Happy Friday everyone & best wishes for a happy, healthy & prosperous 2026!
As is now the post-holiday season, the library is open our usual hours today and tomorrow, 9:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. today (Friday) and 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on Saturday.
This week’s Suggested Listening & Viewing blog post has been cancelled due to a challenge pitched the library’s way by YouTube itself. It seems that YouTube thinks the new library IP address might be malicious, and so it is blocking anyone using YouTube at the library to access videos without signing in.
So instead of sharing the music and trailer clips I was going to share, I will share information about how you can access digital library content, some of which, for example anything in the Hoopla or Kanopy catalogs, offers on-demand access.
And I should note, you can probably access YouTube as a guest, without logging in at your location if you’ve done it before – or have used your internet service for a long time. As you may know, you can search for songs, music playlists (i.e. New Years Jazz, New Year’s Easy Listening etc.) or ambience videos (i.s. Winter Fireplace, Coffee Shop Jazz, relaxing ambience, snow falling background music etc). Just go to https://www.youtube.com/ and type whatever your subject in the search box.
Having said that, let’s jump in!
The library has four catalogs you can access online; and you can look at all four without a library card; however, to actually do anything in any catalog, except look that is, you have to have a library card.
1. StarCat: The catalog of physical library materials for the entire Southern Tier Library System; where you can go to see what items you have checked out and place holds for items. StarCat can be accessed through the library’s website found at https://ssclibrary.org/ or you can go directly to the catalog by clicking/tapping on the following link: https://starcat.stls.orgStarCat does not feature a companion app.
2. Hoopla: This catalog, the only one of the four listed that is only accessible to SSC Library patrons (meaning you need a library card from our library that starts with the numbers 10014)* features the following digital content: audiobooks, eBooks, comics, TV shows, movies and albums. All content is available on-demand – so you don’t have to wait for it. Hoopla features a companion app, which you can access from the store on your mobile device or smart tv. You can also access Hoopla through a web browser on a computer by going to the following webpage: https://www.hoopladigital.com/
3. Kanopy: This catalog features streaming videos for the whole family. Kanopy is an on-demand catalog. You can download the Kanopy app through the app store on your mobile device or smart V, or access it online via the following link: https://www.kanopy.com/en/catalog
4. Libby (formerly OverDrive): Libby features eBooks, digital audiobooks and digital magazines. The eBooks and audiobooks are available in the one copy/one user lending model; which means they may be checked out just like print books one-cop-per-one-patron at a time. The magazines are available in the simultaneous access/on demand lending model. You can access Libby by downloading the app from your app store, or by going to the Digital Catalog online, and it is available in two web browser formats the newer one is: https://libbyapp.com and the older one, which long time library patrons will recognize is https://stls.overdrive.com/
Have a great weekend everyone!
Linda Reimer, SSCL
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*Hoopla is the lone catalog of the four mentioned, that is paid for solely by the Southeast Steuben County Library; and that is why it is available only to Southeast Steuben County Library cardholders.
The other three catalogs, StarCat, Libby & Kanopy, are paid for by the 48-member Southern Tier Library System, which our library is a member of – and those catalogs can be logged into by anyone with a card from any of the Southern Tier Library System member libraries, which includes all the public libraries in Steuben, Chemung, Yates, Allegheny and Schuyler Counties.
1. ATMOSPHERE by Taylor Jenkins Reid: In the summer of 1980, Joan Goodwin begins training with a group of candidates for NASA’s space shuttle program.
2. THE FIRST GENTLEMAN by Bill Clinton and James Patterson: When President Wright’s husband goes on trial for murder, a pair of journalists search for answers.
3. NEVER FLINCH by Stephen King: Holly Gibney does double duty by helping head off acts of retribution and protecting a women’s rights activist.
4. PROBLEMATIC SUMMER ROMANCE by Ali Hazelwood: Things get complicated between an older biotech guy and a struggling graduate student who go to a destination wedding.
5. ONE GOLDEN SUMMER by Carley Fortune: A photographer returns to a place where she spent a summer as a teenager and runs into the guy she had a crush on back then.
6. BADLANDS by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child: The fifth book in the Nora Kelly series. The discovery of a pair of skeletons sparks an investigation that runs into a dark power.
7. THE TENANT by Freida McFadden: Things take an unsettling turn when a marketing executive loses his job and a woman rents a room in his brownstone.
8. GREAT BIG BEAUTIFUL LIFE by Emily Henry: A writer looking for her big break competes against a Pulitzer winner to tell the story of an octogenarian with a storied past.
9. TILL SUMMER DO US PART by Meghan Quinn: To keep up with her co-workers, Scottie Price takes a fake husband with her to a summer marriage camp.
10. NIGHTSHADE by Michael Connelly: The Los Angeles County sheriff’s detective Stilwell gets reassigned to Catalina Island, where he investigates a poaching case and a Jane Doe found in the harbor.
11. HIDDEN NATURE by Nora Roberts: After recovering from a gunshot, a Natural Resources police officer investigates a woman’s disappearance.
12. IRON FLAME by Rebecca Yarros: The second book in the Empyrean series. Violet Sorrengail’s next round of training under the new vice commandant might require her to betray the man she loves.
13. MY FRIENDS by Fredrik Backman: A young woman looks into the story behind a painting that was made 25 years ago and a small group of teens depicted in it; translated by Neil Smith.
14. ONYX STORM by Rebecca Yarros: The third book in the Empyrean series. As enemies gain traction, Violet Sorrengail goes beyond the Aretian wards in search of allies.
15. IT TAKES A PSYCHIC by Jayne Castle: The 18th book in the Harmony series. An investigation brings Leona and Oliver to a town where locals are obsessed with a chilling legend.
NON-FICTION
1. HOW COUNTRIES GO BROKE by Ray Dalio: The author of “Principles” evaluates the forces that contribute to what he calls the “big debt cycle.”
2. ORIGINAL SIN by Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson: An account of Joe Biden’s initial decision to run for re-election in 2024 and its numerous consequences.
3. A DIFFERENT KIND OF POWER by Jacinda Ardern: The former prime minister of New Zealand details challenges her country faced and makes her case for empathetic leadership.
4. THIS DOG WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE by Elias Weiss Friedman with Ben Greenman: The photographer known as the Dogist contends that dog ownership can improve your life.
5. TRUMP’S TRIUMPH by Newt Gingrich: The former speaker of the House depicts the political comeback of President Trump.
6. HOW TO LOSE YOUR MOTHER by Molly Jong-Fast: A contributing writer at Vanity Fair and podcast host describes her relationship with her mother, Erica Jong.
7. THE ANXIOUS GENERATION by Jonathan Haidt: A co-author of “The Coddling of the American Mind” looks at the mental health impacts that a phone-based life has on children.
8. MARK TWAIN by Ron Chernow: The Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer portrays the life and career of the literary celebrity and political pundit.
9. THE BODY KEEPS THE SCORE by Bessel van der Kolk: How trauma affects the body and mind, and innovative treatments for recovery.
10. SO GAY FOR YOU by Leisha Hailey and Kate Moennig: Two stars of “The L Word” share stories of their friendship, the making of the series and the positive effects of chosen family.
11. FREE RIDE by Noraly Schoenmaker: The creator of the YouTube channel Itchy Boots recounts the transcontinental motorcycle ride she took after personal and professional changes.
12. ABUNDANCE by Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson: A New York Times opinion columnist and a staff writer at The Atlantic evaluate obstacles to American progress.
13. THE DISENLIGHTENMENT by David Mamet: The author of “Recessional” shares his views on politics and entertainment.
14. THE HAVES AND HAVE-YACHTS by Evan Osnos: The National Book Award and Pulitzer Prize winner examines the excesses of the ultrarich and the influence that Silicon Valley and Wall Street have on politics.
15. BIG DUMB EYES by Nate Bargatze: The Grammy Award-nominated comedian shares snippets from his life and career.
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Have a great day!
Linda
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New York Times Bestseller lists are shared via blog post on Sundays; and occasionally on Mondays.
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.
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.
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).
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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For more information on library materials and services, including how to get a library card call the library at 607-936-3713.
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*The Southern Tier Library System includes the public libraries in Steuben, Chemung, Yates, Schuyler & Allegheny counties.
Hi everyone, here are our five suggested reads of the week!
Weekly Suggested Reading Five postings are usually published on Wednesdays, unless Monday is a holiday and then they are published later in the week.
And the next Suggested Reading posting will be published on Wednesday, February 5, 2024.
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Black in Blues: How a Color Tells the Story of My People by Imani Perry
National Book Award-winner Perry (South to America, 2022) offers an impressionistic cultural history of the African diaspora through its connections to the color blue, from the Congo to Haiti, Jamaica, and the American South, in music, dance, folklore, art, and literature. As enslaved Black people in the U.S. fought to affirm their humanity, the color blue was key: “Blue porches, planted blue flowers, written blue scriptures, blue attire, trees festooned with blue bottles: these became the cultivated habits and rituals of people denied civil society and legal recognition.” In Black bodies, blue evoked “two distinct forms of power,” for “the least degraded among Black people were the ones who had the bluest veins beneath the palest skin,” while a “blue-gummed woman . . . held the power of conjure and deep ways of knowing.” Enslaved Blacks were freed by the Union “boys in blue,” yet those uniforms would morph into the blue of “‘Blue Lives Matter,” the police clapback to “Black Lives Matter.” Perry suggests an implied choice “between Black life and police survival . . . And that is a blues song indeed.” Packed with cultural references to Nina Simone, Zora Neale Hurston, Miles Davis, and Picasso’s African-inspired Blue Period, this is a fascinating and creative work of popular anthropology. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: With each trailblazing book, Perry extends her readership, and this original and affecting improvisation has tremendous appeal. – Starred Booklist Review
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Good Dirt: A Novel by Charmaine Wilkerson
The daughter of an affluent Black family pieces together the connection between a childhood tragedy and a beloved heirloom in this moving novel from the New York Times bestselling author of Black Cake, a Read with Jenna Book Club Pick
When ten-year-old Ebby Freeman heard the gunshot, time stopped. And when she saw her brother, Baz, lying on the floor surrounded by the shattered pieces of a centuries-old jar, life as Ebby knew it shattered as well. The crime was never solved—and because the Freemans were one of the only Black families in a particularly well-to-do enclave of New England—the case has had an enduring, voyeuristic pull for the public. The last thing the Freemans want is another media frenzy splashing their family across the papers, but when Ebby’s high profile romance falls apart without any explanation, that’s exactly what they get.
So Ebby flees to France, only for her past to follow her there. And as she tries to process what’s happened, she begins to think about the other loss her family suffered on that day eighteen years ago—the stoneware jar that had been in their family for generations, brought North by an enslaved ancestor. But little does she know that the handcrafted piece of pottery held more than just her family’s history—it might also hold the key to unlocking her own future. In this sweeping, evocative novel, Charmaine Wilkerson brings to life a multi-generational epic that examines how the past informs our present.
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The Oligarch’s Daughter by Joseph Finder
Nobody does man-on-the-run, excruciatingly suspenseful thrillers better than Joseph Finder, author of many stand-alone thrillers and the Boston private eye Nick Heller series. Finder’s latest is a combination spy story, financial mystery, and survival-evasion tale, with the propulsive plot set in motion by one man’s costly mistake. The narrative shuttles between the present, with small-town boat builder Grant Anderson hiding for his life in the New Hampshire woods as Russian agents and the FBI try to track him down, and the past, when Anderson, then an on-the-rise New York financial analyst, got himself into a world of trouble falling in love with a Russian oligarch’s daughter. Finder’s granular details about what it takes for the hunted Anderson to survive and evade his pursuers (using the dimly remembered precepts of his survivalist father), along with the added complications of hunger, thirst, and injury, are fascinating, as are the details from his earlier life in cutthroat finance. Finder adds another layer of suspense with Anderson’s false identity, reminiscent of Cary Grant’s imperiled character in North by Northwest. Deep characterization, cliffhanger suspense, and a wealth of information ranging from Russian spies to survival in the woods and in public spaces make this one of Finder’s best. – Booklist
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Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros
After nearly eighteen months at Basgiath War College, Violet Sorrengail knows there’s no more time for lessons. No more time for uncertainty. Because the battle has truly begun, and with enemies closing in from outside their walls and within their ranks, it’s impossible to know who to trust.
Now Violet must journey beyond the failing Aretian wards to seek allies from unfamiliar lands to stand with Navarre. The trip will test every bit of her wit, luck, and strength, but she will do anything to save what she loves—her dragons, her family, her home, and him.
Even if it means keeping a secret so big, it could destroy everything. They need an army. They need power. They need magic. And they need the one thing only Violet can find—the truth. But a storm is coming…and not everyone can survive its wrath.
The Empyrean series is best enjoyed in order. Reading Order: Book #1 Fourth Wing Book #2 Iron Flame Book #3 Onyx Storm
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We Do Not Part by Han Kang
Nobel laureate Kang’s latest protagonist–also an author, perhaps Kang’s stand-in–recalls her 2014 title “about the massacre in G–,” which is exactly when Kang’s Human Acts, about the 1980s Gwangju Uprising, debuted in Korea. Plagued now by nightmares, Kyungha, as her name is revealed, berates herself. “Having decided to write about mass killings and torture, how could I have so naively–brazenly–hoped to soon shirk off the agony of it?” The nightmares’ intensifying vividity inspires her to contact a close friend, photographer and documentary filmmaker Inseon, about the possibility of the two women collaborating on a film adaptation of these indelible images. Four years pass, until Inseon summons her to a Seoul hospital after a horrific accident, imploring Kyungha to go to Jeju Island to care for her precious budgie. Despite severely dangerous winter conditions, Kyungha finally arrives. Then what seems impossible happens. Inseon’s spirit joins Kyungha to reveal horrific historical truths about the Jeju Massacre (1948-49), which Inseon’s mother miraculously survived while “upward of thirty thousand civilians were slaughtered” by the U.S.-backed Korean military. Once more, Kang brilliantly examines the breadth of human relationships–from unconditional mother-child bonds to timeless friendship to heinous inhumanity. e.yaewon, who cotranslated Kang’s Greek Lessons (2023) as Emily Yae Won, returns here with Morris to gift English-reading audiences with tragic terror, luminous insight, and ethereal glimmers of hope.
HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: With Kang receiving the Nobel Prize for Literature this fall, interest in her work will skyrocket, with special interest in this forthcoming novel. – Starred Booklist Review
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Happy reading!
Linda Reimer, SSCL
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Note: Book summaries are from the respective publishers unless otherwise specified.
The Digital Catalog, is an online catalog containing eBooks, eAudiobooks, and digital magazines. You can use your library card and checkout 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.
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.
Card holders of all Southern Tier Library System member libraries can access StarCat to search for and request materials available at libraries through out the Southern Tier Library System.
–
Have questions about how to access Internet based content (i.e. eBooks, eAudios)? Feel free to drop by the Reference Desk or call the library and we will assist you! The library’s telephone number is: 607-936-3713.
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Tech & Book Talk is a Southeast Steuben County Library blog.
Hi everyone, here are our five suggested reads of the week!
Weekly Suggested Reading Five postings are usually published on Wednesdays, unless Monday is a holiday and then they are published later in the week.
And the next Suggested Reading posting will be published on Wednesday, January 29, 2025.
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Boudicca by P. C. Cast
After the death of her husband, Boudicca is crowned queen of the Iceni tribe. In Roman-occupied Britannia, the idea of a woman ruler is one of weakness, and the Roman tax collector Catus Decianus leads an attack on the tribe’s stronghold, to deadly and personally damaging results. However, instead of folding, Boudicca calls a war council, determined to strike back at the Romans. With the help of childhood friend and Druid seer Rhan and horse master Maldwyn, Boudicca finds strength, her goddess’s support, and love. With success in brutal attacks against wealthy Roman-held cities, the Iceni prepare to wait out the icy winter and plan their final attacks. When traitors emerge and destiny is bleak, Boudicca must place her faith in the powers beyond to ensure the survival of her people.
VERDICT The real history of the red-haired warrior queen is given new life in Cast’s (Out of the Dawn) well-told reimagining and worldbuilding, with prose that allows readers to see both a battle-hardened leader and a mother fighting for those she loves. – Library Journal Review
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The Business Trip by Jessie Garcia
“A stunning and accomplished debut, with hugely relatable characters and an addictive storyline that kept me turning the pages well into the night. Bravo!” —BA Paris, New York Times bestselling author
“Wow, The Business Trip was nonstop twists and turns. I loved the unusual way that the story was told, and I kept reading all day long because I couldn’t wait to see how it ended!” — Freida McFadden, New York Times bestselling author
THE BUSINESS TRIP is the gripping, page-turning debut from author Jessie Garcia.
Stephanie and Jasmine have nothing and everything in common. The two women don’t know each other but are on the same plane. Stephanie is on a business trip and Jasmine is fleeing an abusive relationship. After a few days, they text their friends the same exact messages about the same man—the messages becoming stranger and more erratic.
And then the two women vanish. The texts go silent, the red flags go up, and the panic sets in. When Stephanie and Jasmine are each declared missing and in danger, it begs the questions: Who is Trent McCarthy? What did he do to these women— or what did they do to him?
Twist upon twist, layer upon layer, where nothing is as it seems, The Business Trip takes you on a descent into the depths of a mastermind manipulator. But who is playing who?
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Death of the Author by Nnedi Okorafor
Disabled, disinclined to marry, and more interested in writing than a lucrative career in medicine or law, Zelu has always felt like the outcast of her large Nigerian family. Then her life is upended when, in the middle of her sister’s lavish Caribbean wedding, she’s unceremoniously fired from her university job and, to add insult to injury, her novel is rejected by yet another publisher. With her career and dreams crushed in one fell swoop, she decides to write something just for herself. What comes out is nothing like the quiet, literary novels that have so far peppered her unremarkable career. It’s a far-future epic where androids and AI wage war in the grown-over ruins of human civilization. She calls it Rusted Robots.
When Zelu finds the courage to share her strange novel, she does not realize she is about to embark on a life-altering journey—one that will catapult her into literary stardom, but also perhaps obliterate everything her book was meant to be. From Chicago to Lagos to the far reaches of space, Zelu’s novel will change the future not only for humanity, but for the robots who come next.
A book-within-a-book that blends the line between writing and being written, Death of the Author is a masterpiece of metafiction that manages to combine the razor-sharp commentary of Yellowface with the heartfelt humanity of Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow. Surprisingly funny, deeply poignant, and endlessly discussable, this is at once the tale of a woman on the margins risking everything to be heard and a testament to the power of storytelling to shape the world as we know it.
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The Last Room on the Left by Leah Konen
The latest from the author of Keep Your Friends Close (2024) is set at a remote motel that Kerry, a struggling author, has agreed to look after while she attempts to make progress on her latest novel. Kerry is also hiding from the break-up of her marriage to Frank; her split with her best friend, Siobhan; and the cause of both of those ruptures, her struggle with alcoholism. Kerry arrives at the Twilite Motel at the beginning of February and finds much more than she bargained for when she sees the hand of a dead woman sticking out of the snow. With no cell service, Kerry seeks the help of the two closest neighbors, only to learn they’re both in a land dispute with the motel’s owner. Once Kerry returns to the motel, she discovers not only that the body has been moved, but that, to her horror, the dead woman is someone she knows. Though Kerry’s reliability, particularly concerning the victim’s identity, stretches credulity at times, this is a fast-paced and engrossing read. – Booklist Review
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Three Wild Dogs (and the Truth): A Memoir by Markus Zusak
In this poignant, funny, and disarmingly honest memoir, one of the world’s most beloved storytellers, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Book Thief, tells of his family’s adoption of three troublesome rescue dogs—a charming and courageous love story about making even the most incorrigible of animals family.
There’s a madman dog beside me, and the hounds of memory ahead of us . . . It’s love and beasts and wild mistakes, and regret, but never to change things.
What happens when the Zusak family opens their home to three big, wild, street-hardened dogs—Reuben, more wolf than hound; Archer, blond, beautiful, destructive; and the rancorously smiling Frosty, who walks like a rolling thunderstorm?
The answer can only be chaos: There are street fights, park fights, public shamings, property damages, injuries, hospital visits, wellness checks, pure comedy, shocking tragedy, and carnage that must be read to be believed.
There is a reckoning of shortcomings and failure, a strengthening of will, but most important of all, an explosion of love—and the joy and recognition of family.
Three Wild Dogs (and the Truth) is a tender, motley, and exquisitely written memoir about the human need for both connection and disorder, a love letter to the animals who bring hilarity and beauty—but also the visceral truth of the natural world—straight to our doors and into our lives and change us forever.
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Happy reading!
Linda Reimer, SSCL
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Note: Book summaries are from the respective publishers unless otherwise specified.
The Digital Catalog, is an online catalog containing eBooks, eAudiobooks, and digital magazines. You can use your library card and checkout 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.
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.
Card holders of all Southern Tier Library System member libraries can access StarCat to search for and request materials available at libraries through out the Southern Tier Library System.
–
Have questions about how to access Internet based content (i.e. eBooks, eAudios)? Feel free to drop by the Reference Desk or call the library and we will assist you! The library’s telephone number is: 607-936-3713.
–
Tech & Book Talk is a Southeast Steuben County Library blog.
Hi everyone, here are our five suggested reads of the week!
Weekly Suggested Reading Five postings are usually published on Wednesdays, unless Monday is a holiday and then they are published later in the week.
And the next Suggested Reading posting will be published on Wednesday, January 22, 2025.
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Adrift in Currents Clean and Clear by Seanan McGuire
Giant turtles, impossible ships, and tidal rivers ridden by a Drowned girl in search of a family in the latest in the bestselling Hugo and Nebula Award-Winning Wayward Children series from Seanan McGuire.
Nadya had three mothers: the one who bore her, the country that poisoned her, and the one who adopted her.
Nadya never considered herself less than whole, not until her adoptive parents fitted her with a prosthetic arm against her will, seeking to replace the one she’d been missing from birth.
It was cumbersome; it was uncomfortable; it was wrong.
It wasn’t her.
Frustrated and unable to express why, Nadya began to wander, until the day she fell through a door into Belyrreka, the Land Beneath the Lake—and found herself in a world of water, filled with child-eating amphibians, majestic giant turtles, and impossible ships that sailed as happily beneath the surface as on top. In Belyyreka, she found herself understood for who she was: a Drowned Girl, who had made her way to her real home, accepted by the river and its people.
But even in Belyyreka, there are dangers, and trials, and Nadya would soon find herself fighting to keep hold of everything she had come to treasure.
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Brooke Shields Is Not Allowed to Get Old: Thoughts on Aging as a Woman by Brooke Shields
From generational icon Brooke Shields comes an intimate and empowering exploration of aging that flips the script on the idea of what it means for a woman to grow older
Brooke Shields has spent a lifetime in the public eye. Growing up as a child actor and model, her every feature was scrutinized, her every decision judged. Today Brooke faces a different kind of scrutiny: that of being a “woman of a certain age.”
And yet, for Brooke, the passage of time has brought freedom. At fifty-nine, she feels more comfortable in her skin, more empowered and confident than she did decades ago in those famous Calvin Kleins. Now, in Brooke Shields Is Not Allowed to Get Old, she’s changing the narrative about women and aging.
This is an era, insists Brooke, when women are reclaiming agency and power, not receding into the shadows. These are the years when we get to decide how we want to live—when we get to write our own stories.
With remarkable candor, Brooke bares all, painting a vibrant and optimistic picture of being a woman in the prime of her life, while dismantling the myths that have, for too long, dimmed that perception. Sharing her own life experiences with humor and humility, and weaving together research and reporting, Brooke takes aim at the systemic factors that contribute to age-related bias.
By turns inspiring, moving, and galvanizing, Brooke’s honesty and vulnerability will resonate with women everywhere, and spark a new conversation about the power and promise of midlife.
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Beautiful Ugly by Alice Feeney
Following the mysterious disappearance of his wife, a struggling London novelist journeys to a remote Scottish island to try to get his mojo back–but all, of course, is not what it seems. Grady Green hits the pinnacle of his publishing career on the same night that his life goes off the rails–first his book lands on the New York Times bestseller list, and then his wife, Abby, goes missing on her way home. A year later, Grady is a mere shadow of his former self: out of money and out of ideas. So, when his agent, Abby’s godmother, suggests that he spend some time on the Isle of Amberly, in a log cabin left to her by one of her writers, it seems as good a plan as any. With free housing for himself and his dog and a beautiful, distraction-free environment, maybe he can finally complete the next novel. But from the very beginning, Grady’s experiences with Amberly seem weird, if not downright ominous: As a visitor, he’s not allowed to bring his car onto the island; the local businesses are only open for a few hours at a time; and there are no birds. At all. Not to mention the skeletal hand he finds buried under the floorboards of the cabin, the creepy harmonica music in the woods, and the occasional sighting of a woman in a red coat who’s a dead ringer for Abby. As Grady falls deeper and deeper into insomnia and alcoholism, he begins to realize his being on the island is no accident–and that should make him very afraid. Through occasional chapters from before Abby’s disappearance, told from her point of view, we learn that Grady is not necessarily a reliable narrator, and the book’s slow unfolding of dread, mystery, and then truth is both creative and well-paced. Every chapter heading is an oxymoron, like the title, reminding us of the contradictions at the heart of every story. “Nasty little fellows…always get their comeuppance,” a movie character once said. Deeply satisfying. – Kirkus Review
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The Big Empty by Robert Crais
Elvis Cole and his enigmatic partner, Joe Pike, race to find a terrifying, unidentified killer in this twisting, unpredictable thriller from #1 New York Times bestselling author Robert Crais.
Traci Beller was thirteen when her father disappeared in the sleepy town of Rancha, not far from Los Angeles. The evidence says Tommy Beller abandoned his family, but Traci never believed it. Now, ten years later, Traci is a high-profile influencer with millions of followers and the money to hire the best detective she can find: Elvis Cole.
Elvis heads to Rancha where an ex-con named Sadie Givens and her daughter, Anya, might have a line on the missing man. But when Elvis finds himself shadowed by a gang of vicious criminals, the missing persons cold case becomes far more sinister.
Elvis calls his ex-Marine friend, Joe Pike, for help, and they follow Tommy Beller’s trail into the depths of a monstrous, hidden evil. The case flips on its head, victims become predators, predators become prey, and the question becomes: Can Elvis Cole save them all from this nightmare?
Reader’s Note: The Big Empty is the twentieth book in the Elvis Cole & Joe Pike series. If you’d like to start reading from the beginning, check out book one: The Monkey’s Raincoat.
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Presumed Guilty by Scott Turow
Turow’s latest wraps up the story of Rusty Sabich, Sandy Stern’s unjustly accused client in Presumed Guilty, Turow’s first novel, published in 1987, and in Innocent (2010). Here he transports readers to retired judge Rusty’s quiet life in Mirror Lake with his fiancée, Bea. Rusty and Bea have agreed to supervise her adopted son Aaron’s probation and are proud that he’s maturing into a responsible young man. Unfortunately, Aaron can’t kick his volatile relationship with Mae Potter, the magnetic but self-destructive daughter of a prominent local family. Both families are alarmed when Aaron and Mae drop off the radar; then Aaron finally returns alone. He claims they had a fight while camping and that he hitchhiked home and doesn’t know where Mae is. Mae’s body is soon found, and her autopsy reveals that she was strangled. When Aaron is arrested, Rusty agrees to defend him even though it places his future with Bea on the line. He’ll be fighting uphill. Aaron is Black, has a record, and the population in that section of the state is overwhelmingly white. The trial that follows is a master class in legal suspense as Turow weaves together the devastation of Aaron and Mae’s families, simmering racial prejudice, and the impact of small-town politics within a framework of deliciously tense courtroom dynamics. This is manna for legal-thriller fans.
HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Given the hit Apple TV+ adaptation of Presumed Innocent, readers will be avid for this conclusion to the trilogy. – Starred Booklist Review
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Happy reading!
Linda Reimer, SSCL
–
Note: Book summaries are from the respective publishers unless otherwise specified.
The Digital Catalog, is an online catalog containing eBooks, eAudiobooks, and digital magazines. You can use your library card and checkout 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.
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.
Card holders of all Southern Tier Library System member libraries can access StarCat to search for and request materials available at libraries through out the Southern Tier Library System.
–
Have questions about how to access Internet based content (i.e. eBooks, eAudios)? Feel free to drop by the Reference Desk or call the library and we will assist you! The library’s telephone number is: 607-936-3713.
–
Tech & Book Talk is a Southeast Steuben County Library blog.
All titles can be requested/checked out through the library.
If you’d like to go the traditional route to request a title on this list and drop by the library, or give us a call – please do!
Our telephone number is: 607-936-3713
–
New York Times Bestseller lists are shared via blog post on Sundays. And the next NYT blog post will be posted on Sunday, January 12, 2025.
–
THE BESTSELLERS
FICTION
1. JAMES by Percival Everett: A reimagining of “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” shines a different light on Mark Twain’s classic, revealing new facets of the character of Jim.
2. FOURTH WING by Rebecca Yarros: Violet Sorrengail is urged by the commanding general, who also is her mother, to become a candidate for the elite dragon riders.
3. THE WOMEN by Kristin Hannah: In 1965, a nursing student follows her brother to serve during the Vietnam War and returns to a divided America.
4. WICKED by Gregory Maguire: A misunderstood girl named Elphaba is declared a witch; the basis of the musical and the film.
5. THE HOUSEMAID by Freida McFadden: Troubles surface when a woman looking to make a fresh start takes a job in the home of the Winchesters.
6. A COURT OF THORNS AND ROSES by Sarah J. Maas: After killing a wolf in the woods, Feyre is taken from her home and placed inside the world of the Fae.
7. THE GOD OF THE WOODS by Liz Moore: When a 13-year-old girl disappears from an Adirondack summer camp in 1975, secrets kept by the Van Laar family emerge.
8. WIND AND TRUTH by Brandon Sanderson: The fifth book in the Stormlight Archive series. The fate of the Cosmere is imperiled as the fighting and chaos reach an apex.
9. IT STARTS WITH US by Colleen Hoover: In the sequel to “It Ends With Us,” Lily deals with her jealous ex-husband as she reconnects with her first boyfriend.
10. IT ENDS WITH US by Colleen Hoover: A battered wife raised in a violent home attempts to halt the cycle of abuse; the basis of the film.
11. IRON FLAME by Rebecca Yarros: The second book in the Empyrean series. Violet Sorrengail’s next round of training under the new vice commandant might require her to betray the man she loves.
12. VERITY by Colleen Hoover: Lowen Ashleigh is hired by the husband of an injured writer to complete her popular series and uncovers a horrifying truth.
13. QUICKSILVER by Callie Hart: Saeris is transported to a dangerous land of ice and snow, where she must contend with a Fae warrior who has suspect agendas.
14. THE FROZEN RIVER by Ariel Lawhon: In Maine, 1789, a midwife seeks to uncover the true cause of the death of a man discovered entombed in the Kennebec River.
15. COUNTING MIRACLES by Nicholas Sparks: A man in search of the father he never knew encounters a single mom and rumors circulate of the nearby appearance of a white deer.
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NON-FICTION
1. THE BACKYARD BIRD CHRONICLES by Amy Tan: Essays and drawings by the author of “The Joy Luck Club” and “The Bonesetter’s Daughter,” which depict a search for peace through birding.
2. CHER: THE MEMOIR, PART ONE by Cher: In the first part of her memoir, the multiple award-winning pop culture icon traces her childhood and forays into the world of entertainment.
3. FRAMED by John Grisham and Jim McCloskey: Our criminal justice system viewed through the struggles of 10 wrongfully convicted people to achieve exoneration.
4. BE READY WHEN THE LUCK HAPPENS by Ina Garten: A memoir by the cookbook author and Food Network host known as the Barefoot Contessa.
5. MELANIA by Melania Trump: The former and future first lady describes her work as a fashion model, marriage to Donald Trump and time in the White House.
6. THE SERVICEBERRY by Robin Wall Kimmerer: The author of “Braiding Sweetgrass” illuminates how the gift economy in the natural world works and draws lessons for our economy; with illustrations by John Burgoyne.
7. REVENGE OF THE TIPPING POINT by Malcolm Gladwell: Through a series of stories, Gladwell explicates the causes of various kinds of epidemics.
8. THE ANXIOUS GENERATION by Jonathan Haidt: A co-author of “The Coddling of the American Mind” looks at the mental health impacts that a phone-based life has on children.
9. THE SMALL AND THE MIGHTY by Sharon McMahon: A former high school government and law teacher profiles lesser-known Americans who made an impact.
10. GREENLIGHTS by Matthew McConaughey: The Academy Award-winning actor shares snippets from the diaries he kept over the last 35 years.
11. THE BODY KEEPS THE SCORE by Bessel van der Kolk: How trauma affects the body and mind, and innovative treatments for recovery.
12. FROM HERE TO THE GREAT UNKNOWN by Lisa Marie Presley and Riley Keough: Presley’s memoir, completed by her daughter, explores her relationships and challenges.
13. CONFRONTING THE PRESIDENTS by Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard: The conservative commentator evaluates the legacies of American presidents.
14. THE DEMON OF UNREST by Erik Larson: The author of “The Splendid and the Vile” portrays the months between the election of Abraham Lincoln and the beginning of the Civil War.
15. NEXUS by Yuval Noah Harari: The author of “Sapiens” delves into how societies and political systems have used information and gives a warning about artificial intelligence.
–
Have a great day!
Linda
–
THE CATALOGS:
Catalog 1: StarCat
StarCat is the catalog of physical materials including print books, DVDs, audiobooks on CD etc. StarCat is available to all patrons of all public libraries in the Southern Tier Library System*
The Digital Catalog (and its companion app Libby) offers all Southern Tier Library System member library patrons access to eBooks, eAudiobooks & eMagazines via a lending model known in Library-ese as “one copy/one user;” that library speak means that eBooks & eAudiobooks found in The Digital Catalog/Libby are like print books found on library shelves, only one patron can check out a copy of a title at a time.
Exception: Magazines found in the digital catalog are available via a different lending model known as simultaneous access. And that fancy library speak means that magazines are available for all patrons to check out at the same time, i.e. if you and all your family and friends wish to read the latest digital edition of Newsweek, all of you can check out the e version of the magazine and read it at the same time.
The Digital Catalog/Libby checkout limit is 5 titles a time.
The Hoopla Digital Catalog (and its companion app, also called Hoopla) offers Southeast Steuben County Library patrons access to a second digital catalog with an on-demand lending model. In library speak, this lending model, like The Digital Catalog/Libby’s magazine lending model, is known as “simultaneous access.” The difference is, the Hoopla catalog offers access to more formats: eBooks, eAudiobooks, eComics, digital albums, TV shows & movies – and all items, in all those formats, are available for patrons to checkout immediately. The Hoopla check out limit is ten titles per month.
Hoopla Formats: All Hoopla content can be accessed on a computer or mobile device, and TV shows and movies can be accessed on computers, mobile devices, smart TVs and media streaming players, i.e. Roku or Apple TV.
And here are our five suggested reads of the week!
Weekly Suggested Reading Five postings are usually published on Wednesdays, unless Monday is a holiday and then they are published later in the week.
And the next Suggested Reading posting will be published on Wednesday, January 8, 2025.
–
The Champagne Letters by Kate Macintosh
Goaded by the insulting presumptions of her unfaithful ex-husband, Natalie leaves the final details of the sale of their house to him and hops a plane to Paris. Last-minute plans leave her in a posh boutique hotel, with a verbal misstep giving the impression that she’s a widow, not divorced. At a bouquiniste along the Seine, she finds a copy of a book with letters in both French and English from the widowed Barbe-Nicole Clicquot (of Veuve Clicquot champagne fame) to her great-granddaughter. Though their lives are not parallel, the widow inspires Natalie to expand her conservative life, accepting the flirtatious companionship of a handsome wine merchant and the friendship of one of the hotel employees. The letters tell the story of a woman defying convention during the Napoleonic era, coping and plotting to ensure the success of her champagne venture. Readers will see danger for Natalie long before she does, but both women succeed in the end. The combination of history and contemporary narrative makes for a compelling read worthy of relationship-fiction collections. – Booklist Review
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How to Steal a Galaxy by Beth Revis
Picking up where Full Speed to a Crash Landing left off, this rollicking second installment of Revis’s intergalactic trilogy will keep readers glued to the page. Space looter Ada Lamarr infiltrates a Met Gala–esque fundraising event on a secret mission assigned to her by a mysterious rebel group—while also pursuing a hidden agenda of her own. There to intercept her is handsome bureaucrat Rian White, who readers will be delighted to see return. As before, Ada and Rian disagree over effective methods of enacting change while Rian works to stop Ada from putting into motion her secret plot, the details of which remain hidden from both Rian and the reader for much of the novel. The result is an un-put-downable page-turner helmed by a lovable heroine who is clever and passionate beneath her armor of sarcastic quips. Readers will need to come back for the concluding volume to fully understand all of Ada’s behind-the-scenes machinations—and to witness the culmination of Ada and Rian’s roller-coaster, cat-and-mouse romance. Revis makes the anticipation delicious. – Publishers Weekly Review
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Inheriting Magic: My Journey Through Grief, Joy, Celebration, and Making Every Day Magical by Jennifer Love Hewitt
When she lost her mother to cancer, everything changed for Jennifer Love Hewitt.
In the pages of Inheriting Magic, she recounts her journey, sharing memories, photographs, recipes, and the magic-making ethos of a self-proclaimed “Holiday Junkie.”
A heartfelt, candid chronicle that charts a course from sorrow to celebration, this unique memoir includes:
• Never-seen-before family photos and vintage snapshots
• Jennifer’s favorite recipes, from her grandmother’s chicken and dumplings to her husband’s holiday cocktail
• An explosion of festive plans, including images, sure to inspire your decorating plans for Halloween, Christmas, Easter, birthdays, and a whole year’s worth of holidays
• Foolproof strategies for adding magic to your family’s everyday routine, such as moon water, baskets of joy, glowing dinners, and more
Inheriting Magic is about how grief, being a mom of three, having a deep love for party planning, and being passionate about the holidays turned what could have been an ordinary life into something enchanting. Through it, Jennifer inspires all readers to add more love, light, and the making of core memories into their everyday lives.
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Sisters in Science: How Four Women Physicists Escaped Nazi Germany and Made Scientific History by Olivia Campbell
Campbell has crafted an enthralling narrative about four female scientists who managed to escape the Nazis but were never truly recognized for their work. Hedwig Kohn, Lise Meitner, Hertha Sponer, and Hildegard Stücklen were all distinguished researchers in Germany, yet their sex often hindered their progress in a male-dominated field. Once the Nazis came to power, being Jewish or anti-Nazi posed even greater obstacles. Kohn, Sponer, and Stücklen managed to make their way to the United States, where they continued their academic careers and made significant contributions to the field of physics through research and teaching. Meitner moved to Sweden, where she played a crucial role in the discovery of nuclear fission, a discovery that eventually led to the development of the atomic bomb. Despite her groundbreaking work, the Nobel Prize was instead awarded to her male colleague. The gripping story of the women’s experiences in Germany and their escape from the Nazis is remarkable. It’s unfortunate that their significant role in science was not widely recognized, but through this book, they finally receive their deserved acclaim. – Booklist Review
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Where the Library Hides by Isabel Ibañez
A young woman pursues a dangerous quest in late-1800s Egypt in this sequel to What the River Knows (2023). After Inez Olivera was nearly murdered while assisting with her uncle’s archaeological expedition in Egypt, Tío Ricardo is eager to ship her home to safety in Argentina. But Inez burns with the need to stay and make sure that those who committed crimes against her family are held responsible. Unfortunately, the law precludes Inez, as a young unmarried woman, from accessing her inheritance (needed to fund her quest for justice) without her guardian uncle’s permission. Whitford Hayes, a former British soldier and her tio’s aide-de-camp, proposes marriage, which could solve her problems. But can Inez trust the secretive Whit? More danger and intrigue lurk at every turn in this exciting duology closer, which fully addresses the first entry’s jaw-dropping cliffhanger. The well-paced plot encompasses many fresh, new adventures and betrayals in this reimagined historical setting in which ancient magic abounds and not everyone or everything is what it seems. Even more captivating, however, is the complicated, nuanced love story between Whit and Inez. Their chemistry sizzles, but their relationship is achingly layered with both profound loyalty and deep deception. As their journey unearths new enemies and priceless archaeological finds, the duo must try to trust each other enough to survive. A thrilling, beautifully written page-turner. – Starred Kirkus Review
Happy reading!
Linda Reimer, SSCL
–
Note: Book summaries are from the respective publishers unless otherwise specified.
The Digital Catalog, is an online catalog containing eBooks, eAudiobooks, and digital magazines. You can use your library card and checkout 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.
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.
Card holders of all Southern Tier Library System member libraries can access StarCat to search for and request materials available at libraries through out the Southern Tier Library System.
–
Have questions about how to access Internet based content (i.e. eBooks, eAudios)? Feel free to drop by the Reference Desk or call the library and we will assist you! The library’s telephone number is: 607-936-3713.
–
Tech & Book Talk is a Southeast Steuben County Library blog.
The catalog of e-books, downloadable audiobooks and a handful of streaming videos.
–
The Libby App
Libby is the companion app to the Digital Catalog and may be found in the Apple & Google app.
–
Hoopla
A catalog of instant check out items, including eBooks, downloadable audiobooks, comic books, TV shows and movies for patrons of the Southeast Steuben County Library.
–
Tech Talk is a Southeast Steuben County Library blog.
All titles can be requested/checked out through the library.
If you’d like to go the traditional route to request a title on this list and drop by the library, or give us a call – please do!
Our telephone number is: 607-936-3713
–
New York Times Bestseller lists are shared via blog post on Sundays. And the next NYT blog post will be posted on Sunday, November 17, 2024.
THE BESTSELLERS
FICTION
1. THE GREY WOLF by Louise Penny: The 19th book in the Chief Inspector Gamache series. Shifting alliances complicate the frenzied pursuit of a sinister threat.
2. IN TOO DEEP by Lee Child and Andrew Child: The 29th book in the Jack Reacher series. Reacher wakes up in a precarious position with no memory of how he got there.
3. THE BOYFRIEND by Freida McFadden: A series of recent deaths causes Sydney Shaw to become suspicious of the handsome doctor she started dating.
4. THE WAITING by Michael Connelly: The sixth book in the Ballard and Bosch series. Bosch’s daughter, Maddie, becomes a new volunteer on the cold case unit.
5. FOURTH WING by Rebecca Yarros: Violet Sorrengail is urged by the commanding general, who also is her mother, to become a candidate for the elite dragon riders.
6. THRONE OF SECRETS by Kerri Maniscalco: The second book in the Prince of Sin series. As danger grows, the Prince of Gluttony and a journalist turn to each other.
7. THE WOMEN by Kristin Hannah: In 1965, a nursing student follows her brother to serve during the Vietnam War and returns to a divided America.
8. THE HOUSEMAID by Freida McFadden: Troubles surface when a woman looking to make a fresh start takes a job in the home of the Winchesters.
9. THE BLUE HOUR by Paula Hawkins: After a discovery is made in a London art gallery, a woman living alone on an island that once was the home of a famous artist gets a visitor.
10. COUNTING MIRACLES by Nicholas Sparks: A man in search of the father he never knew encounters a single mom and rumors circulate of the nearby appearance of a white deer.
11. IRON FLAME by Rebecca Yarros: The second book in the Empyrean series. Violet Sorrengail’s next round of training might require her to betray the man she loves.
12. A COURT OF THORNS AND ROSES by Sarah J. Maas: After killing a wolf in the woods, Feyre is taken from her home and placed inside the world of the Fae.
13. THE STRIKER by Ana Huang: A former prima ballerina gets close to a controversial and well-known footballer whom she must train over the summer.
14. THE HOUSEMAID’S SECRET by Freida McFadden: The second book in the Housemaid series. The sound of crying and the appearance of blood portend misdeeds.
15. LIGHTS OUT by Navessa Allen: As Aly and Josh live out their dark fantasies, someone with sinister intentions impinges on them.
–
NON-FICTION
1. MELANIA by Melania Trump: The former first lady describes her work as a fashion model, marriage to Donald Trump and time in the White House.
2. FRAMED by John Grisham and Jim McCloskey: Our criminal justice system viewed through the struggles of 10 wrongfully convicted people to achieve exoneration.
3. WAR by Bob Woodward: The Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist looks at our contentious time through battles in Ukraine and the Middle East and for the American presidency.
4. BE READY WHEN THE LUCK HAPPENS by Ina Garten: A memoir by the cookbook author and Food Network host known as the Barefoot Contessa.
5. REVENGE OF THE TIPPING POINT by Malcolm Gladwell: Through a series of stories, Gladwell explicates the causes of various kinds of epidemics.
6. FROM HERE TO THE GREAT UNKNOWN by Lisa Marie Presley and Riley Keough: Presley’s memoir, completed by her daughter, explores her relationships and challenges.
7. THE MESSAGE by Ta-Nehisi Coates: The author of “Between the World and Me” travels to three locations to uncover the dissonance between the realities on the ground and the narratives shaped about them.
8. THE ANXIOUS GENERATION by Jonathan Haidt: A co-author of “The Coddling of the American Mind” looks at the mental health impacts that a phone-based life has on children.
9. CONFRONTING THE PRESIDENTS by Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard: The conservative commentator evaluates the legacies of American presidents.
10. PATRIOT by Alexei Navalny: A posthumously published memoir by the late Russian political opposition leader and political prisoner who began writing this after his near-fatal poisoning in 2020.
11. BROTHERS by Alex Van Halen: The drummer of the iconic rock band Van Halen shares stories about his partnership in life and music with his late brother Edward.
12. HILLBILLY ELEGY by J.D. Vance: The Yale Law School graduate and 2024 Republican vice presidential nominee looks at the struggles of the white working class through the story of his own childhood.
13. AMERICAN HEROES by James Patterson and Matt Eversmann with Tim Malloy: A collection of stories of soldiers who served in conflicts overseas.
14. THE BODY KEEPS THE SCORE by Bessel van der Kolk: How trauma affects the body and mind, and innovative treatments for recovery.
15. NEXUS by Yuval Noah Harari: The author of “Sapiens” delves into how societies and political systems have used information and gives a warning about artificial intelligence.
–
Have a great Sunday!
Linda
–
THE CATALOGS:
Catalog 1: StarCat
StarCat is the catalog of physical materials including print books, DVDs, audiobooks on CD etc. StarCat is available to all patrons of all public libraries in the Southern Tier Library System*
The Digital Catalog (and its companion app Libby) offers all Southern Tier Library System member library patrons access to eBooks, eAudiobooks & eMagazines via a lending model known in Library-ese as “one copy/one user;” that library speak means that eBooks & eAudiobooks found in The Digital Catalog/Libby are like print books found on library shelves, only one patron can check out a copy of a title at a time.
Exception: Magazines found in the digital catalog are available via a different lending model known as simultaneous access. And that fancy library speak means that magazines are available for all patrons to check out at the same time, i.e. if you and all your family and friends wish to read the latest digital edition of Newsweek, all of you can check out the e version of the magazine and read it at the same time.
The Digital Catalog/Libby checkout limit is 5 titles a time.
The Hoopla Digital Catalog (and its companion app, also called Hoopla) offers Southeast Steuben County Library patrons access to a second digital catalog with an on-demand lending model. In library speak, this lending model, like The Digital Catalog/Libby’s magazine lending model, is known as “simultaneous access.” The difference is, the Hoopla catalog offers access to more formats: eBooks, eAudiobooks, eComics, digital albums, TV shows & movies – and all items, in all those formats, are available for patrons to checkout immediately. The Hoopla check out limit is ten titles per month.
Hoopla Formats: All Hoopla content can be accessed on a computer or mobile device, and TV shows and movies can be accessed on computers, mobile devices, smart TVs and media streaming players, i.e. Roku or Apple TV.
All titles can be requested/checked out through the library.
If you’d like to go the traditional route to request a title on this list and drop by, or call, the library – please do!
Our telephone number is: 607-936-3713.
–
THE BESTSELLERS
FICTION
1. SOMEWHERE BEYOND THE SEA by TJ Klune: The second book in the Cerulean Chronicles series. The headmaster of a strange orphanage seeks to protect the magical children who reside there.
2. HERE ONE MOMENT by Liane Moriarty: Passengers on a short and seemingly unremarkable flight learn how and when they are going to die.
3. TELL ME EVERYTHING by Elizabeth Strout: As a murder casts a pall on a town in Maine, Lucy Barton, Olive Kitteridge and Bob Burgess share stories and seek meaning.
4. IT ENDS WITH US by Colleen Hoover: A battered wife raised in a violent home attempts to halt the cycle of abuse; the basis of the film.
5. THE WOMEN by Kristin Hannah: In 1965, a nursing student follows her brother to serve during the Vietnam War and returns to a divided America.
6. IT STARTS WITH US by Colleen Hoover: In the sequel to “It Ends With Us,” Lily deals with her jealous ex-husband as she reconnects with her first boyfriend.
7. THE PERFECT COUPLE by Elin Hilderbrand: A body is found in Nantucket Harbor hours before a picture-perfect wedding.
8. A COURT OF THORNS AND ROSES by Sarah J. Maas: After killing a wolf in the woods, Feyre is taken from her home and placed inside the world of the Fae.
9. THE HOUSEMAID by Freida McFadden: Troubles surface when a woman looking to make a fresh start takes a job in the home of the Winchesters.
10. DEMON COPPERHEAD by Barbara Kingsolver: Winner of a 2023 Pulitzer Prize for fiction. A reimagining of Charles Dickens’s “David Copperfield” set in the mountains of southern Appalachia.
11. IRON FLAME by Rebecca Yarros: The second book in the Empyrean series. Violet Sorrengail’s next round of training might require her to betray the man she loves.
12. VINCE FLYNN: CAPTURE OR KILL by Don Bentley: The 23rd book in the Mitch Rapp series. In 2011, operations take place to prevent a looming war in the Middle East.
13. A COURT OF MIST AND FURY by Sarah J. Maas: The second book in the Court of Thorns and Roses series. Feyre gains the powers of the High Fae and a greater evil emerges.
14. THE GAMES GODS PLAY by Abigail Owen: Gods enlist mortals to fight in their stead to determine who will sit on the throne in Olympus.
15. THE LIFE IMPOSSIBLE by Matt Haig: A retired math teacher who inherits a run-down house on a Mediterranean island from a friend goes in search of answers.
–
NON-FICTION
1. CONFRONTING THE PRESIDENTS by Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard: The conservative commentator evaluates the legacies of American presidents.
2. NEXUS by Yuval Noah Harari: The author of “Sapiens” delves into how societies and political systems have used information and gives a warning about artificial intelligence.
3. WHO COULD EVER LOVE YOU by Mary L. Trump: The author of “Too Much and Never Enough” and “The Reckoning” portrays the dynamics within her family.
4. THE ANXIOUS GENERATION by Jonathan Haidt: A co-author of “The Coddling of the American Mind” looks at the mental health impacts that a phone-based life has on children.
5. LOVELY ONE by Ketanji Brown Jackson: The first Black woman ever confirmed to the Supreme Court traces her family’s history and her personal ascent.
6. THE BODY KEEPS THE SCORE by Bessel van der Kolk: How trauma affects the body and mind, and innovative treatments for recovery.
7. HILLBILLY ELEGY by J.D. Vance: The Yale Law School graduate and 2024 Republican vice presidential nominee looks at the struggles of the white working class through the story of his own childhood.
8. THE DEMON OF UNREST by Erik Larson: The author of “The Splendid and the Vile” portrays the months between the election of Abraham Lincoln and the beginning of the Civil War.
9. GHOSTS OF HONOLULU by Mark Harmon and Leon Carroll Jr.: The story of a Japanese American naval intelligence agent, a Japanese spy and events in Hawaii before the start of World War II.
10. THE ART OF POWER by Nancy Pelosi: The representative from California chronicles her journey in politics, including her time as the first woman to serve as speaker of the House.
11. I USED TO LIKE YOU UNTIL…by Kat Timpf: The co-host of “Gutfeld!” and Fox News analyst shares her opinions on binary thinking.
12. REAGAN by Max Boot: A biography of the 40th president of the United States.
13. THE HIGHEST CALLING by David M. Rubenstein: Conversations with journalists, historians and former presidents on the American presidency.
14. IMMINENT by Luis Elizondo: The former head of the Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program shares insights on unidentified anomalous phenomena.
15. OUTLIVE by Peter Attia with Bill Gifford: A look at recent scientific research on aging and longevity.
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There are currently three catalogs available to Southeast Steuben County Library patrons online, that you can access to search for and request New York Times Bestsellers, and other popular books and materials in a variety of formats, i.e. print books, eBooks, streaming videos.
All you need is a library card to get started!
–
THE CATALOGS:
Catalog 1: StarCat
StarCat is the catalog of physical materials including print books, DVDs, audiobooks on CD etc. StarCat is available to all patrons of all public libraries in the Southern Tier Library System*
The Digital Catalog (and its companion app Libby) offers all Southern Tier Library System member library patrons access to eBooks, eAudiobooks & eMagazines via a lending model known in Library-ese as “one copy/one user;” that library speak means that eBooks & eAudiobooks found in The Digital Catalog/Libby are like print books found on library shelves, only one patron can check out a copy of a title at a time.
Exception: Magazines found in the digital catalog are available via a different lending model known as simultaneous access. And that fancy library speak means that magazines are available for all patrons to check out at the same time, i.e. if you and all your family and friends wish to read the latest digital edition of Newsweek, all of you can check out the e version of the magazine and read it at the same time.
The Digital Catalog/Libby checkout limit is 5 titles a time.
The Hoopla Digital Catalog (and its companion app, also called Hoopla) offers Southeast Steuben County Library patrons access to a second digital catalog with an on-demand lending model. In library speak, this lending model, like The Digital Catalog/Libby’s magazine lending model, is known as “simultaneous access.” The difference is, the Hoopla catalog offers access to more formats: eBooks, eAudiobooks, eComics, digital albums, TV shows & movies – and all items, in all those formats, are available for patrons to checkout immediately. The Hoopla check out limit is ten titles per month.
Hoopla Formats: All Hoopla content can be accessed on a computer or mobile device, and TV shows and movies can be accessed on computers, mobile devices, smart TVs and media streaming players, i.e. Roku or Apple TV.
Tech & Book Talk at SSCL 