First Finds! July New Books at the Haltom City Public Library

The first of the month = First Finds! Here is the latest installment of new and interesting books from the collection. 

Before the fall by Noah Hawley
Genre: Mystery; Thrillers and suspense
"The stories of ten wealthy victims of a plane crash intertwine with those of a down-on-his-luck painter and a four-year-old boy, the tragedy's only survivors, as odd coincidences surrounding the crash point to a possible conspiracy." - NoveList





But what if we're wrong: thinking about the present as if it were the past by Chuck Klosterman
"The best-selling author of Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs explores the idea that today's mainstream beliefs about the world are fundamentally incorrect, drawing on original interviews with forefront intellectuals and experts to consider how the music, sports, literature and other present-day conventions may be perceived in future centuries." - NoveList





You may also like: taste in an age of endless choice by Tom Vanderbilt
Genre: Social topics, Business and economics
"From the best-selling author of Traffic, a brilliant and entertaining exploration of our personal tastes--why we like the things we like, and what it says about us." - NoveList








The girls by Emma Cline
Genre: Adult books for young adults; Coming-of-age stories; Psychological fiction

"Mesmerized by a band of girls in the park she perceives as enjoying a life of free and careless abandon, 1960s teen Evie Boyd becomes obsessed with gaining acceptance into their circle, only to find herself drawn into a cult and seduced by its charismatic leader." - NoveList

Want more? Click on the "First Finds" label below to see more recommended books.

First Finds! June New Books at the Haltom City Public Library

The first of the month = First Finds! Here is the latest installment of new and interesting books from the collection. 

Paul McCartney : the life by Philip Norman
Genre: Biography
"Since the age of twenty-one, Paul McCartney has lived one of the ultimate rock-n-roll lives played out on the most public of stages. Now, Paul's story is told by rock music's foremost biographer, with McCartney's consent and access to family members and close friends who have never spoken on the record before. PAUL McCARTNEY reveals the complex character behind the façade and sheds new light on his childhood--blighted by his mother's death but redeemed by the father who introduced him to music. This is the first definitive account of Paul's often troubled partnership with John Lennon, his personal trauma after the Beatles' breakup, and his subsequent struggle to get back to the top with Wings--which nearly got him murdered in Africa and brought him nine days in a Tokyo jail. Readers will learn about his marriage to Linda, including their much-criticized musical collaboration, and a moving account of her death. Packed with new information and critical insights, PAUL MCCARTNEY will be the definitive biography of a musical legend,"--Amazon.com.

Until we are free : my fight for human rights in Iran by Shirin Ebadi
Genres: Autobiography/Memoir; Politics and global affairs; Society and culture
"The first Muslim woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize recounts how she endured death threats, false accusations targeting her family, arrests, invasions of privacy, home attacks, office seizures and other harassment from the Iranian government for her work as a human rights lawyer." - NoveList

FYI: Read here about Shirin Ebadi and about her winning the Nobel Peace Prize.


Redemption Road by John Hart
Genre: Mystery
"In Hart’s new suspense novel, we meet veteran detective Elizabeth Black, who is facing possible suspension for a suspicious shooting. At the same time, former police officer Adrian Wall is released from prison after serving time for the murder of Julia Stange. Stange’s son wants Adrian dead. Adrian has always claimed his innocence, but after his release, a couple of new bodies turn up at the church. This is a thrilling page-turner that starts at a rapid-fire pace and doesn’t let up. Great book for literary and thriller lovers alike. -- Kelly Currie for LibraryReads."- NoveList


At the edge of summer by Jessica Brockmole
Genres: Historical Fiction; Epistolary novels
"Spending a summer in a French château in the aftermath of her father's death and mother's disappearance, 15-year-old Clare befriends her hosts' son, who she reencounters years later during World War I as an angry and devastatingly wounded soldier." - NoveList

FYI: An Epistolary Novel is one written as a series of letters.




Zero K by Don DeLillo
Genre: Social science fiction
"Jeffrey Lockhart’s father, Ross, is a George Soros-like billionaire now in his sixties, with a younger wife, Artis, whose health is failing. Ross is the primary investor in a deeply remote and secret compound where death is controlled and bodies are preserved until a future moment when medicine and technology can reawaken them. Jeffrey joins Ross and Artis at the compound to say 'an uncertain farewell' to her as she surrenders her body." - NoveList





Want more? Click on the "First Finds" label below to see more recommended books.

First Finds! April New Book Spotlight

The first of the month = First Finds! Here is the latest installment of new and interesting books from the collection. 

      

The Last Armada: Queen Elizabeth, Juan del Águila, and Hugh O'Neill: The Story of the 100-Day Spanish Invasion by Des Elkin

"An account of the final great naval battle between England and Spain details General Juan del Águila's attempt to invade Elizabeth I's England, strategist Charles Blount's efforts to redeem himself against charges of treason, and Irish insurgent Hugh O'Neill's final effort to drive the English out of Ireland."-catalog

The Nest by Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney
"A warm, funny and acutely perceptive debut novel about four adult siblings and the fate of the shared inheritance that has shaped their choices and their lives."-catalog

I'm Traveling Alone by Samuel Bjork
"From a bold new voice in international crime fiction, a chilling debut in which two detectives must hunt down a vengeful killer--and uncover the secret that ties each of them to the crime."-NoveList

Want more? Click on the "First Finds" label below to see more recommended books.

First Finds! March New Book Spotlight

The first of the month = First Finds! Here is the latest installment of new and interesting books from the collection.

Blood Brothers: the fatal friendship between Muhammad Ali and Malcolm X by Randy Roberts and Johnny Smith
Genre: Collective Biographies
"Draws on previously untapped sources to illuminate the secret friendship and disastrous estrangement between Cassius Clay and Malcolm X, sharing insights into Malcolm's alleged role in shaping Clay's double life as a patriotic athlete and Islamic reformer." Library Journal's starred-review proclaims Blood Brothers provides "significant contribution to serious studies of Malcolm X, Muhammad Ali, and the Nation of Islam." - NoveList



The Soul of an Octopus: a surprising exploration into the wonder of consciousness by Sy Montgomery
Genre: Nature Writing
Nominated for a National Book Award, The Soul of an Octopus explores the intelligence of octopuses. "Octopuses have varied personalities and intelligence they show in myriad ways: endless trickery to escape enclosures and get food; jetting water playfully to bounce objects like balls; and evading caretakers by using a scoop net as a trampoline and running around the floor on eight arms. But with a beak like a parrot, venom like a snake, and a tongue covered with teeth, how can such a being know anything? And what sort of thoughts could it think? The intelligence of dogs, birds, and chimpanzees was only recently accepted by scientists, who now are establishing the intelligence of the octopus, watching them solve problems and deciphering the meaning of their color-changing camouflage techniques." - NoveList

A Doubter's Almanac by Ethan Canin
Genre: Literary Fiction
Starred reviews keep coming for this tear-jerker of a novel by best-selling author Canin. "Milo Andret, the genius who solved the Malosz Conjecture and won the Fields Medal for mathematics, had an unusual, even eerie mind from birth, but not until he moves to Berkeley in the 1970s to pursue a Ph.D. does he realize the extent of his singular talents. From the drug-soaked enclaves of beatnik California to the verdant lawns of Princeton University, from turbo-charged Wall Street to the quiet woods of Michigan, his reputation as one of the century's most brilliant thinkers forms the backbone of a sweeping, epic story about family, love, passion, and Milo's fraught relationship with his son. "-- Provided by publisher.


The Opposite of Everyone by Joshilyn Jackson
Genre: Mainstream Fiction
"After a childhood on the road, and being placed in foster care when her mother went to prison, Paula Vauss grew up to become a tough divorce attorney. Her life is thrown into chaos by an astonishing revelation and a cryptic message from the mother she has not seen in years. With the discovery that she has a sister, Paula has to figure out how to put her family back together."




Are you curious about the difference between Literary Fiction and Mainstream (General) Fiction? This article tries to clear it up.

Click on the "First Finds" label below to see more recommended books.

First Finds! New Book Spotlight

It's the first of the month, and with that I want to introduce a new feature on the blog: First Finds! We will scour the collection for the new and interesting books to highlight and add to your must read lists. Here we go!

My Name is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout

Genre: Domestic Fiction

From the author of The Burgess Boys and Olive Kitteridge, My Name is Lucy Barton is "set in the mid-1980s, LucyBarton, hospitalized for nine weeks, is surprised when her estranged mother shows up at her bedside. Her mother talks of local gossip, but underneath the banalities, Lucy senses the love that cannot be expressed. This is the story that Lucy must write about, the one story that has shaped her entire life. A beautiful lyrical story of a mother and daughter and the love they share." - NoveList 

We have the technology : how biohackers, foodies, physicians, and scientists are transforming human perception, one sense at a time by Kara Platoni

Genre: Science Writing - Senses and Sensation

It isn't science fiction! Sometimes the truth is stranger than fiction! We Have the Technology, "introduces readers to researchers who are changing the way they experience the world, whether creating scents that stimulate the memories of Alzheimer's patients, constructing virtual limbs that approximate a sense of touch or building augmented-reality labs that prepare soldiers for the battlefield." - NoveList

Orphan X by Gregg Andrew Hurwitz

Genre: Spy Stories

Hurwitz's new novel kicks off a new action-packed series. "Evan Smoak, the Nowhere Man a protector of the truly desperate and deserving, finds himself a target of someone with similar training and knowledge of his Orphan X (a super-secret government project) identity." A movie is already in the works. - NoveList

Find me unafraid : love, loss, and hope in an African slum by Kennedy Odede and Jessica Posner

Genre: Autobiographies and Memoirs

"Find Me Unafraid is a dual autobiography told by the authors in alternating chapters. Co-author Kennedy Odede founded a youth program in a giant slum in his native Kenya; American Jessica Posner worked with Odede's program as a college student, then joined him there permanently. Relating their love story (which led to marriage), their work offering hope to Kenyan children through education and other services, and their plans for the future, the couple offer inspiration to anyone seeking systemic economic changes to end extreme poverty." -- Description by Katherine Bradley Johnson for NoveList

The Guest Room by Chris Bohjalian

Genre: Mystery Fiction

Be prepared for suspense and flawed characters in this new book from the genre-jumping author of Skeletons at the Feast and The Light in the Ruins. In The Guest Room, "the bachelor party her husband is hosting goes wrong, Kristin finds her life spiraling into a nightmare of accusations and betrayal while a girl hired to provide entertainment at the party flees for her life from gangsters." - NoveList

Fun Escape-From-The-Heat Read

From Guest Book Reviewer, Carolyn Davidson Brewer.....

I decided this time that I wanted a light, fun read and selected Pampered to Death by Laura Levine.   This title is part of the Jaine Austen Mystery series – a modern day sleuth.  I expected a tale similar to a Murder, She Wrote TV episode.   And I was not disappointed.

Even though a murder is involved, this was a fun read.  Jaine Austen is headed to a retreat, which she believes to be a quiet time to read, nap and enjoy culinary treats.  What she gets is sweaty hikes, a hunger diet and the joy of being badgered for her muffin top.   I could really identify with this character, very aware of her flaws, but has accepted them, put on her lipstick and is heading out to skip through life. 

There are several quirky characters: Mallory Francis – a mouthy, diva movie star, studly Clint – another movie star and Cathy – who is always babbling and happy – even while starving!  And I can’t forget the cat, aptly named Prozac.  If you have ever owned a cat, you get the name. 

Pampered to Death is a quick read that is a great get-away book.  Be a sleuth, have some fun and get some snacks – the talking about food will make you head out for pizza.  A side note are the emails sent by Jaine’s parents – not part of the plot – but hysterical. 

As always, Carolyn, we love your book reviews and we really appreciate your support for this blog.  Again, folks, this is your blog so if you read a book that touches you in some way, please submit your book review to the: libraryblogmistress@gmail.com.  All ages of readers are welcome to contribute book reviews and suggestions for other subjects to include in your Haltom City Public Library blog.

Need Help? Ask Your Librarian

Last week I wrote a little teaser about a very special cabinet and a plea for help for doing book reviews for the library blog.  I am not a librarian but I’ve always heard how much librarians love to help their patrons.  Well, I’m a believer now. OMG!  I’ve never seen the Library Director of the Haltom City Public Library move so fast when she read that. (Okay, I am kidding—a little).  The next thing I knew I was receiving copies of multiple e-mails that she’d sent out to her many various resources saying,  "the Library Blog Mistress needs help".  Most folks can’t say no to Ms. Smith so I think the library blog will be having quite a few guest book reviewers in the upcoming weeks.  And that’s the way it should be.  Librarians and readers – a perfect combination for a successful and vibrant library and library blog.

Now for rest of that story about a very special cabinet that I promised I would do this week...nope...I'm not going to do it.   I simply cannot do it justice so this adorable story of “Lonesome Hank” is one that you have to read yourself and one you will have to hear for yourself.  I will tell you that it is a story of reinventing oneself after being retired and finding hidden talents.  You can find “Lonesome Hank” in center stage at the Library’s main lobby, patiently waiting for that special someone to hear his sweet music and read his story.   It looks like you just might find Librarian Grant Vaden, Lonesome Hank’s creator, mentor, and storyteller, hanging around with Hank in his spare time too.  (That’s another strange thing that I’ve noticed about librarians.  They always seem to spend their spare time at the library!)

Speaking of spare time, I hope that you have managed to find or borrow a copy of the book, To Kill a Mockingbird to read for the upcoming August 4^th panel discussion to be held at the Haltom City Public Library.  I know I’m heading for Half-Price Books this weekend for my copy.

And if you have been waiting to hear who the winners are for the library’s writing contest, the wait is almost over.  The four judges for the Library’s 2011 Annual Writing Contest have been busy reading all 194 entries that were received for this year’s contest and will be meeting tomorrow to review their favorites and select the final winners.  The winners should be announced shortly.