

The Kanopy Catalog is available for all Southern Tier Library System member library card holders, including all Southeast Steuben County Library card holders!

You can access the Kanopy Catalog through a web browser, or download the app to your phone, tablet or media streaming player (i.e. Roku, Google or Fire TV).

–

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.

–

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

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

Enjoy The Weekend! September 12, 2025

Linda Reimer

Hi everyone, this new weekly post will combine and replace our Suggested Listening and Suggested Viewing posts, into one entertainment post, published on Fridays, just in time for the weekend. Enjoy! 

Our Enjoy The Weekend posts will contain ten songs and two streaming video recommendations, one from a mainstream service and the other from Kanopy, the library’s free to access streaming service (all you need is a library card!).

First the songs: 

This week we are focusing on artists that helped set down the foundation of Rock & Roll, those who recorded for Sun Records in the 1950s. 

Precursor: 

1951 

Rocket 88 by Jackie Brenston and His Delta Cats  

(The Delta Cats consisted of Ike Turner & His Kings of Rhythm band)  

 

Note: this song was recorded in Memphis by Sam Phillips, founder of Sun Records, before Sun Records was established in 1952. 

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1953 

Someone Told Me by Little Milton  

 

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Feeling Good by Little Juniors Blue Flames  

 

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1954 

I’ll Never Stand In Your Way by Elvis Presley 

 

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Straighten Up Baby by James Cotton 

 

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Rockin’ Chair Daddy by Harmonica Frank 

 

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That’s Alright by Elvis Presley with Scotty & Bill  

 

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1955 

Red Hot by Billy The Kid Emerson  

 

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Cry! Cry ! Cry ! by Johnny Cash 

 

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Mystery Train by Elvis Presley with Scotty & Bill  

 

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1956 

Blue Suede Shoes by Carl Perkins 

 

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Ooby Dooby by Roy Orbison  

 

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I Need A Man by Barbara Pittman  

 

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Ten Cats Down by The Miller Sisters  

 

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I Won’t Be Rockin’ Tonight by Jean Chapman 

 

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1957 

Flyin’ Saucers Rock and Roll by Billy Lee Riley  

 

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Whole Lotta Shakin’ Going On by Jerry Lee Lewis 

 

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Second The Videos: 

A new title available through one of the usual U.S. streaming services, followed by a Kanopy title that you can check out with your library card and stream on-demand.

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Only Murders In the Building, Season 5 (2025) (Hulu) 

 

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Kanopy Streaming Pick of the Week (A title available to library card holders) 

Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016) 

Hunt for the Wilderpeople Trailer  

 

– 

Have a great weekend!

Linda Reimer, SSCL

–

Information on the four library catalogs 

The Digital Catalog aka Libby: 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. 

And The Digital Catalog/Libby features titles that may be checked out via the one-copy-one-user lending model, just like print books.  

– 

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

The Hoopla Catalog features on demand checkouts of eBooks, eAudiobooks, comic books, albums, movies and TV shows. Patron checkout 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. 

Titles in the Hoopla Catalog are available to be checked out on-demand by all library card holders, with the caveat of being able to check out a maximum of ten titles per month, per card.  

– 

Kanopy Catalog: https://www.kanopy.com/en 

The Kanopy Catalog features thousands of streaming videos available on demand.  

The Kanopy Catalog is available for all Southern Tier Library System member library card holders, including all Southeast Steuben County Library card holders! 

You can access the Kanopy Catalog through a web browser, or download the app to your phone, tablet or media streaming player (i.e. Roku, Google or Fire TV). 

– 

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. 

Suggested Reading Five: October 10, 2025

Linda Reimer

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

–

Clown Town by Mick Herron 

A series of mounting complications leads to yet another fight to the death between the discarded intelligence agents of Slough House and the morally bankrupt head of MI5. As Jackson Lamb’s motley crew on Aldersgate Street struggles to cope with the deaths of River Cartwright’s grandfather and mentor, intelligence veteran David Cartwright, and their dim, beloved colleague Min Harper, new troubles are brewing. Diana Taverner, who runs the British Intelligence Service from Regent’s Park, is being blackmailed by former MP Peter Judd to do his bidding. Nothing untoward about that, of course, but this time, Judd’s demands, backed by a compromising tape recording, are more pressing than usual. So Diana reconvenes the Brains Trust–Al Hawke, Avril Potts, Daisy Wessex, and their ex-boss Charles Cornell Stamoran–whose last assignment was to serve as the contact for psychopathic IRA informant Dougie Malone while turning a blind eye to his multiple rapes and murders, which were really none of the Crown’s business. Taverner’s new assignment for the Brains Trust is the assassination of Judd. Since all these developments are filtered through the riotously cynical lens of Herron’s imagination, nothing goes as planned, and when the smoke clears, the fatalities don’t include Judd. Now that Judd knows he has as much reason to fear Taverner as she does to fear him, Lamb offers to broker a peace meeting between them which Slough House computer geek Roddy Ho will keep secret by knocking out 37 security cameras around Taverner’s dwelling. What could possibly go wrong? The best news of all: The climax leaves the door open to further reports from the hilariously misnamed British Intelligence. – Kirkus Review  

Reader’s Note: Clown Town is the nineth book in the Slough House series. If you’d like to start reading the series from the beginning, check out book one: Slow Horses.  

– 

It Was the Way She Said It Short Stories, Essays, and Wisdom by Terry McMillan 

The best part of reading this entertaining collection of published and unpublished fiction, sketches, and nonfiction is the sheer delight of immersing yourself in the works of a writer who has plenty to say and has never been afraid to say it. Author of 1990s megahits like Waiting To Exhale and How Stella Got Her Groove Back, McMillan has been chronicling the hopes, dreams, and defiance of Black women for decades, examining relationships between men and women, friends, neighbors, and family with hard-won wisdom and a rebellious authenticity. In these stories, economic woes figure prominently in the lives of her characters. Most of the protagonists are women, but in “The End,” published in 1976, a weary worker at the Ford Motor Co. confronts his dull days and the myriad factors that trap and isolate him. In “Reconstruction,” a man loses his job, and a couple’s relationship deteriorates into physical violence and sexual abuse. In “Ma’Dear (for Estelle Ragsdale),” a scrappy elderly widow survives by taking in boarders she’s not supposed to have. There are also characters struggling with love and its fallout–pregnancy scares, anger, regret, loneliness and loss–proving that McMillan has never shied away from frank assessments of sex and its power. In one of the best stories, “Can’t Close My Eyes to It,” a young girl spends time with her beloved grandmother and learns hard lessons about life. Even McMillan’s quick sketches are so immediately absorbing that you wish she’d fleshed them out into full-blown stories. You won’t want to skip the nonfiction pieces, which range from essays to a commencement speech, because the author’s voice is always engaging. But it’s through her fiction that McMillan shines brightest. “She reads the times we’re living through,” author Ishmael Reed writes in the foreword, a truth evident on every page. An entertaining reminder of McMillan’s storytelling abilities and unflinching honesty. – Starred Kirkus Review  

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A Land So Wide: A Novel by Erin A. Craig 

Greer Mackenzie has always dreamed of seeing the world beyond the borders of her settlement of Mistaken, and her work as a mapmaker only adds to that desire. However, she and everyone else who lives in Mistaken are trapped there by the Warding Stones that surround their tiny community. These stones also keep out the monsters, known as the Bright-Eyed, that live in the woodlands beyond Mistaken’s borders. Greer makes plans with her childhood love, Ellis Beaufort, to find each other during the Hunt (a hide-and-seek courting game that pairs up couples to marry), but when the Hunt begins, she is shocked to see Ellis walk through the boundary of the Warding Stones and be hunted by a creature. Determined to save Ellis, Greer discovers that the history of their town is not what its residents have been told. She and Mistaken have mysterious origins, and all will come to light as the Bright-Eyed face the travelers. The novel starts off at a slow pace, but the second half quickly sets up an action-filled sequence of events.

VERDICT Craig’s (The Thirteenth Child) adult debut pulls from Scottish folklore to explore a woman’s desire to be free. – Library Journal Review 

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Please Don’t Lie by Christina Baker Kline and Anne Burt 

In this stylish, twisty thriller from #1 New York Times bestselling author Christina Baker Kline and award-winning author Anne Burt, a young woman heads to the Adirondacks with her new husband for a fresh start—but the past won’t let her go. 

Two years ago, Hayley Stone lost everything. First, her parents died in a devastating fire. Then, her sister overdosed, leaving Hayley alone and hounded by a media circus that turned her family’s tragedy into tabloid fodder. When her new husband suggests a fresh start in the Adirondacks, the promise of anonymity in an isolated mountain town feels like salvation. 

But the mountains hold darker secrets than she ever imagined. 

Her once-loving husband grows distant and volatile. The widow down the road keeps spewing vague accusations. Not even their new friends—a free-spirited couple living on the property—can help Hayley shake the creeping sense that something is off. 

As winter edges closer, Hayley discovers that her sanctuary is anything but safe. Trapped and isolated, she faces a terrifying truth: in trying to escape her past, she may have run straight into something far more dangerous. – from the publisher  

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Secret of Secrets by Dan Brown  

The world’s most celebrated thriller writer and author of The Da Vinci Code returns with his most stunning novel yet—a propulsive, twisty, thought-provoking masterpiece that will entertain readers as only Dan Brown can do. 

Robert Langdon, esteemed professor of symbology, travels to Prague to attend a groundbreaking lecture by Katherine Solomon—a prominent noetic scientist with whom he has recently begun a relationship. Katherine is on the verge of publishing an explosive book that contains startling discoveries about the nature of human consciousness and threatens to disrupt centuries of established belief. But a brutal murder catapults the trip into chaos, and Katherine suddenly disappears along with her manuscript. Langdon finds himself targeted by a powerful organization and hunted by a chilling assailant sprung from Prague’s most ancient mythology. As the plot expands into London and New York, Langdon desperately searches for Katherine . . . and for answers. In a thrilling race through the dual worlds of futuristic science and mystical lore, he uncovers a shocking truth about a secret project that will forever change the way we think about the human mind.  

The Secret of Secrets is the sixth book in the Robert Langdon series, if you’d like to start reading the series from the beginning check out book one: Angels & Demons.  

– 

Happy reading!

Linda Reimer, SSCL

–

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

–

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

–

Information on the four library catalogs

The Digital Catalog aka Libby: 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.

–

Kanopy Catalog: https://www.kanopy.com/en

The Kanopy Catalog features thousands of streaming videos available on demand.

The Kanopy Catalog is available for all Southern Tier Library System member library card holders, including all Southeast Steuben County Library card holders!

You can access the Kanopy Catalog through a web browser, or download the app to your phone, tablet or media streaming player (i.e. Roku, Google or Fire TV).

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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.

New York Times Bestsellers: September 14, 2025

Linda Reimer

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

You can also request titles through StarCat found at https://starcat.stls.org

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THE BESTSELLERS

FICTION

1. KATABASIS by R.F. Kuang: A pair of rival graduate students descend into the underworld to save their late professor and secure his recommendation.

2. THE SURROGATE MOTHER by Freida McFadden: Abby’s personal assistant, who offers to be her surrogate, also carries an unspeakable secret.

3. THE COLOR OF DEATH by Trey Gowdy with Christopher Greyson: After a tragedy strikes his family, an assistant district attorney investigates the murder of a young woman.

4. 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.

5. ATMOSPHERE by Taylor Jenkins Reid: In the summer of 1980, Joan Goodwin begins training with a group of candidates for NASA’s space shuttle program.

6. PROJECT HAIL MARY by Andy Weir: Ryland Grace awakes from a long sleep alone and far from home, and the fate of humanity rests on his shoulders.

7. THE THURSDAY MURDER CLUB by Richard Osman: Four septuagenarian friends, who meet to discuss unsolved crimes, find themselves taking on their first live case.

8. THE NIGHTINGALE by Kristin Hannah: Two sisters are separated in World War II France: one in the countryside, the other in Paris.

9. MY FRIENDS by Fredrik Backman: A young woman looks into the story behind a painting that was made 25 years ago and a small group of teens depicted in it; translated by Neil Smith.

10. 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.

11. KISS THE VILLAIN by Rina Kent: In the same world where the Legacy of Gods series is set, a dark game is pursued by a law student and a criminal who is his new law professor.

12. BROKEN COUNTRY by Clare Leslie Hall: Beth must confront her past when the man she once loved as a teenager returns to the village with his son.

13. PUCKING STRONG by Emily Rath: The fourth book in the Jacksonville Rays series. A fake marriage between a hockey player and a physical therapist could become a public relations nightmare.

14. 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.

15. DO NOT DISTURB by Freida McFadden: Quinn Alexander goes on the run after committing a crime and winds up at a motel with a dark past.

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NON-FICTION

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

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. BREAKNECK by Dan Wang: An examination of rapid growth and political repression in China and how it compares to the United States.

4. THE IDAHO FOUR by James Patterson and Vicky Ward: Investigations into the murders of four University of Idaho students on November 13, 2022.

5. ON POWER by Mark R. Levin: The Fox News host considers various facets of power and its effect on history.

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

7. EVERYTHING IS TUBERCULOSIS by John Green: The author of “The Anthropocene Reviewed” chronicles the fight against the deadly infectious disease tuberculosis.

8. BLACK AF HISTORY by Michael Harriot: A columnist at TheGrio.com articulates moments in American history that center the perspectives and experiences of Black Americans.

9. THE ROOM WHERE IT HAPPENED by John Bolton: The former national security advisor gives his account of the 17 months he spent working for President Trump during his first administration.

10. ABUNDANCE by Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson: A New York Times opinion columnist and a staff writer at The Atlantic evaluate obstacles to American progress.

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

12. BORN A CRIME by Trevor Noah: A memoir about growing up biracial in apartheid South Africa by the former host of “The Daily Show.”

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

14. THE GLASS CASTLE by Jeannette Walls: The author recalls how she and her siblings were constantly moved from one bleak place to another.

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.

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Have a great Sunday!

Linda

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New York Times Bestseller lists are shared via blog post on Sundays.

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THE CATALOGS:

(Information on the four library catalogs)

The Digital Catalog aka Libby: 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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Kanopy Catalog: https://www.kanopy.com/en

The Kanopy Catalog features thousands of streaming videos available on demand.

The Kanopy Catalog is available for all Southern Tier Library System member library card holders, including all Southeast Steuben County Library card holders!

You can access the Kanopy Catalog through a web browser, or download the app to your phone, tablet or media streaming player (i.e. Roku, Google or Fire TV).

–

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

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