Suggested Listening: August 1, 2025

Hi everyone, welcome to our Suggested Listening posting for this week!

Here is our Suggested Listening post spotlighting ten great musicians born during the month of August, on this the first day of August 2025.

I Guess I Showed Her by Robert Cray (Born August 1, 1953, in Columbus, Georgia)

Found on the Album: Strong Persuader (1986)

West End Blues by Louis Armstrong (Born August 4, 1901, in New Orleans, Louisiana) 

Found on the Album: Volume IV – Louis Armstrong And Earl Hines (1989)

Act Naturally by Buck Owens (Born August 12, 1929, in Sherman, Texas) 

Found on the Album: Essential Country Hits (2017)

Walk of Life by Dire Straits featuring Mark Knopfler (Born August 12, 1949, in Glasgow, Scotland) 

 

 Found on the Album: Brothers In Arms (1985)

Guinnevere by Crosby, Stills & Nash featuring David Crosby (Born August 14, 1941, in Los Angeles, California) 

Found on the Album: Crosby, Stills & Nash (1969)

One O’Clock Jump by Count Basie (Born August 21, 1904, in Red Bank, New Jersey)  

Found on the Album: One O’Clock Jump: The Very Best of Count Basie (2006)

Boogie Woogie by Count Basie featuring Jimmy Rushing on vocals (Born August 26, 1901, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma) 

Found on the Album: Count Basie at the Piano (1948)

Boom Boom by John Lee Hooker (Born August 22, 1917, near Clarksdale, Mississippi) 

Found on the Album: Whiskey & Wimmen: John Lee Hooker’s Finest (2017)

Scrapple from the Apple by Charlie Parker Jr. (Born August 29, 1920, in in Kansas City, Kansas) 

Found on the Album: The Original Parker (2008)

What a Diff’rence a Day Makes by Dinah Washington (Born August 29, 1924, in Tuscaloosa, Alabama) 

 

Found on the Album: What a Diff’rence a Day Makes (2000)

 

Have a great weekend,

Linda Reimer, SSCL

Suggested Listening postings are published on Fridays.

Information on the four library catalogs

The Digital Catalog aka Libby: https://stls.overdrive.com/

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.

Hoopla Catalog: https://www.hoopladigital.com/

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.

Kanopy Catalog: https://www.kanopy.com/en

The Kanopy Catalog features thousands of streaming videos available on demand.

The Kanopy Catalog is available for all Southern Tier Library System member library card holders, including all Southeast Steuben County Library card holders!

You can access the Kanopy Catalog through a web browser, or download the app to your phone, tablet or media streaming player (i.e. Roku, Google or Fire TV).

StarCat: The catalog of physical/traditional library materials: https://starcat.stls.org

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 or streaming videos)? 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.

Visit the Southeast Steuben County Library website for more information on the library, its programs and services: https://ssclibrary.org

New York Times Bestsellers: June 22, 2025

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 the library, or give us a call – please do!

Our telephone number is: 607-936-3713

You can also request titles through StarCat found at https://starcat.stls.org

THE BESTSELLERS

FICTION

1. ATMOSPHERE by Taylor Jenkins Reid: In the summer of 1980, Joan Goodwin begins training with a group of candidates for NASA’s space shuttle program. 

2. THE FIRST GENTLEMAN by Bill Clinton and James Patterson: When President Wright’s husband goes on trial for murder, a pair of journalists search for answers. 

3. NEVER FLINCH by Stephen King: Holly Gibney does double duty by helping head off acts of retribution and protecting a women’s rights activist. 

4. PROBLEMATIC SUMMER ROMANCE by Ali Hazelwood: Things get complicated between an older biotech guy and a struggling graduate student who go to a destination wedding. 

 5. ONE GOLDEN SUMMER by Carley Fortune: A photographer returns to a place where she spent a summer as a teenager and runs into the guy she had a crush on back then. 

6. BADLANDS by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child: The fifth book in the Nora Kelly series. The discovery of a pair of skeletons sparks an investigation that runs into a dark power. 

7. THE TENANT by Freida McFadden: Things take an unsettling turn when a marketing executive loses his job and a woman rents a room in his brownstone. 

 8. GREAT BIG BEAUTIFUL LIFE by Emily Henry: A writer looking for her big break competes against a Pulitzer winner to tell the story of an octogenarian with a storied past. 

 9. TILL SUMMER DO US PART by Meghan Quinn: To keep up with her co-workers, Scottie Price takes a fake husband with her to a summer marriage camp. 

10. NIGHTSHADE by Michael Connelly: The Los Angeles County sheriff’s detective Stilwell gets reassigned to Catalina Island, where he investigates a poaching case and a Jane Doe found in the harbor. 

 11. HIDDEN NATURE by Nora Roberts: After recovering from a gunshot, a Natural Resources police officer investigates a woman’s disappearance. 

12. IRON FLAME by Rebecca Yarros: The second book in the Empyrean series. Violet Sorrengail’s next round of training under the new vice commandant might require her to betray the man she loves.  

13. MY FRIENDS by Fredrik Backman: A young woman looks into the story behind a painting that was made 25 years ago and a small group of teens depicted in it; translated by Neil Smith. 

14. ONYX STORM by Rebecca Yarros: The third book in the Empyrean series. As enemies gain traction, Violet Sorrengail goes beyond the Aretian wards in search of allies. 

15. IT TAKES A PSYCHIC by Jayne Castle: The 18th book in the Harmony series. An investigation brings Leona and Oliver to a town where locals are obsessed with a chilling legend. 

NON-FICTION

1. HOW COUNTRIES GO BROKE by Ray Dalio: The author of “Principles” evaluates the forces that contribute to what he calls the “big debt cycle.” 

2. ORIGINAL SIN by Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson: An account of Joe Biden’s initial decision to run for re-election in 2024 and its numerous consequences. 

3. A DIFFERENT KIND OF POWER by Jacinda Ardern: The former prime minister of New Zealand details challenges her country faced and makes her case for empathetic leadership. 

4. THIS DOG WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE by Elias Weiss Friedman with Ben Greenman: The photographer known as the Dogist contends that dog ownership can improve your life. 

5. TRUMP’S TRIUMPH by Newt Gingrich: The former speaker of the House depicts the political comeback of President Trump. 

 6. HOW TO LOSE YOUR MOTHER by Molly Jong-Fast: A contributing writer at Vanity Fair and podcast host describes her relationship with her mother, Erica Jong. 

7. 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. 

8. MARK TWAIN by Ron Chernow: The Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer portrays the life and career of the literary celebrity and political pundit. 

9. THE BODY KEEPS THE SCORE by Bessel van der Kolk: How trauma affects the body and mind, and innovative treatments for recovery. 

10. SO GAY FOR YOU by Leisha Hailey and Kate Moennig: Two stars of “The L Word” share stories of their friendship, the making of the series and the positive effects of chosen family. 

11. FREE RIDE by Noraly Schoenmaker: The creator of the YouTube channel Itchy Boots recounts the transcontinental motorcycle ride she took after personal and professional changes. 

12. ABUNDANCE by Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson: A New York Times opinion columnist and a staff writer at The Atlantic evaluate obstacles to American progress. 

13. THE DISENLIGHTENMENT by David Mamet: The author of “Recessional” shares his views on politics and entertainment. 

14. THE HAVES AND HAVE-YACHTS by Evan Osnos: The National Book Award and Pulitzer Prize winner examines the excesses of the ultrarich and the influence that Silicon Valley and Wall Street have on politics. 

15. BIG DUMB EYES by Nate Bargatze: The Grammy Award-nominated comedian shares snippets from his life and career. 

Have a great day!

Linda

New York Times Bestseller lists are shared via blog post on Sundays; and occasionally on Mondays.

THE CATALOGS:

(Information on the four library catalogs)

The Digital Catalog aka Libby: https://stls.overdrive.com/

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.

Hoopla Catalog: https://www.hoopladigital.com/

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.

Kanopy Catalog: https://www.kanopy.com/en

The Kanopy Catalog features thousands of streaming videos available on demand.

The Kanopy Catalog is available for all Southern Tier Library System member library card holders, including all Southeast Steuben County Library card holders!

You can access the Kanopy Catalog through a web browser, or download the app to your phone, tablet or media streaming player (i.e. Roku, Google or Fire TV).

StarCat: The catalog of physical/traditional library materials: https://starcat.stls.org

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.

For more information on library materials and services, including how to get a library card call the library at 607-936-3713.

*The Southern Tier Library System includes the public libraries in Steuben, Chemung, Yates, Schuyler & Allegheny counties.

Suggested Reading Five: June 11, 2025

Hi everyone, here are our five suggested reads of the week!

Dorothea Lange: Seeing People by Philip Brookman et al.

An expansive look at portraiture, identity, and inequality as seen in Dorothea Lange’s iconic photographs 

Dorothea Lange (1895–1965) aimed to make pictures that were, in her words, “important and useful.” Her decades-long investigation of how photography could articulate people’s core values and sense of self helped to expand our current understanding of portraiture and the meaning of documentary practice. 

Lange’s sensitive portraits showing the common humanity of often marginalized people were pivotal to public understanding of vast social problems in the twentieth century. Compassion guided Lange’s early portraits of Indigenous people in Arizona and New Mexico from the 1920s and 1930s, as well as her depictions of striking workers, migrant farmers, rural African Americans, Japanese Americans in internment camps, and the people she met while traveling in Europe, Asia, and Latin America. 

Drawing on new research, the authors look at Lange’s roots in studio portraiture and demonstrate how her influential and widely seen photographs addressed issues of identity as well as social, economic, and racial inequalities—topics that remain as relevant for our times as they were for hers. 

Published in association with the National Gallery of Art, Washington 

– 

Futuristic Violence and Fancy Suites by Jason Pargin (AKA David Wong) 

A young woman who believes her father dead enters a cyberpunk theme park where everyone is trying to kill her for a secret she doesn’t even know she has. All right, grab some popcorn and strap in. We’re in for another profane and funny roller-coaster ride from Wong (This Book is Full of Spiders, 2012, etc.)-better known as the playful pseudonym of Cracked’s Jason Pargin. Here the author strays from his previous horror adventures to craft a sci-fi comedy-thriller full of ray guns, sentient programs, and cybernetically enhanced psychotic killers. Our hero(ine) is Zoey Ashe, a self-identified “trailer troll” from rural Colorado whose single mother shills drinks in a zombie-themed bar. It doesn’t take long for Wong to offer lots of clues that this is the near future, one in which the chasm between the rich and the poor has reached cartoonish proportions. It turns out that Zoey’s father was Arthur Livingston, the founder of a utopian city geared toward criminals and the superrich called Tabula Ra$a, located out in the high desert. Arthur was blown up by a rival arms dealer, so his gang, the Suits of the title, are under instruction to fetch Zoey, who holds the key to retrieving his fortune, not to mention his violent revenge. “I want no part of this nonsense,” Zoey says. “This whole city is a butt that farts horror.” The enhanced bad guys are all broadcasting to the fictional “Blink” network, a kind of POV live stream that lends itself well to the insane supervillain monologues that pepper the book. Meanwhile, Zoey’s lack of enthusiasm is irksome to Will Blackwater, her escort. “You take risks; you get hurt,” he says. “And you put your head down and plow forward anyway and if you die, you die. That’s the game. But don’t tell me you’re not a hero.” Some of the sci-fi elements are comic book-y and the humor is as juvenile as ever, but the book more than makes up for any shortcomings with its Technicolor tomorrowland, mischievous humor, and frenetic action sequences. – Kikus Review 

– 

A Slant of Light by Kathryn Lasky 

Lasky’s latest Georgia O’Keeffe mystery (after Mortal Radiance, 2024) begins with a young Native American boy running through the desert. It soon becomes clear that he has escaped the boarding school of St. Ignatius, and when Georgia takes him in, she learns his sister was killed at the school, one of countless tragedies that has struck there. Meanwhile, Sheriff Ryan McCaffrey is investigating the death of a local bishop who was found hanging, but the medical examiner is sure it was murder. Georgia takes a job teaching at the school to find out if the two cases are connected. They are, and there are also connections to self-mortification devices, antisemitic priest Father Charles Coughlin, and a papal legate. Lasky once again combines real-life figures and events (O’Keeffe, Coughlin, and the abdication of King Edward VIII) into a compelling mystery that culminates in a terrifying showdown during a blizzard. Though A Slant of Light is best enjoyed as part of a series, fans of historical mysteries need not have read the first two to appreciate this one. – Booklist Review  

Reader’s Note: A Slant of Light is the third book in Georgia O’Keefe mystery series. If you’d like to start reading from the beginning of the series, check out book one: Light on Bone. 

– 

A Slash of Emerald by Patrice McDonough 

In 1867, Annie O’Neill, a London shopgirl, is on her way home from modeling for a woman artist–a gig she takes on to supplement her meager wages–when she is accosted by soldiers and then detained by the police as a probable prostitute. As required by the law, Inspector Richard Tennant calls in Dr. Julia Lewis for the exam. On her way home, Julia is on the scene of a skating disaster in Regents Park, treating, among others, Charles Allingham, a respected art publisher. When she calls at the Allingham mansion the next day, she meets Mary Allingham, an artist preparing for the upcoming women’s salon. Mary is distraught that her studio had been broken into, with a portrait slashed and painted over with a large green W. It’s not until Tennant calls on Julia to examine the body a woman who, like Annie, was a model, that the threads converge: this model is the subject of Mary’s painting. As Julia and Richard join forces to solve the murders, they uncover sordid links between the rarefied art world and the difficult life that poor women, especially single women and widows, face in the city. As with the first in the series (Murder by Lamplight, 2024), this book will appeal to Anne Perry fans, with both the exploration of societal ills and with the developing relationship between Julia and Richard. – Booklist Review  

Reader’s Note: A Slash of Emerald is the second book in the Dr. Julia Lewis Mystery Series. If you’d like to start reading at the beginning of the series, check out book one: Murder By Lamplight.

– 

Storybook Ending by Moira Macdonald 

DEBUT Westley, an unassumingly handsome bookstore employee, is at the center of Seattle Times art critic Macdonald’s debut novel about books and friendships, set in a Seattle bookshop and full of references to the hit 1993 movie Sleepless in Seattle. One of the shop’s customers is April, a work-from-home real estate promoter, who decides to attract Westley’s attention by leaving an anonymous note in a used book she is returning for store credit. Laura, a young widow with a seven-year-old daughter, is desperate for a copy of the same book for her first book club meeting and buys April’s copy before can Westley inspect it. What results is more notes left in specific shelved books, and both women thinking that it’s Westley who’s writing to them. A subplot involves a Hollywood director filming a low-budget movie at the bookstore, with Westley as a stand-in. The happily-ever-after in Macdonald’s novel is a new circle of relationships formed among the bookstore’s employees, its customers, and the movie crew. VERDICT Ideal for fans of thirtysomething second-chance love stories with appealing secondary characters.-Library Journal Review 

Happy reading!

Linda Reimer, SSCL

Note: Book summaries are from the respective publishers unless otherwise specified.

Weekly Suggested Reading Five posts are published on Wednesdays.

Information on the four library catalogs

The Digital Catalog aka Libby: https://stls.overdrive.com/

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.

Hoopla Catalog: https://www.hoopladigital.com/

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.

Kanopy Catalog: https://www.kanopy.com/en

The Kanopy Catalog features thousands of streaming videos available on demand.

The Kanopy Catalog is available for all Southern Tier Library System member library card holders, including all Southeast Steuben County Library card holders!

You can access the Kanopy Catalog through a web browser, or download the app to your phone, tablet or media streaming player (i.e. Roku, Google or Fire TV).

StarCat: The catalog of physical/traditional library materials: https://starcat.stls.org

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.

Suggested Listening: June 6, 2025

Hi everyone, welcome to our Suggested Listening posting for this week!

This week, in honor of all those who served during World War II, and especially those who took part in the Allied Invasion of Europe on D-Day,  on this the eighty-first anniversary of the invasion on June 6, 1944, here is a collection of songs that were popular during that momentous year.

And Her Tears Flowed Like Wine by Stan Kenton with Anita O’Day on vocals 

Found on the Album: Classics (1952) by Stan Kenton & His Orchestra

Do Nothin’ Till You Hear From Me by Duke Ellington & His Orchestra 

Found on the Album: The Treasury Shows Vol. 17, Pt. 1 (2013) | Note the song isn’t available on many digital albums, but the original version seems to be available on both vinyl and CD.

G.I. Jive by Louis Jordan & His Tympany Five 

Found on the Album: #1s (2004)

I Couldn’t Sleep A Wink Last Night by Frank Sinatra  

Found on the Album: N/A, the song appeared in the 1944 comedy Higher And Higher.

I’ll Get By (As Long as I Have You) by Harry James & His Orchestra with Dick Haymes 

Found on the Album: Dick Haymes with Harry James & Benny Goodman: The Complete Columbia Recordings (1998)

 I’m Making Believe by Ella Fitzgerald & The Ink Spots  

Found on the Album: The Best of the Ink Spots (1999)

Mairzy Doats by The Merry Macs 

Found on the Album: Hits From The War Years – The Sun Has Got His Hat On by Various Artists

The Music Stopped by Woody Herman & His Orchestra  

Found on the Album: N/A; this song too is from the soundtrack of th comedy Higher & Higher (1944).

Straighten Up and Fly Right by Nat King Cole & His Orchestra  

Found on the Album: The Nat King Cole Story (1991)

Swinging on a Star by Big Crosby  

Found on the album: 20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection: Best Of Bing Crosby (2007)

Hoopla Album of the Week

20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection: Best Of Bing Crosby (2007) by Bing Crosby

And from the album, the song:

Don’t Fence Me In  

Have a great weekend,

Linda Reimer, SSCL

Suggested Listening postings are published on Fridays.

Information on the four library catalogs

The Digital Catalog aka Libby: https://stls.overdrive.com/

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.

Hoopla Catalog: https://www.hoopladigital.com/

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.

Kanopy Catalog: https://www.kanopy.com/en

The Kanopy Catalog features thousands of streaming videos available on demand.

The Kanopy Catalog is available for all Southern Tier Library System member library card holders, including all Southeast Steuben County Library card holders!

You can access the Kanopy Catalog through a web browser, or download the app to your phone, tablet or media streaming player (i.e. Roku, Google or Fire TV).

StarCat: The catalog of physical/traditional library materials: https://starcat.stls.org

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 or streaming videos)? 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.

Visit the Southeast Steuben County Library website for more information on the library, its programs and services: https://ssclibrary.org

Suggested Reading Five: June 4, 2025

Hi everyone, here are our five suggested reads of the week!

Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid 

A female astronaut in the 1980s encounters sexism and finds romance as she chases her dreams. Joan Goodwin has always been obsessed with space, which is why she became an astrophysics professor at Rice University. But then, something happens that she’s only dreamed about–NASA announces that it’s looking for female scientists to join the space program. Joan is accepted on her second try, and in 1980, she begins training with a group of male and female candidates who, while all brilliant, have a wide range of personalities. Some of the men are sexist and spend most of their time cracking offensive jokes, but Joan finds a friend in kind-hearted pilot Hank Redmond, who gives her plenty of opportunities to learn. Joan finds both camaraderie and competition among the women–there’s determined Lydia Danes, who embodies the “I’m not here to make friends” ethos, and the more supportive Vanessa Ford, who quickly becomes one of Joan’s most trusted allies. As the group trains together, they begin to feel like a family–and as Joan grows closer to Vanessa, she realizes that life on Earth may contain just as many wonders as the cosmos. The story cuts back and forth between a disaster in 1984 and the story of Joan’s journey through the space program. Reid keeps the tension high, making this perhaps her most propulsive novel yet as she balances the drama of Joan’s personal life with the fast-paced action of a catastrophe in space. Even with the high-stakes action, the touching and surprising love story is the emotional heart of the book. A heart-pounding race against the clock combined with a love story adds up to a novel that’s impossible to put down. – Starred Kikus Review 

– 

The Californians: A Novel by Brian Castleberry 

Beset by complicated families and the crises of their eras, artists nevertheless strive for beauty and truth over a century of American life. Displaced by an apocalyptic Northern California wildfire, down-on-his-luck Tobey Harlan is pulled into a scheme to steal valuable paintings from his rich, politically exasperating father. Famous for her haunting 1980s portrayals of AIDS patients, painter Diane “Di” Stigl underscored the country’s moral shortcomings and battled her own demons. Castleberry reaches further back, to Di’s grandfather, silent-film auteur Klaus von Stigl, who “celebrated the dark and individualistic forces” of his adopted nation while harboring personal secrets. As the artists’ stories unfold during the turbulent twentieth century, their trajectories intertwine in complex and bewildering ways, yet the artistic striving and loss they represent is unambiguous. Fire, representing creativity and destruction, becomes a recurrent motif. Is theft the key to freedom, loss the key to renewal? Castleberry (Nine Shiny Objects, 2020) animates his characters’ lives with a longing for meaning and a commitment to historical detail. The result is a novel as ambitious, beautiful, and precarious as the Golden State itself. – Booklist Review  

– 

The Causative Factor by Megan Staffel 

An accident links the lives of two lovers in Staffel’s novel. Rachel Goodwin first sees Rubiat Elsayem when they attend a New York college together and meet in a performance art class called Body Expression. They’re partners on a project in which each must define the other’s essential quality. They fall in love over a 24-hour period before finding themselves on a long hike at Stony Brook State Park. Rachel watches Rubiat impulsively dive from a cliff and assumes (incorrectly) that he’s dead. She tries desperately to move on from the shock. The novel is split into two halves: The first follows Rachel through the aftermath as she builds her career as an artist and language teacher in Queens, eventually meeting someone new. The second follows both Rachel and Rubiat. Rachel unpacks her deep feelings for Rubiat, and he explores his issues with impulse control and pressure in the wake of leaving Rachel in such a spectacularly weird way. Staffel also incorporates perspectives from Dusty, Rachel’s boyfriend, whom she meets through her friend Angela, who’s Chinese American. The book movingly depicts the complexity of human psychology, such as Rachel’s inability to forget Rubiat. Other weighty themes, like Angela’s exoticization by her German boyfriend, are glossed over–a missed opportunity. Ultimately, the novel becomes a fascinating portrayal of identity, expanding on the moment that brought Rachel and Rubiat together (which lends its name as the title), explained by their teacher as an exercise that would guide the participants toward finding “their deepest motivation, the hidden foundation of their character, that quality that makes them the person they are.” A suspenseful plotline, sometimes slowed by flat secondary characters, continues to investigate the cast’s motivations, and Staffel probes Rachel’s and Rubiat’s personalities right until the final page. A gripping, unusual romance fueled by an ongoing mystery. – Kirkus Review 

– 

The English Masterpiece: A Novel by Katherine Reay 

At the gala opening of a Picasso exhibition at the Tate Modern, Lily Summers (the recently promoted assistant to curator Diana Gilden) does something unforgivable. Looking at a recently discovered painting hanging in the show, she exclaims, “It’s a forgery.” The ensuing scandal ignites a firestorm in the 1970s London art world and beyond. Lily looks up to Diane, even mimicking her fashion style and taste in art but eventually learns precisely who and what her mentor is. In the search for the painting’s provenance, secrets are revealed, alliances are formed, and lives are threatened. Amid all the chaos, Lily looks hard at her own life and choices and rediscovers her artistic aspirations. Reay’s (The London House) intricately woven tale combines an intriguing art mystery with one young woman’s journey of self-discovery. Her descriptions of 1970s food, art, fashion, and luxurious interiors are evocative, the story is fast-paced, and the dialogue fizzy.

VERDICT A stylish historical that will appeal to art-loving readers and fans of strong women characters.–Library Journal Review  

– 

Polybius by Collin Armstrong 

One damp California day in October 1982, Polybius strangely becomes the most popular game in Tasker Bay. With wildly advanced graphics and mesmerizing gameplay, it’s magnetic. Electronics-obsessed high-schooler Andi is in charge of the Home Video World’s arcade, and she notices things aren’t quite right with Polybius. The game was purchased used, with no marquee sign or markings, and Andi finds no way to reach the manufacturer when players slowly start to become infected with fugue states, go on violent rampages, and begin to take revenge. Debut author Armstrong taps into the urban legend of the eponymous game that mysteriously flickered in and out of existence in the early 1980s, rumored to be a government conspiracy. As Andi connects with fellow student Ro, the two team up to figure out why everyone is so affected by playing the game. Andi might have a secret weapon against Polybius’ hypnotic pull, while Ro’s helpless descent into its depths may be his downfall. Polybius is retro and atmospheric; fans of The God Game (2020), by Danny Tobey, or Rabbits, by Terry Miles (2021), will find enjoyable parallels. – Booklist Review 

Happy reading!

Linda Reimer, SSCL

Suggested Reading Five posts are published on Wednesdays.

Note: Book summaries are from the respective publishers unless otherwise specified.

Information on the four library catalogs

The Digital Catalog aka Libby: https://stls.overdrive.com/

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.

Hoopla Catalog: https://www.hoopladigital.com/

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.

Kanopy Catalog: https://www.kanopy.com/en

The Kanopy Catalog features thousands of streaming videos available on demand.

The Kanopy Catalog is available for all Southern Tier Library System member library card holders, including all Southeast Steuben County Library card holders!

You can access the Kanopy Catalog through a web browser, or download the app to your phone, tablet or media streaming player (i.e. Roku, Google or Fire TV).

StarCat: The catalog of physical/traditional library materials: https://starcat.stls.org

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.

Suggested Listening April 11, 2025

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, April 18, 2025.

Last week we listened to a collection of songs by the great bluesman Muddy Waters, who was born April 4, 1915 (or 1913 – there is some question about the year); and this week we will listen to a collection of songs by a variety of other artists who were born during the month of April.  

 

The Little Old Lady (From Pasadena) by Jan & Dean (Jan Barry was born April 3, 1941) 

 

Found on the LP: Jan and Dean’s Greatest Hits (1991) 

 

 

 

Ramrod by Duane Eddy (Duane Eddy was born in Corning, on April 26, 1938) 

 

Found on the Album: Have Twangy Guitar Will Travel (1958) 

  

 

 

I Heard It Through The Grapevine by Marvin Gaye (Born April 2, 1939) 

 

Found On The Album: In The groove (1968) 

 

 

 

Let’s Stay Together by Al Green (Born April 13, 1946) 

 

Found on the Album: Let’s Stay Together (1972) 

  

 

  

Flying Home by Lionel Hampton (Born April 20, 1908) 

 

Found On The Album: Flying Home (1965) 

  

  

 

Cantaloupe Island by Herbie Handcock (Born April 12, 1940) 

  

Found On The Album: Empyrean Isles (1964) 

  

 

  

What A Little Moonlight Can Do by Billie Holiday (Born April 7, 1915) 

 

Found On The Album: The Essential Billie Holiday  (2010) 

 

 

 

Dedicated To You by Freddie Hubbard (Born April 7, 1938) 

 

Found On The Album: The Body And The Soul (1964) 

 

 

 

Oh, Pretty Woman by Roy Orbison (Born April 23, 1936) 

 

Found On The Album: The Essential Roy Orbison (2006) 

 

 

  

St. Louis Blues by Bessie Smith (Born April 15, 1894) 

 

Found On The Album: The Essential Bessie Smith (2013) 

 

 

Have a great weekend,

Linda Reimer, SSCL

Information on the four library catalogs

The Digital Catalog aka Libby: https://stls.overdrive.com/

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.

Hoopla Catalog: https://www.hoopladigital.com/

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.

Kanopy Catalog: https://www.kanopy.com/en

The Kanopy Catalog features thousands of streaming videos available on demand.

The Kanopy Catalog is available for all Southern Tier Library System member library card holders, including all Southeast Steuben County Library card holders!

You can access the Kanopy Catalog through a web browser, or download the app to your phone, tablet or media streaming player (i.e. Roku, Google or Fire TV).

StarCat: The catalog of physical/traditional library materials: https://starcat.stls.org

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 or streaming videos)? 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.

Read In At Library Tomorrow Friday, April 11 – Join Us!

For additional information visit the Read In program description on our website

https://ssclibrary.org/event/library-read-in-in-support-of-libraries/

Have a great day,

Linda Reimer, SSCL

Suggested Reading Five: January 22, 2025

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, January 29, 2025.

Boudicca by P. C. Cast  

After the death of her husband, Boudicca is crowned queen of the Iceni tribe. In Roman-occupied Britannia, the idea of a woman ruler is one of weakness, and the Roman tax collector Catus Decianus leads an attack on the tribe’s stronghold, to deadly and personally damaging results. However, instead of folding, Boudicca calls a war council, determined to strike back at the Romans. With the help of childhood friend and Druid seer Rhan and horse master Maldwyn, Boudicca finds strength, her goddess’s support, and love. With success in brutal attacks against wealthy Roman-held cities, the Iceni prepare to wait out the icy winter and plan their final attacks. When traitors emerge and destiny is bleak, Boudicca must place her faith in the powers beyond to ensure the survival of her people.

VERDICT The real history of the red-haired warrior queen is given new life in Cast’s (Out of the Dawn) well-told reimagining and worldbuilding, with prose that allows readers to see both a battle-hardened leader and a mother fighting for those she loves. – Library Journal Review 

– 

The Business Trip by Jessie Garcia

“A stunning and accomplished debut, with hugely relatable characters and an addictive storyline that kept me turning the pages well into the night. Bravo!” —BA Paris, New York Times bestselling author 

“Wow, The Business Trip was nonstop twists and turns. I loved the unusual way that the story was told, and I kept reading all day long because I couldn’t wait to see how it ended!” — Freida McFadden, New York Times bestselling author 

THE BUSINESS TRIP is the gripping, page-turning debut from author Jessie Garcia. 

Stephanie and Jasmine have nothing and everything in common. The two women don’t know each other but are on the same plane. Stephanie is on a business trip and Jasmine is fleeing an abusive relationship. After a few days, they text their friends the same exact messages about the same man—the messages becoming stranger and more erratic. 

And then the two women vanish. The texts go silent, the red flags go up, and the panic sets in. When Stephanie and Jasmine are each declared missing and in danger, it begs the questions: Who is Trent McCarthy? What did he do to these women— or what did they do to him? 

Twist upon twist, layer upon layer, where nothing is as it seems, The Business Trip takes you on a descent into the depths of a mastermind manipulator. But who is playing who? 

– 

Death of the Author by Nnedi Okorafor  

Disabled, disinclined to marry, and more interested in writing than a lucrative career in medicine or law, Zelu has always felt like the outcast of her large Nigerian family. Then her life is upended when, in the middle of her sister’s lavish Caribbean wedding, she’s unceremoniously fired from her university job and, to add insult to injury, her novel is rejected by yet another publisher. With her career and dreams crushed in one fell swoop, she decides to write something just for herself. What comes out is nothing like the quiet, literary novels that have so far peppered her unremarkable career. It’s a far-future epic where androids and AI wage war in the grown-over ruins of human civilization. She calls it Rusted Robots. 

When Zelu finds the courage to share her strange novel, she does not realize she is about to embark on a life-altering journey—one that will catapult her into literary stardom, but also perhaps obliterate everything her book was meant to be. From Chicago to Lagos to the far reaches of space, Zelu’s novel will change the future not only for humanity, but for the robots who come next. 

A book-within-a-book that blends the line between writing and being written, Death of the Author is a masterpiece of metafiction that manages to combine the razor-sharp commentary of Yellowface with the heartfelt humanity of Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow. Surprisingly funny, deeply poignant, and endlessly discussable, this is at once the tale of a woman on the margins risking everything to be heard and a testament to the power of storytelling to shape the world as we know it.  

– 

The Last Room on the Left by Leah Konen  

The latest from the author of Keep Your Friends Close (2024) is set at a remote motel that Kerry, a struggling author, has agreed to look after while she attempts to make progress on her latest novel. Kerry is also hiding from the break-up of her marriage to Frank; her split with her best friend, Siobhan; and the cause of both of those ruptures, her struggle with alcoholism. Kerry arrives at the Twilite Motel at the beginning of February and finds much more than she bargained for when she sees the hand of a dead woman sticking out of the snow. With no cell service, Kerry seeks the help of the two closest neighbors, only to learn they’re both in a land dispute with the motel’s owner. Once Kerry returns to the motel, she discovers not only that the body has been moved, but that, to her horror, the dead woman is someone she knows. Though Kerry’s reliability, particularly concerning the victim’s identity, stretches credulity at times, this is a fast-paced and engrossing read. – Booklist Review 

– 

Three Wild Dogs (and the Truth): A Memoir by Markus Zusak 

In this poignant, funny, and disarmingly honest memoir, one of the world’s most beloved storytellers, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Book Thief, tells of his family’s adoption of three troublesome rescue dogs—a charming and courageous love story about making even the most incorrigible of animals family. 

There’s a madman dog beside me, and the hounds of memory ahead of us . . . It’s love and beasts and wild mistakes, and regret, but never to change things. 

What happens when the Zusak family opens their home to three big, wild, street-hardened dogs—Reuben, more wolf than hound; Archer, blond, beautiful, destructive; and the rancorously smiling Frosty, who walks like a rolling thunderstorm? 

The answer can only be chaos: There are street fights, park fights, public shamings, property damages, injuries, hospital visits, wellness checks, pure comedy, shocking tragedy, and carnage that must be read to be believed. 

There is a reckoning of shortcomings and failure, a strengthening of will, but most important of all, an explosion of love—and the joy and recognition of family. 

Three Wild Dogs (and the Truth) is a tender, motley, and exquisitely written memoir about the human need for both connection and disorder, a love letter to the animals who bring hilarity and beauty—but also the visceral truth of the natural world—straight to our doors and into our lives and change us forever. 

Happy reading!

Linda Reimer, SSCL

Note: Book summaries are from the respective publishers unless otherwise specified.

Information on the three library catalogs

The Digital Catalog: https://stls.overdrive.com/

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.

Hoopla Catalog: https://www.hoopladigital.com/

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.

StarCat: The catalog of physical/traditional library materials: https://starcat.stls.org

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.

Suggested Listening: December 27, 2024

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, January 3, 2025.

And here are the 10 recommended songs of the week, in keeping with the season, this week we have a New Year’s collection – Enjoy!

Auld Lang Syne by Guy Lombardo & His Royal Canadians

From The Album: Auld Lang Syne (1993)

The Best Is Yet To Come by Frank Sinatra

From The Album: Nothing But The Best (2008)

Blue Champagne by Anita O’Day

From The Album: The Complete Anita O’Day Verve-Clef Sessions (1999)

Bringing In A Brand New Year by Charles Brown  

From The Album: Cool Christmas Blues (1994)

Celebration by Kool & The Gang

From The Album: Celebration: The Best of Kool & the Gang 1979-1987 (1994)

Feeling Good by Nina Simone

From The Album: I Put A Spell On You (2000)

Let The Good Times Roll by Louis Jordan

From The Album: Let The Good Times Roll: The Anthology 1938 – 1953 (1999)

Let’s Start The New Year Right by Bing Crosby  

From The Album: Bing Sings The Irving Berlin Songbook (2014)

The Party’s Over by Nat King Cole 

From The Album: Let’s Face The Music (1994)

What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve? by Ella Fitzgerald

From The Album: Ella & Louis Wish You A Swinging Holiday (Deluxe) (2024)

Hoopla Album of the Week 

Beethoven Blues by Jon Batiste

Beethoven Blues

And from the album the song:

Für Elise 

Have a great weekend,

Linda Reimer, SSCL

Online Catalog Links:

StarCat

The catalog of physical materials, i.e. print books, DVDs, audiobooks on CD, etc.

The Digital Catalog, web version of Libby

The catalog of e-books, downloadable audiobooks and a handful of streaming videos.

The Libby App

Libby

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.

Suggested Listening December 6, 2024

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 posted on Friday, December 13, 2024.

And here are our  recommended songs of the week!

Cold Weather Blues by Muddy Waters

From The Album: Folk Singer (1964)

The Dark Night of The Soul by Loreena McKennitt

From The Album: The Mask And Mirror Live (2024)

The Frost Is All Over by The Chieftains

From The Album: Voice Of Ages (2012)

It Takes A Lot To Laugh, It Takes A Train To Cry

From The Album: Highway 61’ Revisited (1965)

Kisses From The Falling Snow by David Arkenstone

From The Album: Winterlude (2023)

Like The Weather by 10,000 Maniacs 

From The Album: In My Tribe (1987)

Shoot The Moon by Norah Jones

From The Album: Come Away With Me (2002)

Snowfall by Claude Thornhill

From The Album: Snowfall (2002)

Skating In Central Park by Modern Jazz Quartet

From The Album: The Complete Last Concert (1974)

Snowy Morning Blues by James P. Johnson

From The Album: Snowy Morning Blues (1991)

Sometimes In Winter by Blood, Sweat & Tears

From The Album: Blood, Sweat & Tears (1968)

Winter Lady by Leonard Cohen 

From The Album: Songs of Leonard Cohen (1967)

Winter Moon by Stan Getz

From The Album: Stan Getz With Guest Artist Laurindo Almeida (1963)

Winter Song by Ingrid Michaelson & Sara Bareilles

From The Album: Snowfall EP (2017)

Hoopla Album of the Week: 

The Winter Winds (2009) by P. E. Hewitt Jazz Ensemble  

image

And from the album:

The Winter Winds 

Have a great weekend,

Linda Reimer, SSCL

Online Catalog Links:

StarCat

The catalog of physical materials, i.e. print books, DVDs, audiobooks on CD, etc.

The Digital Catalog, web version of Libby

The catalog of e-books, downloadable audiobooks and a handful of streaming videos.

The Libby App

Libby

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.