Tech & Book Talk at SSCL

Hi everyone, here is our weekly recommended listening posting! And for right now, as we are mostly home bound in New York State, I’m going to offer some great listening suggetions via YouTube videos.

And just FYI, you can download three free songs per week and listen to three hours of commercial free music per day, through the library system’s Freegal Music service.

And if you’d like to check out Freegal, you can stream and download music to a computer by accessing the Freegal Music catalog via the following link:

https://stlsny.freegalmusic.com/home

And you can download the Freegal app, from your app store, and listen to the music on your tablet or smartphone. You will need your library card and your PIN (the last four digits of your phone no.) to login.

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Recommended Music Videos of the Week:

Before the recommended music videos of the week, here’s a link to the YouTube page of the great American musician Yo-Yo Ma who has started a streaming series of videos called Songs of Comfort. Ma was features in a PBS new story on the same subject earlier this week.

Here’s a link to Yo-Yo Ma’s YouTube page
https://www.youtube.com/user/YoYoMaVideos

And one to the short PBS interview with Ma on the subject of these beautiful music videos
https://www.youtube.com/user/YoYoMaVideos

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And now onto the other recommended videos of the week!

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Ain’t Nobody Here But Us Chickens by Louis Jordan

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Beans & Cornbread by Louis Jordan

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Brian Boru’s March by James Galway

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Caravan by Duke Ellington

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The Forest Gump Suite from the soundtrack

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Going Home by Yo-Yo Ma

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Good Day Sunshine by The Beatles

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Lord of the Rings Suite by James Galway

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Rock Steady by Aretha Franklin

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So What? by Miles Davis

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Take Five by Dave Brubeck

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Take It Easy by The Eagles

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Theme From The Thorn Birds by James Galway

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The Weight by The Band

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Wooden Ships by The Jefferson Airplane

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Stay safe!

Linda Reimer, SSCL

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REFERENCES:

Print References

The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits by Joel Whitburn

Online References

Alan Lomax Man Who Recorded The World, NPR Review from All Things Considered (2011),
https://www.npr.org/2011/01/08/132707935/alan-lomax-recording-the-world

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

Booker T. Jones On New Memoir, Heard on All Things Considered (2019),
https://www.npr.org/2019/12/01/784005895/booker-t-jones-on-new-memoir

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 the top New York Times fiction and non-fiction bestsellers for the upcoming week.

(Click on the book covers to read a summary of each plot and to request the book(s) of your choice.

FICTION:

AMERICAN DIRT by Jeanine Cummins:

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

 

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BLINDSIDE by James Patterson and James O. Born:

The 12th book in the Michael Bennett series. A serial-killing spree might impact national security.

 

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DEACON KING KONG by James McBride:

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

 

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THE DUTCH HOUSE by Ann Patchett:

A sibling relationship is impacted when the family goes from poverty to wealth and back again over the course of many decades.

 

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THE GIVER OF STARS by Jojo Moyes:

In Depression-era America, five women refuse to be cowed by men or convention as they deliver books throughout the mountains of Kentucky.

 

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HOUSE OF EARTH AND BLOOD by Sarah J. Maas:

Passion arises between Bryce Quinlan and Hunt Athalar as they seek to avenge the deaths of Bryce’s friends.

 

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JETSETTERS by Amanda Eyre Ward:

Old pains are unpacked as the fractured Perkins family goes on a trip through Europe.

 

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LETHAL GAME by Christine Feehan:

The 16th book in the GhostWalker series. When Amaryllis is endangered, Malichai’s true identity risks being exposed.

 

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LITTLE FIRES EVERYWHERE by Celeste Ng:

An artist upends a quiet town outside Cleveland.

 

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LONG RANGE by C.J. Box:

The 20th book in the Joe Pickett series. A grizzly bear attack and an attempted assassination of a local judge baffle the Wyoming game warden.

 

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NIGHT WATCHMAN by Louise Erdrich:

As a bill that may hurt the rights of Native Americans goes to Congress in 1953, domestic issues arise for plant workers near the Turtle Mountain Reservation in North Dakota.

 

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NORMAL PEOPLE by Sally Rooney:

The connection between a high school star athlete and a loner ebbs and flows when they go to Trinity College in Dublin.

 

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NUMBERS GAME by Danielle Steel:

An affair wrecks a marriage and a daughter seeks to get out from her family’s shadow while old dreams and new love are pursued.

 

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THE SILENT PATIENT by Alex Michaelides:

Theo Faber looks into the mystery of a famous painter who stops speaking after shooting her husband.

 

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SUCH A FUN AGE by Kiley Reid:

Tumult ensues when Alix Chamberlain’s babysitter is mistakenly accused of kidnapping her charge.

 

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TRACE ELEMENTS by Donna Leon:

The 29th novel in the Commissario Guido Brunetti series. Circumstances around a motorcycle accident reveal that Venice’s water supply might be at risk.

 

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WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING by Delia Owens:

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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WRITERS & LOVERS by Lily King:

Casey Peabody goes through a big life transition as she tries to maintain a creative life.

 

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YOU ARE NOT ALONE by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen:

Shay Miller’s bad luck may get even worse when she meets a pair of sisters who always get what they want.

 

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NON-FICTION:

 

BECOMING by Michelle Obama:

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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DARK TOWERS by David Enrich:

The New York Times finance editor traces the history and illicit dealings of Deutsche Bank.

 

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EDUCATED by Tara Westover:

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

 

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JUST MERCY by Bryan Stevenson:

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:

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

 

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OPEN BOOK by Jessica Simpson with Kevin Carr O’Leary:

The singer, actress and fashion designer discloses times of success, trauma and addiction.

 

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PROFILES IN CORRUPTION by Peter Schweizer:

The author of “Clinton Cash” gives his evaluations of members of the Democratic Party.

 

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SAPIENS by Yuval Noah Harari:

How Homo sapiens became Earth’s dominant species.

 

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SAY NOTHING by Patrick Radden Keefe:

A look at the conflict in Northern Ireland known as the Troubles.

 

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SPLENDID AND THE VILE by Erik Larson:

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

 

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TALKING TO STRANGERS by Malcolm Gladwell:

Famous examples of miscommunication serve as the backdrop to explain potential conflicts and misunderstandings.

 

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UNKNOWN VALOR by Martha MacCallum:

The Fox News anchor weaves stories of combat veterans who fought during World War II.

 

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UNTIL THE END OF TIME by Brian Greene:

A physicist gives an overview of how we got here, where we are and directions we might go.

 

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VERY STABLE GENIUS by Philip Rucker and Carol Leonnig:

The Pulitzer Prize-winning journalists use firsthand accounts to chart patterns of behavior within the Trump administration.

 

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Have a great weekend!

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 are our five musical recommendations of the week!

(Click on the Book/eBook/CD/DVD or book cover to request the item)

Recommended Titles:

1973: Rock At The Crossroads by Andrew G. Jackson (Format: Print Book) (Genre: Classic Rock):

A fascinating account of the music and epic social change of 1973, a defining year for David Bowie, Bruce Springsteen, Pink Floyd, Elton John, the Rolling Stones, Eagles, Elvis Presley, and the former members of The Beatles.

1973 was the year rock hit its peak while splintering—just like the rest of the world. Ziggy Stardust travelled to America in David Bowie’s Aladdin Sane. The Dark Side of the Moon began its epic run on the Billboard charts, inspired by the madness of Pink Floyd’s founder, while all four former Beatles scored top ten albums, two hitting #1.

FM battled AM, and Motown battled Philly on the charts, as the era of protest soul gave way to disco, while DJ Kool Herc gave birth to hip hop in the Bronx. The glam rock of the New York Dolls and Alice Cooper split into glam metal and punk. Hippies and rednecks made peace in Austin thanks to Willie Nelson, while outlaw country, country rock, and Southern rock each pointed toward modern country. The Allman Brothers, Grateful Dead, and the Band played the largest rock concert to date at Watkins Glen.

Led Zep’s Houses of the Holy reflected the rise of funk and reggae. The singer songwriter movement led by Bob Dylan, Neil Young, and Joni Mitchell flourished at the Troubadour and Max’s Kansas City, where Bruce Springsteen and Bob Marley shared bill. Elvis Presley’s Aloha from Hawaii via Satellite was NBC’s top-rated special of the year, while Elton John’s albums dominated the number one spot for two and a half months.

Just as U.S. involvement in Vietnam drew to a close, Roe v. Wade ignited a new phase in the culture war. While the oil crisis imploded the American dream of endless prosperity, and Watergate’s walls closed in on Nixon, the music of 1973 both reflected a shattered world and brought us together. – From The Publisher

“Jackson’s book paints a vivid portrait of the year through the lens of popular music — mostly rock, but also country and hip-hop … His analysis of sexuality and rock music is particularly interesting … Jackson also proves to have a real talent for evoking the places that made 1973 such a consequential year in music.” —NPR Review

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Alan Lomax: The Man Who Recorded The World by John Szwed (Format: Print Book) (Genre: Music History, Folk, Jazz, Blues, Regional Music, Americana):

The definitive biography of Alan Lomax-from John Szwed,”the best music biographer in the business” (L.A. Weekly).

One of the most remarkable figures of the twentieth century, Alan Lomax was best known for bringing legendary musicians like Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, Muddy Waters, Lead Belly, and Burl Ives to the radio and introducing folk music to a mass audience. Now John Szwed, the acclaimed biographer of Miles

Davis and Sun Ra, presents the first biography of Lomax, a man who was as influential as he was controversial-trailed for years by the FBI, criticized for his folk- song-collecting practices, denounced by some as a purist and by others as a popularizer. This authoritative work reveals how Lomax changed not only the way everyone in the country heard music but also the way they viewed America itself.

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Country Fuzz (2020) by Cadillacs Three (Format: CD) (Genre: Country)

Country Fuzz is the sixth album by the Nashville based country trio, whose music is built on the foundations of country, Southern rock and Outlaw rock. The trio features Jaren Johnston on guitar vocals, Neil Mason on drums and Kelby Ray on bass. Johnston writes most of the bands material and the trio’s music can be well described as country rock with a side order of swagger!

Song List:
Bar Round Here
The Jam
Hard Out Here for a Country Boy
Slow Rollin’
All the Makin’s of a Saturday Night
Crackin’ Cold Ones With the Boys
Labels
Raise Hell
Back Home

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State Of Nature (2008) by Stanley Jordan (Format: CD) (Genre: Jazz, Guitar):

State Of Nature is the twelfth album by Princeton graduate, music therapist and incomparable modern Jazz guitarist Stanley Jordan.

Song List:
A Place in Space
All Blues
Forest Garden
Insensatez
Mozart’s Piano Concerto #21 (Andante in F Major)
Song for My Father
Mind Games #1
Ocean Breeze
Healing Waves

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Time Is Tight: My Life Note By Note by Booker T. Jones (Format: Print Book) (Genre: Classic Rock, R&B, Soul):

The long-awaited memoir of Booker T. Jones, leader of the famed Stax Records house band, architect of the Memphis soul sound, and one of the most legendary figures in music. From Booker T. Jones’s earliest years in segregated Memphis, music was the driving force in his life. While he worked paper routes and played gigs in local nightclubs to pay for lessons and support his family, Jones, on the side, was also recording sessions in what became the famous Stax Studios — all while still in high school. Not long after, he would form the genre-defining group Booker T. and the MGs, whose recordings went on to sell millions of copies, win a place in Rolling Stone’s list of top 500 songs of all time, and help forge collaborations with some of the era’s most influential artists, including Otis Redding, Wilson Pickett, and Sam & Dave. Nearly five decades later, Jones’s influence continues to help define the music industry, but only now is he ready to tell his remarkable life story.

Time is Tight is the deeply moving account of how Jones balanced the brutality of the segregationist South with the loving support of his family and community, all while transforming a burgeoning studio into a musical mecca. Culminating with a definitive account into the inner workings of the Stax label, as well as a fascinating portrait of working with many of the era’s most legendary performers — Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson, and Tom Jones, among them — this extraordinary memoir promises to become a landmark moment in the history of Southern Soul.

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Videos Of The Week:

Band on The Run by Paul McCartney & Wings

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Give Me Love (Give Me Peace On Earth) by George Harrison

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Goodbye Yellow Brick Road by Elton John

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Mind Games by John Lennon

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Over The Hills And Far Away by Led Zeppelin

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Photograph by Ringo Starr

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The Real Me by The Who

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Time by Pink Floyd

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Watch That Man by David Bowie

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61 Highway Blues by Sonny Boy Nelson

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County Blues by Dock Boggs

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Diamond Joe by Bessie Jones

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Whole Heap of Little Horses by Texas Gladden

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Freedom In the Air: A Documentary on Albany, Georgia (1961-1962) (Produced by Alan Lomax, available on the Lomax Archive YouTube channel) Time: 41 minutes, 26 seconds.

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To Hear Your Banjo Play (1947) produced by Alan Lomax & narrated by Pete Seeger

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Back Home by The Cadillac Three

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Bar Round Here by The Cadillac Three

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All The Makin’s Of A Saturday Night by The Cadillac Three

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Eleanor Rigby by Stanley Jordan

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Stairway To Heaven by Stanley Jordan

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State Of Nature by Stanley Jordan

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Everything Is Everything by Booker T. Jones

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Green Onions by Booker T. & The MG’s

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Melting Pot by Booker T. & The MGs

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Have a great weekend!

Linda Reimer, SSCL

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REFERENCES:

Print References

The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits by Joel Whitburn

Online References

Alan Lomax Man Who Recorded The World, NPR Review from All Things Considered (2011),
https://www.npr.org/2011/01/08/132707935/alan-lomax-recording-the-world

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

Booker T. Jones On New Memoir, Heard on All Things Considered (2019),
https://www.npr.org/2019/12/01/784005895/booker-t-jones-on-new-memoir

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, five digital titles, eBooks & downloadable audiobooks, available through OverDrive and five print titles available through StarCat.

DIGITAL CATALOG RECOMMENDATIONS:

Dawn by Octavia E. Butler:

An alien race calls on one woman to revive mankind after Earth’s apocalypse in this science fiction classic from the award-winning author of Parable of the Sower.

Lilith Iyapo has just lost her husband and son when atomic fire consumes Earth—the last stage of the planet’s final war. Hundreds of years later Lilith awakes, deep in the hold of a massive alien spacecraft piloted by the Oankali—who arrived just in time to save humanity from extinction. They have kept Lilith and other survivors asleep for centuries, as they learned whatever they could about Earth. Now it is time for Lilith to lead them back to her home world, but life among the Oankali on the newly resettled planet will be nothing like it was before.

The Oankali survive by genetically merging with primitive civilizations—whether their new hosts like it or not. For the first time since the nuclear holocaust, Earth will be inhabited. Grass will grow, animals will run, and people will learn to survive the planet’s untamed wilderness. But their children will not be human. Not exactly.

Featuring strong and compelling characters and exploring complex themes of gender and species, Octavia E. Butler presents a powerful, postapocalyptic interplanetary epic, as well as a ray of hope for humanity.

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Drowning Ruth by Christina Schwarz:

Deftly written and emotionally powerful, Drowning Ruth is a stunning portrait of the ties that bind sisters together and the forces that tear them apart, of the dangers of keeping secrets and the explosive repercussions when they are exposed. A mesmerizing and achingly beautiful debut.

Winter, 1919. Amanda Starkey spends her days nursing soldiers wounded in the Great War. Finding herself suddenly overwhelmed, she flees Milwaukee and retreats to her family’s farm on Nagawaukee Lake, seeking comfort with her younger sister, Mathilda, and three-year-old niece, Ruth. But very soon, Amanda comes to see that her old home is no refuge—she has carried her troubles with her. On one terrible night almost a year later, Amanda loses nearly everything that is dearest to her when her sister mysteriously disappears and is later found drowned beneath the ice that covers the lake. When Mathilda’s husband comes home from the war, wounded and troubled himself, he finds that Amanda has taken charge of Ruth and the farm, assuming her responsibility with a frightening intensity. Wry and guarded, Amanda tells the story of her family in careful doses, as anxious to hide from herself as from us the secrets of her own past and of that night.

Ruth, haunted by her own memory of that fateful night, grows up under the watchful eye of her prickly and possessive aunt and gradually becomes aware of the odd events of her childhood. As she tells her own story with increasing clarity, she reveals the mounting toll that her aunt’s secrets exact from her family and everyone around her, until the heartrending truth is uncovered.

Guiding us through the lives of the Starkey women, Christina Schwarz’s first novel shows her compassion and a unique understanding of the American landscape and the people who live on it.

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The King’s War by Peter Conradi:

The broadcast that George VI made to the British nation on the outbreak of war in September 1939—which formed the climax of the multi-Oscar-winning film The King’s Speech—was the product of years of hard work with Lionel Logue, his iconoclastic, Australian-born speech therapist. Yet the relationship between the two men did not end there. Far from it: in the years that followed, Logue was to play an even more important role at the monarch’s side. The King’s War follows that relationship through the dangerous days of Dunkirk and the drama of D-Day to eventual victory in 1945—and beyond. Like the first book, it is written by Peter Conradi, a London Sunday Times journalist, and Mark Logue (Lionel’s grandson), and again draws on exclusive material from the Logue Archive—the collection of diaries, letters, and other documents left by Lionel and his feisty wife, Myrtle. This gripping narrative provides a fascinating portrait of two men and their respective families—the Windsors and the Logues—as they together face the greatest challenge in Britain’s history.

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The Red House by Mark Haddon:

From Mark Haddon, the bestselling author of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, comes a dazzlingly inventive novel about modern family life.

Richard, a wealthy doctor, invites his estranged sister and her family to join his family for a week at a vacation home in the English countryside. Against the backdrop of a strange family gathering, Haddon skillfully weaves together the stories of eight very different people forced into close quarters. The Red House is a symphony of long-held grudges, fading dreams and rising hopes, tightly guarded secrets and illicit desires, painting a portrait of contemporary family life that is at once bittersweet, comic, and deeply felt.

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Tulip Fever: A Novel by Deborah Moggach:

A sensual tale of art, lust, and deception—now a major motion picture

In 1630s Amsterdam, tulipomania has seized the populace. Everywhere men are seduced by the fantastic exotic flower. But for wealthy merchant Cornelis Sandvoort, it is his young and beautiful wife, Sophia, who stirs his soul. She is the prize he desires, the woman he hopes will bring him the joy that not even his considerable fortune can buy.

Cornelis yearns for an heir, but so far he and Sophia have failed to produce one. In a bid for immortality, he commissions a portrait of them both by the talented young painter Jan van Loos. But as Van Loos begins to capture Sophia’s likeness on canvas, a slow passion begins to burn between the beautiful young wife and the talented artist.

As the portrait unfolds, so a slow dance is begun among the household’s inhabitants. Ambitions, desires, and dreams breed a grand deception—and as the lies multiply, events move toward a thrilling and tragic climax.

In this richly imagined international bestseller, Deborah Moggach has created the rarest of novels—a lush, lyrical work of fiction that is also compulsively readable. Seldom has a novel so vividly evoked a time, a place, and a passion.

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PRINT RECOMMENDATIONS:

The Antidote For Everything by Kimmery Martin:

An evocative new novel set in the medical world about how far one woman will go to save a friendship from acclaimed author and former ER doctor Kimmery Martin. Urologist Georgia Brown’s sense of self-preservation is kicked into high gear after she’s sexually harassed by a male surgeon at her medical clinic, but her outrage grows when her best doctor friend, Jonah, is dismissed for treating transgender patients. After traveling to Amsterdam to attend a medical conference, Georgia concocts a plan to persuade the board to reverse their decision about Jonah. But when her scheme to teach the hospital administration an important lesson begins to spiral out of control, Georgia worries she’s caused more harm than good. After a medical crisis involving one of her friends, she learns that love and friendship are the antidotes for all the ills in her life.

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The Authenticity Project by Clare Pooley:

Julian Jessop, an eccentric, lonely artist and septuagenarian believes that most people aren’t really honest with each other. But what if they were? And so he writes–in a plain, green journal–the truth about his own life and leaves it in his local café. It’s run by the incredibly tidy and efficient Monica, who furtively adds her own entry and leaves the book in the wine bar across the street. Before long, the others who find the green notebook add the truths about their own deepest selves–and soon find each other In Real Life at Monica’s Café.

The Authenticity Project’s cast of characters–including Hazard, the charming addict who makes a vow to get sober; Alice, the fabulous mommy Instagrammer whose real life is a lot less perfect than it looks online; and their other new friends–is by turns quirky and funny, heartbreakingly sad and painfully true-to-life. It’s a story about being brave and putting your real self forward–and finding out that it’s not as scary as it seems. In fact, it looks a lot like happiness.

The Authenticity Project is just the tonic for our times that readers are clamoring for–and one they will take to their hearts and read with unabashed pleasure.

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The Last Passenger by Charles Finch:

London, 1855: A young and eager Charles Lenox faces his toughest case yet: a murder without a single clue. Slumped in a first-class car at Paddington Station is the body of a young, handsome gentleman. He has no luggage, empty pockets, and no sign of violence upon his person–yet Lenox knows instantly that it’s not a natural death. Pursuing the investigation against the wishes of Scotland Yard, the detective encounters every obstacle London in 1855 has to offer, from obstinate royalty to class prejudice to the intense grief of his closest friend.

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Red Mantle by Maria Turtschaninoff:

Introducing the third and final installment in the celebrated Red Abbey Chronicles trilogy

Red Mantle is the gripping conclusion to the critically acclaimed first two installments in the Red Abbey Chronicles, Maresi and Naondel. An epistolary novel, Red Mantle is told through the letters Maresi writes back to her friends and mentors at the Abbey. The novel continues the story of Maresi as she leaves the Abbey at Menos and returns home to the small, oppressed province of Rovas. There, Maresi is determined to spread the knowledge she has gained and start a school–but in the end, she will learn just as much as she teaches.

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The Splendid And The Vile by Erik Larson:

On Winston Churchill’s first day as prime minister, Adolf Hitler invaded Holland and Belgium. Poland and Czechoslovakia had already fallen, and the Dunkirk evacuation was just two weeks away. For the next twelve months, Hitler would wage a relentless bombing campaign, killing 45,000 Britons. It was up to Churchill to hold his country together and persuade President Franklin Roosevelt that Britain was a worthy ally–and willing to fight to the end.

In The Splendid and the Vile, Erik Larson shows, in cinematic detail, how Churchill taught the British people “the art of being fearless.” It is a story of political brinkmanship, but it’s also an intimate domestic drama, set against the backdrop of Churchill’s prime-ministerial country home, Chequers; his wartime retreat, Ditchley, where he and his entourage go when the moon is brightest and the bombing threat is highest; and of course 10 Downing Street in London. Drawing on diaries, original archival documents, and once-secret intelligence reports–some released only recently–Larson provides a new lens on London’s darkest year through the day-to-day experience of Churchill and his family: his wife, Clementine; their youngest daughter, Mary, who chafes against her parents’ wartime protectiveness; their son, Randolph, and his beautiful, unhappy wife, Pamela; Pamela’s illicit lover, a dashing American emissary; and the advisers in Churchill’s “Secret Circle,” to whom he turns in the hardest moments.

The Splendid and the Vile takes readers out of today’s political dysfunction and back to a time of true leadership, when, in the face of unrelenting horror, Churchill’s eloquence, courage, and perseverance bound a country, and a family, together.

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Have a great week!

Linda Reimer, SSCL

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Note: Book summaries are from the publisher 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 are the top New York Times fiction and non-fiction bestsellers for the upcoming week.

(Click on the book covers to read a summary of each plot and to request the book(s) of your choice.

FICTION:

AMERICAN DIRT by Jeanine Cummins:

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

 

–

 

APEIROGON by Colum McCann:

A bond forms between a Palestinian man and an Israeli man when they both lose a daughter.

 

–

 

BLINDSIDE by James Patterson and James O. Born:

The 12th book in the Michael Bennett series. A serial-killing spree might impact national security.

 

–

 

CHASING CASSANDRA by Lisa Kleypas:

The sixth book in the Ravenels series. Cassandra teaches a railway magnate a lesson.

 

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COCONUT LAYER CAKE MURDER by Joanne Fluke:

The bakery owner Hannah Swensen’s sister’s boyfriend is accused of murder.

 

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CROOKED RIVER by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child:

The 19th book in the Agent Pendergast series. Human feet inside nondescript shoes wash ashore in Florida.

 

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DEAR EDWARD by Ann Napolitano:

A 12-year-old boy tries to start over after becoming the sole survivor of a plane crash in which he lost his immediate family.

 

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THE DUTCH HOUSE by Ann Patchett:

A sibling relationship is impacted when the family goes from poverty to wealth and back again over the course of many decades.

 

–

 

THE GIVER OF STARS by Jojo Moyes:

In Depression-era America, five women refuse to be cowed by men or convention as they deliver books throughout the mountains of Kentucky.

 

–

 

GOLDEN IN DEATH by J.D. Robb:

The 50th book of the In Death series. Eve Dallas seeks the sender of packages that give off toxic airborne fumes.

 

–

 

THE GUARDIANS by John Grisham:

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

 

–

 

LAST WISH by Andrzej Sapkowski:

Linked stories follow the exploits of Geralt of Rivia, a monster-slaying mercenary.

 

–

 

LITTLE FIRES EVERYWHERE by Celeste Ng:

An artist upends a quiet town outside Cleveland.

 

–

 

A LONG PETAL OF THE SEA by Isabel Allende:

A young pregnant widow and an Army doctor take a ship to Chile to escape the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War.

 

–

 

THE OUTSIDER by Stephen King:

A detective investigates a seemingly wholesome member of the community when an 11-year-old boy’s body is found.

 

–

 

THE SILENT PATIENT by Alex Michaelides:

Theo Faber looks into the mystery of a famous painter who stops speaking after shooting her husband.

 

–

 

SUCH A FUN AGE by Kiley Reid:

Tumult ensues when Alix Chamberlain’s babysitter is mistakenly accused of kidnapping her charge.

 

–

 

TATTOOIST OF AUSCHWITZ by Heather Morris:

A concentration camp detainee tasked with permanently marking fellow prisoners falls in love with one of them.

 

–

 

WARSAW PROTOCOL by Steve Berry:

The 15th book in the Cotton Malone series. The balance of power in Europe is imperiled.

 

–

 

WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING by Delia Owens:

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

 

–

 

NON-FICTION:

 

BECOMING by Michelle Obama:

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.

 

–

 

THE BODY KEEPS THE SCORE by Bessel van der Kolk:

How trauma affects the body and mind, and innovative treatments for recovery.

 

–

DARK TOWERS by David Enrich:

The New York Times finance editor traces the history and illicit dealings of Deutsche Bank.

 

–

 

EDUCATED by Tara Westover:

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

 

–

 

HOW TO BE AN ANTIRACIST by Ibram X. Kendi:

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

 

–

 

JUST MERCY by Bryan Stevenson:

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

 

–

 

THE MAMBA MENTALITY by Kobe Bryant:

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

 

–

 

MAYBE YOU SHOULD TALK TO SOMEONE by Lori Gottlieb:

A psychotherapist gains unexpected insights when she becomes another therapist’s patient.

 

–

 

OPEN BOOK by Jessica Simpson with Kevin Carr O’Leary:

The singer, actress and fashion designer discloses times of success, trauma and addiction.

 

–

 

PROFILES IN CORRUPTION by Peter Schweizer:

The author of “Clinton Cash” gives his evaluations of members of the Democratic Party.

 

–

 

SAPIENS by Yuval Noah Harari:

How Homo sapiens became Earth’s dominant species.

 

–

 

SAY NOTHING by Patrick Radden Keefe:

A look at the conflict in Northern Ireland known as the Troubles.

 

–

 

SPLENDID AND THE VILE by Erik Larson:

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

 

–

 

TALKING TO STRANGERS by Malcolm Gladwell:

Famous examples of miscommunication serve as the backdrop to explain potential conflicts and misunderstandings.

 

–

 

UNKNOWN VALOR by Martha MacCallum:

The Fox News anchor weaves stories of combat veterans who fought during World War II.

 

–

 

UNTIL THE END OF TIME by Brian Greene:

A physicist gives an overview of how we got here, where we are and directions we might go.

 

–

 

VERY STABLE GENIUS by Philip Rucker and Carol Leonnig:

The Pulitzer Prize-winning journalists use firsthand accounts to chart patterns of behavior within the Trump administration.

 

–

 

WHY WE’RE POLARIZED by Ezra Klein:

The editor at large and co-founder of Vox offers his take on what causes divisions in America.

 

–

 

Have a great weekend!

Linda Reimer, SSL

–

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 are our five musical recommendations of the week!

(Click on the Book/eBook/CD/DVD or book cover to request the item)

Recommended Titles:.

Somethin’ Else (1958) by Cannonball Adderley(Genre: Jazz):

This 1958 album features a great group of classic jazz musicians – Saxophonist Cannonball Adderley accompanied by Miles Davis on trumpet, Hank Jones on piano, Art Blakely on drums and Sam Jones on bass.

This is a beautiful, flowing classic jazz album!

Song List:
Autumn Leaves
Love For Sale
Somethin’ Else
One For Daddy-O
Dancing In the Dark
Allison’s Uncle
Spectacular
Miss Jackie’s Delight
Tribute To Brownie

–

Natural (2017) by Cindy Bradley (Genre: Jazz):

Trumpeter Cindy Bradley was born in North Tonawanda, New York, studied music at Ithaca College and the New England Conservatory in Boston, MA., and today is an educator and musician who hails from Buffalo, New York.

She plays smooth jazz and jazz influenced instrumental music. Natural is her fifth album.

Song List:
Girl Talk
Category A
Everyone But You
Vibralux
Imagine That
Clean Break
Natural
Bring It Back
She Bop

–

Now That I Found You (1995) by Alison Krauss (Genre: Bluegrass, Country, Folk):

This album chronicles the first ten years of bluegrass great Alison Krauss’s career.

Song List:
Baby, Now That I’ve Found You
Oh, Atlanta
Broadway
Every Time You Say Goodbye
Tonight I’ll Be Lonely Too
Teardrops Will Kiss the Morning Dew
Sleep On
When God Dips His Pen of Love in My Heart
I Will

–

Best of Carly Simon by Carly Simon (Genre: Pop, Vocal):

A solid greatest hits collection of Carly’s 1970s work.

That’s the Way I’ve Always Heard It Should Be
The Right Thing to Do
Mockingbird
Legend in Your Own Time
Haven’t Got Time for the Pain
You’re So Vain
We Have No Secrets
Night Owl
Anticipation

–

Greatest Hits Etc. by Paul Simon (Genre: Singer-Songwriter, Traditional Rock):

We’re on a seventies kick this week!

Here is a greatest hits collection of Paul Simon – also of his seventies work.

Song List:
Slip Slidin’ Away
Stranded In A Limousine
Still Crazy After All These Years
Have A Good Time
Duncan
Me And Julio Down By The School Yard
Something So Right
Kodachrome
I Do It For Your Love
50 Ways To Leave Your Lover
American Tune
Mother And Child Reunion
Loves Me Like A Rock
Take Me To The Mardi Gras

–

Videos Of The Week:

Autumn Leaves by Cannonball Adderley

–

Somethin’ Else by Cannonball Adderley

–

Girl Talk by Cindy Bradley

–

Natural by Cindy Bradley

–

Baby, Now That I’ve Found You by Alison Krauss

–

When You Say Nothing At All by Alison Krauss

–

Anticipation by Carly Simon

–

You’re So Vain by Carly Simon

–

Have A Good Time by Paul Simon

–

Late In The Evening by Paul Simon

–

Have a great weekend!

Linda Reimer, SSCL

–

REFERENCES:

Print References

The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits by Joel Whitburn

Online References

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

Cindy Bradley Bio, https://www.cindybradley.com/bio

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, five digital titles, eBooks & downloadable audiobooks, available through OverDrive and five print titles available through StarCat.

DIGITAL CATALOG RECOMMENDATIONS:

Clock Dance: A novel by Anne Tyler

A charming new novel of self-discovery and second chances from the best-selling, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of A Spool of Blue Thread.

Willa Drake can count on one hand the defining moments of her life. In 1967, she is a schoolgirl coping with her mother’s sudden disappearance. In 1977, she is a college coed considering a marriage proposal. In 1997, she is a young widow trying to piece her life back together. And in 2017, she yearns to be a grandmother but isn’t sure she ever will be. Then, one day, Willa receives a startling phone call from a stranger. Without fully understanding why, she flies across the country to Baltimore to look after a young woman she’s never met, her nine-year-old daughter, and their dog, Airplane. This impulsive decision will lead Willa into uncharted territory—surrounded by eccentric neighbors who treat each other like family, she finds solace and fulfillment in unexpected places. A bewitching novel of hope and transformation, Clock Dance gives us Anne Tyler at the height of her powers.

–

The Glass Universe: How the Ladies of the Harvard Observatory Took the Measure of the Stars by Dava Sobel (Format: eBook):

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Dava Sobel, the “inspiring” (People), little-known true story of women’s landmark contributions to astronomy

A New York Times Book Review Notable Book of 2017

Named one of the best books of the year by NPR, The Economist, Smithsonian, Nature, and NPR’s Science Friday

In the mid-nineteenth century, the Harvard College Observatory began employing women as calculators, or “human computers,” to interpret the observations their male counterparts made via telescope each night. At the outset this group included the wives, sisters, and daughters of the resident astronomers, but soon the female corps included graduates of the new women’s colleges—Vassar, Wellesley, and Smith. As photography transformed the practice of astronomy, the ladies turned from computation to studying the stars captured nightly on glass photographic plates.

The “glass universe” of half a million plates that Harvard amassed over the ensuing decades—through the generous support of Mrs. Anna Palmer Draper, the widow of a pioneer in stellar photography—enabled the women to make extraordinary discoveries that attracted worldwide acclaim. They helped discern what stars were made of, divided the stars into meaningful categories for further research, and found a way to measure distances across space by starlight. Their ranks included Williamina Fleming, a Scottish woman originally hired as a maid who went on to identify ten novae and more than three hundred variable stars; Annie Jump Cannon, who designed a stellar classification system that was adopted by astronomers the world over and is still in use; and Dr. Cecilia Helena Payne, who in 1956 became the first ever woman professor of astronomy at Harvard—and Harvard’s first female department chair.

Elegantly written and enriched by excerpts from letters, diaries, and memoirs, The Glass Universe is the hidden history of the women whose contributions to the burgeoning field of astronomy forever changed our understanding of the stars and our place in the universe.

–

A House Among The Trees by Julia Glass (Format: eBook):

In Julia Glass’s fifth book since her acclaimed novel Three Junes won the National Book Award, she gives us the story of an unusual bond between a world-famous writer and his assistant—a richly plotted novel of friendship and love, artistic ambition, the perils of celebrity, and the power of an unexpected legacy.

When the revered children’s book author Mort Lear dies accidentally at his Connecticut home, he leaves his property and all its contents to his trusted assistant, Tomasina Daulair, who is moved by his generosity but dismayed by the complicated and defiant directives in his will. Tommy knew Morty for more than four decades, since meeting him in a Manhattan playground when she was twelve and he was working on sketches for the book that would make him a star. By the end of his increasingly reclusive life, she found herself living in his house as confidante and helpmeet, witness not just to his daily routines but to the emotional fallout of his strange boyhood and his volatile relationship with a lover who died of AIDS. Now Tommy must try to honor Morty’s last wishes while grappling with their effects on several people, including Dani Daulair, her estranged brother; Meredith Galarza, the lonely, outraged museum curator to whom Lear once promised his artistic estate; and Nicholas Greene, the beguiling British actor cast to play Mort Lear in a movie.

When the actor arrives for the visit he had previously arranged with the man he is to portray, he and Tommy are compelled to look more closely at Morty’s past and the consequences of the choices they now face, both separately and together. Morty, as it turns out, made a confession to Greene that undermines much of what Tommy believed she knew about her boss—and about herself. As she contemplates a future without him, her unlikely alliance with Greene—and the loyalty they share toward the man whose legacy they hold in their hands—will lead to surprising upheavals in their wider relationships, their careers, and even their search for love.

–

Peace Like a River: A Novel by Leif Enger (Format: eBook):

Hailed as one of the year’s top five novels by Time, and selected as one of the best books of the year by nearly all major newspapers, national bestseller Peace Like a River captured the hearts of a nation in need of comfort. “A rich mixture of adventure, tragedy, and healing,” Peace Like a River is “a collage of legends from sources sacred and profane — from the Old Testament to the Old West, from the Gospels to police dramas” (Ron Charles, The Christian Science Monitor). In “lyrical, openhearted prose” (Michael Glitz, The New York Post), Enger tells the story of eleven-year-old Reuben Land, an asthmatic boy who has reason to believe in miracles. Along with his sister and father, Reuben finds himself on a cross-country search for his outlaw older brother who has been controversially charged with murder. Their journey is touched by serendipity and the kindness of strangers, and its remarkable conclusion shows how family, love, and faith can stand up to the most terrifying of enemies, the most tragic of fates. Leif Enger’s “miraculous” (Valerie Ryan, The Seattle Times) novel is a “perfect book for an anxious time … of great literary merit that nonetheless restores readers’ faith in the kindness of stories” (Marta Salij, Detroit Free Press).

–

Prepared For Rage written by Dana Stabenow and read by Lorelei King (Format: Downloadable Audiobook):

A renegade terrorist with a bottomless personal grudge against all things American targets the most visible symbol of American prestige and power one clear morning in Florida as NASA prepares to launch the Space Shuttle. This time the shuttle carries a high-profile payload and a high-paying visitor on board as a guest, and astronaut Kenai Munro, the FBI special agent Patrick Chisolm and U.S. Coast Guard Captain Cal Schyler are doing everything they can to help the launch go off without a hitch. Can one terrorist with a gift for mass murder subvert all the forces arrayed against him in a bid for recognition and revenge? Once again Dana Stabenow delivers an action-driven thriller with an ingenious, frightening, straight-from-the-headlines plot, certain to be her next bestseller.

–

PRINT RECOMMENDATIONS:

The Aosawa Murders by Riku Onda:

On a stormy summer day the Aosawas, owners of a prominent local hospital, host a large birthday party. The occasion turns into tragedy when 17 people die from cyanide in their drinks. The only surviving links to what might have happened are a cryptic verse that could be the killer’s, and the physician’s bewitching blind daughter, Hisako, the only person spared injury. But the youth who emerges as the prime suspect commits suicide that October, effectively sealing his guilt while consigning his motives to mystery. The police are convinced that Hisako had a role in the crime, as are many in the town, including the author of a bestselling book about the murders written a decade after the incident, who was herself a childhood friend of Hisako’ and witness to the discovery of the murders. The truth is revealed through a skilful juggling of testimony by different voices: family members, witnesses and neighbours, police investigators and of course the mesmerizing Hisako herself.

–

The Illness Lesson: A Novel by Clare Beams:

In 1871, scholar/philosopher Samuel Hood lives in Ashwell, MA, on a farm that was previously the site of a utopian community experiment. That experiment has long since failed, and Hood’s new plan is to educate young women to be equals to their male counterparts. Hood and adult daughter Caroline, a devotee of his philosophy, will head up the faculty. The students arrive, including one connected to the farm’s previous function. But a secret lies waiting to be revealed, and the students soon begin to show signs of illness. One has a strange rash. Another has a verbal tic. A third has “fits.” Hood calls on a psychiatric physician he knows to treat the girls for what seems to be group hysteria. The psychiatrist’s sinister treatment, amounting to sexual abuse, is condoned by the men at the farm despite their misgivings and Caroline’s outright protests. VERDICT Bard Prize winner Beams (We Show What We Have Learned) successfully shapes the characters who tell the story, capturing the mores of the times and delving deeply into the psychological aspects of the situation. The underlying secret creates a tension that is resolved only in the final pages. Readers of general fiction will enjoy. Library Journal Review by Joanna Burkhardt, Univ. of Rhode Island Libs., rovidence

–

The King At The Edge Of The World by Arthur Phillips:

Queen Elizabeth’s spymasters recruit an unlikely agent—the only Muslim in England—for an impossible mission in a mesmerizing novel from “one of the best writers in America” (The Washington Post)

The year is 1601. Queen Elizabeth I is dying, childless. Her nervous kingdom has no heir. It is a capital crime even to think that Elizabeth will ever die. Potential successors secretly maneuver to be in position when the inevitable occurs. The leading candidate is King James VI of Scotland, but there is a problem.

The queen’s spymasters—hardened veterans of a long war on terror and religious extremism—fear that James is not what he appears. He has every reason to claim to be a Protestant, but if he secretly shares his family’s Catholicism, then forty years of religious war will have been for nothing, and a bloodbath will ensue. With time running out, London confronts a seemingly impossible question: What does James truly believe?

It falls to Geoffrey Belloc, a secret warrior from the hottest days of England’s religious battles, to devise a test to discover the true nature of King James’s soul. Belloc enlists Mahmoud Ezzedine, a Muslim physician left behind by the last diplomatic visit from the Ottoman Empire, as his undercover agent. The perfect man for the job, Ezzedine is the ultimate outsider, stranded on this cold, wet, and primitive island. He will do almost anything to return home to his wife and son.

–

One Minute Out by Mark Greaney:

From Mark Greaney, the New York Times bestselling author of Mission Critical and a coauthor of Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan novels, comes another high-stakes thriller featuring the world’s most dangerous assassin: the Gray Man.

While on a mission to Croatia, Court Gentry uncovers a human trafficking operation. The trail leads from the Balkans all the way back to Hollywood.

Court is determined to shut it down, but his CIA handlers have other plans. The criminal ringleader has actionable intelligence about a potentially devastating terrorist attack on the US. The CIA won’t move until they have that intel. It’s a moral balancing act with Court at the pivot point.

–

The Second Chance Club: Hardship and Hope After Prison by Jason Hardy:

A former parole officer shines a bright light on a huge yet hidden part of our justice system through the intertwining stories of seven parolees striving to survive the chaos that awaits them after prison in this illuminating and dramatic book.

Prompted by a dead-end retail job and a vague desire to increase the amount of justice in his hometown, Jason Hardy became a parole officer in New Orleans at the worst possible moment. Louisiana’s incarceration rates were the highest in the US and his department’s caseload had just been increased to 220 “offenders” per parole officer, whereas the national average is around 100. Almost immediately, he discovered that the biggest problem with our prison system is what we do–and don’t do–when people get out of prison.

Deprived of social support and jobs, these former convicts are often worse off than when they first entered prison and Hardy dramatizes their dilemmas with empathy and grace. He’s given unique access to their lives and a growing recognition of their struggles and takes on his job with the hope that he can change people’s fates–but he quickly learns otherwise. The best Hardy and his colleagues can do is watch out for impending disaster and help clean up the mess left behind. But he finds that some of his charges can muster the miraculous power to save themselves. By following these heroes, he both stokes our hope and fuels our outrage by showing us how most offenders, even those with the best intentions, end up back in prison–or dead–because the system systematically fails them. Our focus should be, he argues, to give offenders the tools they need to re-enter society which is not only humane but also vastly cheaper for taxpayers.

As immersive and dramatic as Evicted and as revelatory as The New Jim Crow, The Second Chance Club shows us how to solve the cruelest problems prisons create for offenders and society at large.

–

Have a great week!

Linda Reimer, SSCL

–

Note: Book summaries are from the publisher unless otherwise specified.

–

References

Former Parole Officer Reflects On His Time Supervising ‘The Second Chance Club’, March 2, 20201:21 PM ET. Heard on Fresh Air. Hosted by Dave Davies
https://www.npr.org/2020/03/02/811187788/former-parole-officer-reflects-on-his-time-supervising-the-second-chance-club

–

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 are the top New York Times fiction and non-fiction bestsellers for the upcoming week.

(Click on the book covers to read a summary of each plot and to request the book(s) of your choice.

FICTION:

AMERICAN DIRT by Jeanine Cummins:

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

 

–

 

CHASING CASSANDRA by Lisa Kleypas:

The sixth book in the Ravenels series. Cassandra teaches a railway magnate a lesson.

 

–

 

CROOKED RIVER by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child:

The 19th book in the Agent Pendergast series. Human feet inside nondescript shoes wash ashore in Florida.

 

–

 

DEAR EDWARD by Ann Napolitano:

A 12-year-old boy tries to start over after becoming the sole survivor of a plane crash in which he lost his immediate family.

 

–

 

THE DUTCH HOUSE by Ann Patchett:

A sibling relationship is impacted when the family goes from poverty to wealth and back again over the course of many decades.

 

–

 

THE GIVER OF STARS by Jojo Moyes:

In Depression-era America, five women refuse to be cowed by men or convention as they deliver books throughout the mountains of Kentucky.

 

–

 

GOLDEN IN DEATH by J.D. Robb:

The 50th book of the In Death series. Eve Dallas seeks the sender of packages that give off toxic airborne fumes.

 

–

 

THE GUARDIANS by John Grisham:

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

 

–

 

HOLDOUT by Graham Moore:

When a defense attorney becomes a murder suspect, her time as a pivotal juror comes back to light.

 

–

 

LITTLE FIRES EVERYWHERE by Celeste Ng:

An artist upends a quiet town outside Cleveland.

 

–

 

ONE MINUTE OUT by Mark Greaney:

The ninth book in the Gray Man series. Court Gentry tries to stop the head of a group trafficking women and children.

 

–

 

A LONG PETAL OF THE SEA by Isabel Allende:

A young pregnant widow and an Army doctor take a ship to Chile to escape the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War.

 

–

 

OTHER MRS. by Mary Kubica:

A Chicago couple becomes unsettled when they move to an old house in Maine and their new neighbor turns up dead.

 

–

 

THE OUTSIDER by Stephen King:

A detective investigates a seemingly wholesome member of the community when an 11-year-old boy’s body is found.

 

–

 

THE SILENT PATIENT by Alex Michaelides:

Theo Faber looks into the mystery of a famous painter who stops speaking after shooting her husband.

 

–

 

SUN DOWN MOTEL by Simone St. James:

A woman visits a motel in upstate New York where her aunt was entangled in mysterious events as a night clerk decades ago.

 

–

 

TATTOOIST OF AUSCHWITZ by Heather Morris:

A concentration camp detainee tasked with permanently marking fellow prisoners falls in love with one of them.

 

–

 

WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING by Delia Owens:

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

 

–

 

NON-FICTION:

 

BECOMING by Michelle Obama:

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.

 

–

 

THE BODY KEEPS THE SCORE by Bessel van der Kolk:

How trauma affects the body and mind, and innovative treatments for recovery.

 

–

DARK TOWERS by David Enrich:

The New York Times finance editor traces the history and illicit dealings of Deutsche Bank.

 

–

 

EDUCATED by Tara Westover:

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

 

–

 

JUST MERCY by Bryan Stevenson:

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

 

–

 

THE MAMBA MENTALITY by Kobe Bryant:

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

 

–

 

ON TYRANNY by Timothy Snyder:

Twenty lessons from the 20th century about the course of tyranny.

 

–

 

OPEN BOOK by Jessica Simpson with Kevin Carr O’Leary:

The singer, actress and fashion designer discloses times of success, trauma and addiction.

 

–

 

PROFILES IN CORRUPTION by Peter Schweizer:

The author of “Clinton Cash” gives his evaluations of members of the Democratic Party.

 

–

 

SAPIENS by Yuval Noah Harari:

How Homo sapiens became Earth’s dominant species.

 

–

 

TALKING TO STRANGERS by Malcolm Gladwell:

Famous examples of miscommunication serve as the backdrop to explain potential conflicts and misunderstandings.

 

–

 

UNTIL THE END OF TIME by Brian Greene:

A physicist gives an overview of how we got here, where we are and directions we might go.

 

–

 

UN-TRUMPING AMERICA by Dan Pfeiffer:

A former senior advisor to President Obama offers suggestions for Democrats.

 

–

 

VERY STABLE GENIUS by Philip Rucker and Carol Leonnig:

The Pulitzer Prize-winning journalists use firsthand accounts to chart patterns of behavior within the Trump administration.

 

–

 

YOU NEVER FORGET YOUR FIRST by Alexis Coe:

A newly researched biography of George Washington

 

–

 

Have a great weekend!

Linda Reimer, SSL

–

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 are our five musical recommendations of the week!

(Click on the Book/eBook/CD/DVD or book cover to request the item)

Recommended Titles:

100 Best Jazz Tunes of the 1950s by Various Artists:

This collection does indeed, feature 100 classic jazz songs on eight discs.

One hundred titles is a few too many to put into a blog posting, we’d have an almost endless posting! So instead here is a partial list of the songs included in the collection: Bloomdido by the Charlie Parker Quintet, The Surrey With Fringe On Top by Ahmad Jamal, Straight No Chaser by Thelonious Monk, Black Coffee by Peggy Lee, Django by John Lewis, Caravan by Dizzy Gillepsie, On The Sunny Side of the Street by Johnny Hodges, St. Thomas by Sonny Rollins, I Was Doing All Right by Jimmy Smith and many more!

 

–

 

American Light Music Classics (1998) by The New London Orchestra with Julian Leaper, leader and Ronald Corp, conductor:

An excellent collection of “light music” from the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. The term “Light Music” was used to describe songs that were playful and less serious light classical music – like music you might have heard in the back ground of a movie of the day.

This is a fun orchestra, instrumental collection!

      Song List

1. The Washington Post
2. Whistling Rufus
3. Pavanne
4. Nola: A Silhouette
5. The Whistler and His Dog
6. Belle of the Ball
7. The Arkansas Traveller
8. The Teddy Bears’ Picnic
9. To A Wild Rose
10. Blaze Away!
11. Chanson ‘In Love’
12. The Toy Trumpet
13. Promenade
14. Plink, Plank, Plunk!
15. The March of the Toys
16. Holiday for Strings
17. Narcissus
18. Symphony No. 5 1-2 ‘A Symphony For Fun’: Perpetual Emotion
19. Symphony No. 5 1-2 ‘A Symphony For Fun’: Spiritual?
20. Symphony No. 5 1-2 ‘A Symphony For Fun’: Scherzofrenia
21. Symphony No. 5 1-2 ‘A Symphony For Fun’: Conclusion!
22. Carousel Waltz

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One Love (at Studio One) (1991) by Bob Marley and the Wailers:

This two disc set features 40 songs recorded by Bob Marley and the Wailers from 1963-1966.

So this is an early collection of tunes that features a young playing Bob Marley early in his career playing a mixture of Ska based, pre-reggae, jazz and rock influences tunes including the Beatles And I Love Her and Dylan’s Like A Rolling Stone.

       Song List:

1. This Train
2. Simmer Down
3. I Am Going Home
4. Do You Remember
5. Talkative
6. I Need You
7. It Hurts to Be Alone
8. True Confession
9. Lonesome Feeling
10. There She Goes
11. Diamond Baby
12. Playboy
13. Where’s the Girl for Me
14. Hooligan
15. One Love
16. Love and Affection
17. And I Love Her
18. Rude Boy
19. I’m Still Waiting
20. Ska Jerk
21. Somewhere to Lay My Head
22. Wages of Love
23. Wages of Love
24. I’m Gonna Put It On
25. Cry to Me
26. Who Feels It (Knows It)
27. Let Him Go
28. When the Well Runs Dry
29. Can’t You See
30. What Am I Supposed to Do?
31. Rolling Stone
32. Bend Down Low
33. Freedom Time
34. Rocking Steady

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Ragtime: The Musical (1996):

A spirited collection of music you might have heard in turn of the century, New York – the turn of the Twentieth Century that is!

        Song List:

1. Ragtime
2. Goodbye My Love
3. Journey On
4. The Crime of the Century
5. Gettin’ Ready Rag
6. Henry Ford
7. Your Daddy’s Son
8. New Music
9. Wheels of a Dream
10. The Night Goldman Spoke at Union Square
11. Gliding
12. ’till We Reach That Day
13. What a Game!
14. Coalhouse’s Soliloquy
15. He Wanted to Say
16. Buffalo Nickel Photoplay, Inc.
17. Our Children
18. The Show Biz
19. Back to Before
20. Make Them Hear You
21. Wheels of a Dream (Reprise)

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Reunion Concert Highlights (1983) by The Everly Brothers:

A twenty song collection recorded live at the Royal Albert Hall in September of 1983, this recording features the brothers backed by a terrific band and with their harmonies still in tip-top form – traditional rock at its finest!

       Song List:

1. The Price of Love
2. Walk Right Back
3. Claudette
4. Crying in the Rain
5. Love Is Strange
6. When Will I Be Loved?
7. So Sad (To Watch Good Love Go Bad)
8. Bird Dog
9. Be-Bop-A-Lula
10. Bye Bye Love
11. Gone, Gone, Gone
12. All I Have to Do Is Dream
13. Wake up Little Susie
14. Cathy’s Clown
15. (‘Til) I Kissed You
16. Temptation
17. Lucille
18. Let It Be Me
19. Good Golly Miss Molly
20. The Price of Love

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Videos Of The Week:

Goodbye Pork Pie Hat by Charles Mingus (Live At Montreux 1975)

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Let The Good Times Roll by Ray Charles

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What A Difference A Day makes by Wes Montgomery

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Arkansas Traveller by Keslo Herston

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Plink, Plank, Plunk by the London Pops Orchestra

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Whistling Rufus by the BBC Dance Orchestra conducted by Henry Hall (1934)

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And I Love Her by Bob Marley & The Whalers

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One Love by Bob Marley & The Whalers

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This Train by Bob Marley & The Whalers

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Getting’ Ready Rag from Ragtime: The Musical

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Ragtime from Ragtime: The Musical

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The Show Biz from Ragtime: The Musical

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Bird Dog by The Everly Brothers

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Crying In The Rain by The Everly Brothers

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Let It Be Me by The Everly Brothers

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Have a great weekend!

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, five digital titles, eBooks & downloadable audiobooks, available through OverDrive and five print titles available through StarCat.

DIGITAL CATALOG RECOMMENDATIONS:

Alias Grace: A Novel by Margaret Atwood:

In Alias Grace, the bestselling author of The Handmaid’s Tale takes readers into the life of one of the most notorious women of the nineteenth century—recently adapted into a 6-part Netflix original mini-series by director Mary Harron and writer/actress Sarah Polley.

It’s 1843, and Grace Marks has been convicted for her involvement in the vicious murders of her employer and his housekeeper and mistress. Some believe Grace is innocent; others think her evil or insane. Now serving a life sentence, Grace claims to have no memory of the murders. An up-and-coming expert in the burgeoning field of mental illness is engaged by a group of reformers and spiritualists who seek a pardon for Grace. He listens to her story while bringing her closer and closer to the day she cannot remember. What will he find in attempting to unlock her memories? Captivating and disturbing, Alias Grace showcases bestselling, Booker Prize-winning author Margaret Atwood at the peak of her powers.

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The Better Sister by Alafair Burke:

A Best Book of the Year: Washington Post, Sun Sentinel

From Alafair Burke—New York Times bestselling author of the runaway hit, The Wife— comes another twisty tale of domestic noir. When a prominent Manhattan lawyer is murdered, two estranged sisters—one the dead man’s widow, the other his ex—must set aside mistrust and old resentments … but can they escape their past?

Keep your enemies close and your sister closer.

Though Chloe was the younger of the two Taylor sisters, she always seemed to be the one in charge. She was the honor roll student with big dreams and an even bigger work ethic. Nicky—always restless and more than a little reckless—was the opposite of her ambitious little sister. She floated from job to job and man to man, and stayed close to home in Cleveland.

For a while, it seemed that both sisters had found happiness. Chloe earned a scholarship to an Ivy League school and moved to New York City, where she landed a coveted publishing job. Nicky married promising young attorney Adam Macintosh and gave birth to a baby boy they named Ethan. The Taylor sisters became virtual strangers.

Now, more than fifteen years later, their lives are drastically different—and Chloe is married to Adam. When he’s murdered by an intruder at the couple’s East Hampton beach house, Chloe reluctantly allows her teenage stepson’s biological mother—her estranged sister, Nicky—back into her life. But when the police begin to treat Ethan as a suspect in his father’s death, the two sisters are forced to unite . . . and to confront the truth behind family secrets they have tried to bury in the past.

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Lean on Me, Family Is Forever Series, Book 1 by Pat Simmons:

This is the new OverDrive Big Read title; which means there are unlimited copies available and anyone, and everyone, can check it out right now!

Here’s a summary of the book:

First in an emotional, poignant romantic women’s fiction series from acclaimed inspirational romance author Pat Simmons.

No one should have to go it alone…and God sends the right person for backup. Every caregiver needs a caregiver.

Tabitha Knicely is overwhelmed with caring for her beloved great-aunt, whose dementia is getting worse. Aunt Tweet may be losing her memory, yet she finds her way to Tabitha’s neighbor’s front porch. When Marcus Whittington accuses Tabitha of elder neglect, he doesn’t realize how his threats to have Aunt Tweet taken away add to Tabitha’s pain.

Then Marcus gets to know the exuberant elderly lady and sees up close how hard Tabitha is fighting to keep everything together. He can’t walk away, knowing she needs someone to care for her. Drawn to Marcus’s tender side, Tabitha begins to lean on him more and more. Aunt Tweet not only rediscovers Christ, she unknowingly leads the couple on their own spiritual journey with a surrender of hearts to each other and God.

“An inspirational story of a family in crisis.”—Michelle (Goodreads) for Harlequin Junkie

“A heartbreaking, heartwarming Christian story of caring for a loved one. The books makes you think long after the last page.”—Gail Herrmann (Goodreads)

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Park Avenue Summer by Renée Rosen:

“‘Mad Men meets The Devil Wears Prada,’ which might as well be saying ‘put me in your cart immediately.'” —PopSugar

It’s 1965 and Cosmopolitan magazine’s brazen new editor in chief—Helen Gurley Brown—shocks America and saves a dying publication by daring to talk to women about all things off-limits…
New York City is filled with opportunities for single girls like Alice Weiss, who leaves her small Midwestern town to chase her big-city dreams and unexpectedly lands a job working for the first female editor in chief of Cosmopolitan magazine, Helen Gurley Brown.

For Alice, who wants to be a photographer, it seems like the perfect foot in the door, but nothing could have prepared her for the world she enters. Editors and writers resign on the spot, refusing to work for the woman who wrote the scandalous bestseller Sex and the Single Girl, and confidential memos, article ideas, and cover designs keep finding their way into the wrong hands. When someone tries to pull Alice into a scheme to sabotage her boss, she is more determined than ever to help Helen succeed.

While pressure mounts at the magazine, Alice struggles not to lose sight of her own dreams as she’s swept up into a glamorous world of five-star dinners, lavish parties, and men who are certainly no good. Because if Helen Gurley Brown has taught her anything, it’s that a woman can demand to have it all.

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Tangerine: A Novel by Christine Mangan:

“A juicy melodrama cast against the sultry, stylish imagery of North Africa in the fifties.” —The New Yorker

The last person Alice Shipley expected to see since arriving in Tangier with her new husband was Lucy Mason. After the accident at Bennington, the two friends—once inseparable roommates—haven’t spoken in over a year. But there Lucy was, trying to make things right and return to their old rhythms. Perhaps Alice should be happy. She has not adjusted to life in Morocco, too afraid to venture out into the bustling medinas and oppressive heat. Lucy—always fearless and independent—helps Alice emerge from her flat and explore the country.

But soon a familiar feeling starts to overtake Alice—she feels controlled and stifled by Lucy at every turn. Then Alice’s husband, John, goes missing, and Alice starts to question everything around her: her relationship with her enigmatic friend, her decision to ever come to Tangier, and her very own state of mind.

Tangerine is a sharp dagger of a book—a debut so tightly wound, so replete with exotic imagery and charm, so full of precise details and extraordinary craftsmanship, it will leave you absolutely breathless.

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PRINT RECOMMENDATIONS:

Carved From Stone and Dream: A Los Nefilim Novel by T. Frohock:

“February 1939 Catalonia has fallen. Los Nefilim is in retreat. With the Nationalist forces hard on their heels, the members of Los Nefilim Spanish Nephilim that possess the power to harness music and light in the supernatural war between the angels and daimons?make a desperate run for the French border. Diago Alvarez, a singular being of angelic and daimonic descent, follows Guillermo and a small group of nefilim through the Pyrenees, where the ice is as treacherous as postwar loyalties?both can kill with a single slip. When a notebook of Los Nefilim’s undercover operatives falls into a traitor?s hands, Diago and Guillermo risk their lives to track it down. As they uncover a pocket realm deep within the Pyrenees, Diago discovers his family is held hostage. Faced with an impossible choice: betray Los Nefilim, or watch his family die, Diago must nurture the daimonic song he has so long denied in order to save those he loves.”–Amazon.com

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Firewatching by Thomas Russ:

A taut and ambitious police procedural debut introducing Detective Sergeant Adam Tyler, a cold case reviewer who lands a high-profile murder investigation, only to find the main suspect is his recent one-night stand . . .

When financier Gerald Cartwright disappeared from his home six years ago, it was assumed he’d gone on the run from his creditors. But then a skeleton is found bricked up in the cellar of Cartwright’s burned-out mansion, and it becomes clear Gerald never left alive.

As the sole representative of South Yorkshire’s Cold Case Review Unit, Detective Sergeant Adam Tyler is not expected to get results, but he knows this is the case that might finally kick start his floundering career. Luckily, he already has a suspect. Unluckily, that suspect is Cartwright’s son, the man Tyler slept with the night before.

Keeping his possible conflict-of-interest under wraps, Tyler digs into the case alongside Amina Rabbani, an ambitious young Muslim constable and a fellow outsider seeking to prove herself on the force. Soon their investigation will come up against close-lipped townsfolk, an elderly woman with dementia who’s receiving mysterious threats referencing a past she can’t remember, and an escalating series of conflagrations set by a troubled soul intent on watching the world burn . . .

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Last Girl Standing by Lisa Jackson:

The best of friends . . .
In the Portland suburb of West Knoll, Delta and her friends were the pretty, popular elite of the high school. That was fifteen years and a whole lifetime ago. Even then, backstabbing and betrayal erupted among the women in the group, a trio of which are now gathered around a hospital bed. And most of it revolved around the man lying close to death before them . . .

Until the day . . .
To Delta, it feels as if a nightmare unfolds every time they get together. It started at their senior year graduation party when a group of daredevils led by Tanner slipped under the safety rope and tumbled into the dangerous, fast-flowing river. One of their clique died following his lead. It all seemed spontaneous at the time. A thoughtless deed. But since then, there have been more deaths, more “accidents.” And the question hovers, unspoken: who’s next?

They die . . .
As the body count rises, Detective Chris McCrae, one of Delta’s classmates and a long ago friend of Tanner’s, realizes that stopping the terror means digging deep into the past. Hidden beneath the conflicting stories, gossip, and scandalous half-truths are secrets that someone will kill again and again to protect—until there is no one left to tell . . .

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The Warsaw Protocol by Steve Barry:

“In New York Times bestseller, Steve Berry’s, latest Cotton Malone adventure, one by one the seven precious relics of the Arma Christi, the weapons of Christ, are disappearing from sanctuaries across the world. After former Justice Department agent, Cotton Malone, witnesses the theft of one of them, he learns from his old boss, Stephanie Nelle, that a private auction is about to be held where incriminating information on the president of Poland will be offered to the highest bidder-blackmail that both the United States and Russia want, but for vastly different reasons. The price of admission to that auction is one of the relics, so Malone is first sent to a castle in Poland to steal the Holy Lance, a thousand-year-old spear sacred to not only Christians but to the Polish people, and then on to the auction itself. But nothing goes as planned and Malone is thrust into a bloody battle between three nations over information that, if exposed, could change the balance of power in Europe. From the tranquil canals of Bruges, to the elegant rooms of Wawel Castle, to deep beneath the earth into an ancient Polish salt mine, Malone is caught in the middle of a deadly war-the outcome of which turns on a secret known as the Warsaw Protocol”– Provided by publisher.

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Weather: A Novel by Jenny Offill:

“Lizzie Benson slid into her job as a librarian without a traditional degree. But this gives her a vantage point from which to practice her other calling: she is a fake shrink. For years, she has tended to her God-haunted mother and her recovering addict brother. They have both stabilized for the moment, but Lizzie has little chance to spend her new free time with husband and son before her old mentor, Sylvia Liller, makes a proposal. She’s become famous for her prescient podcast, Hell and High Water, and wants to hire Lizzie to answer the mail she receives: from left-wingers worried about climate change and right wingers worried about the decline of western civilization. As Lizzie dives into this polarized world, she begins to wonder what it means to keep tending your own garden once you’ve seen the flames beyond its walls. When her brother becomes a father and Sylvia a recluse, Lizzie is forced to address the limits of her own experience–but still she tries to save everyone, using everything she’s learned about empathy and despair, conscience and collusion, from her years of wandering the library stacks . . . And all the while the voices of the city keep floating in–funny, disturbing, and increasingly mad”– Provided by publisher.

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Have a great week!

Linda Reimer, SSCL

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Note: Book summaries are from the publisher 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.