Tech & Book Talk at SSCL

Hi everyone, welcome to our Suggested Listening posting for this week!

Our Suggested Listening postings focus on the music of the past, with a few new songs mixed in for good measure.

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Suggested Listening postings come out weekly, on Fridays, and next Suggested Listening posting will be out on Friday, July 24, 2020.

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And as a precursor to the music, two neat things!

The first is a link to an episode of the Milton Berle Show, hosted by the great TV pioneer Milton Berle.

Berle was was born 112 year ago this week, on July 12, 1908, and his TV show is simply fun to watch!

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And the second neat thing is a link to a New York Times article showing the first photograph ever taken of a president!

The photo was taken of John Quincy Adams, the sixth President of the United States, in 1843.

Saturday, July 11, is the 253rd anniversary of John Quincy Adams’s birth – and what a cool photo of the man – dig those socks, and I like that rug too!

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And now, onto the music!

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Adams Apple by Wayne Shorter (Genre: Jazz)

A classic song from saxophonist Wayne Shorter’s album of the same name, Adams Apple (1966).

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Kiss Him Goodbye by Steam (Genre: Pop, Sixties Pop)

A one hit wonder, Steam hit the top of the charts in 1969 with this upbeat pop song!

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Lovin’ You by Minnie Ripperton (Genre: Vocal, R&B)

The biggest hit by the exceptionally talented singer-songwriter, from her second album Perfect Angel (1974).

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Night Train by David Rose & His Orchestra (Genre: Easy Listening)

David Rose was one of the most popular instrumental pop composers in the 1940s, 1950s and into the 1960s, an era during which instrumental pop songs were quite popular.

Night Train is the B-side to one of his best known hits, The Stripper, originally released in 1962.

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Rolling Stone by Muddy Waters (Genre: Blues)

A song by the great bluesman, born McKinley Morganfield on April 4, 1915 in Rolling Fork, Mississippi.

Muddy is known as the Father of Chicago Blues and rightly so. He began playing the guitar and singing as a youth, played electric guitar as that technology became available, and wrote and sang songs which have since become classics. This tune, Rolling Stone, inspired a British blues band, in the early sixties, to take their name from it – they have of course, become world renowned since then – The Rolling Stones!

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Say You Love Me by Fleetwood Mac (Genre: Classic Rock, Rock, Pop)

Say You Love Me sung by the incomparable Christine McVie; is of Fleetwood Mac’s classic songs, originally found on their 1975 Fleetwood Mac album; this version is from their 1997 live LP The Dance.

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Sultans of Swing by Dire Straits, from the original Live Aid Concert (Genre: Rock, Guitar)

The original Live Aid concert was held on July 13, 1985 in both Philadelphia and London. The simultaneous broadcast of music from both sides of the Atlantic was new then. Bob Geldolf organized the concert to raise money to help those impacted by a great famine in Ethiopia.

Dire Straits played on stage at Wembley Arena (London) and were seen across the globe by millions of music fans watching the broadcast on TV.

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Tchaikovsky – Piano Concerto No 1 in B-flat minor, Op 23 (1958) by Van Cliburn (Genre: Classical)

American pianist Van Cliburn gained world renown during the Cold War, when he won the first annual International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow in 1958. And even if you’re not a classical music fan, Van Cliburn’s playing on this piece is simply lovely, and well worth a listen!

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This Land is Your Land written by Woody Guthrie and performed by The Boston Pops and The Tanglewood Festival Chorus, conducted by John Williams.

A terrific version of the classic folk song written by Woody Guthrie in 1940. The song has, of course, become and American classic.

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This Land is Your Land by Woody Guthrie

And here is the original version of the song, performed by the songwriter Woody Guthrie.

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Turn! Turn! Turn! (1965) by The Byrds (Genre: Rock, Folk-Rock)

The title track from the group’s second album; the band offers a terrific version of the Pete Seeger penned classic.

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When Love Calls by Atlantic Starr (Genre: R&B, Pop)

Atlantic Starr offers a tip of the hat to the 1980s, with this upbeat song from their excellent breakout album Radiant (1981).

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Be well & happy listening!

Linda Reimer, SSCL

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REFERENCES:

Print References

The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits by Joel Whitburn

Online References

AllMusic: https://www.allmusic.com/

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Spitzer, Nick. (2012. February 15). This Story Of Woody Guthrie’s ‘Thias Land Is Your Land’., NPR., https://www.npr.org/2000/07/03/1076186/this-land-is-your-land

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Online Catalog Links:

StarCat

The catalog of physical materials, i.e. print books, DVDs, audiobooks on CD, etc.

The Digital Catalog (OverDrive)

The catalog of e-books, downloadable audiobooks and a handful of streaming videos.

ABOUT LIBRARY APPS: Libby & RBDigital:

You can access digital library content on PCs, Macs and mobile devices. For mobile devices simply download the Libby and/or the RBDigital app, to check out eBooks, downloadable audiobooks and on-demand magazines, from your app store to get started. If you have questions call the library at 607-936-3713 and one of our tech coaches will be happy to assist you.

Tech Talk is a Southeast Steuben County Library blog.

Hi everyone, here are our recommended titles for the week, consisting entirely of eBooks & downloadable audiobooks available through the Digital Catalog.

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Staring next week, our Suggested Reading postings will come out on Tuesday morning!

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Big Friendship: How We Keep Each Other Close by Aminatou Sow & Ann Friedman (eBook)

A close friendship is one of the most influential and important relationships a human life can contain. Anyone will tell you that! But for all the rosy sentiments surrounding friendship, most people don’t talk much about what it really takes to stay close for the long haul.

Now two friends, Aminatou Sow and Ann Friedman, tell the story of their equally messy and life-affirming Big Friendship in this honest and hilarious book that chronicles their first decade in one another’s lives. As the hosts of the hit podcast Call Your Girlfriend, they’ve become known for frank and intimate conversations. In this book, they bring that energy to their own friendship—its joys and its pitfalls.

Aminatou and Ann define Big Friendship as a strong, significant bond that transcends life phases, geographical locations, and emotional shifts. And they should know: the two have had moments of charmed bliss and deep frustration, of profound connection and gut-wrenching alienation. They have weathered life-threatening health scares, getting fired from their dream jobs, and one unfortunate Thanksgiving dinner eaten in a car in a parking lot in Rancho Cucamonga. Through interviews with friends and experts, they have come to understand that their struggles are not unique. And that the most important part of a Big Friendship is making the decision to invest in one another again and again.

An inspiring and entertaining testament to the power of society’s most underappreciated relationship, Big Friendship will invite you to think about how your own bonds are formed, challenged, and preserved. It is a call to value your friendships in all of their complexity. Actively choose them. And, sometimes, fight for them.

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Crooked Hallelujah by Kelli Jo Ford (eBook)

Ford, a Plimpton Prize-winning author and member of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, tells a blistering Own Voices tale that spans generations. The novel reads like a set of interlinked short stories, yet there is a narrative thread that runs through each of them, connecting the reader to the heart of a family of Cherokee women. At its start, in 1974, 15-year-old Justine is coping with the pressures of her mother Lula’s strict Christian church. She wants to reconnect with her father and to live like her friends do. But when Justine becomes pregnant through an act of assault, daughter Reney enters the picture, and the reader follows their journey as Reney grows. The sections cover different decades and are told from different perspectives, leading up to an electrifying conclusion.

Ford’s lyrical writing emphasizes both the hardships and the deeply connected relationships of the characters. The theme of the weather as villain illustrates the unopposable forces Cherokee women must contend with, including the tyranny of society and of men. A riveting and important read. Starred Booklist Review

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Hidden Star by Nora Roberts (eBook)

Diamonds can be a girl’s best friend…or her worst enemy. Don’t miss the first thrilling story in the Stars of Mithra trilogy, from #1 New York Times bestselling author Nora Roberts!

Bailey James can’t remember a thing. She doesn’t even know who she is, let alone why her bag is filled with cash, a gun, and a large blue diamond. Desperate for help, she heads to the first detective office she can find, hoping that PI Cade Parris is someone she can trust—and with no options, Bailey doesn’t have much of a choice. Cade is sure the woman of his dreams just walked through the door when Bailey shuffles in, but he’ll have to convince her that she’s not a criminal before he can consider his love for her…

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Miss Iceland by Audur Ava Olafsdottir (eBook)

The extraordinary new novel from Nordic Council Literature Prize-winning Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir

Iceland in the 1960s. Hekla always knew she wanted to be a writer. In a nation of poets, where each household proudly displays leatherbound volumes of the Sagas, and there are more writers per capita than anywhere else in the world, there is only one problem: she is a woman.

After packing her few belongings, including James Joyces’s Ulysess and a Remington typewriter, Hekla heads for Reykjavik with a manuscript buried in her bags. She moves in with her friend Jon, a gay man who longs to work in the theatre, but can only find dangerous, backbreaking work on fishing trawlers. Hekla’s opportunities are equally limited: marriage and babies, or her job as a waitress, in which harassment from customers is part of the daily grind. The two friends feel completely out of place in a small and conservative world.

And yet that world is changing: JFK is shot and hemlines are rising. In Iceland another volcano erupts and Hekla meets a poet who brings to light harsh realities about her art. Hekla realizes she must escape to find freedom abroad, whatever the cost.

Miss Iceland is a novel of extraordinary poise and masterful acuity from one of our most celebrated Icelandic writers.

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The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones (eBook)

“One of 2020’s buzziest horror novels.” —Entertainment Weekly

“More than I could have asked for in a novel.”—Tommy Orange, Pulitzer Prize finalist author of There There

“What Stephen Graham Jones does for me, is create new possibilities for Indigenous storymakers.” —Terese Marie Mailhot, New York Times bestselling author

“A masterpiece. ” —Paul Tremblay, author of A Head Full of Ghosts and The Cabin at the End of the World

A tale of revenge, cultural identity, and the cost of breaking from tradition in this latest novel from the Jordan Peele of horror literature, Stephen Graham Jones.

Seamlessly blending classic horror and a dramatic narrative with sharp social commentary, The Only Good Indians follows four American Indian men after a disturbing event from their youth puts them in a desperate struggle for their lives. Tracked by an entity bent on revenge, these childhood friends are helpless as the culture and traditions they left behind catch up to them in a violent, vengeful way.

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The Order written by Daniel Silva and read by George Guidall (Audiobook)

From Daniel Silva, the internationally acclaimed #1 New York Times–bestselling author, comes a riveting new thriller featuring art restorer and legendary spy Gabriel Allon.

It was nearly one a.m. by the time he crawled into bed. Chiara was reading a novel, oblivious to the television, which was muted. On the screen was a live shot of St. Peter’s Basilica. Gabriel raised the volume and learned that an old friend had died …

Gabriel Allon has slipped quietly into Venice for a much-needed holiday with his wife and two young children. But when Pope Paul VII dies suddenly, Gabriel is summoned to Rome by the Holy Father’s loyal private secretary, Archbishop Luigi Donati. A billion Catholic faithful have been told that the pope died of a heart attack. Donati, however, has two good reasons to suspect his master was murdered. The Swiss Guard who was standing watch outside the papal apartments the night of the pope’s death is missing. So, too, is the letter the Holy Father was writing during the final hours of his life. A letter that was addressed to Gabriel.

While researching in the Vatican Secret Archives, I came upon a most remarkable book …

The book is a long-suppressed gospel that calls into question the accuracy of the New Testament’s depiction of one of the most portentous events in human history. For that reason alone, the Order of St. Helena will stop at nothing to keep it out of Gabriel’s hands. A shadowy Catholic society with ties to the European far right, the Order is plotting to seize control of the papacy. And it is only the beginning.

As the cardinals gather in Rome for the start of the conclave, Gabriel sets out on a desperate search for proof of the Order’s conspiracy, and for a long-lost gospel with the power to put an end to two thousand years of murderous hatred. His quest will take him from the Ponte Vecchio in Florence, to a monastery in Assisi, to the hidden depths of the Secret Archives, and finally to the Sistine Chapel, where he will witness an event no outsider has ever before seen—the sacred passing of the Keys of St. Peter to a newly elected pope.

Swiftly paced and elegantly rendered, The Order will hold readers spellbound, from its opening passages to its breathtaking final twist of plot. It is a novel of friendship and faith in a perilous and uncertain world. And it is still more proof that Daniel Silva is his generation’s finest writer of suspense and international intrigue.

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Peace Talks: The Dresden Files, Book 16 by Jim Butcher (eBook)

HARRY DRESDEN IS BACK AND READY FOR ACTION, in the new entry in the #1 New York Times bestselling Dresden Files. The first new Dresden Files book in six years!

When the Supernatural nations of the world meet up to negotiate an end to ongoing hostilities, Harry Dresden, Chicago’s only professional wizard, joins the White Council’s security team to make sure the talks stay civil. But can he succeed, when dark political manipulations threaten the very existence of Chicago—and all he holds dear?

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Sex and Lies: True Stories of Women’s Intimate Lives in the Arab World by Leila Slimani (eBook)

“As revealing as Lisa Taddeo’s bestseller Three Women, but it has a more urgent political mission.” —Evening Standard

A fearless exposé of the secrets and lies of women’s intimate lives, by the bestselling author of The Perfect Nanny and Adèle

“All those in positions of authority—politicians, parents, teachers—maintain the same line: ‘Do what you like, but do it in private.’ “

Leila Slimani was in her native Morocco promoting her novel Adèle, about a woman addicted to sex, when she began meeting women who confided the dark secrets of their sexual lives. In Morocco, adultery, abortion, homosexuality, prostitution, and sex outside of marriage are all punishable by law, and women have only two choices: They can be wives or virgins. Sex and Lies combines vivid, often harrowing testimonies with Slimani’s passionate and intelligent commentary to make a galvanizing case for a sexual revolution in the Arab world.

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Utopia Avenue by David Mitchell (eBook)

Metafiction master Mitchell’s readers can be excused if they greet a new novel by this unalloyed genius with both goose-pimply anticipation and trepidation over meeting the challenge. Not to worry. Utopia Avenue, while leaving behind neither the complexity nor the genre-bending pyrotechnics of The Bone Clocks (2014), is by far the most accessible of Mitchell’s broad-canvas novels.

This addictive Big Gulp of a narrative not only delivers a compelling and multitextured look at the 1960s, but it also could be the best novel about a rock band since Jennifer Egan’s A Visit from the Goon Squad (2010). Mitchell evokes the psychedelic age with a bravura mix of telling details and richly composed portraits of iconic figures (Janis Joplin, Jerry Garcia, and more). At the heart of the story, though, is the British band itself, Utopia Avenue: singer and guitarist Elf Holloway, guitar virtuoso Jasper de Zoet (descended from the titular character in Mitchell’s The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet (2010), bassist Dean Moss, and drummer Griff Griffin. Mitchell masterfully builds each of the four into top-of-the-marquee characters, subtly mixing coming-of-age portraits (including one particularly moving “long walk out of the closet”) with revealing glimpses of inner lives, notably the demons inside Jasper’s head, which must be exorcised by Marinus from The Bone Clocks. “Reality,” Mitchell reminds us, is a “nuanced, paradoxical, shifting.” So, too, is Utopia Avenue. It’s a foot-tapping ode to rock music, but, like the band in full cry-smashing the end of a song “into drummed, pounded, twanged molecules”, Mitchell continues to use the rhythms of surface reality to dig much deeper, but without ever losing the beat. – Starred Booklist Review

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A Walk Along the Beach: A Novel by Debbie Macomber (eBook)

Two sisters must learn from each other’s strengths and trust in the redeeming power of love in a touching new novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Debbie Macomber.

The Lakey sisters are perfect opposites. After their mother died and their father was lost in grief, Willa had no choice but to raise her sister, Harper, and their brother, Lucas. Then, as an adult, she put her own life on hold to nurse Harper through a terrifying illness. Now that Harper is better and the sisters are living as roommates, Willa has realized her dream of running her own bakery and coffee shop, bringing her special brand of caretaking to the whole Oceanside community.

Harper, on the other hand, is always on the go. Overcoming a terrible illness has given her a new lease on life, and she does not intend to waste it. When Harper announces her plan to summit Mount Rainier, Willa fears she may be pushing herself too far. Harper, for her part, urges Willa to stop worrying and do something outside of her comfort zone—like taking a chance on love with a handsome new customer.

Sean O’Malley is as charming as he is intriguing—a freelance photographer whose assignments take him to the ends of the earth. Soon Willa’s falling for him in a way that is both exciting and terrifying. But life has taught Willa to hedge her bets, and she wonders whether the potential heartache is worth the risk.

Life has more challenges in store for them all. But both sisters will discover that even in the darkest moments, family is everything.

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Be well and happy reading!

Linda Reimer, SSCL

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

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StarCat

The catalog of physical library materials, i.e. print books, audiobooks on CD, DVDs etc.

ABOUT LIBRARY APPS:

You can access digital library content, i.e. eBooks & downloadable audiobooks, on PCs, Macs and mobile devices.

For mobile devices simply download the Libby (eBooks & downloadable audiobooks) or the RB Digital app (on-demand magazines), from your app store to get started. And if you’re using a PC or Mac simply click on the following link: https://stls.overdrive.com/

If you have questions call the library at 607-936-3713 and one of our tech coaches will be happy to assist you.

Tech Talk is a Southeast Steuben County Library blog.

Hi everyone, here is the weekly list of New York Times Bestsellers available in the Digital Catalog.

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If you have questions about how to access digital content, you can write a comment and post it on the blog, or send me, SSCL Librarian Linda Reimer, questions via email: reimerl@stls.org

 

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FICTION:

28 SUMMERS by Elin Hilderbrand (Downloadable Audiobooks):

A relationship that started in 1993 between Mallory Blessing and Jake McCloud comes to light while she is on her deathbed and his wife runs for president.

 

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AMERICAN DIRT by Jeanine Cummins (eBook):

A bookseller flees Mexico for the United States with her son while pursued by the head of a drug cartel.

 

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BIG SUMMER by Jennifer Weiner (Downloadable Audiobook):

Daphne Berg’s former best friend asks her to be the maid of honor at her wedding in Cape Cod.

 

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CAMINO WINDS by John Grisham (eBook):

The line between fact and fiction becomes blurred when an author of thrillers is found dead after a hurricane hits Camino Island.

 

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DADDY’S GIRLS by Danielle Steel (eBook):

After a California rancher‘s sudden death, his three daughters discover things they did not know about their father.

 

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DARING AND THE DUKE by Sarah MacLean (eBook)

The third book in the Bareknuckle Bastards series.

 

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FAIR WARNING by Michael Connelly (Downloadable Audiobook):

The third book in the Jack McEvoy series. A reporter tracks a killer who uses genetic data to pick his victims.

 

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FRIENDS AND STRANGERS by J. Courtney Sullivan (eBook):

Complications ensue when a New York journalist downshifts to become a mom in a small town and hires a senior at the local women’s college to babysit.

 

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THE GUARDIANS by John Grisham (eBook):

Cullen Post, a lawyer and Episcopal minister, antagonizes some ruthless killers when he takes on a wrongful conviction case.

 

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THE GUEST LIST by Lucy Foley (Downloadable Audiobook):

A wedding between a TV star and a magazine publisher on an island off the coast of Ireland turns deadly.

 

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HOME BEFORE DARK by Riley Sager (eBook):

When Maggie Holt inherits the Vermont estate that was the setting of her father’s horror memoir she is confronted by some of the people and relics he chronicled.

 

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IF IT BLEEDS by Stephen King (eBook):

Four novellas: “Mr. Harrigan’s Phone,” “The Life of Chuck,” “Rat” and “If It Bleeds.”

 

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LITTLE FIRES EVERYWHERE by Celeste Ng (eBook):

An artist upends a quiet town outside Cleveland.

 

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MEXICAN GOTHIC by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (Format: eBooks)

In 1950s Mexico, a debutante travels to a distant mansion where family secrets of a faded mining empire have been kept hidden.

 

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SEX AND VANITY by Kevin Kwan (eBook):

A nod to “A Room With a View” in which Lucie Tang Churchill is torn between her WASPy billionaire fiancé and a privileged hunk born in Hong Kong.

 

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SUMMER HOUSE by James Patterson and Brendan DuBois (Downloadable Audiobook):

Jeremiah Cook, a veteran and former N.Y.P.D. cop, investigates a mass murder near a lake in Georgia.

 

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THE VANISHING HALF by Brit Bennett (eBook):

The lives of twin sisters who run away from a Southern black community at age 16 diverge as one returns and the other takes on a different racial identity.

 

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WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING by Delia Owens (eBook):

In a quiet town on the North Carolina coast in 1969, a young woman who survived alone in the marsh becomes a murder suspect.

 

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NON-FICTION:

BECOMING by Michelle Obama (eBook):

The former first lady describes her journey from the South Side of Chicago to the White House, and how she balanced work, family and her husband’s political ascent.

 

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BETWEEN THE WORLD AND ME by Ta-Nehisi Coates (eBook):

Winner of the 2015 National Book Award for nonfiction. A meditation on race in America as well as a personal story, framed as a letter to the author’s teenage son.

 

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BORN A CRIME by Trevor Noah (eBook):

A memoir about growing up biracial in apartheid South Africa by the host of “The Daily Show.”

 

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BREATH by James Nestor (eBook):

A re-examination of a basic biological function and a look at the science behind ancient breathing practices.

 

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THE COLOR OF LAW by Richard Rothstein (eBooks):

An examination of the ways in which the government caused residential segregation through racial zoning and other systemic practices.

 

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HOW TO BE AN ANTIRACIST by Ibram X. Kendi (eBook):

A primer for creating a more just and equitable society through identifying and opposing racism.

 

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I’M STILL HERE by Austin Channing Brown (Downloadable Audiobook):

A black woman who was given a white man’s name by her parents shares her journey to finding her own worth and what stands in the way of racial justice.

 

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JUST MERCY by Bryan Stevenson (Downloadable Audiobook):

: A law professor and MacArthur grant recipient’s memoir of his decades of work to free innocent people condemned to death.

 

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ME AND WHITE SUPREMACY by Layla F. Saad (eBook):

Ways to understand and possibly counteract white privilege.

 

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ROOM WHERE IT HAPPENED by John Bolton (eBook):

The former national security advisor gives his account of the 17 months he spent working for President Trump.

 

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SO YOU WANT TO TALK ABOUT RACE by Ijeoma Oluo (Downloadable Audiobook)

A look at the contemporary racial landscape of the United States.

 

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SPLENDID AND THE VILE by Erik Larson (eBook):

An examination of the leadership of the prime minister Winston Churchill.

 

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STAMPED FROM THE BEGINNING by Ibram X. Kendi (Downloadable Audiobook):

Winner of the 2016 National Book Award for nonfiction. A look at anti-black racist ideas and their effect on the course of American history.

 

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UNTAMED by Glennon Doyle (eBook):

The activist and public speaker describes her journey of listening to her inner voice.

 

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WARMTH OF OTHER SUNS by Isabel Wilkerson (eBook):

An account of the Great Migration of 1915-70, in which nearly six million African-Americans abandoned the South.

 

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WHITE FRAGILITY by Robin DiAngelo (eBook):

Historical and cultural analyses on what causes defensive moves by white people and how this inhibits cross-racial dialogue.

 

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Be well and read on!

Linda Reimer, SSL

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Note: this list contains all the New York Times fiction and non-fiction bestsellers for the week that are owned by libraries within the Southern Tier Library System.

Tech Talk is a Southeast Steuben County Library blog.

Hi everyone, here is our weekly recommended listening posting!

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Suggested Listening postings come out weekly, on Fridays, and next Suggested Listening posting will be out on Friday, July 17, 2020.

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False Profit by Bob Dylan

Dylan in top form, from the album Rough and Rowdy Ways (2020)

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Feel The Way I Want by Carolina Rose from the LP Superstar (2020)

A new song from the clever singer songwriter’s new LP Superstar Rose (2020)

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I’ll See You Again by Deborah Jordan from the album See in the Dark (2020)

A sweet collection of soulful pop from the electronic impresario!

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Melt from the album Forever Blue (2020) by A. A. Williams

Haunting and introspective music by the multi-instrumentalist singer-songwriter!

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Holy Wave by Interloper

A Beatle-esque offering from the Texas based band, perfect music for summer.

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It Don’t Come Easy by Ringo Starr

In celebration of his 80th birthday, on July 7, here is the former Beatles with one of his solo hits!

From his 1973 LP, simply titled Ringo.

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It Don’t Hinder Me by Angelica Garcia

From the Virginia based indie rocker’s bright new LP album Cha Cha Palace (2020)

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A Night in Tunisia by Eldar Djangirov Trio

Tempestuous jazz, from the pianist Eldar Djangirov and his trio, from their new LP Rhapsodize (2020)

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On Sunset by Paul Weller

Former Jam lead singer with a terrific song from his new album of the same name – On Sunset (2020)

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There She Goes by The Las

From their melodious debut album, The Las (1990)

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References

Heavy Rotation: Public Radio’s Favorite Songs Of 2020 (So Far). (2020, July 1.). NPR., https://www.npr.org/sections/world-cafe/2020/07/01/885169117/heavy-rotation-public-radios-favorite-songs-of-2020-so-far

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One To Watch: A. A. Williams. The Guardian., https://www.theguardian.com/music/2020/jun/20/one-to-watch-aa-williams-forever-blue

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Be well & happy listening!

Linda Reimer, SSCL

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REFERENCES:

Print References

The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits by Joel Whitburn

Online References

AllMusic: https://www.allmusic.com/

–

Online Catalog Links:

StarCat

The catalog of physical materials, i.e. print books, DVDs, audiobooks on CD, etc.

The Digital Catalog (OverDrive)

The catalog of e-books, downloadable audiobooks and a handful of streaming videos.

ABOUT LIBRARY APPS: Libby & RBDigital:

You can access digital library content on PCs, Macs and mobile devices. For mobile devices simply download the Libby and/or the RBDigital app, to check out eBooks, downloadable audiobooks and on-demand magazines, from your app store to get started. If you have questions call the library at 607-936-3713 and one of our tech coaches will be happy to assist you.

Tech Talk is a Southeast Steuben County Library blog.

Hi everyone, here are our recommended titles for the week, consisting entirely of eBooks & downloadable audiobooks available through the Digital Catalog.

–

Suggested Reading of the Week:

Actress written and read by Anne Enright (Audiobook)

Longlisted for the 2020 Women’s Prize for Fiction

A brilliant and moving novel about celebrity, sexual power, and a daughter’s search to understand her mother’s hidden truths.

Katherine O’Dell is an Irish theater legend. As her daughter, Norah, retraces her mother’s celebrated career and bohemian life, she delves into long-kept secrets, both her mother’s and her own. Katherine began her career on Ireland’s bus-and-truck circuit before making it to London’s West End, Broadway, and finally Hollywood. Every moment of her life is a performance, with young Norah standing in the wings. But the mother-daughter romance cannot survive Katherine’s past or the world’s damage. With age, alcohol, and dimming stardom, Katherine’s grip on reality grows fitful. Fueled by a proud and long-simmering rage, she commits a bizarre crime.

As Norah’s role gradually changes to Katherine’s protector, caregiver, and finally legacy-keeper, she revisits her mother’s life of fiercely kept secrets; and Norah reveals in turn the secrets of her own sexual and emotional coming-of-age story. Her narrative is shaped by three braided searches—for her father’s identity; for her mother’s motive in donning a Chanel suit one morning and shooting a TV producer in the foot; and her own search for a husband, family, and work she loves.

Bringing to life two generations of women with difficult sexual histories, both assaulted and silenced, both finding—or failing to find—their powers of recovery, Actress touches a raw and timely nerve. With virtuosic storytelling and in prose at turns lyrical and knife-sharp, Enright takes readers to the heart of the maddening yet tender love that binds a mother and daughter.

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The Bad Boy of Redemption Ranch by Maisey Yates (eBook)

This rebel cowboy is looking for a fresh start—will he find more than he’s ever hoped for in Gold Valley?
Police officer Pansy Daniels is the poster girl for responsible behavior. Orphaned as a child, she has dedicated her life to safeguarding her local community. The last thing she needs is a hot-headed cowboy with attitude cruising into town. He may be her new landlord, but that’s no excuse for provoking her…or sending her heart into overdrive.

West Caldwell has come to Redemption Ranch to put his past behind him. Flirting with a pint-size police officer who thinks he’s bad news is definitely not part of the plan, but it’s deliciously easy to get under Pansy’s skin. Then West discovers the vulnerability Pansy keeps so well hidden, and suddenly this renegade cowboy is in over his head. In her arms, West feels like the man he always wanted to be—but can he become the man Pansy deserves?

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Becoming Duchess Goldblatt by Anonymous (eBook)

One of the New York Times’ 20 Books to Read in 2020

“Unforgettable…Behind her brilliantly witty and uplifting message is a remarkable vulnerability and candor that reminds us that we are not alone in our struggles—and that we can, against all odds, get through them.” —Lori Gottlieb, New York Times-bestselling author of Maybe You Should Talk to Someone

Part memoir and part joyful romp through the fields of imagination, the story behind a beloved pseudonymous Twitter account reveals how a writer deep in grief rebuilt a life worth living.

Becoming Duchess Goldblatt is two stories: that of the reclusive real-life writer who created a fictional character out of loneliness and thin air, and that of the magical Duchess Goldblatt herself, a bright light in the darkness of social media. Fans around the world are drawn to Her Grace’s voice, her wit, her life-affirming love for all humanity, and the fun and friendship of the community that’s sprung up around her.

@DuchessGoldblat (81 year-old literary icon, author of An Axe to Grind) brought people together in her name: in bookstores, museums, concerts, and coffee shops, and along the way, brought real friends home—foremost among them, Lyle Lovett.

“The only way to be reliably sure that the hero gets the girl at the end of the story is to be both the hero and the girl yourself.” — Duchess Goldblatt

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Becoming Wild: How Animal Cultures Raise Families, Create Beauty, and Achieve Peace written and read by Carl Safina (Audiobook)

Some people insist that culture is strictly a human feat. What are they afraid of? This book looks into three cultures of other-than-human beings in some of Earth’s remaining wild places. It shows how if you’re a sperm whale, a scarlet macaw, or a chimpanzee, you too experience your life with the understanding that you are an individual in a particular community. You too are who you are not by genes alone; your culture is a second form of inheritance. You receive it from thousands of individuals, from pools of knowledge passing through generations like an eternal torch. You too may raise young, know beauty, or struggle to negotiate a peace. And your culture, too, changes and evolves. The light of knowledge needs adjusting as situations change, so a capacity for learning, especially social learning, allows behaviors to adjust, to change much faster than genes alone could adapt. Becoming Wild offers a glimpse into cultures among non-human animals through looks at the lives of individuals in different present-day animal societies. By showing how others teach and learn, Safina offers a fresh understanding of what is constantly going on beyond humanity.

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Billion Dollar Burger: Inside Big Tech’s Race for the Future of Food written and read by Chase Purdy (Audiobook)

The riveting story of the entrepreneurs and renegades fighting to bring lab-grown meat to the world.

The trillion-dollar meat industry is one of our greatest environmental hazards; it pollutes more than all the world’s fossil-fuel-powered cars. Global animal agriculture is responsible for deforestation, soil erosion, and more emissions than air travel, paper mills, and coal mining combined. It also, of course, depends on the slaughter of more than 60 billion animals per year, a number that is only increasing as the global appetite for meat swells.

But a band of doctors, scientists, activists, and entrepreneurs have been racing to end animal agriculture as we know it, hoping to fulfill a dream of creating meat without ever having to kill an animal. In the laboratories of Silicon Valley companies, Dutch universities, and Israeli startups, visionaries are growing burgers and steaks from microscopic animal cells and inventing systems to do so at scale—allowing us to feed the world without slaughter and environmental devastation.

Drawing from exclusive and unprecedented access to the main players, from polarizing activist-turned-tech CEO Josh Tetrick to lobbyists and regulators on both sides of the issue, Billion Dollar Burger follows the people fighting to upend our food system as they butt up against the entrenched interests fighting viciously to stop them.

The stakes are monumentally high: cell-cultured meat is the best hope for sustainable food production, a key to fighting climate change, a gold mine for the companies that make it happen, and an existential threat for the farmers and meatpackers that make our meat today.

Are we ready?

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The Coyotes of Carthage: A Novel written by Steven Wright and read Glenn Davis (Audiobook)

“With this splendid debut, Steven Wright announces his arrival as a major new voice in the world of political thrillers. I enjoyed it immensely.” —John Grisham

A blistering and thrilling debut—a biting exploration of American politics, set in a small South Carolina town, about a political operative running a dark money campaign for his corporate clients

Dre Ross has one more shot. Despite being a successful political consultant, his aggressive tactics have put him on thin ice with his boss, Mrs. Fitz, who plucked him from juvenile incarceration and mentored his career. She exiles him to the backwoods of South Carolina with $250,000 of dark money to introduce a ballot initiative on behalf of a mining company. The goal: to manipulate the locals into voting to sell their pristine public land to the highest bidder.

Dre arrives in God-fearing, flag-waving Carthage County, with only Mrs. Fitz’s well-meaning yet naïve grandson Brendan as his team. Dre, an African-American outsider, can’t be the one to collect the signatures needed to get on the ballot. So he hires a blue-collar couple, Tyler Lee and his pious wife, Chalene, to act as the initiative’s public face.

Under Dre’s cynical direction, a land grab is disguised as a righteous fight for faith and liberty. As lines are crossed and lives ruined, Dre’s increasingly cutthroat campaign threatens the very soul of Carthage County and perhaps the last remnants of his own humanity.

A piercing portrait of our fragile democracy and one man’s unraveling, The Coyotes of Carthage paints a disturbingly real portrait of the American experiment in action.

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Every Step She Takes by Kelley Armstrong (eBook)

Genevieve has secrets that no one knows. In Rome she can be whoever she wants to be. Her neighbors aren’t nosy; her Italian is passable; the shopkeepers and restaurant owners now see her as a local, and they let her be. It’s exactly what she wants.

One morning, after getting groceries, she returns to her 500-year-old Trastevere apartment. She climbs to the very top of the staircase, the steps narrowing the higher she goes. When she gets to her door, she puts down her bags and pushes the key into the lock . . .

. . . and the door swings open.

It’s unlocked. Sometimes she doesn’t lock it because Rome is pretty safe. But Genevieve knows she locked the door this morning. She has no doubt.

What if someone is in her apartment, waiting for her: She should leave, call the police. But she doesn’t. Instead, she goes in.

The apartment is empty, and exactly as she left it . . . except for the box on her kitchen table. A box that definitely wasn’t there this morning. A box postmarked from New York City. A box that is addressed to “Lucy Callahan.”

A name she hasn’t used in ten years.

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The Hardest Job in the World: The American Presidency by John Dickerson (eBook)

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

From the veteran political journalist and 60 Minutes correspondent, a deep dive into the history, evolution, and current state of the American presidency—and how we can make the job less impossible and more productive.

“This is a great gift to our sense of the actual presidency, a primer on leadership.”—Ken Burns
Imagine you have just been elected president. You are now commander-in-chief, chief executive, chief diplomat, chief legislator, chief of party, chief voice of the people, first responder, chief priest, and world leader. You’re expected to fulfill your campaign promises, but you’re also expected to solve the urgent crises of the day. What’s on your to-do list? Where would you even start? What shocks aren’t you thinking about?

The American presidency is in trouble. It has become overburdened, misunderstood, almost impossible to do. “The problems in the job unfolded before Donald Trump was elected, and the challenges of governing today will confront his successors,” writes John Dickerson. After all, the founders never intended for our system of checks and balances to have one superior Chief Magistrate, with Congress demoted to “the little brother who can’t keep up.”
In this eye-opening book, John Dickerson writes about presidents in history such a Washington, Lincoln, FDR, and Eisenhower, and and in contemporary times, from LBJ and Reagan and Bush, Obama, and Trump, to show how a complex job has been done, and why we need to reevaluate how we view the presidency, how we choose our presidents, and what we expect from them once they are in office. Think of the presidential campaign as a job interview. Are we asking the right questions? Are we looking for good campaigners, or good presidents? Once a candidate gets the job, what can they do to thrive? Drawing on research and interviews with current and former White House staffers, Dickerson defines what the job of president actually entails, identifies the things that only the president can do, and analyzes how presidents in history have managed the burden. What qualities make for a good president? Who did it well? Why did Bill Clinton call the White House “the crown jewel in the American penal system”? The presidency is a job of surprises with high stakes, requiring vision, management skill, and an even temperament. Ultimately, in order to evaluate candidates properly for the job, we need to adjust our expectations, and be more realistic about the goals, the requirements, and the limitations of the office.

As Dickerson writes, “Americans need their president to succeed, but the presidency is set up for failure. It doesn’t have to be.”

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The House on Fripp Island written by Rebecca Kauffman and read Susan Bennett (Audiobook)

Fripp Island, South Carolina, is the perfect destination for the wealthy Daly family: Lisa, Scott, and their two girls. For Lisas childhood friend Poppy Ford, however, the resort island is a world away from what she and her family are used to. Everyone brings secrets to the island, distorting what should be a convivial, relaxing summer on the beach. Lisa sees danger everywherethe local handyman cant be allowed near the children, and Lisa suspects Scott is fixated on something, or someone, else. Poppy watches over her husband, John, and his routines with a sharp eye. For the children, its a summer of change: Ryan Ford prepares for college in the fall, Rae Daly seethes on the brink of adulthood, and the two youngest, Kimmy Daly and Alex Ford, are exposed to new ideas and different ways of life as they forge a friendship of their own. The ones who return from this vacation will spend the rest of their lives trying to process what they witnessed, the tipping points, moments of violence and tenderness, and the memory of whom they left behind.

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Indigo Ghosts by Alys Clare (eBook)

“Excellent…. Clare matches well-drawn characters, in particular the charismatic lead, with a head-scratching puzzle and creepy atmospherics. Imogen Robertson fans will be pleased” – Publishers Weekly Starred Review

In this gripping forensic mystery set in Stuart England, Gabriel Taverner uncovers a series of shocking secrets when he’s summoned by his former naval captain to investigate strange goings-on aboard his ship.

October, 1604. Former ship’s surgeon turned country physician Gabriel Taverner is surprised to receive an urgent summons from his old naval captain. Now docked in Plymouth harbour, having recently returned from the Caribbean, Captain Colt believes his ship is haunted by an evil spirit, and has asked Gabriel to investigate.

Dismissive of the crew’s wild talk of mysterious blue-skinned ghosts, Gabriel is convinced there must be a rational explanation behind the mass hallucinations. But matters take a disturbing turn when he and the captain discover a body hidden behind one of the bulkheads. Calling on the help of his old friend, Coroner Theophilus Davey, piece by piece Gabriel uncovers a terrifying tale of treachery, dark magic, unimaginable cruelty – and cold-blooded murder.

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Be well and happy reading!

Linda Reimer, SSCL

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

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StarCat

The catalog of physical library materials, i.e. print books, audiobooks on CD, DVDs etc.

ABOUT LIBRARY APPS:

You can access digital library content, i.e. eBooks & downloadable audiobooks, on PCs, Macs and mobile devices.

For mobile devices simply download the Libby (eBooks & downloadable audiobooks) or the RB Digital app (on-demand magazines), from your app store to get started. And if you’re using a PC or Mac simply click on the following link: https://stls.overdrive.com/

If you have questions call the library at 607-936-3713 and one of our tech coaches will be happy to assist you.

Tech Talk is a Southeast Steuben County Library blog.

Hi everyone, here is the weekly list of New York Times Bestsellers available in the Digital Catalog.

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If you have questions about how to access digital content, you can write a comment and post it on the blog, or send me, SSCL Librarian Linda Reimer, questions via email: reimerl@stls.org

 

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FICTION:

28 SUMMERS by Elin Hilderbrand (Downloadable Audiobooks):

A relationship that started in 1993 between Mallory Blessing and Jake McCloud comes to light while she is on her deathbed and his wife runs for president.

 

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AMERICAN DIRT by Jeanine Cummins (eBook):

A bookseller flees Mexico for the United States with her son while pursued by the head of a drug cartel.

 

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BIG SUMMER by Jennifer Weiner (Downloadable Audiobook):

Daphne Berg’s former best friend asks her to be the maid of honor at her wedding in Cape Cod.

 

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CAMINO WINDS by John Grisham (eBook):

The line between fact and fiction becomes blurred when an author of thrillers is found dead after a hurricane hits Camino Island.

 

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DADDY’S GIRLS by Danielle Steel (eBook):

After a California rancher‘s sudden death, his three daughters discover things they did not know about their father.

 

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DEACON KING KONG by James McBride (Downloadable Audiobook):

In 1969, secrets in a South Brooklyn neighborhood are uncovered when a church deacon known as Sportcoat shoots a drug dealer in public.

 

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FAIR WARNING by Michael Connelly (Downloadable Audiobook):

The third book in the Jack McEvoy series. A reporter tracks a killer who uses genetic data to pick his victims.

 

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THE GUARDIANS by John Grisham (eBook):

Cullen Post, a lawyer and Episcopal minister, antagonizes some ruthless killers when he takes on a wrongful conviction case.

 

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THE GUEST LIST by Lucy Foley (Downloadable Audiobook):

A wedding between a TV star and a magazine publisher on an island off the coast of Ireland turns deadly.

 

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HIDEAWAY by Nora Roberts (Downloadable Audiobook):

A child star escapes her abductors, gathers herself in western Ireland and returns to Hollywood.

 

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IF IT BLEEDS by Stephen King (eBook):

Four novellas: “Mr. Harrigan’s Phone,” “The Life of Chuck,” “Rat” and “If It Bleeds.”

 

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LITTLE FIRES EVERYWHERE by Celeste Ng (eBook):

An artist upends a quiet town outside Cleveland.

 

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SUMMER HOUSE by James Patterson and Brendan DuBois (Downloadable Audiobook):

Jeremiah Cook, a veteran and former N.Y.P.D. cop, investigates a mass murder near a lake in Georgia.

 

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TOM CLANCY: FIRING POINT by Mike Maden (eBook):

When an old friend is killed during the bombing of a Barcelona cafe, Jack Ryan Jr. searches for those responsible.

 

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THE VANISHING HALF by Brit Bennett (eBook):

The lives of twin sisters who run away from a Southern black community at age 16 diverge as one returns and the other takes on a different racial identity.

 

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WALK THE WIRE by David Baldacci (eBook):

The sixth book in the Memory Man series. Decker and Jamison investigate a murder in a North Dakota town in a fracking boom.

 

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WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING by Delia Owens (eBook):

In a quiet town on the North Carolina coast in 1969, a young woman who survived alone in the marsh becomes a murder suspect.

 

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NON-FICTION:

BECOMING by Michelle Obama (eBook):

The former first lady describes her journey from the South Side of Chicago to the White House, and how she balanced work, family and her husband’s political ascent.

 

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BETWEEN THE WORLD AND ME by Ta-Nehisi Coates (eBook):

Winner of the 2015 National Book Award for nonfiction. A meditation on race in America as well as a personal story, framed as a letter to the author’s teenage son.

 

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BORN A CRIME by Trevor Noah (eBook):

A memoir about growing up biracial in apartheid South Africa by the host of “The Daily Show.”

 

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BREATH by James Nestor (eBook):

A re-examination of a basic biological function and a look at the science behind ancient breathing practices.

 

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THE COLOR OF LAW by Richard Rothstein (eBooks):

An examination of the ways in which the government caused residential segregation through racial zoning and other systemic practices.

 

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HOW TO BE AN ANTIRACIST by Ibram X. Kendi (eBook):

A primer for creating a more just and equitable society through identifying and opposing racism.

 

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I’M STILL HERE by Austin Channing Brown (Downloadable Audiobook):

A black woman who was given a white man’s name by her parents shares her journey to finding her own worth and what stands in the way of racial justice.

 

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JUST MERCY by Bryan Stevenson (Downloadable Audiobook):

: A law professor and MacArthur grant recipient’s memoir of his decades of work to free innocent people condemned to death.

 

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ME AND WHITE SUPREMACY by Layla F. Saad (eBook):

Ways to understand and possibly counteract white privilege.

 

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THE NEW JIM CROW by Michelle Alexander (eBook):

A law professor takes aim at the “war on drugs,” mass incarceration and their impact on black men.

 

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ROOM WHERE IT HAPPENED by John Bolton (eBook):

The former national security advisor gives his account of the 17 months he spent working for President Trump.

 

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SO YOU WANT TO TALK ABOUT RACE by Ijeoma Oluo (Downloadable Audiobook)

A look at the contemporary racial landscape of the United States.

 

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SPLENDID AND THE VILE by Erik Larson (eBook):

An examination of the leadership of the prime minister Winston Churchill.

 

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STAMPED FROM THE BEGINNING by Ibram X. Kendi (Downloadable Audiobook):

Winner of the 2016 National Book Award for nonfiction. A look at anti-black racist ideas and their effect on the course of American history.

 

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UNTAMED by Glennon Doyle (eBook):

The activist and public speaker describes her journey of listening to her inner voice.

 

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WHITE FRAGILITY by Robin DiAngelo (eBook):

Historical and cultural analyses on what causes defensive moves by white people and how this inhibits cross-racial dialogue.

 

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Be well and read on!

Linda Reimer, SSL

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Note: this list contains all the New York Times fiction and non-fiction bestsellers for the week that are owned by libraries within the Southern Tier Library System.

Tech Talk is a Southeast Steuben County Library blog.

Hi everyone, here is our weekly recommended listening posting!.

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The next Suggested Listening posting will be out on Friday, July 10, 2020.

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And here are the music recommendation, that in celebration of the 244th birthday of our country have an American theme!

America by Simon & Garfunkel

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American Girl by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

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American Pie by Don McLean

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American Woman by Lenny Kravitz

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American Saturday Night by Brad Paisley

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America The Beautiful by Ray Charles

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Basin Street Blues by Louis Armstrong

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4th of July by Brian McKnight

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Green Leaves of Summer by The Brothers Four

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R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A. by John Mellencamp

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The Stars and Stripes Forever by the Dallas Winds

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Star Spangled Banner by Louis Armstrong

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The Star Spangled Banner by The President’s Own U.S. Marine Band

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This is My Country by The Impressions

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This Land Is Your Land by Pete Seeger and friends

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Yankee Doodle Never Went to Town by Teddy Wilson & His Orchestra with Billie Holiday

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Yankee Doodle by the Sturbridge Village Trio

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Be well & happy listening!

Linda Reimer, SSCL

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REFERENCES:

Print References

The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits by Joel Whitburn

Online References

AllMusic: https://www.allmusic.com/

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Online Catalog Links:

StarCat

The catalog of physical materials, i.e. print books, DVDs, audiobooks on CD, etc.

The Digital Catalog (OverDrive)

The catalog of e-books, downloadable audiobooks and a handful of streaming videos.

ABOUT LIBRARY APPS: Libby & RBDigital:

You can access digital library content on PCs, Macs and mobile devices. For mobile devices simply download the Libby and/or the RBDigital app, to check out eBooks, downloadable audiobooks and on-demand magazines, from your app store to get started. If you have questions call the library at 607-936-3713 and one of our tech coaches will be happy to assist you.

Tech Talk is a Southeast Steuben County Library blog.

Hi everyone, here are our recommended titles for the week, consisting entirely of eBooks & downloadable audiobooks available through the Digital Catalog.

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Suggested Reading of the Week:

All the Flowers in Paris: A Novel by Sarah Jio (eBook)

Two women are connected across time by the city of Paris, a mysterious stack of love letters, and shocking secrets sweeping from World War II to the present—for readers of Sarah’s Key and The Nightingale.

“Sarah Jio weaves past and present in this eminently readable novel about love, gratitude, and forgiveness. I tore through the pages!”—New York Times bestselling author Christina Baker Kline

When Caroline wakes up in a Paris hospital with no memory of her past, she’s confused to learn that for years she’s lived a sad, reclusive life in a sprawling apartment on the rue Cler. Slowly regaining vague memories of a man and a young child, she vows to piece her life back together—though she can’t help but feel she may be in danger. A budding friendship with the chef of a charming nearby restaurant takes her mind off her foggy past, as does a startling mystery from decades prior.

In Nazi-occupied Paris, a young widow named Céline is trying to build a new life for her daughter while working in her father’s flower shop and hoping to find love again. Then a ruthless German officer discovers her Jewish ancestry and Céline is forced to play a dangerous game to secure the safety of her loved ones. When her worst fears come true, she must fight back in order to save the person she loves most: her daughter.

When Caroline discovers Céline’s letters tucked away in a closet, she realizes that her apartment harbors dark secrets—and that she may have more in common with Céline than she could have ever imagined.

All the Flowers in Paris is an emotionally captivating novel rooted in the resiliency and strength of the human spirit, the steadfastness of a mother’s love, and the many complex layers of the heart—especially its capacity to forgive.

“Heart-stopping . . . Fans of emotional, romantic stories set during World War II will enjoy this heartbreaking tale of love and loss.”—Booklist

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Blue Moon Promise, Under Texas Stars Series, Book 1 by Colleen Coble (eBook)

“Coble is a great writer, she knows what readers want and she does not disappoint.”—Romantic Times

Lucy Marsh’s worldly resources are running out, but she’s fiercely determined to care for her younger brother and sister. When she discovers that their father’s recent death was no accident, Lucy is eager to leave town. She accepts a proxy marriage she believes will provide safe refuge. But trouble follows her to Texas where her new husband is surprised to suddenly have a wife and children to care for.

Nate Stanton always hoped he’d marry someday, but running the family ranch meant he had no time for romance. When his father deposits Lucy Marsh—a city girl—on his doorstep, with two siblings in the bargain, he expects ranch life will send her running on the first train out of town. But Lucy is made of tougher stuff than Nate imagined. When danger moves in, Nate finds he’d give anything to protect Lucy and the children he’s grown to love. Even if it means giving up his ranch.

Blue Moon Promise is a story of hope, romance, and suspense . . . immersing the reader in a rich historical tale set under Texas stars.

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Carbs and Cadavers, Supper Club Mysteries Series, Book 1 written by Ellery Adams and read by Karen White (Audiobook):

James Henry, a kind-hearted professor of English literature, is forced to move back home to Quincy’s Gap, a tiny town in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley, to care for his aging father. Shortly after moving into a house that hasn’t changed since his childhood, the overweight, divorced, book-loving cheese puff addict accepts a position as head librarian and joins a supper club for dieters who call themselves the “Flab Five.” Avoiding carbs is almost impossible in this deep-fried, all-you-can-eat Southern town, so the mysterious death of a young and healthy athlete provides the perfect distraction. While trying to cut carbs and avoid temptations, James and his fellow supper club members work together to shed pounds and track down a killer.

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The Garden of Lamentations: A Novel by Deborah Crombie (eBook)

Scotland Yard detectives Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James are drawn into separate investigations that hold disturbing—and deadly—complications for their own lives in this powerful mystery in the bestselling series.

On a beautiful morning in mid-May, the body of a young woman is found in one of Notting Hill’s private gardens. To passersby, the pretty girl in the white dress looks as if she’s sleeping. But Reagan Keating has been murdered, and the lead detective, DI Kerry Boatman, turns to Gemma James for help. She and Gemma worked together on a previous investigation, and Gemma has a personal connection to the case: Reagan was the nanny of a child who attends the same dance studio as Toby, Gemma and Kincaid’s son.

Gemma soon discovers that Reagan’s death is the second tragedy in this exclusive London park; a few months before, a young boy died in a tragic accident. But when still another of the garden residents meets a violent end, it becomes clear that there are more sinister forces at play. Boatman and Gemma must stop the killer before another innocent life is taken.

While his wife is consumed with her new case, Kincaid finds himself plagued by disturbing questions about several previous—and seemingly unrelated—cases involving members of the force. If his suspicions are correct and the crimes are linked, are his family and friends in mortal danger as well? Kincaid’s hunch turns to certainty when a Metropolitan Police officer close to him is brutally attacked. There’s a traitor in the ranks, and now Kincaid wonders if he can trust anyone.

As Gemma begins to see a solution to her case, she realizes she holds a child’s fate in her hands. Can she do the right thing? And can Kincaid rely on his friends, both inside and outside the Scotland Yard force, to stand beside him as he faces the deadliest challenge of his career?

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Hell and Other Destinations: A 21st-Century Memoir written and read by Madeleine Albright (Downloadable Audiobook)

Six-time New York Times bestselling author and former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright—one of the world’s most admired and tireless public servants—reflects on the final stages of one’s career, and working productively into your later decades in this revealing, funny, and inspiring memoir.

In 2001, when Madeleine Albright was leaving office as America’s first female secretary of state, interviewers asked her how she wished to be remembered. “I don’t want to be remembered,” she answered. “I am still here and have much more I intend to do. As difficult as it might seem, I want every stage of my life to be more exciting than the last.”

In that time of transition, the former Secretary considered the possibilities: she could write, teach, travel, give speeches, start a business, fight for democracy, help to empower women, campaign for favored political candidates, spend more time with her grandchildren. Instead of choosing one or two, she decided to do it all. For nearly twenty years, Albright has been in constant motion, navigating half a dozen professions, clashing with presidents and prime ministers, learning every day. Since leaving the State Department, she has blazed her own trail—and given voice to millions who yearn for respect, regardless of gender, background, or age.

Featuring black and white photographs throughout, Hell and Other Destinations reveals this remarkable figure at her bluntest, funniest, most intimate, and most serious. It is the tale of our times anchored in lessons for all time, narrated by an extraordinary woman with a matchless zest for life.

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Leave Only Footprints: My Acadia-to-Zion Journey Through Every National Park by Conor Knighton (eBook)

From CBS Sunday Morning correspondent Conor Knighton, a behind-the-scenery look at his year traveling to each of America’s National Parks, discovering the most beautiful places and most interesting people our country has to offer

When Conor Knighton set off to explore America’s “best idea,” he worried the whole thing could end up being his worst idea. A broken engagement and a broken heart had left him longing for a change of scenery, but the plan he’d cooked up in response had gone a bit overboard in that department: Over the course of a single year, Knighton would visit every national park in the country, from Acadia to Zion.

In Leave Only Footprints, Knighton shares informative and entertaining dispatches from what turned out to be the road trip of a lifetime. Whether he’s waking up early for a naked scrub in a historic bathhouse in Arkansas or staying up late to stargaze along our loneliest highway in Nevada, Knighton weaves together the type of stories you’re not likely to find in any guidebook. Through his unique lens, America the Beautiful becomes America the Captivating, the Hilarious, and the Inspiring. Along the way, he identifies the threads that tie these wildly different places together—and that tie us to nature—and reveals how his trip ended up changing his views on everything from God and love to politics and technology.

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Night Diver by Elizabeth Lowell (eBook)

After her parents are killed in a diving accident, financial expert Kate Donnelly leaves her family’s marine salvage business in the Caribbean—for good, or so she thinks. But when the business hits serious financial snags, ocean-wary Kate agrees to help—as long as she can stay on dry land. Being attracted to Holden Cameron, a former British military diver and financial investigator for one of their clients, comes as a bit of a surprise; so does working with him to get to the truth when deadly things begin happening. VERDICT Sunken treasure, underwater danger, and just the right amount of diving and salvage detail make this another gripping journey from Lowell. It draws readers in, ramps up the tension, and keeps the pages turning until the last mystery is solved. Lowell (Dangerous Refuge) lives in the Sierra Nevadas. –Library Journal Review

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One Person, No Vote: How Not All Voters Are Treated Equally by Carol Anderson and Tonya Bolden (eBook)

In her New York Times bestseller White Rage, Carol Anderson laid bare an insidious history of policies that have systematically impeded black progress in America, from 1865 to our combustible present. With One Person, No Vote, she chronicles a related history: the rollbacks to African American participation in the vote since the 2013 Supreme Court decision that eviscerated the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Known as the Shelby ruling, this decision effectively allowed districts with a demonstrated history of racial discrimination to change voting requirements without approval from the Department of Justice.

Focusing on the aftermath of Shelby, Anderson follows the astonishing story of government-dictated racial discrimination unfolding before our very eyes as more and more states adopt voter suppression laws. In gripping, enlightening detail she explains how voter suppression works, from photo ID requirements to gerrymandering to poll closures. And with vivid characters, she explores the resistance: the organizing, activism, and court battles to restore the basic right to vote to all Americans as the nation gears up for the 2020 presidential election season.

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The Summer Garden by Sherryl Woods (eBook)

Falling for “Maddening Moira” O’Malley was the unexpected highlight of Luke O’Brien’s Dublin holiday. So when she pays a surprise visit to Chesapeake Shores, Luke is thrilled…at first. A fling with this wild Irish rose is one thing, but forever? Maybe someday, but not when he’s totally focused on establishing a business that will prove his mettle to his overachieving family.

Given Luke’s reaction, Moira has some soul-searching of her own to do. Scarred by her father’s abandonment, she wonders if Luke, with his playboy past, is truly the family man she longs for. Adding to her dilemma, she’s offered an amazing chance at a dream career of her own.
Deep down, though, Moira knows home is the real prize, and that love can be every bit as enchanted as a summer garden.

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We Ride Upon Sticks: A Novel by Quan Barry and Isabel Keating (Audiobook)

“We Ride Upon Sticks . . . is for the kind of adults who watch Stranger Things and still have, somewhere, an athletic award inscribed on a paper plate.” —NPR

Acclaimed novelist Quan Barry delivers a tour de female force in this delightful novel. Set in the coastal town of Danvers, Massachusetts, where the accusations began that led to the 1692 witch trials, We Ride Upon Sticks follows the 1989 Danvers High School Falcons field hockey team, who will do anything to make it to the state finals—even if it means tapping into some devilishly dark powers. In chapters dense with 1980s iconography—from Heathers to “big hair”—Barry expertly weaves together the individual and collective progress of this enchanted team as they storm their way through an unforgettable season.

Helmed by good-girl captain Abby Putnam (a descendant of the infamous Salem accuser Ann Putnam) and her co-captain Jen Fiorenza (whose bleached blond “Claw” sees and knows all), the Falcons prove to be wily, original, and bold, flaunting society’s stale notions of femininity in order to find their glorious true selves through the crucible of team sport and, more importantly, friendship.

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Be well and happy reading!

Linda Reimer, SSCL

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References

Smith, Timothy. (2018, September 20.) How Voter Suppression Threatens Our Democracy. The Washington Post., https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/how-voter-suppression-threatens-our-democracy/2018/09/20/c1dd3b8a-aad3-11e8-b1da-ff7faa680710_story.html

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

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StarCat

The catalog of physical library materials, i.e. print books, audiobooks on CD, DVDs etc.

ABOUT LIBRARY APPS:

You can access digital library content, i.e. eBooks & downloadable audiobooks, on PCs, Macs and mobile devices.

For mobile devices simply download the Libby (eBooks & downloadable audiobooks) or the RB Digital app (on-demand magazines), from your app store to get started. And if you’re using a PC or Mac simply click on the following link: https://stls.overdrive.com/

If you have questions call the library at 607-936-3713 and one of our tech coaches will be happy to assist you.

Tech Talk is a Southeast Steuben County Library blog.

Hi everyone, here is the weekly list of New York Times Bestsellers available in the Digital Catalog.

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If you have questions about how to access digital content, you can write a comment and post it on the blog, or send me, SSCL Librarian Linda Reimer, questions via email: reimerl@stls.org

 

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FICTION:

28 SUMMERS by Elin Hilderbrand (Downloadable Audiobooks):

A relationship that started in 1993 between Mallory Blessing and Jake McCloud comes to light while she is on her deathbed and his wife runs for president.

 

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AMERICAN DIRT by Jeanine Cummins (eBook):

A bookseller flees Mexico for the United States with her son while pursued by the head of a drug cartel.

 

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CAMINO WINDS by John Grisham (eBook):

The line between fact and fiction becomes blurred when an author of thrillers is found dead after a hurricane hits Camino Island.

 

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DADDY’S GIRLS by Danielle Steel (eBook):

After a California rancher‘s sudden death, his three daughters discover things they did not know about their father.

 

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DEACON KING KONG by James McBride (Downloadable Audiobook):

In 1969, secrets in a South Brooklyn neighborhood are uncovered when a church deacon known as Sportcoat shoots a drug dealer in public.

 

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DEVOLUTION by Max Brooks (Downloadable Audiobook):

In the aftermath of Mount Rainier erupting, Kate Holland’s newly discovered journals tell the tale of the creature known as Bigfoot.

 

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FAIR WARNING by Michael Connelly (Downloadable Audiobook):

The third book in the Jack McEvoy series. A reporter tracks a killer who uses genetic data to pick his victims.

 

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THE GUARDIANS by John Grisham (eBook):

Cullen Post, a lawyer and Episcopal minister, antagonizes some ruthless killers when he takes on a wrongful conviction case.

 

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THE GUEST LIST by Lucy Foley (Downloadable Audiobook):

A wedding between a TV star and a magazine publisher on an island off the coast of Ireland turns deadly.

 

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HIDEAWAY by Nora Roberts (Downloadable Audiobook):

A child star escapes her abductors, gathers herself in western Ireland and returns to Hollywood.

 

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IF IT BLEEDS by Stephen King (eBook):

Four novellas: “Mr. Harrigan’s Phone,” “The Life of Chuck,” “Rat” and “If It Bleeds.”

 

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LITTLE FIRES EVERYWHERE by Celeste Ng (eBook):

An artist upends a quiet town outside Cleveland.

 

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SUMMER HOUSE by James Patterson and Brendan DuBois (Downloadable Audiobook):

Jeremiah Cook, a veteran and former N.Y.P.D. cop, investigates a mass murder near a lake in Georgia.

 

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TOM CLANCY: FIRING POINT by Mike Maden (eBook):

When an old friend is killed during the bombing of a Barcelona cafe, Jack Ryan Jr. searches for those responsible.

 

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THE VANISHING HALF by Brit Bennett (eBook)

The lives of twin sisters who run away from a Southern black community at age 16 diverge as one returns and the other takes on a different racial identity.

 

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WALK THE WIRE by David Baldacci (eBook):

The sixth book in the Memory Man series. Decker and Jamison investigate a murder in a North Dakota town in a fracking boom.

 

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WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING by Delia Owens (eBook):

In a quiet town on the North Carolina coast in 1969, a young woman who survived alone in the marsh becomes a murder suspect.

 

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NON-FICTION:

BECOMING by Michelle Obama (eBook):

The former first lady describes her journey from the South Side of Chicago to the White House, and how she balanced work, family and her husband’s political ascent.

 

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BETWEEN THE WORLD AND ME by Ta-Nehisi Coates (eBook):

Winner of the 2015 National Book Award for nonfiction. A meditation on race in America as well as a personal story, framed as a letter to the author’s teenage son.

 

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THE COLOR OF LAW by Richard Rothstein (eBooks):

An examination of the ways in which the government caused residential segregation through racial zoning and other systemic practices.

 

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EDUCATED by Tara Westover (eBook):

The daughter of survivalists, who is kept out of school, educates herself enough to leave home for university.

 

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FORTITUDE by Dan Crenshaw (eBook):

The Texas congressman and former Navy SEAL prescribes ways to overcome adversity.

 

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HOW TO BE AN ANTIRACIST by Ibram X. Kendi (eBook):

A primer for creating a more just and equitable society through identifying and opposing racism.

 

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I’M STILL HERE by Austin Channing Brown (Downloadable Audiobook):

A black woman who was given a white man’s name by her parents shares her journey to finding her own worth and what stands in the way of racial justice.

 

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JUST MERCY by Bryan Stevenson (Downloadable Audiobook):

: A law professor and MacArthur grant recipient’s memoir of his decades of work to free innocent people condemned to death.

 

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THE MAMBA MENTALITY by Kobe Bryant (eBook):

Various skills and techniques used on the court by the Los Angeles Lakers player.

 

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ME AND WHITE SUPREMACY by Layla F. Saad (eBook):

Ways to understand and possibly counteract white privilege.

 

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THE NEW JIM CROW by Michelle Alexander (eBook):

A law professor takes aim at the “war on drugs,” mass incarceration and their impact on black men.

 

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SO YOU WANT TO TALK ABOUT RACE by Ijeoma Oluo (Downloadable Audiobook)

A look at the contemporary racial landscape of the United States.

 

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SPLENDID AND THE VILE by Erik Larson (eBook):

An examination of the leadership of the prime minister Winston Churchill.

 

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STAMPED FROM THE BEGINNING by Ibram X. Kendi (Downloadable Audiobook):

Winner of the 2016 National Book Award for nonfiction. A look at anti-black racist ideas and their effect on the course of American history.

 

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UNTAMED by Glennon Doyle (eBook):

The activist and public speaker describes her journey of listening to her inner voice.

 

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WHITE FRAGILITY by Robin DiAngelo (eBook):

Historical and cultural analyses on what causes defensive moves by white people and how this inhibits cross-racial dialogue.

 

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WHY ARE ALL THE BLACK KIDS SITTING TOGETHER IN THE CAFETERIA? by Beverly Tatum (eBook):

The president emerita of Spelman College examines whether self-segregation is a problem or a coping strategy.

 

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Be well and read on!

Linda Reimer, SSL

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Note: this list contains all the New York Times fiction and non-fiction bestsellers for the week that are owned by libraries within the Southern Tier Library System.

Tech Talk is a Southeast Steuben County Library blog.

Hi everyone, here is our bi-weekly recommended listening posting for Friday, June 26, 2020.

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The next Suggested Listening posting will be out on Friday, July 3, 2020.

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And here are the music recommendations for today!

Bach: 4. Cello-Suite (Sarabande) by Alisa Weilerstein (Genre: Classical)

The passionate celloist plays! The suite is from her 2020 release, simply titled Bach (2020).

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Build A House by Rhiannon Giddens and Yo-Yo Ma (Genre: Americana, Classical)

A terrific collaboration between Americana singer-songwriter and musician Rhiannon Giddens and the equally great celloist Yo-Yo Ma!

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Crazy Mama by John Craigie (Genre: Folk)

From his album Asterisk the Universe (2020)

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Doggone Right by Smokey Robinson & The Miracles (Genre: Vocal, R&B, Traditional R&B)

A fun song by the classic vocal group, from their album Time Out for Smokey Robinson & the Miracles (1969).

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Light My Fire by The Doors (Genre: Rock, Classic Rock)

Recorded in concert, from their debut album, The Doors (1967).

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Memphis Rain by Victor Wainwright And the Train (Genre: Swinging Rock, Blues)

The blues-rockin’ pianist Victor Wainwright and his band, with a song from their new album, Memphis Loud (2020).

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Rain Falls Down in Amsterdam 2011 by Eric Anderson (Genre: Folk)

The folk great with a song from his new album Woodstock Under the Stars (2020).

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Song for the Morning Star by R. Carols Nakai (Genre: New Age)

Native American flutist R. Carols Nakai playing a soothing, nature-centric song, from his album The Canyon Trilogy (1989).

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The Thing Called Love by Bonnie Raitt (Genre: Blues, Rock)

One of Bonnie’s biggest hits, from her album Luck of the Draw (1991).

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Wicked Game by Chris Isaak (Genre: Vocal, Pop-Rock)

A wonderful Roy Orbison-esque song in the blue-eyed soul tradition, from the album Heart Shaped World (1989).

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Be well & happy listening!

Linda Reimer, SSCL

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REFERENCES:

Print References

The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits by Joel Whitburn

Online References

AllMusic: https://www.allmusic.com/

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Online Catalog Links:

StarCat

The catalog of physical materials, i.e. print books, DVDs, audiobooks on CD, etc.

The Digital Catalog (OverDrive)

The catalog of e-books, downloadable audiobooks and a handful of streaming videos.

ABOUT LIBRARY APPS: Libby & RBDigital:

You can access digital library content on PCs, Macs and mobile devices. For mobile devices simply download the Libby and/or the RBDigital app, to check out eBooks, downloadable audiobooks and on-demand magazines, from your app store to get started. If you have questions call the library at 607-936-3713 and one of our tech coaches will be happy to assist you.

Tech Talk is a Southeast Steuben County Library blog.