Daily Digital & Print Suggested Reads: Tuesday, December 5, 2017

Linda Reimer

Hi everyone, here are our recommended titles for today.

(Note: Click on the photo of the item you’d like to request or check out)

Our digital suggestion for today is the ebook:

The MindWar Trilogy (MindWar, Hostage Run, and Game Over) by Andrew Klavan:

s

When Rick lost the ability to run, he came one step closer to becoming a hero.

New High Score! New Record Time!

Rick nodded with grim satisfaction. He laid the game controller aside on the sofa and reached for his crutches.

Rick Dial was the best quarterback Putnam Hills High School had ever seen. Unflappable. Unstoppable.

Number 12. But when a car accident left him crippled, Rick’s life as he knew it ended. He disavowed his triumphant past. He ignored his girlfriend. He disappeared into his bedroom—and into the glowing video screen.

But Rick’s uncanny gaming skills have attracted attention. Dangerous attention. Government agents have uncovered a potentially devastating cyber-threat: a Russian genius has created a digital reality called the Realm, from which he can enter, control, and disrupt American computer systems . . . from transportation to defense. The agents want Rick, quick-thinking quarterback and gaming master, to enter the Realm and stop the madman—before he sends America into chaos.

Entering the Realm will give Rick what he thought he’d never have again: a body as strong and fast as it was before the accident. But this is no game, there are no extra lives, and what happens to Rick in the Realm happens to Rick’s body in reality.

Even after Rick agrees to help, he can’t shake the sense that he’s being kept in the dark. Why would a government agency act so aggressively? Can anyone inside the Realm be trusted? How many others have entered before him . . . and failed to return?

In the tradition of Ender’s Game and The Matrix, MindWar is a complex thriller about a seemingly ordinary teenager who discovers a hidden gift—a gift that could make him a hero . . . or cost him everything.

“Edgar Award–winning Klavan’s well-orchestrated fantasy thriller features . . . an imaginative mix of gaming action with real-life stakes. With just the right cliff-hanger ending, this trilogy opener shows promise.” —Booklist

And our print book suggested read for the day is:

Exile of Fenrir by Peter Curson:

 “We were only five when the gods looked at us in fear.” Fenrir is speaking of him and his siblings. As the children of the trickster Loki, they have good reason to be feared. However, this is not the reason the gods of Asgard fear them. Fenrir, Jormungand, and Hél are some of the few shapeshifters in Norse Mythology. Fenrir has the ability to shapeshift into a great wolf and is capable of taking on even Asgard’s mighty gods. This is Fenrir’s story of his time in Asgard. His journey takes him from Valhalla, the great hall of Odin, to the depths of the Underworld, all the while facing triumph and tragedy and uncovering the mysteries of the Norse mythological world. Join Fenrir in his tale of adventure, conflict, and heartache as he is forced to live amongst the gods of Asgard. Exile of Fenrir is an original work rooted within the world of Norse Mythology. In this novel, Fenrir takes part and witnesses some of the mythological tales that were told by our real world’s Vikings.

You can request physical items, i.e. print books, DVDs & CDs, online via StarCat:

or by calling the library at: 607-936-3713 x 502.

Have a great day!

Linda, SSCL

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.

Freegal Music Service

This music service is free to library card holders and offers the option to download, and keep, three free songs per week and to stream three hours of commercial free music each day:

RBDigital

Digital magazines on demand and for free! Back issues are available and you can even choose to be notified by email when the new issue of your favorite magazine is available.

About Library Apps:

You can access digital library content on PCs, Macs and mobile devices. For mobile devices simply download the OverDrive, Freegal or Zinio app from your app store to get started. If you have questions call the library at: 607-936-3713 and one of our Digital Literacy Specialists will be happy to assist you.

Tech Talk is a Southeast Steuben County Library blog.

Daily Digital & Print Suggested Reads: Monday, December 4, 2017

Linda Reimer

Hi everyone, here are our recommended titles for today.

(Note: Click on the photo of the item you’d like to request or check out)

Our digital suggestion for today is the ebook:

Salt Houses by Hala Alyan:

“Reading Salt Houses is like having your coffee grounds read: cosmic, foreboding and titillating all at once. In this magnificent debut, Alyan’s powerful and poetic voice guides us into the dark recesses of history and leads us right up to the present tensions between East & West, the modern & ancestral, the hopeless and the hopeful.” —Aline Ohanesian, author of Orhan’s Inheritance

On the eve of her daughter Alia’s wedding, Salma reads the girl’s future in a cup of coffee dregs. She sees an unsettled life for Alia and her children; she also sees travel, and luck. While she chooses to keep her predictions to herself that day, they will all soon come to pass when the family is uprooted in the wake of the Six-Day War of 1967.

Salma is forced to leave her home in Nablus; Alia’s brother gets pulled into a politically militarized world he can’t escape; and Alia and her gentle-spirited husband move to Kuwait City, where they reluctantly build a life with their three children. When Saddam Hussein invades Kuwait in 1990, Alia and her family once again lose their home, their land, and their story as they know it, scattering to Beirut, Paris, Boston, and beyond. Soon Alia’s children begin families of their own, once again navigating the burdens (and blessings) of assimilation in foreign cities.

Lyrical and heartbreaking, Salt Houses is a remarkable debut novel that challenges and humanizes an age-old conflict we might think we understand—one that asks us to confront that most devastating of all truths: you can’t go home again.

And our print book suggested read for the day is:

The Long, Long Trail: War at Home, 1917 by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles:

In 1917 the Great War rages on, and for the Hunters, their friends and their servants the war is where they live now.

David has returned from the Front a shadow of his former self; his sister Diana, newly married, copes with pregnancy alone, her husband at the Front. Aunt Laura, eager for challenge, goes to France with an ambulance; while Beattie struggles to manage war work and household, while racked with her secret guilt and a new threat of exposure.

U-boat attacks face Britain with starvation, and with the worsening privation comes a new horror as Germany begins a lethal bombing campaign. But even in the darkest hours of war, new life and new hope can burgeon, with the promise that the future might still hold happiness for them all.

The Long, Long Trail is the fourth book in the War at Home series by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles, author of the much-loved Morland Dynasty novels. Set against the real events of 1917, at home and on the front, this is a vivid and rich family drama featuring the Hunter family and their servants.

You can request physical items, i.e. print books, DVDs & CDs, online via StarCat:

or by calling the library at: 607-936-3713 x 502.

Have a great day!

Linda, SSCL

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.

Freegal Music Service

This music service is free to library card holders and offers the option to download, and keep, three free songs per week and to stream three hours of commercial free music each day:

RBDigital

Digital magazines on demand and for free! Back issues are available and you can even choose to be notified by email when the new issue of your favorite magazine is available.

About Library Apps:

You can access digital library content on PCs, Macs and mobile devices. For mobile devices simply download the OverDrive, Freegal or Zinio app from your app store to get started. If you have questions call the library at: 607-936-3713 and one of our Digital Literacy Specialists will be happy to assist you.

Tech Talk is a Southeast Steuben County Library blog.

Non-Fiction DVD Recommendations 12 2 17

Linda Reimer

Happy Saturday everyone!

Here are our three recommended non-fiction DVDs for this week!

(Click on the photos to request the DVDs)

Citizen Jane Battle for the City

Description: Citizen Jane is a timely tale of what can happen when engaged citizens fight the power for the sake of a better world. Arguably no one did more to shape our understanding of the modern American city than Jane Jacobs, the visionary activist and writer who fought to preserve urban communities in the face of destructive development projects. Director Matt Tyranuer (Valentino: The Last Emperor) vividly brings to life Jacobs 1960s showdown with ruthless construction kingpin Robert Moses over his plan to raze lower Manhattan to make way for a highway, a dramatic struggle over the very soul of the neighborhood.

Dewey Number: DVD 307 CIT

Trailer:

The First Silent Night:

Description: Join Simon Callow as he uncovers the origins of Silent Night, from the Austrian village of Oberndorf to the city of Salzburg, birthplace of the worlds favorite carol. Two impoverished children, Joseph Mohr and Franz Gruber, met one day in a country church, where they united Grubers music and Mohrs text into this classic carol about the birth of a third poor boy on a quiet night in ancient Palestine.

Dewey Number: DVD 781.723 FIR

Trailer: No trailer available.

Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts Stingers and Zingers:

Description: The Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts were a fixture on NBC from 1973 to 1984. In those 11 years, Dean and his panel of pals successfully ridiculed, embarrassed and made fun of legendary stars like Frank Sinatra, Lucille Ball, Sammy Davis Jr. and Dean Martin himself, to name a few, and America loved it!

This 8-DVD set includes 24 complete Celebrity Roasts and features dozens of stars from the day, such as Valerie Harper, Jack Klugman, Tony Randall, Michael Landon, Carroll O Connor, Sen. Hubert Humphrey, Wilt Chamberlain, Danny Thomas, Ted Knight, Dan Haggerty, Mr. T, Ed McMahon, Redd Foxx, Joe Garagiola, Evel Knievel, Hank Aaron, Peter Marshall, Truman Capote, William Conrad, Monty Hall, Leo Durocher, Bobby Riggs, Joe Namath,  Bob Hope, Ed Asner, Lucille Ball, Georgia Engel, Milton Berle, Dr. Joyce Brothers, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Ruth Buzzi, Sid Caesar, Foster Brooks, Charo, Howard Cosell, Angie Dickinson, Phyllis Diller, Nipsey Russell, Lorne Greene, William Holden, Gabe Kaplan, Art Linkletter, Rich Little, Paul Lynde, Scatman Crothers, Dick Martin, Red Buttons, Audrey Meadows, Bob Newhart, LaWanda Page, Isabel Sanford, Harvey Korman, Soupy Sales, Jimmie Walker, Orson Welles and many more.

Dewey Number: DVD 791.4572 DEA

Trailer: No trailer available.

The library is open from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Saturdays – so while you’re out and about today, drop in and and check out some books and DVDs!

Have a great weekend,
Linda, SSCL

Suggested Listens December 1, 2017

Linda Reimer

Hi everyone, here are our six musical recommendations for the week; five streaming suggestions and one recommended album on CD.

(Click on the photo of the album you’d like to hear to stream or request the album)

Freegal Streaming Suggestions*

I’m on a super nostalgic kick this week and am not offering any suggested listening titles that are less than 30 years old!

This weeks’ suggested listening titles include:

 A various artists LP titled NOW That’s What I Call The 80s which includes songs I remember from my high school years;

The Best of the Liverpool Five a short lived mid-sixties band that played in a British Invasion-Garage Band style.

George Winston’s December, which is a perfect album for the season as the songs are both festive in keeping with the holiday season and, the music is played in a way that allows the listener to easily conjure up images of snow falling and peaceful snowy landscapes.

Herb Albert’s Lonely Bull album which was his first LP and put his music, and that of the influential label he co-founded (A&M Records), on the map. The mariachi based instrumentals, collectively, have a reflective, wistfulness to them and are a prefect compliment to any leisure activity (my favorite is reading!)

Classic country artist Charlie Reed’s Set Me Free LP which harkens back to an era when acoustic instruments could be frequently heard front and center in country, folk, blues and pop recordings.

And our CD listening suggestion for the week is a friendly and warm album by guitarist Charlie Hunter and drummer Leon Parker simply titled Duo. It is one of those recordings where you can tell the musicians are truly friends just by listening to their playing. And indeed, in his AllMusic review of the album Rich Anderson described the album as a “wonderful, warm rewarding album.”

NOW That’s What I Call The ’80s by Various Artists (Genre: Pop, Rock):

Songs on the LP include: Uptown Girl by Billy Joel, Girls Just Want to Have Fun by Cyndi Lauper, Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go by Wham! and Who Can It Be Now? by Men at Work.

The Best of Liverpool Five by Liverpool Five (Genre: Classic Rock, British Invasion, Garage Band):

Songs on this classic rock collection include: If You’ve Gotta Go, Go Now, She’s Mine, That’s What I Want, Just a Little Bit and Heart.

December by George Winston (1982) (Genre: Piano, New Age, Jazz, Holiday):

Songs on this mellow LP include: Thanksgiving, Joy, Carol Of The Bells, The Holly and the Ivy and Peace.

The Lonely Bull by Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass (1962) (Genre: Easy Listening, Jazz):

Songs on the album include: The Lonely Bull, El Lobo, Tijuana Sauerkraut, Never on Sunday, Struttin’ with Maria and Let It Be Me.

Set Me Free by Charlie Rich (1968) (Genre: Country, Classic Country):

Songs in the set include: Set Me Free, By The Time I Get To Phoenix, Just Like Old Times, Very Much Alone and Got to See My Baby.

CD of the Week:

Duo by Charlie Hunter (1999) (Genre: Jazz):

Song on the LP include: Mean Streak, Do That Then, You Don’t Know What Love Is, Don’t Talk (Put Your Head on My Shoulder) and Calypso for Grandpa.

Videos of the Week:

Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go by Wham!

That’s What I Want by Liverpool Five

The Holly and the Ivy by George Winston

Acapulco 1922 by Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass

Set Me Free by Charlie Rich

Mean Street by Charlie Hunter and Leon Parker

References:

Artist Biography & Discography Information:

http://www.allmusic.com/

The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits by Joel Whitburn (Billboard Books. New York. 2009.)

P.S. If you have any questions about how to download or stream free music through the Freegal Music service to a desktop or laptop computer or how to download and use the Freegal Music app let us know! Drop by the library or give us a call at: 607-936-3713

*You must have a library card at a Southern Tier Library System member library to enjoy the Freegal Music Service. Your card can be from any library in the system, and the system includes all public libraries in Steuben, Chemung, Yates, Schuyler and Allegheny Counties and includes our own Southeast Steuben Count Library in Corning, New York!

Library cards are free if you live in our service area. And you can obtain a card by visiting the Circulation Desk and presenting staff with a form of ID that features your name and your current address.

Catching Up On New York Times Bestsellers: December 1, 2017  

Linda Reimer

Hi everyone, here are a selection of books that have appeared on the New York Times Bestseller list in the last month.

To find out more about a book, or to request it, click on the photo of the book you’re interested in which will re-direct you to the StarCat request page*

And without further ado, here’s the list of bestsellers for December 2017!

FICTION:

ARTEMIS by Andy Weir Crown:

A small-time smuggler living in a lunar colony schemes to pay off an old debt by pulling off a challenging heist.

A COLUMN OF FIRE by Ken Follett:

A pair of lovers find themselves on opposite sides of a conflict while Queen Elizabeth fights to maintain her throne.

COUNT TO TEN by James Patterson and Ashwin Sanghi:

Santosh Wagh investigates the appearance of dissolved human remains in a South Delhi state government house.

END GAME by David Baldacci:

Jessica Reel and Will Robie fight a dangerous adversary in Colorado.

EVERY BREATH YOU TAKE by Mary Higgins Clark and Alafair Burke:

Laurie Moran investigates the murder of a wealthy widow who was pushed from the roof of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

FUTURE HOME OF THE LIVING GOD by Louise Erdrich:

As giving birth becomes a matter of state security, a pregnant woman travels to find her Ojibwe family.

HARDCORE TWENTY-FOUR by Janet Evanovich:

When a homeless man is murdered, the bounty hunter Stephanie Plum searches for the killer.

MIDNIGHT LINE by Lee Child Delacorte:

Jack Reacher tracks down the owner of a pawned West Point class ring and stumbles upon a large criminal enterprise.

MILK AND HONEY by Rupi Kaur:

Poetic approaches to surviving adversity and loss.

NOEL DIARY by Richard Paul Evans:

A romance writer delves into a stranger’s past when his estranged mother leaves her extremely stuffed house to him.

OATHBRINGER by Brandon Sanderson:

The third volume of the Stormlight Archive. The War of Reckoning ends and the Voidbringers return.

ORIGIN by Dan Brown:

A symbology professor goes on a perilous quest with a beautiful museum director.

THE ROOSTER BAR by John Grisham:

Three students at a sleazy for-profit law school hope to expose the student-loan banker who runs it.

SILENT CORNER by Dean Koontz:

An F.B.I. agent investigates an alarming surge in suicides, including her husband’s.

SLEEPING BEAUTIES by Stephen King and Owen King:

Women who fall asleep become shrouded in mysterious cocoons while the men battle one another.

SUN AND HER FLOWERS by Rupi Kaur:

A new collection of poetry from the author of “Milk and Honey.”

TWO KINDS OF TRUTH by Michael Connelly:

While he investigates the murder of two pharmacists, an old case comes back to haunt Harry Bosch.

TYPHOON FURY by Clive Cussler and Boyd Morrison:

Juan Cabrillo chases a Filipino insurgent during a megastorm.

UNCOMMON TYPE by Tom Hanks:

Seventeen short stories, each incorporating a typewriter, by the Academy Award-winning actor.

NON-FICTION:

ANDREW JACKSON AND THE MIRACLE OF NEW ORLEANS by Brian Kilmeade and Don Yaeger:

Major General Jackson takes on the British in Louisiana.

ASTROPHYSICS FOR PEOPLE IN A HURRY by Neil deGrasse Tyson:

A straightforward, easy-to-understand introduction to the laws that govern the universe.

BOBBY KENNEDY by Chris Matthews:

The New York senator’s journey from his formative years to his tragic run for president.

ENDURANCE by Scott Kelly:


A memoir by the retired astronaut and former commander of the International Space Station.

GOD, FAITH, AND REASON by Michael Savage:

The conservative radio host shares moments when he has experienced glimpses of the divine.

GRANT by Ron Chernow:

A biography of the Union general of the Civil War and two-term president of the United States.

HACKS by Donna Brazile:

An account of the Russian hacking of the Democratic National Committee and the fights within the party during the 2016 campaign.

KILLING ENGLAND by Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard:

Major events and battles during the Revolutionary War are told from several perspectives.

LEONARDO DA VINCI by Walter Isaacson:

A biography of the Italian Renaissance polymath which connects his work in various disciplines.

OBAMA by Pete Souza:

More than 300 pictures of the former president by his White House photographer, with behind-the-scenes stories.

PROMISE ME, DAD by Joe Biden:

The former vice president recalls his toughest year in office, as his son battled brain cancer.

SISTERS FIRST by Jenna Bush Hager and Barbara Pierce Bush:

How the twin daughters of former president George W. Bush grew up in the public eye.

TROUBLEMAKER by Leah Remini and Rebecca Paley:

The actress describes her life in Scientology and the aftermath of her break with the church in 2013.

WHAT HAPPENED by Hillary Rodham Clinton:

An inside look at her campaign and how she recovered in its aftermath.

WHAT UNITES US by Dan Rather and Elliot Kirschner:

A collection of essays that define the historical changes and essential institutions of America to suggest ways to overcome divisions within the country.

Our Catching Up On New York Times Bestsellers posting comes out on the first day of each month.

Have a great weekend,

Linda, SSCL

*If you don’t have a library card you can get one at the library. Just bring a form of ID with your name and current address to the library, fill out a short form and presto — you’ll have a library card in less than five minutes!

Daily Digital & Print Suggested Reads: Friday, December 1, 2017

Linda Reimer

Hi everyone, here are our recommended titles for today.

(Note: Click on the photo of the item you’d like to request or check out)

Our digital suggestion for today is the ebook: 

In This Moment by Karen Kingsbury:

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Karen Kingsbury comes a brand-new Baxter Family novel about a beloved high school principal who starts a Bible Study to improve the lives of his struggling students, only to become the national focus of a controversial lawsuit.

Hamilton High Principal Wendell Quinn is tired of the violence, drug abuse, teen pregnancies, and low expectations at his Indianapolis school. A single father of four, Quinn is a Christian and a family man. He wants to see change in his community, so he starts a voluntary after-school Bible Study and prayer program. He knows he is risking his job by leading the program, but the high turnout at every meeting encourages him.

A year later, violence and gang activity are down, test scores are up, and drug use and teen pregnancy have plummeted. The program is clearly working—until one parent calls the press. Now Quinn faces a lawsuit that could ruin everything.

With a storm of national attention and criticism, Quinn is at a crossroads—he must choose whether to cave in and shut down the program or stand up for himself and his students. The battle comes with a high cost, and Quinn wants just one attorney on his side for this fight: Luke Baxter. In This Moment is an inspiring, relevant story about the nuances of religious freedom and how a group of determined people just might restore the meaning of faith in today’s culture.

A Secret Sisterhood, The Literary Friendships of Jane Austen, Charlotte Brontë, George Eliot, and Virginia Woolf by Emily Midorikawa and Emma Claire Sweeney:

Male literary friendships are the stuff of legend; think Byron and Shelley, Fitzgerald and Hemingway. But the world’s best-loved female authors are usually mythologized as solitary eccentrics or isolated geniuses. Coauthors and real-life friends Emily Midorikawa and Emma Claire Sweeney prove this wrong, thanks to their discovery of a wealth of surprising collaborations: the friendship between Jane Austen and one of the family servants, playwright Anne Sharp; the daring feminist author Mary Taylor, who shaped the work of Charlotte Brontë; the transatlantic friendship of the seemingly aloof George Eliot and Harriet Beecher Stowe; and Virginia Woolf and Katherine Mansfield, most often portrayed as bitter foes, but who, in fact, enjoyed a complex friendship fired by an underlying erotic charge.

Through letters and diaries that have never been published before, A Secret Sisterhood resurrects these forgotten stories of female friendships. They were sometimes scandalous and volatile, sometimes supportive and inspiring, but always—until now—tantalizingly consigned to the shadows.

And our print book suggested read for the day is:

You can request physical items, i.e. print books, DVDs & CDs, online via StarCat:

or by calling the library at: 607-936-3713 x 502.

Have a great day!

Linda, SSCL

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.

Freegal Music Service

This music service is free to library card holders and offers the option to download, and keep, three free songs per week and to stream three hours of commercial free music each day:

RBDigital

Digital magazines on demand and for free! Back issues are available and you can even choose to be notified by email when the new issue of your favorite magazine is available.

About Library Apps:

You can access digital library content on PCs, Macs and mobile devices. For mobile devices simply download the OverDrive, Freegal or Zinio app from your app store to get started. If you have questions call the library at: 607-936-3713 and one of our Digital Literacy Specialists will be happy to assist you.

Tech Talk is a Southeast Steuben County Library blog.

Daily Digital & Print Suggested Reads: Thursday, November 30, 2017

Linda Reimer

Hi everyone, here are our recommended titles for today.

(Note: Click on the photo of the item you’d like to request or check out)

Our digital suggestion for today is the downloadable audiobook:

I Was Here written by Gayle Forman and narrated by Jorjeana Marie:

Cody and Meg were inseparable.

Two peas in a pod.

Until . . . they weren’t anymore.

When her best friend Meg drinks a bottle of industrial-strength cleaner alone in a motel room, Cody is understandably shocked and devastated. She and Meg shared everything–so how was there no warning? But when Cody travels to Meg’s college town to pack up the belongings left behind, she discovers that there’s a lot that Meg never told her. About her old roommates, the sort of people Cody never would have met in her dead-end small town in Washington. About Ben McAllister, the boy with a guitar and a sneer, and some secrets of his own. And about an encrypted computer file that Cody can’t open–until she does, and suddenly everything Cody thought she knew about her best friend’s death gets thrown into question.

I Was Here is Gayle Forman at her finest, a taut, emotional, and ultimately redemptive story about redefining the meaning of family and finding a way to move forward even in the face of unspeakable loss.

And our print book suggested read for the day is:

The Story of Arthur Truluv by Elizabeth Berg

 

“I dare you to read this novel and not fall in love with Arthur Truluv. His story will make you laugh and cry, and will show you a love that never ends, and what it means to be truly human.”—Fannie Flagg

An emotionally powerful novel about three people who each lose the one they love most, only to find second chances where they least expect them

“Fans of Meg Wolitzer, Emma Straub, or [Elizabeth] Berg’s previous novels will appreciate the richly complex characters and clear prose. Redemptive without being maudlin, this story of two misfits lucky to have found one another will tug at readers’ heartstrings.”—Booklist

For the past six months, Arthur Moses’s days have looked the same: He tends to his rose garden and to Gordon, his cat, then rides the bus to the cemetery to visit his beloved late wife for lunch. The last thing Arthur would imagine is for one unlikely encounter to utterly transform his life.

Eighteen-year-old Maddy Harris is an introspective girl who visits the cemetery to escape the other kids at school. One afternoon she joins Arthur—a gesture that begins a surprising friendship between two lonely souls. Moved by Arthur’s kindness and devotion, Maddy gives him the nickname “Truluv.” As Arthur’s neighbor Lucille moves into their orbit, the unlikely trio band together and, through heartache and hardships, help one another rediscover their own potential to start anew.

Wonderfully written and full of profound observations about life, The Story of Arthur Truluv is a beautiful and moving novel of compassion in the face of loss, of the small acts that turn friends into family, and of the possibilities to achieve happiness at any age.

You can request physical items, i.e. print books, DVDs & CDs, online via StarCat:

Or by calling the library at: 607-936-3713 x 502.

Have a great day!

Linda, SSCL

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.

Freegal Music Service

This music service is free to library card holders and offers the option to download, and keep, three free songs per week and to stream three hours of commercial free music each day:

RBDigital

Digital magazines on demand and for free! Back issues are available and you can even choose to be notified by email when the new issue of your favorite magazine is available.

About Library Apps:

You can access digital library content on PCs, Macs and mobile devices. For mobile devices simply download the OverDrive, Freegal or Zinio app from your app store to get started. If you have questions call the library at: 607-936-3713 and one of our Digital Literacy Specialists will be happy to assist you.

Tech Talk is a Southeast Steuben County Library blog.

Birthday Blues Suggested Listen!

Linda Reimer

I’m a huge fan of the British blues musician and band leader John Mayall, who turns 84 years young today (11/29).

He is most famous for the albums he recorded in the sixties with a whole host of great musicians, some of whom have since became world famous including: John McVie, Mick Fleetwood (albeit in his case briefly), Peter Green, Eric Clapton, Jack Bruce and Mick Taylor.

In the seventies he moved to California and he has continued to play concerts and record albums in all the years since then – and despite the concentration of great musicians who went through his band in the sixties — the man is a first rate musician and singer all on his own!

His 2017 release is titled

Talk About That 

And if you like the blues you might give it a listen on his birthday!

Songs on the LP include: Talk About That, It’s Hard Going Up, The Devil Must Be Laughing, Gimme Some of That Gumbo, Blue Midnight and You Never Know.

Have a great day!

Linda, SSCL

P.S. Being a modern man, John Mayall even has an official website which is found at: http://www.johnmayall.com/

Daily Digital & Print Suggested Reads: Wednesday, November 29, 2017

Linda Reimer

Hi everyone, here are our recommended titles for today.

(Note: Click on the photo of the item you’d like to request or check out)

Our digital suggestion for today is the ebook:

A Cherry Cola Christmas by Ashton Lee:

Christmas is coming to the small town of Cherico, Mississippi, and there’s no better way to prepare than with the Cherry Cola Book Club’s feast of good food, good books—and good people…

Cherico’s newlywed librarian Maura Beth Mayhew is back from her honeymoon and she and Jeremy McShay are settling into married life. Maura Beth’s father has even given them the down payment on a charming cottage. But as the holidays approach, Cherico’s economy is struggling. Beloved local shops have closed, jobs have been lost, and there’s even a mysterious crime spree afoot. Amid the gloom, Maura Beth decides what the community needs is a healthy dose of Christmas cheer—which means a special meeting of the Cherry Cola Book Club…

Along with the delicious potluck offerings everyone has come to expect, Maura Beth has invited members and the public to share their most uplifting stories—and share they do. From poignant stories of grief and renewal to joyful stories of love and new life, Cherico’s residents infuse the gathering with so much hope and courage they just might inspire a culprit’s confession, and conjure a holiday miracle that could save the town—and Christmas…

“A Cherry Cola Christmas is filled with the quirky, funny and charming characters we’ve grown to love and whose poignant tales become the true blessings of Christmas. This book belongs under every tree this season.”—Christa Allan

“An intrepid librarian, a book club feast, and a cozy, heart-warming Mississippi mystery—what’s not to love?”—Jamie Ford, New York Times bestselling author of Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet

And our print book suggested read for the day is:

Jade City by Fonda Lee:

 

FAMILY IS DUTY. MAGIC IS POWER. HONOR IS EVERYTHING.

Jade is the lifeblood of the island of Kekon. It has been mined, traded, stolen, and killed for — and for centuries, honorable Green Bone warriors like the Kaul family have used it to enhance their magical abilities and defend the island from foreign invasion.

Now, the war is over and a new generation of Kauls vies for control of Kekon’s bustling capital city. They care about nothing but protecting their own, cornering the jade market, and defending the districts under their protection. Ancient tradition has little place in this rapidly changing nation.

When a powerful new drug emerges that lets anyone — even foreigners — wield jade, the simmering tension between the Kauls and the rival Ayt family erupts into open violence. The outcome of this clan war will determine the fate of all Green Bones — from their grandest patriarch to the lowliest motorcycle runner on the streets — and of Kekon itself.

You can request physical items, i.e. print books, DVDs & CDs, online via StarCat:

Or by calling the library at: 607-936-3713 x 502.

Have a great day!

Linda, SSCL

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.

Freegal Music Service

This music service is free to library card holders and offers the option to download, and keep, three free songs per week and to stream three hours of commercial free music each day:

RBDigital

Digital magazines on demand and for free! Back issues are available and you can even choose to be notified by email when the new issue of your favorite magazine is available.

About Library Apps:

You can access digital library content on PCs, Macs and mobile devices. For mobile devices simply download the OverDrive, Freegal or Zinio app from your app store to get started. If you have questions call the library at: 607-936-3713 and one of our Digital Literacy Specialists will be happy to assist you.

Tech Talk is a Southeast Steuben County Library blog.

Daily Digital & Print Suggested Reads: Tuesday, November 28, 2017

Linda Reimer

Hi everyone, here are our recommended titles for today.

(Note: Click on the photo of the item you’d like to request or check out)

Our digital suggestion for today is the e-book:

Why We Sleep by Matthew Walker:

A New York Times bestseller

The first sleep book by a leading scientific expert—Professor Matthew Walker, Director of UC Berkeley’s Sleep and Neuroimaging Lab—reveals his groundbreaking exploration of sleep, explaining how we can harness its transformative power to change our lives for the better.

Sleep is one of the most important but least understood aspects of our life, wellness, and longevity. Until very recently, science had no answer to the question of why we sleep, or what good it served, or why we suffer such devastating health consequences when we don’t sleep. Compared to the other basic drives in life—eating, drinking, and reproducing—the purpose of sleep remained elusive.

An explosion of scientific discoveries in the last twenty years has shed new light on this fundamental aspect of our lives. Now, preeminent neuroscientist and sleep expert Matthew Walker gives us a new understanding of the vital importance of sleep and dreaming. Within the brain, sleep enriches our ability to learn, memorize, and make logical decisions. It recalibrates our emotions, restocks our immune system, fine-tunes our metabolism, and regulates our appetite. Dreaming mollifies painful memories and creates a virtual reality space in which the brain melds past and present knowledge to inspire creativity.

Walker answers important questions about sleep: how do caffeine and alcohol affect sleep? What really happens during REM sleep? Why do our sleep patterns change across a lifetime? How do common sleep aids affect us and can they do long-term damage? Charting cutting-edge scientific breakthroughs, and synthesizing decades of research and clinical practice, Walker explains how we can harness sleep to improve learning, mood, and energy levels; regulate hormones; prevent cancer, Alzheimer’s, and diabetes; slow the effects of aging; increase longevity; enhance the education and lifespan of our children, and boost the efficiency, success, and productivity of our businesses. Clear-eyed, fascinating, and accessible, Why We Sleep is a crucial and illuminating book.

And our print book suggested read for the day is:

The People vs. Alex Cross by James Patterson:

 

The charges: explosive

Alex Cross has never been on the wrong side of the law-until now. Charged with gunning down followers of his nemesis Gary Soneji in cold blood, Cross is being turned into the poster child for trigger-happy cops who think they’re above the law. Cross knows it was self-defense. But will a jury see it that way?

The evidence: shocking

As Cross fights for his professional life and his freedom, his former partner John Sampson brings him a gruesome, titillating video tied to the mysterious disappearances of several young girls. Despite his suspension from the department, Cross can’t say no to Sampson. The illicit investigation leads them to the darkest corners of the Internet, where murder is just another form of entertainment.

The People vs. Alex Cross: the trial of the century

As the prosecution presents its case, and the nation watches, even those closest to Cross begin to doubt his innocence. If he can’t convince his own family that he didn’t pull the trigger with intent to kill, how can he hope to persuade a jury? But even with everything on the line, Cross will do whatever it takes to stop a dangerous criminal…even if he can’t save himself.

You can request physical items, i.e. print books, DVDs & CDs, online via StarCat:

Or by calling the library at: 607-936-3713 x 502.

Have a great day!

Linda, SSCL

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.

Freegal Music Service

This music service is free to library card holders and offers the option to download, and keep, three free songs per week and to stream three hours of commercial free music each day:

RBDigital

Digital magazines on demand and for free! Back issues are available and you can even choose to be notified by email when the new issue of your favorite magazine is available.

About Library Apps:

You can access digital library content on PCs, Macs and mobile devices. For mobile devices simply download the OverDrive, Freegal or Zinio app from your app store to get started. If you have questions call the library at: 607-936-3713 and one of our Digital Literacy Specialists will be happy to assist you.

Tech Talk is a Southeast Steuben County Library blog.