This site offers news and discussion mostly about books, with a sprinkling of information on personal technology and digital literacy.
Author: Linda Reimer
I am a librarian at The Southeast Steuben County Library in Corning, New York, where we love books, technology and life-long learning for patrons and ourselves too!
Hi everyone, welcome to our Suggested Listening posting for this week!
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This week, in honor of all those who served during World War II, and especially those who took part in the Allied Invasion of Europe on D-Day, on this the eighty-first anniversary of the invasion on June 6, 1944, here is a collection of songs that were popular during that momentous year.
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And Her Tears Flowed Like Wine by Stan Kenton with Anita O’Day on vocals
Found on the Album: Classics (1952) by Stan Kenton & His Orchestra
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Do Nothin’ Till You Hear From Me by Duke Ellington & His Orchestra
Found on the Album: The Treasury Shows Vol. 17, Pt. 1 (2013) | Note the song isn’t available on many digital albums, but the original version seems to be available on both vinyl and CD.
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G.I. Jive by Louis Jordan & His Tympany Five
Found on the Album: #1s (2004)
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I Couldn’t Sleep A Wink Last Night by Frank Sinatra
Found on the Album: N/A, the song appeared in the 1944 comedy Higher And Higher.
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I’ll Get By (As Long as I Have You) by Harry James & His Orchestra with Dick Haymes
Found on the Album: Dick Haymes with Harry James & Benny Goodman: The Complete Columbia Recordings (1998)
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I’m Making Believe by Ella Fitzgerald & The Ink Spots
Found on the Album: The Best of the Ink Spots (1999)
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Mairzy Doats by The Merry Macs
Found on the Album: Hits From The War Years – The Sun Has Got His Hat On by Various Artists
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The Music Stopped by Woody Herman & His Orchestra
Found on the Album: N/A; this song too is from the soundtrack of th comedy Higher & Higher (1944).
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Straighten Up and Fly Right by Nat King Cole & His Orchestra
Found on the Album: The Nat King Cole Story (1991)
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Swinging on a Star by Big Crosby
Found on the album: 20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection: Best Of Bing Crosby (2007)
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Hoopla Album of the Week
20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection: Best Of Bing Crosby (2007) by Bing Crosby
And from the album, the song:
Don’t Fence Me In
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Have a great weekend,
Linda Reimer, SSCL
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Suggested Listening postings are published on Fridays.
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.
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.
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).
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 or streaming videos)? 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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Visit the Southeast Steuben County Library website for more information on the library, its programs and services: https://ssclibrary.org
P.S. Some of the print books & physical media items may not yet appear in StarCat. So, if you see any title you’d like to check out, but it isn’t in StarCat, send me an email or give me a call and I’ll put your name on the list for it, as soon as it has arrived.
P.S.S. The three digital catalogs are:
The Digital Catalog found online at https://stls.overdrive.com/ and its companion app Libby found in mobile app stores.
The Hoopla Catalog found online at: https://www.hoopladigital.com/ and its companion app, also called Hoopla and found in mobile app stores.
Kanopy: The streaming video catalog found online at https://www.kanopy.com/ and its companion app, also called Kanopy, found in mobile app stores.
Hi everyone, here are our five suggested reads of the week!
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Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid
A female astronaut in the 1980s encounters sexism and finds romance as she chases her dreams. Joan Goodwin has always been obsessed with space, which is why she became an astrophysics professor at Rice University. But then, something happens that she’s only dreamed about–NASA announces that it’s looking for female scientists to join the space program. Joan is accepted on her second try, and in 1980, she begins training with a group of male and female candidates who, while all brilliant, have a wide range of personalities. Some of the men are sexist and spend most of their time cracking offensive jokes, but Joan finds a friend in kind-hearted pilot Hank Redmond, who gives her plenty of opportunities to learn. Joan finds both camaraderie and competition among the women–there’s determined Lydia Danes, who embodies the “I’m not here to make friends” ethos, and the more supportive Vanessa Ford, who quickly becomes one of Joan’s most trusted allies. As the group trains together, they begin to feel like a family–and as Joan grows closer to Vanessa, she realizes that life on Earth may contain just as many wonders as the cosmos. The story cuts back and forth between a disaster in 1984 and the story of Joan’s journey through the space program. Reid keeps the tension high, making this perhaps her most propulsive novel yet as she balances the drama of Joan’s personal life with the fast-paced action of a catastrophe in space. Even with the high-stakes action, the touching and surprising love story is the emotional heart of the book. A heart-pounding race against the clock combined with a love story adds up to a novel that’s impossible to put down. – Starred Kikus Review
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The Californians: A Novel by Brian Castleberry
Beset by complicated families and the crises of their eras, artists nevertheless strive for beauty and truth over a century of American life. Displaced by an apocalyptic Northern California wildfire, down-on-his-luck Tobey Harlan is pulled into a scheme to steal valuable paintings from his rich, politically exasperating father. Famous for her haunting 1980s portrayals of AIDS patients, painter Diane “Di” Stigl underscored the country’s moral shortcomings and battled her own demons. Castleberry reaches further back, to Di’s grandfather, silent-film auteur Klaus von Stigl, who “celebrated the dark and individualistic forces” of his adopted nation while harboring personal secrets. As the artists’ stories unfold during the turbulent twentieth century, their trajectories intertwine in complex and bewildering ways, yet the artistic striving and loss they represent is unambiguous. Fire, representing creativity and destruction, becomes a recurrent motif. Is theft the key to freedom, loss the key to renewal? Castleberry (Nine Shiny Objects, 2020) animates his characters’ lives with a longing for meaning and a commitment to historical detail. The result is a novel as ambitious, beautiful, and precarious as the Golden State itself. – Booklist Review
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The Causative Factor by Megan Staffel
An accident links the lives of two lovers in Staffel’s novel. Rachel Goodwin first sees Rubiat Elsayem when they attend a New York college together and meet in a performance art class called Body Expression. They’re partners on a project in which each must define the other’s essential quality. They fall in love over a 24-hour period before finding themselves on a long hike at Stony Brook State Park. Rachel watches Rubiat impulsively dive from a cliff and assumes (incorrectly) that he’s dead. She tries desperately to move on from the shock. The novel is split into two halves: The first follows Rachel through the aftermath as she builds her career as an artist and language teacher in Queens, eventually meeting someone new. The second follows both Rachel and Rubiat. Rachel unpacks her deep feelings for Rubiat, and he explores his issues with impulse control and pressure in the wake of leaving Rachel in such a spectacularly weird way. Staffel also incorporates perspectives from Dusty, Rachel’s boyfriend, whom she meets through her friend Angela, who’s Chinese American. The book movingly depicts the complexity of human psychology, such as Rachel’s inability to forget Rubiat. Other weighty themes, like Angela’s exoticization by her German boyfriend, are glossed over–a missed opportunity. Ultimately, the novel becomes a fascinating portrayal of identity, expanding on the moment that brought Rachel and Rubiat together (which lends its name as the title), explained by their teacher as an exercise that would guide the participants toward finding “their deepest motivation, the hidden foundation of their character, that quality that makes them the person they are.” A suspenseful plotline, sometimes slowed by flat secondary characters, continues to investigate the cast’s motivations, and Staffel probes Rachel’s and Rubiat’s personalities right until the final page. A gripping, unusual romance fueled by an ongoing mystery. – Kirkus Review
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The English Masterpiece: A Novel by Katherine Reay
At the gala opening of a Picasso exhibition at the Tate Modern, Lily Summers (the recently promoted assistant to curator Diana Gilden) does something unforgivable. Looking at a recently discovered painting hanging in the show, she exclaims, “It’s a forgery.” The ensuing scandal ignites a firestorm in the 1970s London art world and beyond. Lily looks up to Diane, even mimicking her fashion style and taste in art but eventually learns precisely who and what her mentor is. In the search for the painting’s provenance, secrets are revealed, alliances are formed, and lives are threatened. Amid all the chaos, Lily looks hard at her own life and choices and rediscovers her artistic aspirations. Reay’s (The London House) intricately woven tale combines an intriguing art mystery with one young woman’s journey of self-discovery. Her descriptions of 1970s food, art, fashion, and luxurious interiors are evocative, the story is fast-paced, and the dialogue fizzy.
VERDICT A stylish historical that will appeal to art-loving readers and fans of strong women characters.–Library Journal Review
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Polybius by Collin Armstrong
One damp California day in October 1982, Polybius strangely becomes the most popular game in Tasker Bay. With wildly advanced graphics and mesmerizing gameplay, it’s magnetic. Electronics-obsessed high-schooler Andi is in charge of the Home Video World’s arcade, and she notices things aren’t quite right with Polybius. The game was purchased used, with no marquee sign or markings, and Andi finds no way to reach the manufacturer when players slowly start to become infected with fugue states, go on violent rampages, and begin to take revenge. Debut author Armstrong taps into the urban legend of the eponymous game that mysteriously flickered in and out of existence in the early 1980s, rumored to be a government conspiracy. As Andi connects with fellow student Ro, the two team up to figure out why everyone is so affected by playing the game. Andi might have a secret weapon against Polybius’ hypnotic pull, while Ro’s helpless descent into its depths may be his downfall. Polybius is retro and atmospheric; fans of The God Game (2020), by Danny Tobey, or Rabbits, by Terry Miles (2021), will find enjoyable parallels. – Booklist Review
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Happy reading!
Linda Reimer, SSCL
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Suggested Reading Five posts are published on Wednesdays.
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Note: Book summaries are from the respective publishers unless otherwise specified.
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.
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.
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).
Card holders of all Southern Tier Library System member libraries can access StarCat to search for and request materials available at libraries through out the Southern Tier Library System.
–
Have questions about how to access Internet based content (i.e. eBooks, eAudios)? Feel free to drop by the Reference Desk or call the library and we will assist you! The library’s telephone number is: 607-936-3713.
–
Tech & Book Talk is a Southeast Steuben County Library blog.
Hi everyone, here are our streaming recommendations for the week.
Suggested Viewing posts are published on Tuesdays, and consist of two streaming recommendations, one general recommendation from a variety of sources (i.e. Apple TV+, Peacock, Hulu, Amazon, PBS etc.) and the other from the library’s streaming service Kanopy.
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.
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.
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).
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 digital library content (i.e. eBooks, eAudios & streaming videos)?
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.
New York Times Bestseller lists are shared via blog post on Sundays.
THE BESTSELLERS
FICTION
1. NIGHTSHADE by Michael Connelly: The Los Angeles County sheriff’s detective Stilwell gets reassigned to Catalina Island, where he investigates a poaching case and a Jane Doe found in the harbor.
2. THE KNIGHT AND THE MOTH by Rachel Gillig: Sybil Delling, who is gifted with the power of foresight, forms an alliance with a heretical knight when her sister Diviners disappear.
3. IRON FLAME by Rebecca Yarros: The second book in the Empyrean series. Violet Sorrengail’s next round of training under the new vice commandant might require her to betray the man she loves.
4. THE TENANT by Freida McFadden: Things take an unsettling turn when a marketing executive loses his job and a woman rents a room in his brownstone.
5. REWIND IT BACK by Liz Tomforde: The fifth book in the Windy City series. Hallie Hart gets assigned to a renovation project for a hockey player who was her first crush.
6. ONE GOLDEN SUMMER by Carley Fortune: A photographer returns to a place where she spent a summer as a teenager and runs into the guy she had a crush on back then.
7. GREAT BIG BEAUTIFUL LIFE by Emily Henry: A writer looking for her big break competes against a Pulitzer winner to tell the story of an octogenarian with a storied past.
8. REMARKABLY BRIGHT CREATURES by Shelby Van Pelt: A widow working the night shift at the Sowell Bay Aquarium is aided in solving a mystery by a giant Pacific octopus living there.
9. THE EMPEROR OF GLADNESS by Ocean Vuong: A young man becomes the caretaker of an elderly widow and they form a bond over the course of a year.
10. 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.
11. TOM CLANCY: LINE OF DEMARCATION by M.P. Woodward: The 13th book in the Jack Ryan Jr. series. Jack goes after killers to prevent further escalation in a world of shifting alliances.
12. LIGHTS OUT by Navessa Allen: As Aly and Josh live out their dark fantasies, someone with sinister intentions impinges on them.
13. 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.
14. SHIELD OF SPARROWS by Devney Perry: A princess deals with various adversaries as she moves into the role she chooses for herself, not the one chosen for her.
15. THE LOVE HATERS by Katherine Center: A video producer looking to salvage her career goes to Key West to profile a Coast Guard rescue swimmer.
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NON-FICTION
1. ORIGINAL SIN by Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson: An account of Joe Biden’s initial decision to run for re-election in 2024 and its numerous consequences.
2. UNCOMMON FAVOR by Dawn Staley: The three-time Olympic gold medalist and six-time W.N.B.A. All-Star, who is the head coach for the South Carolina Gamecocks women’s basketball team, describes obstacles she encountered on and off the court.
3. MARK TWAIN by Ron Chernow: The Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer portrays the life and career of the literary celebrity and political pundit.
4. APPLE IN CHINA by Patrick McGee: A journalist depicts the development of Apple’s supply chain and its increasingly precarious relationship with China.
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. WHO KNEW by Barry Diller: The businessman charts his career from the mail room at William Morris to the heights of the entertainment industry and beyond.
7. THE BODY KEEPS THE SCORE by Bessel van der Kolk: How trauma affects the body and mind, and innovative treatments for recovery.
8. 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.
9. BIG DUMB EYES by Nate Bargatze: The Grammy Award-nominated comedian shares snippets from his life and career.
10. THE FATE OF THE DAY by Rick Atkinson: The author of “The British Are Coming” portrays the middle years of the American Revolution.
11. IS A RIVER ALIVE? by Robert Macfarlane: The author of “Underland” explores flowing waters in Ecuador, India and Canada.
12. EVERYTHING IS TUBERCULOSIS by John Green: The author of “The Anthropocene Reviewed” chronicles the fight against the deadly infectious disease tuberculosis.
13. ON TYRANNY by Timothy Snyder: Twenty lessons from the 20th century about the course of tyranny.
14. EMPIRE OF AI by Karen Hao: An examination of the disruptions made and resources taken by artificial intelligence.
15. YET HERE I AM by Jonathan Capehart: The MSNBC anchor and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist describes how he embraced his identity.
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.
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.
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).
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.
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.
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.
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).
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 or streaming videos)? 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.
–
Visit the Southeast Steuben County Library website for more information on the library, its programs and services: https://ssclibrary.org
Hi everyone, here are our five suggested reads of the week!
Weekly Suggested Reading Five postings are usually published on Wednesdays, unless Monday is a holiday and then they are published later in the week.
And the next Suggested Reading posting will be published on Wednesday, June 4, 2025.
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Beach House Rules by Kristy Woodson Harvey
Charlotte Sitterly and her daughter Iris’ lives are flipped upside down when Bill, Charlotte’s husband, is arrested for embezzlement. With her assets frozen and no home to go to, she takes acquaintance Alice up on her offer to stay with her. Alice’s North Carolina beachside home is known in the community as the “”mommune”” and houses Alice’s niece, journalist Julie, and her three children, and Grace, an internet-famous vegan chef, and her two children. Though Charlotte and Iris are hesitant at first, they soon come to feel that these once strangers are family. But all is not rosy: everyone’s business is fair game to the town’s vicious, anonymous Instagram account, and Alice, a three-time widow, feels like she must steer clear of love. Still, while each woman is facing her own battles, they are all thriving within their support system, which is sorely needed when it becomes apparent that Bill has been framed by a man from Alice’s past. Woodson Harvey’s latest (after A Happier Life, 2024) is full of well-thought-out characters and a plot that keeps readers guessing. Charming and beachy in the best way, Beach House Rules will appeal to those looking for an escape with emotional depth. – Starred Booklist Review
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Daughters of George III: Sisters and Princesses by Catherine Curzon
In 1761, King George III married 17-year-old Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz; they went on to have 15 children, 13 of whom lived to adulthood. A great deal has been written about the sons, including Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn, father of Queen Victoria. Historian Curzon (The Elder Sons of George III) focuses on the six princesses: Charlotte, Princess Royal; Augusta Sophia; Elizabeth; Mary; Sophia; and Amelia. Each daughter is profiled in a separate chapter that also provides insights on how they were impacted by their father’s mental and physical illness. Augusta Sophia had a long-term relationship and (possible secret marriage) to Sir Brent Spencer and Elizabeth married later in life to Frederick VI, Landgrave of Hesse-Homburg. Charlotte married Frederick I of Wurttemberg. Mary married her cousin Prince William Frederick, Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh. Perhaps the most intriguing is Sophia, rumored to have an illegitimate child with Gen. Thomas Garth, 33 years her senior. Amelia, her father’s favorite, died young from tuberculosis, unable to attain permission to marry Charles FitzRoy, a descendant of Charles II. Extensive bibliographical notes add value.
VERDICT This fascinating look at the lives and times of the six daughters of George III and Queen Charlotte delivers an engaging read for enthusiasts of the royals and British history. –Library Journal Review
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Mansion Beach by Meg Mitchell Moore
Nicola Carr has left her boyfriend and lawyer job and is starting over as the oldest intern at the Block Island Maritime Institute off of Rhode Island. Despite her humble midwestern roots, Nicola is surrounded by the wealthy–Taylor, her beloved cousin David’s wife; Jack, an injured pro golfer and David and Taylor’s frequent house guest; and Juliana George, Nicola’s next-door-neighbor, who starts the summer as a nuisance because of her loud, lavish parties. Juliana’s life started out much differently than that of her rich counterparts, as is revealed in sections from her perspective. But if the IPO for her online fashion portal is to go off without a hitch, her past, including a connection with David, must stay hidden. The reader knows from the beginning of the novel that someone has died, but it’s not revealed who until the heartbreaking end of the book. Moore (Summer Stage, 2023) combines Elin Hilderbrand’s knack for details with a slightly more cynical point of view, presenting the careless cruelty of the ultrarich in a compelling, beachy tale. — Booklist Review
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My Friends: A Novel by Fredrik Backman
#1 New York Times bestselling author Fredrik Backman returns with an unforgettably funny, deeply moving tale of four teenagers whose friendship creates a bond so powerful that it changes a complete stranger’s life twenty-five years later.
Most people don’t even notice them—three tiny figures sitting at the end of a long pier in the corner of one of the most famous paintings in the world. Most people think it’s just a depiction of the sea. But Louisa, an aspiring artist herself, knows otherwise, and she is determined to find out the story of these three enigmatic figures.
Twenty-five years earlier, in a distant seaside town, a group of teenagers find refuge from their bruising home lives by spending long summer days on an abandoned pier, telling silly jokes, sharing secrets, and committing small acts of rebellion. These lost souls find in each other a reason to get up each morning, a reason to dream, a reason to love.
Out of that summer emerges a transcendent work of art, a painting that will unexpectedly be placed into eighteen-year-old Louisa’s care. She embarks on a surprise-filled cross-country journey to learn how the painting came to be and to decide what to do with it. The closer she gets to the painting’s birthplace, the more nervous she becomes about what she’ll find. Louisa is proof that happy endings don’t always take the form we expect in this stunning testament to the transformative, timeless power of friendship and art.
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Summerhouse by Yigit Karaahmet
Fehmi and Şener have created a lovely life together, or as much as two gay men living on the Turkish island of Buyukada can. Together for 40 years, they are used to the delicate dance required to be accepted by their neighbors, but Fehmi is growing bored with their predictable life. An awakening occurs when a couple from Istanbul arrives for the summer with their handsome and troubled son, Deniz, in tow. The more Deniz plays games with Fehmi, the more Şener feels threatened, eventually pushing him to the brink. The result is a thriller reminiscent of The Talented Mr. Ripley, complete with antiheroes who manage to be a combination of empathetic, charming, and abhorrent. The idyllic setting of Buyukada creates a cinematic atmosphere, and Turkish author Karaahmet effectively captures the capricious nature of the island’s high-society inhabitants. Though the buildup is slowly paced and the ending somewhat rushed, this darkly funny tale will be devilishly entertaining for fans of the genre and complex characters. –Booklist 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.
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.
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.
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).
Card holders of all Southern Tier Library System member libraries can access StarCat to search for and request materials available at libraries through out the Southern Tier Library System.
–
Have questions about how to access Internet based content (i.e. eBooks, eAudios)? Feel free to drop by the Reference Desk or call the library and we will assist you! The library’s telephone number is: 607-936-3713.
–
Tech & Book Talk is a Southeast Steuben County Library blog.
Hi everyone, here are our streaming recommendations for the week.
Suggested Viewing posts are published on Tuesdays, and consist of two streaming recommendations, one general recommendation from a variety of sources (i.e. Apple TV+, Peacock, Hulu, Amazon, PBS etc.) and the other from the library’s streaming service Kanopy.
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Nine Perfect Strangers, Season 2 (May 21 release) (Hulu)
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Kanopy Stream of the Week
The Great Buster (2018)
The Great Buster Trailer
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Viewer’s Note: You can stream TV shows & movies from Kanopy online, or via the Kanopy app for free – all you need is a library card to get started!
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.
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.
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).
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 digital library content (i.e. eBooks, eAudios & streaming videos)?
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.
New York Times Bestseller lists are shared via blog post on Sundays.
THE BESTSELLERS
FICTION
1. A CURSE CARVED IN BONE by Danielle L. Jensen: The second book in the Saga of the Unfated series. As war seems imminent, Freya fights a battle within herself.
2. THE TENANT by Freida McFadden: Things take an unsettling turn when a marketing executive loses his job and a woman rents a room in his brownstone.
3. THE EMPEROR OF GLADNESS by Ocean Vuong: A young man becomes the caretaker of an elderly widow and they form a bond over the course of a year.
4. GREAT BIG BEAUTIFUL LIFE by Emily Henry: A writer looking for her big break competes against a Pulitzer winner to tell the story of an octogenarian with a storied past.
5. CAN’T GET ENOUGH by Kennedy Ryan: The third book in the Skyland series. Hendrix Barry meets her match in the tech mogul Maverick Bell.
6. ONE GOLDEN SUMMER by Carley Fortune: A photographer returns to a place where she spent a summer as a teenager and runs into the guy she had a crush on back then.
7. THE DEVILS by Joe Abercrombie: Brother Diaz, who is assigned to a new flock consisting of monsters and murderers, embarks on an arduous journey.
8. FEVER BEACH by Carl Hiaasen: A divorced climate warrior and a transplanted Floridian residing with a Proud Boys reject get involved in a dark money mystery.
9. 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.
10. SHIELD OF SPARROWS by Devney Perry: A princess deals with various adversaries as she moves into the role she chooses for herself, not the one chosen for her.
11. 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.
12. 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.
13. MARBLE HALL MURDERS by Anthony Horowitz: The third book in the Susan Ryeland series. While freelancing for a London publisher, Ryeland becomes a suspect in a murder case.
14. FOURTH WING by Rebecca Yarros: Violet Sorrengail is urged by the commanding general, who also is her mother, to become a candidate for the elite dragon riders.
15. I HOPE YOU REMEMBER by Josie Balka: A collection of poems expressing universal emotions and events.
NON-FICTION
1. MARK TWAIN by Ron Chernow: The Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer portrays the life and career of the literary celebrity and political pundit.
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. BIG DUMB EYES by Nate Bargatze: The Grammy Award-nominated comedian shares snippets from his life and career.
4. LAWLESS by Leah Litman: A co-host of the podcast Strict Scrutiny argues that the conservative Supreme Court justices are committed to protecting religious conservatives and Republican officials.
5. THE BODY KEEPS THE SCORE by Bessel van der Kolk: How trauma affects the body and mind, and innovative treatments for recovery.
6. CLASS CLOWN by Dave Barry: The humorist and winner of a Pulitzer Prize for commentary recalls key moments and absurdities from his life.
7. 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.
8. MY NEXT BREATH by Jeremy Renner: The Academy Award-nominated actor tells the story of the accident he had with a snowplow and his efforts to recover from it.
9. MATRIARCH by Tina Knowles with Kevin Carr O’Leary: The businesswoman, who is the mother of Beyoncé Knowles-Carter and Solange Knowles, traces her life’s journey.
10. EVERYTHING IS TUBERCULOSIS by John Green: The author of “The Anthropocene Reviewed” chronicles the fight against the deadly infectious disease tuberculosis.
11. DIET, DRUGS, AND DOPAMINE by David A. Kessler: The author of “The End of Overeating” examines ultraformulated foods and weight loss drugs.
12. THE FATE OF THE DAY by Rick Atkinson: The author of “The British Are Coming” portrays the middle years of the American Revolution.
13. ON TYRANNY by Timothy Snyder: Twenty lessons from the 20th century about the course of tyranny.
14. WHEN THE STONES SPEAK by Doron Spielman: An international spokesperson in the Israel Defense Forces Reserves gives a portrayal of the discovery of the City of David.
15. ZBIG by Edward Luce: A biography of Zbigniew Brzezinski, who served as President Carter’s national security advisor.
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.
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.
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).
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.
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.
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.
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).
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 or streaming videos)? 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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Visit the Southeast Steuben County Library website for more information on the library, its programs and services: https://ssclibrary.org
