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.
–
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.
–
Tech Talk is a Southeast Steuben County Library blog.
Hi everyone, here are our recommended reads for the week!
*More information on the three catalogs and available formats is found at the end of the list of recommended reads*
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Weekly Suggested Reading postings are published on Wednesdays.
And the next Suggested Reading posting will be published on Wednesday, February 28, 2024.
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The American Daughters by Maurice Carlos Ruffin
Ruffin, author of the terrifying racial dystopia We Cast a Shadow (2019), re-creates the slave narrative in this imaginative Civil War-era meta novel. Ady, an enslaved young girl, has been sold along with her mother, Sanite, to planter John Du Marche. Sanite is a woman of ingenious talents skilled in carpentry, fishing, herbalism, orienteering, and combat, which become increasingly necessary survival skills as she and Ady make various attempts to escape. Recaptured and separated from her mother and her baby brother Emmanuel, Ady finds herself trapped in “the open-air prison of New Orleans,” where she discovers the free colored Creole aristocracy. Invited to work at the Mockingbird, an inn run by the coy and mysterious Lenore, Ady is gradually drawn into the American Daughters, an underground network of Black women and girls working to undermine the Confederacy from within. As her relationship with Lenore deepens, Ady must decide whether to devote her life to the sisterhood’s mission and fulfill her mother’s destiny. Ruffin creates added resonance with “historical” documents: bills of sale, “wanted” posters, research reports, and a poignant interview with the elderly Emmanuel, who was never able to reconnect with his lost family. A sobering yet liberatory portrayal of American slavery and of the courage, determination, and intelligence required to survive it. – Booklist Review
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The Antique Hunter’s Guide to Murder by C.L. Miller
DEBUT Miller enters the cozy-mystery arena with this offering set amid the illegal antiques market. Freya Lockwood, feeling at loose ends with her life, is suddenly summoned by her Aunt Carole back to the quaint English village where she grew up. Arthur Crockleford, antiques dealer and Freya’s former mentor, has died under mysterious circumstances. A trail of clues left by Arthur leads Freya and Carole to an old manor house filled with antiques and populated by various mysterious guests, all of them with hidden agendas and exuding varying degrees of menace. The author, daughter of Judith Miller (Miller’s Antique Price Guide), draws on her own knowledge of antiques to develop the backdrop of the mystery. Though the plot and characters are a bit confusing at times, the overall storyline is solid. VERDICT Miller bears watching. Readers will look forward to more adventures with Freya and Carole in the intriguing world of antiques. – Library Journal Review
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The Fox Wife by Yangsze Choo
Choo (The Night Tiger) draws on Japanese folklore for a rich detective story involving fox spirits. In 1908 Manchuria, a fox spirit named Snow assumes a human form during her search for Bektu Nikan, a photographer responsible for her child’s death in a hunt he’d orchestrated. She takes a job as a servant for the matriarch of a medicine shop, whose grandson, Bohai, and his medical school friends have spent time with Bektu. One of the friends, Shirakawa, is also a fox and claims that Bektu fled to Japan. Bohai’s grandmother agrees to accompany Snow and the students there, unaware of the journey’s real purpose. Meanwhile, retired teacher and detective Bao Gong, who has a supernatural ability to discern lies and is fixated on fox spirits, is hired to identify a woman found dead in an alley. His investigations unveil links between the unidentified woman, Bektu, and a beautiful woman rumored to be a fox. As Bao unravels the threads of the mystery, Snow faces danger in Japan when she crosses paths with another fox she has long avoided. Choo’s writing is lush and the slow revelation of complicated relationships and reunions hum with tension. This is a treat. -Publishers Weekly Review
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Frame-Up by Gwenda Bond
Dani Poissant has led an unconventional life, being the daughter of famed art thief Maria Poissant–not to mention the Poissant legacy of magic. The duo performs heist upon heist together, until there is a betrayal, sending Maria to prison and leaving Dani utterly alone. Ten years later, a mysterious figure from Dani’s past approaches her to do the ultimate heist–stealing a portrait from an ultraprivate collection famously known as the Fortress of Art. Dani’s reward: reuniting with her mother. Hesitant but wanting to be a good daughter, Dani says yes. With only a week to pull off the job, Dani must recruit the crew who iced her out and finagle her way into the Fortress of Art. But upon learning the truth behind the painting she’s about to steal, Dani needs to decide if the reward is greater than the cost. More than a heist novel, romance author Bond’s latest (after Mr. and Mrs. Witch, 2023) is also a contemporary fantasy about the fraught relationships between mothers and daughters as well as regret and forgiveness. Fans of the author will enjoy. – Booklist Review
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Girls With Bad Reputations by Xio Axelrod
Axelrod’s spirited second the Lillys rock and roll romance (after The Girl with Stars in Her Eyes) turns the spotlight onto the eponymous indie band’s drummer, Kayla Whitman. Raised by a controlling mother who made her feel like a constant disappointment for being too loud and boisterous, Kayla’s lifeline growing up was her older brother, Zach, who gave Kayla her first pair of drumsticks. After Zach died, Kayla clung to his love of music to cope with her grief, joining a local indie girl band. Now the Lillys have blown up and embark on their first national tour. It’s a different beast than the local gigs Kayla’s used to, and with her mother still calling to berate her about how she needs to “get her life together,” she worries she’ll crack under the pressure. Comfort comes from tour bus driver Ty Baldwin, a strong and silent type with whom Kayla discovers an unexpected spark. This sweet couple find a rhythm as the tour goes on, but Kayla’s still torn between pursuing music and packing it up for a safer life. Bolstering both the slow-burning love story and Kayla’s personal growth is the charming chosen family she finds with her bandmates. Readers are sure to be entertained. – Publishers Weekly Review
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The Hammer Power, Inequality, and the Struggle for the Soul of Labor by Hamilton Nolan
Over the past few years, a wave of high-profile trade union actions in the United States has brought labor organizing to the forefront of the collective consciousness of the nation. Journalist Nolan, in his first book, offers a new and fresh perspective on the recent evolution of labor movements in the United States. In largely separate but thematically overlapping chapters, the book alternates between unraveling the histories of large and small unions across the country and following Sara Nelson, international president of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (an affiliate of the AFL-CIO), as she rises through the ranks of her union and navigates political obstacles. This important book shows how unions in a wide range of industries can utilize their inherent power and explores the complicated and necessary relationship between labor and politics, encouraging readers to examine how one affects the other.
VERDICT Well researched and reported, with a propulsive storytelling style. Nolan’s outstanding book will interest readers who follow news about equality efforts but might not be familiar with the complex world of labor organizing. – Starred Library Journal Review
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Shades Of Milk And Honey by Mary Robinette Kowal
In this alternate history of a Regency England, a lady’s chance at a good match improves with her every talent: good taste in the arts, a deft hand at pulling images from the ether, and proper conduct in polite society. Miss Jane Ellsworth was born with gifts of a keen artistic eye and creating mesmerizing glamours, but her sister, Melody, was born with the gift of physical beauty. In the end, which is truly the more desirable? A series of romantic misunderstandings, poorly expressed feelings, and purposeful deception lead Jane and Melody into a better understanding of their own views on the topic. VERDICT Readers will be disappointed only when they finish this enchanting story, which is suffused with genteel charm. The author’s judicious and effective changes to aspects of daily life clearly communicate how similar but different this world is from ours. With the grace of Sense and Sensibility, a touch of classic fairy tale magic, and an action-packed ending, this debut novel by an award-winning fantasy short story writer will appeal to fans of Jane Austen, Jane Yolen, Patricia Wrede, Susannah Clarke, and even Jasper Fforde. – Library Journal
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The Warm Hands of Ghosts by Katherine Arden
Arden (The Bear and the Nightingale) blends a meticulously researched WWI epic, an eloquent family saga, and a touch of the supernatural in this breathtaking historical fantasy. Nurse Laura Iven returns home to Halifax, Nova Scotia, after being wounded on the Western Front and honorably discharged from the medical corps. When she learns in early 1918 that her soldier brother Freddie—her last living family member—is missing and presumed dead, she’s overwhelmed with questions, so she volunteers to return to Belgium, where she’ll work at a private hospital and seek answers in her limited spare time. The narrative shifts between Laura’s perspective and Freddie’s own, a year prior, as he falls in with a mysterious and potentially mystical new friend, adding captivating depth and tension to an already intriguing premise. Arden’s carefully constructed plot makes each unexpected twist feel as inevitable as it is shocking. Through resonant prose, she literalizes the apocalyptic qualities of WWI while dwelling in moral complexity and delivering vibrant, fully fleshed-out characters. The interwoven supernatural elements lend the historical details greater weight. The result is a powerful page-turner. – Publishers Weekly Review
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What Feasts At Night by T. Kingfisher
In the haunting second installment of Hugo and Nebula Award winner Kingfisher’s Sworn Soldier series (after What Moves the Dead), reluctant, battle-damaged hero Alex Easton, who uses the pronouns ka and kan, returns to kan childhood home in the grim and Gothic countryside of Gallacia. It should be a routine, even boring, visit to the Easton family hunting lodge. Instead, Alex arrives to find the old caretaker has died, and the village buzzing with rumors that the supposed lung disease that killed him was in fact something far more sinister. To Alex, a practical old soldier, the villagers’ tales seem fanciful, the kind of thing one might tell to scare a child—until the new housekeeper’s son falls ill the same way, and Alex begins to have strange nightmares. Something has awoken in the Easton hunting lodge, and it wants to steal the very breath from all of the inhabitants’ lungs. Moving away from the Edgar Allan Poe story that inspired the first entry in the series, this sequel offers more surprises and just as many moments that will haunt readers’ dreams. Kingfisher’s winning formula of creepy folklore, affable protagonists, familiar Gothic tropes, and truly unsettling horror imagery makes this sing. – Publishers Weekly
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The Wind Blows In Sleeping Grassby Katie Powner
In remote Montana, a trash collector with anger issues who likes poetry and converses mostly with his potbellied pig is an unlikely hero. But Powner (Where the Blue Sky Begins) has readers rooting for Pete the garbageman from page one. The small town of Sleeping Grass is on the Hi-Line, where the land and the people are being slowly eroded by the wind and the harsh winters. Pete grew up here, before the bottom fell out and he was shuttled through a series of foster homes; he is only back now because it was the one place willing to overlook his past mistakes and give him a living wage. He meets a cast of characters, including a debt-ridden octogenarian and a grieving Siksika man, who help heal the hurts of the past and teach him how to live, but his new friends have problems and secrets of their own.
VERDICT Powner’s real-life experience as a seasoned foster mother shines through in this tale of finding treasure in the people and things that others have cast aside. The secondary characters are funny, flawed, and so unusual that readers will be clamoring for more. – Starred Library Journal Review
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Happy reading!
Linda Reimer, SSCL
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Have questions or want to request a book?
Feel free to call the library! Our telephone number is 607-936-3713.
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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/download content to 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 instant 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 App is available for Android or Apple mobile devices, PCs, Macs*, 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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*You must have an active Internet connection to access Hoopla content on a Mac.
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Tech Talk is a Southeast Steuben County Library blog.
Hi everyone, here is the weekly list of New York Times Bestsellers.
New York Times Bestsellers can be requested through StarCat (for print books) & The Digital Catalog/Libby for eBooks and Downloadable Audiobooks. Select titles may also be checked out, on demand, through the Hoopla Catalog.
For more information on the three catalogs skip to the section below the bestselling titles*
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New York Times Bestseller blog posts are published on Sundays.
And the next New York Times blog post will be posted on Sunday, February 25, 2024.
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FICTION
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BRIDE by Ali Hazelwood
Issues of trust arise when an alliance is made between a Vampyre named Misery Lark and a Were named Lowe Moreland.
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A COURT OF SILVER FLAMES by Sarah J. Maas
The fifth book in the Court of Thorns and Roses series. Nesta Archeron is forced into close quarters with a warrior named Cassian.
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COVENANT OF WATER by Abraham Verghese
Three generations of a family living on South India’s Malabar Coast suffer the loss of a family member by drowning.
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DEMON COPPERHEAD by Barbara Kingsolver
Winner of a 2023 Pulitzer Prize for fiction. A reimagining of Charles Dickens’s “David Copperfield” set in the mountains of southern Appalachia.
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THE EXCHANGE by John Grisham
In a sequel to “The Firm,” Mitch McDeere, who is now a partner at the world’s largest law firm, gets caught up in a sinister plot.
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FIRST LIE WINS by Ashley Elston
A woman who works for a mysterious boss takes on a new identity to dig up information on someone.
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FOURTH WING by Rebecca Yarros
Violet Sorrengail is urged by the commanding general, who also is her mother, to become a candidate for the elite dragon riders.
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THE FURY by Alex Michaelides
Violence erupts when a former movie star brings a group of her friends to her private Greek island for Easter.
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GHOST ORCHID by Jonathan Kellerman
The 39th book in the Alex Delaware series. Milo and Alex dig up the pasts of two homicide victims found in Bel Air.
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GOTHIKANA by RuNyx
A century-old mystery brings Corvina Clemm and Vad Deverell together at a university based in a castle at the top of a mountain with a dark history.
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THE HEAVEN & EARTH GROCERY STORE by James McBride
Secrets held by the residents of a dilapidated neighborhood come to life when a skeleton is found at the bottom of a well.
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HOLMES, MARPLE & POE by James Patterson and Brian Sitts
Three private investigators working in New York City draw the attention of an N.Y.P.D. detective.
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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.
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HOUSE OF EARTH AND BLOOD by Sarah J. Maas
Passion arises between Bryce Quinlan and Hunt Athalar as they seek to avenge the deaths of Bryce’s friends.
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HOUSE OF SKY AND BREATH by Sarah J. Maas
The second book in the Crescent City series. Bryce Quinlan and Hunt Athalar must choose to fight or stay silent.
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ICEBREAKER by Hannah Grace
Anastasia might need the help of the captain of a college hockey team to get on the Olympic figure skating team.
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IRON FLAME by Rebecca Yarros
The second book in the Empyrean series. Violet Sorrengail’s next round of training might require her to betray the man she loves.
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IT ENDS WITH US by Colleen Hoover
A battered wife raised in a violent home attempts to halt the cycle of abuse.
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LESSONS IN CHEMISTRY by Bonnie Garmus
A scientist and single mother living in California in the 1960s becomes a star on a TV cooking show.
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LITTLE LIAR by Mitch Albom
The actions of an 11-year-old boy help facilitate the delivery of Jewish residents, including his family, to Auschwitz.
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REMARKABLY BRIGHT CREATURES by Shelby Van Pelt
A widow working the night shift at the Sowell Bay Aquarium is aided in solving a mystery by a giant Pacific octopus living there.
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TEACHER by Frieda McFadden
A math teacher at Caseham High suspects there is more going on behind a scandal involving a teacher and a student.
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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.
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NON-FICTION
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ALL ABOUT LOVE by bell hooks
The late feminist icon explores the causes of a polarized society and the meaning of love.
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THE BODY KEEPS THE SCORE by Bessel van der Kolk
How trauma affects the body and mind, and innovative treatments for recovery.
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BLACK AF HISTORY by Michael Harriot
A columnist at TheGrio.com articulates moments in American history that center the perspectives and experiences of Black Americans.
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THE BOYS IN THE BOAT by Daniel James Brown
The story of the American rowers who pursued gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games; the basis of the film.
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CAPOTE’S WOMEN by Laurence Leamer
Truman Capote’s attempt to portray the lives of high society women led to his banishment from their circles; the basis of the TV series “Feud: Capote vs. the Swans.”
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CASTE by Isabel Wilkerson
The Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist examines aspects of caste systems across civilizations and reveals a rigid hierarchy in America today.
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ELON MUSK by Walter Isaacson
The author of “The Code Breaker” traces Musk’s life and summarizes his work on electric vehicles, private space exploration and artificial intelligence.
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EVERYTHING I KNOW ABOUT LOVE by Dolly Alderton
The British journalist shares stories and observations; the basis of the TV series.
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FRIENDS, LOVERS, AND THE BIG TERRIBLE THING by Matthew Perry
The late actor, known for playing Chandler Bing on “Friends,” shares stories from his childhood and his struggles with sobriety.
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GET THE PICTURE by Bianca Bosker
The author of “Cork Dork” goes inside the world of art to examine its impact on our culture.
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GRIFT by Clay Cane
An overview of Black Republicanism from the time of President Lincoln to the present.
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I’M GLAD MY MOM DIED by Jennette McCurdy
The actress and filmmaker describes her eating disorders and difficult relationship with her mother.
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KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON by David Grann
The story of a murder spree in 1920s Oklahoma that targeted Osage Indians, whose lands contained oil.
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THE KINGDOM, THE POWER, AND THE GLORY by Tim Alberta
The author of “American Carnage” looks at divisions within the American evangelical movement.
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MADNESS by Antonia Hylton
A Peabody and Emmy award-winning journalist unearths the 93-year-old history of a segregated asylum in Maryland.
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MASTERS OF THE AIR by Donald L. Miller
An account of the American Eighth Air Force in World War II; the basis of the TV series.
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MEDGAR & MYRLIE by Joy-Ann Reid
The MSNBC host details how the wife of the civil rights leader Medgar Evers carried forward their legacy after his assassination in 1963.
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OATH AND HONOR by Liz Cheney
The former congresswoman from Wyoming recounts how she helped lead the Select Committee to Investigate the Jan. 6. Attack on the United States Capitol.
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OUTLIVE by Peter Attia with Bill Gifford
A look at recent scientific research on aging and longevity.
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OUTOFSHAPEWORTHLESSLOSER by Gracie Gold
A memoir by the two-time U.S. figure-skating champion and Olympic bronze medalist.
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READ WRITE OWN by Chris Dixon
A technology entrepreneur describes three eras of the internet and argues in favor of blockchain networks.
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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.
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THE WOMAN IN ME by Britney Spears
The Grammy Award-winning pop star details her personal and professional experiences, including the years she spent under a conservatorship overseen by her father.
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Have a great week!
Linda Reimer, SSCL
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Search for and request books online!
eBooks & Audiobooks Through The Digital Catalog & Libby
Card holders of all Southern Tier Library System member libraries can access
StarCat to search for and request materials available at libraries throughout the Southern Tier Library System.
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Also of Note: If a New York Times Bestseller isn’t yet available in any of the three catalogs, you can contact the library and request to be notified when it becomes available.
Southeast Steuben County Library Telephone Number: 607-936-3713.
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Tech Talk is a Southeast Steuben County Library blog.
The catalog of e-books, downloadable audiobooks and a handful of streaming videos.
–
The Libby App
Libby is the companion app to the Digital Catalog and may be found in the Apple & Google app.
–
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.
–
Tech Talk is a Southeast Steuben County Library blog.
Hi everyone, here are our recommended reads for the week!
*More information on the three catalogs and available formats is found at the end of the list of recommended reads*
–
Weekly Suggested Reading postings are published on Wednesdays.
And the next Suggested Reading posting will be published on Wednesday, February 21, 2024.
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At First Spite by Olivia Dade
Athena Greydon’s fiancé, Johnny Vine, has broken off their engagement days before the wedding, leaving Athena nowhere to live–nowhere except the house that she bought him as a wedding gift, using almost all of her savings. There, only an alleyway separates her from Johnny’s brother, Matthew, the man who told Johnny to ditch her. While Athena has no choice about where she lives, she can make Matthew pay, whether that means putting creepy dolls in the windows or playing monster erotica at top volume. Matthew knows he made the right decision when he convinced Johnny to leave Athena, but he also understands that he’s messed up her life, so he’ll do everything he can to make things easier for her–while secretly wishing he could have her for himself. This swoony contemporary romance is well-written and paced, but what really makes it shine are the intricate characters that Dade (Ship Wrecked) has brought to life. Readers will connect emotionally with Athena and Matthew, laughing at their witty banter and tearing up when they’re vulnerable.
VERDICT Buy multiple copies of this title, because it won’t stay on the shelf. – Starred Library Journal Review
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Crosshairs by James Patterson & James O. Born
A killer uses fearsome precision to take out impossible targets.
Detective Michael Bennett teams with a shooting expert—a former Army Ranger and sniper with NYPD’s Emergency Services Unit. But Officer Rob Trilling seems more comfortable with rifles than he is with people.
When his new partner begins to log unexplained absences from duty, only Bennett can prove whether the decorated officer is a lonely hunter or a hardened assassin.
Reader’s Note: Crosshairs is the sixteenth book in the Michael Bennett series. If you’d like to start reading the series from the beginning check out book one: Step On A Crack.
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Dead Man’s Hand by Brad Taylor
In the new, ripped-from-the-headlines Pike Logan thriller, the American intelligence operative is sent to Sweden, where a Russian assassin is apparently planning to carry out a deadly plan to keep Sweden from joining NATO as part of a larger scheme hatched by Vladimir Putin to finally win the war with Ukraine. If, that is, a splinter group of Ukrainian nationalists doesn’t assassinate him first. Taylor’s latest Logan novel, the eighteenth in the series, couldn’t be more timely, what with Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine keeping it in rotation as a top news story. The author, a former Special Forces operative who has made a remarkably smooth transition to novelist, has always kept the Logan novels grounded in actual geopolitical events, which is one of the things that makes them so readable and resonant. The politics are familiar and the characters seem very much like real people navigating a real world. Fans of the series will be lining up for this one. – Booklist Review
Reader’s Note: Dead Man’s Hand is the eighteenth book in the Pike Logan series. If you’d like to start reading the series from the beginning, check out book one: One Rough Man.
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Dear Mom And Dad: A Letter About Family, Memory, and the America We Once Knew by Patti Davis
Davis, the 71-year-old daughter of Ronald and Nancy Reagan, pens a healing letter to her late parents. She attempts to look differently at the dysfunctional life they lived together. Her reflections show she believed that her mother was always displeased with her, and later, that her parents were an “island of two,” who would have been fine together without her or her younger brother, Ron. But early home movies and walks in her childhood California neighborhood stir up loving memories. She acknowledges that her father’s inattentiveness could have been modeled on his father. She also understands that her mother felt abandoned by her own mother. Davis also shares her discoveries and reflections of her father’s loss of his infant daughter with his previous wife, actress Jane Wyman; the 1981 attempted assassination; her thoughts on of some of his political views and his mishandling of the AIDS crisis; his Alzheimer’s disease; and her regret about writing an earlier tell-all memoir.
VERDICT This book about Davis’s relationship with her parents, Ronald and Nancy Reagan, unpacks a lot. Her eloquent writing and reassessment of her family bonds will keep readers intrigued. – Library Journal Review
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Flowers Over The Inferno by Ilaria Tuti
Set in Northern Italy, Tuti’s exhilarating debut and series launch introduces Supt. Teresa Battaglia, a tough, solitary woman in her 60s who has earned her place as the head of an all-male homicide team and is keeping her battle with declining health secret from her colleagues. When a middle-aged man’s naked body with its eyes gouged out is found in the densely wooded Dolomite Mountains near the Austrian border, Teresa takes charge of the investigation. An effigy made out of the victim’s bloodied clothing close to the body prompts Teresa to observe, “The effigy is a representation of the killer. He stood here contemplating his work, and wanted us to know…” Other victims follow who are left alive but mutilated. The kidnapping of a baby raises the stakes. Interspersed with the present-day action are horrific chapters set in an Austrian orphanage in 1978 that shed light on the killer’s psychology. Teresa, who must deal with casual and constant sexism in her position of authority, is an unforgettable character readers will want to see a lot more of. – Starred Publishers Weekly Review
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The Last Days Of The Midnight Ramblers by Sarah Tomlinson
Mari, a struggling writer, believes she’s been handed the opportunity of a lifetime when she is hired to ghostwrite the memoir of former model Anke Berben, who is best known for her relationships with three different members of the world-famous rock band the Midnight Ramblers. Speculation still swirls around the band and Anke decades after the death of their lead singer, Mal, to whom Anke was married at the time he died. Mari delves into Anke’s story, determined to uncover the real cause of Mal’s death, but will getting to know the band members and the charming but mercurial Anke influence her objectivity? In her fiction debut, Tomlinson, the ghostwriter of many celebrity memoirs herself, ably demonstrates the fragile balance Mari must strike to earn her subjects’ trust while still uncovering the story readers want to hear. Comparisons to Taylor Jenkins Reid’s Daisy Jones & the Six (2019) are inevitable, but this novel is less a juicy, behind-the-scenes tell-all about a fictional band and instead an exploration of the many ways celebrities can wield their wealth and power, especially against each other. – Booklist
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Maybe Next Time by Cesca Major
Major (The Silent Hours) draws on Groundhog Day for a poignant tale of love, regret, and second chances involving a London couple. High-powered literary agent Emma, married with two children to hopeless romantic Dan, has forgotten to write him a letter on Monday, December 3—the day the two met on a London tube. Dan has come to expect these letters each year, and after a tiff, he goes out to walk the dog—and gets hit by a car and dies. Or does he? Emma wakes up the next morning and suddenly it’s Monday, December 3, all over again, and she has a second chance to show Dan how much she loves him. For months, Emma and Dan are caught in a time loop of endless Mondays, and despite Emma’s most fervent efforts—ignoring the constant pings from WhatsApp is a significant sacrifice—Dan dies every time, whether by car, heart attack, or other circumstance. Things culminate in a surprising coincidence, and Major caps it all off with an ambiguous ending. Well-drawn supporting characters add depth, in particular Emma’s sister-in-law, Hattie, with whom the couple is especially close, and whom Emma forces herself to make more time for as well. Women’s fiction fans will love this tearjerker. – Publishers Weekly
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The Phoenix Crown by Kate Quinn & Janie Chang
Quinn (The Diamond Eye) and Chang (The Porcelain Moon) team up for a stirring story involving opera, prized antiquities, and the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. Gemma Garland, a soprano in New York’s Metropolitan Opera, is hoping to revive her lagging career. Shortly after her arrival with the Met’s traveling company in San Francisco, where she’s slated to perform with Enrico Caruso, Gemma meets and falls for charming railroad magnate Henry Thornton. Soon, she’s singing at his house for members of high society. Her affection for Henry curdles, however, after she learns about his dark side from Chinese embroiderer Suling Feng, whom Henry has hired to mend a damaged robe from a Beijing palace. Among his other collectibles is an ornate crown, also taken from the palace. It turns out Suling’s lover Reggie has disappeared, and she tells Gemma that Henry is to blame. The women confront him just as the earthquake hits, after which Henry and the crown disappear. The authors ably develop the two main characters as they discover a shared sense of independence and join in common cause while reckoning with the mixed blessings of a powerful man’s patronage. Readers of historicals with strong female leads will savor this. – Publishers Weekly Review
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The Rehearsals by Annette Christie
Megan and Tom have been together since their freshman year of college, and when their wedding weekend finally arrives, it’s a perfect day–until two relationship-destroying secrets are revealed at their rehearsal dinner. Years ago, Megan had a one-night stand with Tom’s best friend, Leo. Tom, whose life is ruled by his cold, WASPy parents, hasn’t told Megan that he’s accepted a job in Missouri. The night ends with the formerly happy couple calling off their wedding, only to wake up the next morning to find that they’re stuck in a time loop, forced to relive the worst day of their lives until they finally get it right. Each day, the choices Megan and Tom make vary, from Megan running off with Leo to Tom finally saying “no” to his parents. Debut author Christie keeps the tone light, inserting repeating scenarios into each day, and turning the nightmare time loop into a journey of self-discovery. There’s a feeling of resolution at the end, which isn’t what the characters expected, but it’s what they needed. Fans of Christina Lauren and Meg Cabot will savor this charming relationship comedy. – Booklist Review
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The Witches of Moonshyne Manor by Bianca Marais
The Sisterhood has lived at Moonshyne Manor and Distillery for over 80 years. Ivy is the keeper of plants and preparer of elixirs (with witchy recipes included). Tabitha is the animal whisperer. Ursula reads the future. Jezebel casts seduction spells. Queenie is magical with inventions. Ruby has shape-shifting and transitioning powers. Although the magic of these irreverent octogenarians is fraying around the edges, they still love their uniqueness. But all is not well, and Ruby has been gone for 33 years, leaving her sisters on the night of a disaster. The others have longed for her return, but they also need her to lead them to the treasure stolen right before she went away. That is the only thing that will prevent foreclosure of the manor. When Ruby arrives their reunion is anything but magical, and they must confess old secrets if they want to save the Sisterhood.
VERDICT Marais’s (If You Want to Make God Laugh) latest is a quirky Golden Girls with wands that explores women’s empowerment, friendship, and loyalty and addresses racial equality, identity, and gender fluidity. A timely, fun modern-day fable about women who refuse to conform. – Starred Library Journal Review
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Happy reading!
Linda Reimer, SSCL
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Have questions or want to request a book?
Feel free to call the library! Our telephone number is 607-936-3713.
–
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/download content to 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 instant 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 App is available for Android or Apple mobile devices, PCs, Macs*, 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.
–
*You must have an active Internet connection to access Hoopla content on a Mac.
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Tech Talk is a Southeast Steuben County Library blog.
Hi everyone, here is the weekly list of New York Times Bestsellers.
New York Times Bestsellers can be requested through StarCat (for print books) & The Digital Catalog/Libby for eBooks and Downloadable Audiobooks. Select titles may also be checked out, on demand, through the Hoopla Catalog.
For more information on the three catalogs skip to the section below the bestselling titles*
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New York Times Bestseller blog posts are published on Sundays.
And the next New York Times blog post will be posted on Sunday, February 18, 2024.
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FICTION
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COME AND GET IT by Kiley Reid
What initially appears to be an easy opportunity causes trouble for a senior resident assistant at the University of Arkansas.
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A COURT OF SILVER FLAMES by Sarah J. Maas
The fifth book in the Court of Thorns and Roses series. Nesta Archeron is forced into close quarters with a warrior named Cassian.
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DEMON COPPERHEAD by Barbara Kingsolver
Winner of a 2023 Pulitzer Prize for fiction. A reimagining of Charles Dickens’s “David Copperfield” set in the mountains of southern Appalachia.
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THE EXCHANGE by John Grisham
In a sequel to “The Firm,” Mitch McDeere, who is now a partner at the world’s largest law firm, gets caught up in a sinister plot.
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FIRST LIE WINS by Ashley Elston
A woman who works for a mysterious boss takes on a new identity to dig up information on someone.
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FOURTH WING by Rebecca Yarros
Violet Sorrengail is urged by the commanding general, who also is her mother, to become a candidate for the elite dragon riders.
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THE FURY by Alex Michaelides
Violence erupts when a former movie star brings a group of her friends to her private Greek island for Easter.
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GOOD MATERIAL by Dolly Alderton
A struggling stand-up comic tries to work out why the woman he loves stopped loving him.
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GOTHIKANA by RuNyx
A century-old mystery brings Corvina Clemm and Vad Deverell together at a university based in a castle at the top of a mountain with a dark history.
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THE HEAVEN & EARTH GROCERY STORE by James McBride
Secrets held by the residents of a dilapidated neighborhood come to life when a skeleton is found at the bottom of a well.
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HOLMES, MARPLE & POE by James Patterson and Brian Sitts
Three private investigators working in New York City draw the attention of an N.Y.P.D. detective.
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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.
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HOUSE OF EARTH AND BLOOD by Sarah J. Maas
Passion arises between Bryce Quinlan and Hunt Athalar as they seek to avenge the deaths of Bryce’s friends.
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HOUSE OF SKY AND BREATH by Sarah J. Maas
The second book in the Crescent City series. Bryce Quinlan and Hunt Athalar must choose to fight or stay silent.
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ICEBREAKER by Hannah Grace
Anastasia might need the help of the captain of a college hockey team to get on the Olympic figure skating team.
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IRON FLAME by Rebecca Yarros
The second book in the Empyrean series. Violet Sorrengail’s next round of training might require her to betray the man she loves.
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IT ENDS WITH US by Colleen Hoover
A battered wife raised in a violent home attempts to halt the cycle of abuse.
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LESSONS IN CHEMISTRY by Bonnie Garmus
A scientist and single mother living in California in the 1960s becomes a star on a TV cooking show.
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RANDOM IN DEATH by J.D. Robb
The 58th book of the In Death series. Eve Dallas searches for the person who jabbed a teenager with a vial of toxic substances.
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REMARKABLY BRIGHT CREATURES by Shelby Van Pelt
A widow working the night shift at the Sowell Bay Aquarium is aided in solving a mystery by a giant Pacific octopus living there.
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THE SILENT PATIENT by Alex Michaelides
Theo Faber looks into the mystery of a famous painter who stops speaking after shooting her husband..
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NON-FICTION
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THE BODY KEEPS THE SCORE by Bessel van der Kolk
How trauma affects the body and mind, and innovative treatments for recovery.
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THE BOYS IN THE BOAT by Daniel James Brown
The story of the American rowers who pursued gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games; the basis of the film.
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CAPOTE’S WOMEN by Laurence Leamer
Truman Capote’s attempt to portray the lives of high society women led to his banishment from their circles; the basis of the TV series “Feud: Capote vs. the Swans.”
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CASTE by Isabel Wilkerson
The Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist examines aspects of caste systems across civilizations and reveals a rigid hierarchy in America today.
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ELON MUSK by Walter Isaacson
The author of “The Code Breaker” traces Musk’s life and summarizes his work on electric vehicles, private space exploration and artificial intelligence.
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EVERYTHING I KNOW ABOUT LOVE by Dolly Alderton
The British journalist shares stories and observations; the basis of the TV series.
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FRIENDS, LOVERS, AND THE BIG TERRIBLE THING by Matthew Perry
The late actor, known for playing Chandler Bing on “Friends,” shares stories from his childhood and his struggles with sobriety.
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GRIFT by Clay Cane
An overview of Black Republicanism from the time of President Lincoln to the present.
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I’M GLAD MY MOM DIED by Jennette McCurdy
The actress and filmmaker describes her eating disorders and difficult relationship with her mother.
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KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON by David Grann
The story of a murder spree in 1920s Oklahoma that targeted Osage Indians, whose lands contained oil.
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THE IN-BETWEEN by Hadley Vlahos
A hospice nurse shares some of her most impactful experiences and questions some of society’s beliefs around end-of-life care.
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THE KINGDOM, THE POWER, AND THE GLORY by Tim Alberta
The author of “American Carnage” looks at divisions within the American evangelical movement.
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LEGACY by Uché Blackstock
A Black physician details systemic barriers and inequities that affect Black patients and doctors.
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MADNESS by Antonia Hylton
A Peabody and Emmy award-winning journalist unearths the 93-year-old history of a segregated asylum in Maryland.
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MASTERS OF THE AIR by Donald L. Miller
An account of the American Eighth Air Force in World War II; the basis of the TV series.
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OATH AND HONOR by Liz Cheney
The former congresswoman from Wyoming recounts how she helped lead the Select Committee to Investigate the Jan. 6. Attack on the United States Capitol.
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OUR HIDDEN CONVERSATIONS by Michele Norris
Stories, essays and photographs exploring race and identity in America.
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OUTLIVE by Peter Attia with Bill Gifford
A look at recent scientific research on aging and longevity.
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READ WRITE OWN by Chris Dixon
A technology entrepreneur describes three eras of the internet and argues in favor of blockchain networks.
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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.
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THE WOMAN IN ME by Britney Spears
The Grammy Award-winning pop star details her personal and professional experiences, including the years she spent under a conservatorship overseen by her father.
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Have a great week!
Linda Reimer, SSCL
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Search for and request books online!
eBooks & Audiobooks Through The Digital Catalog & Libby
Card holders of all Southern Tier Library System member libraries can access
StarCat to search for and request materials available at libraries throughout the Southern Tier Library System.
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Also of Note: If a New York Times Bestseller isn’t yet available in any of the three catalogs, you can contact the library and request to be notified when it becomes available.
Southeast Steuben County Library Telephone Number: 607-936-3713.
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Tech Talk is a Southeast Steuben County Library blog.
Hi everyone, welcome to our Suggested Listening posting for this week!
Suggested Listening postings are published on Fridays; and our next Suggested Listening posting will be out on Friday, February 16, 2024.
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And here are the 10 recommended songs of the week!
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On this the sixtieth anniversary of the Beatles first appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show, on February 9, 1964, a celebratory ten songs by The Beatles!
Kicking things off with three songs the group sang on the Ed Sullivan Show on February 9, 1964: All My Lovin’, Till There Was You and She Loves You.*
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All My Lovin’
From The Album: With The Beatles (1963)
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Till There Was You
From The Album: With The Beatles (1963)
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She Loves You
From The Album: Originally released as a single; available on several albums including “The Red Album,” the official title of which is The Beatles 1962 – 1966 and “1” a collection of number 1 hits by the band.
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And as a bonus, here is a clip of an entire song The Beatles sang during their second visit to the Ed Sullivan Show on February 16, 1964:
I Want To Hold Your Hand
From The Album: Originally released as a single in the U.K. available on the U.S. release Meet The Beatles (1964), also available on The Beatles 1962-1966, and 1.
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And in addition to the Ed Sullivan related tunes, her are a dozen more for your listening pleasure:
A Hard Day’s Night
From The Album: A Hard Day’s Night (1964)
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You Can’t Do That
From The Album: A Hard Day’s Night (1964)
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Ticket To Ride
From The Album: Help! (1965)
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Help!
From The Album: Help! (1965)
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We Can Work It Out
From The Album: Rubber Soul (1965)
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In My Life
From The Album: Rubber Soul
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Got To Get You Into My Life
From The Album: Revolver (1966)
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With A Little Help From My Friends
From The Album: Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Heart’s Club Band (1967)
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All You Need Is Love
From The Album: Yellow Submarine (1969)
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Hey Jude
From The Album: 1 (2000)
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Something
From The Album: Abby Road (1969)
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Abbey Road Medley
Listener’s Note: Okay, I’m cheating here, just a little bit!
It is hard to pick just a few great songs by the Beatles!
And these songs have always seemed to me to flow together; so instead of just one song these are all the songs that appeared on the second side of the original vinyl album; as follows You Never Give Me Your Money, Sun King, Mean Mr. Mustard, Polythene Pam, She Came in Through The Bathroom Window, Golden Slumbers, Carry That Weight, The End & Her Majesty
So here is the medley!
From The Album: Abbey Road (1969)
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*There are short clips of the Beatles playing on the Ed Sullivan Show on February 9, 1964, but none of them shows the group playing a full song – at least not on YouTube; thus, the clips of the three songs they played on the Ed Sullivan show, are the right songs – but different versions.
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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 recommended reads for the week!
*More information on the three catalogs and available formats is found at the end of the list of recommended reads*
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Weekly Suggested Reading postings are published on Wednesdays.
And the next Suggested Reading posting will be published on Wednesday, February 14, 2024.
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Be a Revolution: How Everyday People Are Fighting Oppression and Changing the World—and How You Can Too by Ijeoma Oluo
Bestseller Oluo (So You Want to Talk About Race) affirms that “everyone has different roles in this revolution” in these enlightening profiles of people who’ve put their anti-racist values into action. Each chapter highlights the tie between racial justice and some other topic—such as gender, disability, policing, education, and the arts—through detailed life stories of activists that center their changing understanding of the world and how they managed challenges. For example, a chapter on Richie Reseda relates how his encounters with Black feminist theory in prison led him to found Success Story, a workshop to help incarcerated men think about how internalized patriarchal ideas have shaped and harmed them. Throughout, Oluo showcases a variety of ways to promote anti-racism, many of them intended to be of use to people for whom anti-racist organizing is not necessarily a central focus of their activism. She also admirably demonstrates how she continues to grow through self-education and reflection, at one point frankly addressing earlier shortcomings in her thinking about disability. Readers will find inspiration and clarity. – Starred Publishers Weekly Review
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The Ghost Orchard by Jonathan Kellerman
Psychologist Alex Delaware and Detective Milo Sturgis confront a baffling, vicious double homicide that leads them to long-buried secrets worth killing for in the riveting thriller from the #1 New York Times bestselling “master of suspense” (Los Angeles Times).
LAPD homicide lieutenant Milo Sturgis sees it all the time: Reinvention’s a way of life in a city fueled by fantasy. But try as you might to erase the person you once were, there are those who will never forget the past . . . and who can still find you.
A pool boy enters a secluded Bel Air property and discovers two bodies floating in the bright blue water: Gio Aggiunta, the playboy heir to an Italian shoe empire, and a gorgeous, even wealthier neighbor named Meagin March. A married neighbor.
An illicit affair stoking rage is a perfect motive. But a “double” in this neighborhood of gated estates isn’t something you see every day. The house is untouched. No forced entry, no forensic evidence. The case has “that feeling,” and when that happens, Milo turns to his friend, the brilliant psychologist Alex Delaware.
As Milo and Alex investigate both victims, they discover two troubled pasts. And as they dig deeper, Meagin March’s very identity begins to blur. Who was this glamorous but conflicted woman? Did her past catch up to her? Or did Gio’s family connections create a threat spanning two continents?
Chasing down the answers leads Alex and Milo on an exploration of L.A.’s darkest side as they contend with one of the most shocking cases of their careers and learn that that some secrets are best left buried in the past.
Reader’s Note: The Ghost Orchard is the thirty-ninth book in the Alex Delaware Series. If you’d like to start reading the series from the beginning, check out book one: When The Bough Breaks.
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A Love Song For Ricki Wilde by Tia Williams
From the New York Times bestselling author of Seven Days in June, A Love Song for Ricki Wilde is an epic love story one hundred years in the making…
Leap years are a strange, enchanted time. And for some, even a single February can be life-changing.
Ricki Wilde has many talents, but being a Wilde isn’t one of them. As the impulsive, artistic daughter of a powerful Atlanta dynasty, she’s the opposite of her famous socialite sisters. Where they’re long-stemmed roses, she’s a dandelion: an adorable bloom that’s actually a weed, born to float wherever the wind blows. In her bones, Ricki knows that somewhere, a different, more exciting life awaits her.
When regal nonagenarian, Ms. Della, invites her to rent the bottom floor of her Harlem brownstone, Ricki jumps at the chance for a fresh beginning. She leaves behind her family, wealth, and chaotic romantic decisions to realize her dream of opening a flower shop. And just beneath the surface of her new neighborhood, the music, stories and dazzling drama of the Harlem Renaissance still simmers.
One evening in February as the heady, curiously off-season scent of night-blooming jasmine fills the air, Ricki encounters a handsome, deeply mysterious stranger who knocks her world off balance in the most unexpected way.
Set against the backdrop of modern Harlem and Renaissance glamour, A Love Song for Ricki Wilde is a swoon-worthy love story of two passionate artists drawn to the magic, romance, and opportunity of New York, and whose lives are uniquely and irreversibly linked.
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One Wrong Word by Hank Phillippi Ryan
Healed from a checkered past, Arden Ward is in a good place. She is successful in her career as a crisis manager, protecting high-profile clients from PR disasters. But when Arden ends up in a disaster of her own–accused of an affair with a mogul she’s never even gone near–her life goes sideways. Her boss fires her, but he gives her two weeks to work on a final case. This one involves Ned Bannister, a real-estate tycoon who has just been acquitted of a vehicular homicide. Despite the exoneration, Bannister’s wife, Cordelia, is still being ostracized by her PTA and socialite peers. Arden jumps right in, but then Ned’s lawyer is mowed down in another hit-and-run. Accused of yet another crime, Ned goes to Arden, and they begin working together while being pursued by the assistant DA and the police. Ryan (The House Guest, 2023) has built a solid repertoire of unique thrillers, and this one is no exception. Fresh twists, including the unexpected friendship between Arden and Ned, keep the plot barreling forward. – Booklist Review
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The Price You Pay by Nick Petrie
The latest addition to Petrie’s lauded Peter Ash series begins with a familiar setup: there’s Gulf War veteran Peter, with “adrenaline burning his veins like gasoline,” leading a gang of leathery gunmen, and his vengeance-minded pal Lewis, always ready to step up when “the law hadn’t done the job.” Typically, Lewis is helping Peter, but this time it’s the opposite: when somebody steals notebooks full of secrets about Lewis’ past from one of his former criminal associates, Peter steps in to help track them down and keep Lewis and his family safe. Petrie shows off his action-writing chops with a series of vivid, remarkably clear firefights and, in between, pauses to recover. In this series installment, the wiliest fighters are the heroes’ girlfriends, which makes for great fun. But there’s also some gravitas; in a devastating twist on Lewis’ fascination with vengeance, midway through the book we learn of the grief that provoked this bloodbath. – Booklist Review
Reader’s Note: The Price You Pay is the eighth book in Nick Petrie’s Peter Ash Series. If you’d like to start reading the series from the beginning, check out book one: The Drifter.
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A Quantum Love Story by Mike Chen
Neither Carter Cho nor Mariana Pineda knows exactly what the Hawke accelerator is accelerating. But whatever it is, it shakes the whole universe apart every four days and resets. Initially, Carter is alone in his awareness of the looping, and he’s bored with it all. Until he manages to pull Mariana into his awareness of the loop. As history repeats all around them, Carter and Mariana occupy a little bubble of two, a bubble that explores what’s gone wrong and how to fix it, even as they tentatively reach towards a relationship that neither of them could have expected. Just as they near a solution, Carter slips out of their bubble. Mariana chooses to sacrifice everything to get him back–hopefully saving the world along the way.
VERDICT Combining the sweet redemption and understated romance of Groundhog Day with the multiple explosive resets of Edge of Tomorrow, this novel from Chen (Vampire Weekend) loops its way through a charming story about opposites attracting, the human ability to reset expectations and emotions against all the odds, and the power of one woman willing to make a big sacrifice for a small change that might just save the universe. – Library Journal Review
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Simply The Best by Elizabeth Phillips
(Publication Date: February 13 – you can place a hold via StarCat now!)
As one of Champion Management’s top sports agents, Brett Rivers is used to winning deals, but he has to admit he may finally have met his match in Rory Garrett. Rory’s brother (and Brett’s client) Clint has just become the leading suspect in the suspicious death of Ashley Hart, Clint’s ex-girlfriend. Even though Clint is mad as heck at her for telling him to break up with Ashley, Rory knows Clint had nothing to do with the murder. So when Brett tries to sideline Rory after she begins investigating the crime, she offers Brett a deal. In exchange for Brett sharing his contacts in Clint’s world, Rory will help Brett, who had also told Clint to break up with Ashley, get back in the good graces of his most important client. Sounds fair, right? Readers will want to savor every delectable word in the sublimely talented Phillips’ latest Chicago Stars novel, following When Stars Collide (2021), just as one would enjoy the luscious artisanal bonbons crafted by the book’s heroine. Infused with addictively acerbic wit and graced with a perfectly matched pair of protagonists whose sexual chemistry is hot enough to melt chocolate, this is Phillips at her dazzling best. – Booklist Review
Reader’s Note: Simply The Best is the tenth book in Phillips’s Chicago Stars Series; each book in the series follows the romance of a different set of characters. If you’d like to read the series from the beginning check out book one: It Had To Be You.
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Tales Of The Celestial Kingdom by Sue Lynn Tan
Tan returns to the spellbinding world of her Celestial Kingdom duology with this collection of nine stories set before, during, and after the novels. The first section, “Dusk,” deepens readers’ understanding of Xingyin’s parents in three stories, contextualizing their fateful decisions: Houyi’s slaughter of the 10 sunbirds and Chang’e’s drinking of the immortality elixir to save herself and her baby. The next section, “Twilight,” spans both books in the duology and recounts important moments and fierce battles from the perspective of other characters, particularly key romantic figures, Liwei and Wenzhi, who weigh their feelings for Xingyin against their duty to family. The final section, “Dawn,”” portrays Wenzhi’s mortal life after his reincarnation and his eventual reunion with Xingyin; the final story serves as a swooningly romantic epilogue to the duology. These insightful character studies and interesting side stories are perfect for readers ready to reimmerse themselves in Tan’s magical storytelling, especially those who have longed for a proper ending to Xingyin and Wenzhi’s tale. – Booklist Review
Reader’s List: The Celestial Kingdom duology consists of two novels: Daughter Of The Moon Goddess and Heart Of The Sun Warrior.
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The Women: A Novel by Kristin Hannah
Frankie McGrath is just 20 when she enlists in the army to go to Vietnam as a nurse in 1965, planning to follow in the footsteps of her older brother, Finley. Frankie’s parents are dismayed by her decision, even more so once they get the horrible news that Finley has been killed in action. Frankie deploys to Vietnam and is quickly overwhelmed by the horrors of war, but with the help of two new friends, Barb and Ethel, and a handsome doctor, Jamie, she adjusts to the rigors of nursing in a war zone. Her attraction to Jamie is stymied by complications, then she finds love with her brother’s best friend, a charming pilot named Rye. When Frankie’s service comes to an end, she is distressed when she returns to the States to find that Vietnam vets are not lauded as heroes and that many vets don’t acknowledge the service of military women. As she grapples with PTSD and finds her place in antiwar protests, Frankie is dealt a terrible blow. Hannah (The Four Winds, 2021) continues her winning streak of compelling historical novels, capturing the tumultuous atmosphere of the 1960s and ’70s in a moving, gripping tale that pays tribute to the under-appreciated skill and courage of combat nurses.
HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Hannah’s popularity ensures enormous interest in each new novel, and the unusual historical context and focus of this one will stir up additional curiosity. – Booklist Review
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Your Shadow Half Remains by Sunny Moraine
Riley has her life figured out–or as much of a life as she can have in a world where society has been ravaged by a pandemic. The pandemic in question isn’t a virus or bacteria; instead, it sends anyone who makes eye contact with another human into a rage that ends in violent death. To survive, Riley has holed herself away in her late grandmother’s cabin with enough food and water to last for several months of total isolation. When a mysterious stranger moves in down the road, Riley’s conditioned acceptance of the world is shattered. Ellis makes her feel safe, and, despite her best efforts, Riley finds herself making increasingly reckless decisions in her search for human contact. But when she starts to feel eyes constantly tracking her and to experience increasingly frequent losses of time, Riley begins to question just how alone she is. A refreshingly original take on dystopian fiction, Moraine’s latest is as haunting as it is thought-provoking. Fans of Blindness (1998), by Jose Saramago, and Station Eleven (2014), by Emily St. John Mandel, will be gripped by Riley’s deeply human struggles amid a global pandemic. – Booklist Review
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Happy reading!
Linda Reimer, SSCL
–
Have questions or want to request a book?
Feel free to call the library! Our telephone number is 607-936-3713.
–
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/download content to 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 instant/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 App is available for Android or Apple devices, PCs, 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.
–
Tech Talk is a Southeast Steuben County Library blog.
Hi everyone, here is the weekly list of New York Times Bestsellers.
New York Times Bestsellers can be requested through StarCat (for print books) & The Digital Catalog/Libby for eBooks and Downloadable Audiobooks. Select titles may also be checked out, on demand, through the Hoopla Catalog.
For more information on the three catalogs skip to the section below the bestselling titles*
–
New York Times Bestseller blog posts are published on Sundays.
And the next New York Times blog post will be posted on Sunday, February 11, 2024.
–
FICTION
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A COURT OF SILVER FLAMES by Sarah J. Maas
The fifth book in the Court of Thorns and Roses series. Nesta Archeron is forced into close quarters with a warrior named Cassian.
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DEMON COPPERHEAD by Barbara Kingsolver
Winner of a 2023 Pulitzer Prize for fiction. A reimagining of Charles Dickens’s “David Copperfield” set in the mountains of southern Appalachia.
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THE EXCHANGE by John Grisham
In a sequel to “The Firm,” Mitch McDeere, who is now a partner at the world’s largest law firm, gets caught up in a sinister plot.
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FIRST LIE WINS by Ashley Elston
A woman who works for a mysterious boss takes on a new identity to dig up information on someone.
–
FOURTH WING by Rebecca Yarros
Violet Sorrengail is urged by the commanding general, who also is her mother, to become a candidate for the elite dragon riders.
–
THE FURY by Alex Michaelides
Violence erupts when a former movie star brings a group of her friends to her private Greek island for Easter.
–
THE HEAVEN & EARTH GROCERY STORE by James McBride
Secrets held by the residents of a dilapidated neighborhood come to life when a skeleton is found at the bottom of a well.
–
HOLMES, MARPLE & POE by James Patterson and Brian Sitts
Three private investigators working in New York City draw the attention of an N.Y.P.D. detective.
–
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.
–
HOUSE OF EARTH AND BLOOD by Sarah J. Maas
Passion arises between Bryce Quinlan and Hunt Athalar as they seek to avenge the deaths of Bryce’s friends.
–
HOUSE OF SKY AND BREATH by Sarah J. Maas
The second book in the Crescent City series. Bryce Quinlan and Hunt Athalar must choose to fight or stay silent.
–
ICEBREAKER by Hannah Grace
Anastasia might need the help of the captain of a college hockey team to get on the Olympic figure skating team.
–
IRON FLAME by Rebecca Yarros
The second book in the Empyrean series. Violet Sorrengail’s next round of training might require her to betray the man she loves.
–
IT ENDS WITH US by Colleen Hoover
A battered wife raised in a violent home attempts to halt the cycle of abuse.
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LESSONS IN CHEMISTRY by Bonnie Garmus
A scientist and single mother living in California in the 1960s becomes a star on a TV cooking show.
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THE LITTLE LIAR by Mitch Albom
The actions of an 11-year-old boy help facilitate the delivery of Jewish residents, including his family, to Auschwitz.
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MARTYR! by Kaveh Akbar
The orphaned son of Iranian immigrants discovers new details about his family history through a painting on display in a Brooklyn art gallery.
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RANDOM IN DEATH by J.D. Robb
The 58th book of the In Death series. Eve Dallas searches for the person who jabbed a teenager with a vial of toxic substances.
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REMARKABLY BRIGHT CREATURES by Shelby Van Pelt
A widow working the night shift at the Sowell Bay Aquarium is aided in solving a mystery by a giant Pacific octopus living there.
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THE SILENT PATIENT by Alex Michaelides
Theo Faber looks into the mystery of a famous painter who stops speaking after shooting her husband.
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TOM LAKE by Ann Patchett
Three daughters, who return to their family orchard in the spring of 2020, learn about their mother’s relationship with a famous actor.
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NON-FICTION
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THE BODY KEEPS THE SCORE by Bessel van der Kolk
How trauma affects the body and mind, and innovative treatments for recovery.
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THE BOYS IN THE BOAT by Daniel James Brown
The story of the American rowers who pursued gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games; the basis of the film.
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CASTE by Isabel Wilkerson
The Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist examines aspects of caste systems across civilizations and reveals a rigid hierarchy in America today.
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ELON MUSK by Walter Isaacson
The author of “The Code Breaker” traces Musk’s life and summarizes his work on electric vehicles, private space exploration and artificial intelligence.
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EVERYTHING I KNOW ABOUT LOVE by Dolly Alderton
The British journalist shares stories and observations; the basis of the TV series.
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FRIENDS, LOVERS, AND THE BIG TERRIBLE THING by Matthew Perry
The late actor, known for playing Chandler Bing on “Friends,” shares stories from his childhood and his struggles with sobriety.
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I’M GLAD MY MOM DIED by Jennette McCurdy
The actress and filmmaker describes her eating disorders and difficult relationship with her mother.
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KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON by David Grann
The story of a murder spree in 1920s Oklahoma that targeted Osage Indians, whose lands contained oil.
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THE KINGDOM, THE POWER, AND THE GLORY by Tim Alberta
The author of “American Carnage” looks at divisions within the American evangelical movement.
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LEGACY by Uché Blackstock
A Black physician details systemic barriers and inequities that affect Black patients and doctors.
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MADNESS by Antonia Hylton
A Peabody and Emmy award-winning journalist unearths the 93-year-old history of a segregated asylum in Maryland.
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MY EFFIN’ LIFE by Geddy Lee with Daniel Richler
The musician known for his work with the band Rush chronicles his life as the child of Holocaust survivors and his time in the limelight.
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OATH AND HONOR by Liz Cheney
The former congresswoman from Wyoming recounts how she helped lead the Select Committee to Investigate the Jan. 6. Attack on the United States Capitol.
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ONE IN A MILLENNIAL by Kate Kennedy
A pop culture podcaster grapples with the agony and ecstasy of the cultural touchstones of her generation.
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ONLY SAY GOOD THINGS by Crystal Hefner
A memoir by the third and last wife of Playboy’s founder, Hugh Hefner.
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OUTLIVE by Peter Attia with Bill Gifford
A look at recent scientific research on aging and longevity.
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PREQUEL by Rachel Maddow
The MSNBC host and co-author of “Bag Man” details a campaign to overthrow the U.S. government and install authoritarian rule prior to and during our involvement in World War II.
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THE SHOWMAN by Simon Shuster
An account of Volodymyr Zelensky’s transformation from a comedic actor to the president of Ukraine during its war with Russia.
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THINK AGAIN by Adam Grant
An examination of the cognitive skills of rethinking and unlearning that could be used to adapt to a rapidly changing world.
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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.
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THE WOMAN IN ME by Britney Spears
The Grammy Award-winning pop star details her personal and professional experiences, including the years she spent under a conservatorship overseen by her father.
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Have a great week!
Linda Reimer, SSCL
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Search for and request books online!
eBooks & Audiobooks Through The Digital Catalog & Libby
Card holders of all Southern Tier Library System member libraries can access
StarCat to search for and request materials available at libraries throughout the Southern Tier Library System.
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Also of Note: If a New York Times Bestseller isn’t yet available in any of the three catalogs, you can contact the library and request to be notified when it becomes available.
Southeast Steuben County Library Telephone Number: 607-936-3713.
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Tech Talk is a Southeast Steuben County Library blog.
Hi everyone, here are our streaming recommendations for the month ahead of us!
The next streaming recommendation post will be posted the first Saturday in March.
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Streaming Now:
Genius: MLK/X (2024) (ABC/National Geographic)
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The Marvels (2023) (Disney +)
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Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2024) (Prime Video)
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Surrounded (2023) (Prime Video)
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February 4:
Curb Your Enthusiasm: Season 12 (HBO)
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February 8:
One Day (2024-present) (Netflix)
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Tokyo Vice Season 2 (2022-present) (Max)
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February 14:
The New Look (Apple TV+)
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February 16:
Snoopy Presents: Welcome Home Franklin (2024) (Apple TV+)
This title doesn’t have a trailer – to learn more about the new Peanuts video checkout the description page on the Apple TV+ site, via the following link:
On a side viewing note, our library owns the original Showgun (1980) miniseries, starring Richard Chamberlain and Toshirô Mifune on DVD, if you should wish to check it out.
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Hoopla Stream of the Month
Iconic America: Our Symbols and Stories with David Rubenstein (2023)
Iconic America: Our Symbols and Stories with David RubensteinTrailer:
Tech & Book Talk at SSCL 