Tag: Jodi Picoult

Belated Suggested Reading Ten: September 16 & 23, 2026

Linda Reimer

Hi everyone, I realized today, I forgot to publish the Suggested Reading posts for September 16 & 23 – so here they are!

And I’ll make sure the next batch of Suggested Reading five posts are published on the right dates.

So, basically, we have a suggested reading 10 post this time!

Have a great weekend!

Linda Reimer, SSCL

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Exit Party by Emily St. John Mandel 

Mandel revisits a character from her second novel, The Singer’s Gun (2010), in this sophisticated, layered look at societal breakdown. Readers are reintroduced to Ari Waker, who has served an 18-year prison sentence after being convicted of taking out a hit on her cousin. Ari reemerges in 2031 in what is no longer the United States: the country has fallen and splintered into separate and often unstable nation states. Ari first makes her home in Los Angeles, part of the Republic of California, where she attends a strange party with her roommate, during which the doppelgangers of two-party guests appear and the host vanishes. The repercussions of this reverberate over the next several decades and throughout two timelines. As in her previous title, Sea of Tranquility (2022), Mandel jumps through time and multiple perspectives to create a thoroughly unique narrative that requires deep involvement and attention to detail. “”If you live long enough, you become a migrant from another timeline,”” one of her characters observes in a statement that is both literal and thematic in this multifaceted, sprawling exploration of two very different futures for a country that stands on the brink of massive change. As ever in her own wholly original and singular way, Mandel offers up a completely compelling, richly rendered yarn that’s sure to generate both major interest and discussion.–Starred Booklist Reivew

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Hollow Bones by Jodi Picoult 

Picoult revisits a character from one of her beloved previous books in this latest entry, which follows Molly, who lost her mother on 9/11. She was just a baby but her mother’s death shaped her life, motivating her to pursue a career in disaster relief. In the present day, Molly is head of the Center for Emergency Preparedness and Response in Rhode Island. She’s fallen hard for and wed Jesse Fitzgerald, a polygraph expert Picoult fans will recognize as the troubled teen arsonist from My Sister’s Keeper (2004), who is almost a decade and a half older than her. When Molly discovers she’s pregnant, she struggles with the implications of bringing a child into her life given her career, but then she’s thrown a major curveball that leads her to question everything she thought she knew about herself and her family. Picoult never shies away from difficult subject matter, and here she shines a light on postpartum psychosis and the devastating fallout both the condition and its under-diagnosis can cause. A few late-in-the-game melodramatic developments don’t undercut what is ultimately a powerful and deeply affecting exploration of grief, loss, guilt, and enduring love. — Starred Booklist Review

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A Murderous Business by Cathy Pegau 

A sharp, captivating historical mystery about two queer women in turn-of-the-century New York, for fans of Lavender House and A Most Agreeable Murder 

There can be a blurry line between what is ethical and what is legal. 

Margot Baxter Harriman took the reins of B&H Foods after her father passed. It’s not easy being a business woman in 1912, but she is determined to continue what her grandparents started decades ago, no matter what it takes. 

So when Margot finds Mrs. Gilroy, her father’s former assistant, dead in the office with a half-finished note confessing to nebulous misdeeds at B&H, she seeks out help from a very discreet, private investigator to figure out what’s going on. Her company, and her good name, are at stake if scandal breaks…and she could lose everything, including her freedom. 

Loretta “Rett” Mancini has run her father’s investigation operation since he started becoming increasingly forgetful. When Margot offers her the chance to look into the potential scandal with B&H, she jumps at it. 

But the more the two dig in, the more it becomes clear that Margot’s company may be too far lost…and someone is willing to kill them both to keep things quiet. 

Charming and witty, Cathy Pegau’s A Murderous Business is perfect for fans of Lev Ac Rosen, Enola Holmes by Nancy Springer, and the Mr. Darcy and Miss Tilney mysteries by Claudia Gray.

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Never Say Die: A Memoir by Ke Huy Quan 

Memories of a child star turned Oscar winner. With wit, charm, and gratitude, Quan traces his history from the time he was a child in Vietnam in the 1970s through winning an Oscar and other major awards for the role of Waymond Wang in Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022). As ethnic Chinese, Quan and his parents and eight siblings were persecuted in Vietnam after the war before making their way to a refugee camp in Hong Kong and then on to Los Angeles. He describes with care and attention a harrowing experience that involved much uncertainty and a year-long separation from his mother and three of his siblings. In 1982, he says, his life split again into “before and after,” when, on a whim, he auditioned for a movie role and was cast as Short Round in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984), followed by the role of Data in The Goonies (1985). He relates with enthusiasm and affection stories of being mentored by Steven Spielberg, taught to swim by Harrison Ford, and hanging out with other cast members in a motel. After The Goonies, film roles dried up for Quan, but he doesn’t neglect the story of what he calls “the lost years”: He went to film school at the University of Southern California, served as a stunt man and assistant director in several films, and met the woman, Echo, who would become his wife. He brings to life the challenges and rewards of filming Everything Everywhere, for which he had to create “three versions of the same man, each with his own physical language and way of moving through the world.” A touching account of a life with more than its share of ups and downs.– Kirkus Review 

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When America Roared How the 1980s Saved, Then Broke, the Country—and Led Us to Today by Jonathan Kaufman 

The panoramic story of the 1980s, exploring the triumphs and failures of the decade that shaped the 21st century more than any other, from a Pulitzer Prize winning reporter who witnessed the transformations firsthand 

In January 1980, America seemed broken. Inflation raged. Interest rates topped 20 percent. Americans were held hostage in Iran. The Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan with impunity. Japan was eating American manufacturing alive. Three networks controlled what Americans watched. China had been closed for 30 years. 

Ten years later, everything had changed. The economy was booming. The Soviet Empire was collapsing. American businesses were competitive again. 

In this immersive, character-driven narrative, Jonathan Kaufman lays bare the contending ideologies—and people—who battled for control of business, media and politics in the 1980s, shaping the way we live today. As Ronald Reagan and conservatives pummeled the Democratic party, as Jack Welch redefined leadership at Fortune 500 companies, and as deregulation spearheaded by Mark Fowler allowed television to become the hundreds of specialized and partisan channels we watch now, the groundwork was laid for our current economic and political conflicts. The decade also launched transformative social and political movements. Karen Nussbaum and Jane Fonda galvanized a struggling women’s movement, Evan Wolfson spearheaded the gay community’s legal fight against a hostile government, and Barack Obama cut his teeth as a community organizer in Chicago—all building long-lasting movements whose success progressives can learn from today. 

From pivotal moments in board rooms and court rooms, to cultural touchstones like the birth of hip hop and of conservative talk radio, as well as the author’s eyewitness experiences in Tiananmen Square and Prague, When America Roared is the riveting story of how the 1980s built the world we live in, for better and for worse. It is the decade that made us—and the key to understanding where we go from here. 

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Buzzard by Inez Ray  

DEBUT Midwife Mae is one of the last abortion providers in a fractured former United States. After being arrested, she’s put to work as a nurse in Buzzard, a training camp for teen drone operators. When a pregnant teen begs for help, Mae has to decide whether to keep her head down or stand up for her beliefs. Years later, a government representative hoping to expose Buzzard’s corporate sponsor tracks Mae down to ask for her story, forcing her to revisit the secrets she discovered during her time there. This is a modern cousin of The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood, reflecting contemporary anxieties with its high-tech, climate-impacted future. The abortion doula perspective adds a new and welcome twist to speculative fiction exploring reproductive rights, as Mae–like everyone–has to choose between her principles and keeping herself and her family safe. Ray’s other point-of-view characters (the government representative Sona and one of Mae’s sons left to fend for himself after her arrest) are less fleshed out, primarily serving to support Mae’s story. VERDICT Ray’s debut, a timely post-Dobbs dystopia, is likely to attract attention and get readers talking.–Library Journal Review  

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Fury In Death by J. D. Robb 

Lieutenant Eve Dallas and her seasoned colleagues at the NYSPD, along with her dashing husband, businessman and police consultant Roarke, are in a race against time to solve a string of brutal murders. The mystery revolves around who is targeting top employees of the bioengineering firm Banner-Wyst and why. The sheer savagery of the victims’ beatings makes it difficult to believe only a single assailant was involved, especially given the staff’s high-security measures. However, the violent deaths appear isolated to the victims, with their family and friends safe from harm. Dallas’s instincts lead her to conclude that these are deeply personal attacks, driven by profound trauma and rage rather than a motive of financial gain. Following a trail of suspicious offshore accounts, Dallas works to unravel a 13-year-old mystery. What she and her team discover is a level of corruption, greed, and evil almost too shocking to believe.  

VERDICT Readers will be on the edge of their seats with this latest intricately crafted thriller in Robb’s bestselling series (following Stolen in Death). 

Reader’s Note: This is the sixty third book in the In Death Series. If you’d like to binge read from the beginning, check out book one: Naked In Death.  

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Liberation Summer: The Moment That Changed the Women’s Movement and the Future of American Politics by Micki McElya 

Women on parade. Feminist historian McElya uses the 1968 Miss America pageant as an anchor for a wide-ranging, comprehensive cultural history of the anti-war, civil rights, and women’s liberation movements that converged to protest the event. Drawing on a wealth of sources–including memoirs, published interviews, biographies, and histories–McElya recounts the origins and activities of the many contingencies that roiled American society: the National Organization for Women, National Women’s Party, Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee, Jeannette Rankin Brigade, NAACP, Southern Christian Leadership Conference, Students for a Democratic Society, Yippies, Miss Black America Pageant Organization, and several factions of the women’s liberation movement. Hardly cohesive and often fractious, the movement comprised three main blocs that competed to set goals: “One faction thought the women should meet primarily as a reading and study group to better understand the sources of their oppression and build the theoretical foundations for liberation; another faction urged focusing mostly on direct-action protests; and the third faction…argued that the foundations for liberation would be found only through consciousness raising (CR), which should be the core of the group’s work.” They were united, however, over their view of the cultural significance of the pageant, which they believed demeaned and trivialized women. McElya traces the history of the pageant, from its beginnings in post-World War I America, when it mirrored the “anti-radicalism” and “anti-immigrant politics” of mainstream America; Bess Myerson, the first Jewish winner, in 1945, confronted unabashed antisemitism. The Miss Black America Pageant, protesting the event’s long history of racism, augmented the scope of women’s anger. McElya’s narrative is well-populated with activists (liberal and conservative), politicians (and their wives), reporters, and pageant contestants, among a huge cast. Prodigious research informs a lively contribution to women’s history.–Starred Kirkus Review  

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Story Telling: A Writing Life by Isabel Allende 

In this charming and welcome celebration of the magic and power of literature, Allende (My Name Is Emilia del Valle, 2025) reflects on her experiences, from joys to tragedies, dreams, and inspiring mentors. Beginning with her early days as a journalist in Chile through her exile in Venezuela, life in California, and travels around the world, writing has been Allende’s constant companion. She now shares her knowledge and insights, covering all the basics and beyond, with openness and a disarming vulnerability. In 10 chapters, each with fitting quotes from the likes of Margaret Atwood and Pablo Picasso, she muses on the topic at hand–story, plot, characters, sex and violence, even the why of writing–followed by suggestions, concrete advice, and strategies for moving forward with a writing practice. Allende also recounts her triumphs, mistakes, and lessons learned from challenges and triumphs over the years, creating an invaluable master class for anyone beginning a literary journey and a pleasing and illuminating read for anyone interested in this author’s process and life story. Allende’s uplifting examples, encouraging suggestions, and passion for writing, reading, and literature make this a gem not to be missed.–Starred Booklist Review  

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Three Graces of Pearl Street by Elizabeth Wellington Rollins  

DEBUT This auspicious debut by Rollins introduces the three memorable Valentini women. The matriarch of the Italian American family, 96-year-old Graziella, runs her family and her church’s food pantry in Mamaroneck, NY; her daughter Grace is a psychology professor who is navigating divorce proceedings and a midlife crisis; and her granddaughter Ella is searching for her place and purpose in the world. After years apart, the women move in together. Graziella’s kitchen is her command center, where she dispenses wisdom and feeds family, friends, and neighbors. The new living situation causes family secrets, old rivalries and grudges, and hidden heartbreaks to bubble up, flavoring the story with humor and heart. There are alternating chapters narrated by each of the three Valentini women, allowing their individual stories to unfold and connect as each protagonist finds herself speaking truth to power. Rollins seasons the narrative with celebrations, conflicts, and the confidence gained as each character finds her authentic self. VERDICT With as many layers as Graziella’s lasagna, this is a story that will satisfy readers for a long time.–Library Journal Review  

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

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Information on the four library catalogs

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

The Digital Catalog, is an online catalog containing eBooks, eAudiobooks, and digital magazines. You can use your library card and checkout content on a PC; you can also use the companion app, Libby, to access titles on your mobile devices; so you can enjoy eBooks and eAudiobooks on the go!

All card holders of all Southern Tier Library System member libraries can check out items from the Digital Catalog.

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

The Hoopla Catalog features on demand checkouts of eBooks, eAudiobooks, comic books, albums, movies and TV shows. Patron check out limit is 10 items per month.

Hoopla is a Southeast Steuben County Library service available to all Southeast Steuben County Library card holders.

The Hoopla companion app, also called Hoopla is available for mobile devices, smart TVs & media streaming players.

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

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

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

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

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

Card holders of all Southern Tier Library System member libraries can access StarCat to search for and request materials available at libraries through out the Southern Tier Library System.

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Have questions about how to access Internet based content (i.e. eBooks, eAudios)? Feel free to drop by the Reference Desk or call the library and we will assist you! The library’s telephone number is: 607-936-3713.

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Tech & Book Talk is a Southeast Steuben County Library blog.

Suggested Reading Week of April 16, 2018

Linda Reimer

Hi everyone, here are our recommended titles for the week.

This list includes ebook titles available through OverDrive and five print titles available through StarCat.

(Note: Click on the photo of the item you’re interested in to request it or check it out)

Digital Suggestions Of The Week:

Ghost Stories, The best of The Daily Telegraph’s ghost story competition Edited by Lorna Bradbury: 

In 2010 thousands of people submitted ghost stories to The Daily Telegraph’s first ghost story competition. Standards were chillingly high and only the spookiest went through to the shortlist of six. Presented here are short stories from Gill Baconnier, Justin Crozier, Ceri Hughes, Pat Black, Craig Drew and the winner, Richard Crompton, whose story ‘Friends’ is an uncanny take on social networking. Currently available only in ebook form they are the perfect company for a long winter’s night.

Harvesting the Heart by Jodi Picoult:

From the author of the #1 New York Times bestsellers Small Great Things and My Sister’s Keeper, a novel exploring the story of a young woman overcome by the demands of having a family.

Paige has only a few vivid memories of her mother, who abandoned her at five years old. Now, having left her father behind in Chicago for dreams of art school and marriage to an ambitious young doctor, she finds herself with a child of her own. But her mother’s absence and shameful memories of her past force her to doubt whether she could ever be capable of bringing joy and meaning into the life of her child, gifts her own mother never gave.

Harvesting the Heart is written with astonishing clarity and evocative detail, convincing in its depiction of emotional pain, love, and vulnerability, and recalls the writing of Alice Hoffman and Kristin Hannah. Out of Paige’s struggle to find wholeness, Jodi Picoult crafts an absorbing novel peopled by richly drawn characters, and explores motherhood with a power and depth only she is capable of.

Heat Lightning, Virgil Flowers Series, Book 2 by John Sandford:

Virgil Flowers hunts a killer responsible for a strange string of murders in this thriller from #1 New York Times bestselling author John Sandford.

On a hot, humid summer night in Minnesota, Virgil Flowers gets a call from Lucas Davenport. A body has been found near a veterans’ memorial in Stillwater with two shots to the head and a lemon in his mouth—exactly like the body they found two weeks ago.

Working the murders, Flowers becomes convinced that someone is keeping a list—with many more names on it. And when he discovers what connects them all, he’s almost sorry. Because if it’s true, then this whole thing leads down a lot more trails than he thought it did—and every one of them is booby-trapped.

Mad Country by Samrat Upadhyay:

Samrat Upadhyay’s new collection vibrates at the edges of intersecting cultures. Journalists in Kathmandu are targeted by the government. A Nepali man studying in America drops out of school and finds himself a part of the unrest in Ferguson, Missouri. A white American woman moves to Nepal and changes her name. A Nepali man falls in love with a mysterious foreign black woman. A rich kid is caught up in his own fantasies of poverty and bank robbery. In the title story, a powerful woman, the owner of a construction company, becomes a political prisoner, and in stark and unflinching prose we see both her world and her mind radically remade.

Through the course of the stories in this collection, Upadhyay builds new modes of seeing our interconnected contemporary world. A collection of formal inventiveness, heartbreak and hope, it reaffirms Upadhyay’s position as one or our most important chroniclers of globalization and exile.

Tess of the Road by Rachel Hartman:

“In her triumphant return to the world of Seraphina (2012), Hartman introduces Tess Dombegh, one of Seraphina’s stepsiblings. After a shattering fall from grace, Tess has tried to be the dutiful daughter to her critical mother. She may never be good, but maybe she can be good enough to be forgiven. When Tess drunkenly ruins her sister’s wedding night, she’s almost relieved to run away. Disguised as a boy, she seeks oblivion on the road; instead, she’s invited to help find a legendary serpent by her childhood friend, a quigutl (dragon subspecies). Along the way, Tess runs afoul of robbers, works as a manual laborer, poses as a priest, and struggles to make peace with past trauma. First in a duology, this is a perfect example of a familiar fantasy trope being given new dimension through empathetic characters and exquisite storytelling. At first appearing bitter and self-pitying, Tess reveals compassion, courage, and resilience on her journey, which is as emotional and spiritual as it is physical. This achingly real portrayal of a young woman whose self-loathing takes help to heal is a perceptive examination of rape culture rare in high fantasy. Not to be ignored, this is also a fascinating road trip adventure. Absolutely essential.”—Booklist, starred review

The Vineyard Victims: Wine Country Mystery Series, Book 8 (unabridged audiobook) written by Ellen Crosby and read by Christine Marshall:

The death of a former presidential candidate in a fiery car crash at her Virginia vineyard has ties to a thirty-year-old murder, as well as to Lucie Montgomery’s own near-fatal accident ten years ago, as she searches for a killer who now may be stalking her.

When Jamison Vaughn-billionaire real-estate mogul, Virginia vineyard owner, and unsuccessful US presidential candidate-drives his gold SUV into a stone pillar at the entrance to Montgomery Estate Vineyard, Lucie Montgomery is certain the crash was deliberate. But everyone else in Atoka, Virginia, is equally sure that Jamie must have lost control of his car on a rain-slicked country road. In spite of being saddled with massive campaign debts from the recent election, Jamie is seemingly the man with the perfect life. What possible reason could he have for committing suicide? Or was it murder?

Before long, Lucie uncovers a connection between Jamie and some of his old friends, an elite group of academics, and the brutal murder thirty years ago of a brilliant PhD student. Although a handyman is on death row for the crime, Lucie soon suspects someone else is guilty. But the investigation into the two deaths throws Lucie a curve ball when someone from her own past becomes involved, forcing her to confront old demons. Now the race to solve the mystery behind the two deaths becomes intensely personal as Lucie realizes someone wants her silenced-for good.

Print Suggestions Of The Week:

The Golden Vial, Legends of the Realm, Book 3 by Thomas Locke:

When a hidden evil threatens to destroy the realm, a young orphan, untested and untrained, could mean the difference between victory and total defeat.

Vulnerable and weakened by grief after a terrible loss, Hyam has been struck by a mysterious illness that threatens to claim his life. Seeking to help Hyam and restore the realm, Queen Shona travels to Hyam’s remote hometown to find answers and offer aid.

Dally has always had abilities far beyond those of a normal human–far-seeing and magic come naturally to her. Before the arrival of Shona and her army, Dally had always kept her abilities secret. But with an ancient evil bearing down on her village and the fate of the realm hanging in the balance, the orphaned servant girl steps forward to do what no one else can. Will the battle claim more than Dally is willing to give?

The first two book in the Legends of the Realm series are: Emissary (Book 1) and Merchant of Alyss (Book 2)

I’ve Got My Eyes On You by Mary Higgins Clark:

A new thriller from #1 New York Times bestselling author and “Queen of Suspense” Mary Higgins Clark.
When a terrible crime shocks a New Jersey community, all signs point to one suspect. But if he’s innocent as he claims, it means the murderer is still out there…

After throwing a party when her parents were away, 18-year-old Kerry Dowling is discovered lifeless at the bottom of the family pool. The police immediately question Kerry’s boyfriend, who—despite proclaiming his love for her—was seen arguing with Kerry that night. As neighbors and classmates grieve the loss of their friend, Kerry’s 28-year-old sister Aline, a guidance counselor, searches for answers. She’ll do anything to help the Detective Mike Wilson learn what really happened the night Kerry was killed.

Was someone watching Kerry the night of the murder? For Aline, the truth could be deadly.

From #1 New York Times bestselling author and “Queen of Suspense” comes a thrilling investigation asking what we truly know about the those we trust, and the secrets lying in even the most idyllic of neighborhoods.

Knucklehead by Adam Smyer:

“While not strictly a crime novel, Smyer’s debut Knucklehead does contain a whole lot of guns, violence, and rage, as well as plenty of love and sadness. A black lawyer in the late 80s through the mid-90s deals with micro and macro aggressions from a society determined to treat him as a criminal. Also, there are cats. Lots of cats.”— Literary Hub, included in the Most Anticipated Crime, Mystery, and Thriller Titles of 2018

Shoot First (Think Later) by Stuart Woods:

In the latest nonstop adventure from #1 New York Times bestselling author Stuart Woods, Stone Barrington must defend a woman whose business–and life–are under threat.

Stone Barrington is enjoying a round of golf in Key West when the game is violently interrupted–and it seems as if the target of the disturbance may have been one of his playing companions, the brilliant businesswoman behind a software startup on the cutting edge of technology. Soon, it becomes clear that this incident is only the first thrust in a deadly scheme to push the beautiful young woman out of the way and put her company’s valuable secrets up for grabs.

From the sun-soaked Florida shores to an idyllic English country retreat, Stone embarks on a quest to protect his lovely new companion while searching for the mastermind behind the plot against her. But he may find that her enemy is far more resourceful–and dangerous–than he could have anticipated.

Too Scot To Handle by Grace Burrowes:

A MAN WITH MANY TALENTS

As a captain in the army, Colin MacHugh led men, fixed what was broken, and fought hard. Now that he’s a titled gentleman, he’s still fighting-this time to keep his bachelorhood safe from all the marriage-minded debutantes. Then he meets the intriguing Miss Anwen Windham, whose demure nature masks a bonfire waiting to roar to life. When she asks for his help to raise money for the local orphanage, he’s happy to oblige.

Anwen is amazed at how quickly Lord Colin takes in hand a pack of rambunctious orphan boys. Amazed at how he actually listens to her ideas. Amazed at the thrill she gets from the rumble of his Scottish burr and the heat of his touch. But not everyone enjoys the success of an upstart. And Colin has enemies who will stop at nothing to ruin him and anybody he holds dear.
“Grace Burrowes is a romance treasure.” –Tessa Dare, New York Times bestselling author of The Duchess Deal

Double Play Non-Fiction Bonus Suggestions (both titles available as print books, eBooks and downloadable audiobooks and audiobooks on CD will be added to the collection in the near future):

Two just released  non-fiction bestsellers that are in the news:

Fascism: A Warning by former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright:

A personal and urgent examination of Fascism in the twentieth century and how its legacy shapes today’s world, written by one of America’s most admired public servants, the first woman to serve as U.S. secretary of state

A Fascist, observes Madeleine Albright, “is someone who claims to speak for a whole nation or group, is utterly unconcerned with the rights of others, and is willing to use violence and whatever other means are necessary to achieve the goals he or she might have.”

The twentieth century was defined by the clash between democracy and Fascism, a struggle that created uncertainty about the survival of human freedom and left millions dead. Given the horrors of that experience, one might expect the world to reject the spiritual successors to Hitler and Mussolini should they arise in our era. In Fascism: A Warning, Madeleine Albright draws on her experiences as a child in war-torn Europe and her distinguished career as a diplomat to question that assumption.

Fascism, as she shows, not only endured through the twentieth century but now presents a more virulent threat to peace and justice than at any time since the end of World War II. The momentum toward democracy that swept the world when the Berlin Wall fell has gone into reverse. The United States, which historically championed the free world, is led by a president who exacerbates division and heaps scorn on democratic institutions. In many countries, economic, technological, and cultural factors are weakening the political center and empowering the extremes of right and left. Contemporary leaders such as Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong-un are employing many of the tactics used by Fascists in the 1920s and 30s.

Fascism: A Warning is a book for our times that is relevant to all times. Written by someone who has not only studied history but helped to shape it, this call to arms teaches us the lessons we must understand and the questions we must answer if we are to save ourselves from repeating the tragic errors of the past.

A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies, and Leadership written by former FBI Director James Comey:

You can also place a hold on the eBook or downloadable audiobook version, in the Digital Catalog, (use the OverDrive app or go to https://stls.overdrive.com/).

Description From The Publisher: In his forthcoming book, former FBI director James Comey shares his never-before-told experiences from some of the highest-stakes situations of his career in the past two decades of American government, exploring what good, ethical leadership looks like, and how it drives sound decisions. His journey provides an unprecedented entry into the corridors of power, and a remarkable lesson in what makes an effective leader.

Mr. Comey served as director of the FBI from 2013 to 2017, appointed to the post by President Barack Obama. He previously served as U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, and the U.S. deputy attorney general in the administration of President George W. Bush. From prosecuting the Mafia and Martha Stewart to helping change the Bush administration’s policies on torture and electronic surveillance, overseeing the Hillary Clinton e-mail investigation as well as ties between the Trump campaign and Russia, Comey has been involved in some of the most consequential cases and policies of recent history.

Have a great week!

Linda, SSCL

You can request physical items, i.e. print books, DVDs & CDs, online via StarCat:

or by calling the library at: 607-936-3713 x 502.

Have a great day!

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.