Tag: Corning NY

Suggested Reading Week of June 11, 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 Assault on Intelligence American National Security in an Age of Lies by Michael V. Hayden:

A blistering critique of the forces threatening the American intelligence community, beginning with the President of the United States himself, in a time when that community’s work has never been harder or more important

In the face of a President who lobs accusations without facts, evidence, or logic, truth tellers are under attack. Meanwhile, the world order is teetering on the brink. North Korea is on the verge of having a nuclear weapon that could reach all of the United States, Russians have mastered a new form of information warfare that undercuts democracy, and the role of China in the global community remains unclear. There will always be value to experience and expertise, devotion to facts, humility in the face of complexity, and a respect for ideas, but in this moment they seem more important, and more endangered, than they’ve ever been. American Intelligence—the ultimate truth teller—has a responsibility in a post-truth world beyond merely warning of external dangers, and in The Assault on Intelligence, General Michael Hayden takes up that urgent work with profound passion, insight and authority.

It is a sobering vision. The American intelligence community is more at risk than is commonly understood, for every good reason. Civil war or societal collapse is not necessarily imminent or inevitable, but our democracy’s core structures, processes, and attitudes are under great stress. Many of the premises on which we have based our understanding of governance are now challenged, eroded, or simply gone. And we have a President in office who responds to overwhelming evidence from the intelligence community that the Russians are, by all acceptable standards of cyber conflict, in a state of outright war against us, not by leading a strong response, but by shooting the messenger.

There are fundamental changes afoot in the world and in this country. The Assault on Intelligence shows us what they are, reveals how crippled we’ve become in our capacity to address them, and points toward a series of effective responses. Because when we lose our intelligence, literally and figuratively, democracy dies.

If Beale Street Could Talk: A Novel written by James Baldwin & read by Bahni Turpin:

The book is the basis for an upcoming movie!

Here’s a description of the book: In this honest and stunning novel, James Baldwin has given America a moving story of love in the face of injustice. Told through the eyes of Tish, a nineteen-year-old girl, in love with Fonny, a young sculptor who is the father of her child, Baldwin’s story mixes the sweet and the sad. Tish and Fonny have pledged to get married, but Fonny is falsely accused of a terrible crime and imprisoned. Their families set out to clear his name, and as they face an uncertain future, the young lovers experience a kaleidoscope of emotions–affection, despair, and hope. In a love story that evokes the blues, where passion and sadness are inevitably intertwined, Baldwin has created two characters so alive and profoundly realized that they are unforgettably ingrained in the American psyche.

The Body by Stephen King:

Just in time for summer – this book is the basis for the 1986 film Stand By Me!

Here is a description of the book:

Set in the fictional town of Castle Rock, Maine

#1 New York Times bestselling author Stephen King’s timeless novella “The Body”—originally published in his 1982 short story collection Different Seasons, and adapted into the 1986 film classic Stand by Me—now available for the first time as a stand-alone publication.

It’s 1960 in the fictional town of Castle Rock, Maine. Ray Brower, a boy from a nearby town, has disappeared, and twelve-year-old Gordie Lachance and his three friends set out on a quest to find his body along the railroad tracks. During the course of their journey, Gordie, Chris Chambers, Teddy Duchamp, and Vern Tessio come to terms with death and the harsh truths of growing up in a small factory town that A timeless exploration of the loneliness and isolation of young adulthood, Stephen King’s The Body is an iconic, unforgettable, coming-of-age story.

And if speaking of the 1986 film Stand By Me, the library has that too, available on DVD!

Europe in Autumn, Europe Series, Book 1 by Dave Hutchinson:

NO BORDER CAN HOLD HIM

Rudi is a cook in a Krakow restaurant, but when his boss asks Rudi to help a cousin escape from the country he’s trapped in, a new career – part spy, part people-smuggler – begins. Following multiple economic crises and a devastating flu pandemic, Europe has fractured into countless tiny nations, duchies, polities and republics. Recruited by the shadowy organisation Les Coureurs des Bois, Rudi is schooled in espionage, but when a training mission to The Line, a sovereign nation consisting of a trans-Europe railway line, goes wrong, he is arrested and beaten, and Coureur Central must attempt a rescue.

With so many nations to work in, and identities to assume, Rudi is kept busy travelling across Europe. But when he is sent to smuggle someone out of Berlin and finds a severed head inside a locker instead, a conspiracy begins to wind itself around him. With kidnapping, double-crosses and a map that constantly re-draws itself, Europe in Autumn is a science fiction thriller like no other.

The Hellfire Club written and read by Jake Tapper (Downloadable Audiobook):

A young Congressman stumbles on the powerful political underworld of 1950’s D.C. in this “potent thriller” (David Baldacci) and New York Times bestseller from CNN correspondent Jake Tapper.

Charlie Marder is an unlikely Congressman. Thrust into office by his family ties after his predecessor died mysteriously, Charlie is struggling to navigate the dangerous waters of 1950s Washington, DC, alongside his young wife Margaret, a zoologist with ambitions of her own. Amid the swirl of glamorous and powerful political leaders and deal makers, a mysterious fatal car accident thrusts Charlie and Margaret into an underworld of backroom deals, secret societies, and a plot that could change the course of history. When Charlie discovers a conspiracy that reaches the highest levels of governance, he has to fight not only for his principles and his newfound political career…but for his life.

Print Suggestions Of The Week:

Death Notice: A Novel written by Zhou Haohui:

An elite police squad hunts a manipulative mastermind out to publically execute criminals the law cannot reach. A wild thriller and deadly game of cat-and-mouse from one of China’s most popular authors. For fans of Jo Nesbo, Se7en, and Hong Kong police cinema.

The brutal murder of respected police officer Sergeant Zheng Haoming sends shock waves through Chengdu, a modern metropolis in the heart of China’s stunning Sichuan province. He had been obsessed by an unsolved, eighteen-year-old murder case until an entity calling itself Eumenides (after the Greek goddess of vengeance and retribution) releases a terrifying manifesto. Is the manifesto a sick joke, or something more sinister? Soon, the public starts nominating worthy targets for Eumenides to kill, and, two days later, Sergeant Zheng is dead.

Eumenides’ cunning game is only getting started. The police receive a “death notice,” a chilling note announcing the killer’s next target, the crimes they have committed, and the date of their execution. The note is both a challenge and a taunt to the police. When the first victim dies in public, under their complete protection, the police are left stunned. More death notices are coming.

The chase is on.

Death Notice is an explosive, page-turning thriller filtered through a vibrant cultural lens. Zhou Haohui expertly adds an exhilarating new perspective to the twists and tropes of the genre all fans love, making for a uniquely propulsive and entertaining read.

Dreams of Falling by Karen White:

New York Times bestselling author Karen White crafts evocative relationships in this contemporary women’s fiction novel, set in the Lowcountry of South Carolina, about lifelong friends who share a devastating secret.

On the banks of the North Santee River stands a moss-draped oak that was once entrusted with the dreams of three young girls. Into the tree’s trunk, they placed their greatest hopes, written on ribbons, for safekeeping–including the most important one: Friends forever, come what may.

But life can waylay the best of intentions….

Nine years ago, a humiliated Larkin Lanier fled Georgetown, South Carolina, knowing she could never go back. But when she finds out that her mother has disappeared, she realizes she has no choice but to return to the place she both loves and dreads–and to the family and friends who never stopped wishing for her to come home.

Ivy, Larkin’s mother, is discovered badly injured and unconscious in the burned-out wreckage of her ancestral plantation home. No one knows why Ivy was there, but as Larkin digs for answers, she uncovers secrets kept for nearly fifty years–whispers of love, sacrifice, and betrayal–that lead back to three girls on the brink of womanhood who found their friendship tested in the most heartbreaking ways.

Night-Gaunts and Other Tales of Suspense by Joyce Carol Oates:

In the title story of her taut new fiction collection, Night-Gaunts and Other Tales of Suspense, Joyce Carol Oates writes: Life was not of the surface like the glossy skin of an apple, but deep inside the fruit where seeds are harbored. There is no writer more capable of picking out those seeds and exposing all their secret tastes and poisons than Oates herself―as brilliantly demonstrated in these six stories.

The book opens with a woman, naked except for her high-heeled shoes, seated in front of the window in an apartment she cannot, on her own, afford. In this exquisitely tense narrative reimagining of Edward Hopper’s Eleven A.M., 1926, the reader enters the minds of both the woman and her married lover, each consumed by alternating thoughts of disgust and arousal, as he rushes, amorously, murderously, to her door. In “The Long-Legged Girl,” an aging, jealous wife crafts an unusual game of Russian roulette involving a pair of Wedgewood teacups, a strong Bengal brew, and a lethal concoction of medicine. Who will drink from the wrong cup, the wife or the dance student she believes to be her husband’s latest conquest? In “The Sign of the Beast,” when a former Sunday school teacher’s corpse turns up, the blighted adolescent she had by turns petted and ridiculed confesses to her murder―but is he really responsible? Another young outsider, Horace Phineas Love, Jr., is haunted by apparitions at the very edge of the spectrum of visibility after the death of his tortured father in “Night-Gaunts,” a fantastic ode to H.P. Lovecraft.

Southernmost by Silas House:

In this stunning novel about judgment, courage, heartbreak, and change, author Silas House wrestles with the limits of belief and the infinite ways to love.

In the aftermath of a flood that washes away much of a small Tennessee town, evangelical preacher Asher Sharp offers shelter to two gay men. In doing so, he starts to see his life anew—and risks losing everything: his wife, locked into her religious prejudices; his congregation, which shuns Asher after he delivers a passionate sermon in defense of tolerance; and his young son, Justin, caught in the middle of what turns into a bitter custody battle.

With no way out but ahead, Asher takes Justin and flees to Key West, where he hopes to find his brother, Luke, whom he’d turned against years ago after Luke came out. And it is there, at the southernmost point of the country, that Asher and Justin discover a new way of thinking about the world, and a new way of understanding love.

Southernmost is a tender and affecting book, a meditation on love and its consequences.
Reveling in the uncanny and richly in conversation with other creative minds, Night-Gaunts and Other Tales of Suspense stands at the crossroads of sex, violence, and longing―and asks us to interrogate the intersection of these impulses within ourselves.

There There: A Novel by Tommy Orange: 

Fierce, angry, funny, heartbreaking—Tommy Orange’s first novel is a wondrous and shattering portrait of an America few of us have ever seen, and it introduces a brilliant new author at the start of a major career.

There There is a relentlessly paced multigenerational story about violence and recovery, memory and identity, and the beauty and despair woven into the history of a nation and its people. It tells the story of twelve characters, each of whom have private reasons for traveling to the Big Oakland Powwow. Jacquie Red Feather is newly sober and trying to make it back to the family she left behind in shame. Dene Oxendene is pulling his life back together after his uncle’s death and has come to work at the powwow to honor his uncle’s memory. Opal Viola Victoria Bear Shield has come to watch her nephew Orvil, who has taught himself traditional Indian dance through YouTube videos and has come to the powwow to dance in public for the very first time. There will be glorious communion, and a spectacle of sacred tradition and pageantry. And there will be sacrifice, and heroism, and unspeakable loss.

Here is a voice we have never heard—a voice full of poetry and rage, exploding onto the page with stunning urgency and force. Tommy Orange writes of the plight of the urban Native American, the Native American in the city, in a stunning novel that grapples with a complex and painful history, with an inheritance of beauty and profound spirituality, and with a plague of addiction, abuse, and suicide. An unforgettable debut, destined to become required reading in schools and universities across the country.

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 Reading Week of June 4, 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:

From Cold War to Hot Peace: An American Ambassador in Putin’s Russia by Michael McFaul:

From one of America’s leading scholars of Russia who served as U.S. ambassador to Russia during the Obama administration, a revelatory, inside account of U.S.-Russia relations from 1989 to the present.

In 2008, when Michael McFaul was asked to leave his perch at Stanford and join an unlikely presidential campaign, he had no idea that he would find himself at the beating heart of one of today’s most contentious and consequential international relationships. As President Barack Obama’s adviser on Russian affairs, McFaul helped craft the United States’ policy known as “reset” that fostered new and unprecedented collaboration between the two countries. And then, as U.S. ambassador to Russia from 2012 to 2014, he had a front-row seat when this fleeting, hopeful moment crumbled with Vladimir Putin’s return to the presidency. This riveting inside account combines history and memoir to tell the full story of U.S.-Russia relations from the fall of the Soviet Union to the new rise of the hostile, paranoid Russian president. From the first days of McFaul’s ambassadorship, the Kremlin actively sought to discredit and undermine him, hassling him with tactics that included dispatching protesters to his front gates, slandering him on state media, and tightly surveilling him, his staff, and his family.

How It Happened by Michael Koryta:

“One of the best books to bring to the beach this summer.” – Good Morning America

“And that is how it happened. Can we stop now?”

Kimberly Crepeaux is no good, a notorious jailhouse snitch, teen mother, and heroin addict whose petty crimes are well-known to the rural Maine community where she lives. So when she confesses to her role in the brutal murders of Jackie Pelletier and Ian Kelly, the daughter of a well-known local family and her sweetheart, the locals have little reason to believe her story.

Not Rob Barrett, the FBI investigator and interrogator specializing in telling a true confession from a falsehood. He’s been circling Kimberly and her conspirators for months, waiting for the right avenue to the truth, and has finally found it. He knows, as strongly as he’s known anything, that Kimberly’s story-a grisly, harrowing story of a hit and run fueled by dope and cheap beer that becomes a brutal stabbing in cold blood-is how it happened. But one thing remains elusive: where are Jackie and Ian’s bodies?

After Barrett stakes his name and reputation on the truth of Kimberly’s confession, only to have the bodies turn up 200 miles from where she said they’d be, shot in the back and covered in a different suspect’s DNA, the case is quickly closed and Barrett forcibly reassigned. But for Howard Pelletier, the tragedy of his daughter’s murder cannot be so tidily swept away. And for Barrett, whose career may already be over, the chance to help a grieving father may be the only one he has left.

HOW IT HAPPENED is a frightening, tension-filled ride into the dark heart of rural American from a writer Stephen King has called “a master” and the New York Times has deemed “impossible to resist.”

Loaded: A Disarming History of the Second Amendment by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz:

Loaded: A Disarming History of the Second Amendment, is a deeply researched—and deeply disturbing—history of guns and gun laws in the United States, from the original colonization of the country to the present. As historian and educator Dunbar-Ortiz explains, in order to understand the current obstacles to gun control, we must understand the history of U.S. guns, from their role in the “settling of America” and the early formation of the new nation, and continuing up to the present.

A Scandalous Deal: The Four Hundred Series by Joanna Shupe:

Joanna Shupe returns with another unforgettable novel set in the glittering world of New York City’s Gilded Age…
They call her Lady Unlucky…

With three dead fiancés, Lady Eva Hyde has positively no luck when it comes to love. She sets sail for New York City, determined that nothing will deter her dream of becoming an architect, certainly not an unexpected passionate shipboard encounter with a mysterious stranger. But Eva’s misfortune strikes once more when she discovers the stranger who swept her off her feet is none other than her new employer.

Or is it Lady Irresistible?

Phillip Mansfield reluctantly agrees to let the fiery Lady Eva oversee his luxury hotel project while vowing to keep their relationship strictly professional. Yet Eva is more capable–and more alluring–than Phillip first thought, and he cannot keep from drawing up a plan of his own to seduce her.

When a series of onsite “accidents” make it clear someone wants Lady Unlucky to earn her nickname, Phillip discovers he’s willing to do anything to protect her–even if it requires a scandalous deal…

Simmering Heat by Leora Gonzales:

Spark Growing up as the privileged daughter of two doctors, Jasmine Kingford always thought the housekeeper’s son was hot-and the feeling was mutual. But back then there were lines they couldn’t cross. Good thing they’re all grown up now-and in the same wedding party . . . Blaze As best man for a fellow firefighter, Leo Trask is floored to discover the maid-of-honor is a blast from his past. One that ignites fireworks that have been brewing for years. Soon enough, he and Jasmine are having a very private, all-night-long celebration of their own-and it’s clear neither wants it to end there . . . Wildfire Jasmine’s all too happy to finally shed her pampered princess demeanor with Leo. What she finds is a connection-and a complication-she didn’t expect. Leo’s the opposite of the nine-to-five guy she planned on. She wants a nursing career, kids, and a man who’s home by dinnertime. Leo’s an irresistible bad boy with a dangerous, unpredictable job. And he’s everything she never knew she wanted, and more . . .

Print Suggestions Of The Week:

Beach House Reunion by Mary Alice Monroe:

Whisking you back to the shores of her bestselling Beach House series, Mary Alice Monroe weaves together a tale of the struggles and triumphs of the historic Rutledge family of Charleston, South Carolina. Beautifully wrought and rich with keen insight, this is an illuminating tale of new beginnings, resilience, and one family’s enduring love.

Cara Rutledge returns to her Southern home on the idyllic Isle of Palms. Everything is comfortingly the same, yet each detail is rife with painful memories. Only through reconnecting with family, friends, and the rhythms of the lowcountry can Cara release the hold of the past and open herself to the possibility of a new love, career, and hope for the future.

Meanwhile, her niece Linnea, a recent college graduate who doesn’t know where her life will take her, leaves her historic home in Charleston, with all its entitlement and expectations, and heads to her aunt’s beach house. On the island, she is part of the freer, natural ocean lifestyle she loves, rejoining the turtle team, learning to surf, and falling in love. Remembering the lessons of her beloved grandmother, Lovie, the original “turtle lady,” Linnea rediscovers a meaningful purpose to her life and finds the courage she needs to break from tradition.

In this heartwarming novel, three generations of the Rutledge family gather together to find the strength, love, and commitment to break destructive family patterns and to forge new bonds that will endure long beyond one summer reunion.

The Glitch: A Novel by Elisabeth Cohen:

A fast, funny, deeply hilarious debut–The Glitch is the story of a high-profile, TED-talking, power-posing Silicon Valley CEO and mother of two who has it all under control, until a woman claiming to be a younger version of herself appears, causing a major glitch in her over-scheduled, over-staffed, over-worked life.

Shelley Stone, wife, mother, and CEO of the tech company Conch, is committed to living her most efficient life. She takes her “me time” at 3:30 a.m. on the treadmill, power naps while waiting in line, schedules sex with her husband for when they are already changing clothes, and takes a men’s multivitamin because she refuses to participate in her own oppression.

But when she meets a young woman also named Shelley Stone who has the same exact scar on her shoulder, Shelley has to wonder: Is she finally buckling under all the pressure? Completely original, brainy, and laugh-out-loud funny, The Glitch introduces one of the most memorable characters in recent fiction and offers a riotous look into work, marriage, and motherhood in our absurd world.

The Outsider: A Novel by Stephen King:

An unspeakable crime. A confounding investigation. At a time when the King brand has never been stronger, he has delivered one of his most unsettling and compulsively readable stories.

An eleven-year-old boy’s violated corpse is found in a town park. Eyewitnesses and fingerprints point unmistakably to one of Flint City’s most popular citizens. He is Terry Maitland, Little League coach, English teacher, husband, and father of two girls. Detective Ralph Anderson, whose son Maitland once coached, orders a quick and very public arrest. Maitland has an alibi, but Anderson and the district attorney soon add DNA evidence to go with the fingerprints and witnesses. Their case seems ironclad.

As the investigation expands and horrifying answers begin to emerge, King’s propulsive story kicks into high gear, generating strong tension and almost unbearable suspense. Terry Maitland seems like a nice guy, but is he wearing another face? When the answer comes, it will shock you as only Stephen King can.

Secrets of the Southern Table: A Food Lover’s Tour of the Global South by Virginia Willis:

Recipes and stories of the modern South.

In Secrets of the Southern Table, award-winning chef and cookbook author Virginia Willis takes you on a tour of today’s South—a region rich in history and cultural diversity. With her signature charm and wit, Virginia shares many well-known Southern recipes like Pimento Cheese Tomato Herb Pie and “Cathead” Biscuits, but also some surprising revelations drawn from the area’s many global influences, like Catfish Tacos with Avocado Crema, Mississippi-Style Char Siu Pork Tenderloin, and Greek Okra and Tomatoes. In addition to the recipes, Virginia profiles some of the diverse chefs, farmers, and other culinary influencers who are shaping contemporary Southern cuisine. Together, these stories and the delicious recipes that accompany them celebrate the rich and ever-evolving heritage of Southern cooking.

The Testament of Loki by Joanne Harris (Book 2 in the Loki Series):

In the sequel to The Gospel of Loki, Loki’s adventures continue when he finds a way out of the end of the world and plans to restart the power of the Norse gods.

The end of the world—also known as Ragnarok to the Norse gods—has occurred, and Loki has been trapped in a seemingly endless purgatory, in torture, until he finds a way to escape. It seems that he still exists in the minds of humanity and uses that as a way to our time.

Back in the ninth world (Earth), Loki finds himself sharing the mind of a teenage girl named Jumps, who is a bit of a mess. She’s also not happy about Loki sneaking his way into her mind, since she was originally calling on Thor. Worse, her friends have also been co-opted by the gods: Odin, Jump’s one-eyed best friend in a wheelchair, and Freya, the pretty one. Thor escapes the netherworld as well and shares the mind of a dog, and he finds that it suits him.

Odin has a plan to bring back the Norse gods ascendancy, but Loki has his own ideas on how things can go—and nothing goes according to plan.

The Testament of Loki is the second book in the Loki series, book 1 is titled The Gospel of Loki and may be requested via StarCat or OverDrive.

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 1, 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*

Dixie Melodies by The Street Parade Band (Genre: Jazz, Dixieland, Easy Listening):

I searched online and couldn’t find any information on The Street Parade Band!

However, this is a fun, upbeat, brass centered album.

And it is perfect for summer time listening!

Songs on the album include: Samantha’s Blues, Frankie & Johnny, Hot Dog Stomp, Chinese Eggroll and Aircastle.

More Ghost Stories written by M. R. James & read by Bart Wolffe (Genre: Spoken Word, Audiobook):

This collection of ghost stories by the classic British author M. R. James is perfect listening material for a summer evening!

The stories in this collection include: A School Story, The Rose Garden, The Tractate Middoth, The Stalls of Barchester Cathedral and Mr. Humphreys and His Inheritance.

Soul Man (1968) by Soul Finders (Genre: R&B, Funk, Soul):

The Soul Finders were led by the great New Orleans songwriter and pianist Eddie Bo and their sound is similar in scope to that of the great music made by Stax label artists in the sixties. If you enjoy horn-centric rock music – this album is for you!

Songs on the LP include: Soul Man, Chain Of Fools, I Got It Bad And That Ain’t Good, Sweet Soul Woman, Don’t Get Around Much Anymore and Explosion In My Soul.

The Travelin’ McCourys (2018) by The Travelin’ McCourys (Genre: Folk, Country, Pop, Rock): 

The Travelin’ McCourys are a modern string band led by brothers Rob & Ronnie McCoury. Rob & Ronnie are the sons of bluegrass legend Del McCoury – so great music is a family tradition!

Songs on the LP include: Natural to Be Gone, Cumberland Blues, The Hardest Part, Let Her Go, Freedom Blues and Travelin’.

Recommended CD of the Week:

Eight Classic Albums by Hank Williams:

This four disc set contains the albums I Saw The Light (1954), Ramblin’ Man (1954), As Luke The Drifter (1954), Memorial Album (1953), Moanin’ The Blues (1952), Honky Tonkin’ (1954), Sing Me A Blue Song (1957) and The Immortal Hank Williams (1958).

Songs in the 94 song collection include: I Saw The Light, Wealth Won’t Save Your Soul, Ramblin’ Man, Nobody’s Lonesome For Me, Lonesome Whistle and I’ve Been Down That Road Before.

Videos of the Week:

Samantha’s Blues by The Street Parade Band

Mr. Humphreys And His Inheritance written by M. R. James – video by ITV

Soul Man by The Soul Finders

Cumberland Blues by The Travelin’ McCourys

I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry by Hank Williams

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!

Did You Know…Science Fiction Section!

Linda Reimer

Hi everyone, here is our Did You Know… posting for June 2018!

And after the rather lengthy Did You Know posting I did for May, I thought I’d offer a shorter one this month to highlight our Science Fiction & Fantasy Section and related books and DVDs!

And with out further ado…

Did you know…

The library has a separate section for Science Fiction & Fantasy books?

We do!

So the next question is – where is it!

So here is a brief description of where to find the Science Fiction & Fantasy section, within the Fiction Sectionn and if you already know where our Science Fiction & Fantasy Section is – you can just skip down to the book and DVD recommendations at the end of this posting!

So back to where the Science Fiction & Fantasy Section is in the library!

If you come into the library from our main, Tioga Avenue, entrance – walk forward about 20 feet, turn left and you’ll see the library’s reading room, the area where we keep the magazines and newspapers near the fire place.

Walk about twenty more feet and you’ll see the Circulation Desk to your left and the beginning of the Fiction Section to your right.

The Fiction Section in the library is bordered on one side by the library’s main aisle and on the other side by windows that face the Civic Center Plaza. The section features seven complete stacks, i.e. librarese for double sided shelving units, filled with books that are filed alphabetically by the author’s name within each fiction sub-section.

There are seven fiction sub-section and they are in sequential order: Large Print Fiction, Large Print Mysteries, Large Print Westerns, General Fiction, Mysteries, Westerns and Science Fiction & Fantasy.

The Large Print Section features books that have large text, 14 or 16 font. And the Large Print Section flows from Large Print General Fiction Section to the Large Print Mystery Section to the Large Print Westerns Section. Following the Large Print Westerns you’ll find the largest single fiction section – General Fiction, followed by the Mystery Section, the Western Section, and finally starting with books housed on the sixth stack of books, the Science Fiction & Fantasy Section! Hurray!

And just for fun, here is a short photo guide showing where you can find the Science Fiction & Fantasy Section in the library:

Looking down the Large Print General Fiction aisle with the first fiction stack seen at the left.

There are signs on the slatwall endcaps of each stack indicating which books are housed on each side of that stack.

Seen below are the signs on the first stack of fiction books.

And if you keep walking down the library’s main aisle, which is seen in the photo below, and count the stacks – when you get to the sixth stack you’ll be at the beginning of the Science Fiction & Fantasy Section.

The Science Fiction & Fantasy Section shares space on the shelves with books from the Mystery Section and the Western Section on one side, and on the other with audiobooks on CD.

On the other side of the seventh stack, the one behind the Reference Desk, is the tail end of the library’s DVD Section.

And here is a photo of the the first half of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Section!

Some of the fantasy series that you’ll find in our Science Fiction & Fantasy Section include the following titles, for which I shall include a description of the first book in each series and links to request all the books in each series:

The Farseer Trilogy by Robin Hobb:

Book 1: The Assassin’s Apprentice:

Young Fitz is the bastard son of the noble Prince Chivalry, raised in the shadow of the royal court by his father’s gruff stableman. He is treated as an outcast by all the royalty except the devious King Shrewd, who has him secretly tutored in the arts of the assassin. For in Fitz’s blood runs the magic Skill—and the darker knowledge of a child raised with the stable hounds and rejected by his family.

As barbarous raiders ravage the coasts, Fitz is growing to manhood. Soon he will face his first dangerous, soul-shattering mission. And though some regard him as a threat to the throne, he may just be the key to the survival of the kingdom.

Book 2: Royal Assassin:

Book 3: Assassin’s Quest:

The Broken Earth Trilogy by N.K. Jemisin:

Book 1: The Fifth Season:

This is the way the world ends…for the last time.

A season of endings has begun.

It starts with the great red rift across the heart of the world’s sole continent, spewing ash that blots out the sun.

It starts with death, with a murdered son and a missing daughter.

It starts with betrayal, and long dormant wounds rising up to fester.

This is the Stillness, a land long familiar with catastrophe, where the power of the earth is wielded as a weapon. And where there is no mercy.

Book 2: The Obelisk Gate:

Book 3: The Stone Sky:

Chronicles of the Necromancer by Gail Z. Martin

Book 1: The Summoner:

The comfortable world of Martris Drayke, second son of King Bricen of Margolan, is shattered when his older half-brother, Jared, and Jared’s dark mage, Foor Arontala, kill the king and seize the throne. Tris is the only surviving member of the royal family aside from Jared the traitor. Tris flees with three friends: Soterius, captain of the guard; Carroway, the court’s master bard; and Harrtuck, a member of the royal guard. Tris harbors a deep secret. In a land where spirits walk openly and influence the affairs of the living, he suspects he may be the mage heir to the power of his grandmother, Bava K’aa, once the greatest sorceress of her age. Such magic would make Tris a Summoner, the rarest of magic gifts, capable of arbitrating between the living and the dead.

Book 2: The Blood King:

Book 3: Dark Haven:

Book 4: Dark Lady’s Chosen:
Coming soon to our library!

The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher:

Book 1: Storm Front:

In the first novel in the #1 New York Times bestselling Dresden Files series, Harry Dresden’s investigation of a grisly double murder pulls him into the darkest depths of magical Chicago…

As a professional wizard, Harry Dresden knows firsthand that the “everyday” world is actually full of strange and magical things—and most of them don’t play well with humans. And those that do enjoy playing with humans far too much. He also knows he’s the best at what he does. Technically, he’s the only at what he does. But even though Harry is the only game in town, business—to put it mildly, stinks.

So when the Chicago P.D. bring him in to consult on a double homicide committed with black magic, Harry’s seeing dollar signs. But where there’s black magic, there’s a black mage behind it. And now that mage knows Harry’s name…

Book 2: Fool Moon:

Book 3: Grave Peril:

Book 4: Summer Knight:

Book 5: Death Masks:

Book 6: Blood Rites:

Book 7: Dead Beat:

Book 8: Proven Guilty:

Book 9: White Knight:

Book 10: Small Favor:

Book 11: Turn Coat:

Book 12: Changes:

Book 13: Ghost Story:

Book 14: Cold Days:

Book 15: Skin Game:

The Majipoor Cycle by Robert K. Stirling

Book 1: Lord Valentine’s Castle:

He is a man with no past— a wanderer without memory of his origins. He calls himself Valentine. As a member of a motley group of entertainers, he travels across the magical planet of Majipoor, always hoping he will meet someone who can give him back what he has lost.

And then, he begins to dream–and to receive messages in those dreams. Messages that tell him that he is far more than a common vagabond—he is a lord, a king turned out of his castle. Now his travels have a purpose—to return to his home, discover what enemy took his memory, and claim the destiny that awaits him…

Book 2: The Majipoor Chronicles
Coming soon!

Book 3: Valentine Pontifex:

The Island Series by S. M. Stirling:

Book 1: Island In The Sea Of Time:

“Utterly engaging…a page-turner that is certain to win the author legions of new readers and fans.”—George R. R. Martin, author of A Game of Thrones

It’s spring on Nantucket and everything is perfectly normal, until a sudden storm blankets the entire island. When the weather clears, the island’s inhabitants find that they are no longer in the late twentieth century…but have been transported instead to the Bronze Age! Now they must learn to survive with suspicious, warlike peoples they can barely understand and deal with impending disaster, in the shape of a would-be conqueror from their own time.

Book 2: Against The Tide Of Years:

Book 3: On The Oceans Of Eternity:

The Nightingale Series by Stephen Leather:

Book 1: Nightfall:

“You’re going to hell, Jack Nightingale.”

These are the words that ended Jack Nightingale’s career as a police negotiator. Now a struggling private detective, the chilling words return with a vengeance when Jack inherits a mansion with a priceless library—and a terrifying warning from a man who claims to be his father.

Nightingale quickly learns his soul was sold at birth and a devil will come to claim it on his thirty-third birthday, which is just three short weeks away. It’s a hard pill to swallow. He doesn’t believe in Hell and probably doesn’t believe in Heaven either. But when people close to him start to die horribly, he is led to the inescapable conclusion that real evil may be at work. And if he doesn’t find a way out, he’ll be damned for eternity.

Dripping with brooding intensity, unrelenting suspense, and surprising wit, United Kingdom thriller master Stephen Leather’s first book in the Nightingale series is a riveting, heart-stopping mystery with extraordinary range and power.

Book 2: Midnight:

Book 3: Nightmare:

The last four books in the series will be added to the library’s collection shortly! I honestly thought we had all the books in the series — but I’ve ordered the last four and they’ll be here soon!

Book 4: Nightshade:

Book 5: Last Night:

Book 6: San Francisco Night:

Book 7: New York Night:

And getting back to our theme of Did You Know…

Did You Know…

We have a Newly Arrived Science Fiction & Fantasy Section too?

We do!

The Section is actually housed on a cart at the Circulation Desk as seen in the photo below.

So if you’re waiting for the next new book in a series to come in – or your just popping into the library for a minute pick up a new book or two to fill the Sci-Fi and Fantasy niche in your life!

Did You Know we have the following Science Fiction and Fantasy DVDs?

We do!

And they’re perfect for your summer viewing pleasure (Or fall, winter or spring viewing too really…)

Alice At The Palace (1982):

Meryl Streep displays the talent that would soon make her a movie star in Alice at the Palace, a musical theater adaptation by Elizabeth Swados of Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass. Dressed in pink overalls, Streep sings and dances through such famous scenes as the Mad Tea Party and playing croquet with the Queen of Hearts. This production, from the early 1980s, lies somewhere between Hair and Into the Woods. The music ranges across a variety of styles (from calypso to barbershop quartet) and video manipulations enhance the inventive physical staging, but it’s Streep that will carry you through–her sound effects as Alice changes size (after drinking from a bottle labeled “Drink Me”) are delightful, capturing both a childlike imagination and the fluid reality of theater. Alice at the Palace features several other recognizable faces, including Mark Linn-Baker (My Favorite Year) and dancer-choreographer Debbie Allen. –Bret Fetzer, Amazon Review

The Dresden Files (2007):

If you’ve never seen it – this is a great 12 episode video set based upon the books by Jim Butcher – it is one of those brilliant series that just didn’t get high enough ratings to get renewed – but I’ve seen every episode and enjoyed them all immensely.

Series Description: The Dresden Files is about a wizard named Harry. “Good marketing,” a cynical observer notes in one episode from the Sci-Fi Channel’s one-season wonder based on the books by Jim Butcher. “Couldn’t you come up with something a little more original?” Actually, this series manages to be plenty original despite echoes of The X-Files and the 1970s cult classic The Night Stalker. Paul Blackthorne stars as Harry Dresden, a scruffy Chicago private eye whose gift comes in handy for children menaced by skinwalkers, or for offering Lt. Murphy (Valerie Cruz) of the Chicago police “an unconventional point of view” concerning grisly, bizarre cases involving werewolves, vampires, and other decidedly unfriendly spirits. The Dresden Files is a paranormal noir (para-noir?) that deftly balances genuine scares, hard-boiled moxie, and tongue-in-cheek humor, delivered with panache by “Bob” (Terrance Mann), an ancient English spirit who resides in a skull and gives.Harry supernatural assistance. Harry’s backstory–magician father, wizard mother, treacherous uncle–is revealed over the course of these 12 episodes. The eighth broadcast episode, “Things That Go Bump,” was reportedly intended as the series pilot, and may be the best place to start. But Harry’s world-weary voice-over in the classic tradition (“If you’re a wizard and you fail, people can end up dead”) keeps viewers oriented. Low ratings made The Dresden Files disappear, making this DVD set welcome for the series’ hardcore fans who mounted the ultimately unsuccessful letter-writing campaign to save Dresden from the “Brilliant, but Cancelled” files. But even those who are unfamiliar with Butcher’s books or are not on the Sci-Fi Channel’s wavelength will be charmed. –Donald Liebenson, Amazon Review.

Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them (2016):

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is an all-new adventure returning us to the wizarding world created by J.K. Rowling. Academy Award winner Eddie Redmayne (The Theory of Everything) stars in the central role of wizarding world magizoologist Newt Scamander, under the direction of David Yates, who helmed the last four Harry Potter blockbusters. The film marks the screenwriting debut of J.K. Rowling, whose beloved Harry Potter books were adapted into the top-grossing film franchise of all time. Her script was inspired by the Hogwarts textbook Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, written by her character Newt Scamander.

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them opens in 1926 as Newt Scamander has just completed a global excursion to find and document an extraordinary array of magical creatures. Arriving in New York for a brief stopover, he might have come and gone without incident were it not for a No-Maj (American for Muggle) named Jacob, a misplaced magical case, and the escape of some of Newt’s fantastic beasts, which could spell trouble for both the wizarding and No-Maj worlds.

The Guild Seasons 1 & 2:

Cyd Serman (a.k.a. Codex) has hit bottom. Dumped by her boyfriend, her employer, and her therapist, she drowns her sorrows the way any modern girl would–in the world of online gaming. But after a fellow player mistakes their in game rapport for real-world romance and shows up on her doorstep, Codex brings all of the members of her online guild face-to-face…with very awkward results.

The Huntsman: Winter’s War (2016):

If it’s the Snow White tale you’re looking for, discover the story that came before… Chris Hemsworth and Oscar winner Charlize Theron return to their roles in the epic action-­adventure The Huntsman: Winter’s War, joined by Emily Blunt and Jessica Chastain. Theron stars as evil Queen Ravenna, who betrays her good sister Freya (Blunt) with an unforgiveable act, freezing Freya’s heart to love and unleashing in her an icy power she never knew she possessed. As war escalates between the two queens, Eric the Huntsman (Hemsworth), and his fellow warrior, Sara (Chastain), must help Freya vanquish her sister… or Ravenna’s wickedness will rule for eternity.

The Magicians, Season 1:

Based on Lev Grossman’s New York Times best seller, The Magicians centers on Quentin, a brilliant grad student chosen to attend Brakebills University for Magical Pedagogy, a secret upstate New York university specializing in magic. He and his 20-something friends soon discover that the magical fantasy world they read about as children is all too real – and poses grave danger to humanity.

Mazes And Monsters (1982):

Bound together by a desire to play “Mazes and Monsters”, Robbie and his four college classmates decide to move the board game into the local legendary cavern. When Robbie starts having real life visions, the line between reality and fantasy fuse into a harrowing adventure.

The Orphanage:

The Orphanage centers on Laura (Belén Rueda) who purchases her beloved childhood orphanage with dreams of restoring and reopening the long abandoned facility as a place for disabled children. Once there, Laura discovers that the new environment awakens her son’s imagination, but the ongoing fantasy games he plays with an invisible friend quickly turn into something more disturbing. Upon seeing her family increasingly threatened by the strange occurrences in the house, Laura looks to a group of parapsychologists for help in unraveling the mystery that has taken over the place.

The Seventh Son (2017):

In a time of enchantments when legends and magic collide, the sole remaining warrior of a mystical order (Oscarwinner Jeff Bridges) travels to find a prophesized hero born with incredible powers, the last Seventh Son (Ben Barnes of The Chronicles of Narnia). Torn from his quiet life as a farmhand, the unlikely young hero embarks on a daring adventure with his battle-hardened mentor to vanquish a dark queen (Oscar winner Julianne Moore) and the army of supernatural assassins she has dispatched against their kingdom.

Classic Ray Harryhausen Films:

7th Voyage of Sinbad (1958):

It’s an incredible cinematic adventure as the legendary Sinbad sets off on a dangerous journey to the mysterious Island of Colossus. His quest is to break the spell cast over his beloved princess by a diabolical magician. But before he can save her, Sinbad must battle an awesome collection of mythical monsters, the man-eating Cyclops, a saber-wielding skeleton, a ferocious two-headed bird called the Roc and a fire-breathing dragon. Starring Kerwin Mathews, Kathryn Grant, Torin Thatcher and highlighted by the stunning visual effects mastery of Ray Harryhausen. Now in a pristine, hi-definition transfer that captures the magic of Harryhausen’s “eye-popping” special effects in dazzling Technicolor.

Clash of the Titans (1981):

Decades prior to the sensational 2010 version of the tale, Harry Hamlin took up sword and shield to play valorous Perseus, mortal son of Zeus (Laurence Olivier) who sets out to fulfill his destiny by rescuing beloved Andromeda from the wrath of goddess Thetis (Maggie Smith). Perils await Perseus time and again. And eye-filling thrills await viewers as stop-motion effects legend Ray Harryhausen (Jason and the Argonauts) unleashes snake-haired Medusa, fearsome Kraken, winged Pegasus, two-headed dog Dioskilos, giant scorpions and more. Rejoice, fantasy fans: the movie gods gift us with adventure that’s innovative, heroic, titanic.

Jason and the Argonauts (1963):

Fantastic special effects by Ray Harryhausen and exciting mythological adventure make this a film that is fun for everyone. It’s the story of Jason (Todd Armstrong), a fearless sailor and explorer, who returns to the kingdom of Thessaly after a 20-year voyage to make his rightful claim to the throne. But to do so, Jason must first find the magical Golden Fleece. He selects a crew and with the help of Hera, Queen of the Gods, sets sail in search of the Fleece. Jason and his crew must overcome incredible obstacles including a 100-foot bronze giant, the venomous Hydraa huge creature with the heads of seven snakes, and a spectacular battle with an army of skeletons.

Mysterious Island (1961):

Based on Verne’s sequel to 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, this rousing Civil War-era fantasy begins when a band of Union war prisoners (and one Confederate straggler) escape in a hot-air balloon, which crash-lands on the titular island of mystery. Verne’s novel doesn’t include any gigantic creatures, but Harryhausen’s version–under the capable direction of genre specialist Cy Endfield–features giant oysters, bees, a prehistoric Phororhacos (a giant chickenlike bird!), an undersea cephalopod, a giant crab, and enough danger to keep its resourceful ensemble on constant alert. Captain Nemo (Herbert Lom, ably filling James Mason’s shoes) is a third-act hero, pursuing an ill-fated dream to save humanity from hunger and war. The action may be too intense for younger viewers, but Endfield’s pacing and Harryhausen’s stop-motion mastery make Mysterious Island a wondrous precursor to Harryhausen’s follow-up classic, Jason and the Argonauts. –Jeff Shannon, Amazon Review.

One Million Years B.C. (1966):

Tumak (John Richardson, Black Sunday) is banished from his home, but soon finds himself living among the kind, gentle Shell People. There, he falls in love with the beautiful Loana (Raquel Welch, 100 Rifles, Fuzz, Fathom), in the role that made her an international sex symbol and a major star. The two decide to strike out on their own, living by their wits in a deadly land of treacherous beasts and unknown dangers, leading to a thrilling climax by the edge of an angry volcano. The stunning primeval creatures were created by the legendary special effects wizard Ray Harryhausen (The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms). One Million Years B.C., is a true science-fiction classic.

Valley of the Gwangi (1969):

Cowpokes head into a mysterious Mexican valley to head ’em up and move ’em out. But they’re not looking for little doggies. They’re looking for great big dinosaurs. James Franciscus stars in this thunderous adventure featuring amazing special effects by Ray Harryhausen. Franciscus plays a Wild West showman who leads his riding and roping crew into the title region, where prehistoric giants still roam. Thanks to Harryhausen wizardry, fantastic creatures lunge, fight and rampage in scene after dazzling scene (including an awesome sequence where the cowboys rope Gwangi, a razor-toothed allosaurus). Saddle up and join the excitement.

Sometimes They Come Back (1991):

This adaptation of Stephen King’s thriller is about a man (Tim Matheson) who returns to his hometown after 27 years. Soon he is tormented by ghosts of the dead teens who killed his brother, then died in freak accident, a train wreck, years before. As students in his class die, they are replaced by the killers.

Two Film Favorites: Stanley Kubrick:

2001: A Space Odyssey (1968): The sci-fi masterpiece from acclaimed director Stanley Kubrick about a space voyage to Jupiter that turns chaotic when a computer enhanced with artificial intelligence takes over.

A Clockwork Orange (1971): The head of a gang of toughs is conditioned to become physically ill at sex and violence during a prison sentence. When he is released, he’s beaten by all of his old adversaries.

And if there are any books or DVDs you’d like to see read or watch but that you don’t see in our collection – please let me know!

I am the Acquisitions Librarian & you can email me at: reimerl@stls.org

Have a great day!
Linda, SSCL

StarCat (The catalog of physical materials, i.e. books, DVDs, music CDs etc.):

OverDrive (The catalog of digital materials including eBooks, downloadable audio books and a handful of streaming videos):

Freegal Music Service (The streaming catalog of music available for free to library card holders):

RB Digital (Free magazines – on demand!):

And apps for OverDrive, Freegal & RB Digital can be found in your app store – so you can access digital library content on a laptop/desktop computer or on a mobile device.

Suggested Listening May 25, 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*

Beck, Bogert, Appice (1973) by Beck, Bogert, Appice (Genre: Rock, Classic Rock):

Guitarist Jeff Beck is joined on this LP by Vanilla Fudge alumni Tim Bogert on bass and Carmine Appice on drums. This album was released in 1973 and is an excellent example of early seventies rock that features loud power guitar style playing.

Songs on the LP Include: Black Cat Moan, Superstition, Sweet Sweet Surrender, Why Should I Care and Livin’ Alone.

Somewhere In The Middle (2009) by Jason Boland & The Stragglers (Genre: Country, Honky Tonk):

Jason Boland & the Stragglers, hail from Oklahoma, and play in what has been deemed the “Red Dirt” style. Red Dirt being defined as a combination of roots rock, classic country & Honky Tonk – to my ears the band simply sounds like great music!

Songs on the LP include: Hank, Somewhere in the Middle, Back to You, Stand up to the Man, Radio’s Misbehaving & Thunderbird Wine.

The Questions (2018) by Kurt Elling (Genre: Jazz, Vocal, Easy Listening):

Kurt Elling is a Chicago based jazz vocalist with a 4 octave range. He opens his brand new album with a neat rendition of Bob Dylan’s A Hard Rain’s Gonna Fall. Another great cover song on the album is his version of Paul Simon’s An American Tune. Other songs in the collection include: A Happy Thought, Washing Of The Water, Lonely Town and Endless Lawns.

Between The Notes – Music For Violin and Piano by Daniel Kurganov & Constantine Finehouse (Classical, Violin, Piano, Easy Listening):

The new album by two very talented musicians: violinist Daniel Kurganove and pianist Constatine Firehouse.

Songs on the album include: Violin Sonata No. 2, 5 Melodies, Baal Shem II. Nigun, Valse Sentimentale, Op. 51. No 6, Porgy and Bess (Arr. J Heifetz): Act II, It Ain’t Necessarily So and more.

The Essential Carl Smith by Carl Smith (Genre: Country, Classic Country):

In his 1950s heyday, the honey voiced Carl Smith scored 31 hits and was nicknamed “Mr. Country.”

Smith continued to perform and record in the sixties and seventies, retired in the late seventies and died in 2010 at age 82. Today, Smith is perhaps best known as the first husband of June Carter (Cash) and the father of the country singer Carlene Carter.

If you’re not familiar with his music – give it a listen! His music conjures up a simpler, less complicated era than our own – and there is nothing like classic country music.

This greatest hits collection includes the songs: I Just Dropped In To Say Goodbye, Let’s Live A Little, There’s Nothing As Sweet As My Baby, Mr. Moon, If Teardrops Were Pennies and Me And My Broken heart

Recommended CD of the Week:

Stranger Things: Music from the Netflix Original Series by Various Artists:

This album is a combination score and soundtrack.

The very atmospheric instrumentals on the LP were composed by Kyle Dixon and Michael Stein and harken back to the science fiction films of the 1980s (think E.T.)

Instrumental songs on the album include: Stranger Things, Kids, This Isn’t You, Lay-z-Boy, A Kiss, Castle Byers and more.

Vintage songs on the album are from the period and include: Should I Stay or Should I Go by the Clash, Africa by Toto, Time After Time by Cyndi Lauper, Hazy Shade of Winter by The Bangles, Every Breath You Take by the Police and Whip It by Devo

Videos of the Week:

Superstition by Beck, Bogert & Appice

Hank by Jason Boland with Nick Worley

A Hard Rains-A-Gonna Fall by Kurt Elling

It Ain’t Necessarily So (arr. Heifetz) by Daniel Kurganov & Constantine Finehouse – a preview of their new LP Between The Notes

Hey Joe! By Carl Smith

Sunglasses at Night by Corey Hart

Should I Stay Or Should I Go? by the Clash

Stranger Things, Season 1 Trailer (You can check out season 1 on DVD at the library!)

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 May 21, 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 to access it)

Digital Suggestions Of The Week:

The Accidental Buddhist, Mindfulness, Enlightenment, and Sitting Still by Dinty W. Moore:

A journey through the diverse landscape of American Buddhism, written with “a blessedly down-to-earth sense of humor” (Rodger Kamenetz, author of The Jew in the Lotus).

In an era when many of us yearn for an escape from a culture of noise and narcissism, this book takes us into the physical and spiritual geography of Buddhism, American-style: from a weekend at a mountain retreat for corporate executives learning effective ways to cope with stress, to a visit with a Zen teacher holding classes in an old Quaker farmhouse, to a meeting with a Catholic priest who’s also a Zen master.

Both a lively introduction to this Eastern spiritual tradition and a colorful portrait of American society, The Accidental Buddhist “makes the oftentimes impenetrable concepts of Buddhism accessible to the reader and contains striking, and important, parallels and contrasts between [the author’s] own Catholic upbringing and ancient Buddhist traditions” (Library Journal).

“A travelogue detailing the tremendous diversity within American Buddhism. His anecdotes make it clear that the umbrella term ‘Buddhist’ encompasses strict Zen monks, laid-back Tibetan politicos, and beatnik holdover Allen Ginsberg. In his travels, Moore attends weekend retreats, chronicles the Dalai Lama’s 1996 visit to Indiana, and grooves to Change Your Mind Day, a meditative Buddha-fest in New York City’s Central Park. . . . He finds that his family is his sangha (monastery), and while he still feels he is ‘probably a fairly lousy Buddhist,’ he will eclectically combine his various forms of new knowledge to find a path that makes sense to him. Now that may be an authentic American Buddhism.” —Kirkus Reviews

Iron Princess, Savage Trilogy, Book 2 by Meghan March, read by Grace Grant & Joe Arden (unabridged downloadable audiobook):

His very identity is a secret buried beneath layers of deception.

He’s also an addiction I can’t shake. An attraction I can’t fight.

And then I found out exactly who he is-a man more dangerous than the devil himself.

Now I need him in order to save everything that matters to me.

I have to pull back. Protect myself from the danger that haunts his every step.

Which would be easy … if I could stop myself from falling in love with him.

Savage Trilogy Booklist:
1. Savage Prince
2. Iron Princess
3. Rogue Royalty (Publication Date: 5/22/2018)

The Reluctant Cowboy: Morgan Ranch Series, Book 1 by Kate Pearce: 

After a turbulent childhood, the Morgan brothers went their separate ways, leaving the family cattle ranch and their cowboy days far behind. But now, one by one, they’re being called back home to California. Have they been summoned to save the land—or to start a new legacy?

Chase Morgan high-tailed it away from ranching life as soon as possible. But running a successful technology company can’t erase the memories, or secrets, of his youth. Coming home to help his Grandma Ruth may finally put some ghosts to rest—if he can just get a certain smart, beautiful houseguest out of his business.

But getting her out of his head is proving even more difficult…

Determined to save the Morgan ranch, historian January Mitchell has pinned her hopes on the surprisingly rugged, surprisingly likable, and exasperatingly stubborn Chase. Surely his love of this breathtaking, mysterious land runs deep enough that he’ll once again embrace his inner cowboy. Or maybe, despite both of their skittish hearts, she’ll have to find a way to get him back in the saddle…any which way she can.

“If you love cowboys—and who doesn’t—you’ll love the Morgans!” –Cora Seton, New York Times bestselling author

Morgan Ranch Series Book List:
1. The Reluctant Cowboy
2. The Maverick Cowboy
3. The Last Good Cowboy
4. The Bad Boy Cowboy
5. The Billionaire Bull Rider (Publication Date: July 31, 2018)
6. The Rancher (Publication Date: November 27, 2018)

The Restless Wave: Good Times, Just Causes, Great Fights, and Other Appreciations (Downloadable Audiobook) by John McCain with Mark Salter, read by Beau Bridges:

In this candid new political memoir from Senator John McCain, an American hero reflects on his life—and what matters most.

“I don’t know how much longer I’ll be here. Maybe I’ll have another five years. Maybe, with the advances in oncology, they’ll find new treatments for my cancer that will extend my life. Maybe I’ll be gone before you read this. My predicament is, well, rather unpredictable. But I’m prepared for either contingency, or at least I’m getting prepared. I have some things I’d like to take care of first, some work that needs finishing, and some people I need to see. And I want to talk to my fellow Americans a little more if I may.”

So writes John McCain in this inspiring, moving, frank, and deeply personal memoir. Written while confronting a mortal illness, McCain looks back with appreciation on his years in the Senate, his historic 2008 campaign for the presidency against Barack Obama, and his crusades on behalf of democracy and human rights in Eastern Europe and the Middle East.

Always the fighter, McCain attacks the “spurious nationalism” and political polarization afflicting American policy. He makes an impassioned case for democratic internationalism and bi-partisanship. He tells stories of his most satisfying moments of public service, including his work with another giant of the Senate, Edward M. Kennedy. Senator McCain recalls his disagreements with several presidents, and minces no words in his objections to some of President Trump’s statements and policies. At the same time, he offers a positive vision of America that looks beyond the Trump presidency.

The Restless Wave is John McCain at his best.

Legendary–A Caraval Novel, Caraval Series, Book 2 by Stephanie Garber (Publication Date: May 29, 2018 – request it now!):

New York Times bestselling author Stephanie Garber’s limitless imagination takes flight once more in the colorful, mesmerizing, and immersive sequel to the bestselling breakout debut Caraval

A heart to protect. A debt to repay. A game to win.

After being swept up in the magical world of Caraval, Donatella Dragna has finally escaped her father and saved her sister Scarlett from a disastrous arranged marriage. The girls should be celebrating, but Tella isn’t yet free. She made a desperate bargain with a mysterious criminal, and what Tella owes him no one has ever been able to deliver: Caraval Master Legend’s true name.

The only chance of uncovering Legend’s identity is to win Caraval, so Tella throws herself into the legendary competition once more—and into the path of the murderous heir to the throne, a doomed love story, and a web of secrets…including her sister’s. Caraval has always demanded bravery, cunning, and sacrifice. But now the game is asking for more. If Tella can’t fulfill her bargain and deliver Legend’s name, she’ll lose everything she cares about—maybe even her life.

But if she wins, Legend and Caraval will be destroyed forever.

Welcome, welcome to Caraval…the games have only just begun.

Caraval Book List:
1. Caraval
2. Legendary: A Caraval Novel

Print Suggestions Of The Week:

Charmed Bones: A Sarah Booth Delaney Mystery by Carolyn Haines:

USA Today bestselling author Carolyn Haines will once again delight readers with Charmed Bones, the next sparkling Sarah Booth Delaney mystery.

Zinnia, Mississippi is rife with quirky characters, but the arrival of three sister witches―and their intention to open a Wiccan boarding school―sets the small town on its ear. And bodies begin to accumulate as a result. Faith, Hope, and Charity Harrington are sexy and smart. They’re setting up their boarding school in an old dairy―a piece of property with tremendous development potential. And they’re standing in the way of “progress,” according to some in the town.

When young Corey Fontana goes missing, Delaney Detective Agency is hired to find the youth―who’s well known as a local hooligan. His mother, Kitten Fontana, who is married to the kind of land development, believes the witches have abducted her son and makes no bones about it. She’s willing to pay hard cash to find her son, especially if she can implicate the witches in his disappearance.

When Sarah Booth Delaney and her partner, Tinkie Richmond, find Corey, unharmed, it is only the beginning of a series of events that include midnight dances under a full moon, love potions, and murder. Are the sister witches criminals… or victims? Do they truly have magical powers, as they claim? Sarah Booth and Tinkie must find the answer before more people are harmed.

If you enjoy cozies – there are seventeen more of them in this light-hearted series!

Here is book list of Sarah Booth Delaney Mysteries:

1. Them Bones
2. Buried Bones
3. Splintered Bones
4. Crossed Bones
5. Hallowed Bones
6. Bones To Pick
7. Ham Bones
8. Wishbones
9. Greedy bones
10. Bone Appetit
11. Bones Of A Feather
12. Bonefire of the vanities
13. Smarty Bones
14. Booty Bones
15. Bone To Be Wild
16. Rock-A-Bye Bones
17. Sticks And Bones
18. Charmed Bones

The Ensemble: A Novel by Aja Gabel:

The addictive novel about four young friends navigating the cutthroat world of classical music and their complex relationships with each other, as ambition, passion, and love intertwine over the course of their lives.
Jana. Brit. Daniel. Henry. They would never have been friends if they hadn’t needed each other. They would never have found each other except for the art which drew them together. They would never have become family without their love for the music, for each other.

Brit is the second violinist, a beautiful and quiet orphan; on the viola is Henry, a prodigy who’s always had it easy; the cellist is Daniel, the oldest and an angry skeptic who sleeps around; and on first violin is Jana, their flinty, resilient leader. Together, they are the Van Ness Quartet. After the group’s youthful, rocky start, they experience devastating failure and wild success, heartbreak and marriage, triumph and loss, betrayal and enduring loyalty. They are always tied to each other – by career, by the intensity of their art, by the secrets they carry, by choosing each other over and over again.

Following these four unforgettable characters, Aja Gabel’s debut novel gives a riveting look into the high-stakes, cutthroat world of musicians, and of lives made in concert. The story of Brit and Henry and Daniel and Jana, The Ensemble is a heart-skipping portrait of ambition, friendship, and the tenderness of youth.

How To Walk Away: A Novel by Katherine Center:

From the author of Happiness for Beginners comes an unforgettable love story about finding joy even in the darkest of circumstances.

Margaret Jacobsen is just about to step into the bright future she’s worked for so hard and so long: a new dream job, a fiancé she adores, and the promise of a picture-perfect life just around the corner. Then, suddenly, on what should have been one of the happiest days of her life, everything she worked for is taken away in a brief, tumultuous moment.

In the hospital and forced to face the possibility that nothing will ever be the same again, Maggie must confront the unthinkable. First there is her fiancé, Chip, who wallows in self-pity while simultaneously expecting to be forgiven. Then, there’s her sister Kit, who shows up after pulling a three-year vanishing act. Finally, there’s Ian, her physical therapist, the one the nurses said was too tough for her. Ian, who won’t let her give in to her pity, and who sees her like no one has seen her before. Sometimes the last thing you want is the one thing you need. Sometimes we all need someone to catch us when we fall. And sometimes love can find us in the least likely place we would ever expect.

How to Walk Away is Katherine Center at her very best―a masterpiece of a novel that is both hopeful and hilarious; truthful and wise; tender and brave.

Let Me Die In His Footsteps by Lori Roy:

In the spellbinding and suspenseful Let Me Die in His Footsteps, an Edgar Award nominee for Best Novel, author Lori Roy wrests from a Southern town the secrets of two families touched by an evil that has passed between generations.

On a dark Kentucky night in 1952, exactly halfway between her fifteenth and sixteenth birthdays, Annie Holleran crosses into forbidden territory. Everyone knows Hollerans don’t go near Baines, not since Joseph Carl was buried two decades before, but Annie runs through her family’s lavender fields toward the well on the Baines’ place, hoping to see her future in the water. Instead, she finds a body, and Annie’s future becomes inextricably tied with her family’s dark past.

In 1936, the year Annie’s aunt, Juna Crowley, came of age, there were seven Baine boys. Before Juna, Joseph Carl had been the best of all the Baine brothers. But then he looked into Juna’s black eyes and they made him do things that cost innocent people their lives. With the pall of a young child’s death and the dark appetites of men working the sleepy town into a frenzy, Sheriff Irlene Fulkerson saw justice served—or did she?

As the investigation continues and she comes of age as Aunt Juna did in her own time, Annie’s dread mounts. Juna will come home now, to finish what she started. If Annie is to save herself, her family, and this small Kentucky town, she must prepare for Juna’s return, and the revelation of what really happened all those years ago.

Mr. Flood’s Last Resort: A Novel by Jess Kidd:

Maud Drennan is a dedicated caregiver whose sunny disposition masks a deep sadness. A tragic childhood event left her haunted, in the company of a cast of prattling saints who pop in and out of her life like tourists. Cathal Flood is a menace by all accounts. The lone occupant of a Gothic mansion crawling with feral cats, he has been waging war against his son’s attempts to put him into an old-age home and sent his last caretaker running for the madhouse. But Maud is this impossible man’s last chance: if she can help him get the house in order, he just might be able to stay. Still, shadows are growing in the cluttered corners of the mansion, hinting at buried family secrets, and reminding Maud that she doesn’t really know this man at all. When the forgotten case of a missing schoolgirl comes to light, she starts poking around, and a full-steam search for answers begin

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 May 18, 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 want to check out)

Freegal Streaming Suggestions*

High Cumberland Jubilee (1972) by Jimmy Buffett (Genre: Country, Rock, Folk):

High Cumberland Jubliee is festive Key West singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett’s second album, and his second for the Barnaby Label. Interestingly, Barnaby “lost” the album and only found it and released it after Buffett’s music became popular.

The LP features some great songs including: Rockefeller Square, Bend A Little, High Cumberland Jubliee/Comin’ Down Slow, Dilemma, Livingston’ Gone To Texas, God Down’t Own A Card and The Hangout Gang.

The Essential Babyface by Babyface (Genre: R&B, Pop):

Singer-songwriter & producer Kenneth Edmonds was born in 1959, in Indianapolis and began playing music in his teens. Edmonds gained his stage name, Babyface, while playing with Bootsy Collin’s band. He went on to play with the groups Manchild and Deele and along the way began writing and producing hit songs with his Deele writing partner – L.A. Reed. Some of the many artists that recorded songs co-written and produced by Babyface include: Johnny Gill, Madonna, Whitney Houston, Boyz II Men, Celine Dion, Mariah Carey, Mary J. Blige, En Vogue and Bobby Brown.

And in the midst of a very successful career as a song-writer and producer, Babyface even had time to record a few albums of his own! This collection features a number of his best known solo hits including: Every Time I Close My Eyes, When Can I See You, For The Cool in You, My Kinda Girl, Well Alright and The Day.

Clive Davis: The Soundtrack of Our Lives by Various Artists:

Clive Davis graduated from law school in 1960 and was first employed by Columbia Records as a contract lawyer – so he didn’t start out with a music career in mind. Davis worked his way up through the music business ranks, eventually working as a producer and, subsequently, taking over as president of CBS Records in 1967. Davis realized how successful CBS Records could become by signing rock groups since this was the era where rock albums were beginning to sell in increasingly large numbers. To that end, Davis signed Santana, The Electric Flag, Big Brother & The Holding Company, Chicago, Billy Joel, Bruce Springsteen and many others before he was dramatically fired for fraud.

Despite being fired by CBS, Davis’s talent for finding and launching new musical talent was too good to be ignored. So Davis went on to work for the music division of Columbia Pictures and was responsible for re-naming it Arista Records. At Arista he continued to sign artists that went on to become internationally famous including Patti Smith, Kenny G, Sarah McLachlan and Whitney Houston.

So perhaps needless to say, Davis is now considered one of the most notable record producers of the recording era.

This collection features a slice of popular songs produced by Davis from the sixties through the nineties. Songs/artists featured in the set include: Piece Of My Heart by Big Brother & The Holding Company, 25 or 6 to 4 by Chicago, Bridge Over Troubled Waters by Simon & Garfunkel, Blinded By The Light by Bruce Springsteen, Don’t Cry Out Loud by Melissa Manchester, September by Earth, Wind & Fire, Because The Night by Patti Smith, Freeway of Love by Aretha Franklin, Touch of Grey by the Grateful Dead and more.

Jack Teagarden & His Orchestra: The 1939 Recordings (Genre: Jazz, Classic Jazz):

This collection features a variety of pre-World War II recordings by the great Jazz trombonist and singer Jack Teagarden and his orchestra. Some of the other players featured in this collection include vocalist Jeanie Arnold and musicians Charlie Spivak, Cubby Teagarden, Ernie Caceres and Sid Feller.

This is a solid collection of swinging Jazz music featuring the songs The Sheik of Araby, Red Wing, United We Swing and If It’s Good (I Want It).

Recommended CD of the Week:

Nathaniel Rateliffe & The Night Sweats (2015) by Nathaniel Rateliffe & The Night Sweats (Genre: R&B, Folk, Rock, Classic Rock):

Nathaniel Rateliff & his band the Night Sweats hail from Denver, Colorado and play a great blend of roots rock, traditional R&B and folk music. This is the groups second album from 2015 and it is a super fun one for fans of early classic rock and sixties R&B – check it out!

Songs on the LP include: I Need Never Get Old, Howling At Nothing, Trying So Hard Not To Know, S.O.B., Wasting Time & Thank You.

Videos of the Week:

Rockefeller Square by Jimmy Buffett:

When Can I See You by Babyface:

Piece of My Heart by Big Brother And The Holding Company:

Blinded by the Light by Bruce Springsteen:

Because The Night by Patti Smith: 

Touch of Grey by The Grateful Dead:

Yankee Doodle by Jack Teagarden & His Orchestra featuring Jean Arnold:

*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.

Have a great weekend!

Linda, SSCL

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 May 14, 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:

Almost Paradise: A Novel by Debbie Macomber:

Debbie Macomber dazzles in a contemporary update of Snow White.

Despite the picturesque view, it’s a kiss that turns an unlikely pair into a fairy-tale romance.

A mountain cabin. A moonlit night. And not a stepmother around to spoil the moment. For a burnt-out grad student looking for a little fun, this camp is paradise . . . well, almost. With seven mischievous girls in her cabin, Sherry White barely has time to whistle while she works. Then there’s the camp director, who may be the most gorgeous man Sherry’s ever met—and the most serious too. Even after they share a perfect kiss under the stars, Sherry wonders whether they’ll ever see eye to eye.

When Jeff Roarke founded his camp for gifted children, he had a vision of rigorous education and self-improvement. Now Sherry is about to ruin everything with her insistence that kids need to let loose and play. Sherry’s minions are driving him crazy, but the worst part is, Jeff’s beginning to think that resistance is futile. Because Sherry is messing with his agenda, his head . . . and his heart.

God Save Texas: A Journey into the Soul of the Lone Star State (unabridged downloadable audiobook) written and read by Lawrence Wright:

With humor and the biting insight of a native, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Looming Tower explores the history, culture, and politics of Texas, while holding the stereotypes up for rigorous scrutiny.

God Save Texas is a journey through the most controversial state in America. It is a red state in the heart of Trumpland that hasn’t elected a Democrat to a statewide office in more than twenty years; but it is also a state in which minorities already form a majority (including the largest number of Muslims). The cities are blue and among the most diverse in the nation. Oil is still king but Texas now leads California in technology exports. The Texas economic model of low taxes and minimal regulation has produced extraordinary growth but also striking income disparities. Texas looks a lot like the America that Donald Trump wants to create. And Wright’s profound portrait of the state not only reflects our country back as it is, but as it was and as it might be.

One Last Breath by Lisa Jackson:

EVERY FAMILY HAS ITS SECRETS
Rory Abernathy’s wedding to Liam Bastian turned into a bloodbath. She fled after stabbing a masked intruder, just before a gunman opened fire on the wedding party. Five years on, Rory still has no idea who was behind the attacks. Fearful she and her daughter remain targets, she’s made a new life far from Liam and the wealthy, powerful Bastians.

BUT SOME
But even in remote Point Roberts, Washington, she can’t hide from the past. Liam tracks Rory down, stunned to learn they have a child. Did someone in Rory’s family try to kill him for his portion of the Bastian estate? As they gradually overcome distrust in search of the truth, Rory knows one thing for certain: someone is watching her…

ARE WORTH KILLING FOR
Time has passed, but the killer’s need for vengeance hasn’t. And as a nightmare stirs to life again, Rory will find that this time, there’s nowhere left to run…

Queen Victoria’s Children by John Van der Kiste:

Queen Victoria and Albert, the Prince Consort, had nine children who, despite their very different characters remained a close-knit family. Inevitably, as they married into European royal families their loyalties were divided and their lives dominated by political controversy. This is not only the story of their lives in terms of world impact, but also of personal achievements in their own right, individual contributions to public life in Britain and overseas, and as the children of Queen Victoria and the Prince Consort. John van der Kiste weaves together the lives of each of these children and shows how their mother was the thread that kept the family together. It is a refreshing insight into one of history’s most popular royal families.

To Die but Once: A Maisie Dobbs Novel by Jacqueline Winspear:

Maisie Dobbs—one of the most complex and admirable characters in contemporary fiction (Richmond Times Dispatch)—faces danger and intrigue on the home front during World War II.

During the months following Britain’s declaration of war on Germany, Maisie Dobbs investigates the disappearance of a young apprentice working on a hush-hush government contract. As news of the plight of thousands of soldiers stranded on the beaches of France is gradually revealed to the general public, and the threat of invasion rises, another young man beloved by Maisie makes a terrible decision that will change his life forever.

Maisie’s investigation leads her from the countryside of rural Hampshire to the web of wartime opportunism exploited by one of the London underworld’s most powerful men, in a case that serves as a reminder of the inextricable link between money and war. Yet when a final confrontation approaches, she must acknowledge the potential cost to her future—and the risk of destroying a dream she wants very much to become reality.

Print Suggestions Of The Week:

The Abbot’s Tale: A Novel by Conn Iggulden:

In the year 937, the new king of England, a grandson of Alfred the Great, readies himself to go to war in the north. His dream of a united kingdom of all England will stand or fall on one field on the passage of a single day. At his side is the priest Dunstan of Glastonbury, full of ambition and wit. His talents will take him from the villages of Wessex to the royal court, to the hills of Rome from exile to exaltation. Through Dunstan’s vision, by his guiding hand, England will either come together as one great country or fall back into anarchy and misrule.

All The Castles Burned: A Novel by Michael Nye:

When Owen Webb, the son of working-class parents, receives a scholarship to the prestigious Rockcastle Preparatory Academy, the mysterious and enigmatic Carson Bly, an upperclassman from a wealthy and powerful family, befriends him. Their friendship, deepened through a love of basketball, becomes an obsession for Owen who is desperate to avoid the growing trouble at home between his parents. When Owen’s father is arrested for a shocking and unexpected crime, his family is torn apart, and Owen’s anger and fear are carefully manipulated by Carson’s mercurial and increasingly dangerous personality. Owen, who has fallen in love with Carson’s beautiful but troubled sister, quickly finds himself caught up in a complex web of lies that threatens his once promising future.

The Crooked Staircase by Dean Koontz:

Jane Hawk—who dazzled readers in The Silent Corner and The Whispering Room—faces the fight of her life, against the threat of a lifetime, in this electrifying new thriller by #1 New York Times bestselling suspense master Dean Koontz.

“I could be dead tomorrow. Or something worse than dead.”

Jane Hawk knows she may be living on borrowed time. But as long as she’s breathing, she’ll never cease her one-woman war against the terrifying conspiracy that threatens the freedom—and free will—of millions. Battling the strange epidemic of murder-suicides that claimed Jane’s husband, and is escalating across the country, has made the rogue FBI agent a wanted fugitive, relentlessly hunted not only by the government but by the secret cabal behind the plot. Deploying every resource their malign nexus of power and technology commands, Jane’s enemies are determined to see her dead . . . or make her wish she was.

Jane’s ruthless pursuers can’t stop her from drawing a bead on her prey: a cunning man with connections in high places, a twisted soul of unspeakable depths with an army of professional killers on call. Propelled by her righteous fury and implacable insistence on justice, Jane will make her way from southern Southern California to the snow-swept slopes of Lake Tahoe to confront head-on the lethal forces arrayed against her. But nothing can prepare her for the chilling truth that awaits when she descends the crooked staircase to the dark and dreadful place where her long nightmare was born.

I Am Justice by Diana Munoz Stewart:

This bad-ass band of sisters plays for keeps.

She’s ready to start a war

Justice Parish takes down bad guys. Rescued from the streets by the world renowned Parish family, she joined their covert sisterhood of vigilante assassins. Her next target: a sex-trafficking ring in the war-torn Middle East. She just needs to get close enough to take them down…

He just wants peace

Sandesh Ross left Special Forces to found a humanitarian group to aid war-torn countries. But saving the world isn’t cheap. Enter Parish Industries and limitless funding, with one catch―their hot, prickly ‘PR specialist’, Justice Parish.

Their chemistry is instant and off-the-charts. But when Justice is injured and her cover blown, Sandesh has to figure out if he can reconcile their missions. With danger dogging their every move, their white-hot passion can change the world―if it doesn’t destroy them first.

Band of Sisters Series:
I Am Justice (Book 1)
I Am Grace (Book 2)
I Am Honor (Book 3)

On Fahrenheit 451:

In anticipation of the forthcoming HBO movie Fahrenheit 451, based upon the 1953 novel by Ray Bradbury, The New York Times features an essay written by the director of the new film – Ramin Bahrani. Bahrani offers fascinating insight on what intrigues him about the Bradbury story and how, despite the fact that it was published more than sixty years ago, both the film and the book are very relevant today.

To access Bahrani’s essay in the times click the following photo:

And here are links to the different versions of Fahrenheit 451 available for checkout:

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (Print Book)

Ray Bradbury’s internationally acclaimed novel Fahrenheit 451 is a masterwork of twentieth-century literature set in a bleak, dystopian future.

Guy Montag is a fireman. In his world, where television rules and literature is on the brink of extinction, firemen start fires rather than put them out. His job is to destroy the most illegal of commodities, the printed book, along with the houses in which they are hidden.

Montag never questions the destruction and ruin his actions produce, returning each day to his bland life and wife, Mildred, who spends all day with her television “family.” But then he meets an eccentric young neighbor, Clarisse, who introduces him to a past where people didn’t live in fear and to a present where one sees the world through the ideas in books instead of the mindless chatter of television.

When Mildred attempts suicide and Clarisse suddenly disappears, Montag begins to question everything he has ever known. He starts hiding books in his home, and when his pilfering is discovered, the fireman has to run for his life.

Fahrenheit 451 audiobook on CD, written by Ray Bradbury and read by Christopher Hurt:

Fahrenheit 451 (1966) DVD

Starring Oskar Werner & Julie Christie, Directed by François Truffaut

In the future, an oppressive government maintains control of public opinion by outlawing literature and maintaining a group of enforcers known as “firemen” to perform the necessary book burnings. This is the premise of Ray Bradbury’s acclaimed science-fiction novel Fahrenheit 451, which became the source material for French director François Truffaut’s English-language debut. While some liberties are taken with the description of the world, the narrative remains the same, as fireman Montag (Oskar Werner) begins to question the morality of his vocation. Curious about the world of books, he soon falls in love with a beautiful young member of a pro-literature underground — and with literature itself. Critics were divided on the effectiveness of the result; some praised the unique design and eerie color cinematography by Nicolas Roeg, while others found the film’s stylized approach overly distancing and attacked the central performances as unnatural. In any case, however, the film inarguably succeeds in making Truffaut’s reverence for the written word abundantly clear, especially during the film’s justifiably famous finale. —Judd Blaise, AllMovies.com

And available in the Digital Catalog:

Fahrenheit 451 written by Ray Bradbury and read by Stephen Hoye (downloadable audiobook):

And the eBook version of Fahrenheit 451 will be available in the Digital Catalog later this week!

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 May 11, 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 want to listen to!)

Freegal Streaming Suggestions*

Ramblin’ (1963) by New Christy Minstrels (Genre: Folk, Sixties Folk, Pop):

This popular folk group, founded in the early sixties and still touring, has included many members over the years; the line-up for this album includes Dolan Ellis, Jackie Miller, Gayle Caldwell and Barry McGuire later of “Eve of Destruction” fame.

This album is widely considered to be their best and includes their biggest hit the McGuire penned “Green, Green.”

Songs on the light hearted, up-tempo album include: Mighty Mississippi, Hi Jolly, A Travelin’ Man, Down the Ohio, The Drinkin’ Gourd, Green, Green, Ride, Ride, Ride and My Dear Mary Anne.

Eclipse (2018) by Joey Alexander (Genre: Jazz):

Joey Alexander is a 15-year-old jazz pianist from Indonesia and to say he is a natural is an understatement! I saw him performed a concert as part of this past season’s Civic Music series – and boy, can he play! Eclipse is his new album and features the songs: Bali, Faithful, Draw me Nearer, Moment’s Notice, Eclipse, Blackbird and The Very Thought of You.

Short Days, Long Nights (2016) by Various Artists (Genre: Rock, Classic Rock, Pop):

This thirty song compilation was released in 2016 and I can’t find much information online about it – but it is a great collection of songs! The set includes great classic pop/rock songs and some newer ones. Artists featured range from the Jefferson Airplane to Bob Weir, Fiona Apple and the Kings of Leon!

Songs in the set include: Everybody Here Wants You by Jeff Buckley, Free Fallin’ by John Mayer, Waves by Miguel with Kacey Musgraves, Collide by Howie Day, Manhattan by Sara Bareilles, Satellite by Dave Matthews Band, Sweet Jane by Cowboy Junkies, Fair Play by Van Morrison, Man of the Hour by Pearl Jam and Independence Day by Bruce Springsteen.

Last Man Standing (2018) by Willie Nelson (Genre: Country):

Last Man Standing is the brand new album by country legend Willie Nelson. This collection features eleven songs written by Willie and his long-time songwriting partner Buddy Cannon.

Songs on the LP include: Last Man Standing, Don’t Tell Noah, Bad Breath, Me And You, Something To Get Through and Ready to Roar.

Bonus Streaming Album:

Recorded Live At Tweed Recording (2012) by Luke Winslow King (Genre: Blues, Traditional Blues):

Luke Winslow-King is originally from Cadillac, Michigan and now hails from New Orleans. He is a versatile singer-songwriter and guitarist who plays vintage blues and this LP sounds like it was recorded decades ago – so if you enjoy vintage blues – check it out!

Songs on this 5 song LP include: Mississippi Slow Drag, Miss The Mississippi And You, Ragtime Millionaire, I Know She’ll Do Right and April To May.

Recommended CD of the Week:

The Complete Johnny Mercer Songbook by Various Artists:

This three disc set features 48 songs written by the legendary songwriter Johnny Mercer and recorded by great jazz artists.

Songs/Artists in the set include: Blues In the Night by Louis Armstrong, Hit The Road To Dreamland by Mel Torme, Skylark by Ella Fitzgerald, Early Autumn by Woody Herman, That Old Black Magic by Shirley Horn, Jeepers Creepers by Bing Crosby with Buddy Bregman’s Orchestra, Dream by Dinah Washington, On The Atchison, Topeka, And the Santa Fe by jack Teagarden, Moon River by Sarah Vaughan and many more.

Videos of the Week:

Green Green by New Christy Minstrels

The Drinkin’ Gourd (The Muddy Road To Freedom) by the New Christy Minstrels featuring Gene Clark:

Note: this sound on this video clip shows its age – but it is a cool video of the group recorded in the sixties at Fordham University and well worth watching!

Eclipse album trailer by Joey Alexander:

Epistrophy by Joey Alexander – Live at Jazz Standard with Charnett Moffett & Ulysses Owens Jr.:

Everybody Here Wants You by Jeff Buckley: 

Sweet Jane by Cowboy Junkies:

Independence Day by Bruce Springsteen:

Last Man Standing by Willie Nelson:

Ragtime Millionaires by Luke Winslow-King:

Early Autumn by Woody Herman & His Orchestra:

Jeepers Creepers by Bing Crosby:

Moon River by Sarah Vaughn:

Have a great weekend!

Linda, SSCL

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 May 7, 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 Female Persuasion: A Novel (unabridged audiobook) written by Meg Wolitzer and read by Rebecca Lowman:

To be admired by someone we admire – we all yearn for this: the private, electrifying pleasure of being singled out by someone of esteem. But sometimes it can also mean entry to a new kind of life, a bigger world.

Greer Kadetsky is a shy college freshman when she meets the woman she hopes will change her life. Faith Frank, dazzlingly persuasive and elegant at sixty-three, has been a central pillar of the women’s movement for decades, a figure who inspires others to influence the world. Upon hearing Faith speak for the first time, Greer- madly in love with her boyfriend, Cory, but still full of longing for an ambition that she can’t quite place- feels her inner world light up. And then, astonishingly, Faith invites Greer to make something out of that sense of purpose, leading Greer down the most exciting path of her life as it winds toward and away from her meant-to-be love story with Cory and the future she’d always imagined.

Charming and wise, knowing and witty, Meg Wolitzer delivers a novel about power and influence, ego and loyalty, womanhood and ambition. At its heart, The Female Persuasion is about the flame we all believe is flickering inside of us, waiting to be seen and fanned by the right person at the right time. It’s a story about the people who guide and the people who follow (and how those roles evolve over time), and the desire within all of us to be pulled into the light.

Cave of Bones by Anne Hillerman:

New York Times bestselling author Anne Hillerman brings together modern mystery, Navajo traditions, and the evocative landscape of the desert Southwest in this intriguing entry in the Leaphorn, Chee, and Manuelito series.

When Tribal Police Officer Bernadette Manuelito arrives to speak at an outdoor character-building program for at-risk teens, she discovers chaos. Annie, a young participant on a solo experience due back hours before, has just returned and is traumatized. Gently questioning the girl, Bernie learns that Annie stumbled upon a human skeleton on her trek. While everyone is relieved that Annie is back, they’re concerned about a beloved instructor who went out into the wilds of the rugged lava wilderness bordering Ramah Navajo Reservation to find the missing girl. The instructor vanished somewhere in the volcanic landscape known as El Malpais. In Navajo lore, the lava caves and tubes are believed to be the solidified blood of a terrible monster killed by superhuman twin warriors.

Solving the twin mysteries will expose Bernie to the chilling face of human evil. The instructor’s disappearance mirrors a long-ago search that may be connected to a case in which the legendary Joe Leaphorn played a crucial role. But before Bernie can find the truth, an unexpected blizzard, a suspicious accidental drowning, and the arrival of a new FBI agent complicate the investigation.
While Bernie searches for answers in her case, her husband, Sergeant Jim Chee juggles trouble closer to home. A vengeful man he sent to prison for domestic violence is back—and involved with Bernie’s sister Darleen. Their relationship creates a dilemma that puts Chee in uncomfortable emotional territory that challenges him as family man, a police officer, and as a one-time medicine man in training.

Anne Hillerman takes us deep into the heart of the deserts, mountains, and forests of New Mexico and once again explores the lore and rituals of Navajo culture in this gripping entry in her atmospheric crime series.

Classified as Murder: Cat in the Stacks Mystery Series, Book 2 by Miranda James

Librarian Charlie Harris and his cat Diesel must catalog a killer in this mystery in the New York Times bestselling Cat in the Stacks series.

Suspecting that someone is stealing from him, the aging and eccentric James Delacorte wants Charlie to do an inventory on his rare book collection. Soon after they begin, Delacorte is found dead at his desk, leaving Charlie with the bigger task of solving his murder.

Immediately Charlie is suspicious of Delacorte’s own family, and relies on the help of Diesel to paw around for clues. The cat and mouse game heats up after a highly valued copy of Edgar Allan Poe’s Tamerlane goes missing and a second murder occurs. Now Charlie and Diesel must solve the case before the killer strikes a third time—and hope curiosity doesn’t kill the cat…

Midnight Sons and Daughters by Debbie Macomber:

Scott O’Halloran and Chrissie Harris are all grown up now. After years away from Alaska, Scott’s back in town, and everybody’s wondering if he’s here to stay. Especially Chrissie, the girl he left behind…This novella is perfect for reading in one sitting.

Varina by Charles Frazier:

Sooner or later, history asks, which side were you on?

In his powerful new novel, Charles Frazier returns to the time and place of Cold Mountain, vividly bringing to life the chaos and devastation of the Civil War

Her marriage prospects limited, teenage Varina Howell agrees to wed the much-older widower Jefferson Davis, with whom she expects the secure life of a Mississippi landowner. Davis instead pursues a career in politics and is eventually appointed president of the Confederacy, placing Varina at the white-hot center of one of the darkest moments in American history—culpable regardless of her intentions.

The Confederacy falling, her marriage in tatters, and the country divided, Varina and her children escape Richmond and travel south on their own, now fugitives with “bounties on their heads, an entire nation in pursuit.”

Intimate in its detailed observations of one woman’s tragic life and epic in its scope and power, Varina is a novel of an American war and its aftermath. Ultimately, the book is a portrait of a woman who comes to realize that complicity carries consequences.

Print Suggestions Of The Week:

Blackfish City: A Novel by Sam J Miller:

After the climate wars, a floating city is constructed in the Arctic Circle, a remarkable feat of mechanical and social engineering, complete with geothermal heating and sustainable energy. The city’s denizens have become accustomed to a roughshod new way of living, however, the city is starting to fray along the edges—crime and corruption have set in, the contradictions of incredible wealth alongside direst poverty are spawning unrest, and a new disease called “the breaks” is ravaging the population.

When a strange new visitor arrives—a woman riding an orca, with a polar bear at her side—the city is entranced. The “orcamancer,” as she’s known, very subtly brings together four people—each living on the periphery—to stage unprecedented acts of resistance. By banding together to save their city before it crumbles under the weight of its own decay, they will learn shocking truths about themselves.

Blackfish City is a remarkably urgent—and ultimately very hopeful—novel about political corruption, organized crime, technology run amok, the consequences of climate change, gender identity, and the unifying power of human connection.

He: A Novel by John Connolly: 

John Connolly recreates the Golden Age of Hollywood in this moving, literary portrait of two men who found their true selves in a comedic partnership. When Stan Laurel was paired with Oliver Hardy, affectionately known as Babe, the history of comedy–not to mention their personal and professional lives–would be altered forever.

Laurel followed in the wake of Charlie Chaplin, who blazed a trail from the vaudeville stages of England to the dynamic, if often seedy and highly volatile, movie studios of Los Angeles in the early 20th century. Awed like everyone else by Chaplin’s genius (and ambition and cruelty), Laurel despaired of ever finding his own path to success–or happiness.

But success and happiness did find Laurel, following the inspired decision by impresario Hal Roach to put him and Oliver Hardy together on screen. Initially a calculated marriage of opposites in an era of highly disposable short films, the partnership bloomed into a professional and personal relationship of lifelong depth.

Eventually, Laurel became one of the greatest screen comedians the world has ever known: a man who knew both adoration and humiliation; who loved, and was loved in turn; who betrayed, and was betrayed; who never sought to cause pain to anyone else, yet left a trail of affairs and broken marriages in his wake.

And whose life was ultimately defined by one relationship of such astonishing tenderness and devotion that only death could sever their profound connection.

Murder on Union Square by Victoria Thompson:

When a murder hits close to home, Frank finds himself in an unusual position–the prime suspect in the latest installment of the national bestselling Gaslight Mystery series…

Sarah and Frank Malloy are enjoying married life and looking to make their family official by adopting Catherine, the child whom Sarah rescued and has been raising as her daughter. The process seems fairly straightforward, but at the last minute, the newlyweds discover that Parnell Vaughn, Catherine’s legal father, has a claim on the child, and his grasping fiancée is demanding a financial settlement to relinquish parental rights. Even though exchanging money for a child is illegal, Frank and Sarah’s love for Catherine drives them to comply.

When Frank returns with the money and finds Vaughn beaten to death, all evidence points to Frank as the culprit. A not-quite-famous actor with modest means, Vaughn seems an unlikely candidate for murder, particularly such a violent crime of passion. But Frank soon uncovers real-life intrigue as dramatic as any that appears on stage.

Sarah and Frank enlist those closest to them to help hunt for Vaughn’s killer as Frank’s own life–and the future of their family–hang in the balance.

The Shadow of Death: A Sister Agatha and Father Selwyn Mystery (Sister Agatha and Father Selwyn Mysteries) by Jane Willan:

The sisters of Gwenafwy Abbey have cherished their contemplative life―days spent in prayer, reflection, tending the Convent’s vegetable gardens and making their award-winning organic cheese, Heavenly Gouda. Life seems perfect, except for Sister Agatha, a die-hard mystery fan who despairs of ever finding any real life inspiration for her own novel. That is, until the Abbey’s sexton is found dead under an avalanche of gouda. Despite the reservations of the local constable, Sister Agatha is convinced it’s murder and the game is afoot.

Armed only with the notes she’s scribbled during her favorite podcast, How to Write a Mystery Novel, as well as a lessons learned from crime heroes ranging from Hercule Poirot to Stephanie Plum, Sister Agatha leads the nuns of Gwenafwy Abbey (and her unwitting sidekick, Father Selwyn) as they begin a race against time to resolve the death of Jacob, save the Abbey, exonerate a beloved postulant, and restore the good name of their cheese.

The Wolf (Under the Northern Sky) by Leo Carew:

In Leo Carew’s thrilling and savagely visceral debut epic fantasy, The Wolf, violence and death come to the land under the Northern Sky when two fierce races break their age-old fragile peace and begin an all-out war.

Beyond the Black River, among the forests and mountains of the north, lives an ancient race of people. Their lives are measured in centuries, not decades; they revel in wilderness and resilience, and they scorn wealth and comfort.

By contrast, those in the south live in the moment, their lives more fleeting. They crave wealth and power; their ambition is limitless, and their cunning unmatched.

When the armies of the south flood across the Black river, the fragile peace between the two races is shattered. On a lightning-struck battlefield, the two sides will fight – for their people, for their land, for their very survival.

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.