Hi everyone, here are our five suggested reads of the week!
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American Revolution at 250: Twenty-Four Historians Reflect on the Founding, edited by Francis D. Cogliano
The preeminent historians of the founding era speak their mind on the anniversary of the United States’ birth
In these powerful and personal essays, some of the most celebrated historians of the American Revolutionary era reflect on the meaning of 1776 to the nation in 2026, offering fresh insights and food for thought on every page. They tackle the most pressing topics that Americans debated in 1776 and continue to debate today: the meaning of democracy; the nature of information wars; immigration and the rights and obligations of citizenship; race and slavery; public health; the various and conflicting legacies of the founders; and the shifting nature of commemoration itself. Like the Revolutionary generation they know so well, on some issues these scholarly authorities find themselves largely in accord; on others they vehemently disagree. This is historical debate at its most urgent.
Contributors: Allison Bigelow * T. H. Breen * Katherine Carté * Lindsay M. Chervinsky * Marlene L. Daut * Andrew M. Davenport * Christa Dierksheide * Lauren Duval * Joanne B. Freeman * Annette Gordon-Reed * Eliga H. Gould * Patrick Griffin * Nicholas Guyatt * Ricardo A. Herrera * Woody Holton * Brendan McConville * Michael A. McDonnell * Peter S. Onuf * Robert G. Parkinson * Teresa R. Pollak * John A. Ragosta * Bertrand Van Ruymbeke * Rosemarie Zagarri
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Daisy Chain Flower Shop by Laurie Gilmore
The brand new summer romance set in Dream Harbor from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Pumpkin Spice Café and The Strawberry Patch Pancake House! “Another gentle small-town romance with Hallmark movie vibes… Dream Harbor remains a cozy spot to linger” Publisher’s Weekly “A delightful escape filled with Gilmore’s signature whimsy and coziness” Hannah Bonam-Young, New York Times bestselling author *** The greatest love is the one you never expected to find Daisy is fed up with being unlucky in love. And since Mayor Kelly declared her beloved flower shop cursed in one of his infamous visions, business has been slow. Dream Harbor newcomer Elliot has been adjusting to small-town life following his own relationship turmoil. And until now he’s avoided the flower shop at all costs. If the mayor is correct, he doesn’t need any more bad luck in his life. When he finds himself walking through the door of the Daisy Chain Flower Shop, he doesn’t expect it to be a life-changing moment. But as the petals blossom in the sunlight, might the unluckiest woman in Dream Harbor finally find that love comes when you’re least expecting it? The Daisy Chain Flower Shop is a cozy romantic mystery with a fake relationship dynamic, a small-town setting and a HEA guaranteed. Tropes: Fake relationship Found family Small town He falls first Returning favorite characters Every book in the Dream Harbor series can be read as a standalone. “A setting that rivals the Gilmore Girls’ Stars Hollow for cozy charm… wonderfully warm and whimsically witty” Booklist
Reader’s Note: Daisy Chain Flower Shop is the sixth book in the Dream Harbor Mystery Series. If you’d like to binge read from the beginning, check out book one: The Pumpkin Spice Cafe.
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Dissection Of A Murder by Jo Murray
Murray’s riveting debut is filled with murky twists and characters whose deceptive veneers cover dark secrets. Leila is determined to be a barrister, and her hard work and determination pay off. Soon after completing her law degree, she joins a prestigious London law firm, where illustrious prosecutor and King’s Counsel Julian Kessler is appointed her mentor. It doesn’t take long for the relationship to morph from mentor and pupil to husband and wife. Unsurprisingly, Leila always feels inferior to her celebrated husband. Determined to prove she can become as successful as he is, she takes on cases other barristers might refuse, like that of Jack Millman, who’s arrested for assault. She loses the case, but that merely spurs her to work harder. Five years later, Jack is arrested again, this time for murder, and to Leila’s surprise, he insists that she defend him. She accepts, determined to win this time . . . until she learns that the prosecutor will be none other than her distinguished husband. Daunted but undeterred, she’ll do everything she can to triumph. As the story progresses, innocence and guilt, shame and blame, secrets and lies, cold ambition and bitter disappointment from the past and present are exposed in this complex legal-psychological thriller.
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Our Perfect Storm by Carley Fortune
Frankie and her best friend, George, have been inseparable since they were eight years old, but their relationship has shifted in the past few years as George travels more for his successful career as a reporter. Now, on the eve of her wedding, Frankie isn’t even sure that he’ll show up to be her best man until she sees him at the rehearsal dinner. When her groom-to-be shockingly and unexpectedly calls off the wedding the next morning, a devastated Frankie doesn’t know what to do next, until George suggests that the two of them go on her already paid-for honeymoon to Tofino, on Canada’s lush west coast. Frankie sees the trip as a chance to fix the rift that has developed between them, even as long-buried feelings surface for both of them. However, George is keeping secrets that might ruin their friendship forever. Frankie and George are compelling main characters, even if the third-act conflict is a bit predictable.
VERDICT Longtime fans will devour Fortune’s (One Golden Summer) latest, full of her signature lush Canadian scenery and dual-timeline storytelling. Good for all public libraries and contemporary romance fans. – Library Journal Review
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The Silent House of Sleep by Allan Gaw
A withdrawn pathologist earns the respect of colleagues by solving a grotesque high-profile crime. London, 1928. Scottish pathologist Dr. John Archibald Cuthbert devastates an arrogant prosecutor at trial with his incisive testimony, which leads to the exoneration of an accused widow. He’s next called upon regarding the baffling mystery surrounding the disappearance of popular university student Freddie Dawson, this time to dampen hopes that a recently discovered corpse belongs to the missing young man. Gaw’s offbeat debut novel runs on two interwoven tracks. It’s first and foremost a police procedural long on forensic detail, studded with an account of the taciturn young Cuthbert’s experience at Scotland Yard. Woven into Cuthbert’s methodical investigation is a deep dive into his past, from his years as a soldier in World War I all the way up to his work at Colchester Military Hospital after graduating from college. He harbors a personal secret, gradually revealed, which shadows and potentially jeopardizes his burgeoning career. The Dawson investigation begins in earnest three months after the appearance of that first corpse with the discovery of two others that are bizarrely glued together. One of these bodies is identified as Dawson. It’s all quite a mystery to unravel both who- and howdunit. A prolific nonfiction writer and poet, Gaw has a style that’s precise, concise, and sometimes lyrical. Given the sharp focus on Cuthbert’s character, it’s no surprise this case is also the first in a promised series. A dark and complex mystery with a sympathetic hero and an acute forensic focus. – Kirkus Review
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Happy reading!
Linda Reimer, SSCL
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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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Note: Book summaries are from the respective publishers unless otherwise specified.
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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.
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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).
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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.
Tech & Book Talk at SSCL 