Tech & Book Talk at SSCL

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

 

–

 

CRISS CROSS by James Patterson:

The 27th book in the Alex Cross series. Copycat crimes make the detective question whether an innocent man was executed.

 

–

 

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.

 

–

 

INSTITUTE by Stephen King:

Children with special talents are abducted and sequestered in an institution where the sinister staff seeks to extract their gifts through harsh methods.

 

–

 

THE 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.

 

–

 

LOST by James Patterson and James O. Born:

The new head of an F.B.I. task force takes on a crime syndicate run by a pair of Russian nationals.

 

–

 

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.

 

–

 

WEATHER by Jenny Offill:

Lizzie becomes obsessed with disaster psychology while working at a university library and answering inquiries to a former mentor’s podcast.

 

–

 

WHEN YOU SEE ME by Lisa Gardner:

D.D. Warren and Flora Dane join the F.B.I. agent Kimberly Quincy’s taskforce.

 

–

 

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 by Bill Bryson:

An owner’s manual of the human body covering various parts, functions and what happens when things go wrong.

 

–

 

THE BODY KEEPS THE SCORE by Bessel van der Kolk:

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

 

–

 

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.

 

–

 

NATURE’S BEST HOPE by Douglas W. Tallamy:

Potential grass-roots solutions citizens might take to help reverse declining wildlife populations.

 

–

 

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.

 

–

 

TIGHTROPE: AMERICAN’S REACHING FOR HOPE by Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn:

The Pulitzer Prize-winning authors examine issues affecting working-class Americans.

 

–

 

TO SHAKE THE SLEEPING SELF by Jedidiah Jenkins:

The son of conservative Christians cycles from Oregon to Patagonia, reconciling his sexuality with his upbringing.

 

–

 

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 CAN’T SLEEP by Ada Calhoun:

The cultural and political contexts of the crises that Generation X women face.

 

–

 

WHITE FRAGILITY by Robin DiAngelo:

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

 

–

 

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:

Coat of Many Colors (1971) by Dolly Parton (Genre: Country) (Format: CD)

A classic album from the great Dolly Parton featuring the songs Coat of Many Colors, Traveling Man and My Blue Tears.

Song List

1. Coat of Many Colors
2. Traveling Man
3. My Blue Tears
4. If I Lose My Mind
5. The Mystery of Mystery
6. She Never Met a Man (She Didn’t Like)
7. Early Morning Breeze
8. The Way I See You
9. Here I Am
10. A Better Place to Live

–

Duke Ellington: Music Is My Mistress (1972) by Edward Kennedy Ellington (otherwise known as “Duke” (Genre: Jazz, Music History, Biography) (Format: Book)

Music is my mistress, and she plays second fiddle to no one.” This is the story of Duke Ellington—the story of Jazz itself. Told in his own way, in his own words, a symphony written by the King of Jazz. His story spans and defines a half-century of modern music. This man who created over 1500 compositions was as much at home in Harlem’s Cotton Club in the ‘20s as he was at a White House birthday celebration in his honor in the ‘60s. For Duke knew everyone and savored them all. Passionate about his music and the people who made music, he counted as his friends hundreds of the musicians who changed the face of music throughout the world: Bechet, Basie, Armstrong, Lena Horne, Ella Fitzgerald, Sinatra, to name a few of them. Here are 100 photographs to give us an intimate view of Duke’s world—his family, his friends, his associates. What emerges most strongly in his commitment to music, the mistress for whom he saves the fullest intensity of his passion. ”Lovers have come and gone, but only my mistress stays,” he says. He composed not only songs that all the world has sung, but also suites, sacred works, music for stage and screen and symphonies. This rich book, the embodiment of the life and works of the Duke, is replete with appendices listing singers, arrangers, lyricists and the symphony orchestras with whom the Duke played. There is a book to own and cherish by all who love Jazz and the contributions made to it by the Duke. – From the publisher

–

Rally Day!! (2009) by Driftwood (Genre: Americana, Grassroots, Folk, Pop, Rock) (Format: CD)

Driftwood is a Binghamton, New York based grass roots group consisting of Joe Kollar Dan Forsyth, Claire Byrne, and Joey Arcuri.

Rally Day was originally released in 2009 and features ten upbeat roots rockin’ songs with a folk flavor – check it out!

Song List:

1. Walking into the Sun
2. Cold Iron Heart
3. City Gal
4. Just For me
5. Annie
6. Cigarette Addiction
7. Talkin’ Walmart
8. You Wear Your Shoes
9. Favorite Girl
10. Tin Pan Momma

–

The US Festival 1982 US Generation by Various Artists (Genre: Pop, Rock) (Format: DVD)

The US Festival 1982 features music from the three day long Us Festival which was held at Glen Helen Regional Park in San Bernardino, CA.

The festival was organized by Apple co-founder Steven Wozniak who wanted to create a festival that offered a celebration of American music and one that would also, foster a sense of community. And with that in mind, the musical line-up featured top-notch stars of the era including The Police, The Cars, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Fleetwood Mac, Carlos Santa & The B-52s, and also includes interviews with some of the players which combined offers a documentary look at the festival interspersed with concert footage.

–

The Who The Official History with Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey (Format: Book)

The only official history of The Who—created with the full cooperation of Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey, and spectacularly illustrated with rare photographs and memorabilia—published in conjunction with the fiftieth anniversary of the release of the band’s first album, My Generation, and their celebratory world tour.

Three legendary bands are revered as the holy trinity of modern rock and roll: The Beatles. The Rolling Stones. The Who. This landmark publication is the first official history of The Who featuring exclusive access to never-before-published images and memorabilia from the band’s own archive, and from other sources including collectors and fans.

Blending memoir, history, and music, The Who explores the influences that shaped the band and its members, from Britain’s post-war austerity to Elvis, Lonnie Donegan, and American youth counter-culture. It follows them through the Mod and Pop years and the furiously fast sixties, and charts the hit singles—”My Generation,” “I’m a Boy,, “The Kids Are Alright,” and “Pinball Wizard.” It revels in memories of making it big in America and inspiring Jimi Hendrix to set his guitar on fire, and much more.

It records the band’s highs—their groundbreaking artistic achievements of Tommy and Quadrophenia—and the devastating lows—the loss of Keith Moon and John Entwistle. The Who documents the extraordinary story of how a tax inspector, sheet metal worker, art school stoner and maverick drummer—John Entwistle, Roger Daltrey, Pete Townshend and Keith Moon—became one of the most famous and enduring musical acts of modern times and transformed the world, creating the sound of a generation.

The Who includes approximately 500 color and black-and-white photos, band and fan memorabilia, and archive material; Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey are writing the captions, providing an extra layer to the book; and there is a special pullout feature spreads providing vivid background social history and context. – From the publisher

–

Videos Of The Week:

Coat of Many Colors by Dolly Parton

–

Travelin’ Many by Dolly Parton (with Johnny Carson)

–

Caravan by Duke Ellington & His Orchestra

–

Mood Indigo by Duke Ellington & His Orchestra

–

Take The “A” Train by Duke Ellington & His Orchestra

–

Tree of Shade by Driftwood by Driftwood

–

Wayfaring Stranger by Driftwood

–

The US Festival 1982 Overview Video

–

Promises in the Dark & Hit Me With Your Best Shot by Pat Benatar from the 1982 US Festival

–

The Ramomes at the 1982 US Festival

–

I Can’t Explain by The Who

–

Won’t Get Fooled Again by The Who

–

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/

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:

Blindness by José Saramago (Format: eBook)

A stunningly powerful novel of man’s will to survive against all odds, by the winner of the 1998 Nobel Prize for Literature.

“This is a shattering work by a literary master.”—The Boston Globe

A New York Times Notable Book of the Year

A Los Angeles Times Best Book of the Year

A city is hit by an epidemic of “white blindness” which spares no one. Authorities confine the blind to an empty mental hospital, but there the criminal element holds everyone captive, stealing food rations and raping women. There is one eyewitness to this nightmare who guides seven strangers—among them a boy with no mother, a girl with dark glasses, a dog of tears—through the barren streets, and the procession becomes as uncanny as the surroundings are harrowing. A magnificent parable of loss and disorientation and a vivid evocation of the horrors of the twentieth century, Blindness has swept the reading public with its powerful portrayal of man’s worst appetites and weaknesses—and man’s ultimately exhilarating spirit.

 

–

 

Gap Creek by Robert Morgan (Format: eBook)

A New York Times Bestseller & Oprah’s Book Club Pick

Young Julie Harmon works “hard as a man,” they say, so hard that at times she’s not sure she can stop. People depend on her to slaughter the hogs and nurse the dying. People are weak, and there is so much to do. At just seventeen she marries and moves down into the valley of Gap Creek, where perhaps life will be better.

But Julie and Hank’s new life in the valley, in the last years of the nineteenth century, is more complicated than the couple ever imagined. Sometimes it’s hard to tell what to fear most—the fires and floods or the flesh-and-blood grifters, drunks, and busybodies who insinuate themselves into their new life. To survive, they must find out whether love can keep chaos and madness at bay. Their struggles with nature, with work, with the changing century, and with the disappointments and triumphs of their union make Gap Creek a timeless story of a marriage.

 

–

 

I Beat the Odds, From Homelessness, to The Blind Side, and Beyond by Michael Oher (Format: eBook)

The football star made famous in the hit film (and book) The Blind Side reflects on how far he has come from the circumstances of his youth. Michael Oher shares his personal account of his story, in this inspirational New York Times bestseller.

Looking back on how he went from being a homeless child in Memphis to playing in the NFL, Michael talks about the goals he had to break out of the cycle of poverty, addiction, and hopelessness that trapped his family. Eventually he grasped onto football as his ticket out and worked hard to make his dream into a reality. With his adoptive family, the Touhys, and other influential people in mind, he describes the absolute necessity of seeking out positive role models and good friends who share the same values to achieve one’s dreams. Sharing untold stories of heartache, determination, courage, and love, I Beat the Odds is an incredibly rousing tale of one young man’s quest to achieve the American dream.

 

–

 

I Know This Much Is True by Wally Lamb (Format: eBook)

With his stunning debut novel, She’s Come Undone, Wally Lamb won the adulation of critics and readers with his mesmerizing tale of one woman’s painful yet triumphant journey of self-discovery. Now, this brilliantly talented writer returns with I Know This Much Is True, a heartbreaking and poignant multigenerational saga of the reproductive bonds of destruction and the powerful force of forgiveness. A masterpiece that breathtakingly tells a story of alienation and connection, power and abuse, devastation and renewal–this novel is a contemporary retelling of an ancient Hindu myth. A proud king must confront his demons to achieve salvation. Change yourself, the myth instructs, and you will inhabit a renovated world.

 

–

 

Nothing to Hide by Allison Brennan (Format: eBook)

With a background in psychology, FBI Agent Lucy Kincaid is good at getting into the heads of killers and victims both. Still, her latest case is leaving her stumped. A third body has turned up in San Antonio—and it bears the same unique and troubling M.O. as the first two. The killer is clearly trying to send a message. But what is it—and to whom? All roads keep leading Lucy down a dead end. . .

The victims are all married men who led honest lives alongside their adoring wives, but have nothing else in common. When Lucy catches each widow in a lie, she realizes that things are not at all as they seem. What begins as a seemingly straightforward investigation turns into something far darker and more sinister than Lucy could have ever imagined. Can she solve this case before more lives are lost. . . including her own husband?

 

–

 

PRINT RECOMMENDATIONS:

American Sherlock: Murder, Forensics, and the Birth of American CSI by Kate Winkler Dawson

From the acclaimed author of Death in the Air (“Not since Devil in the White City has a book told such a harrowing tale”—Douglas Preston) comes the riveting story of the birth of criminal investigation in the twentieth century.

Berkeley, California, 1933. In a lab filled with curiosities—beakers, microscopes, Bunsen burners, and hundreds upon hundreds of books—sat an investigator who would go on to crack at least two thousand cases in his forty-year career. Known as the “American Sherlock Holmes,” Edward Oscar Heinrich was one of America’s greatest—and first—forensic scientists, with an uncanny knack for finding clues, establishing evidence, and deducing answers with a skill that seemed almost supernatural.

Heinrich was one of the nation’s first expert witnesses, working in a time when the turmoil of Prohibition led to sensationalized crime reporting and only a small, systematic study of evidence. However with his brilliance, and commanding presence in both the courtroom and at crime scenes, Heinrich spearheaded the invention of a myriad of new forensic tools that police still use today, including blood spatter analysis, ballistics, lie-detector tests, and the use of fingerprints as courtroom evidence. His work, though not without its serious—some would say fatal—flaws, changed the course of American criminal investigation.

Based on years of research and thousands of never-before-published primary source materials, American Sherlock captures the life of the man who pioneered the science our legal system now relies upon—as well as the limits of those techniques and the very human experts who wield them.

 

–

 

Brother & Sister: A Memoir by Diane Keaton

When they were children in the suburbs of Los Angeles in the 1950s, Diane Keaton and her younger brother, Randy, were best friends and companions: they shared stories at night in their bunk beds; they swam, laughed, dressed up for Halloween. Their mother captured their American-dream childhoods in her diaries, and on camera. But as they grew up, Randy became troubled, then reclusive. By the time he reached adulthood, he was divorced, an alcoholic, a man who couldn’t hold on to full-time work–his life a world away from his sister’s, and from the rest of their family. Now Diane is delving into the nuances of their shared, and separate, pasts to confront the difficult question of why and how Randy ended up living his life on ‘the other side of normal

 

–

 

Golden in Death: An Eve Dallas Novel by J. D. Robb

In the latest thriller in the #1 New York Times bestselling series, homicide detective Eve Dallas investigates a murder with a mysterious motive — and a terrifying weapon. Pediatrician Kent Abner received the package on a beautiful April morning. Inside was a cheap trinket, a golden egg that could be opened into two halves. When he pried it apart, highly toxic airborne fumes entered his body — and killed him. After Eve Dallas calls the hazmat team — and undergoes testing to reassure both her and her husband that she hasn’t been exposed — it’s time to look into Dr. Abner’s past and relationships. Not every victim Eve encounters is an angel, but it seems that Abner came pretty close — though he did ruffle some feathers over the years by taking stands for the weak and defenseless. While the lab tries to identify the deadly toxin, Eve hunts for the sender. But when someone else dies in the same grisly manner, it becomes clear that she’s dealing with either a madman — or someone who has a hidden and elusive connection to both victims.

 

–

 

Murder at Archly Manor by Sara Rosett

London, 1923. Olive Belgrave needs a job. Despite her aristocratic upbringing, she’s penniless. Determined to support herself, she jumps at an unconventional job–looking into the background of her cousin’s fiancé, Alfred. Alfred burst into the upper crust world of London’s high society, but his answers to questions about his past are decidedly vague. Before Olive can gather more than the basics, a murder occurs at a posh party. Suddenly, every Bright Young Person in attendance is a suspect, and Olive must race to find the culprit because a sly murderer is determined to make sure Olive’s first case is her last.

 

–

 

Perfect Little Children by Sophie Hannah

“All Beth has to do is drive her son to his soccer game, watch him play, and then return home. Just because she knows her ex-best friend lives near the field, that doesn’t mean she has to drive past her house and try to catch a glimpse of her. Why would Beth do that and risk dredging up painful memories? She hasn’t seen Flora for twelve years. She doesn’t want to see her today–or ever again. But she can’t resist. She parks outside the open gates of Newnham House, watches from across the road as Flora arrives and calls to her children Thomas and Emily to get out of the car. Except … There’s something terribly wrong. Flora looks the same, only older. Twelve years ago, Thomas and Emily were five and three years old. Today, they look precisely as they did then. They are Thomas and Emily without a doubt, but they haven’t changed at all. They are no taller, no older. Why haven’t they grown? How is it possible that they haven’t grown up?”–Amazon.com.

 

–

 

Have a great week!

Linda Reimer, SSCL

–

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

–

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

 

–

 

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.

 

–

 

GIRL WITH THE LOUDING VOICE by Abi Daré:

A 14-year-old Nigerian girl, who is sold as a wife then as a servant, resolves to speak for herself and others.

 

–

 

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.

 

–

 

THE 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.

 

–

 

LOST by James Patterson and James O. Born:

The new head of an F.B.I. task force takes on a crime syndicate run by a pair of Russian nationals.

 

–

 

MUSEUM OF DESIRE by Jonathan Kellerman:

The 35th book in the Alex Delaware series. Four unrelated victims are found slaughtered in a limousine.

 

–

 

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.

 

–

 

WHEN YOU SEE ME by Lisa Gardner:

D.D. Warren and Flora Dane join the F.B.I. agent Kimberly Quincy’s taskforce.

 

–

 

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 by Bill Bryson:

An owner’s manual of the human body covering various parts, functions and what happens when things go wrong.

 

–

 

THE BODY KEEPS THE SCORE by Bessel van der Kolk:

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

 

–

 

BROTHER & SISTER by Diane Keaton:

The Golden Globe and Academy Award-winning actress recounts the troubles her sibling encountered.

 

–

 

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.

 

–

 

TALKING TO STRANGERS by Malcolm Gladwell:

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

 

–

 

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.

 

–

 

WHITE FRAGILITY by Robin DiAngelo:

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

 

–

 

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:

Are You Experienced (1967) by The Jimi Hendrix Experience (Genre: Rock)

Jimi Hendrix’s debut LP! And what a great classic rock and guitar album it is too!

Song List:
1. Purple Haze
2. Manic Depression
3. Hey Joe
4. Love or Confusion
5. May This Be Love
6. I Don’t Live Today
7. The Wind Cries Mary
8. Fire
9. 3rd Stone From the Sun

–

Truth (1968) by Jeff Beck (Genre: Rock)

The first album by The Jeff Beck Group, featuring Jeff on guitar and Rod Stewart on vocals. This one too is guitar-centric, and if you listen to this LP and, listen to Led Zepplin’s first album shortly thereafter – you can hear that heavy mental musicians owe a debt too to Jeff Beck.

Song List:
1. Shapes of Things
2. Let Me Love You
3. Morning Dew
4. You Shook Me
5. Ol’ Man River
6. Greensleeves
7. Rock My Plimsoul
8. Beck’s Bolero
9. Blues de Luxe

–

Born Under A Bad Sign (1967) by Albert King (Genre: Blues)

The great blues guitarist Albert King backed by the great Stax house band – Booker T. & The MGs!

Song List:
1. Born Under a Bad Sign
2. Crosscut Saw
3. Kansas City
4. Oh, Pretty Woman
5. Down Don’t Bother Me
6. The Hunter
7. I Almost Lost My Mind
8. Personal Manager
9. Laundromat Blues

–

English Rose (1969) by Fleetwood Mac (Genre: Rock, Blues-Rock)

A very early, pre-Buckingham-Nicks, Fleetwood Mac album!

English Rose is the second American album by the then, blues based group lead by the great guitarist Peter Green, also featuring guitarists Jeremy Spencer & Danny Kirwan and, of course, Mick Fleetwood on drums and John McVie on bass.

And yes indeed, that is Mick Fleetwood on the cover of the LP!

Song List:
1. Stop Messin’ Round
2. Jigsaw Puzzle Blues
3. Doctor Brown
4. Something Inside of Me
5. Evenin’ Boogie
6. Love That Burns
7. Black Magic Woman
8. I’ve Lost My Baby
9. One Sunny Day

–

Surrealistic Pillow (1967) by Jefferson Airplane (Genre: Rock, Classic Rock)

The second album by the Jefferson Airplane is a great classic folk-rock LP featuring some of their best known songs including, Somebody To Love, Embryonic Journey and Coming Back To me.

Song List:
1. She Has Funny Cars
2. Somebody To Love
3. My Best Friend
4. Today
5. Comin’ Back To Me
6. 3/5 of a Mile In 10 Seconds
7. D.C.B.A.
8. How Do You Feel
9. Embryonic Journey

–

Videos Of The Week:

Purple Haze by The Jimi Hendrix Experience

–

The Wind Cries Mary by The Jimi Hendrix Experience

–

Ol’ Man River by The Jeff Beck Group

–

Shapes Of Things by The Jeff Beck Group

–

Born Under A Bad Sign by Albert King with Stevie Ray Vaughn

–

Oh, Pretty Woman by Albert King

–

Black Magic Woman by Fleetwood Mac

–

Jigsaw Puzzle Blues by Fleetwood Mac

–

Somebody To Love by Jefferson Airplane

–

Today by Jefferson Airplane

–

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/

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 is a bonus suggested listening posting to make up for the posting I missed post this past Friday, February 7, when the library was closed due to inclement weather!

Our regular Friday Suggested Listening postings will resume this Friday, February 14, 2020.

And on to the bonus posting which consists entirely of recommended video clips.

–

This past Sunday, February 9, was the fifty sixth anniversary of the Beatles first appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show. In honor of that historic event, here are some clips of the Beatles performing.

–

I Wanna Hold Your Hand by The Beatles (from their first appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show 2/9/1964)

–

Twist And Shout by The Beatles (from their second appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show 2/23/1964)

–

A Hard Day’s Night by The Beatles

–

I Feel Fine by The Beatles

–

She Loves You/Twist & Shout/I Saw Her Standing There by The Beatles

–

Ticket to Ride by The Beatles

–

Have a great week!

Linda Reimer, SSCL

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:

The Affair by Colette Freedman

“A realistic and deft tale of infidelity, miscommunication, and conflicting emotions” offering readers an honest, raw portrayal of marriage (Publishers Weekly).

After eighteen years of marriage, Kathy Walker has settled into her comfortable routines: ferrying her two teenagers between soccer practice and piano lessons; running a film production business with her husband, Robert; and taking care of the beautiful Boston home they share.

Then Kathy discovers a suspicious number on her husband’s phone. But she’s hesitant to act on impulse alone. Six years before, Kathy had accused Robert of infidelity—a charge he vehemently denied—and almost destroyed their marriage in the process.

Now Kathy must decide whether to follow her suspicions at the risk of losing everything or trust the man with whom she’s entwined her past, present, and future.

As she grapples with that choice, she is confronted with surprising truths not just about her relationship, but about her friends, family, and her own motivations.
Skillfully crafted and deeply insightful, this “compelling debut novel” sensitively explores the complexities of love and the challenge of ever knowing another person fully, even as we endeavor to understand our own deepest longings (Publishers Weekly).

 

–

 

Dream With Little Angels by Michael Hiebert

Michael Hiebert’s remarkable debut novel tells the riveting story of a small southern town haunted by tragedy, one brave woman’s struggle to put a troubling mystery to rest–and its impact on the sensitive boy who comes of age in the midst of it all. . .

Abe Teal wasn’t even born when Ruby Mae Vickers went missing twelve years ago. Few people in Alvin, Alabama, talk about the months spent looking for her, or about how Ruby Mae’s lifeless body was finally found beneath a willow tree. Even Abe’s mom, Leah, Alvin’s only detective, has avoided the subject. But now, another girl is missing.

Fourteen-year-old Mary Ann Dailey took the bus home from school as usual, then simply vanished. Townsfolk comb the dense forests and swampy creeks to no avail. Days later, Tiffany Michelle Yates disappears. Abe saw her only hours before, holding an ice cream cone and wearing a pink dress.

Observant and smart, Abe watches his mother battle small-town bureaucracy and old resentments, desperate to find both girls and quietly frantic for her own children’s safety. As the search takes on a terrifying urgency, Abe traverses the shifting ground between innocence and hard-won understanding, eager to know and yet fearing what will be revealed.

Dream with Little Angels is by turns lyrical, heartbreaking, and shocking–a brilliantly plotted novel of literary suspense and of the dark shadows, painful secrets, and uncompromising courage in one small town.

 

–

 

The Drowning House: A Novel by Elizabeth Black

A gripping suspense story about a woman who returns to Galveston, Texas after a personal tragedy and is irresistibly drawn into the insular world she’s struggled to leave.

Photographer Clare Porterfield’s once-happy marriage is coming apart, unraveling under the strain of a family tragedy. When she receives an invitation to direct an exhibition in her hometown of Galveston, Texas, she jumps at the chance to escape her grief and reconnect with the island she hasn’t seen for ten years. There Clare will have the time and space to search for answers about her troubled past and her family’s complicated relationship with the wealthy and influential Carraday family.

Soon she finds herself drawn into a century-old mystery involving Stella Carraday. Local legend has it that Stella drowned in her family’s house during the Great Hurricane of 1900, hanged by her long hair from the drawing room chandelier. Could Stella have been saved?

What is the true nature of Clare’s family’s involvement? The questions grow like the wildflower vines that climb up the walls and fences of the island. And the closer Clare gets to the answers, the darker and more disturbing the truth becomes.

Steeped in the rich local history of Galveston, The Drowning House portrays two families, inextricably linked by tragedy and time.

 

–

 

Flights by Olga Tokarczuk

WINNER OF THE NOBEL PRIZE IN LITERATURE

WINNER OF THE MAN BOOKER INTERNATIONAL PRIZE

NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALIST FOR TRANSLATED LITERATURE

A visionary work of fiction by “A writer on the level of W. G. Sebald” (Annie Proulx)

“A magnificent writer.” — Svetlana Alexievich, Nobel Prize-winning author of Secondhand Time

“A beautifully fragmented look at man’s longing for permanence…. Ambitious and complex.” — Washington Post

From the incomparably original Polish writer Olga Tokarczuk, Flights interweaves reflections on travel with an in-depth exploration of the human body, broaching life, death, motion, and migration. Chopin’s heart is carried back to Warsaw in secret by his adoring sister. A woman must return to her native Poland in order to poison her terminally ill high school sweetheart, and a young man slowly descends into madness when his wife and child mysteriously vanish during a vacation and just as suddenly reappear. Through these brilliantly imagined characters and stories, interwoven with haunting, playful, and revelatory meditations, Flights explores what it means to be a traveler, a wanderer, a body in motion not only through space but through time. Where are you from? Where are you coming in from? Where are you going? we call to the traveler. Enchanting, unsettling, and wholly original, Flights is a master storyteller’s answer.

 

–

 

Time’s Up by Janey Mack

The most engaging new detective in a long time… Janey Mack’s debut novel is a stand-out.” —Hy Conrad, author of Toured to Death

The police academy gave her the boot—and she knows how to use it.

All her life, Maisie McGrane dreamed of following in her father and older brothers’ footsteps and joining the force. But when she’s expelled from the police academy, she’s reduced to taking a job as a meter maid. Now, instead of chasing down perps, she’s booting people’s cars and taking abuse from every lowlife who can’t scrape together enough change to feed the meter.

McGranes weren’t put on this earth to quit, however. When Maisie stumbles across the body of a City Hall staffer with two bullets in his chest, her badge-wielding brothers try to warn her off the case. But with the help of her secret crush, shadowy ex-Army Ranger Hank Bannon, Maisie’s determined to follow the trail of conspiracy no matter where it leads. And that could put her in the crosshairs of a killer—and all she’s packing is a ticket gun.

“Mack’s outstanding debut conjures up equal parts Janet Evanovich (zany characters) and Michael Harvey (the Chicago political machine)… Riotous characters, including the members of the large McGrane clan, enhance a fast and furious plot that expertly balances menace and laugh-out-loud hijinks.” – Publishers Weekly, STARRED Review

“Mystery buffs will not only be swept up in the ingenious and well-crafted plot buy will love the irrepressible Maisie, who knows what she wants. Recommend for readers who miss the works of Eleanor Taylor Bland and enjoy those of Tim Dorsey.”— Library Journal, STARRED Review

 

–

 

PRINT RECOMMENDATIONS:

Buried To The Brim by Jenn McKinlay

London’s most refined canines and their humans are gearing up for the Pets and Wellness Society’s annual dog show–and Betty Wentworth, favorite aunt to Scarlett’s fiancé Harrison and proud owner of corgi front-runner Freddy, knows that this could be their year with the right edge. Never one to turn away a corgi in need, Scarlett convinces her milliner cousin, Vivian, to design matching hats for dream team Betty and Freddy as they compete for Best in Show.

It’s a tail wagging good time until the dog-food sponsor of the event is found dead and Betty is the prime suspect. Vivian and Scarlett agree to enter the competition in Betty’s place and help Harrison catch the real killer before Betty is collared for a crime she didn’t commit.

 

–

 

Hi Five by Joe Ide

Cristiana is the daughter of the biggest arms dealer on the West Coast, Angus Byrne. She’s also the sole witness and number one suspect in the murder of her boyfriend, found dead in her Newport Beach boutique. IQ – Isaiah Quintabe – is coerced into taking the case to prove her innocence. If he can’t, Angus will harm the PI’s new girlfriend, ending her career. The catch: Christiana has multiple personalities. Isaiah’s dilemma: no one personality saw the entire incident.

 

–

 

The Seep by Chana Porter

Trina Goldberg-Oneka is a fifty-year-old trans woman whose life is irreversibly altered in the wake of a gentle-but nonetheless world-changing-invasion by an alien entity called The Seep. Through The Seep, everything is connected. Capitalism falls, hierarchies and barriers are broken down; if something can be imagined, it is possible. Trina and her wife, Deeba, live blissfully under The Seep’s utopian influence-until Deeba begins to imagine what it might be like to be reborn as a baby, which will give her the chance at an even better life. Using Seeptech to make this dream a reality, Deeba moves on to a new existence, leaving Trina devastated. Heartbroken and deep into an alcoholic binge, Trina follows a lost boy she encounters, embarking on an unexpected quest. In her attempt to save him from The Seep, she will confront not only one of its most avid devotees, but the terrifying void that Deeba has left behind. A strange new elegy of love and loss, The Seep explores grief, alienation, and the ache of moving on.

 

–

 

Vendetta Road by Christine Feehan

Isaak “Ice” Koval is on a club mission when he sees a woman who stops him dead in his tracks. Soleil is a sweet, sexy, girl-next-door type. She’s an innocent who should be nowhere near the rough-and-ready world of the Torpedo Ink motorcycle club. But Ice knows Soleil belongs with him–and he’ll do whatever it takes to keep her.

After a life of drifting from one thing to the next, Soleil Brodeur is determined to take control of her life. When her breakup with her manipulative fiancé turns ugly, Soleil searches out the stranger who offered her a lifeline and ends up in a Las Vegas biker bar where she meets a gorgeous, dangerous man straight out of her most secret fantasies.

High on adrenaline, she finds herself falling faster than she thought possible. But Soleil knows little about the territory she’s stumbled into, and even less about what it really means to be Ice’s woman….

 

–

 

Why We’re Polarized by Ezra Klein

America’s political system isn’t broken. The truth is scarier: it’s working exactly as designed.” In this book, journalist Ezra Klein reveals how that system is polarizing us — and how we are polarizing it — with disastrous results. “The American political system — which includes everyone from voters to journalists to the president — is full of rational actors making rational decisions given the incentives they face,” writes political analyst Ezra Klein. “We are a collection of functional parts whose efforts combine into a dysfunctional whole.” In Why We’re Polarized, Klein reveals the structural and psychological forces behind America’s descent into division and dysfunction. Neither a polemic nor a lament, this book offers a clear framework for understanding everything from Trump’s rise to the Democratic Party’s leftward shift to the politicization of everyday culture. America is polarized, first and foremost, by identity. Everyone engaged in American politics is engaged, at some level, in identity politics. Over the past fifty years in America, our partisan identities have merged with our racial, religious, geographic, ideological, and cultural identities. These merged identities have attained a weight that is breaking much in our politics and tearing at the bonds that hold this country together. Klein shows how and why American politics polarized around identity in the twentieth century, and what that polarization did to the way we see the world and one another. And he traces the feedback loops between polarized political identities and polarized political institutions that are driving our system toward crisis. This is a revelatory book that will change how you look at politics, and perhaps at yourself.

Have a great week!

Linda Reimer, SSCL

–

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

 

–

 

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.

 

–

 

THE GUARDIANS by John Grisham:

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

 

–

 

HUNTING FOR A HIGHLANDER by Lynsay Sands:

The eighth book in the Highland Brides series. Geordie Buchanan and Lady Dwyn Innes have a chance encounter in an orchard.

 

–

 

THE INSTITUTE by Stephen King:

Children with special talents are abducted and sequestered in an institution where the sinister staff seeks to extract their gifts through harsh methods.

 

–

 

THE 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.

 

–

 

LONG BRIGHT RIVER by Liz Moore:

Mickey risks her job with the Philadelphia police force by going after a murderer and searching for her missing sister.

 

 

–

 

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.

 

–

 

LOST by James Patterson and James O. Born:

The new head of an F.B.I. task force takes on a crime syndicate run by a pair of Russian nationals.

 

–

 

A MINUTE TO MIDNIGHT by David Baldacci:

When Atlee Pine returns to her hometown to investigate her sister’s kidnapping from 30 years ago, she winds up tracking a potential serial killer.

 

–

 

MORAL COMPASS by Danielle Steel:

Shortly after Saint Ambrose Prep goes co-ed, a student is attacked and the community falls apart.

 

–

 

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

 

–

 

VENDETTA ROAD by Christine Feehan:

The third book in the Torpedo Ink series. After a breakup, Soleil meets a man in a Las Vegas biker bar.

 

–

 

WHEN YOU SEE ME by Lisa Gardner:

D.D. Warren and Flora Dane join the F.B.I. agent Kimberly Quincy’s taskforce.

 

–

 

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:

ARGUING WITH ZOMBIES by Paul Krugman:

The Nobel-winning economist and New York Times columnist describes potential misunderstandings in discussing economics.

 

–

 

BAD BLOOD by John Carreyrou:

The rise and fall of Theranos, the biotech startup that failed to deliver on its promise to make blood testing more efficient.

 

–

 

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 by Bill Bryson:

An owner’s manual of the human body covering various parts, functions and what happens when things go wrong.

 

–

 

THE BODY KEEPS THE SCORE by Bessel van der Kolk:

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

 

–

 

CATCH AND KILL by Ronan Farrow:

The Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter details some surveillance and intimidation tactics used to pressure journalists and elude consequences by certain wealthy and connected men.

 

–

 

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.

 

–

 

ME AND WHITE SUPREMACY by Layla F. Saad:

Ways to understand and possibly counteract white privilege.

 

–

 

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.

 

–

 

TALKING TO STRANGERS by Malcolm Gladwell:

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

 

–

 

TIGHTROPE by Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn:

The Pulitzer Prize-winning authors examine issues affecting working-class Americans.

 

–

 

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 recommended titles for the week, five digital titles, eBooks & downloadable audiobooks, available through OverDrive and five print titles available through StarCat.

DIGITAL CATALOG RECOMMENDATIONS:

Alice by Howard Fast:

A freak subway accident traps a New York architect in a deadly conspiracy that will threaten what he loves most John T. Camber is waiting on an uptown subway platform the moment his life changes forever. It happens quickly, when a haggard elderly man utters a sudden plea for help before falling on the tracks in front of an oncoming train. Reeling from the accident, Camber flees the station, only to be accosted by a brass-knuckled thug who believes Camber knows more than he’s letting on. And just like that, the suburban commuter finds himself inextricably trapped in a deadly conspiracy beyond his understanding. Dangerous people are after Camber, and if they can’t get to him, they’ll target his daughter instead. . . . Tense and action-packed, Alice is a stunning thriller about a man caught in events beyond his control, who will stop at nothing to protect his family.

–

 

Followers: A Novel by Megan Angelo (Format: eBook):

An electrifying story of two ambitious friends, the dark choices they make and the stunning moment that changes the world as we know it forever

Orla Cadden is a budding novelist stuck in a dead-end job, writing clickbait about movie-star hookups and influencer yoga moves. Then Orla meets Floss—a striving, wannabe A-lister—who comes up with a plan for launching them both into the high-profile lives they dream about. So what if Orla and Floss’s methods are a little shady—and sometimes people get hurt? Their legions of followers can’t be wrong.

Thirty-five years later, in a closed California village where government-appointed celebrities live every moment of the day on camera, a woman named Marlow discovers a shattering secret about her past. Despite her massive popularity—twelve million loyal followers—Marlow dreams of fleeing the corporate sponsors who would do anything to keep her on-screen. When she learns that her whole family history is based on a lie, Marlow finally summons the courage to run in search of the truth, no matter the risks.

Followers traces the paths of Orla, Floss and Marlow as they wind through time toward each other, and toward a cataclysmic event that sends America into lasting upheaval. At turns wry and tender, bleak and hopeful, this darkly funny story reminds us that even if we obsess over famous people we’ll never meet, what we really crave is genuine human connection.

 

–

 

Piper In the Woods, Early Stories of Philip K. Dick written by Philip K. Dick and read by Chris Lutkin (Format: Downloadable Audiobook)

In Piper in the Woods, an army doctor is asked to treat a soldier from Asteroid Y-3 who claims he is a plant. This wouldn’t be a problem, but the soldier is incapable of any physical activity, preferring to stand still and point himself towards the sun. When more soldiers return from Asteroid Y-3 also claiming to be plants, Dr. Harris travels there to investigate. While there, he learns about a mysterious indigenous people living in the woods called “Pipers”, who might be able to shed some light on the subject.

 

–

 

Season of Storms by Andrzej Sapkowski (Format: eBook)

Before he was the guardian of Ciri, the child of destiny, Geralt of Rivia was a legendary swordsman. Join the Witcher as he undertakes a deadly mission in this stand-alone adventure set in the world that inspired the blockbuster video games.

Geralt of Rivia is a Witcher, one of the few capable of hunting the monsters that prey on humanity. A mutant who is tasked with killing unnatural beings. He uses magical signs, potions, and the pride of every Witcher – two swords, steel and silver.

But a contract has gone wrong, and Geralt finds himself without his signature weapons. Now he needs them back, because sorcerers are scheming, and across the world clouds are gathering.

The season of storms is coming…

 

–

 

Terminal World written by Alastair Reynolds and read by John Lee (Format: Downloadable Audiobook):

Spearpoint, the last human city, is an atmosphere-piercing spire of vast size. Clinging to its skin are the zones, a series of semi-autonomous city-states, each of which enjoys a different-and rigidly enforced-level of technology. Following an infiltration mission that went tragically wrong, Quillon has been living incognito, working as a pathologist in the district morgue. But when a near-dead angel drops onto his dissecting table, Quillon’s world is wrenched apart one more time. If Quillon is to save his life, he must leave his home and journey into the cold and hostile lands beyond Spearpoint’s base, starting an exile that will take him further than he could ever imagine. But there is far more at stake than just Quillon’s own survival, for the limiting technologies of the zones are determined not by governments or police but by the very nature of reality-and reality itself is showing worrying signs of instability.

 

–

PRINT RECOMMENDATIONS:

Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu:

A deeply personal novel about race, pop culture, and escaping the roles we are forced to play–by the author of the infinitely inventive How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe.

Willis Wu doesn’t perceive himself as a protagonist even in his own life: He’s merely Generic Asian man. Sometimes he gets to be Background Oriental Making a Weird Face or even Disgraced Son, but he is always relegated to a prop. Yet every day he leaves his tiny room in a Chinatown SRO and enters the Golden Palace restaurant, where Black and White, a procedural cop show, is in perpetual production. He’s a bit player here, too, but he dreams of being Kung Fu Guy–the most respected role that anyone who looks like him can attain. At least that’s what he has been told, time and time again. Except by one person, his mother. Who says to him: Be more.

Playful but heartfelt, a send-up of Hollywood tropes and Asian stereotypes, Interior Chinatown is Charles Yu’s most moving, daring, and masterly novel yet.

 

–

 

The Museum of Desire by Jonathan Kellerman:

Psychologist Alex Delaware and detective Milo Sturgis struggle to make sense of a seemingly inexplicable massacre in this electrifying psychological thriller from the #1 New York Times bestselling master of suspense.

LAPD Lieutenant Milo Sturgis has solved a lot of murder cases. On many of them–the ones he calls “different”–he taps the brain of brilliant psychologist Dr. Alex Delaware. But neither Alex nor Milo are prepared for what they find on an early morning call to a deserted mansion in Bel Air. This one’s beyond different. This is predation, premeditation, and cruelty on a whole new level.

Four people have been slaughtered and left displayed bizarrely and horrifically in a stretch limousine. Confounding the investigation, none of the victims seems to have any connection to any other, and a variety of methods have been used to dispatch them. As Alex and Milo make their way through blind alleys and mazes baited with misdirection, they encounter a crime so vicious that it stretches the definitions of evil.

 

–

 

The Other People: A Novel by C. J. Tudor:

Driving home one night, Gabe is stuck behind a rusty old car. He sees a little girl’s face appear in its rear window. She mouths one word: Daddy. It’s his five-year-old daughter, Izzy. He never sees her again. Three years later, Gabe spends his days and nights traveling up and down the highway, searching for the car that took his daughter, refusing to give up hope, even though most people believe she’s dead. When the car that he saw escape with his little girl is found abandoned with a body inside, Gabe must confront not just the day Izzy disappeared but the painful events from his past now dredged to the surface

 

–

 

Thief River Falls by Brian Freeman:

Lisa Power is a tortured ghost of her former self. The author of a bestselling thriller called Thief River Falls, named after her rural Minnesota hometown, Lisa is secluded in her remote house as she struggles with the loss of her entire family: a series of tragedies she calls the “Dark Star.”

Then a nameless runaway boy shows up at her door with a terrifying story: he’s just escaped death after witnessing a brutal murder–a crime the police want to cover up. Obsessed with the boy’s safety, Lisa resolves to expose this crime, but powerful men in Thief River Falls are desperate to get the boy back, and now they want her too.

Lisa and her young visitor have nowhere to go as the trap closes around them. Still under the strange, unforgiving threat of the Dark Star, Lisa must find a way to save them both, or they’ll become the victims of another shocking tragedy she can’t foresee.

 

–

 

When We Were Vikings: A Novel by Andrew MacDonald:

For Zelda, a twenty-one-year-old Viking enthusiast who lives with her older brother, Gert, life is best lived with some basic rules: 1. A smile means “thank you for doing something small that I liked.” 2. Fist bumps and dabs = respect. 3. Strange people are not appreciated in her home. 4. Tomatoes must go in the middle of the sandwich and not get the bread wet. 5. Sometimes the most important things don’t fit on lists. But when Zelda finds out that Gert has resorted to some questionable–and dangerous–methods to make enough money to keep them afloat, Zelda decides to launch her own quest. Her mission: to be legendary. It isn’t long before Zelda finds herself in a battle that tests the reach of her heroism, her love for her brother, and the depth of her Viking strength.

–

Have a great week!

Linda Reimer, SSCL

–

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:

AGENCY by William Gibson:

Ainsley Lowbeer can see alternate outcomes for Verity Jane and her digital assistant, who lived in the previous century.

 

–

 

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

 

–

 

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.

 

–

 

THE GUARDIANS by John Grisham:

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

 

–

 

THE INSTITUTE by Stephen King:

Children with special talents are abducted and sequestered in an institution where the sinister staff seeks to extract their gifts through harsh methods.

 

–

 

THE 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.

 

–

 

LONG BRIGHT RIVER by Liz Moore:

Mickey risks her job with the Philadelphia police force by going after a murderer and searching for her missing sister.

 

 

–

 

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.

 

–

 

LOST by James Patterson and James O. Born:

The new head of an F.B.I. task force takes on a crime syndicate run by a pair of Russian nationals.

 

–

 

A MINUTE TO MIDNIGHT by David Baldacci:

When Atlee Pine returns to her hometown to investigate her sister’s kidnapping from 30 years ago, she winds up tracking a potential serial killer.

 

–

 

MORAL COMPASS by Danielle Steel:

Shortly after Saint Ambrose Prep goes co-ed, a student is attacked and the community falls apart.

 

–

 

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

 

–

 

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 by Bill Bryson:

An owner’s manual of the human body covering various parts, functions and what happens when things go wrong.

 

–

 

THE BODY KEEPS THE SCORE by Bessel van der Kolk:

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

 

–

 

CATCH AND KILL by Ronan Farrow:

The Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter details some surveillance and intimidation tactics used to pressure journalists and elude consequences by certain wealthy and connected men.

 

–

 

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.

 

–

 

THE IMPOSSIBLE FIRST by Colin O’Brady:

A memoir by the first person to cross Antarctica alone and without assistance.

 

–

 

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.

 

–

 

MAYBE YOU SHOULD TALK TO SOMEONE by Lori Gottlieb:

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

 

–

 

ME by Elton John:

The multi-award-winning solo artist’s first autobiography chronicles his career, relationships and private struggles.

 

–

 

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.

 

–

 

TIGHTROPE by Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn:

The Pulitzer Prize-winning authors examine issues affecting working-class Americans.

 

–

 

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 CAN’T SLEEP by Ada Calhoun:

The cultural and political contexts of the crises that Generation X women face.

 

–

 

WHY WE SLEEP by Matthew Walker:

A neuroscientist uses recent scientific discoveries to explain the functions of sleep and dreams.

 

–

 

Have a great day!

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.