Tag: Corning NY

Suggested Reading Week of July 16, 2018

Linda Reimer

Hi everyone, here are our recommended titles for the week, five digital titles available through OverDrive and five print titles available through StarCat.

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

Digital Suggestions Of The Week:

The Accidental Vampire by Lynsay Sands:

Ever since an accident turned her into a knockout vamp, Elvi Black’s been catching her z’s in a coffin, staying out of the sun, and giving up garlic. She knows there’s more to being undead than what she saw in Dracula, but she can’t very well ask her mortal friends about proper biting etiquette. But when her neighbors placed a personal ad for her in the local paper, she never imagined she’d meet Victor Argeneau, a vampire who could have his pick of any woman—dead or alive.

Rich, powerful, and drop—dead gorgeous, Victor’s the perfect man for a novice neck—biter like Elvi. He’s willing to teach her everything he knows, but he’ll have to do it fast. Someone’s out to put a stake through her new vamp life, and only Victor can keep her safe—and satisfied—for all eternity.

The Argeneau Family Series, Book 7

Cottage by the Sea: A Novel by Debbie Macomber:

A seaside town helps one young woman reclaim the light after darkness in a brand-new novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Debbie Macomber.

“Romantic, warm, and a breeze to read—one of Macomber’s best.”—Kirkus Reviews

Annie Marlow has been through the worst. Rocked by tragedy, she heads to the one place that makes her happy: Oceanside in the Pacific Northwest, the destination of many family vacations when Annie was a teenager.

Once there, Annie begins to restore her broken spirit, thanks, in part, to the folks she meets: a local painter, Keaton, whose large frame is equal to his big heart—and who helps Annie fix up her rental cottage by the sea; Mellie, the reclusive, prickly landlord Annie is determined to befriend; and Britt, a teenager with a terrible secret. But it is Keaton to whom Annie feels most drawn.

His quiet, peaceful nature offers her both comfort and reprieve from her grief, and the two begin to grow closer.

Then events threaten to undo the idyll Annie has longed for. And when the opportunity of a lifetime lands in her lap, she is torn between the excitement of a new journey toward success and the safe and secure arms of the haven—and the man—she’s come to call home.

In this heartwarming tale, Annie finds that the surest way to fix what is damaged within is to help others rise above their pain and find a way to heal.

The Desperate Witness: The Zero Hour Series, Program 1 – Rod Serling Radio Show (downloadable audiobook):

Description: “Rest your eyes, and listen here….I’m Rod Serling, and this is The Zero Hour.” From 1972 to 1974, The Zero Hour brought potent thrillers to the radio waves, edge-of-your-seat original radio dramas from best-selling mystery novels, featuring stars from radio’s Golden Age and popular television personalities. Rest your eyes and experience a provocative episode from this legendary radio program. Featuring original music, sound effects, and a full cast of characters, this is theater for the mind.

Guest stars include: Richard Crenna, Julie Adams, & Keenan Wynn.

Down Cemetery Road: Oxford Investigations Series, Book 1 by Mick Herron:

CWA Gold Dagger winner Mick Herron’s debut novel introduces Sarah Tucker, whose search for a missing child unravels a murderous conspiracy.

When a house explodes in a quiet Oxford suburb and a girl disappears in the aftermath, Sarah Tucker—a young married woman, bored and unhappy with domestic life—becomes obsessed with finding her. Accustomed to dull chores in a childless household and hosting her husband’s wearisome business clients for dinner, Sarah suddenly finds herself questioning everything she thought she knew as her investigation reveals that people long believed dead are still among the living, while the living are fast joining the dead. What begins in a peaceful neighborhood reaches its climax on a remote, unwelcoming Scottish island as the search puts Sarah in league with a man being hunted down by murderous official forces.

Murder at Midnight by Avi:

The tantalizing prequel to Avi’s bestselling MIDNIGHT MAGIC is now in paperback!

A plot to overthrow King Claudio is brewing in the Kingdom of Pergamontio.

Scholarly Mangus the magician-along with his street—smart and faithful new servant boy, Fabrizio—have been marked as easy scapegoats for the traitor lurking within the king’s court. Together, these two unlikely partners must gather clues to solve the mystery and prove their innocence before the stroke of midnight…or face death!

Intricate plotting, surprise twists, and lively prose make for another suspenseful page-turner that stands alone or sets the stage for MIDNIGHT MAGIC!

Print Suggestions Of The Week:

All These Beautiful Strangers by Elizabeth Klehfoth:

“This is going to be big.” -Entertainment Weekly

“Juicy, clever, and beguiling.”- Cecily von Ziegsar, author of the Gossip Girl novels

A young woman haunted by a family tragedy is caught up in a dangerous web of lies and deception involving a secret society in this highly charged, addictive psychological thriller that combines the dishy gamesmanship of Gossip Girl with the murky atmosphere of The Secret History.

One summer day, Grace Fairchild, the beautiful young wife of real estate mogul Alistair Calloway, vanished from the family’s lake house without a trace, leaving behind her seven-year old daughter, Charlie, and a slew of unanswered questions.

Years later, seventeen-year-old Charlie still struggles with the dark legacy of her family name and the mystery surrounding her mother. Determined to finally let go of the past, she throws herself into life at Knollwood, the prestigious New England school she attends. Charlie quickly becomes friends with Knollwood’s “it” crowd.

Charlie has also been tapped by the A’s—the school’s elite secret society well known for terrorizing the faculty, administration, and their enemies. To become a member of the A’s, Charlie must play The Game, a semester-long, diabolical high-stakes scavenger hunt that will jeopardize her friendships, her reputation, even her place at Knollwood.

As the dark events of past and present converge, Charlie begins to fear that she may not survive the terrible truth about her family, her school, and her own life.

A Gathering of Secrets by Linda Castillo:

A deadly fire exposes the dark side of Amish life in A Gathering of Secrets, a harrowing new thriller in the New York Times bestselling series (July 2017) by Linda Castillo.

When a historic barn burns to the ground in the middle of the night, Chief of Police Kate Burkholder is called in to investigate. At first, it looks like an accident, but when the body of eighteen-year-old Daniel Gingerich is found inside―burned alive―Kate suspects murder. Who would want a well-liked, hardworking young Amish man dead? Kate delves into the investigation only to find herself stonewalled by the community to which she once belonged. Is their silence a result of the Amish tenet of separation? Or is this peaceful and deeply religious community conspiring to hide a truth no one wants to talk about? Kate doubles down only to discover a plethora of secrets and a chilling series of crimes that shatters everything she thought she knew about her Amish roots―and herself.

As Kate wades through a sea of suspects, she’s confronted by her own violent past and an unthinkable possibility.

The Lido by Libby Page: 

WE’RE NEVER TOO OLD TO MAKE NEW FRIENDS—OR TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE

Rosemary Peterson has lived in Brixton, London, all her life but everything is changing.

The library where she used to work has closed. The family grocery store has become a trendy bar. And now the lido, an outdoor pool where she’s swum daily since its opening, is threatened with closure by a local housing developer. It was at the lido that Rosemary escaped the devastation of World War II; here she fell in love with her husband, George; here she found community during her marriage and since George’s death.

Twentysomething Kate Matthews has moved to Brixton and feels desperately alone. A once promising writer, she now covers forgettable stories for her local paper. That is, until she’s assigned to write about the lido’s closing. Soon Kate’s portrait of the pool focuses on a singular woman: Rosemary. And as Rosemary slowly opens up to Kate, both women are nourished and transformed in ways they never thought possible.

In the tradition of Fredrik Backman’s A Man Called Ove, The Lido is a charming, feel-good novel that captures the heart and spirit of a community across generations—an irresistible tale of love, loss, aging, and friendship.

Rainy Day Friends by Jill Shavis:

Following the USA Today bestseller, Lost and Found Sisters, comes Rainy Day Friends, Jill Shalvis’ moving story of heart, loss, betrayal, and friendship.

Six months after Lanie Jacobs’ husband’s death, it’s hard to imagine anything could deepen her sense of pain and loss. But then Lanie discovers she isn’t the only one grieving his sudden passing. A serial adulterer, he left behind several other women who, like Lanie, each believe she was his legally wedded wife.

Rocked by the infidelity, Lanie is left to grapple with searing questions. How could she be so wrong about a man she thought she knew better than anyone? Will she ever be able to trust another person? Can she even trust herself?

Desperate to make a fresh start, Lanie impulsively takes a job at the family-run Capriotti Winery. At first, she feels like an outsider among the boisterous Capriottis. With no real family of her own, she’s bewildered by how quickly they all take her under their wing and make her feel like she belongs. Especially Mark Capriotti, a gruffly handsome Air Force veteran turned deputy sheriff who manages to wind his way into Lanie’s cold, broken heart—along with the rest of the clan.

Everything is finally going well for her, but the arrival of River Green changes all that. The fresh-faced twenty-one-year old seems as sweet as they come…until her dark secrets come to light—secrets that could destroy the new life Lanie’s only just begun to build.

The Book in Room 316 by ReShonda Tate Billingsley:

#1 national bestselling and award-winning author ReShonda Tate Billingsley delivers another moving, evocative, and timely novel about how a small seed of hope can change the course of one’s life.

Savannah Graham thought she had the perfect marriage…until grief drove her husband into the arms of his best friend’s wife. Now, she believes revenge is the only way her heart can heal from the betrayal.

For fifty-two years, Ollie Moss lived side by side with the love of his life, his wife Elizabeth. But now that she’s gone, so is his desire to live, despite the love from his children, and his beloved grandson Samuel. Can anything save Ollie’s life?

Anna Rodriguez just wants to work and provide for her three children by any means necessary. But her decision to break the law in order to get a job is threatening life as she knows it.
Trey Brown is known in his neighborhood as a hustler, so much so that the gangs want him to join their ranks…but there’s a reason the nineteen-year-old does what he does—he’s the only one left who can save his little brother.

Different circumstances lead each of them to The Markham Hotel, where they hope to find solace, comfort, and answers. Told from multiple perspectives, The Book in Room 316 will renew your strength and faith that there is always a way forward.

Have a great week!

Linda, SSCL

Online Catalog Links:

StarCat

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

The Digital Catalog (OverDrive)

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

Freegal Music Service

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

RBDigital

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

About Library Apps:

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

Tech Talk is a Southeast Steuben County Library blog.

Suggested Listening July 13, 2018

Linda Reimer

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

(Click on the photo to stream or request the album you’re interested in!)

Freegal Streaming Suggestions*

My first recommendation for this week is actually an album set issued as one single collection on CD but broken up into two streaming albums by Freegal. The related titles are “America’s Greatest Hits 1957, Volume 1” and “America’s Greatest Hits 1957, Volume 2. And the two streaming collections feature all 120 of the songs to hit the top ten on the Billboard Pop Chart in 1957!

The two album collection offers us a cool listen to a mixture of what today we’d deem vocal and easy listening music, which was the main popular music of the day, and songs in the emerging style of Rock N’ Roll.

America’s Greatest Hits 1957, Volume 1 (1957, 2018) (Genre: Pop, Rock, Classic Rock):

America’s Greatest Hits 1957, Volume 2 (1957, 2018) (Genre: Pop, Rock, Classic Rock):

Songs in the double album streaming collection include: Signing the Blues by Guy Mitchell, The Green Door by Jim Lowe, Butterfly by Andy Williams, Love Me Tender, All Shook Up and Jailhouse Rock by Elvis, Blueberry Hill by Fats Domino and Hey Jealous Lover by Frank Sinatra.

This is a great collection for summer!

Behind The Shade (2018) by James Williamson and the Pink Hearts (Rock, Punk):

Former Stooges guitarist James Williamson steps out with a brand new album. And despite the years that have elapsed since he played with the Stooges – Williamson has retained his fierce in-your-face style of guitar playing.

If you’re a Stooges fan – check out this new release!

Songs on the LP include: Riot on the Strip, Pink Hearts Across the Sky, You Send Me Down, Miss Misery and Revolution Stomp.

Hotel Transylvania Score (Genre: Score, Classical):

Composer Mark Mothersbaugh has created a great score for the films in the Hotel Transylvania series. The score is upbeat, cheerful, majestic and just plain fun.

Songs include: Through The Roof, Battle with Bela, The Mummy Arrives, Monster Festival, Chasing Quasimodo and Dragon Tail/Grandpa Van Helsing.

Complete 1950-1954 Studio-Issued Recordings (with the Stan Kenton Orchestra) by Four Freshmen (Genre: Classic Pop, Easy Listening, Barbershop, Vocal, Big Band):

The original Four Freshmen band formed in 1948 and consisted of brothers Don and Ross Barbour, Bob Flanigan and Hal Kratzsch. In 1950 the group was singing in the Esquire Lounge in Dayton, Ohio when they were heard by big band leader Stan Kenton. Kenton was very impressed by the group and urged his record company, Capital Records, to sign them. The group was indeed signed by Capital Records and their first single, Mr. B’s Blues was released later that year.

The group’s heyday was in the early to mid-fifties when they released hit singles and were one of the front and center pop groups of the day. By the late fifties, as Rock N’ Roll was starting to gain in popularity, vocal groups like the Four Freshman started taking a back seat to new acts like Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry and Fats Domino. Having said that, the group has remained popular throughout the years and although the last original member of the band, Bob Flanigan, retired in the 1990s the group continues to perform.

This 29 song set includes some of the best songs released by the group in their heyday.

Songs in the set include: Then I’ll Be Happy, Mr. B’s Blues, It’s a Blue World, Tuxedo Junction, The Day Isn’t Long Enough and Seems Like Old Times.

Recommended CD of the Week:

The Jazz Soul of Little Stevie (1962) by Stevie Wonder:

This album was recorded when Stevie Wonder was only 11. And boy, what a genius! The young Stevie showed off his prodigious skill by playing piano, harmonica, percussion instruments and by writing several of the songs on the album.

Wonder is very energetic on this LP and it is a very upbeat album – check it out!

Songs on the album include: Fingertips, The Square, Soul Bongo, Manhattan At Six, Some Other Time and Wondering.

Videos of the Week:

Blueberry Hill by Fats Domino

Party Doll by Buddy Knox

Singing The Blues by Guy Mitchell

Heartbreak Hotel & All Shook Up by Elvis

Round and Round by Perry Como

Jenny Jenny by Little Richard

Behind The Shade by James Williamson and the Pink Hearts

The Wedding, Hotel Transylvania Score Composed by Mark Mothersbaugh

Poinciana by Four Freshmen

Fingertips by Stevie Wonder

Have a great weekend!

Linda, SSCL

*A library card is required to use the Freegal Music Service. If you live in the service area of the Southern Tier Library System, which consists of the public libraries in Steuben, Chemung, Yates, Schuyler and Alleghany counties in New York State, you can get a library card for free at your nearest public library – including our own Southeast Steuben County Library in Corning, New York. The Freegal Music Service is free for all Southern Tier Library System member libraries library card holders to access.

References:

Artist Biography & Discography Information:

http://www.allmusic.com/

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

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

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

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

Links to the desktop versions of the catalogs for the library system – apps for each are available in your app store:

Digital Library Catalogs:

Freegal offers streaming and downloadable music

OverDrive allows you to check out eBooks, downloadable audiobooks and handful of streaming videos

RB Digital is the place you go to check out magazines – on demand – and you never have to return them!

The Traditional Library Catalog:

You can search for and request books, DVDs, music CDs, audiobooks on CD and other physical format items through StarCat – it is the modern day card catalog!

Suggested Reading Week of July 9, 2018

Linda Reimer

Hi everyone, here are our recommended titles for the week, five digital titles available through OverDrive and five print titles available through StarCat.

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

Digital Suggestions Of The Week:

And I’m going to start off our weekly suggested titles with a bonus!

In celebration of summer there is new Big Read title!

And if you’re not familiar with it – Big Read titles, when they appear on the Digital Catalog homepage, are on-demand titles! So everyone who has a Southern Tier Library System member library card — can read Big Read titles at the same time!

The current Big Read title is:

Cowboy Pride by Lacy Williams and it is available now!

“Everyone knows a rancher in possession of a large spread needs a wife.”

First impressions count. Liza Bennett has two missions in life: keep the family’s shop afloat, and ensure her shy sister finds love. Sparks fly when she meets rancher Rob Darcy at a town dance, but when she overhears him insult her, she vows to put the man out of her mind. Rob Darcy is instantly attracted to the vivacious Liza but a lack of social graces and the promise he’s keeping ruin his chances of winning her.

Once jilted, Janie Bennett is appropriately gun-shy of falling in love again. But she doesn’t seem to be able to help herself when she meets charming Nathan Bingley. Bingley desperately wants a wife and family of his own. Can he trust that Janie returns his feelings?

When Janie is injured in a spring storm, she and Liza are sequestered on Nathan’s ranch. Hearts and emotions get tangled, but will first impressions prove true, or false?

Cowboy Pride is a Wild West version of Pride and Prejudice with dual love stories.

Cowboy Pride is the third book in the Wild Wyoming Hearts Series.

As I Knew Him: My Dad, Rod Serling by Anne Serling:

“A haunting and beautifully written memoir about the creator of The Twilight Zone.” –Robert Redford

“Beautifully written. . .I laughed and I cried. I plan to read it again once I catch my breath.” –Carol Burnett

In this intimate, lyrical memoir about her iconic father, Anne Serling reveals the fun-loving dad and family man behind the imposing figure the public saw hosting The Twilight Zone each week. After his unexpected, early death, Anne, just 20, was left stunned. But through talking to his friends, poring over old correspondence, and recording her childhood memories, Anne not only found solace, but gained a deeper understanding of this remarkable man. Now she shares her discoveries, along with personal photos, revealing letters, and scenes of his childhood, war years, and their family’s time together. A tribute to Rod Serling’s legacy as a visionary, storyteller, and humanist, As I Knew Him is also a moving testament to the love between fathers and daughters.

Divine Misdemeanors by Laurell K. Hamilton:

You may know me best as Meredith Nic Essus, princess of faerie. Or perhaps as Merry Gentry, Los Angeles private eye. To protect my unborn children, I have turned my back on the crown, choosing exile in the human world with my beloved Frost and Darkness. Yet I cannot abandon my people. Someone is killing the fey, which has left the LAPD baffled and my guardsmen and me deeply disturbed. I thought I’d left the blood and politics behind in my own turbulent realm. But now I realize that evil knows no borders, and that nobody lives forever—even if they’re magical.

Merry Gentry Series, Book 8.

Platinum Pohl: The Collected Best Stories by Frederik Pohl:

Frederik Pohl, the bestselling author of The Boy Who Would Live Forever, is famous for his novels, but first and foremost, he is a master of the science fiction short story. For more than fifty years he has been writing incisive, entertaining SF stories, several hundred in all. Even while writing his bestselling triple-crown (Hugo, Nebula, Campbell Award) novel Gateway and the other Heechee Saga novels, he has always written short fiction.

Now, for the first time, he has gathered together the best of his many stories. Spanning the decades, these tales are in their way a living history of science fiction. Because Frederik Pohl has been on the frontlines of the field since the halcyon days of the late 1930s, and has written short stories in every decade since. And because he has always been a keen observer of the human condition and the world that is shaped by it, his stories reflect the currents of political movements, social trends, major events that have shaken the world . . .

Yet at their core, all his stories are most acutely concerned with people. All sorts of people. Some are people you’ll love, some you’ll hate. But you will need to find out what happens to the people who inhabit these stories. Because Frederik Pohl imbues his characters with a depth and individuality that makes them as real as people you see every day. Of course, he also employs a mind-boggling variety of scientific ideas and science fictional tropes with which his characters must interact. And he does it all with seemingly no effort at all. That’s some trick. Not everyone can do that . . . but that’s why he was named a Grand Master of Science Fiction by his peers in the Science Fiction Writers of America.

Here are his two Hugo Award winning stories, “Fermi and Frost” and “The Meeting” (with C. M. Kornbluth), along with such classic novellas as the powerful “The Gold at the Starbow’s End” and “The Greening of Bed-Stuy,” and stories such as “Servant of the People,” “Shaffery Among the Immortals,” and “Growing Up in Edge City,” all finalists for major awards. And dozens of other wonderful tales, like “The Mayor of Mare Tranq” and the provocative “The Day the Martians Landed” and many others.

Altogether, a grand collection of thought-provoking, entertaining science fiction by one of the all-time greats!

Stay Hidden (downloadable audiobook) written by Paul Doiron & read by Henry Leyva:

A supposed hunting accident becomes a dangerously complicated murder investigation in Stay Hidden, the intricately-plotted new thriller from Paul Doiron featuring Maine Game Warden Mike Bowditch.

A woman has been shot to death by a deer hunter on an island off the coast of Maine. To newly promoted Warden Investigator Mike Bowditch, the case seems open and shut. But as soon as he arrives on remote Maquoit Island he discovers mysteries piling up one on top of the other.

The hunter now claims he didn’t fire the fatal shot and the evidence proves he’s telling the truth. Bowditch begins to suspect the secretive community might be covering up the identity of whoever killed the woman, known as Ariel Evans. The controversial author was supposedly writing a book about the island’s notorious hermit. So why are there no notes in her rented cottage?

The biggest blow comes the next day when the weekly ferry arrives and off steps the dead woman herself. Ariel Evans is alive, well, and determined to solve her own “murder” even if it upsets Mike Bowditch’s investigation and makes them both targets of an elusive killer who will do anything to conceal his crimes.

Mike Bowditch Mystery Series, Book 9

What Happened That Night: A Novel by Sandra Block:

She doesn’t remember that night. But she will never be the same.

One moment, Dahlia is a successful Harvard student; the next, she wakes up from a party, the victim of a brutal assault. Her life veers into a tailspin, and what’s worse ― her memory of the attack has been ripped away, leaving a cold rage in its wayke.

Now, years later, Dahlia is a tattooed paralegal suffering from PTSD and still haunted by that night. Until one day, a video surfaces online, and Dahlia sees her attack for the first time.

Now she knows what happened to her. And she knows who is to blame. Her rage is no longer cold, but burning, red hot.

And she is about to make everyone pay.

Print Suggestions Of The Week:

Best Beach Ever by Wendy Wax:

Forced to rent out or lose their beloved Bella Flora after the loss of their renovation-turned-reality-TV show Do Over, Maddie, Nikki, Avery, Kyra, and Bitsy move into cottages at the Sunshine Hotel and Beach Club believing the worst is over. Only to discover just how uncertain their futures really are.

Maddie struggles with the challenges of dating a rock star whose career has come roaring back to life while Nikki faces the daunting realities of mothering twins at forty-seven. Avery buries herself in a tiny home build in an attempt to dodge commitment issues, and Kyra battles to protect her son from the Hollywood world she once dreamed of joining. And Bitsy is about to find out whether the rewards of seeking revenge will outweigh the risks.

Luckily, when the going gets tough, the ladies of Ten Beach Road know that their friendship–tried and tested–can chase away the darkest clouds and let the sun shine in…

Ten Beach Road Series, Book 6.

The Devil’s Reward: A Novel by Emmanuelle de Villepin:

Three generations of women untangle a complex family history that spans both world wars and reveals unexpected insights about marriage and fidelity.

Christiane, eighty-six years old with a vibrant sense of humor, lives alone in a large apartment in the heart of Paris. Her daughter, Catherine, could not be more different; sullen and uptight, she resents her unfaithful Milanese husband. After discovering yet another affair, Catherine takes refuge in Paris at her mother’s home, accompanied by her own daughter, Luna. Christiane, who in spite of occasional dalliances lived a beautiful love story with her late husband, uses all of her freethinking charm to try to wean Catherine of her rigid self-pity.

While listening to her mother and grandmother, Luna becomes increasingly curious about Christiane’s aristocratic Catholic background, prompting Christiane to tell the story of her father’s war experiences and the devastating love affair that brought chaos to the whole family. As memories resurface, the present takes on a different dimension.
With a keen, lighthearted wit, The Devil’s Reward shows that life may be complicated and often painful, but if conventional morals prevail, it becomes unbearable.

Holly Jolly Summer by Tiffany Stewart:

Four huge disasters,

Three months of tourists,

Two gorgeous boys,

And a partridge in a palm tree

In this lighthearted beach read about family, friendship, and fa-la-la, it’s up to lovestruck teen Darby to save the spirit of a Southern town called Christmas.

Christmas, Kentucky, is a summer tourist destination known for its holiday-themed shops, ornament-sprouting potted palms, giant Snow Globe display, and cheerful residents―including the mayor’s daughter, fifteen-year-old Darby Peacher. But as Darby stumbles her way into a job at the town’s run-down amusement park, Holly Jolly Land, her summer quickly goes from merry to miserable: the boy of Christmas present is absent, a boy of Christmas past is her supervisor, and the town seems to be losing its cheer as it strives to become more commercial. As she tries to sort out her love life, Darby grows positively Scroogey until she gets wrapped up in reinventing Holly Jolly Land―and the town―as the wonderlands they once were.

Tiffany Stewart’s debut novel Holly Jolly Summer is brimming with humor, heart, and a sprinkling of summer romance.

To The Moon and Back: A Novel by Karen Kingsbury:

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Karen Kingsbury comes a brand-new love story in the Baxter Family collection about two people who lost their parents in the same national tragedy—two people desperate to find each other and the connection they shared for a single day…a day that changed everything.

Brady Bradshaw was a child when the Oklahoma City bombing killed his mother. Every year, Brady visits the memorial site on the anniversary to remember her. A decade ago on that day, he met Jenna Phillips, who was also a child when her parents were killed in the attack. Brady and Jenna shared a deep heart connection and a single beautiful day together at the memorial. But after that, Brady never saw Jenna again. Every year when he returns, he leaves a note for her in hopes that he might find her again.

This year, Ashley Baxter Blake and her sister Kari Baxter Taylor and their families take a spring break trip that includes a visit to the site to see the memorial’s famous Survivor Tree. While there, Ashley spots a young man, alone and troubled. That man is Brady Bradshaw. A chance moment leads Ashley to help Brady find Jenna, the girl he can’t forget.

Ashley’s family is skeptical, but she pushes them to support her efforts to find the girl and bring them together. But will it work? Will her husband, Landon, understand her intentions? And is a shared heartache enough reason to fall in love?

Deeply emotional and beautifully romantic, To the Moon and Back is an unlikely love story about healing, redemption, hope and the belief that sometimes a new tomorrow can grow from the ashes of a shattered yesterday.

Trail of Lightning by Rebecca Roanhorse:

“Someone please cancel Supernatural already and give us at least five seasons of this badass indigenous monster-hunter and her silver-tongued sidekick.” —The New York Times

“An excitingly novel tale.” —Charlaine Harris, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Sookie Stackhouse series and Midnight Crossroads series

“Fun, terrifying, hilarious, and brilliant.” —Daniel José Older, New York Times bestselling author of Shadowshaper and Star Wars: Last Shot

“[C]rafts a powerful and fiercely personal journey through a compelling postapocalyptic landscape.” —Kate Elliott, New York Times bestselling author of Court of Fives and Black Wolves

While most of the world has drowned beneath the sudden rising waters of a climate apocalypse, Dinétah (formerly the Navajo reservation) has been reborn. The gods and heroes of legend walk the land, but so do monsters.
Maggie Hoskie is a Dinétah monster hunter, a supernaturally gifted killer. When a small town needs help finding a missing girl, Maggie is their last best hope. But what Maggie uncovers about the monster is much more terrifying than anything she could imagine.

Maggie reluctantly enlists the aid of Kai Arviso, an unconventional medicine man, and together they travel the rez, unraveling clues from ancient legends, trading favors with tricksters, and battling dark witchcraft in a patchwork world of deteriorating technology.

As Maggie discovers the truth behind the killings, she will have to confront her past if she wants to survive.
Welcome to the Sixth World.

Have a great week!

Linda, SSCL

Online Catalog Links:

StarCat

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

The Digital Catalog (OverDrive)

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

Freegal Music Service

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

RBDigital

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

About Library Apps:

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

Tech Talk is a Southeast Steuben County Library blog.

Suggested Listening July 6, 2018

Linda Reimer

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

And since we celebrated the 4th of July this week – I’m focusing on traditional Americana music this week! I’ll jump back into recommending modern music next week.

(Click on the photo to stream or request the album you’re interested in!)

Freegal Streaming Suggestions*

Stephen Foster by RKO Orchestra:

Despite the bland album cover this is a great collection of songs by the old movie studio – RKO’s orchestra. The collection  features a chorus and orchestra on some songs – others are instrumentals. I can find nothing about this collection online. Freegal lists this LP as having been released by RKO in 2011 this despite the fact that RKO studios, a big player during the Golden Age of Hollywood, was sold to the Disney company in the late fifties.

Having said that, I would guess this collection of songs was probably recorded during the 1940s, and the collection features great songs that have become woven into the American culture tapestry including: Beautiful Dreamer, My Old Kentucky Home, Oh Susanna, Jeannie With the Light Brown Hair and Carry Me Back to Old Virginny.

Freedom: A History Of US – Original Soundtrack Recording:

This is the soundtrack to the PBS series based upon the Joy Hakim book which chronicles American history from 1776 to 2001.

Songs on the soundtrack include: I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free by Nina Simone, Because All Me Are Brothers by Peter, Paul & Mary, The Star Spangled Banner by Duke Ellington, Chimes of Freedom by Bruce Springsteen, America the Beautiful by Keb’ Mo’ , Hard Times by James Taylor and Fanfare for the Common Man by Aaron Copland.

Civil War Songs by Traditional Brass Band:

This album was released in 2013 and as with the RKO Stephen Foster collection, I haven’t found any additional information on the album online. What I can tell you is that it offers a nice collection of U.S. Civil War era brass band music. The LP includes the songs: Light Cavalry Overture, Honor to Our Soldiers, Salutation to America, Louisa Polka, Home Again and Martha Quickstep.

Yankee Doodle Dandy (O.S.T – 1942) by Various Artists:

This album is the 1942 RKO soundtrack to the James Cagney film Yankee Doodle Dandy. The film is a fictionalized account of the life of popular entertainer and Broadway musical composer George Cohen of “Born on the 4th of July” fame.

Cohen wrote a number of classic American song including: Over There, Give My Regards to Broadway, You’re a Grand Old Flag and The Yankee Doodle Boy.

Songs on the soundtrack include: Yankee Doodle Dandy, Keep Your Eyes Upon Me, Harrigan, I Was Born in Virginia and Give My Regards to Broadway.

The film Yankee Doodle Dandy has been much less popular in recent years than it once was, probably because it was filmed in black and white. However, if you’ve never seen it – you should check it out as it is fun.

The Movie Yankee Doodle:

Americana (2009) by Various Artists: 

Here’s another neat collection of vintage American songs – some of these go back to the Revolutionary War era; and as with the RKO and Brass Band albums, I didn’t find any relevant details on who is playing the music via online searches, However, this too is a neat collection of classic American folk songs and, overall, ones earlier in vintage than the ones on the other albums I’m recommending this week.

Songs in this collection include: Revolutionary Fife & Drum by James Reichert, Election Eve by Frank Talley, Revolutionary War Tune 1 by Arnold Freed, Allegheny Morning by Eugene Cines, Cowboy Campfire by James Cohn, Dixieland Hop by Christopher Norton and more.

Recommended CD of the Week:

American Masters: Classical Favorites by Various Orchestras & Conductors:

This Time Life collection was originally released via mail order in 1993. The collection features some great twentieth century American music including songs composed by Gershwin, Bernstein and Copland. Songs in the set include: Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue & Catfish Row, Bernstein’s Symphonic Dances from West Side Story & Candid Overture and Aaron Copland’s Fanfare for the Common Man and Appalachian Spring. Various orchestra and conductors are featured.

Videos of the Week:

Nina Simone – I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free

Because All Men Are Brothers by Peter, Paul & Mary

America the Beautiful by Keb’ Mo’ (Live 2016)

Fanfare for the Common Man, New York Philharmonic, James Levine

Light Calvary Overture by Traditional Brass Band

Episode at Bunker Hill by Eugene Sines

Revolutionary Fife & Drum by James Reichert

Arizona Trail by Ray Davies

Yankee Doodle Dandy by James Cagney from the film Yankee Doodle Dandy

Rhapsody In Blue written by George Gershwin, performed by the New York Philharmonic with Leonard Bernstein conducting (1976)

Have a great weekend!

Linda, SSCL

*A library card is required to use the Freegal Music Service. If you live in the service area of the Southern Tier Library System, which consists of the public libraries in Steuben, Chemung, Yates, Schuyler and Alleghany counties in New York State, you can get a library card for free at your nearest public library – including our own Southeast Steuben County Library in Corning, New York. The Freegal Music Service is free for all Southern Tier Library System member libraries library card holders to access.

References:

Artist Biography & Discography Information:

http://www.allmusic.com/

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

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

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

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

Links to the desktop versions of the catalogs for the library system – apps for each are available in your app store:

Digital Library Catalogs:

Freegal offers streaming and downloadable music

OverDrive allows you to check out eBooks, downloadable audiobooks and handful of streaming videos

RB Digital is the place you go to check out magazines – on demand – and you never have to return them!

The Traditional Library Catalog:

You can search for and request books, DVDs, music CDs, audiobooks on CD and other physical format items through StarCat – it is the modern day card catalog!

Suggested Reading Week of July 2, 2018

Linda Reimer

Hi everyone, here are our recommended titles for the week, five digital titles available through OverDrive and five print titles available through StarCat.

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

Digital Suggestions Of The Week:

The Book Club: A Women’s Fiction Novel about the Power of Friendship by Mary Alice Monroe:

Mary Alice Monroe invites you to meet five remarkable characters as she explores the power of friendship with tenderness, honesty and understanding.

On the surface, it is a monthly book club. But for five women, it is so much more. For Eve Porter, whose husband’s sudden death cheats her of every security she had planned on, the club is a place of sanctuary. For Annie Blake, a brilliant attorney intent on starting a family late in life, it is the chance to finally let down her guard and dream of other possibilities. For Doris Bridges, it is her support group as she acknowledges her dying marriage and finds the ultimate freedom in her husband’s betrayal. For Gabriella Rivera, the “perfect” wife, mother and friend who offers support to everyone but is afraid to ask for it herself, it is a sense of community. And for Midge Kirsch, an artist who has always lived her life against the grain, it is a haven of acceptance.

They are five women from different walks of life, embracing the challenge of change. And as they share their hopes and fears and triumphs, they will hold fast to the true magic of the book club—friendship.

Liar, Liar by Lisa Jackson:

In this riveting page-turner from #1 New York Times bestselling author Lisa Jackson, a woman searches for the mother she hasn’t seen in twenty years, and uncovers a nightmare of greed and deception . . .

In death, Didi Storm is finally getting the kind of publicity that eluded her in life. Twenty years ago, the ex-beauty queen worked the Vegas strip as a celebrity impersonator, too busy trying to make it big to spare much time for her daughter, Remmi. Shortly before she leaped from a San Francisco building, Didi’s profile was rising again, thanks to a tell-all book. To Detective Dani Settler, it looks like a straightforward suicide, or perhaps a promotional stunt gone wrong. But Remmi knows the truth isn’t so simple. Because though the broken body on the sidewalk is dressed in Didi’s clothes and wig, it isn’t Didi.

Remmi was fifteen when she last saw her mother. Their parting came in the aftermath of a terrible night in the Mojave desert when Remmi—who’d secretly stowed away in Didi’s car en route to meet her crush, Noah Scott—instead became witness to a mysterious rendezvous. Didi handed over one of her newborn twins to a man Remmi didn’t recognize. Subsequently, Didi disappeared, as did Remmi’s other half-sibling. Remmi has pleaded with the authorities to find them, but there have been no clues. Yet she’s always had the sense that someone is watching her . . .

If the victim isn’t Didi, who is it—and what’s the connection? Remmi is shocked when Noah resurfaces. He was also in the desert that night, and now runs his own PI firm. He too believes it’s time to find out what really happened. As they and Detective Settler dig deeper, the truth about Remmi’s missing family begins to emerge . . . a story of ruthless ambition and twisted lies that someone will kill again and again to keep hidden . . .

Murder in Paradise (downloadable audiobook) by James Patterson & Doug Allyn with multiple readers:

3 pulse-pounding stories from the world’s #1 bestselling writer in one book! THE LAWYER LIFEGUARD with Doug Allyn: Are you the lawyer who got blown up with his girlfriend? Defense lawyer Brian Lord survived the car bomb that killed his fiancee. Out of work and out of his mind, he takes on a lifeguard job at the beach. But there’s one wave he’ll never see coming… THE SHUT-IN with Duane Swierczynski: A woman who has solar urticaria, an uncommon allergy to the sun, watches the outside world through a flying drone as she is confined to her studio apartment. But when her high-tech toy records a vicious murder, she’s determined to track down the killer—a killer who knows she’s being watched. THE DOCTOR’S PLOT with Benjamin Percy: Abi Brenner is the new medical examiner in the Napa Valley, a dream job in a dream location. But her fairy tale will take a terrifying turn when she uncovers a series of murders —with one sinister thing in common.

Squeezed: Why Our Families Can’t Afford America (downloadable audiobook) by Alissa Quart & read by Carly Robins:

“Brilliant—a keen, elegantly written, and scorching account of the American family today. Through vivid stories, sharp analysis and wit, Quart anatomizes the middle class’s fall while also offering solutions and hope.”— Barbara Ehrenreich, author of Nickel and Dimed

Families today are squeezed on every side—from high childcare costs and harsh employment policies to workplaces without paid family leave or even dependable and regular working hours. Many realize that attaining the standard of living their parents managed has become impossible.

Alissa Quart, executive editor of the Economic Hardship Reporting Project, examines the lives of many middle-class Americans who can now barely afford to raise children. Through gripping firsthand storytelling, Quart shows how our country has failed its families. Her subjects—from professors to lawyers to caregivers to nurses—have been wrung out by a system that doesn’t support them, and enriches only a tiny elite.

Interlacing her own experience with close-up reporting on families that are just getting by, Quart reveals parenthood itself to be financially overwhelming, except for the wealthiest. She offers real solutions to these problems, including outlining necessary policy shifts, as well as detailing the DIY tactics some families are already putting into motion, and argues for the cultural reevaluation of parenthood and caregiving.

Written in the spirit of Barbara Ehrenreich and Jennifer Senior, Squeezed is an eye-opening audiobook. Powerfully argued, deeply reported, and ultimately hopeful, it casts a bright, clarifying light on families struggling to thrive in an economy that holds too few options. It will make listeners think differently about their lives and those of their neighbors.

Wild Wicked Scot: The Highland Grooms Series, Book 1 by Julia London:

Wicked intrigue unfolds as an unlikely marriage leads to a path of risky desire in the lush, green Scottish Highlands

Born into riches and groomed in English luxury, Margot Armstrong didn’t belong in a Scottish chieftain’s devil-may-care world. Three years ago she fled their marriage of convenience and hasn’t looked back—except to relive the moments spent in wild, rugged Arran McKenzie’s passionate embrace. But as their respective countries’ fragile unity threatens to unravel, Margot must return to her husband to uncover his role in the treachery before her family can be accused of it.

Red-haired, green-eyed Margot was Arran’s beautiful bride. Her loss has haunted him, but her return threatens everything he has gained. As the Highland mists carry whispers of an English plot to seize McKenzie territory, he must outmaneuver her in games of espionage…and seduction. But even as their secrets tangle together, there’s nothing to prevent love from capturing them both and leading them straight into danger.

Print Suggestions Of The Week:

Hiking Waterfalls in Pennsylvania: A Guide to the State’s Best Waterfall Hikes by Johnny Molloy:

Hiking Waterfalls in Pennsylvania includes detailed hike descriptions, maps, and color photos for some of the state’s most scenic waterfall hikes. Hike descriptions include history, local trivia, and GPS coordinates. Hiking Waterfalls in Pennsylvania will take you through state and national parks, forests, monuments and wilderness areas, and from popular city parks to the most remote and secluded corners of the area to view the most spectacular waterfalls.

How Hard Can It Be?: A Novel (audiobook on CD) written by Allison Pearson and read by Poppy Miller:

Look, I was doing OK. I got through the oil spill on the road that is turning forty. Lost a little control, but I drove into the skid just like the driving instructors tell you to and afterwards things were fine again, no, really, they were better than fine.

Kate Reddy had it all: a nice home, two adorable kids, a good husband. Then her kids became teenagers (read: monsters). Richard, her husband, quit his job, taking up bicycling and therapeutic counseling: drinking green potions, dressing head to toe in Lycra, and spending his time―and their money―on his own therapy. Since Richard no longer sees a regular income as part of the path to enlightenment, it’s left to Kate to go back to work.

Companies aren’t necessarily keen on hiring 49-year-old mothers, so Kate does what she must: knocks a few years off her age, hires a trainer, joins a Women Returners group, and prepares a new resume that has a shot at a literary prize for experimental fiction.

When Kate manages to secure a job at the very hedge fund she founded, she finds herself in an impossible juggling act: proving herself (again) at work, dealing with teen drama, and trying to look after increasingly frail parents as the clock keeps ticking toward her 50th birthday. Then, of course, an old flame shows up out of the blue, and Kate finds herself facing off with everyone from Russian mobsters to a literal stallion.

Surely it will all work out in the end. After all, how hard can it be?

Hilarious and poignant, How Hard Can It Be? brings us the new adventures of Kate Reddy, the beleaguered heroine of Allison Pearson’s groundbreaking New York Times bestseller I Don’t Know How She Does It.

The Lost Vintage by Ann Mah:

“If you enjoyed Sarah’s Key and Kristin Hannah’s The Nightingale, then this wonderful book by Ann Mah is for you.” — Tatiana de Rosnay

Sweetbitter meets The Nightingale in this page-turning novel about a woman who returns to her family’s ancestral vineyard in Burgundy and unexpectedly uncovers a lost diary, an unknown relative, and a secret her family has been keeping since World War II.

To become one of only a few hundred certified wine experts in the world, Kate must pass the notoriously difficult Master of Wine examination. She’s failed twice before; her third attempt will be her last chance. Suddenly finding herself without a job and with the test a few months away, she travels to Burgundy to spend the fall at the vineyard estate that has belonged to her family for generations. There she can bolster her shaky knowledge of Burgundian vintages and reconnect with her cousin Nico and his wife, Heather, who now oversee day-to-day management of the grapes. The one person Kate hopes to avoid is Jean-Luc, a talented young winemaker and her first love.

At the vineyard house, Kate is eager to help her cousin clean out the enormous basement that is filled with generations of discarded and forgotten belongings. Deep inside the cellar, behind a large armoire, she discovers a hidden room containing a cot, some Resistance pamphlets, and an enormous cache of valuable wine. Piqued by the secret space, Kate begins to dig into her family’s history—a search that takes her back to the dark days of World War II and introduces her to a relative she never knew existed, a great–half aunt who was a teenager during the Nazi occupation.

As she learns more about her family, the line between resistance and collaboration blurs, driving Kate to find the answers to two crucial questions: Who, exactly, did her family aid during the difficult years of the war? And what happened to six valuable bottles of wine that seem to be missing from the cellar’s collection?

The Melody: A Novel by Jim Crace:

From the Booker Prize-shortlisted author of Harvest, Quarantine, and Being Dead, a tender new novel about music, celebrity, local intrigue, and lost love–all set by the Mediterranean Sea

Aside from his trusty piano, Alfred Busi lives alone in his villa overlooking the waves. Famed in his town for his music and songs, he is mourning the recent death of his wife and quietly living out his days, occasionally performing the classics in small venues–never in the stadiums he could fill when in his prime. On the night before receiving his town’s highest honor, Busi is wrested from bed by noises in his courtyard and then stunned by an attacking intruder–his hands and neck are scratched, his face is bitten. Busi can’t say what it was that he encountered, exactly, but he feels his assailant was neither man nor animal.

The attack sets off a chain of events that will cast a shadow on Busi’s career, imperil his home, and alter the fabric of his town. Busi’s own account of what happened is embellished to fan the flames of old rumor–of an ancient race of people living in the surrounding forest–and to spark new controversy: something must finally be done about the town’s poor, the feral vagabonds at its edges, whose numbers have been growing. All the while Busi, weathering a media storm, must come to terms with his wife’s death and decide whether to sing one last time.

In trademark crystalline prose, Jim Crace portrays a man taking stock of his life and looking into an uncertain future, all while bearing witness to a community in the throes of great change–with echoes of today’s most pressing social questions.

Pretend I’m Dead by Jen Beagin:

Jen Beagin’s quirky, moving, “frank and unflinching” (Josh Ferris) debut novel introduces an unforgettable character, Mona—almost twenty-four, emotionally adrift, and cleaning houses to get by. Handing out clean needles to drug addicts, she falls for a recipient she calls Mr. Disgusting, who proceeds to break her heart in unimaginable ways.

In search of healing, Mona decamps to Taos, New Mexico, for a fresh start, where she finds a community of seekers and cast-offs, all of whom have one or two things to teach her—the pajama-wearing, blissed-out New Agers, the slightly creepy client with peculiar tastes in controlled substances, the psychic who might really be psychic. But always lurking just beneath the surface are her memories of growing up in a chaotic, destructive family from which she’s trying to disentangle herself, and the larger legacy of the past she left behind.

The story of Mona’s journey to find her place in this working-class American world is at once hilarious and wonderfully strange, true to life and boldly human, and introduces a stunningly one-of-a-kind new voice in American fiction.

Have a great week!

Linda, SSCL

Online Catalog Links:

StarCat

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

The Digital Catalog (OverDrive)

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

Freegal Music Service

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

RBDigital

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

About Library Apps:

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

Tech Talk is a Southeast Steuben County Library blog.

Did You Know…John Adams & William Daniels!

Linda Reimer

Here is our Did You Know…posting for July and it features two likely July characters, President John Adams and his shadow, actor William Daniels!

I’m sure everyone knows John Adams was the second president of the United States. He followed George Washington who, unquestionably, was a hard act to follow. And there are volumes of tomes and tomes (another great word!) you can read on John Adams – but many of them are a bit weighty and more accessible to history fans and scholars than to regular readers.

So this Did You Know…posting is going to focus on some accessible and fun materials you can check out to learn more about John Adams and his family without having to wade through thousand page books on the subject!

And if you’re scratching your head and wondering…

“What on earth does an actor named William Daniels have to do with John Adams?”

Wonder no more!

William Daniels is an American actor who has portrayed John Adams numerous times on the stage and screen and this posting will offers some fun suggestions about those performances – namely where you can find them on DVD (Hint – your local public library!)

And without further ado, here we go!

Firstly regarding John Adams…

Did you know that the HBO mini-series John Adams is based upon the bestselling, and easy to read, biography, of John Adams written by David McCullough?

It is!

The Book John Adams written by David McCullough:

The HBO Mini-Series John Adams based upon the McCullough book:

David McCullough wrote the book John Adams which was published in 2001, and in 2008 HBO released a mini-series based upon the book – starring Paul Giamatti as John Adams and Laura Linney as Abigail Adams.

The mini-series opens just before the Boston Massacre and ends with John Adams’s death in 1826; and in-between those two events Adams defended the British soldiers who shot into the crowd during the Boston Massacre (and got them off!), he attended the Continental Congresses, signed the Declaration of Independence, was the first U.S. Ambassador to Great Britain after the Revolutionary War (bet that was fun!), was George Washington’s vice president for two terms, president for a term and then an intellectual gardener who wrote Thomas Jefferson dozens of letters from his home in Quincy, Massachusetts – and more! He was a rather busy individual during his life time!

And now, linking the historical figure John Adams to the career of the actor William Daniels…

Did you know that William Daniels portrayed John Adams in the musical play 1776 both on stage and screen?

He did!

The play 1776 was written by Sherman Edwards and Peter Stone. William Daniels starred in the Tony Award Winning play while it was on Broadway and then reprised his role for the 1972 film version.

The 1776 story opens in Philadelphia in May of 1776 where the second continental congress is meeting. John Adams (William Daniels) is the first character introduced and he demands of Ben Franklin, when does he think the congress is ever going to get around to declaring independence anyway!

Adams goes on to say he can’t make a proposal for colonial independence to the congress because he is “obnoxious and disliked.” And Franklin notes, that some new delegates have just arrived and perhaps they should have a talk with them on the subject of declaring independence. And lo and behold, one of the delegates just happens to be Thomas Jefferson of Virginia! Shortly thereafter another Virginia delegate, Richard Henry Lee, rides home to get approval from the colonial Virginia Assembly to put forth a motion for independence to the Congress. Lee returns, puts the proposal in front of Congress, Adams seconds it and the musical debate begins!

Some of the other actors/actresses in the film include: Howard DaSilva as Ben Franklin, Blythe Danner as Abigail Adams, Ken Howard (White Shadow) as Thomas Jefferson, John Cullum (Northern Exposure) as John Dickinson and David Ford (Dark Shadows) as John Hancock

Songs include: Piddle, Twiddle & Resolve, The Lees of Old Virginia, The Egg, He Plays the Violin, Cool Considerate Men and Is There Anybody There?

If you haven’t seen the film – it is great fun and a perfect DVD for July viewing!

And did you further know…

That in addition to appearing in the both the Broadway and film versions of 1776, that William Daniels went on to portray John Quincy Adams, son of John & Abigail Adams in the PBS mini-series The Adams Chronicles?

He did!

The Adams Chronicles video mini series was played on PBS in the 1970s and can now be checked out of the library:

As can the Jack Shepherd book of the same name on which the miniseries is based:

The story of the Adams Family is fascinating and fun! And the Emmy Award Winning miniseries, was indeed based upon the book The Adams Chronicles: Four Generations of Greatness written by Jack Shepherd and published in 1976. The story opens in the last 1750s and follows as a young John Adams as he finishes law school, starts a law practice and begins to court the love of his life Abigail Smith. The story takes viewers through the lives of family members during the colonial era, focusing first on John Adams – his time in the Continental Congress, through his diplomatic missions in Europe to his time as vice-president, then president and then the main focus switches to the covering the life of John Quincy Adams (William Daniels). And John Quincy Adams had quite a life! He was, among other things, Thomas Jefferson’s private secretary, a U.S. diplomat, Secretary of State, President of the United States (and a skinny dipping president at that!) and, the only president to-date, to go back into government after he left office. John Quincy Adams, who initially retired after he was defeated for a second presidential term in 1828, was elected to Congress in 1830. John Quincy was a an erudite individual, a passionate speaker, and, decidedly against slavery. And his great debating skills earned  him a nickname bestowed upon him by his fellow congressmen – “Old Man Eloquent.” J. Q. Adams suffered a stroke while in the House of Representatives in 1848 and died hours later. He is also the earliest president we have a photo of – his photo was taken in 1843, the year Adams turned 76.

After John Quincy’s death the mini-series goes on to follow John Quincy’s son Charles Francis Adams during his time  in Massachusetts state government, his time as a U.S. Congressman and as U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom during the American Civil War. The fourth generation followed in the series consists of the six children of Charles Francis and his wife Abigail Brown Brooks –the children included Civil War soldiers John Quincy Adams II and Charles Francis Adams Jr. and the historian Brooks Adams and you get the idea – it is the story not just of individuals but of a family too.

And on a final did you know note…

Going full-circle and back to John Adams…

You probably already know the third most famous thing about John Adams, after the fact that he was President of the United States and signed the Declaration of Independence – is that he died on the same day as his friend, the third President of the United States – Thomas Jefferson and on the fiftieth anniversary of the singing of the Declaration of Independence – July 4, 1826.

But did you know that after both men left the presidency and went into retirement the former friends, turned political rivals, became friends again and wrote dozens of letters to each other in their retirements?

They did!

After a bitter falling out in the 1790s they actually never spoke to each other again!

However, in 1812 a mutual friend, and fellow signer of the Declaration of Independence, Dr. Benjamin Rush, urged Adams to write to Jefferson – and he did!

Thus friends once more, the two men wrote dozens of letters to each other in the last 14 years of their lives. Both men were exceptionally well read and – and there is, as David McCullough observed “great charm in the letters.” It is apparent in reading the letters that the men both knew they were writing, not just to each other – but to posterity.

As an example consider this Adams – Jefferson Letter:

“1812, January 21: Jefferson to Adams_____________ A letter from you calls up recollections very dear to my mind. It carries me back to the times when, beset with difficulties and dangers, we were fellow laborers in the same cause, struggling for what is most valuable to man, his right of self-government. Laboring always at the same oar, with some wave ever ahead threatening to overwhelm us and yet passing harmless under our bark, we knew not how, we rode through the storm with heart and hand, and made a happy port.”

The Adams Jefferson Letters are compiled in a book – should you wish to request it!

And on a final William Daniels note – you may recognize the actor from some of the many other roles he has had during the years. He is an excellent actor and whichever character his is portraying – his is worth watching! Along with his wife he was regular on St. Elsewhere portraying the grouchy Dr. Mark Craig, he portrayed Benjamin Braddock, the husband of Dennis Hoffman’s Mrs. Robinson in the Graduate, appeared as Howard in the Jack Finney and Audrey Hepburn movie Two for the Road and was the voice of KITT the car in the David Hasselhoff Knight Rider series. And the library has all the aforementioned videos (I love that word too — “aforementioned” –  a great word!)

And here are few related neat and fun video clips to watch!

From The HBO Series John Adams – Scenes showing the Adams Jefferson correspondence 

David McCullough on the Adams Jefferson Letters

Have a great month and a Happy Fourth of July!

Linda, SSCL

References

About the Adams-Jefferson Letters:

Full Title: The Adams-Jefferson letters; the complete correspondence between Thomas Jefferson and Abigail and John Adams – Adams, John Quincy, 1767-1848.

The collection, which you can check out of the library as a print book or eBook contains 380 letters

Their complete correspondence, which contains 380 letters written between 1777 and 1826, is known as the Adams-Jefferson Letters. The collection also includes a number of letters written before their post-Revolutionary War political falling out. However, the best of the letters, in the opinion of this humble history fan, are the ones they wrote between 1812 and 1826.

From The Correspondence of John Adams & Thomas Jefferson on Life, Religion, and the Young Republic

Click to access adamsjeffersoncor.pdf

John Adams. Thomas Jefferson Foundation. Online. Accessed June 29, 2018.

https://www.monticello.org/site/jefferson/john-adams

The John Adams LIbrary at the Boston Public Library. John Adams Historical Society. Online. Accessed June 29, 2018.
http://www.john-adams-heritage.com/john-adams-library/

Plain Speaking Review (2001, May 27). The New York Times. Accessed June 29, 2018.

https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/books/01/05/27/reviews/010527.27maiert.html?mcubz=2

Suggested Reading Week of June 25, 2018

Linda Reimer

Hi everyone, I’m getting to this post a little bit later than usual this week as I was tied up with the library’s Global Beatles Day program on Monday, and then had the day off on Tuesday.

So I apologize for the tardiness of this posting!

And without further ado, on to the recommended reading titles!

Digital Suggestions Of The Week:

Breakfast of Champions (downloadable audiobook) written by Kurt Vonnegut and read by Stanley Tucci:

Breakfast of Champions is vintage Vonnegut. One of his favorite characters, aging writer Kilgore Trout, finds to his horror that a Midwest car dealer is taking his fiction as truth. The result is murderously funny satire as Vonnegut looks at war, sex, racism, success, politics, and pollution in America and reminds us how to see the truth.

My Girls: A Lifetime with Carrie and Debbie by Todd Fisher:

A revelatory and touching tribute to the lives of Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds written by the person who knew them best, Todd Fisher’s poignant memoir is filled with moving stories of growing up among Hollywood royalty and illustrated with never-before-seen photos and memorabilia.

In December 2016, the world was shaken by the sudden deaths of Carrie Fisher and her mother Debbie Reynolds, two unspeakable losses that occurred in less than twenty-four hours. The stunned public turned for solace to Debbie’s only remaining child, Todd Fisher, who somehow retained his grace and composure under the glare of the media spotlight as he struggled with his own overwhelming grief.

The son of “America’s Sweethearts” Debbie Reynolds and Eddie Fisher, Todd grew up amid the glamorous wealth and pretense of Hollywood. Thanks to his funny, loving, no-nonsense mother, Todd remained down to earth, his own man, but always close to his cherished mom, and to his sister through her meteoric rise to stardom and her struggle with demons that never diminished her humor, talent, or spirit.

Now, Todd shares his heart and his memories of Debbie and Carrie with deeply personal stories from his earliest years to those last unfathomable days. His book, part memoir, part homage, celebrates their legacies through a more intimate, poignant, and often hilarious portrait of these two remarkable women than has ever been revealed before.

With thirty-two pages of never-before-seen photos and memorabilia from his family’s private archives, Todd’s book is a love letter to a sister and a mother, and a gift to countless fans who are mourning the deaths of these two unforgettable stars.

A Nation of Immigrants by President John F. Kennedy:

President John F. Kennedy’s final book, A Nation of Immigrants, is a most worthy and relevant contribution to the contemporary debate on immigration reform.

Throughout his presidency, John F. Kennedy was passionate about the issue of immigration reform. He believed that America is a nation of people who value both tradition and the exploration of new frontiers, people who deserve the freedom to build better lives for themselves in their adopted homeland. This modern edition of his posthumously published, timeless work—offers the late president’s inspiring suggestions for immigration policy and presents a chronology of the main events in the history of immigration in America.

As continued debates on immigration engulf the nation, this paean to the importance of immigrants to our nation’s prominence and success is as timely as ever.

“In this book, President Kennedy tells us what immigrants have done for America, and what America has done for its immigrants. It is one of the dramatic success stories of world history….It can stand as a testament to a cause President Kennedy cherished, and which we should carry on.”—ROBERT F. KENNEDY

Robyn Carr Restoration Box Set by Robyn Carr:

Three restoration novels in one set from best-selling author Robyn Carr. Fans of Virgin River are going to love these historical romances written with Robyn’s trademark zest for life. In The Bellrose Bargain, the heiress to the Bellerose estate has gone missing and what a waste of a dowry it is! Enter Alicia, a tavern maid of uncertain parentage. No one at court has actually ever sees Lady Bellamy, and Alicia’s beauty, poise, and bearing are enough to fool the king. At least, that’s what Geoffrey hopes. Alicia charms King Charles II’s court, but did her “business partner,” have to be so dashing, tempestuous and irresistible? Worst of all, someone at court knows Charlotte Bellamy. The truth of Alicia’s past and the lies of her present are about to collide.

Orphaned and raised by her uncle, the feisty 16-year-old Chelynne shows her gratitude by marrying the man of his choice. Bracing herself for a sickly noble, the last man she expects for a husband is the dashing future Earl of Bryant.

Being a loving wife doesn’t seem too hard. He spurns her affection and remains her husband only in name. He resolves to keep his distance from everyone. Chelynne will go to any lengths to save their marriage. But when she goes too far, the Earl must share his dark secret before Chelynne loses her reputation—or her life.

In The Braeswood Tapestry, the enemy of your enemy is…your lover? A peasant farm girl has no place consorting with feuding lords, yet that’s exactly what Jocelyn Cutler sets out to do. When her brother is sentenced to death for rebelling, Jocelyn appeals to the lord’s rival. Rumors mark him a highwayman, a murderer, and a heartbreaker. But he’s the only one who can save her brother. The price? Jocelyn. Their life together hangs in the balance when an ancient crime resurrects from the past. Jocelyn and Trent must decide what to forgive, what to fight for, and how far they’re willing to go for duty, family, and love.

Turbulence (downloadable audiobook) written by Stuart Woods and read by Tony Roberts:

In the electrifying new thriller from #1 New York Times-bestselling author Stuart Woods, Stone Barrington finds himself pitted against both man and nature.

Stone Barrington and several friends are vacationing in Florida when an extreme weather event puts a damper on their trip. Even worse, the hurricane-force winds blow a powerful, noxious politician straight onto Stone’s doorstep. Though they part ways before long, Stone soon learns that he hasn’t seen the last of his new acquaintance. It turns out that this official has some shady associates who may have destructive plans afoot, and Stone needs an entrée to the inside to figure out their scheme. With the fate of nations at stake, Stone must summon all of his fearless daring to put an end to the audacious plot . . . but this time he may be in over his head.

Print Suggestions Of The Week:

Bring Me Back: A Novel by B. A. Paris:

She went missing. He moved on. A whole world of secrets remained―until now.

Finn and Layla are young, in love, and on vacation. They’re driving along the highway when Finn decides to stop at a service station to use the restroom. He hops out of the car, locks the doors behind him, and goes inside. When he returns Layla is gone―never to be seen again. That is the story Finn told to the police. But it is not the whole story.

Ten years later Finn is engaged to Layla’s sister, Ellen. Their shared grief over what happened to Layla drew them close and now they intend to remain together. Still, there’s something about Ellen that Finn has never fully understood. His heart wants to believe that she is the one for him…even though a sixth sense tells him not to trust her.

Then, not long before he and Ellen are to be married, Finn gets a phone call. Someone from his past has seen Layla―hiding in plain sight. There are other odd occurrences: Long-lost items from Layla’s past that keep turning up around Finn and Ellen’s house. Emails from strangers who seem to know too much. Secret messages, clues, warnings. If Layla is alive―and on Finn’s trail―what does she want? And how much does she know?

A tour de force of psychological suspense, Bring Me Back will have you questioning everything and everyone until its stunning climax.

Lost Books and Old Bones: A Scottish Bookshop Mystery by Paige Shelton:

Set in Edinburgh, Scotland, Lost Books and Old Bones is a delightful new mystery by Paige Shelton, featuring bookseller and amateur sleuth Delaney Nichols.

Delaney Nichols, originally of Kansas but settling happily into her new life as a bookseller in Edinburgh, works at the Cracked Spine in the heart of town. The shop is a place filled with curiosities and surprises tucked into every shelf, and it’s Delaney’s job to research the rare tomes and obscure artifacts that people come to buy and sell. When her new friends, also students at the medical school, come to the shop to sell a collection of antique medical books, Delaney knows she’s stumbled across a rare and important find indeed. Her boss, Edwin MacAlister, agrees to buy the multivolume set, perhaps even to keep for his own collection.

But not long after the sale, one of Delaney’s new friends is found murdered in the alley behind the Cracked Spine, and she wonders if there is some nefarious connection between the origin of these books and the people whose hands they fell into. Delaney takes it upon herself to help bring the murderer to justice. During her investigation, Delaney she finds some old scalpels in the bookshop’s warehouse―she and discovers that they belonged to a long-dead doctor whose story and ties to the past crimes of Burke and Hare might be connected to the present-day murder. It’s all Delaney can do to race to solve this crime before time runs out and she ends up in a victim on the slab herself.

The Moscow Offensive: A Novel by Dale Brown:

America’s first line of defense—Brad McLanahan and the heroes of the Iron Wolf Squadron—must counter a dangerous Russian strike from within the homeland in this cutting-edge tale from the New York Times master of the high-tech military thriller, Dale Brown.

On a remote island estate, a billionaire investor sells his air freight company to a mysterious new owner. The purchaser is none other than the President of Russia, Gennadiy Gryzlov. The Russians will use these private planes to secretly transport dangerous cargo into the United States.

The inept American President Stacy Anne Barbeau has failed to account for the Russian threat. But others have been vigilant and will not leave America defenseless. Brad McLanahan and the Iron Wolf Squadron have joined forces with the newly formed Alliance of Free Nations in Eastern Europe, to prepare for the attack they know is imminent. Working with the most cutting-edge technology, the team will deploy CIDs—Cybernetic Infantry Devices—twelve-foot-tall humanoid combat robots, each armed with more firepower than a conventional platoon.

But their state-of-the-art weapons may not be enough to combat the threat. The Russians have managed to reverse engineer their own combat robots nearly decimated in a previous attack, and have slowly begun smuggling them across America’s borders. Dealing with an unprecedented danger and a feckless president and congress, McLanahan and the Iron Wolf Squadron will once again put their own lives on the line to check this new Russian peril and keep the home of the brave and the free world safe.

Providence: A Novel by Caroline Kepnes:

“A dark beauty of a book, Providence kept me up at night with characters that made my heart a little bigger.”—Jessica Knoll, New York Times bestselling author of Luckiest Girl Alive

“Part love story, part supernatural thriller and completely engrossing” (People)—from the acclaimed author of You, whose work Stephen King describes as “hypnotic and totally original”

Best friends in small-town New Hampshire, Jon and Chloe share a bond so intense that it borders on the mystical. But before Jon can declare his love for his soul mate, he is kidnapped, his plans for a normal life permanently dashed.

Four years later, Chloe has finally given up hope of ever seeing Jon again. Then, a few months before graduation, Jon reappears. But he is different now: bigger, stronger, and with no memory of the time he was gone. Jon wants to pick up where he and Chloe left off . . . until the horrifying instant he realizes that he possesses strange powers that pose a grave threat to everyone he cares for. Afraid of hurting Chloe, Jon runs away, embarking on a journey for answers.

Meanwhile, in Providence, Rhode Island, healthy college students and townies with no connection to one another are suddenly, inexplicably dropping dead. A troubled detective prone to unexplainable hunches, Charles “Eggs” DeBenedictus suspects there’s a serial killer at work. But when he starts asking questions, Eggs is plunged into a whodunit worthy of his most outlandish obsessions.

In this dazzling new novel—and with an intense, mesmerizing voice—Caroline Kepnes makes keen and powerful observations about human connection and how love and identity can dangerously blur together.

Treeborne: A Novel by Caleb Johnson:

Janie Treeborne lives on an orchard at the edge of Elberta, Alabama, and in time, she has become its keeper. A place where conquistadors once walked, and where the peaches they left behind now grow, Elberta has seen fierce battles, violent storms, and frantic change―and when the town is once again threatened from without, Janie realizes it won’t withstand much more. So she tells the story of its people: of Hugh, her granddaddy, determined to preserve Elberta’s legacy at any cost; of his wife, Maybelle, the postmaster, whose sudden death throws the town into chaos; of her lover, Lee Malone, a black orchardist harvesting from a land where he is less than welcome; of the time when Janie kidnapped her own Hollywood-obsessed aunt and tore the wrong people apart.

As the world closes in on Elberta, Caleb Johnson’s debut novel lifts the veil and offers one last glimpse. Treeborne is a celebration and a reminder: of how the past gets mixed up in thoughts of the future; of how home is a story as much as a place.

Have a great week!

Linda, SSCL

Online Catalog Links:

StarCat

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

The Digital Catalog (OverDrive)

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

Freegal Music Service

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

RBDigital

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

About Library Apps:

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

Tech Talk is a Southeast Steuben County Library blog.

Suggested Listening June 22, 2018

Linda Reimer

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

(Click on the photo to stream or request the album you’re interested in!)

Freegal Streaming Suggestions*

The Blues Is Alive And Well (2018) by Buddy Guy (Genre: Blues):

Blues guitar master Buddy Guy is 81 years young and is still going strong – his singing and playing is as vibrant as ever and he is still playing concerts and recording. His new album, The Blues Is Alive And Well, was released just last week!

Songs on the album include: A Few Good Years, Guilty As Charged, The Blues Is Alive And Well, Blue No More, Old Fashioned and Ooh Daddy.

Guest musicians appearing on the LP include Jeff Beck, Keith Richards, Mick Jagger and James Bay.

Mixed Reality (2018) by Gin Blossoms (Genre: Rock, Pop):

The Gin Blossoms first broke into the national music arena in the early nineties, charting with bright pop-rock songs including “Hey Jealousy” and “Found Out About You.”

This new collection of songs has that same bright, upbeat sound and features the songs: Break, Angels Fly, Here Again, Miranda Chicago, Wonder and Forever Is This Night.

Sink or Swim (2007) by the Gaslight Anthem (Genre: Rock):

In his AllMusic biography of Gaslight Anthem Corey Apar describes the music of the band as sounding like “Bruce Springsteen backed by the Clash,” and I have to agree!

If you like the music of Springsteen and the Clash – check out Gaslight Anthem’s music. Sink or Swim is their second album and includes the songs: Boomboxes And Dictionaries, 1930, Red In Morning, I Coulda Been A Contender, We Came To Dance and I’da Called You Woody, Joe.

Audacity (2018) by Buster Williams (Genre: Jazz, Vocal):

Jazz bassist Buster Williams worked for years as a sideman for artists including Jimmy Heath, Gene Ammons, Sarah Vaughan, Nancy Williams and Herbie Hancock before stepping out on his own. Today he is a seasoned elder on the jazz scene whose work remains full of vitality.

Songs in this collection include: Where Giants Dwell, Sisko, Stumblin’, Lost on 4th Avenue and Audacity.

Recommended CD of the Week:

The Best of Tuck & Patti (Genre: Jazz, Pop, Vocal, New Age, Easy Listening):

Guitarist Tuck Andress and vocalist Patti Cathcart met in Las Vegas in 1980 and began performing together the next year. They were married in 1983 and worked for a few years on developing their sound before signing their first recording contract with Windham Hill Jazz in 1987. Their music is what I would describe as deep, uncluttered and straight to the point. Tuck studied classical guitar and knows how to create musical depth by playing just a few notes and Patti has a great voice that is right at home singing traditional R&B or Jazz and together they create great music!

This is an older greatest hits collection, released on Windham Hill Jazz, in 1994 and it includes songs from early in their career and gives you a good idea of their sound.

Songs on the LP include: Tears of Joy, Time After Time, Love Warriors, As Time Goes By, Better Than Anything and Little Wing.

Videos of the Week:

A Few Good Years by Buddy Guy

Break by Gin Blossoms

Boomboxes & Dictionaries by The Gaslight Anthem

Boomboxes & Dictionaries – Acoustic Version Brian Fallon by of The Gaslight Anthem

Sisko by Buster Williams

Surf City by Jan & Dean, introduced by Steve Allen

Sidewalk Surfin by Jan & Dean from American Bandstand

Have a great weekend!

Linda, SSCL

*A library card is required to use the Freegal Music Service. If you live in the service area of the Southern Tier Library System, which consists of the public libraries in Steuben, Chemung, Yates, Schuyler and Alleghany counties in New York State, you can get a library card for free at your nearest public library – including our own Southeast Steuben County Library in Corning, New York. The Freegal Music Service is free for all Southern Tier Library System member libraries library card holders to access.

References:

Artist Biography & Discography Information:

http://www.allmusic.com/

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

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

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

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

Links to the desktop versions of the catalogs for the library system – apps for each are available in your app store:

Digital Library Catalogs:

Freegal offers streaming and downloadable music

OverDrive allows you to check out eBooks, downloadable audiobooks and handful of streaming videos

RB Digital is the place you go to check out magazines – on demand – and you never have to return them!

The Traditional Library Catalog:

You can search for and request books, DVDs, music CDs, audiobooks on CD and other physical format items through StarCat – it is the modern day card catalog!

Suggested Reading Week of June 18, 2018

Linda Reimer

Hi everyone, here are our recommended titles for the week, five digital titles available through OverDrive and five print titles available through StarCat.

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

Digital Suggestions Of The Week:

The President Is Missing: A Novel (downloadable audiobook) written by Bill Clinton & James Patterson, read by Dennis Quaid, et. al.:

The President Is Missing confronts a threat so huge that it jeopardizes not just Pennsylvania Avenue and Wall Street, but all of America. Uncertainty and fear grip the nation. There are whispers of cyberterror and espionage and a traitor in the Cabinet. Even the President himself becomes a suspect, and then he disappears from public view . . .

Set over the course of three days, The President Is Missing sheds a stunning light upon the inner workings and vulnerabilities of our nation. Filled with information that only a former Commander-in-Chief could know, this is the most authentic, terrifying novel to come along in many years.

When Life Gives You Lululemons (downloadable audiobook) written by Lauren Weisberger & read by Laura Benanti:

HE SET HER UP. THEY’LL BRING HIM DOWN.

Welcome to Greenwich, Connecticut, where the lawns and the women are perfectly manicured, the Tito’s and sodas are extra strong, and everyone has something to say about the infamous new neighbor.

Let’s be clear: Emily Charlton does not do the suburbs. After leaving Miranda Priestly, she’s been working in Hollywood as an image consultant to the stars, but recently, Emily’s lost a few clients. She’s hopeless with social media. The new guard is nipping at her heels. She needs a big opportunity, and she needs it now.

When Karolina Hartwell, a gorgeous former supermodel, is arrested for a DUI, her fall from grace is merciless. Her senator-husband leaves her, her Beltway friends disappear, and the tabloids pounce.

In Karolina, Emily finds her comeback opportunity. But she quickly learns Greenwich is a world apart and that this comeback needs a team approach.

So it is that Emily, the scorned Karolina, and their mutual friend Miriam, a powerful attorney turned stay-at-home suburban mom, band together to not only navigate the social land mines of suburban Greenwich but win back the hearts of the American public. Along the way, an indispensable ally emerges in one Miranda Priestly.

With her signature wit, Lauren Weisberger offers an alluring look into a sexy, over-the-top world—and proves it’s style and substance together that gets the job done.

Darkness Lane by Thomas Kies:

Random Road introduced Geneva Chase – “a reporter with a compelling voice, a damaged woman who recounts her own bittersweet story as she hunts down clues,” says Library Journal – to murders straight out of a nightmare – six bodies found naked and cut to ribbons in a posh Connecticut home.

Having survived this and a personal tragedy, Geneva’s story still includes alcoholism and career challenges compounded by the rocky finances of her newspaper employer. But she’s working. She’s fighting the urge to reconnect with a magnetic yet married lover. And she’s raising a rebellious young lady who is not her daughter but a cherished legacy.

Nevertheless the newshound in Geneva spurs her to bad if not downright dangerous choices as two unrelated crimes unexpectedly collide. A fifteen-year-old-girl at her ward’s high school has vanished along with her English teacher. Is this same-old, same-old, or something more? And then there’s the abused woman who torched her sadistic husband, and how to keep her out of the clutches of powerful mobsters – and thus, out of the news.

Out on the crime beat, Geneva works to unravel the connection, if any, between these two disparate stories while her newspaper is put up for sale, a high-flying Hollywood production lights up the town, and her personal battles accelerate. Jarring twists and turns include charming movie stars, treacherous diamond merchants, adultery, sex traffickers, and murder. While the clock ticks and Geneva works desperately to find the missing student, she comes to the horrible realization that she’s in over her head.

Darkness Lane, the second novel in the Geneva Chase Mystery Series, hurtles along at a breakneck speed where nothing is what it seems, and where art and reality collide in a terrifying climax.

The Oddling Prince by Nancy Springer:

In the ancient moors of Scotland, the king of Calidon lies on his deathbed, cursed by a ring that cannot be removed from his finger. When a mysterious fey stranger appears to save the king, he also carries a secret that could tear the royal family apart.

The kingdom’s only hope will lie with two young men raised worlds apart. Aric is the beloved heir to the throne of Calidon; Albaric is clearly of noble origin yet strangely out of place.

The Oddling Prince is a tale of brothers whose love and loyalty to each other is such that it defies impending warfare, sundering seas, fated hatred, and the very course of time itself. In her long-awaited new fantasy novel, Nancy Springer (the Books of Isle series) explores the darkness of the human heart as well as its unceasing capacity for love.

The Woman in the Woods: A Thriller by John Connolly:

From internationally bestselling author and “creative genius who has few equals in either horror fiction or the mystery genre” (New York Journal of Books) comes a gripping thriller starring Private Investigator Charlie Parker. When the body of a woman—who apparently died in childbirth—is discovered, Parker is hired to track down both her identity and her missing child.

In the beautiful Maine woods, a partly preserved body is discovered. Investigators realize that the dead young woman gave birth shortly before her death. But there is no sign of a baby.

Private detective Charlie Parker is hired by a lawyer to shadow the police investigation and find the infant but Parker is not the only searcher. Someone else is following the trail left by the woman, someone with an interest in much more than a missing child…someone prepared to leave bodies in his wake.

And in a house by the woods, a toy telephone begins to ring and a young boy is about to receive a call from a dead woman.
A Woman in the Woods is the brand new sixteenth book in the Charlie Parker Mystery series. Book 1 in the series, should you wish to start from the beginning, is Every Dead Thing.

Print Suggestions Of The Week:

The Moscow Deception by Karen Robards:

Clever, cunning and highly skilled—there’s only one Bianca St. Ives and don’t you dare forget it.

Bianca St. Ives was recently put through the wringer, but she came out the same way she always does—the way her father trained her to—hungry for a fight. Still navigating the fallout from a shocking revelation that’s left a network of assassins’ crosshairs trained on her, Bianca’s ready to take fate into her own hands. It’s kill or be killed, and she’s got her finger flush against the trigger.

But as Bianca races to outmaneuver her tireless pursuers, her father loops her in on a job that might just do the trick: recover King Priam’s Treasure, a collection of heavily guarded, priceless artifacts stolen by the Russians during World War II, and return it to Germany. Impossible? Maybe for some, but a high-risk heist is all in a day’s work for Bianca St. Ives, especially when there’s intel on the line—intel that could finally bring down the shadowy forces seeking to bury Bianca for good. Faced with threats that circle closer with every move she makes, she knows the stakes have never been higher, but when you’re already living on borrowed time, you have to hustle if you want to live to see tomorrow.

I Flipping Love You by Helena Hunting:

SHE’S GOT CURB APPEAL. HE’S A FIXER UPPER…

From New York Times bestselling author Helena Hunting comes I Flipping Love You, a love story about flipping houses, taking risks, and landing that special someone who’s move-in ready.

Rian Sutter grew up with the finer things in life. Spending summers in the Hamptons was a normal occurrence for her until her parents lost everything years ago. Now Rian and her sister are getting their life, and finances, back on track through real estate. Not only do they buy and sell houses to the rich and famous but they finally have the capital to flip their very own beachfront property. But when she catches the attention of a sexy stranger who snaps up every house from under her, all bets are off…

Pierce Whitfield doesn’t normally demo kitchens, install dry wall, or tear apart a beautiful woman’s dreams. He’s just a down-on-his-luck lawyer who needed a break from the city and agreed to help his brother work on a few homes in the Hamptons. When he first meets Rian, the attraction is undeniable. But when they start competing for the same pieces of prime real estate, the early sparks turn into full-blown fireworks. Can these passionate rivals turn up the heat on their budding romance―without burning down the house?

Bearskin: A Novel by James McLaughlin:

Rice Moore is just beginning to think his troubles are behind him. He’s found a job protecting a remote forest preserve in Virginian Appalachia where his main responsibilities include tracking wildlife and refurbishing cabins. It’s hard work, and totally solitary—perfect to hide away from the Mexican drug cartels he betrayed back in Arizona. But when Rice finds the carcass of a bear killed on the grounds, the quiet solitude he’s so desperately sought is suddenly at risk.

More bears are killed on the preserve and Rice’s obsession with catching the poachers escalates, leading to hostile altercations with the locals and attention from both the law and Rice’s employers. Partnering with his predecessor, a scientist who hopes to continue her research on the preserve, Rice puts into motion a plan that could expose the poachers but risks revealing his own whereabouts to the dangerous people he was running from in the first place.

James McLaughlin expertly brings the beauty and danger of Appalachia to life. The result is an elemental, slow burn of a novel—one that will haunt you long after you turn the final page.

A Place For Us by Fatima Farheen Mirza:

As an Indian wedding gathers a family back together, parents Rafiq and Layla must reckon with the choices their children have made. There is Hadia: their headstrong, eldest daughter, whose marriage is a match of love and not tradition. Huda, the middle child, determined to follow in her sister’s footsteps. And lastly, their estranged son, Amar, who returns to the family fold for the first time in three years to take his place as brother of the bride. What secrets and betrayals have caused this close-knit family to fracture? Can Amar find his way back to the people who know and love him best?

A Place for Us takes us back to the beginning of this family’s life: from the bonds that bring them together, to the differences that pull them apart. All the joy and struggle of family life is here, from Rafiq and Layla’s own arrival in America from India, to the years in which their children—each in their own way—tread between two cultures, seeking to find their place in the world, as well as a path home.
A Place for Us is a book for our times: an astonishingly tender-hearted novel of identity and belonging, and a resonant portrait of what it means to be an American family today. It announces Fatima Farheen Mirza as a major new literary talent.

The Book of Essie: A Novel by Meghan MacLean Weir:

A captivating novel of family, fame, and religion that tells the story of the seventeen-year-old daughter of an evangelical preacher, star of the family’s hit reality show, and the secret pregnancy that threatens to blow their entire world apart.

Esther Ann Hicks–Essie–is the youngest child on Six for Hicks, a reality television phenomenon. She’s grown up in the spotlight, both idolized and despised for her family’s fire-and-brimstone brand of faith. When Essie’s mother, Celia, discovers that Essie is pregnant, she arranges an emergency meeting with the show’s producers: Do they sneak Essie out of the country for an abortion? Do they pass the child off as Celia’s? Or do they try to arrange a marriage–and a ratings-blockbuster wedding? Meanwhile, Essie is quietly pairing herself up with Roarke Richards, a senior at her school with a secret of his own to protect. As the newly formed couple attempt to sell their fabricated love story to the media–through exclusive interviews with an infamously conservative reporter named Liberty Bell–Essie finds she has questions of her own: What was the real reason for her older sister leaving home? Who can she trust with the truth about her family? And how much is she willing to sacrifice to win her own freed

Have a great week!

Linda, SSCL

Online Catalog Links:

StarCat

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

The Digital Catalog (OverDrive)

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

Freegal Music Service

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

RBDigital

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

About Library Apps:

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

Tech Talk is a Southeast Steuben County Library blog.

Suggested Listening June 15, 2018

Linda Reimer

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

(Click on the photo to stream or request the album you’re interested in!)

Freegal Streaming Suggestions*

Sesame Street: Pete Seeger and Brother Kirk Visit Sesame Street (1974) by Pete Seeger with Douglass Kirkpatrick (Genre: Folk, Pop, Kids):

This collection is full of sing along favorites! Pete Seeger is accompanied by “Brother Kirk” who is better known as the singer and Civil Rights activist Reverend Frederick Douglass Kirkpatrick.

And even though the duo are singing with a group of children – the music is great for all ages – a classic folk song sing along.

Songs include: This Land Is Your Land, Michael Row Your Boat Ashore, Skip to My Lou, Garbage, She’ll Be Coming ‘Round The Mountain, The Old Lady Who Swallowed A Fly and Ballad of Martin Luther King.

The Essential Son House by Son House by Son House (Genre: Blues, Delta Blues, Acoustic):

One of the quintessential Delta Bluesmen Son House was born Eddie James House Jr. in Riverton, Mississippi in 1901; and along with his contemporaries Charley Patton and Willie Brown set down the foundation for the next generation of Blues players, the ones that went electric – including Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf.

If you’re not familiar with his playing Son House’s music has an earthly accessible quality to it. Deep vocals with an enthusiastic combo strumming and picking acoustic guitar playing, known as bottle neck (or slide) bring an intensity to the music that most modern music simply doesn’t have.

Songs in the collection include: Pearline, Louise McGhee, Empire State Express, Grinnin’ in you Face, Levee Camp Moan, President Kennedy and Yonder Comes My Mother.

Will Bradley and His Jazz Octet (2008) by Will Bradley and His Jazz Octet (Genre: Swing, Boogie-woogie, Jazz, Easy Listening, Instrumental):

Will Bradley was a swing and Boogie-Woogie trombonist and band leader who hailed from New Jersey and rode a wave of popularity during the Swing era of the 1930s and 1940s.

If you like swing – you’ll enjoy this collection!

Songs on the LP include: The Easy Way, Melody from Mars, I’ve Waited For You, I Like The Old Time Way, Sad Spring and Flat Top Special.

The Very Best Of Bonnie Tyler by Bonnie Tyler (Genre: Pop, Rock, Eighties):

Welsh born singer Bonnie Tyler has a very distinctive raspy voice and had several bit hits in her late seventies and eighties heyday including Total Eclipse of The Heart and Holding Out For A Hero.

Songs in the set include the aforementioned songs and: Here She Comes, Loving You Is A Dirty Job, Fast Than The Speed Of Night, Straight From The Heart and No Way To Treat A Lady.

Recommended CD of the Week:

If All I Was Is Black (2017) by Mavis Staples (Genre: R&B, Soul, Blues, Pop-Rock, Gospel):

This is a great and hopeful album by the world renowned Staple Singers vocalist and soloist Mavis Staples. Staples is 78 going on 79 but you wouldn’t know it from listening to this album – her singing is vibrant and her songs hopeful – that despite the turbulent times we are living in – her take is we’ll get through them!

Songs on the album include: If All I Was Was Black, Who Told You That, Ain’t No Doubt About It, Build A Bridge and We Go High.

Videos of the Week:

Guantanamera by Pete Seeger and his grandson Tao Rodriguez (aka Tao Rodriguez-Seeger):

Skip To My Lou by Pete Seeger:

Garbage Garbage Garbage by Tom Chapin & Oscar The Grouch from Pete Seeger’s 90th Birthday Concert:

Grinnin’ In Your Face by Son House:

Short Concert by Son House: 

Melody From Mars by the Will Bradley Octet: 

Celery Stalks At Midnight (1940) by Will Bradley and His Orchestra:

Total Eclipse of the Hart by Bonnie Tyler:

If All I Was Was Black by Mavis Staples:

We Go High by Mavis Staples:

Alphabet by Lou Rawls with kids from Sesame Street circa early 1970s:

Have a great weekend!

Linda, SSCL

*A library card is required to use the Freegal Music Service. If you live in the service area of the Southern Tier Library System, which consists of the public libraries in Steuben, Chemung, Yates, Schuyler and Alleghany counties in New York State, you can get a library card for free at your nearest public library – including our own Southeast Steuben County Library in Corning, New York. The Freegal Music Service is free for all Southern Tier Library System member libraries library card holders to access.

References:

Artist Biography & Discography Information:

http://www.allmusic.com/

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

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

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

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

Links to the desktop versions of the catalogs for the library system – apps for each are available in your app store:

Digital Library Catalogs:

Freegal offers streaming and downloadable music

OverDrive allows you to check out eBooks, downloadable audiobooks and handful of streaming videos

RB Digital is the place you go to check out magazines – on demand – and you never have to return them!

The Traditional Library Catalog:

You can search for and request books, DVDs, music CDs, audiobooks on CD and other physical format items through StarCat – it is the modern day card catalog!