Hi everyone, here are our five suggested reads of the week!
–
Autumn Springs Retirement Home Massacre by Philip Fracassi
Septuagenarian Rose DuBois isn’t immediately suspicious when her friend dies suddenly, but as more residents of their retirement home are found dead, she begins to think that something ominous is going on. As the panic builds and Rose finds herself threatened, readers who love classic slasher movies or the novels of Brian McAuley won’t be able to put the book down. In this fast-paced horror thriller, Fracassi (The Third Rule of Time Travel) mixes grim humor, bloody kills, and a nuanced examination of societal views on aging. He contrasts his retired characters with the teenage victims traditionally found in slasher movies, highlighting how older people are often forgotten and overlooked, even by their own families. As the novel’s seventysomething final girl, Rose is both smart and capable.
VERDICT A sure hit for slasher fans. Readers of Richard Osman’s “Thursday Murder Club” series or Helene Tursten’s An Elderly Lady Is Up to No Good will also find much to appreciate in this novel that balances heart with terror. –Library Journal Review
–
The Boston Way: Radicals Against Slavery and the Civil War by Mark Kurlansky
Kurlansky’s (The Core of an Onion) latest focuses on the “Boston Clique” and their mission to end enslavement in the U.S. Successful in their goal to end Jim Crow laws on the Massachusetts railroad, they utilized nonviolence and the power of persuasion to increase their ranks. Over 16 chapters, plus an epilogue, spanning the early to mid-19th century, readers are introduced to William Lloyd Garrison, Frederick Douglass, and Susan B. Anthony. Kurlansky also profiles lesser-known but equally important abolitionists, including Lydia Maria Child, William Ingersoll Bowditch, Charles Lenox Remond, and William Cooper Nell. Beginning with background information, each successive chapter describes the work and fallout of efforts to convince Bostonians of the abolitionist cause. In one case, novelist Lydia Maria Child was shunned by family and neighbors, and her books ceased to be published. Kurlansky’s epilogue makes an excellent case for the enduring legacy of persuasion and nonviolence in the civil rights movement of the mid-20th century.
VERDICT A fascinating account of the abolitionist movement, with the city of Boston as an excellent setting. –Starred Library Journal Review
–
Mate by Ali Hazelwood
A Human hybrid and an Alpha Were claw against the bonds of fate in the highly anticipated companion novel to the New York Times bestselling Bride.
Serena Paris is orphaned, pack-less, and one of a kind. Coming forward as the first Human-Were hybrid was supposed to heal a centuries-long rift between species. Instead, it made her a target, prey to the ruthless political machinations between Weres, Vampyres, and Humans. With her enemies closing in on her, she has only one option left—if he’ll have her.
As Alpha of the Northwest pack, Koen Alexander commands obedience. His authority is so absolute, only a fool would threaten his mate. It doesn’t matter if Serena doesn’t reciprocate his feelings, nothing will stop him from keeping her safe.
But power-hungry Vampyres and Weres are not the only threats chasing Serena. Sooner or later, her past is bound to catch up with her—and Koen might be the only thing standing between her and total annihilation…
–
No Rest For The Wicked: A Novel by Rachel Louise Adams
L.A. forensic pathologist Dolores Hawthorne is fortyish, divorced, and prone to nightmares. When she gets a call saying that her father is missing and there is evidence of foul play, she decides to return to her hometown, Little Horton, Wisconsin, to investigate. She has not seen her family in 18 years. Her father was the mayor and a U.S. senator, representing a Halloween-obsessed town that is incredibly quiet the rest of the year. Her family–brother Asher, sister Josie, and stepmother Charlotte–are not thrilled to see her. Dolores looks at the crime scene in her father’s study and encounters two hostile FBI agents who listen to her expert opinion while dealing with their own conflicts. The murder uncovers a number of long-buried family secrets and feuds. Dolores must face the childhood traumas that drove her from town and kept her from friends and siblings. Her father was far from perfect, but solving his murder may help her heal. This is a good choice for readers who enjoy small-town crime with a touch of gothic. –Booklist Review
–
The Portrait by Danielle Steel
Devon Darcy’s reputation precedes her. As a highly sought-after portrait artist, she seems to have the ability to peer into the souls of her subjects and then capture them on canvas. But the world doesn’t know about the devastating losses she has endured, first as an orphan, then as a far-too-young widow.
When entrepreneur Charles Mackenzie Taylor sees her at a New York gallery event, he is instantly haunted by her beauty and her talent. Having lost his mother when he was thirteen, and still living in the cold shadow of his late banker father’s disapproval, Charlie has given up on love. He’s resigned himself to a loveless marriage to avoid the inconvenience of divorce.
But Devon awakens something in him across that crowded gallery, and she is in turn intrigued by Charlie. He approaches her to paint his portrait, and while her schedule is booked for many months before she can accommodate him, with the electricity between them palpable.
When they encounter each other over the summer in the Hamptons, their connection deepens as they each release years of pent-up emotions and unfulfilled longing. But the ghosts of their pasts are not easily put to rest. Charlie wrestles with his fear of real intimacy for the first time in his life, while Devon struggles with her fear of abandonment. And after an accident endangers Devon’s career, they must decide together what their future holds.
–
Happy reading!
Linda Reimer, SSCL
–
Weekly Suggested Reading Five postings are usually published on Wednesdays, unless Monday is a holiday and then they are published later in the week.
–
Note: Book summaries are from the respective publishers unless otherwise specified.
–
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.
Tech & Book Talk at SSCL 