This blog post includes all the new titles that have been ordered by the library in July 2024.
Some of these titles have arrived and can be requested through StarCat; other titles are not yet published and/or are not yet ready to circulate (and thus are not yet found in StarCat).
So, if you see a book you’d love to read, but don’t find it listed in StarCat, send me an email and let me know which title you’d like to read; and I will place it on hold for you, when it is ready to circulate.
New Books is a monthly post, usually published the first weekday of each month; and occasionally published the second day of the month, as is the case this month!
The next New Books Coming Your Was post will be out on August 1, 2024.
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And here is the list the list of New Books Coming Your Way for this month!
The catalog of e-books, downloadable audiobooks and a handful of streaming videos.
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The Libby App
Libby is the companion app to the Digital Catalog and may be found in the Apple & Google app.
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Hoopla
A catalog of instant check out items, including eBooks, downloadable audiobooks, comic books, TV shows and movies for patrons of the Southeast Steuben County Library.
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Tech Talk is a Southeast Steuben County Library blog.
Hi everyone, here are our streaming recommendations for July 2024, a few days early since many people are lucky to have a long holiday weekend and might be looking for something new to watch!
The next Suggested Viewing post will be out the first Saturday in August.
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July 1
Star Trek: Prodigy Season 2 (2024) (Netflix)
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July 3
Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F (2024) (Netflix)
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July 4
Godzilla X Kong (2024) (Max)
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July 9
Melissa Etheridge: I’m Not Broken (2024) (Paramount+)
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July 10
Sunny (2024) (Apple TV+)
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July 11
Vanished Into The Night (2024) (Netflix)
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July 12
Me (2020) (Apple TV+)
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July 14
The Emperor of Ocean Park (MGM+)
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July 18
Cobra Kai, Season Six (2024) (Netflix)
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July 19
Lady In The Lake (2024) (Netflix)
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July 25
The Decameron (2024) (Netflix)
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Hoopla Recommended Stream Of The Month
The US Constitution Through History Trailer
You can stream TV shows & movies from Hoopla online, or via the Hoopla app for free – all you need is a library card to get started!
Hi everyone, here are our five suggested reads of the week!
Weekly Suggested Reading Five postings are usually published on Wednesdays, unless Monday is a holiday and then they are published later in the week.
And the next Suggested Reading posting will be published on Wednesday, July 10, 2045.
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Blood In The Cut: A Novel by Alejandro Nodarse
A Cuban American ex-con fights to hold his family together in Nodarse’s standout debut. After being released from prison following a three-year drug sentence, Iggy Guerra returns to Miami’s Little Havana neighborhood with hopes of reconnecting with his family and putting the past behind him. With his mother’s recent death in an auto accident, however, plus his father’s mounting debt, his younger brother’s intentions of quitting high school, and the family butcher shop on the brink of closing under pressure from an arrogant competitor, Iggy finds his family in shambles. All responsibility falls on him, it seems, to fix the mess. Things become even more complicated when Iggy’s father is arrested for butchering illegally killed game for an unscrupulous Everglades rancher. Then Iggy discovers that his mother’s death may not have been an accident, and he’s compelled to seek street justice against her killer without ending up back behind bars. Nodarse draws taut suspense from intermingling the fate of the butcher shop, Iggy’s father’s shady dealings, and the mystery of his mother’s death, tying everything together with a stirring conclusion. He enhances the action with indelible descriptions of the Florida setting that underline the state’s intoxicating blend of beauty and danger. S.A. Cosby fans, take note: this jagged Southern neo-noir is not to be missed. – Starred Publisher’s Weekly Review
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The Cottage Fairy Companion: A Cottagecore Guide To Slow Living, Connecting To Nature, And Becoming Enchanted by Paola Merrill
Merrill (Cottage Fairy YouTube channel) discusses what she has learned about her cottage and herself as the seasons change. She discusses her transition from city to country living, and while the book focuses on country life, solutions for connecting to the seasons and nature are offered for city dwellers as well. The book embraces the cottagecore trend, and while the word “hygge” is never used, it is embodied in the text. Merrill’s subscribers–more than a million–will embrace this work, and readers unfamiliar with her YouTube channel may also find it enjoyable. Readers will find recipes, crafts, guided activities, and a meditation for each season. The sections also include questions to guide readers on their path to mindfulness.
VERDICT This book presents an easy entry point for readers interested in exploring mindfulness and the cottagecore lifestyle. – Library Journal
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A Novel Love Story by Ashley Poston
Stranger Than Fiction meets Virgin River in this incandescently clever meta rom-com from Poston (The Seven Year Slip). English professor Eileen “Elsy” Merriweather feels frozen in place after her fiancé breaks up with her a week before their wedding. Thankfully, there’s the promise of a “week of wine and happily ever afters” when her Super Smutty Book Club vacations together in a cabin in the Catskills. When Elsy gets lost in a storm on the way there, however, she winds up in Eloraton, the fictional small-town setting of bestseller Rachel Flowers’s hit Quixotic Falls series, the romances that brought the Super Smutty Book Club together in the first place. Flowers died before she could finish the series and Eloraton is stuck at the point where she stopped writing. The owner of the local bookstore, Anderson Sinclair, is the only person aware there’s anything odd about the town. He warns Elsy not to make ripples or change things, but she feels compelled to help her favorite characters find the happy endings their author planned for them. Poston gracefully walks the line between women’s fiction and romance—with just a hint of magic—providing an inspirational story of personal growth and second-chance romance alongside a fascinating exploration of transformative fiction, how readers and writers cocreate and share stories, and the value and purpose of escaping into one’s favorite novels. Readers will want to escape into this one again and again. – Starred Publishers Weekly Review
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Tangled Up In You by Christina Lauren
In the latest entry into the Mean to Be series, the romance duo writing as Christina Lauren reimagine Disney’s Tangled as a grumpy/sunshine road trip romance. Raised on a homestead by overprotective parents, 22-year-old Ren is eager to start her education at Corona College and experience the real world. Edward “Fitz” Fitzsimmon has a plan: graduate, go to law school, and keep anyone from getting too close. Naïve, friendly Ren is not part of his plan. But when a class DNA test reveals secrets about Ren’s parents, she convinces Fitz to let her tag along on his trip to Nashville. As they drive towards their destination, Ren and Fitz find themselves opening up to the world and to each other. But are they able to maintain their relationship in spite of major revelations, or will it all fall apart?
Christina Lauren smartly updates the Rapunzel story for a modern audience. Ren and Fitz both feel like real people in the real world with real problems who also have fairy-tale chemistry. Even Rapunzel skeptics will find themselves rooting for Ren and Fitz’s relationship to have a happily ever after. – Booklist Review
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Two Sides To Every Murder by Danielle Valentine
From the author of How to Survive Your Murder comes a propulsive thriller about two teens who return to Camp Lost Lake, site of the cold case that sealed their fates.
“A must-read for fans of true crime, dark family secrets, and intricate mysteries.” —Ryan La Sala, bestselling author of The Honeys
Most people’s births aren’t immortalized in a police report—but Olivia was born during the infamous Camp Lost Lake murders. Seventeen years later, Olivia’s life looks pretty perfect . . . until she discovers the man she calls dad is not her biological father. Now she wants answers about her bloodline, and the only place she knows to look is Camp Lost Lake.
Most people don’t spend their formative years on the run with an alleged murderer—but Reagan did. In the court of public opinion, her mom was found guilty of the deaths at Camp Lost Lake, and both of them have been in hiding ever since. But Reagan believes in her mother’s innocence and is determined to clear her name.
Luckily for Olivia and Reagan, Camp Lost Lake is finally reopening, providing the perfect opportunity to find answers. But someone else is dead set on keeping the past hidden, even if it means committing murder.
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Bonus Fourth of July Weekend Suggestions:
A DVD/Streaming Video
1776 (1972) starring William Daniels, Howard Da Silva & Ken Howard and an ensemble cast
Adapted from the Sherman Edwards/Peter Stone Broadway show, 1776 recounts events in Congress during the hot and stormy Philadelphia month leading up to the July 4th signing of the Declaration of Independence. A versatile cast — led by William Daniels as the fiery John Adams and Howard Da Silva as the cagey Ben Franklin — breathes life and humanity into the nation’s defining moment. The film deftly mingles a variety of tones. The spellbinding political debates over the Declaration’s text, for instance, remain mostly true to the historical record while benefiting from sharpened dialogue and dollops of wit. There is also whimsy and even romance, as the yearning, long-distance romance between John and Abigail Adams (Virginia Vestoff) is dramatized in split screens, as they act out their daily letters back and forth. Interspersed into the narrative are rousing refrains such as “But, Mr. Adams” and “The Egg,” and tender tunes like “Till Then.” For fans of the original film, or anyone interested in a playful interpretation of American history, this DVD release marks the triumphant return of a true musical classic. – Barnes & Noble Review
(Linda has seen this movie many times and concurs with the B&N Review!)
And if you’re looking for more movies to watch this weekend, check out this Fourth of July list from Country Living:
American Scripture: Making the Declaration of Independence by Pauline Maier
Maier sets the stage for her fascinating history of the Declaration of Independence with a concise and well-written introduction into the political background of the American Revolution. She provides the context for the document within the British tradition of declarations, addresses, and petitions and relates it to the many local and state declarations that aimed to mobilize support for independence. The thrust of her work is a careful examination of the drafting of the document by Jefferson and the Congressional committee; she then describes how Congress edited it into its final form. The latter third of the book is dedicated to the ways in which the Declaration has been redefined and used by different groups of Americans. Combining meticulous scholarship with clear prose, Maier tells a compelling story that will succeed in winning her a general audience. Highly recommended. – Library Journal Review
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The American Spirit: Who We Are and What We Stand For by David McCullough
Historian McCullough (Truman; John Adams), a Pulitzer Prize- and National Book Award-winning author, presents this collection of 15 inspiring speeches in which he celebrates America’s talent for curiosity, intelligence, goodwill, and humanity. McCullough is an eloquent writer, and the speeches are designed to be uplifting and celebratory. Amid all of the dissimulation and discourtesy that demands our attention, these brief essays celebrating national aspirations are intended to remind readers that, regardless of shortcomings, Americans have largely strived to better themselves and their country. Whether discussing the building of the U.S. capitol or the storied career of physician Benjamin Rush, McCullough manages to celebrate the people who have helped improve or build upon the nation’s founding.
VERDICT A concise read that will be well-received in public and academic history collections. – Starred Library Journal Review
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Power and Liberty: Constitutionalism in the American Revolution by Gordon S. Wood
New York Times bestseller and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Gordon S. Wood elucidates the debates over the founding documents of the United States.
The half century extending from the imperial crisis between Britain and its colonies in the 1760s to the early decades of the new republic of the United States was the greatest and most creative era of constitutionalism in American history, and perhaps in the world. During these decades, Americans explored and debated all aspects of politics and constitutionalism—the nature of power, liberty, representation, rights, the division of authority between different spheres of government, sovereignty, judicial authority, and written constitutions. The results of these issues produced institutions that have lasted for over two centuries.
In this new book, eminent historian Gordon S. Wood distills a lifetime of work on constitutional innovations during the Revolutionary era. In concise form, he illuminates critical events in the nation’s founding, ranging from the imperial debate that led to the Declaration of Independence to the revolutionary state constitution making in 1776 and the creation of the Federal Constitution in 1787. Among other topics, he discusses slavery and constitutionalism, the emergence of the judiciary as one of the major tripartite institutions of government, the demarcation between public and private, and the formation of states’ rights.
Here is an immensely readable synthesis of the key era in the making of the history of the United States, presenting timely insights on the Constitution and the nation’s foundational legal and political documents.
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The Quartet: Orchestrating The Second American Revolution by Joseph J. Ellis
Few can tell a historical tale as well as Ellis, as many readers will be aware from his eight previous studies of the Revolutionary War era (Revolutionary Summer, etc.). True to form, here he reviews this short but important time in America’s history through the eyes of its major figures—George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison—rather than offering an analysis of the weighty interval between the nation’s failed first constitution, the Articles of Confederation, and the ratification of the second (and successful) constitution and its first 10 amendments, which we now know as the Bill of Rights. Ellis’s approach employs deft characterizations and insights into these politicians and philosophers, who bested their opponents by “imposing their more expansive definition of the American Revolution” on the American people. With his usual skill, Ellis brings alive what otherwise might seem dry constitutional debates, with apt quotations and bright style. There may be equally solid surveys of “the second American Revolution,” a term Ellis borrows from other historians, but this one will be considered the standard work on its subject for years to come. It lacks the fresh interpretations and almost lyrical prose of Ellis’s previous books, but it’s a readable, authoritative work. – Publishers Weekly Review
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What Unites Us: Reflections On Patriotism by Dan Rather
There is no question that America has become deeply divided over race, religion, economics, and, of course, politics. The polarization has become so extreme it has led Rather to wonder what it means to love one’s country in this time of relentlessly bleak rhetoric and flash-point violence. The essential values that have long formed our national character seem to have been misplaced, and Rather, with journalist Kirschner, undertakes the search for those bedrock rallying points by reminding readers how they came to be in the first place. From his vantage point as one of this country’s most revered broadcasters, Rather analyzes the current state of disconnected discourse in a series of reflective essays that go to the heart of what it means to be an American. From empathy to immigration, education to the environment, politics to the press, institutions and attitudes that once were unassailable are now endangered. Rather views them as a child of the Great Depression and as a chronicler of the definitive events of the past 60 years. While he spares no disdain for the forces that currently threaten the best America has to offer, he extols those who continue to cherish and protect its abiding foundations. Honest and heartfelt, Rather’s is a reliably reassuring voice in times of turmoil. – Starred Booklist Review
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Happy reading!
Linda Reimer, SSCL
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Note: Book summaries are from the respective publishers unless otherwise specified.
The Digital Catalog, is an online catalog containing eBooks, eAudiobooks, and digital magazines. You can use your library card and checkout content on a PC; you can also use the companion app, Libby, to access titles on your mobile devices; so you can enjoy eBooks and eAudiobooks on the go!
All card holders of all Southern Tier Library System member libraries can check out items from the Digital Catalog.
The Hoopla Catalog features on demand checkouts of eBooks, eAudiobooks, comic books, albums, movies and TV shows. Patron check out limit is 10 items per month.
Hoopla is a Southeast Steuben County Library service available to all Southeast Steuben County Library card holders.
The Hoopla companion app, also called Hoopla is available for mobile devices, smart TVs & media streaming players.
Card holders of all Southern Tier Library System member libraries can access StarCat to search for and request materials available at libraries through out the Southern Tier Library System.
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Have questions about how to access Internet based content (i.e. eBooks, eAudios)? Feel free to drop by the Reference Desk or call the library and we will assist you! The library’s telephone number is: 607-936-3713.
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Tech & Book Talk is a Southeast Steuben County Library blog.
Hi everyone, here is the list of New York Times Bestsellers for this week. All titles can be requested/checked out through the library. If you’d like to go the traditional route to request a title on this list and drop by, or call, the library – please do!
Our telephone number is: 607-936-3713
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If you’d like to checkout and/or request New York Times Bestsellers online, you can do that too!
There are currently three catalogs available to Southeast Steuben County Library patrons online, that you can access to search for and request New York Times Bestsellers, and other popular books and materials.
All you need is a library card to get started!
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First, the list of bestsellers for this week, and after more information on the three catalogs!
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THE BESTSELLERS
FICTION
1. RED SKY MOURNING by Jack Carr: The seventh book in the Terminal List series. Questionable allegiances and various threats bring James Reece back into action.
2. THE HOUSEMAID IS WATCHING by Freida McFadden: The third book in the Housemaid series. Dangers lurk in a quiet neighborhood.
3. SWAN SONG by Elin Hilderbrand: Nantucket residents are alarmed when a home, recently sold at an exorbitant price, goes up in flames and someone goes missing.
4. WINTER LOST by Patricia Briggs: The 14th book in the Mercy Thompson series. Mercy and Adam are trapped with strangers during a storm.
5. THE WOMEN by Kristin Hannah: In 1965, a nursing student follows her brother to serve during the Vietnam War and returns to a divided America.
6. ERUPTION by Michael Crichton and James Patterson: The Big Island of Hawaii comes under threat by a volcano at the same time a secret held by the military comes to light.
7. THE HOUSEMAID by Freida McFadden: Troubles surface when a woman looking to make a fresh start takes a job in the home of the Winchesters.
8. THE MIDNIGHT FEAST by Lucy Foley: An opening night party turns deadly at a luxury resort located near an ancient forest.
9. MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT by Riley Sager: Thirty years after the disappearance of his friend, Ethan returns to his childhood home and encounters unsettling experiences.
10. A COURT OF THORNS AND ROSES by Sarah J. Maas: After killing a wolf in the woods, Feyre is taken from her home and placed inside the world of the Fae.
11. NOT IN LOVE by Ali Hazelwood: A biotech engineer at a food science start-up has a secret affair with one of the business partners who took over the company.
12. CAMINO GHOSTS by John Grisham: The third book in the Camino series. The last living inhabitant of a deserted island gets in the way of a resort developer.
13. LOVE UNWRITTEN by Lauren Asher: The second book in the Lakefront Billionaires series. A workaholic becomes attracted to the songwriter who had a crush on him in high school.
14. JUST FOR THE SUMMER by Abby Jimenez: Justin and Emma, whose exes find soulmates after breaking up with them, have a fling on a private island on Lake Minnetonka.
15. FUNNY STORY by Emily Henry: After their exes run off together, Daphne and Miles form a friendship and concoct a plan involving misleading photos.
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NON-FICTION
1. ON CALL by Anthony S. Fauci: The physician-scientist and immunologist chronicles his six decades of public service, including his work during the AIDS crisis and the Covid-19 pandemic.
2. THE ANXIOUS GENERATION by Jonathan Haidt: A co-author of “The Coddling of the American Mind” looks at the mental health impacts that a phone-based life has on children.
3. THE DEMON OF UNREST by Erik Larson: The author of “The Splendid and the Vile” portrays the months between the election of Abraham Lincoln and the beginning of the Civil War.
4. THE WAR ON WARRIORS by Pete Hegseth: The “Fox & Friends Weekend” host shares his experiences serving in the Army and his views on the current state of the American military.
5. LOVE & WHISKEY by Fawn Weaver: A portrayal of the bond between Jack Daniel and the African American distiller Nearest Green.
6. APPRENTICE IN WONDERLAND by Ramin Setoodeh: An editor in chief for Variety chronicles Donald J. Trump’s time in reality TV.
7. THE BODY KEEPS THE SCORE by Bessel van der Kolk: How trauma affects the body and mind, and innovative treatments for recovery.
8. WHAT THIS COMEDIAN SAID WILL SHOCK YOU by Bill Maher: The host of “Real Time With Bill Maher” gives his take on a variety of subjects in American culture and politics.
9. THE FRIDAY AFTERNOON CLUB by Griffin Dunne: The actor and director mixes stories from his family with tales of celebrities.
10. THE WAGER by David Grann: The survivors of a shipwrecked British vessel on a secret mission during an imperial war with Spain have different accounts of events.
11. A WALK IN THE PARK by Kevin Fedarko: The author of “The Emerald Mile” goes with a friend on a journey to hike the Grand Canyon from end to end.
12. THE SITUATION ROOM by George Stephanopoulos with Lisa Dickey: The ABC host and former adviser to President Clinton describes the location where and conditions under which a dozen presidential administrations handled crises.
13. WHEN THE CLOCK BROKE by John Ganz: How discontent at the end of the 20th century led to our current era of polarization and extremism.
14. OUTLIVE by Peter Attia with Bill Gifford: A look at recent scientific research on aging and longevity.
15. AN UNFINISHED LOVE STORY by Doris Kearns Goodwin: A trove of items collected by the Pulitzer Prize-winning historian’s late husband inspired an appraisal of central figures and pivotal moments of the 1960s.
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Have a great week!
Linda Reimer, SSCL
THE CATALOGS:
Catalog 1: StarCat
StarCat is the catalog of physical materials including print books, DVDs, audiobooks on CD etc. StarCat is available to all patrons of all public libraries in the Southern Tier Library System*
The Digital Catalog (and its companion app Libby) offers all Southern Tier Library System member library patrons access to eBooks, eAudiobooks & eMagazines via a lending model known in Library-ese as “one copy/one user;” that library speak means that eBooks & eAudiobooks found in The Digital Catalog/Libby are like print books found on library shelves, only one patron can check out a copy of a title at a time.
Exception: Magazines found in the digital catalog are available via a different lending model known as simultaneous access. And that fancy library speak means that magazines are available for all patrons to check out at the same time, i.e. if you and all your family and friends wish to read the latest digital edition of Newsweek, all of you can check out the e version of the magazine and read it at the same time.
The Digital Catalog/Libby checkout limit is 5 titles a time.
The Hoopla Digital Catalog (and its companion app, also called Hoopla) offers Southeast Steuben County Library patrons access to a second digital catalog with an on-demand lending model. In library speak, this lending model, like The Digital Catalog/Libby’s magazine lending model, is known as “simultaneous access.” The difference is, the Hoopla catalog offers access to more formats: eBooks, eAudiobooks, eComics, digital albums, TV shows & movies – and all items, in all those formats, are available for patrons to checkout immediately. The Hoopla check out limit is ten titles per month.
Hoopla Formats: All Hoopla content can be accessed on a computer or mobile device, and TV shows and movies can be accessed on computers, mobile devices, smart TVs and media streaming players, i.e. Roku or Apple TV.
The catalog of e-books, downloadable audiobooks and a handful of streaming videos.
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The Libby App
Libby is the companion app to the Digital Catalog and may be found in the Apple & Google app.
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Hoopla
A catalog of instant check out items, including eBooks, downloadable audiobooks, comic books, TV shows and movies for patrons of the Southeast Steuben County Library.
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Tech Talk is a Southeast Steuben County Library blog.
Hi everyone, here are our five suggested reads of the week!
Weekly Suggested Reading Five postings are usually published on Wednesdays, unless Monday is a holiday and then they are published later in the week.
And the next Suggested Reading posting will be published on Wednesday, July 3, 2024.
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15 Summers Later by RaeAnne Thayne
Madi, self-conscious about her physical differences resulting from a brain injury, is nonetheless working full speed to make the no-kill animal shelter she has established in a small Idaho mountain town sustainable. She feels betrayed by her sister, Ava, who wrote a book detailing their captivity and harrowing escape as teenagers when their widowed father joined a survivalist cult in the wilderness. Madi is horrified and furious that Ava’s book, an international best-seller, is exposing the worst time in her life to not only her community but the whole world. Ava’s husband has left her, hurt and angry that she had never shared her traumatic past with him. Their escape and the tragic death of a rescuer linked the sisters to the Gentry family for life. Veterinarian Luke Gentry provides medical care for the animals at the shelter, and his sister is Madi’s best friend and roommate. Readers can always depend on Thayne (Cafe at Beach End, 2023) to provide a compelling story with lots of heart, featuring endearing characters and serious real life issues. — Booklist Review
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The Great River: The Making And Unmaking Of The Mississippi
Draining American land from the Rockies to the Appalachians, the mighty Mississippi River and its tributaries sluice 140 cubic miles of water annually into the Gulf of Mexico. This massive surge is vital to the nation’s history, ecology, and commerce. Nature writer Upholt relates the history of the river from a social and technological perspective. He writes lyrically and poignantly of the Indigenous civilizations that built remarkable earthworks in places like Cahokia near the river’s banks. Later, Spanish and French explorers of the Mississippi set the stage for newly independent American states to initiate their push westward. At the river’s mouth, New Orleans was a critical entrepôt through the War of 1812 and the Civil War. The advent of the steamboat revealed the importance of keeping the Mississippi navigable and protecting the agricultural lands bordering it. Engineering projects funded by Congress changed the river’s course, but limited understanding of the wild water’s power cured one problem only to create more chaos up- and downstream; twentieth-century industry and urban development threatened complex ecosystems. Upholt introduces readers to people dependent on the Mississippi. Combining their stories with the watershed’s economic, political, geological, and biological underpinnings, he offers an insightful living portrait of America’s heartland. – Booklist Review
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Resurrection by Danielle Steel
#1 New York Times bestselling author Danielle Steel returns with an irresistible novel about a woman whose seemingly perfect life comes crashing down—and learns to find joy in rising above.
Darcy Gray is a successful influencer with her blog, The Gray Zone, trusted by more than a million followers for her integrity and taste. At forty-two, she has the life she wants in many ways. Darcy and her husband, department store magnate Charles Gray, are a power couple in Manhattan and on the international stage. Their beloved twin daughters are each enjoying their junior year abroad, Penny in Hong Kong and Zoe at the Sorbonne in Paris.
To celebrate twenty years of marriage, Darcy impulsively flies to Rome to surprise Charlie, who is tending to business interests there. Instead, she gets the shock of her life, which upends her whole world.
Still reeling, Darcy flees to Paris to see Zoe. But a rapidly escalating worldwide health crisis forces her to remain indefinitely in France. Suddenly thrust into a gray zone of her own, her forced separation from Zoe and the rest of her family feels like too much to bear . . .
Until Darcy finds a welcoming refuge in the home of the aging French movie star Sybille Carton. There, she meets a widowed American engineer and former Marine who is also stranded. Bill Thompson is kind and courteous but also carries an air of mystery about him. In this shared confinement, and despite worries about her girls, Darcy begins to see glimpses of new possibilities.
In Resurrection, Danielle Steel poignantly shows how the hardest of times can give birth to a beautiful new life.
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Some Murders In Berlin by Karen Robards
Just as Nazi Germany is tightening its grip on Denmark in September 1943, Elin Lund is summoned to Berlin to help solve a serial-killer case. It is her second visit to the city; the first was as a teenager with her father, also a serial-killer specialist, and her mother, killed in a hit-and-run during the trip. Upon arrival, Elin is paired with Kriminalinspektor Kurt Schneider, who also has shadows in his past. He was an up-and-coming officer until reassigned to the Russian front. Wounded badly, he is now back in his former role and trying to make his mark, but he is under scrutiny by his higher-ups. As Elin and Kurt seek patterns at the crime scenes and in the evidence, they suspect that the killer identifies his victims at speakeasies frequented by the Nazi elite. They also see that the killer seems to have a schedule, and the next murder is looming. With much of the investigation taking place in the Nazi underworld, there is a darkness here which is lightened by the romance Robards weaves into the plot. – Booklist Review
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The Twilight Garden by Sara Nisha Adams
Adams’s delightful sophomore novel (after The Reading List) revolves around a garden shared by two London houses and the relationships formed by the tenants who tend to it over several decades. In 2018, 30-something Winston lives alone at No. 79 Eastbourne Road, heartbroken after his lover and roommate, Lewis, moved out. Winston is also troubled by the steady noise of renovation projects next door at No. 77, and develops a grudge against his haughty neighbor Bernice, whom he dubs “The Queen of Sheba.” The garden long ago went to seed, but over the course of their yearlong feud, they begin receiving mysterious letters and photos of previous residents posing in the plot during its prime. Eventually, they forge a plan to resurrect the garden together. A parallel narrative beginning in 1972 follows No. 79 tenants Maya and Prem, who move in as newlyweds, and their brusque neighbor, Alma, who softens after Maya gives birth to her daughter, Hiral, and the women bond over keeping up the garden. (Maya and Alma are pictured together in the photos received by Winston and Bernice.) The simple story is carried along by seamless time shifts and insights into the rewards of unexpected friendship. Gardeners will be especially pleased. – Publishers Weekly
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Happy reading!
Linda Reimer, SSCL
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Note: Book summaries are from the respective publishers unless otherwise specified.
The Digital Catalog, is an online catalog containing eBooks, eAudiobooks, and digital magazines. You can use your library card and checkout content on a PC; you can also use the companion app, Libby, to access titles on your mobile devices; so you can enjoy eBooks and eAudiobooks on the go!
All card holders of all Southern Tier Library System member libraries can check out items from the Digital Catalog.
The Hoopla Catalog features on demand checkouts of eBooks, eAudiobooks, comic books, albums, movies and TV shows. Patron check out limit is 10 items per month.
Hoopla is a Southeast Steuben County Library service available to all Southeast Steuben County Library card holders.
The Hoopla companion app, also called Hoopla is available for mobile devices, smart TVs & media streaming players.
Card holders of all Southern Tier Library System member libraries can access StarCat to search for and request materials available at libraries through out the Southern Tier Library System.
–
Have questions about how to access Internet based content (i.e. eBooks, eAudios)? Feel free to drop by the Reference Desk or call the library and we will assist you! The library’s telephone number is: 607-936-3713.
–
Tech & Book Talk is a Southeast Steuben County Library blog.
Hi everyone, here is the list of New York Times Bestsellers for this week.
All titles can be requested/checked out through the library.
If you’d like to go the traditional route to request a title on this list and drop by, or call, the library – please do!
Our telephone number is: 607-936-3713
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FICTION
1. THE HOUSEMAID IS WATCHING by Freida McFadden: The third book in the Housemaid series. Dangers lurk in a quiet neighborhood.
2. SWAN SONG by Elin Hilderbrand: Nantucket residents are alarmed when a home, recently sold at an exorbitant price, goes up in flames and someone goes missing.
3. NOT IN LOVE by Ali Hazelwood: A biotech engineer at a food science start-up has a secret affair with one of the business partners who took over the company.
4. ERUPTION by Michael Crichton and James Patterson: The Big Island of Hawaii comes under threat by a volcano at the same time a secret held by the military comes to light.
5. THE WOMEN by Kristin Hannah: In 1965, a nursing student follows her brother to serve during the Vietnam War and returns to a divided America.
6. CAMINO GHOSTS by John Grisham: The third book in the Camino series. The last living inhabitant of a deserted island gets in the way of a resort developer.
7. A COURT OF THORNS AND ROSES by Sarah J. Maas: After killing a wolf in the woods, Feyre is taken from her home and placed inside the world of the Fae.
8. THE HOUSEMAID by Freida McFadden: Troubles surface when a woman looking to make a fresh start takes a job in the home of the Winchesters.
9. YOU LIKE IT DARKER by Stephen King: A dozen short stories that explore darkness in literal and metaphorical forms.
10. FUNNY STORY by Emily Henry: After their exes run off together, Daphne and Miles form a friendship and concoct a plan involving misleading photos.
11. A COURT OF MIST AND FURY by Sarah J. Maas: The second book in the Court of Thorns and Roses series. Feyre gains the powers of the High Fae and a greater evil emerges.
12. THIS SUMMER WILL BE DIFFERENT by Carley Fortune: Lucy returns to Prince Edward Island, where she finds it difficult to stay away from her best friend’s younger brother.
13. JUST FOR THE SUMMER by Abby Jimenez: Justin and Emma, whose exes find soulmates after breaking up with them, have a fling on a private island on Lake Minnetonka.
14. IT ENDS WITH US by Colleen Hoover: A battered wife raised in a violent home attempts to halt the cycle of abuse.
15. LEATHER AND LARK by Brynne Weaver: The second book in the Ruinous Love series. An indie musician offers a contract killer a way to his freedom, but only if he’ll marry her.
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NON-FICTION
1. THE DEMON OF UNREST by Erik Larson: The author of “The Splendid and the Vile” portrays the months between the election of Abraham Lincoln and the beginning of the Civil War.
2. THE WAR ON WARRIORS by Pete Hegseth: The “Fox & Friends Weekend” host shares his experiences serving in the Army and his views on the current state of the American military.
3. THE ANXIOUS GENERATION by Jonathan Haidt: A co-author of “The Coddling of the American Mind” looks at the mental health impacts that a phone-based life has on children.
4. THE SITUATION ROOM by George Stephanopoulos with Lisa Dickey: The ABC host and former adviser to President Clinton describes the location where and conditions under which a dozen presidential administrations handled crises.
5. THE FRIDAY AFTERNOON CLUB by Griffin Dunne: The actor and director mixes stories from his family with tales of celebrities.
6. THE WAGER by David Grann: The survivors of a shipwrecked British vessel on a secret mission during an imperial war with Spain have different accounts of events.
7. WHAT THIS COMEDIAN SAID WILL SHOCK YOU by Bill Maher: The host of “Real Time With Bill Maher” gives his take on a variety of subjects in American culture and politics.
8. THE BODY KEEPS THE SCORE by Bessel van der Kolk: How trauma affects the body and mind, and innovative treatments for recovery.
9. WHEN THE SEA CAME ALIVE by Garrett M. Graff: An oral history, based on numerous interviews, of events leading up to and part of the operation known as D-Day.
10. AN UNFINISHED LOVE STORY by Doris Kearns Goodwin: A trove of items collected by the Pulitzer Prize-winning historian’s late husband inspired an appraisal of central figures and pivotal moments of the 1960s.
11. HIP-HOP IS HISTORY by Questlove with Ben Greenman: The musician and filmmaker pulls together some of the creative and cultural forces behind hip-hop.
12. THE WIDE WIDE SEA by Hampton Sides: The author of “On Desperate Ground” depicts Captain James Cook’s final voyage and the controversies surrounding its legacy.
13. OUTLIVE by Peter Attia with Bill Gifford: A look at recent scientific research on aging and longevity.
14. JUST ADD WATER by Katie Ledecky: A memoir by the seven-time Olympic gold medalist and 21-time world champion swimmer.
15. PATTON’S PRAYER by Alex Kershaw: The author of “Against All Odds” chronicles Gen. George Patton’s actions during World War II.
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If you’d like to checkout and/or request New York Times Bestsellers online, you can do that too!
There are currently three catalogs available to Southeast Steuben County Library patrons online, that you can access to search for and request New York Times Bestsellers, and other popular books and materials.
All you need is a library card to get started!
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First, the list of bestsellers for this week, and after more information on the three catalogs!
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THE BESTSELLERS
FICTION
NON-FICTION
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THE CATALOGS:
Catalog 1: StarCat
StarCat is the catalog of physical materials including print books, DVDs, audiobooks on CD etc. StarCat is available to all patrons of all public libraries in the Southern Tier Library System*
The Digital Catalog (and its companion app Libby) offers all Southern Tier Library System member library patrons access to eBooks, eAudiobooks & eMagazines via a lending model known in Library-ese as “one copy/one user;” that library speak means that eBooks & eAudiobooks found in The Digital Catalog/Libby are like print books found on library shelves, only one patron can check out a copy of a title at a time.
Exception: Magazines found in the digital catalog are available via a different lending model known as simultaneous access. And that fancy library speak means that magazines are available for all patrons to check out at the same time, i.e. if you and all your family and friends wish to read the latest digital edition of Newsweek, all of you can check out the e version of the magazine and read it at the same time.
The Digital Catalog/Libby checkout limit is 5 titles a time.
The Hoopla Digital Catalog (and its companion app, also called Hoopla) offers Southeast Steuben County Library patrons access to a second digital catalog with an on-demand lending model. In library speak, this lending model, like The Digital Catalog/Libby’s magazine lending model, is known as “simultaneous access.” The difference is, the Hoopla catalog offers access to more formats: eBooks, eAudiobooks, eComics, digital albums, TV shows & movies – and all items, in all those formats, are available for patrons to checkout immediately. The Hoopla check out limit is ten titles per month.
Hoopla Formats: All Hoopla content can be accessed on a computer or mobile device, and TV shows and movies can be accessed on computers, mobile devices, smart TVs and media streaming players, i.e. Roku or Apple TV.
Hi everyone, welcome to our Suggested Listening posting for this week!
This is our welcome summer edition, featuring a dozen fun summer songs, to welcome the season; (and those of us who don’t like the heat, we will celebrate air conditioners and ice cubes too!)
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On an FYI note, Suggested Listening postings are published on Fridays; and our next Suggested Listening posting will be out on Friday, June 28, 2024.
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And here are the recommended songs of the week!
Havana Moon by Chuck Berry
From The Album: His Best, Volume 1 – The Chess 50th Anniversary Collection (1997)
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Here Comes The Sun by Nina Simone
From The Album: Here Comes The Sun (2012)
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Lazy-Hazy-Crazy Days of Summer by Nat King Cole
From The Album: Lazy-Hazy-Crazy Days of Summer (1963)
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Let The Good Times Roll by Louis Jordan
From The Album: The Best Of Louis Jordan (1975)
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One Summer Night by The Danleers
From The Album: One Summer Night (1958)
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On The Sunny Side Of The Street by Louis Armstrong
From The Album: I Like Jazz: The Essence Of Louis Armstrong (1991)
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Palisades Park by Freddie Canon
From The Album: Just My Rock & Roll Classics (2020)
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Peg by Steely Dan
From The Album: Aja (1977)
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Saturday In The Park by Chicago
From The Album: Chicago V (1972)
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Summertime Blues by Eddie Cochran
From The Album: Eddie Cochran: The Liberty Years (2020)
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Walking To New Orleans by Fats Domino
From The Album: Greatest Hits: Walking To New Orleans (2007)
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Watermelon Man by Mongo Santamaria
From The Album: Mr. Watermelon Man (1963)
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And for anyone who’d like to take a deep dive into the summer songs of 1962, may I also suggest:
The American Graffiti Soundtrack (1973) by Various Artists
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Hoopla Recommended Album of The Week
Concord On A Summers Night by The Dave Brubeck Quartet
And from the album the song:
Take Five
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Hoopla Recommend Album of the Week
And from the album the song:
Chilly Winds
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Have a great weekend,
Linda Reimer, SSCL
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Online Catalog Links:
StarCat
The catalog of physical materials, i.e. print books, DVDs, audiobooks on CD, etc.
The catalog of e-books, downloadable audiobooks and a handful of streaming videos.
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The Libby App
Libby is the companion app to the Digital Catalog and may be found in the Apple & Google app.
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Hoopla
A catalog of instant check out items, including eBooks, downloadable audiobooks, comic books, TV shows and movies for patrons of the Southeast Steuben County Library.
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Tech Talk is a Southeast Steuben County Library blog.
Hi everyone, here are our five suggested reads of the week!
Weekly Suggested Reading Five postings are usually published on Wednesdays, unless Monday is a holiday and then they are published later in the week.
And the next Suggested Reading Five post will be published on Wednesday, June 26, 2024.
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And on a quick FYI note, the library is closed today, Wednesday, June 19, 2024, in observance of Juneteenth. We’ll re-open tomorrow morning at our usual weekday opening time of 9:00 a.m.
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But of course, the digital world never sleeps! And you can check out and enjoy content from the library at any time of the day or night, including eBooks, eAudiobooks, TV shows, movies and music ; just check out the Libby and Hoopla apps!
You can also access a great variety of credible research databases for free through the library, including ones on Health, Business, Academic Research, Opposing Viewpoints and more through our library system’s Novel NY databases. For more information go to –> ssclibrary.org, –> Click on the Resources Menu seen at the top right-hand corner of the page, –> Click on the Research & Learning option and scroll to the bottom of the page that displays, then –>Click on the link that says Find the complete list of STLS databases & research resources here.
And here are our Five Suggested Reads for the Week!
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Curvy Girl Summer by Danielle Allen
Aaliyah’s family is pressing her to find a boyfriend and settle down before she turns 30, and she does have a big birthday celebration planned. The family is still recovering from the death of her pregnant, engaged sister five years before, but now they’re saying hurtful things, and they’ve gone too far. Her uncle says she is fat, and he won’t give her the family yacht as promised if she doesn’t lose weight and get a boyfriend. She tries a dating app at her favorite bar, and the results are hilarious for readers but awful and painful for Aaliyah. But the kind bartender, Ahmed, offers comfort and advice as Aaliyah dismisses each disappointing candidate. She and Ahmed grow close as friends, then as more. Meanwhile, Aaliyah decides to set some boundaries with her critical family and contentedly goes to her party by herself. But she is in for a very happy birthday surprise. Readers will love the ending in this engaging, sensitive, and steamy book about feeling good and confident about yourself before looking for and finding love. – Booklist Review
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Daughter Of Calamity by Rosalie M. Lin
In 1930s Shanghai, Jingwen is a dancer at a club. But there is a bit more to her life than the nights of dancing and flirting with important and wealthy men–she is also the granddaughter of Liqing, a surgeon with ties to the gang that runs the city. Liqing replaces limbs with metal, giving gang members an advantage. She is able to do this because of something she stole from a god. However, this is not the only trade that Liqing engages in: when Jingwen discovers that her grandmother is attaching pieces of dancers to wealthy individuals, she decides to help end her grandmother’s reign. However, there are forces at work that Jingwen doesn’t believe in or understand. Her new-to-town ally, Zikai, who represents an outside gang, talks about the need to bring the gods back to Shanghai. Jingwen is only focused on what she needs to get help for the dancers, but she is in over her head. This debut is a genre blend of mystery and fantasy with some amazing world building. Readers will enjoy being transported to a new world. Fans of fantasy will want to know Lin’s name. – Booklist Review
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Death in the Air: A Novel by Ram Murali
Murali’s debut novel introduces us to Ro Krishna, a wealthy Indian man raised in America currently living in London. Ro has just been forced to leave his high-profile job due to racism and is unsure about his future. Through a new friend, Ro is guided to stay at Samsara, a lavish spa in India, for Christmas. However, “10 days to a new you” turns into “10 days of whodunit.” The murder of a prominent guest compels Ro, who was previously a lawyer, to help solve the case but also question himself. The beginning of the story is a bit disorienting, perhaps purposefully, as we abruptly transition between scenes of Ro’s life and his convoluting thoughts. However, once at the spa, the pace eases and the plot is easier to follow. The multiple mysteries will keep readers interested and acting as amateur investigators until all is revealed with a few shocking conclusions. This novel includes a diverse group, discusses the effects of money and class, and also highlights India’s history and spirituality.
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Sandwich: A Novel by Catherine Newman
Newman returns with a story about a woman coming to terms with life over 50. As her family gathers for the annual vacation on Cape Cod, Rocky is worn out by menopause and nostalgia. The family has been coming to the same house for 20 years, and Rocky’s memories immediately fall back to when her grown children were little. Although she remembers how “touched out” she was and how stressful life with babies was, she misses Jamie and Willa’s innocent sweetness. At the same time, Rocky cherishes the time with them, especially since their banter is laugh-out-loud funny. She laments about how dried out and saggy her body is now, not to mention the hot flashes. When Rocky’s parents arrive, all of them squeezed into their tiny rental, she realizes that to her parents, she’s still a child herself–and she is within the sandwich generation, torn between past and present. Readers in this age group will relate to Rocky’s woes, and as the novel’s tone becomes more serious, they may identify with Rocky’s history as well. This is a quick yet moving read that will stay with readers long after the last page. – Booklist Review
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They Came for the Schools: One Town’s Fight Over Race and Identity, and the New War for America’s…by Mike Hixenbaugh
In a meticulous debut exposé adapted from the Peabody Award–winning podcast Southlake, Hixenbaugh recaps how the recent conservative war on the teaching of material concerning race, sexuality, and gender kicked off in Southlake, Tex. He begins in 2018, when the “high-end suburban utopia” was propelled into the national spotlight over acrimony surrounding the school district’s proposed diversity plan. Meant to address repeated incidents of harassment directed at LGBTQ students and students of color, the plan faced opposition from conservative parents and local activists, who eventually reinvigorated a defunct political action committee, or PAC, to fund a takeover of the school board. The new board scrapped the diversity plan, relaxed the anti-bullying disciplinary code, banned books, and sanctioned teachers. Southlake became a national model for the right, as local groups across the country took similar steps to win school board seats. Hixenbaugh traces the web of conservative media figures and think tanks who promoted this activism, and he tracks how it developed hand in hand with a new wave of right-wing Christian radicalization that echoes the 1970s and ’80s campaign against “secular humanism” in schools spearheaded by evangelical leaders Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson. What emerges is an extraordinarily detailed analysis of current conservative thought and political activity. It’s a vital work of reportage. – Starred Publishers Weekly Review
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Happy reading!
Linda Reimer, SSCL
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Note: Book summaries are from the respective publishers unless otherwise specified.
The Digital Catalog, is an online catalog containing eBooks, eAudiobooks, and digital magazines. You can use your library card and checkout content on a PC; you can also use the companion app, Libby, to access titles on your mobile devices; so you can enjoy eBooks and eAudiobooks on the go!
All card holders of all Southern Tier Library System member libraries can check out items from the Digital Catalog.
The Hoopla Catalog features on demand checkouts of eBooks, eAudiobooks, comic books, albums, movies and TV shows. Patron check out limit is 10 items per month.
Hoopla is a Southeast Steuben County Library service available to all Southeast Steuben County Library card holders.
The Hoopla companion app, also called Hoopla is available for mobile devices, smart TVs & media streaming players.
Card holders of all Southern Tier Library System member libraries can access StarCat to search for and request materials available at libraries through out the Southern Tier Library System.
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Have questions about how to access Internet based content (i.e. eBooks, eAudios)? Feel free to drop by the Reference Desk or call the library and we will assist you! The library’s telephone number is: 607-936-3713.
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Tech & Book Talk is a Southeast Steuben County Library blog.
Tech & Book Talk at SSCL 