tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34182888163433998872024-03-19T19:00:56.568-04:00Deering Public LibraryDeering Public Libraryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04226442738556962292noreply@blogger.comBlogger95125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3418288816343399887.post-59115937457791541462020-12-22T12:51:00.003-05:002020-12-22T12:51:57.469-05:00NEW BOOKS FOR THE END OF A PECULIAR YEAR<p><span style="font-family: verdana;">The following books have been added to the collection of the Deering Public Library. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">You can see many of our holdings in our on-line catalogue at <a href="https://www.librarycat.org/lib/DeeringPublicLibrary">https://www.librarycat.org/lib/DeeringPublicLibrary</a></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I will be happy to deliver any book in our collection to your home, following COVID protocols of course. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">If you do not see a book or an author in our catalogue, contact me and I will see whether we have it. You can contact me, here, through Blogger, from the Library tab of Deering town's web site, or directly from the Tiny Cat catalogue. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">The new additions include one History/Biography and four works of fiction.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: verdana;">ABE. Abraham Lincoln in his Times by David S. Reynolds, 1066 pages, 2020 </span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">This is, indeed, a biography of Abraham Lincoln. On top of that, the book is a biography of terrible times in our country in the lead-up to, and through the Civil War. A cultural history that is even more interesting read in light of current events. </span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: verdana; font-size: 14px;">From a Good Reads Reviewer:</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-size: 14px;">'A Look at Abraham Lincoln’s Life and His Cultural Setting</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-size: 14px;">The 16th President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln has more biographies than almost any other individual (other than Jesus Christ) according to author David S. Reynolds. Why write one more? Reynolds examines the life of Lincoln in light of his cultural setting and proposes reasons why Lincoln became his person and personality. His actions were rooted in the culture. I’ve been listening to the audiobook and found this perspective enlightening and fascinating.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-size: 14px;">For example, Lincoln’s parents came from two different areas of the country—the north and the south. Reynolds labels these distinctions Puritan and Cavalier and explains each one. It gave me a new perspective on the formation and actions of Lincoln.'</span></span></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: verdana; font-size: 14px;">FICTION</span></h3><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: verdana; font-size: 14px;"><b>SNOW by John Banville, 299 pages, 2020.</b></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">Booker Prize winning John Banville has published a mystery series as Benjamin Black. Detective John Strafford was formally adopted by John Banville for the start of this new series. The slim book has a lot in it: class warfare, religious conflict, sex, creepy clerics. I liked it lot!</span></span><br /></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: verdana; font-size: 14px;">From Good Reads publisher's blog:</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-size: 14px;">Detective Inspector St. John Strafford has been summoned to County Wexford to investigate a murder. A parish priest has been found dead in Ballyglass House, the family seat of the aristocratic, secretive Osborne family.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-size: 14px;">The year is 1957 and the Catholic Church rules Ireland with an iron fist. Strafford—flinty, visibly Protestant, and determined to identify the murderer—faces obstruction at every turn, from the heavily accumulating snow to the culture of silence in this tight-knit community. As he delves further, he learns the Osbornes are not at all what they seem. And when his own deputy goes missing, Strafford must work to unravel the ever-expanding mystery before the community’s secrets, like the snowfall itself, threatens to obliterate everything.</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: verdana; font-size: 14px;">Here is what one reviewer said about Snow:</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-size: 14px;">"A priest is found stabbed and mutilated in the home of a country squire. This book is the start of a new mystery series by this author, who previously published his mysteries under the name Benjamin Black. The name Banville was reserved for his more literary fiction. This book definitely didn’t feel like literary fiction. It’s an old school murder mystery with a body in the library and a closed circle of suspects with secrets. It features Irish Detective Inspector St John Strafford, who kisses one suspect, is flashed by another and sleeps with the maid in his hotel - so it’s not quite Agatha Christie. The direction the book is going to take is signaled by the nature of the crime. You might want to avoid this book </span><a class="jsShowSpoiler spoilerAction" style="background-color: white; color: #00635d; cursor: pointer; font-size: 14px; text-decoration-line: underline;">(view spoiler)</a></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-size: 14px;">Strattford manages to lose his deputy during the course of his investigation and he seems to run around in circles for a lot of the book. He also seems to have no idea how to dress for Irish weather since he is constantly borrowing clothing. The suspects are mostly pitiable and the victim is repugnant. The police don’t actually solve the crime, rather it conveniently solves itself. The book did hold my interest, so if there are more books in the series I might read them."</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: verdana; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: verdana; font-size: 14px;"><b>PIRANESI by Susanna Clarke, 245 pages, 2020.</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">Susanna Clarke wrote a fantastic novel, </span></span><i style="color: #181818; font-size: 14px;">Dr. Strange and Mr Morrell</i><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"> several years ago. In this book two magicians attempt to establish magic in England during Napoleonic times. It was really two novels, the second found in footnotes in which a dream existence is descried. </span></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">I have been waiting for Ms Clarke to write something else. A second book, </span><i style="font-size: 14px;">The Ladies of Grace Adieu and Other Stories</i><span style="font-size: 14px;">, was very similar to her first. In <i>Piranesi</i> we have another fabulus -- that is to say, a fable -- book. A fable, a mystery, a crossing from a dream world to a hard-edged world. Cads and scurrilous characters alongside good but confused folk. The setting of the book is surreal and even a bit threatening. Put yourself in a painting by Georgio de Chirico with the ability to pass into a photo by Ansel Adams and back again.</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">This book is certainly different from Susanna Clarke's first two, and it took a while to adjust to the place and even detect a plot, but sure enough .... all was revealed. I liked it!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: verdana;">THE LYING LIFE OF ADULTS by Elena Ferrante, 322 pages, 2019</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>The Lying Life of Adults</i> is the fifth of Elena Ferrante's novels to be set in Naples, but while this one is not part of the Quartette, it might as well have been written by somebody from the old Naples neighborhood. They are all the same people.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Here is the review of a Good Reads reviewer:</span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">"This is the story of Giovanna, an adolescent middle-class girl living in Naples. Her father had worked to climb the social ladder and has been successful at it, her mother has maintained her social position and it is expected that Giovanna will make her life decisions cautious not to "go down". Giovanna becomes acquainted with her Aunt Vittoria who lives in the poorer neighbourhoods of Naples and who forces her to really look at the prim and proper structure filled with custom and propriety, and sure enough she begins to see the cracks.</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">While disillusionment is occurring, Giovanna becoming aware of the falsehoods, infidelities and betrayals of adults, she also experiences that grand physical and mental shift that is puberty. Ferrante writes of how confusing and disorienting that phase of life can be, exploring budding sexuality, friendship and love."</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: verdana;">THE SEARCHER by Tana French, 451 pages, 2020</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Nothing is simple or easy in this murder mystery! </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">From the publisher:</span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Retired detective Cal Hooper moves to a remote village in rural Ireland. His plans are to fix up the dilapidated cottage he's bought, to walk the mountains, to put his old police instincts to bed forever.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-size: 14px;">Then a local boy appeals to him for help. His brother is missing, and no one in the village, least of all the police, seems to care. And once again, Cal feels that restless itch.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-size: 14px;">Something is wrong in this community, and he must find out what, even if it brings trouble to his door.</span></span></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><br /></p>Gary Samuelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14313320007920561339noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3418288816343399887.post-83961407925224479812020-08-13T12:09:00.001-04:002020-08-13T12:15:50.256-04:00NEW BOOKS FOR AUGUST<h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"> HERE ARE THE NEW BOOKS IN THE LIBRARY IN AUGUST<br /></span></h2><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">The main, active Deering Public Library is located in Town Hall. Thanks to the virus, neither own hall nor the library are open to the public. Clearly, that being the case it is going to be difficult for users to actually read these new books. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Trustees have decided to experiment in making recent books available to you!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">At least through Labor Day recent books will be available at the Schoolhouse Library Saturday mornings from 9:00 - noon. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">We will follow the virus protocols as regards masking and distancing. Books will be displayed on the porch, which is where the whole library process will take place. We do want you to return the books within a reasonable time, and you will be informed as to how to make the return at the time you charge a book. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">We look forward to seeing you at the Schoolhouse.</span></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;">Here are the new books, all adult fiction.</span></b></h3><h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>THE GUEST BOOK, Sarah Blake, 2020</b></span></h4><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span id="freeText2154233457842285823"><span id="freeText2154233457842285823">And when the novel
begins in 1935, they still do. Kitty and Ogden Milton appear to have
everything—perfect children, good looks, a love every</span>one envies. But after a
tragedy befalls them, Ogden tries to bring Kitty back to life by
purchasing an island in Maine. That island, and its house, come to
define and burnish the Milton family, year after year after year. And it
is there that Kitty issues a refusal that will haunt her till the day
she dies.<br /><br />In 1959 a young Jewish man, Len Levy, will get a job in
Ogden’s bank and earn the admiration of Ogden and one of his daughters,
but the scorn of everyone else. Len’s best friend Reg Pauling has
always been the only black man in the room—at Harvard, at work, and
finally at the Miltons’ island in Maine.<br /><br />An island that, at the
dawn of the 21st century, this last generation doesn’t have the money to
keep. When Kitty’s granddaughter hears that she and her cousins might
be forced to sell it, and when her husband brings back disturbing
evidence about her grandfather’s past, she realizes she is on the verge
of finally understanding the silences that seemed to hover just below
the surface of her family all her life.<br /><br />An ambitious novel that weaves the American past with its present, <i>The Guest Book</i>
looks at the racism and power that has been systemically embedded in
the US for generations. Brimming with gorgeous writing and bitterly
accurate social criticism, it is a literary tour de force.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span id="freeText2154233457842285823"> </span></span></p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span id="freeText2154233457842285823">EMPIRE OF WILD, Cherie Dimaline, 2019</span></span></h4><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span id="freeText2154233457842285823">F</span><span id="freeText116344200813257945">rom the author of the
YA-crossover hit The Marrow Thieves, a propulsive, stunning and sensuous
novel inspired by the traditional Métis story of the Rogarou - a
werewolf-like creature that haunts the roads and woods of Métis
communities. A messed-up, grown-up, Little Red Riding Hood.<br /><br />Broken-hearted
Joan has been searching for her husband, Victor, for almost a
year--ever since he went missing on the night they had their first
serious argument. One terrible, hungover morning in a Walmart parking
lot in a little town near Georgian Bay, she is drawn to a revival tent
where the local Métis have been flocking to hear a charismatic preacher
named Eugene Wolff. By the time she staggers into the tent, the service
is over. But as she is about to leave, she hears an unmistakable voice.<br /><br />She
turns, and there Victor is. The same face, the same eyes, the same
hands. But his hair is short and he's wearing a suit and he doesn't
recognize her at all. No, he insists, she's the one suffering a
delusion: he's the Reverend Wolff and his only mission is to bring his
people to Jesus. Except that, as Joan soon discovers, that's not all the
enigmatic Wolff is doing.<br /><br />With only the help of Ajean, a
foul-mouthed euchre shark with a knowledge of the old ways, and her odd,
Johnny-Cash-loving, 12-year-old nephew Zeus, Joan has to find a way to
remind the Reverend Wolff of who he really is. If he really is Victor.
Her life, and the life of everyone she loves, depends upon it.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span id="freeText116344200813257945"> </span></span></p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span id="freeText116344200813257945">A REGISTRY OF MY PASSAGE UPON THE EARTH (STORIES), Daniel Mason, 2020</span></span></h4><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span id="freeText116344200813257945">This book of stories is by the author of Winter Soldier (in Deering Library) and The Piano Tuner. I was so taken with Winter Soldier that I had to get these stories! <br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span id="freeText116344200813257945">From Goodreads:</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span id="freeText116344200813257945"><span class="readable" id="reviewTextContainer3281839784"><span id="freeText17227670455232748053">It
is almost unheard of me to award 5 stars to a short story collection,
but Daniel Mason's marvelous 9 stories deserve every star, each a gem
in my view, and so beautifully written. If, in these anxious times, you
have been finding it hard to concentrate, then I would suggest that
these stories are the perfect solution. Mason provides a breathtakingly
disparate set of locations and immersive subject matter, managing to
capture my attention, bewitch, surprise and satisfy. Without giving too
much away, the stories include a balloonist, a 19th century bare knuckle
fighter, a insect collector in search of a new species, a mother
willing to do anything for her son amidst the dreaded smoky pollution of
Victorian times, a doctor suffering from memory lapses where it appears
a significantly better him emerges, a obsessive data collector and a
immigrant willing to go to extreme lengths to prove just how super
patriotic they are. <br /><br />If you are normally wary of reading short
stories, I think it would be more than worthwhile to make an exception
in this case, I don't think you will regret it. There is the offbeat,
the challenging, much wit, humour, compassion, sensitivity, and the
original and moving. Highly recommended. </span></span></span></span></p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span id="freeText116344200813257945"><span class="readable" id="reviewTextContainer3281839784"><span id="freeText17227670455232748053"><b>DEATH IN HER HANDS, Ottessa Moshfegh, 202</b>0</span></span></span></span></h4><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span id="freeText116344200813257945"><span class="readable" id="reviewTextContainer3281839784"><span id="freeText17227670455232748053"><span class="stars staticStars notranslate"><span class="staticStar p10"></span><span class="staticStar p10"></span><span class="staticStar p10"></span><span class="staticStar p3"></span><span class="staticStar p0"></span></span> <span></span></span></span></span><span id="freeText11640529022131986169">A novel of haunting
metaphysical suspense about an elderly widow whose life is upturned when
she finds a cryptic note on a walk in the woods that ultimately makes
her question everything about her new home. </span><br /><span id="freeText11640529022131986169"></span></span></p><div id="descriptionContainer"><div class="readable stacked" id="description" style="right: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span id="freeText11640529022131986169">While on her normal
daily walk with her dog in the forest woods, our protagonist comes
across a note, handwritten and carefully pinned to the ground with a
frame of stones. "Her name was Magda. Nobody will ever know who killed
her. It wasn't me. Here is her dead body". Our narrator is deeply
shaken; she has no idea what to make of this. She is new to area, having
moved her from her longtime home after the death of her husband, and
she knows very few people. And she's a little shaky even on best days.
Her brooding about this note quickly grows into a full-blown obsession,
and she begins to devote herself to exploring the possibilities of her
conjectures about who this woman was and how she met her fate. Her
suppositions begin to find echoes in the real world, and with mounting
excitement and dread, the fog of mystery starts to form into a concrete
and menacing shape. But as we follow her in her investigation, strange
dissonances start to accrue, and our faith in her grip on reality
weakens, until finally, just as she seems be facing some of the darkness
in her own past with her late husband, we are forced to face the
prospect that there is either a more innocent explanation for all this
or a much more sinister one - one that strikes closer to home.<br /><br />A
triumphant blend of horror, suspense, and pitch-black comedy, 'Death in
Her Hands' asks us to consider how the stories we tell ourselves both
guide us closer to the truth and keep us at bay from it. Once again, we
are in the hands of a narrator whose unreliability is well earned, only
this time the stakes have never been higher.</span></span></div><div class="readable stacked" id="description" style="right: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span id="freeText11640529022131986169"> </span></span></div><div class="readable stacked" id="description" style="right: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span id="freeText11640529022131986169"> </span></span></div><div class="readable stacked" id="description" style="right: 0px;"><h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span id="freeText11640529022131986169">SERENA, Ron Rash, 2008</span></b></span></h4></div><div class="readable stacked" id="description" style="right: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span id="freeText11640529022131986169"> </span><span id="freeText11640529022131986169"><span id="freeText15584619844830637755">The year is 1929, and
newlyweds George and Serena Pemberton travel from Boston to the North
Carolina mountains where they plan to create a timber empire. Although
George has already lived in the camp long enough to father an
illegitimate child, Serena is new to the mountains—but she soon shows
herself to be the equal of any man, overseeing crews, hunting
rattle-snakes, even saving her husband's life in the wilderness.
Together this lord and lady of the woodlands ruthlessly kill or vanquish
all who fall out of favor. Yet when Serena learns that she will never
bear a child, she sets out to murder the son George fathered without
her. Mother and child begin a struggle for their lives, and when Serena
suspects George is protecting his illegitimate family, the Pembertons'
intense, passionate marriage starts to unravel as the story moves toward
its shocking reckoning.<br /><br />Rash's masterful balance of violence and
beauty yields a riveting novel that, at its core, tells of love both
honored and betrayed.</span></span></span></div><div class="readable stacked" id="description" style="right: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span id="freeText11640529022131986169"><span id="freeText15584619844830637755"> </span></span></span></div><div class="readable stacked" id="description" style="right: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span id="freeText11640529022131986169"><span id="freeText15584619844830637755">THE REVISIONERS, Margaret Wilkerson Sexton, 2019</span></span></span></div><div class="readable stacked" id="description" style="right: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span id="freeText11640529022131986169"><span id="freeText15584619844830637755"> </span></span></span></div><div class="readable stacked" id="description" style="right: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span id="freeText11640529022131986169"><span id="freeText15584619844830637755"><span id="freeText6348998489199354544">In 1925, Josephine is
the proud owner of a thriving farm. As a child, she channeled
otherworldly power to free herself from slavery. Now, her new neighbor, a
white woman named Charlotte, seeks her company, and an uneasy
friendship grows between them. But Charlotte has also sought solace in
the Ku Klux Klan, a relationship that jeopardizes Josephine's family.<br /><br />Nearly
one hundred years later, Josephine's descendant, Ava, is a single
mother who has just lost her job. She moves in with her white
grandmother Martha, a wealthy but lonely woman who pays her grandchild
to be her companion. But Martha's behavior soon becomes erratic, then
even threatening, and Ava must escape before her story and Josephine's
converge.<br /><br /><i>The Revisioners</i> explores the depths of women's
relationships—powerful women and marginalized women, healers and
survivors. It is a novel about the bonds between a mother and a child,
the dangers that upend those bonds. At its core, <i>The Revisioners</i> ponders generational legacies, the endurance of hope, and the undying promise of freedom.</span> <br /></span></span></span></div><div class="readable stacked" id="description" style="right: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span id="freeText11640529022131986169"><span id="freeText15584619844830637755"> </span></span></span></div><div class="readable stacked" id="description" style="right: 0px;"><span id="freeText11640529022131986169"><span id="freeText15584619844830637755"> </span> <br /></span></div></div><p><span id="freeText116344200813257945"><span class="readable" id="reviewTextContainer3281839784"><span id="freeText17227670455232748053"> </span></span> </span></p><p><span id="freeText116344200813257945"> <br /></span></p><p><span id="freeText2154233457842285823"> <br /></span></p>Gary Samuelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14313320007920561339noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3418288816343399887.post-13209157867086817812020-03-31T10:41:00.000-04:002020-03-31T10:41:34.488-04:00NEW BOOKS FOR APRIL<br />
<h2>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"> <b>NONFICTION</b></span></span></h2>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> <b>MIDNIGHT IN CHERNOBYL by Adam Higginbotham, 2019</b></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span id="freeText10446454948042073281">The full story of the
events that started that night in the control room of Reactor No.4 of
the V.I. Lenin Nuclear Power Plant has never been told—until now.
Through two decades of reporting, new archival information, and
firsthand interviews with witnesses, journalist Adam Higginbotham tells
the full dramatic story, including Alexander Akimov and Anatoli Dyatlov,
who represented the best and worst of Soviet life; denizens of a
vanished world of secret policemen, internal passports, food lines, and
heroic self-sacrifice for the Motherland. <i>Midnight in Chernobyl</i>,
award-worthy nonfiction that reads like sci-fi, shows not only the final
epic struggle of a dying empire but also the story of individual
heroism and desperate, ingenious technical improvisation joining forces
against a new kind of enemy.</span></span><br />
<br />
<h2>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span id="freeText10446454948042073281">FICTION</span></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span id="freeText10446454948042073281"> Two local writers</span></span></h2>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span id="freeText10446454948042073281">THE ORACLE FILES : ESCAPE by Masheri Chapelle, 2017</span></span></h4>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span id="freeText10446454948042073281"> </span><span id="freeText1496977136329525888"><em>The Oracle Files: Escape</em>
presents a new insight into an old world from the psychic perspective
of Elizabeth Beeson Chase. Cursed by her mother at age six, Elizabeth is
forced to battle Malachai, an angry West African ghost, as she rises
from slave to Quaker, to "Blue Vein" Socialite, in the harsh Black and
White world of 1850 New York. With the help of her Quaker father and her
spirit guide, she creates a shelter of love wherever she goes. However,
the raging storm of racism, the looming threat of slavery, and
Malachai's relentless hauntings pelt her life with indomitable fear.
After a painful betrayal sends her running into New York's dangerous
FIVE POINTS, she emerges with a gypsy's secret to battle Malachai and
racism. Freed from Malachai's ghostly grip, and ready to embrace her
secret "Blue Vein" world, she quickly discovers her freedom will cost
more than she is willing to pay.</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span id="freeText1496977136329525888">This is the first of a proposed trilogy that is set, at least in this first volume in 1850 and the New York/Philadelphia corridor. The author, Masheri Chapelle, is chair of the New Hampshire Writers’ Project Board of Trustees. </span></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span id="freeText1496977136329525888">She is a Data Analyst by day and a novelist, playwright, and intuitive
consultant by night. She utilizes her profound spiritual experiences in
the telling of her stories and plays. </span></span></span><br />
<h4>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span id="freeText1496977136329525888">BEAUTIFUL, FRIGHTENING AND SILENT by Jennifer Ann Gordon, 2020</span></span></h4>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span id="freeText1496977136329525888"> </span></span><span id="freeText3456155153279326534">Adam, a young alcoholic,
slowly descends into madness while dealing with the psychological scars
of childhood trauma which are reawakened when his son and wife die in a
car accident that he feels he is responsible for. After a failed
suicide attempt, and more group meetings that he can mention. Adam hears
a rumor of a Haunted Island off the Coast of Maine, where “if someone
wants it bad enough” they could be reunited with a lost loved one. In
his desperate attempt to connect with the ghost of his four-and-a half
year old son, he decides to go there, to Dagger Island, desperate to
apologize to, or be condemned by, his young son. Adam is not sure what
he deserves or even which of these he wants more. While staying in a
crumbling old boarding house, he becomes involved with a beautiful and
manipulative ghost who has spent 60 years tormenting the now elderly man
who was her lover, and ultimately her murderer. The three of them
create a “Menage-a-Guilt" as they all come to terms with what it is that
ties them so emotionally to their memories and their very
“existence”.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span id="freeText3456155153279326534">Beautiful, Frightening, and Silent is a poetic fever dream
of grief, love, and the terrifying ways that obsession can change who we
are.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span id="freeText3456155153279326534"><span class="readable" id="reviewTextContainer3240730460"><span id="freeText809017963677791393">Trigger warnings: suicide attempt, alcoholism, some f bombs, a murder, child abuse, psychological manipulation, etc.</span></span> </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span id="freeText3456155153279326534">Jennifer Gordon is resident of Concor. Beautiful, Frightening
and Silent is her debut novel.</span></span><br />
<br />
<h2>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span id="freeText3456155153279326534"> OTHER FICTION </span></span></h2>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span id="freeText3456155153279326534">THE NIGHT WATCHMAN by Louise Erdrich, 2020.</span></span></h4>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span id="freeText3456155153279326534">T</span><span id="freeText3456155153279326534"><span id="freeText13013497832786200547">homas Wazhashk is the
night watchman at the jewel bearing plant, the first factory located
near the Turtle Mountain Reservation in rural North Dakota. He is also a
Chippewa Council member who is trying to understand the consequences of
a new “emancipation” bill on its way to the floor of the United States
Congress. It is 1953 and he and the other council members know the bill
isn’t about freedom; Congress is fed up with Indians. The bill is a
“termination” that threatens the rights of Native Americans to their
land and their very identity. How can the government abandon treaties
made in good faith with Native Americans “for as long as the grasses
shall grow, and the rivers run”?<br /><br />Since graduating high school,
Pixie Paranteau has insisted that everyone call her Patrice. Unlike most
of the girls on the reservation, Patrice, the class valedictorian, has
no desire to wear herself down with a husband and kids. She makes jewel
bearings at the plant, a job that barely pays her enough to support her
mother and brother. Patrice’s shameful alcoholic father returns home
sporadically to terrorize his wife and children and bully her for money.
But Patrice needs every penny to follow her beloved older sister, Vera,
who moved to the big city of Minneapolis. Vera may have disappeared;
she hasn’t been in touch in months, and is rumored to have had a baby.
Determined to find Vera and her child, Patrice makes a fateful trip to
Minnesota that introduces her to unexpected forms of exploitation and
violence, and endangers her life.<br /><br />Thomas and Patrice live in this
impoverished reservation community along with young Chippewa boxer Wood
Mountain and his mother Juggie Blue, her niece and Patrice’s best
friend Valentine, and Stack Barnes, the white high school math teacher
and boxing coach who is hopelessly in love with Patrice.<br /><br />In the <em>Night Watchman</em>,
Louise Erdrich creates a fictional world populated with memorable
characters who are forced to grapple with the worst and best impulses of
human nature. Illuminating the loves and lives, the desires and
ambitions of these characters with compassion, wit, and intelligence,
The Night Watchman is a majestic work of fiction from this revered
cultural treasure.</span></span></span></span><br />
<h4>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span id="freeText3456155153279326534"><span id="freeText13013497832786200547"> REDEPLOYENT by Phil Klay, 2014</span></span></span></h4>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I would not normally have picket up this book, but it was highly recommended by a respected friend who I would not have predicted to have read the book. We have been at war so very long now and a whole part of our population of young -- and not not so young -- have been deployed. Their reality of life in a combat zone is far, far different from mine. Maybe worse, their reality of returning to what is called 'home,' but which may actually be 'away' and 'home' is in the zone. The book is fascinating, extremely written, poignant and all those adjectives. Those of us who have not experienced War, should read this in an effort to try to understand and appreciate the changes -- horrific and sublime -- that these warriors undergo from their deployments.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here is the publisher's blurb</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span id="freeText3456155153279326534"><span id="freeText13013497832786200547"><span id="freeText15754752690216110587">Phil Klay's Redeployment
takes readers to the frontlines of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan,
asking us to understand what happened there, and what happened to the
soldiers who returned. Interwoven with themes of brutality and faith,
guilt and fear, helplessness and survival, the characters in these
stories struggle to make meaning out of chaos. <br /><br />In
"Redeployment", a soldier who has had to shoot dogs because they were
eating human corpses must learn what it is like to return to domestic
life in suburbia, surrounded by people "who have no idea where Fallujah
is, where three members of your platoon died." In "After Action Report",
a Lance Corporal seeks expiation for a killing he didn't commit, in
order that his best friend will be unburdened. A Morturary Affairs
Marine tells about his experiences collecting remains - of U.S. and
Iraqi soldiers both. A chaplain sees his understanding of Christianity,
and his ability to provide solace through religion, tested by the
actions of a ferocious Colonel. And in the darkly comic "Money as a
Weapons System", a young Foreign Service Officer is given the absurd
task of helping Iraqis improve their lives by teaching them to play
baseball. These stories reveal the intricate combination of monotony,
bureaucracy, comradeship and violence that make up a soldier's daily
life at war, and the isolation, remorse, and despair that can accompany a
soldier's homecoming. <br /><br />Redeployment is poised to become a
classic in the tradition of war writing. Across nations and continents,
Klay sets in devastating relief the two worlds a soldier inhabits: one
of extremes and one of loss. Written with a hard-eyed realism and
stunning emotional depth, this work marks Phil Klay as one of the most
talented new voices of his generation.</span></span></span></span></span><br />
<h3>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span id="freeText3456155153279326534"><span id="freeText13013497832786200547"><span id="freeText15754752690216110587"> </span></span></span></span></span></h3>
<h3>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span id="freeText3456155153279326534"><span id="freeText13013497832786200547"><span id="freeText15754752690216110587"> TWO BOOKS FROM 'THE IMMIGRANT EXPERIENCE'</span></span></span></span></h3>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span id="freeText3456155153279326534"><span id="freeText13013497832786200547"><span id="freeText15754752690216110587"></span></span></span></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span id="freeText3456155153279326534"><span id="freeText13013497832786200547"><span id="freeText15754752690216110587"><b>AMERICAN DIRT by Jeanine Cummins, 2020</b></span></span></span></span></span></h4>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span id="freeText18373066843401017207"><span id="freeText3456155153279326534"><span id="freeText13013497832786200547"><span id="freeText15754752690216110587"><b> </b></span></span></span>Lydia Quixano Pérez
lives in the Mexican city of Acapulco. She runs a bookstore. She has a
son, Luca, the love of her life, and a wonderful husband who is a
journalist. And while there are cracks beginning to show in Acapulco
because of the drug cartels, her life is, by and large, fairly
comfortable.<br /><br />Even though she knows they’ll never sell, Lydia
stocks some of her all-time favorite books in her store. And then one
day a man enters the shop to browse and comes up to the register with a
few books he would like to buy—two of them her favorites. Javier is
erudite. He is charming. And, unbeknownst to Lydia, he is the jefe of
the newest drug cartel that has gruesomely taken over the city. When
Lydia’s husband’s tell-all profile of Javier is published, none of their
lives will ever be the same.<br /><br />Forced to flee, Lydia and
eight-year-old Luca soon find themselves miles and worlds away from
their comfortable middle-class existence. Instantly transformed into
migrants, Lydia and Luca ride la bestia—trains that make their way north
toward the United States, which is the only place Javier’s reach
doesn’t extend. As they join the countless people trying to reach el
norte, Lydia soon sees that everyone is running from something. But what
exactly are they running to?</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span id="freeText3456155153279326534"><span id="freeText13013497832786200547"><span id="freeText15754752690216110587"> </span></span></span></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span id="freeText1496977136329525888"> </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span id="freeText1496977136329525888">American Dirt has become very controversial. Its writing has been highly praised by reviwers and the book was chosen for Oprah's Book Club. It is an important story about Latinx immigrants. However, because American Dirt was written by an 'Anglo' author. </span>The main criticism of the book has been one of cultural appropriation: how can a white American possibly write about the experience of a Mexican mother who is running from the cartel?</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">One fact has been highlighted by the book. The book, the experience of a Mexican mother entering the USA illegally and written by a white American author was immediately picked up by reviewers such as Oprah Winfrey. On the other hand Latinx authors are poorly represented in mainstream literature. We can hope that this furor will lead to the recognition of more Latinx literature.</span></span><br />
<h4>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">THE HOUSE OF BROKEN ANGELS by Luis Alberto Urrea, 2018</span></h4>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span id="freeText11807429029823225063"></span></span><div id="descriptionContainer">
<div class="readable stacked" id="description" style="right: 0;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span id="freeText11807429029823225063">Prizewinning
and bestselling writer Luis Urrea has written his Mexican
coming-to-America story and his masterpiece. Destined to sit alongside
other classic immigrant novels, <em>The House of Broken Angels</em> is a
sprawling and epic family saga helmed by patriarch Big Angel. The novel
gathers together the entire De La Cruz clan, as they meet for the final
birthday party Big Angel is throwing for himself, at home in San Diego,
as he nears the end of his struggle with cancer and reflects on his
long and full life.<br /><br />But when Big Angel's mother, Mama America,
approaching one hundred, dies herself as the party nears, he must plan
her funeral as well. There will be two family affairs in one weekend: a
farewell double-header. Among the attendants is his half-brother and
namesake, Little Angel, who comes face to face with the siblings with
whom he shared a father but not, as the weekend proceeds to remind him, a
life. <br /><br />This story of the De La Cruzes is the story of what it
means to be a Mexican in America, to have lived two lives across one
border. It is a tale of the ravaging power of death to shore up the bits
of life you have forgotten, whether by choice or not. Above all, this
finely wrought portrait of a deeply complex family and the America they
have come to call home is Urrea at his purest and best. Teeming with
brilliance and humor, authentic at every turn, <em>The House of Broken Angels</em> cements his reputation as a storyteller of the first rank.</span></span></div>
<div class="readable stacked" id="description" style="right: 0;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span id="freeText11807429029823225063"> </span></span></div>
<div class="readable stacked" id="description" style="right: 0;">
<span id="freeText11807429029823225063"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When Ii picked up AMERICAN DIRT from Toadstool in Peterborough, Willard directed me to HOUSE OF BROKEN ANGELS which he had just finished reading. If AMERICAN DIRT was reviled because of 'cultural appropriation 'HOUSE OF BROKEN ANGELS was the 'real' thing. This is an incredible book. This is one book I am saving to reread.</span></span></div>
</div>
<h3>
<span style="font-weight: normal;"> </span></h3>
<br /><h3>
<span id="freeText10446454948042073281"><br /></span></h3>
<h3>
<span id="freeText10446454948042073281"><br /></span></h3>
<span id="freeText10446454948042073281"> </span>Gary Samuelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14313320007920561339noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3418288816343399887.post-54304695844944509622019-09-26T14:00:00.001-04:002019-09-26T14:00:10.186-04:00NEW BOOKS IN THE DEERING PUBLIC LIBRARY<h2>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">THESE BOOKS WERE ADDED TO THE LIBRARY IN OCTOBER</span></h2>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span>
<br />
<h4>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>The Testaments, </i>Margaret Atwood, 2019</span></h4>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span id="freeText17415735730498966752">In this brilliant sequel to <i>The Handmaid's Tale, </i>acclaimed author Margaret Atwood answers the questions that have tantalized readers for decades.<br /><br />When the van door slammed on Offred's future at the end of <i>The Handmaid's Tale</i>, readers had no way of telling what lay ahead for her--freedom, prison or death.<br /><br />With <i>The Testaments</i>, the wait is over.<br /><br />Margaret
Atwood's sequel picks up the story more than fifteen years after Offred
stepped into the unknown, with the explosive testaments of three female
narrators from Gilead.<br /><br />"Dear Readers: Everything you've ever
asked me about Gilead and its inner workings is the inspiration for this
book. Well, almost everything! The other inspiration is the world we've
been living in." --Margaret Atwood</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span id="freeText17415735730498966752"><i>The Porpoise</i>, Mark Haddon, 2019</span></span></h4>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">From <i>The New Yorker: </i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"Have we entered a zone of gods and monsters, or simply men? Haddon, who is also the author of “<a class="ArticleBody__link___1FS03" data-amzn-asin="1400032717" href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/1400032717/?tag=thneyo0f-20" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time</a>,”
declines to resolve such ambiguities. He is working from rich, if
messy, source material. The medieval poet John Gower told the tale of
Antiochus, a king who fell in love with his daughter after his wife
died; Shakespeare popularized the legend with his play “Pericles,” which
he likely co-wrote with his friend, the pimp and playwright George
Wilkins. Pericles, prince of adventure, seeks the hand of Antiochus’s
daughter but flees when he discovers her incestuous secret. Pursued by
killers-for-hire, he sails around having exploits. After she jumpstarts
the plot, Antiochus’s daughter disappears.<span id="freeText17415735730498966752"><span id="freeText11112854196551255185"><i>"</i></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span id="freeText17415735730498966752"><span id="freeText11112854196551255185">A newborn baby is the sole survivor of a terrifying plane crash.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span id="freeText17415735730498966752"><span id="freeText11112854196551255185">Perhaps “The Porpoise” is her revenge, and Darius turned Pericles’s
voyages are her act of creative resistance. Now and then, the story’s
wild twists and pileups of incident hint sweetly at its teen-age
creator. But the narration can also be alien, frightening, with an
implacable omniscience. (“In two hours he will be dead.”) “The Porpoise”
is terrifically violent, with a bright, innocent ferocity. When
Pericles imagines pulling his “long wet blade” from the chest of a
fallen foe, a stern clarity animates both the act and the language.
Descriptions of death are beautifully wrought and clinical—as one
character suffers a heart attack, “two bracelets of fire” travel “down
his arm as if someone were peeling the skin from shoulder to wrist.”
These formally striking passages feel intentionally divorced from any
understanding of the human body as a site of suffering. Written from a
kind of artistic absolute zero, they scan like the announcements of an
insane person or a god.<br />She
is raised in wealthy isolation by an overprotective father. She knows
nothing of the rumours about a beautiful young woman, hidden from the
world."</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span id="freeText17415735730498966752"><span id="freeText11112854196551255185"><br /></span></span></span>
<br />
<h4>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span id="freeText17415735730498966752"><span id="freeText11112854196551255185"><i>The Parisian</i>, by Isabella Hammad, 2019</span></span></span></h4>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span id="freeText17415735730498966752"><span id="freeText11112854196551255185">From </span></span><span id="freeText17415735730498966752"><span id="freeText11112854196551255185"><span id="freeText12238321815391282124"><span id="freeText17557033635771315844"><span id="freeText15901657582263129865">Goodreads</span></span></span>:</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span id="freeText17415735730498966752"><span id="freeText11112854196551255185"><span id="freeText16032480058185188569">"As the First World War
shatters families, destroys friendships and kills lovers, a young
Palestinian dreamer sets out to find himself.<br /><br />Midhat Kamal picks
his way across a fractured world, from the shifting politics of the
Middle East to the dinner tables of Montpellier and a newly tumultuous
Paris. He discovers that everything is fragile: love turns to loss,
friends become enemies and everyone is looking for a place to belong.<br /><br />Isabella
Hammad delicately unpicks the tangled politics and personal tragedies
of a turbulent era – the Palestinian struggle for independence from the
British Mandate, the strife of the early twentieth century and the
looming shadow of the Second World War. An intensely human story amidst a
global conflict, The Parisian is historical fiction with a remarkable
c<i>Tim</i>ontemporary voice."</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
<span id="freeText17415735730498966752"><span id="freeText11112854196551255185"><span id="freeText16032480058185188569"> </span></span></span><i>Time's Convert, </i>by Deborah Harkness, 2018</span></h4>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">From <span id="freeText12238321815391282124"><span id="freeText17557033635771315844"><span id="freeText15901657582263129865">Goodreads</span></span></span>:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"<span id="freeText12238321815391282124">On the battlefields of
the American Revolution, Matthew de Clermont meets Marcus MacNeil, a
young surgeon from Massachusetts, during a moment of political awakening
when it seems that the world is on the brink of a brighter future. When
Matthew offers him a chance at immortality and a new life free from the
restraints of his puritanical upbringing, Marcus seizes the opportunity
to become a vampire. But his transformation is not an easy one and the
ancient traditions and responsibilities of the de Clermont family clash
with Marcus's deeply held beliefs in liberty, equality, and brotherhood.<br /><br />Fast-forward
to contemporary Paris, where Phoebe Taylor--the young employee at
Sotheby's whom Marcus has fallen for--is about to embark on her own
journey to immortality. Though the modernized version of the process at
first seems uncomplicated, the couple discovers that the challenges
facing a human who wishes to be a vampire are no less formidable than
they were in the eighteenth century. The shadows that Marcus believed
he'd escaped centuries ago may return to haunt them both--forever.<br /><br />A
passionate love story and a fascinating exploration of the power of
tradition and the possibilities not just for change but for revolution, <i>Time's Convert</i>
channels the supernatural world-building and slow-burning romance that
made the All Souls Trilogy instant bestsellers to illuminate a new and
vital moment in history, and a love affair that will bridge centuries."</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span id="freeText12238321815391282124"><i>Black Leopard Red Wolf</i>, by Marlon James, 2019</span></span></h4>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span id="freeText12238321815391282124"> From </span><span id="freeText12238321815391282124"><span id="freeText17557033635771315844"><span id="freeText15901657582263129865">Goodreads</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span id="freeText12238321815391282124">"</span><span id="freeText12238321815391282124"><span id="freeText17557033635771315844">In the first novel in
Marlon James's Dark Star trilogy, myth, fantasy, and history come
together to explore what happens when a mercenary is hired to find a
missing child. <br /><br />Tracker is known far and wide for his skills as a
hunter: "He has a nose," people say. Engaged to track down a mysterious
boy who disappeared three years earlier, Tracker breaks his own rule of
always working alone when he finds himself part of a group that comes
together to search for the boy. The band is a hodgepodge, full of
unusual characters with secrets of their own, including a shape-shifting
man-animal known as Leopard.<br /><br />Drawing from African history and
mythology and his own rich imagination, Marlon James has written an
adventure that's also an ambitious, involving read. Defying
categorization and full of unforgettable characters, Black Leopard, Red
Wolf explores the fundamentals of truths, the limits of power, the
excesses of ambition, and our need to understand them all."</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span id="freeText12238321815391282124"><span id="freeText17557033635771315844"><i>The Institute</i>, by Stephen King, 2019</span></span></span></h4>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span id="freeText12238321815391282124"><span id="freeText17557033635771315844"> From </span></span><span id="freeText12238321815391282124"><span id="freeText17557033635771315844"><span id="freeText15901657582263129865">Goodreads</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span id="freeText12238321815391282124"><span id="freeText17557033635771315844">"I</span></span><span id="freeText12238321815391282124"><span id="freeText17557033635771315844"><span id="freeText15901657582263129865">n the middle of the
night, in a house on a quiet street in suburban Minneapolis, intruders
silently murder Luke Ellis’s parents and load him into a black SUV. The
operation takes less than two minutes. Luke will wake up at The
Institute, in a room that looks just like his own, except there’s no
window. And outside his door are other doors, behind which are other
kids with special talents—telekinesis and telepathy—who got to this
place the same way Luke did: Kalisha, Nick, George, Iris, and
ten-year-old Avery Dixon. They are all in Front Half. Others, Luke
learns, graduated to Back Half, “like the roach motel,” Kalisha says.
“You check in, but you don’t check out.”<br /><br />In this most sinister of
institutions, the director, Mrs. Sigsby, and her staff are ruthlessly
dedicated to extracting from these children the force of their
extranormal gifts. There are no scruples here. If you go along, you get
tokens <i>for the vending machines. If you don’t, punishment is brutal. As
each new victim disappears to Back Half, Luke becomes more and more
desperate to get out and get help. But no one has ever escaped from the
Institute.</i><br />As psychically terrifying as Firestarter, and with the
spectacular kid power of It, The Institute is Stephen King’s
gut-wrenchingly dramatic story of good vs. evil in a world where the
good guys don’t alwayswin."</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span id="freeText12238321815391282124"><span id="freeText17557033635771315844"><span id="freeText15901657582263129865"><i>The Outsider</i>, by Stephen King, 2018</span></span></span></span></h4>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span id="freeText12238321815391282124"><span id="freeText17557033635771315844"><span id="freeText15901657582263129865"> From </span></span></span><span id="freeText12238321815391282124"><span id="freeText17557033635771315844"><span id="freeText15901657582263129865">Goodreads</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span id="freeText12238321815391282124"><span id="freeText17557033635771315844"><span id="freeText15901657582263129865">"</span></span></span><span id="freeText12061589594044248293">An eleven-year-old
boy’s violated corpse is found in a town park. Eyewitnesses and
fingerprints point unmistakably to one of Flint City’s most popular
citizens. He is Terry Maitland, Little League coach, English teacher,
husband, and father of two girls. Detective Ralph Anderson, whose son
Maitland once coached, orders a quick and very public arrest. Maitland
has an alibi, but Anderson and the district attorney soon add DNA
evidence to go with the fingerprints and witnesses. Their case seems
ironclad.<br /><br />As the investigation expands and horrifying answers
begin to emerge, King’s propulsive story kicks into high gear,
generating strong tension and almost unbearable suspense. Terry Maitland
seems like a nice guy, but is he wearing another face? When the answer
comes, it will shock you as only Stephen King can."</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span id="freeText12061589594044248293"><i>Bowlaway</i>, by Elizabeth Mc Cracken, 2019</span></span></h4>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span id="freeText12061589594044248293">From </span><span id="freeText12238321815391282124"><span id="freeText17557033635771315844"><span id="freeText15901657582263129865">Goodreads</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span id="freeText12061589594044248293"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span id="freeText12061589594044248293">"</span><span id="freeText12061589594044248293"><span id="freeText17662216292491995774">A sweeping and
enchanting new novel from the widely beloved, award-winning author
Elizabeth McCracken about three generations of an unconventional New
England family who own and operate a candlepin bowling alley.<br /><br />From
the day she is discovered unconscious in a New England cemetery at the
turn of the twentieth century—nothing but a bowling ball, a candlepin,
and fifteen pounds of gold on her person—Bertha Truitt is an enigma to
everyone in Salford, Massachusetts. She has no past to speak of, or at
least none she is willing to reveal, and her mysterious origin
scandalizes and intrigues the townspeople, as does her choice to marry
and start a family with Leviticus Sprague, the doctor who revived her.
But Bertha is plucky, tenacious, and entrepreneurial, and the bowling
alley she opens quickly becomes Salford’s most defining landmark—with
Bertha its most notable resident.<br /><br />When Bertha dies in a freak
accident, her past resurfaces in the form of a heretofore-unheard-of
son, who arrives in Salford claiming he is heir apparent to Truitt
Alleys. Soon it becomes clear that, even in her death, Bertha’s defining
spirit and the implications of her obfuscations live on, infecting and
affecting future generations through inheritance battles, murky
paternities, and hidden wills.<br /><br />In a voice laced with insight and
her signature sharp humor, Elizabeth McCracken has written an epic
family saga set against the backdrop of twentieth-century America. <i>Bowlaway</i>
is both a stunning feat of language and a brilliant unraveling of a
family’s myths and secrets, its passions and betrayals, and the ties
that bind and the rifts that divide. "</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
<span id="freeText12238321815391282124"><span id="freeText17557033635771315844"><span id="freeText15901657582263129865"> <i>The Chain</i>, by Adrian McKintym 2019</span></span></span></span></h4>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span id="freeText12238321815391282124"><span id="freeText17557033635771315844"><span id="freeText15901657582263129865">From Goodreads:</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span id="freeText12238321815391282124"><span id="freeText17557033635771315844"><span id="freeText15901657582263129865"><span id="freeText5638110833617720813">"You just dropped off
your child at the bus stop. A panicked stranger calls your phone. Your
child has been kidnapped, and the stranger explains that their child has
also been kidnapped, by a completely different stranger. The only way
to get your child back is to kidnap another child within 24 hours. Your
child will be released only when the next victim's parents kidnap yet
another child, and most importantly, the stranger explains, if you don't
kidnap a child, or if the next parents don't kidnap a child, your child
will be murdered. You are now part of The Chain."</span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span id="freeText12238321815391282124"><span id="freeText17557033635771315844"><span id="freeText15901657582263129865"><span id="freeText5638110833617720813"><i>I Cannot Play With You</i>, by Dana Biscotti Myskowski, 2019</span></span></span></span></span></h4>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span id="freeText12238321815391282124"><span id="freeText17557033635771315844"><span id="freeText15901657582263129865"><span id="freeText5638110833617720813"> I might have it wrong, but I think the author is from Henniker. How could I not buy a novel about Lyme disease written by an author who lives in our neighboring town? To be honest, I was not impressed by the writing or the story. And have no idea what the title is about.I get the impression that the author is using this book as a platform to complain that CDC does not recognize chronic Lyme. Does it? We know that Lyme disease is borne by ticks. In this story it is also borne by evil people. It's a slim book, so won't take much of your time.</span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span id="freeText12238321815391282124"><span id="freeText17557033635771315844"><span id="freeText15901657582263129865"><span id="freeText5638110833617720813"><br /></span></span></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span id="freeText12238321815391282124"><span id="freeText17557033635771315844"><span id="freeText15901657582263129865"><span id="freeText5638110833617720813">Here's the blurb from </span></span></span></span><span id="freeText12238321815391282124"><span id="freeText17557033635771315844"><span id="freeText15901657582263129865"><span id="freeText5638110833617720813"><span id="freeText12238321815391282124"><span id="freeText17557033635771315844"><span id="freeText15901657582263129865">Goodreads</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span id="freeText12238321815391282124"><span id="freeText17557033635771315844"><span id="freeText15901657582263129865"><span id="freeText5638110833617720813"><br /></span></span></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span id="freeText12238321815391282124"><span id="freeText17557033635771315844"><span id="freeText15901657582263129865"><span id="freeText5638110833617720813"><span id="freeText17094971484230107512">While Lyme disease won't kill her, the man who infected her just may.<br /><br />Sick
with a disease that doesn't officially exist, a state director for a
U.S. Senator struggles to make sense of her boss' suicide as she
investigates the suspicious activities of the state's other U.S. Senator
and his sidekick, a nefarious rheumatologist--all while her best friend
helps her manage her new and confusing symptoms of chronic Lyme. When
she begins to suspect that her home, workplace, and car are littered
with listening devices installed by some evildoer, she wonders if she's
crazy. After all, her best friend seems to think she is.</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
<span id="freeText12238321815391282124"><span id="freeText17557033635771315844"><span id="freeText15901657582263129865"><span id="freeText5638110833617720813"><span id="freeText17094971484230107512"> <i>Pursuit. A novel of suspense, </i>by Joyce Carol Oates, 2019</span></span></span></span></span></span></h4>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span id="freeText12238321815391282124"><span id="freeText17557033635771315844"><span id="freeText15901657582263129865"><span id="freeText5638110833617720813"><span id="freeText17094971484230107512"> I love Joyce Carol Oates creepy stories. This looks like a good example.</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span id="freeText12238321815391282124"><span id="freeText17557033635771315844"><span id="freeText15901657582263129865"><span id="freeText5638110833617720813"><span id="freeText17094971484230107512">From the publisher:</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span id="freeText12238321815391282124"><span id="freeText17557033635771315844"><span id="freeText15901657582263129865"><span id="freeText5638110833617720813"><span id="freeText17094971484230107512"> A</span></span></span></span></span><span id="freeText16483106222037885009">s a child, Abby had the
same recurring nightmare night after night, in which she wandered
through a field ridden with human skulls and bones. Now an adult, Abby
thinks she's outgrown her demons, until, the evening before her wedding,
the terrible dream returns and forces her to confront the dark secrets
from her past she has kept from her new husband, Willem. The following
day--less than 24 hours after exchanging vows--Abby steps out into
traffic. As his wife lies in her hospital bed, sleeping in fits and
starts, Willem tries to determine whether this was an absentminded
accident or a premeditated plunge, and he quickly discovers a mysterious
set of clues about what his wife might be hiding. Why, for example is
there a rash-like red mark circling her wrist? What does she dream about
that causes her to wake from the sound of her own screams?<br /><br />Slowly,
Abby begins to open up to her husband, revealing to him what she has
never shared with anyone before--the story of a terrified mother; a
jealous, drug addled father; and a daughter's terrifying captivity.<br /><br />With a suspenseful, alternating narrative that travels between the present and Abby's tortured childhood, <i>The Pursuit</i> is a meticulously crafted, deeply disquieting tale that showcases Oates's masterful storytelling.</span></span><br />
<br />
<h4>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span id="freeText16483106222037885009"><i>The Tiger's Wife</i>, by Tea Obrecht, 2011</span></span></h4>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span id="freeText16483106222037885009"> From Goodreads:</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span id="freeText16483106222037885009">"</span><span id="freeText16483106222037885009"><span id="freeText10803844531133770183">In a Balkan country
mending from years of conflict, Natalia, a young doctor, arrives on a
mission of mercy at an orphanage by the sea. By the time she and her
lifelong friend Zóra begin to inoculate the children there, she feels
age-old superstitions and secrets gathering everywhere around her.
Secrets her outwardly cheerful hosts have chosen not to tell her.
Secrets involving the strange family digging for something in the
surrounding vineyards. Secrets hidden in the landscape itself.<br /><br />But
Natalia is also confronting a private, hurtful mystery of her own: the
inexplicable circumstances surrounding her beloved grandfather’s recent
death. After telling her grandmother that he was on his way to meet
Natalia, he instead set off for a ramshackle settlement none of their
family had ever heard of and died there alone. A famed physician, her
grandfather must have known that he was too ill to travel. Why he left
home becomes a riddle Natalia is compelled to unravel.<br /> <br />Grief
struck and searching for clues to her grandfather’s final state of mind,
she turns to the stories he told her when she was a child. On their
weeklytrips to the zoo he would read to her from a worn copy of Rudyard
Kipling’s The Jungle Book, which he carried with him everywhere; later,
he told her stories of his own encounters over many years with “the
deathless man,” a vagabond who claimed to be immortal and appeared never
to age. But the most extraordinary story of all is the one her
grandfather never told her, the one Natalia must discover for herself.
One winter during the Second World War, his childhood village was
snowbound, cut off even from the encroaching German invaders but haunted
by another, fierce presence: a tiger who comes ever closer under cover
of darkness. “These stories,” Natalia comes to understand, “run like
secret rivers through all the other stories” of her grandfather’s life.
And it is ultimately within these rich, luminous narratives that she
will find the answer she is looking for."</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<h4>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span id="freeText16483106222037885009"><i>Inland,</i> by Tea Obrecht, 2019</span></span></h4>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span id="freeText16483106222037885009">From Goodreads:</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span id="freeText16483106222037885009"><span id="freeText8617024969811425728">"In the lawless,
drought-ridden lands of the Arizona Territory in 1893, two extraordinary
lives collide. Nora is an unflinching frontierswoman awaiting the
return of the men in her life--her husband, who has gone in search of
water for the parched household, and her elder sons, who have vanished
after an explosive argument. Nora is biding her time with her youngest
son, who is convinced that a mysterious beast is stalking the land
around their home.<br /><br />Lurie is a former outlaw and a man haunted by
ghosts. He sees lost souls who want something from him, and he finds
reprieve from their longing in an unexpected relationship that inspires a
momentous expedition across the West. The way in which Nora's and
Lurie's stories intertwine is the surprise and suspense of this
brilliant novel.<br /><br />Mythical, lyrical, and sweeping in scope, <i>Inland </i>is
grounded in true but little-known history. It showcases all of Téa
Obreht's talents as a writer, as she subverts and reimagines the myths
of the American West, making them entirely--and unforgettably--her own."</span></span></span><br />
<h4>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span id="freeText16483106222037885009"><span id="freeText8617024969811425728"> <i>The Library Book</i>, by Susan Orlean, 2018</span></span></span></h4>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span id="freeText16483106222037885009"><span id="freeText8617024969811425728">This is a fascinating book uses a destructive fire at the Los Angeles County library as the focal point to talk about libraries, librarians, books and people who use libraries, librarians and publicly owned books. A thoughtful and well-written book that is particularly relevant to Deering, which doesn't -- really -- have a library and is one of the few New Hampshire towns that doesn't. </span></span></span><br />
<br />
<h4>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span id="freeText16483106222037885009"><span id="freeText8617024969811425728"><i>Gingerbread, </i>by Helen Oyeyemi, 2019</span></span></span></h4>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span id="freeText16483106222037885009"><span id="freeText8617024969811425728"> From Goodreads:</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span id="freeText16483106222037885009"><span id="freeText8617024969811425728"><span id="freeText7365895956718214814">"Influenced by the
mysterious place gingerbread holds in classic children's stories--equal
parts wholesome and uncanny, from the tantalizing witch's house in
"Hansel and Gretel" to the man-shaped confection who one day decides to
run as fast as he can--beloved novelist Helen Oyeyemi invites readers
into a delightful tale of a surprising family legacy, in which the
inheritance is a recipe.<br /><br />Perdita Lee may appear to be your
average British schoolgirl; Harriet Lee may seem just a working mother
trying to penetrate the school social hierarchy; but there are signs
that they might not be as normal as they think they are. For one thing,
they share a gold-painted, seventh-floor walk-up apartment with some
surprisingly verbal vegetation. And then there's the gingerbread they
make. Londoners may find themselves able to take or leave it, but it's
very popular in Druhástrana, the far-away (and, according to Wikipedia,
non-existent) land of Harriet Lee's early youth. In fact, the world's
truest lover of the Lee family gingerbread is Harriet's charismatic
childhood friend, Gretel Kercheval--a figure who seems to have had a
hand in everything (good or bad) that has happened to Harriet since they
met.<br /><br />Decades later, when teenaged Perdita sets out to find her
mother's long-lost friend, it prompts a new telling of Harriet's story.
As the book follows the Lees through encounters with jealousy, ambition,
family grudges, work, wealth, and real estate, gingerbread seems to be
the one thing that reliably holds a constant value. Endlessly surprising
and satisfying, written with Helen Oyeyemi's inimitable style and
imagination, it is a true feast for the reader.</span>"</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<h4>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span id="freeText16483106222037885009"><span id="freeText8617024969811425728"><i>The Nickel Boys, </i>by Colson Whitehead, 2019</span></span></span></h4>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span id="freeText16483106222037885009"><span id="freeText8617024969811425728"> From Goodreads:</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /><span id="freeText16483106222037885009"><span id="freeText8617024969811425728"><span id="freeText4103716467524783877">"As the Civil Rights
movement begins to reach the black enclave of Frenchtown in segregated
Tallahassee, Elwood Curtis takes the words of Dr. Martin Luther King to
heart: He is "as good as anyone." Abandoned by his parents, but kept on
the straight and narrow by his grandmother, Elwood is about to enroll in
the local black college. But for a black boy in the Jim Crow South in
the early 1960s, one innocent mistake is enough to destroy the future.
Elwood is sentenced to a juvenile reformatory called The Nickel Academy,
whose mission statement says it provides "physical, intellectual and
moral training" so the delinquent boys in their charge can become
"honorable and honest men."<br /><br />In reality, The Nickel Academy is a
grotesque chamber of horrors, where the sadistic staff beats and
sexually abuses the students, corrupt officials and locals steal food
and supplies, and any boy who resists is likely to disappear "out back."
Stunned to find himself in such a vicious environment, Elwood tries to
hold on to Dr. King's ringing assertion "Throw us in jail and we will
still love you." His friend Turner thinks Elwood is worse than naive,
that the world is crooked and the only way to survive is to scheme and
avoid trouble. <br /><br />The tension between Elwood's ideals and Turner's
skepticism leads to a decision whose repercussions will echo down the
decades. Formed in the crucible of the evils Jim Crow wrought, the boys'
fates will be determined by what they endured at The Nickel Academy.<br /><br />Based
on the real story of a reform school in Florida that operated for one
hundred and eleven years and warped the lives of thousands of children, <i>The Nickel Boys</i> is a devastating, driven narrative."</span></span></span></span><br />
<span id="freeText16483106222037885009"><span id="freeText8617024969811425728"> </span> </span><br />
<span id="freeText12238321815391282124"><span id="freeText17557033635771315844"><span id="freeText15901657582263129865"><span id="freeText5638110833617720813"><span id="freeText17094971484230107512"><br /><i></i></span></span></span></span></span>
<span id="freeText12238321815391282124"><span id="freeText17557033635771315844"><span id="freeText15901657582263129865"><span id="freeText5638110833617720813"> </span></span></span></span><br />
<span id="freeText12238321815391282124"><span id="freeText17557033635771315844"></span></span><br />
<span id="freeText12238321815391282124"><span id="freeText17557033635771315844"></span></span><br />
<span id="freeText12238321815391282124"><span id="freeText17557033635771315844"></span></span><br />
<span id="freeText12238321815391282124"><span id="freeText17557033635771315844"><br /></span></span>
<span id="freeText12238321815391282124"><span id="freeText17557033635771315844"><br /></span></span>
Gary Samuelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14313320007920561339noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3418288816343399887.post-88521171595031689312019-02-04T12:46:00.000-05:002019-02-04T13:17:05.056-05:00NEW BOOKS FOR THE NEW YEAR<h2>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Adult fiction, history (what WOULD the Founders have said?), Michelle Obama, daring women in flying machines, and a series for young adult readers and some kids books to help you start the year.</span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">YOUNGER CHILDREN</span></b><b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"></span></b></span></h2>
<h3>
</h3>
<h4 class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 4;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> <b>We Don't Eat our Classmates </b>by
Ryan T. Higgins, 2018</span><b><span style="font-size: 12pt;"></span></b></span></h4>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 4;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">It's the first day of school for
Penelope Rex, and she can't wait to meet her classmates. But it's hard to make
human friends when they're so darn delicious! That is, until Penelope gets a
taste of her own medicine and finds she may not be at the top of the food chain
after all. . . . </span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 4;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><b><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 4;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Over and Under the Snow</span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> by Kate Messner, art
work by Christopher Silas Neal, 2011</span><b><span style="font-size: 12pt;"></span></b></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 4;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Over the snow, the world is hushed and
white. But under the snow exists a secret kingdom of squirrels and snow hares,
bears and bullfrogs, and many other animals that live through the winter safe
and warm, awake and busy, under the snow. Discover the wonder and activity that
lies beneath winter's snowy landscape in this magical book. </span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 4;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 4;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Notes at the end of the book about the
various animals that are found under winter's snow greatly increase the appeal
of this very attractive book. </span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 4;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<h3 class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 3;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">THIRD GRADERS</span></b><b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"></span></b></span></h3>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<h4 class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 4;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Hello Universe</span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> by Erin Entrada
Kelly, 2017 </span><b><span style="font-size: 12pt;"></span></b></span></h4>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 4;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">2018 Newberry Award Winner</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 4;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 4;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">In one day, four lives weave together
in unexpected ways. Virgil Salinas is shy and kindhearted and feels out of
place in his loud and boisterous family. Valencia Somerset, who is deaf, is
smart, brave, and secretly lonely, and loves everything about nature. Kaori
Tanaka is a self-proclaimed psychic, whose little sister Gen is always
following her around. And Chet Bullens wishes the weird kids would just act
normal so that he can concentrate on basketball. They aren’t friends -- at
least not until Chet pulls a prank that traps Virgil and his pet guinea pig at
the bottom of a well. This disaster leads Kaori, Gen, and Valencia on an epic
quest to find the missing Virgil. Through luck, smarts, bravery, and a little
help from the universe, a rescue is performed, a bully is put in his place, and
friendship blooms </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span></span><br />
<h3>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"> </span></span></h3>
<h3>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">
ADULT FICTION </span></h3>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">
River by Esther Kinsky (translated from German by Iain Galbreath), 2018.</span></h4>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">The river Lea runs through northeast London and into the Thames. It passes through derelict industrial wastelands and wetlands teeming with life, through bustling urban locales and down at the heels parts of town that are populated by people who landed there from all over the world. </span></span></h4>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">The river Lea runs through
northeast London and into the Thames. It passes through derelict
industrial wastelands and wetlands teeming with life, through bustling
urban locales and down at the heels parts of town that are populated by
people who landed there from all over the world. </span></span></h4>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">The
protagonist is a German woman who grew up along the Rhine River and who
is now living, temporarily, in London. We never know why, but it works
for us because as she wanders the length of the Lea she sees this poor
river through eyes that have known many other rivers.</span></span></h4>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">This
book is more meditation on rivers, nature and people than it is a
novel. There is no plot, only a few recurring characters who live in the
vicinity of the writer's flat (Katz, the green grocer, the Croat, the
King and a few more). One could read the 18 or so chapters in any
order. </span></span></h4>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">It took some time for me to adjust to the writer and, in the end, I found the book to be more poetry than anything else. </span></span></h4>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">This is what one reviewer wrote:</span></span></h4>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">So much has been packed inside these 350 pages or so that calling <i>River</i>
a mere description of flowing bodies of water is very much slighting.
It is true that reading it requires some amount of concentration,
especially in the beginning when one is only getting accustomed to
Kinsky’s style of writing, but its meditative flair is surprisingly
addictive to follow. As long as you do not expect plot twists and are
willing to go unhurried with the flow, you are in for a literary treat.
Reading <i>River</i> is, in a sense, a meditative practice, a welcome exercise in an age of short attention spans. In fact, I don’t think <i>River</i>’s level of observation and focus on the everyday is very far from the actual experience of meditation.</span></span></h4>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">The narrator isw a German woman who grew up along the Rhine River and who is now living, temporarily, in London. We never know why, but it works for us because as she wanders the length of the Lea she sees this poor river through eyes that have known many other rivers.</span></span></h4>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">This book is more meditation on rivers, nature and people than it is a novel. There is no plot, only a few recurring characters who live in the vicinity of the writer's flat (Katz, the green grocer, the Croat, the King and a few more). One could read the 18 or so chapters in any order. </span></span></h4>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">It took some time for me to adjust to the writer and, in the end, I found the book to be more poetry than anything else. </span></span></h4>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">This is what one reviewer wrote:</span></span></h4>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">So much has been packed inside these 350 pages or so that calling <i>River</i>
a mere description of flowing bodies of water is very much slighting.
It is true that reading it requires some amount of concentration,
especially in the beginning when one is only getting accustomed to
Kinsky’s style of writing, but its meditative flair is surprisingly
addictive to follow. As long as you do not expect plot twists and are
willing to go unhurried with the flow, you are in for a literary treat.
Reading <i>River</i> is, in a sense, a meditative practice, a welcome exercise in an age of short attention spans. In fact, I don’t think <i>River</i>’s level of observation and focus on the everyday is very far from the actual experience of meditation.</span></span></h4>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">
Unsheltered by Barvara Kingsolver, 2018</span></h4>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span id="freeText9455332196207661656">Willa Knox has always
prided herself on being the embodiment of responsibility for her family.
Which is why it’s so unnerving that she’s arrived at middle age with
nothing to show for her hard work and dedication but a stack of unpaid
bills and an inherited brick home in Vineland, New Jersey, that is
literally falling apart. The magazine where she worked has folded, and
the college where her husband had tenure has closed. The dilapidated
house is also home to her ailing and cantankerous Greek father-in-law
and her two grown children: her stubborn, free-spirited daughter, Tig,
and her dutiful debt-ridden, ivy educated son, Zeke, who has arrived
with his unplanned baby in the wake of a life-shattering development.<br /><br />In
an act of desperation, Willa begins to investigate the history of her
home, hoping that the local historical preservation society might take
an interest and provide funding for its direly needed repairs. Through
her research into Vineland’s past and its creation as a Utopian
community, she discovers a kindred spirit from the 1880s, Thatcher
Greenwood.<br /><br />A science teacher with a lifelong passion for honest
investigation, Thatcher finds himself under siege in his community for
telling the truth: his employer forbids him to speak of the exciting new
theory recently published by Charles Darwin. Thatcher’s friendships
with a brilliant woman scientist and a renegade newspaper editor draw
him into a vendetta with the town’s most powerful men. At home, his new
wife and status-conscious mother-in-law bristle at the risk of scandal,
and dismiss his financial worries and the news that their elegant house
is structurally unsound.<br /><br />Brilliantly executed and compulsively listenable, <i>Unsheltered</i>
is the story of two families, in two centuries, who live at the corner
of Sixth and Plum, as they navigate the challenges of surviving a world
in the throes of major cultural shifts. In this mesmerizing story told
in alternating chapters, Willa and Thatcher come to realize that though
the future is uncertain, even unnerving, shelter can be found in the
bonds of kindred—whether family or friends—and in the strength of the
human spirit.</span> .</span></span></h4>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">
Macbeath by Jo Nesbo, (translated from Norwegian by Don Bartlett) 2018.</span></h4>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Joe Nesbo, the writer of Norwegian thrillers, has updated <i>Macbeath</i></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><i> </i>for <i>Hogarth Shakespeare</i>, a series in which best-selling novelists turn Shakespeare’s works into contemporary fiction.</span></span></h4>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">From one reviewer: </span></span></h4>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">" </span><span style="font-weight: normal;">Nesbo has spoken of finding himself on familiar terrain here, arguing
that “Macbeth” is essentially a “thriller about the struggle for power”
that takes place “in a gloomy, stormy crime noir-like setting and in a
dark, paranoid human mind.” True enough, yet many features of this
400-year-old tragedy don’t easily fit the demands of a modern, realistic
thriller. One of the pleasures of reading this book is watching Nesbo
meet the formidable challenge of assimilating elements of the play
unsuited to realistic crime fiction, especially the supernatural: the
witches, prophecies, visions, and the mysterious figure of Hecate. "</span></span></h4>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;"> Nesbo's <i>Macbeath</i> is 450 pages in length while Shakespeare's play is one of his shortest. Nesbo uses these pages to delve into the missing back stories of major and minor characters, to paint a very gritty picture of the setting (probably Glasgow in the early 1970's). Drug addition provides plenty of space for witches and other supernaturalia. </span></span></h4>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">It's a dark novel. The reader will remember bits from <i>Macbeath</i> that were read so long ago in highschool. And will most likely welcome Nesbo's filling in the blank spaces.</span></span></h4>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Only to Sleep, a Philip Marlow NOvel by Philip Osborne, 2018.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">From the publisher:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span id="freeText17401371094175885757">In this brilliant new
novel, commissioned by the Raymond Chandler estate, the acclaimed author
Lawrence Osborne gives us a piercing psychological study of one of
literature's most beloved and enduring detectives, told with a
contemporary twist. It is an unforgettable addition to the Raymond
Chandler canon.<br /><br />The year is 1989, the Reagan presidency has just
come to an end, and detective Philip Marlowe--now in his seventy-seventh
year--is on the case again. What country is this for old men? For
Marlowe, this is his last roll of the dice, his swan song, and he is
back on his home turf. Set between the border and badlands of Mexico and
California, Marlowe's final assignment is to investigate the
disappearance of Donald Zinn: supposedly drowned off his yacht in Mexico
and leaving his much-younger wife a very rich woman. But is Zinn
actually alive, and are the pair living off the spoils?<br /><br />Lawrence Osborne's unforgettable Marlowe investigates.</span></span><br />
<h3>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></h3>
<h3>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b> YOUNG ADULT FICTION</b></span></h3>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children, a series by Ransom Riggs</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children,2011</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Hollow City.The second novel of Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children, 2014</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Library of Souls. The the third novel of Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children, 2015</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">A Map of Days, the fourth novel of Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children, 2018 </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">From Wikipedia:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This young adult book [<i>Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children</i>] was originally intended to be a picture book featuring photographs Riggs had collected, but on the advice of an editor at Quirk Books, he used the photographs as a guide from which to put together a narrative.Riggs was a collector of photographs, but needed more for his novel. He met Leonard Lightfoot, a well-known collector at the Rose Bowl Flea Market, and was introduced to other collectors.
The result was a story about a boy who follows clues from his
grandfather's old photographs, tales, and his grandfather's last words
which lead him on an adventure that takes him to a large abandoned
orphanage on Cairnholm, a fictional Welsh island.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The series builds through these four novels, following a group of children - - each of whom has special powers.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This from Goodreads review of the third volume, <i>Library of Souls</i>,:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span id="freeText9478246453438147964">The adventure that began with <i>Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children</i> and continued in <i>Hollow City</i> comes to a thrilling conclusion with <i>Library of Souls</i>.
As the story opens, sixteen-year-old Jacob discovers a powerful new
ability, and soon he’s diving through history to rescue his peculiar
companions from a heavily guarded fortress. Accompanying Jacob on his
journey are Emma Bloom, a girl with fire at her fingertips, and Addison
MacHenry, a dog with a nose for sniffing out lost children.<br /><br />They’ll
travel from modern-day London to the labyrinthine alleys of Devil’s
Acre, the most wretched slum in all of Victorian England. It’s a place
where the fate of peculiar children everywhere will be decided once and
for all. Like its predecessors, <i>Library of Souls</i> blends thrilling fantasy with never-before-published vintage photography to create a one-of-a-kind reading experience.</span></span><br />
<br />
<h3>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span id="freeText9478246453438147964">BIOGRAPHY</span></span></h3>
<br />
<h4>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span id="freeText9478246453438147964">Becoming by Michelle Obama, 2018</span></span></h4>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This is the widely praised biography of our former First Lady.</span><br />
<br />
<h3>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">NONFICTION</span></h3>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Fly Girls. How five daring women defied all odds by Keith O'Brien, 2018 </span></h4>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span id="freeText6163418601418035859">Between the world wars,
no sport was more popular, or more dangerous, than airplane racing.
Thousands of fans flocked to multi‑day events, and cities vied with one
another to host them. The pilots themselves were hailed as dashing
heroes who cheerfully stared death in the face. Well, the men were
hailed. Female pilots were more often ridiculed than praised for what
the press portrayed as silly efforts to horn in on a manly, and deadly,
pursuit. <i>Fly Girls</i> recounts how a cadre of women banded together
to break the original glass ceiling: the entrenched prejudice that
conspired to keep them out of the sky.<br /><br /> O’Brien weaves together
the stories of five remarkable women: Florence Klingensmith, a
high‑school dropout who worked for a dry cleaner in Fargo, North Dakota;
Ruth Elder, an Alabama divorcee; Amelia Earhart, the most famous, but
not necessarily the most skilled; Ruth Nichols, who chafed at the
constraints of her blue‑blood family’s expectations; and Louise Thaden,
the mother of two young kids who got her start selling coal in Wichita.
Together, they fought for the chance to race against the men — and in
1936 one of them would triumph in the toughest race of all.<br /> <br /> Like <i>Hidden Figures</i> and <i>Girls of Atomic City</i>, <i>Fly Girls</i> celebrates a little-known slice of history in which tenacious, trail-blazing women braved all obstacles to achieve greatness.</span></span><br />
<br />
<h3>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span id="freeText6163418601418035859">HISTORY/POLITICAL SCIENCE</span></span></h3>
<h4>
Frederick Douglass. Prophet of Freedon by David W. Blight, 2018</h4>
<span id="freeTextContainer4856917600294664189">The definitive,
dramatic biography of the most important African American of the
nineteenth century: Frederick Douglass, the escaped slave who became the
greatest orator of his day and one of the leading abolitionists and
writers of the era.</span><br />
<br />
<span id="freeTextContainer4856917600294664189">This is a fascinating biography of a simply incredible person. David Blight recounts Frederick Douglass' life from slavery in Maryland's </span><span id="freeTextContainer4856917600294664189">Tidelands to become the most famous and influential African American of the 19th Century. Blight describes Douglass' evolution as he understands that nothing short of a civil war will abolish slavery and free his people in the county he loves. I was not so aware of the 'colonists,' which included President Lincoln, who had the idea that the bvest solution was for former slaves to be transported to 'climes more suited to them,' whether it was Mexico or the Caribbean region.</span><br />
<br />
<span id="freeTextContainer4856917600294664189">This is a big book at 800 or so pages of text, but it is fascinating to read about the peri Civil War period, the build up to Emancipation and the ultimate disappointment of Reconstruction and Jim Crow.</span><br />
<h4>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span id="freeText6163418601418035859">American Dialogue. The Founders and Us by Joseph J. Ellis, 2018</span></span></h4>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span id="freeText6163418601418035859"> <span id="freeText13405554278338625116">The award-winning author of <i>Founding Brothers</i> and <i>The Quartet </i>now
gives us a deeply insightful examination of the relevance of the views
of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and John Adams to
some of the most divisive issues in America today.<br /><br />The story of history is a ceaseless conversation between past and present, and in <i>American Dialogue</i>
Joseph J. Ellis focuses the conversation on the often-asked question
"What would the Founding Fathers think?" He examines four of our most
seminal historical figures through the prism of particular topics, using
the perspective of the present to shed light on their views and, in
turn, to make clear how their now centuries-old ideas illuminate the
disturbing impasse of today's political conflicts. He discusses
Jefferson and the issue of racism, Adams and the specter of economic
inequality, Washington and American imperialism, Madison and the
doctrine of original intent. Through these juxtapositions--and in his
hallmark dramatic and compelling narrative voice--Ellis illuminates the
obstacles and pitfalls paralyzing contemporary discussions of these
fundamentally important issues.</span> </span></span> <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Gary Samuelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14313320007920561339noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3418288816343399887.post-801675595638690072018-11-20T15:08:00.001-05:002019-01-07T10:56:53.320-05:00NEW BOOKS FOR THANKSGIVING<h3>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">We jave added a mix of books to the Deering Library. Some popular fiction for young adults and adults, some history and political science and memoirs written New Hampshireites. </span></h3>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<h4>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">MEMOIRS BY NEW HAMPSHIRE WRITERS</span></h4>
<div class="gr-h1 gr-h1--serif" id="bookTitle" itemprop="name">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>A Carnival of Losses: Notes Nearing Ninety by Donald Hall, 2018 </b></span></div>
<div class="gr-h1 gr-h1--serif" id="bookTitle" itemprop="name">
<br /></div>
<div class="gr-h1 gr-h1--serif" id="bookTitle" itemprop="name">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span id="freeText16918244131760720767">Donald Hall lived a remarkable life of letters, one capped most recently by the <i>New York Times</i> bestseller <i>Essays After Eighty,</i> a “treasure” of a book in which he “balance[s] frankness about losses with humor and gratitude” (<i>Washington Post</i>).
Before his passing in 2018, nearing ninety, Hall delivered this new
collection of self-knowing, fierce, and funny essays on aging, the
pleasures of solitude, and the sometimes astonishing freedoms arising
from both. He intersperses memories of exuberant days—as in Paris,
1951, with a French girl memorably inclined to say, “I couldn’t care
less”—with writing, visceral and hilarious, on what he has called the
“unknown, unanticipated galaxy” of extreme old age. </span></span></div>
<div class="gr-h1 gr-h1--serif" id="bookTitle" itemprop="name">
<br /></div>
<div class="gr-h1 gr-h1--serif" id="bookTitle" itemprop="name">
<br /></div>
<div class="gr-h1 gr-h1--serif" id="bookTitle" itemprop="name">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span id="freeText16918244131760720767"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="gr-h1 gr-h1--serif" id="bookTitle" itemprop="name">
<br /></div>
<div class="gr-h1 gr-h1--serif" id="bookTitle" itemprop="name">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Child of War: A Memoir of World War II Internment in the Philippines </b>by Curtis Whitfield Tong, 2011</span></div>
<div class="gr-h1 gr-h1--serif" id="bookTitle" itemprop="name">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="gr-h1 gr-h1--serif" id="bookTitle" itemprop="name">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The author is not exactly a New Hampshire writer, but the Tongs lived in Hillsborough, Deering and Weare in retirement. The Tongs were missionaries in the Philippines before WW II,when they were interned by the Japanese. This is is the story of their internment.</span></div>
<div class="gr-h1 gr-h1--serif" id="bookTitle" itemprop="name">
<br /></div>
<div class="gr-h1 gr-h1--serif" id="bookTitle" itemprop="name">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span id="freeText16918244131760720767"><span id="freeText5548092174723203324">Hours after attacking
Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, Japanese bombers stormed across the
Philippine city of Baguio, where seven-year-old Curt Tong, the son of
American missionaries, hid with his classmates in the woods near his
school. Three weeks later, Curt, his mother, and two sisters were among
the nearly five hundred Americans who surrendered to the Japanese army
in Baguio. Child of War is Tong's touching story of the next three years
of his childhood as he endured fear, starvation, sickness, and
separation from his father while interned in three different Japanese
prison camps on the island of Luzon. Written by the adult Tong looking
back on his wartime ordeal, it offers a rich trove of memories about
internment life and camp experiences.<br /><br />Relegated first to the
men's barracks at Camp John Hay, Curt is taken under the wing of a close
family friend who is also the camp's civilian leader. From this vantage
point, he is able to observe the running of the camp firsthand as the
war continues and increasing numbers of Americans are imprisoned. Curt's
days are occupied with work detail, baseball, and childhood adventures.
Along with his mother and sisters, he experiences daily life under a
series of camp commandants, some ruling with intimidation and cruelty
but one, memorably, with compassion. In the last months of the war the
entire family is finally reunited, and their ordeal ends when they are
liberated from Manila's Bilibid Prison by American troops.<br /><br />Child
of War is an engaging and thoughtful memoir that presents an unusual
view of life as a World War II internee--that of a young boy. It is a
valuable addition to existing wartime autobiographies and diaries and
contributes significantly to a greater understanding of the Pacific War
and its impact on American civilians in Asia</span> </span></span></div>
<div class="gr-h1 gr-h1--serif" id="bookTitle" itemprop="name">
<br /></div>
<div class="gr-h1 gr-h1--serif" id="bookTitle" itemprop="name">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span id="freeText16918244131760720767"><br /></span></span></div>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">HISTORY AND POLITICAL SCIENCE</span></h4>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom by David W. Blight. 2018</span></h4>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span id="freeTextContainer7181834265528610072">The definitive, dramatic biography of the most important African-American of the nineteenth century: Frederick Douglass, the escaped slave who became the greatest orator of his day and one of the leading abolitionists and writers of the era.</span></span></span></h4>
<h4>
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span id="freeTextContainer7181834265528610072"><span id="freeText7181834265528610072">In this remarkable
biography, David Blight has drawn on new information held in a private
collection that few other historian have consulted, as well as recently
discovered issues of Douglass’s newspapers. Blight tells the fascinating
story of Douglass’s two marriages and his complex extended family.
Douglass was not only an astonish by ing man of words, but a thinker steeped
in Biblical story and theology. There has not been a major biography of
Douglass in a quarter century. David Blight’s <i>Frederick Douglass</i> affords this important American the distinguished biography he deserves.</span></span></span></span></h4>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span id="freeTextContainer7181834265528610072"><span id="freeText7181834265528610072">Fear. Trump in the White House by Bob Woodward, 2018</span></span></span></h4>
<h4>
<br /><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span id="freeTextContainer7181834265528610072"><span id="freeText7181834265528610072"><span id="freeText3247035161858808008">With authoritative
reporting honed through eight presidencies from Nixon to Obama, author
Bob Woodward reveals in unprecedented detail the harrowing life inside
President Donald Trump’s White House and precisely how he makes
decisions on major foreign and domestic policies. Woodward draws from
hundreds of hours of interviews with firsthand sources, meeting notes,
personal diaries, files and documents. The focus is on the explosive
debates and the decision-making in the Oval Office, the Situation Room,
Air Force One and the White House residence.</span></span></span></span></span></h4>
<h4>
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span id="freeTextContainer7181834265528610072"><span id="freeText7181834265528610072"><span id="freeText3247035161858808008"> </span></span></span></span></span></h4>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span id="freeTextContainer7181834265528610072"><span id="freeText7181834265528610072"><span id="freeText3247035161858808008">FICTION FOR YOUNG ADULTS</span></span></span></span></h4>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span id="freeTextContainer7181834265528610072"><span id="freeText7181834265528610072"><span id="freeText3247035161858808008">Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi, 2018</span></span></span></span></h4>
<h4>
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span id="freeTextContainer7181834265528610072"><span id="freeText7181834265528610072"><span id="freeText3247035161858808008">This is a story of West Africa, and magic is real but reserved to a group called 'the maji.' Before the story opened the maji lived among those who did not have magical powers. Apparently (this unfortunate fact is glossed over) at least some of the maji were actually evil because they caused the deaths of member's of the king's family. This caused the king to unleash a brutal suppression of the maji, killing many and driving the rest underground. In <i>Children of Blood and Bone </i>the teen-aged daughter of a maji sets out to restore magic with the help of her teen-aged brother. To restore magic, young maji </span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span id="freeTextContainer7181834265528610072"><span id="freeText7181834265528610072"><span id="freeText3247035161858808008"><span id="freeTextContainer4759498169803677129">Zélie must take three objects to a magical place on the far side of the country. The king and his son try to prevent that</span>. </span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span id="freeTextContainer7181834265528610072"><span id="freeText7181834265528610072"><span id="freeText3247035161858808008"><span id="freeTextContainer4759498169803677129">Zélie and her brother are </span>variously adversaries and allies and even romantic partners of the two teen-aged chilidren of the king, a girl and a boy. It's an exciting story with chases and battles, magic, balls of fire and earthquakes, love and perfidy as </span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span id="freeTextContainer7181834265528610072"><span id="freeText7181834265528610072"><span id="freeText3247035161858808008"><span id="freeTextContainer4759498169803677129">Zélie races to the magical place</span>. On another level, the story is an allegory for race in America: the king has all the physical power and he is unscrupulous in the use of that power to suppress the maji. The maji have no physical power, but they have magic, bug only if they can recover it, they will be restored. </span></span></span></span></span></h4>
<h4>
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span id="freeTextContainer7181834265528610072"><span id="freeText7181834265528610072"><span id="freeText3247035161858808008">This story is an introduction to Yoruba folklore and language. At 500 ages, this is a very long book. It could have benefited from some heavy editing. I found it difficult to be completely unsympathetic to the king, given what the maji had done to him and his family. He probably did not have to have been so ruthless in suppressing magic. I could root for <span id="freeTextContainer4759498169803677129">Zélie until i learned the scope of the 'magic,' which included skin-rotting disease. We could do without that. Zélie herself seems to question the wisdom of her mission - - of restoring all magic to all the maji - - and that left the story pretty muddled as far as I was concerned. </span></span></span></span></span></span></h4>
<h4>
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span id="freeTextContainer7181834265528610072"><span id="freeText7181834265528610072"><span id="freeText3247035161858808008"><span id="freeTextContainer4759498169803677129"><i>Children of Blood and Bone </i>has received fabulous reviews, and there was a lot of hype around its publication. Our Deering book group was not so taken by the book.</span></span></span></span></span></span></h4>
<h4>
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span id="freeTextContainer7181834265528610072"><span id="freeText7181834265528610072"><span id="freeText3247035161858808008"><span id="freeTextContainer4759498169803677129"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></h4>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span id="freeTextContainer7181834265528610072"><span id="freeText7181834265528610072"><span id="freeText3247035161858808008"><span id="freeTextContainer4759498169803677129">ADULT FICTION</span></span></span></span></span></h4>
<h4>
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span id="freeTextContainer7181834265528610072"><span id="freeText7181834265528610072"><span id="freeText3247035161858808008"><span id="freeTextContainer4759498169803677129">T<b>he Witch Elm by Tana French, 2018 </b></span></span></span></span></span></span></h4>
<h4>
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span id="freeTextContainer7181834265528610072"><span id="freeText7181834265528610072"><span id="freeText3247035161858808008"><span id="freeTextContainer4759498169803677129"></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span id="freeTextContainer7181834265528610072"><span id="freeText7181834265528610072"><span id="freeText3247035161858808008"><span id="freeTextContainer4759498169803677129"><span id="freeText9860965829340948520">Toby is a happy-go-lucky
charmer who's dodged a scrape at work and is celebrating with friends
when the night takes a turn that will change his life: he surprises two
burglars who beat him and leave him for dead. Struggling to recover from
his injuries, beginning to understand that he might never be the same
man again, he takes refuge at his family's ancestral home to care for
his dying uncle Hugo. Then a skull is found in the trunk of an elm tree
in the garden - and as detectives close in, Toby is forced to face the
possibility that his past may not be what he has always believed.<br /><br /><i>The Witch Elm</i> asks what we become, and what we're capable of, when we no longer know who we are.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></h4>
<h4>
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span id="freeTextContainer7181834265528610072"><span id="freeText7181834265528610072"><span id="freeText3247035161858808008"><span id="freeTextContainer4759498169803677129"><span id="freeText9860965829340948520"> <b>The Winter Soldier by Daniel Mason, 2018</b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></h4>
<h4>
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span id="freeTextContainer7181834265528610072"><span id="freeText7181834265528610072"><span id="freeText3247035161858808008"><span id="freeTextContainer4759498169803677129"><span id="freeText9860965829340948520"></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></h4>
<h4>
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span id="freeTextContainer7181834265528610072"><span id="freeText7181834265528610072"><span id="freeText3247035161858808008"><span id="freeTextContainer4759498169803677129"><span id="freeText9860965829340948520"><span class="readable" id="reviewTextContainer2521015227"><span id="freeText11563087936189420118">Early in WW I, Lucius - - a rich Austrian medical student - - is assigned to a forsaken outpost in the
Carpathian Mountains. His little team comprises a nurse/nun and a couple of helpers. For Lucius this is on the job training, but sister Margarete is a patient and apt teacher. Together they perform amputations
and treat soldiers who suffer from the whole range of war trauma, along with battling vermin, lice and sadistic officers. For two years. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></h4>
<h4>
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span id="freeTextContainer7181834265528610072"><span id="freeText7181834265528610072"><span id="freeText3247035161858808008"><span id="freeTextContainer4759498169803677129"><span id="freeText9860965829340948520"><span class="readable" id="reviewTextContainer2446457232"><span id="freeText2978043606146676130">The
central character—the one for which the novel is named—is a man brought in by
wheelbarrow from the field. He doesn’t talk, and he is in a quasi-fetal
position. There are no visible wounds. This one will not be cured by an amputation.
This new patient and how to treat him consume Lucius and Margarete. Lucius determines
that the patient has “nerve shock.” These were the years before PTSD and shell
shock diagnoses; however, these kinds of patients had been observed
during wartime, with a unique and specific set of symptoms. The nexus of doctor, nurse, and especially this patient - - and a sadistic officer -- propels a
large part of the story.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></h4>
<h4>
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span id="freeTextContainer7181834265528610072"><span id="freeText7181834265528610072"><span id="freeText3247035161858808008"><span id="freeTextContainer4759498169803677129"><span id="freeText9860965829340948520"><span class="readable" id="reviewTextContainer2446457232"><span id="freeText2978043606146676130">Of course Lucius and Margarete fall in love but then immediately become separated - - and only midway through the book. The rest of the story revolves around how this young doctor tries to refind himself and the woman he loves.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></h4>
<h4>
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span id="freeTextContainer7181834265528610072"><span id="freeText7181834265528610072"><span id="freeText3247035161858808008"><span id="freeTextContainer4759498169803677129"><span id="freeText9860965829340948520"><span class="readable" id="reviewTextContainer2446457232"><span id="freeText2978043606146676130">It's not a big book, around 300 pages. The writer, a doctor himself, has clearly undertaken a lot of research to produce the medical detail - - both of the physical body and of the traumatized mind - found in this novel.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></h4>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span id="freeTextContainer7181834265528610072"><span id="freeText7181834265528610072"><span id="freeText3247035161858808008"><span id="freeTextContainer4759498169803677129"><span id="freeText9860965829340948520"><span class="readable" id="reviewTextContainer2446457232"><span id="freeText2978043606146676130">The Reckoning by John Grisham, 2018</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></h4>
<h4>
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span id="freeTextContainer7181834265528610072"><span id="freeText7181834265528610072"><span id="freeText3247035161858808008"><span id="freeTextContainer4759498169803677129"><span id="freeText9860965829340948520"><span class="readable" id="reviewTextContainer2446457232"><span id="freeText2978043606146676130"><span id="freeText9587752273207528958"> Pete Banning was
Clanton, Mississippi's favorite son--a decorated World War II hero, the
patriarch of a prominent family, a farmer, father, neighbor, and a
faithful member of the Methodist church. Then one cool October morning
he rose early, drove into town, walked into the church, and calmly shot
and killed his pastor and friend, the Reverend Dexter Bell. As if the
murder weren't shocking enough, it was even more baffling that Pete's
only statement about it--to the sheriff, to his lawyers, to the judge,
to the jury, and to his family--was: "I have nothing to say." He was not
afraid of death and was willing to take his motive to the grave.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></h4>
<h4>
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span id="freeTextContainer7181834265528610072"><span id="freeText7181834265528610072"><span id="freeText3247035161858808008"><span id="freeTextContainer4759498169803677129"><span id="freeText9860965829340948520"><span class="readable" id="reviewTextContainer2446457232"><span id="freeText2978043606146676130"><span id="freeText9587752273207528958"> In
a major novel unlike anything he has written before, John Grisham takes
us on an incredible journey, from the Jim Crow South to the jungles of
the Philippines during World War II; from an insane asylum filled with
secrets to the Clanton courtroom where Pete's defense attorney tries
desperately to save him. <br /> Reminiscent of the finest tradition of Southern Gothic storytelling, <i>The Reckoning</i> would not be complete without Grisham's signature layers of legal suspense, and he delivers on every page</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></h4>
<h4>
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span id="freeTextContainer7181834265528610072"><span id="freeText7181834265528610072"><span id="freeText3247035161858808008"><span id="freeTextContainer4759498169803677129"><span id="freeText9860965829340948520"><span class="readable" id="reviewTextContainer2446457232"><span id="freeText2978043606146676130"></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></h4>
<h4>
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span id="freeTextContainer7181834265528610072"><span id="freeText7181834265528610072"><span id="freeText3247035161858808008"><span id="freeTextContainer4759498169803677129"><span id="freeText9860965829340948520"> </span>
</span></span></span></span></span></span></h4>
<h4>
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span id="freeTextContainer7181834265528610072"><span id="freeText7181834265528610072"><span id="freeText3247035161858808008"><span id="freeTextContainer4759498169803677129"></span></span></span></span></span></span></h4>
<h4>
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span id="freeTextContainer7181834265528610072"><span id="freeText7181834265528610072"><span id="freeText3247035161858808008"></span></span></span></span></span></h4>
<h4>
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span id="freeTextContainer7181834265528610072"><span id="freeText7181834265528610072"><span id="freeText3247035161858808008"></span></span></span></span></span></h4>
<div class="composeBoxWrapper K3JSBVB-Q-h">
</div>
<h4>
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span id="freeTextContainer7181834265528610072"><span id="freeText7181834265528610072"><span id="freeText3247035161858808008"></span></span></span></span></span></h4>
<h4>
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span id="freeTextContainer7181834265528610072"><span id="freeText7181834265528610072"><span id="freeText3247035161858808008"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></h4>
<h4>
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span id="freeTextContainer7181834265528610072"><span id="freeText7181834265528610072"><span id="freeText3247035161858808008"> </span></span></span></span></span></h4>
<h4>
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span id="freeTextContainer7181834265528610072"><span id="freeText7181834265528610072"><span id="freeText3247035161858808008"> </span></span></span></span></span></h4>
<h4>
<a class="bookTitle" href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41012533-fear?from_search=true" itemprop="url">
</a><span itemprop="author" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person"></span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span id="freeTextContainer7181834265528610072"><span id="freeText7181834265528610072"></span></span></span></span></h4>
<h4>
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span id="freeTextContainer7181834265528610072"><span id="freeText7181834265528610072"> </span> </span></span></span></h4>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="gr-h1 gr-h1--serif" id="bookTitle" itemprop="name">
</div>
Gary Samuelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14313320007920561339noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3418288816343399887.post-50325081890406518252018-09-15T19:45:00.000-04:002018-09-15T19:45:01.315-04:00LITTLE FREE LIBRARY AT DEERING TOWN HALL!<h3>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Trustees of the Deering Public Library have expanded the FREE BOOK PROGRAM!</span></h3>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If you come to Town Hall now you will see a LITTLE FREE LIBRARY adjacent to the parking lot.</span></h4>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Earlier we had placed a book cart inside Town Hall where visitors could take a book and, if they wish, leave one. We have refilled that cart a number of times, leading us to think that the idea is popular.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Now we have expanded the Little Library! The newly made (thanks Dennis Sawyer!) and decorated (thanks trustee Betsy Holmes!) LITTLE LIBRARY is outside and available 24/7. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We have stocked it with children's and adult fiction and recent issues of the New Yorker magazine.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Please use it! Let us know what you think!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The LITTLE FREE LIBRARY.ORG is a national program to which the Deering Pubic Library subscribes. Our LITTLE LIBRARY is included in a searchable database along with all the other little free libraries. You can find Little Free Libraries by going to their website, <a href="http://www.littlefreelibrary.org./">www.littlefreelibrary.org.</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">WE ONLY ASK THAT IF YOU WANT TO DONATE MORE THAN A FEW BOOKS, WHICH CAN BE LEFT IN THE LITTLE LIBRARY, PLEASE CONTACT A TRUSTEE. <b>DO NOT LEAVE BOOKS IN THE LIBRARY//COMMITTEE ROOM ON THE SECOND FLOOR OF TOWN HALL.</b></span>Gary Samuelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14313320007920561339noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3418288816343399887.post-73338754312468349102018-07-22T10:55:00.003-04:002018-07-22T11:24:24.163-04:00DEERING LIBRARY BOOK DISCUSSION FOR SEPTEMBER<h2 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">THE DEERING LIBRARY BOOK GROUP WILL NEXT MEET </span></h2>
<h2 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">WEDNESDAY, SEPT 5th, 6:30 pm</span></h2>
<h2 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">DEERING COMMUNITY CHURCH</span></h2>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">We will continue our discussion of alienation of people in the United States with a discussion of the book <i>Strangers in their Own Land</i> by Arlie Russell Hochschild.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrlz3pQHSzZ0UWlWXTXl1qoGIE-2rDkZnOH083GInZ2uKk4wuqvhrhuYFhjN6RqVn_ghY4rytxuIhuiwbcMGO6darRHyMD51iYPEnIYJVRwC8XvAM-jSWm7iODug1gCptNE47bQWt15GI/s1600/STRANGERS+IN+THEIR+OWN+LAND+COVER.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="314" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrlz3pQHSzZ0UWlWXTXl1qoGIE-2rDkZnOH083GInZ2uKk4wuqvhrhuYFhjN6RqVn_ghY4rytxuIhuiwbcMGO6darRHyMD51iYPEnIYJVRwC8XvAM-jSWm7iODug1gCptNE47bQWt15GI/s320/STRANGERS+IN+THEIR+OWN+LAND+COVER.jpg" width="211" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">In this book the author, a Progressive (with a big 'P') sociologist from Berkeley forges close personal relationships with members of the Tea Party in Louisiana in an effort to understand the chasm that separates Tea Party members from Progressives and perhaps from most of the population of our country. The author proposes explanations for the paradox w to herein the Tea Party members understand the fiscal, ecological, health and economic straits in which they find themselves while refusing to pay for teachers at any level, believing that polluting industries will both 'do the right thing' (they don't) and provide jobs (they don't) at great expense, and following the Tea Party position of staunch opposition to any form of government program, from EPA to health insurance.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">While the book is based on a scientific study, it is immediately accessible to the general public, lacking jargon, graphs and other trappings that one might think of as littering a scientific study.The prose is highly 'readable.' </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This is a follow-on discussion from our last book, <i>Hillbilly Elegy</i> JD Vance.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Copies of the book will be available to borrow from Antrim's James A Tuttle Library. Membership of the James A Tuttle Library is free for Deering Residents.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Please join us in this discussion!</span>Gary Samuelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14313320007920561339noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3418288816343399887.post-16261173331930114862018-07-05T16:17:00.000-04:002018-07-22T10:33:22.703-04:00STORY TIME IN DEERING!<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The 2018 Summer Story Time will commence on Tuesday morning, July 17 at 10:00 - 11:00 am in the Schoolhouse Library (next to Deering town hall on Deering Center Rd.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The program will run Tuesday mornings until Labor Day. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">All ages of children are invited.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Each Tuesday morning we will read some stories and have a crafting period.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">There will be homemade muffins, juice, milk and coffee.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Please contact Gary Samuels (samuelspatty@gmail.com, 603 464 3143) with questions.</span>Gary Samuelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14313320007920561339noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3418288816343399887.post-75163485586814703612018-07-03T12:02:00.000-04:002018-07-04T10:57:26.891-04:00NEW BOOKS FOR JULY<h2>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">New books added to the Deering Public Library in July</span></h2>
<h3>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">
NON FICTION</span></h3>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><i>Energy: a human history</i> by Richard Rhodes, 2018</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>The following is from Goodreads.</b></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span id="freeText15702703252835514922">Pulitzer Prize- and
National Book Award-winning author Richard Rhodes reveals the
fascinating history behind energy transitions over time—wood to coal to
oil to electricity and beyond.<br /><br />People have lived and died,
businesses have prospered and failed, and nations have risen to world
power and declined, all over energy challenges. Ultimately, the history
of these challenges tells the story of humanity itself.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span id="freeText15702703252835514922"> Through an
unforgettable cast of characters, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Richard
Rhodes explains how wood gave way to coal and coal made room for oil, as
we now turn to natural gas, nuclear power, and renewable energy. Rhodes
looks back on five centuries of progress, through such influential
figures as Queen Elizabeth I, King James I, Benjamin Franklin, Herman
Melville, John D. Rockefeller, and Henry Ford.<br /><br /> In <i>Energy</i>,
Rhodes highlights the successes and failures that led to each
breakthrough in energy production; from animal and waterpower to the
steam engine, from internal-combustion to the electric motor. He
addresses how we learned from such challenges, mastered their
transitions, and capitalized on their opportunities. Rhodes also looks
at the current energy landscape, with a focus on how wind energy is
competing for dominance with cast supplies of coal and natural gas. He
also addresses the specter of global warming, and a population hurtling
towards ten billion by 2100.<br /><br /> Human beings have confronted the
problem of how to draw life from raw material since the beginning of
time. Each invention, each discovery, each adaptation brought further
challenges, and through such transformations, we arrived at where we are
today. In Rhodes’s singular style, <i>Energy</i> details how this knowledge of our history can inform our way tomorrow.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<h4>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span id="freeText15702703252835514922">I have added two highly acclaimed books that look at and try to explain the anger, fear and loss that has been experienced by a large part of the white American population. They are fascinating, very readable books that I cannot recommend too highly.</span></span></h4>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span id="freeText15702703252835514922"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><span id="freeText15702703252835514922"><i>Strangers in their own land</i> by Arlie Russell Hochschild, 2016 (with an afterword by the author from 2018).</span></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span id="freeText15702703252835514922"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span id="freeText15702703252835514922">In this book the author, a sociologist and self-styled 'Progressive' from Berkeley, develops close relationships with working class white people in Louisiana over a period of time. She tries to explain the paradox of refusing any sort of Federal agency and aid while living in the state that has the second lowest rating in terms of income, pollution, health outcomes and education. She establishes great personal relationships with several Tea Party partisans, and through them attempts to explain this curious paradox of knowing that things are bad but refusing Federal assistance, blindly believing that oil and gas and other industries that dominate in Louisiana will take care of them despite all eidence to the contrary. It is a wreck that I could not take my eyes from, all the worse because we are all drawn into the disaster.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span id="freeText15702703252835514922"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><span id="freeText15702703252835514922"><i>Hillbilly Elegy</i> by J.D. Vance, 2016 (with an afterword from the author dated 2018).</span></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span id="freeText15702703252835514922"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span id="freeText15702703252835514922">from Goodreads:</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span id="freeText15702703252835514922"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span id="freeText15702703252835514922"><span id="freeText5057279072952339567">From a former marine and
Yale Law School graduate, a powerful account of growing up in a poor
Rust Belt town that offers a broader, probing look at the struggles of
America’s white working class<br /><br />Hillbilly Elegy is a passionate and
personal analysis of a culture in crisis—that of white working-class
Americans. The decline of this group, a demographic of our country that
has been slowly disintegrating over forty years, has been reported on
with growing frequency and alarm, but has never before been written
about as searingly from the inside. J. D. Vance tells the true story of
what a social, regional, and class decline feels like when you were born
with it hung around your neck.<br /><br />The Vance family story begins
hopefully in postwar America. J. D.’s grandparents were “dirt poor and
in love,” and moved north from Kentucky’s Appalachia region to Ohio in
the hopes of escaping the dreadful poverty around them. They raised a
middle-class family, and eventually their grandchild (the author) would
graduate from Yale Law School, a conventional marker of their success in
achieving generational upward mobility.<br /><br />But as the family saga
of Hillbilly Elegy plays out, we learn that this is only the short,
superficial version. Vance’s grandparents, aunt, uncle, sister, and,
most of all, his mother, struggled profoundly with the demands of their
new middle-class life, and were never able to fully escape the legacy of
abuse, alcoholism, poverty, and trauma so characteristic of their part
of America. Vance piercingly shows how he himself still carries around
the demons of their chaotic family history.<br /><br />A deeply moving
memoir with its share of humor and vividly colorful figures, Hillbilly
Elegy is the story of how upward mobility really feels. And it is an
urgent and troubling meditation on the loss of the American dream for a
large segment of this country.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<h3>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span id="freeText15702703252835514922"><span id="freeText5057279072952339567">FICTION</span></span></span></h3>
<h3>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span id="freeText15702703252835514922"><span id="freeText5057279072952339567"> </span></span></span></h3>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><span id="freeText15702703252835514922"><span id="freeText5057279072952339567"> <i>The President is Missing</i> by Bill Clinton and James Patterson, 2018</span></span></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span id="freeText15702703252835514922"><span id="freeText5057279072952339567"><br /></span></span>
<span id="freeText15702703252835514922"><span id="freeText5057279072952339567"> Yes, I know, James Patterson . . . . Actually this one was very well reviewed by the New Yorker and the NY Times, both of which found the novel to be pretty engrossing. Who knows who wrote what. But, who cares? It's summer!</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span id="freeText15702703252835514922"><span id="freeText5057279072952339567"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span id="freeText15702703252835514922"><span id="freeText5057279072952339567">From Goodreads:</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span id="freeText15702703252835514922"><span id="freeText5057279072952339567"><span id="freeText8382627279673732305">President Bill Clinton and bestselling novelist James Patterson have written a spellbinding thriller, <i>The President is Missing.</i><br /><br />As
the novel opens, a threat looms. Enemies are planning an attack of
unprecedented scale on America. Uncertainty and fear grip Washington.
There are whispers of cyberterror and espionage and a traitor in the
cabinet. The President himself becomes a suspect, and then goes
missing...<br /><br />Set in real time, over the course of three days, <i>The President Is Missing</i>
is one of the most dramatic thrillers in decades. And it could all
really happen. The President Is Missing is Bill Clinton and James
Patterson's totally authentic and spellbinding thriller.</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><span id="freeText15702703252835514922"><span id="freeText5057279072952339567"><span id="freeText8382627279673732305"><i>Greeks Bearing Gifts. A Bernie Gunther Novel</i> by Philip Kerr, 2018</span></span></span></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span id="freeText15702703252835514922"><span id="freeText5057279072952339567"><span id="freeText8382627279673732305"> Bernie Gunther was a police detective in Hamburg, Germany, during the Nazi years. More often than not he got into trouble with his supervisors because of his dislike of Hitler and his coterie. In the Bernie Gunther series, now numbering 13, Det. Gunther solves crimes, usually murder, that link back to the country's leadership. </span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span id="freeText15702703252835514922"><span id="freeText5057279072952339567"><span id="freeText8382627279673732305"><br /></span></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span id="freeText15702703252835514922"><span id="freeText5057279072952339567"><span id="freeText8382627279673732305">Following the war Gunther followed various pursuits, but all involved crime fighting. I have, so far, only read one in the series, <i>Prussian Blue,</i>which was set in 1956 and published in 2017. The story was engrossing and for this reason I jumped when I saw <i>Greek Bearing Gifts</i> in Toadstool Book shop a few weeks ago. I truly enjoyed reading Phiip Kerr, a British author, and look forward to rea ding <i>Greeks Bearing Gifts.</i></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span id="freeText15702703252835514922"><span id="freeText5057279072952339567"><span id="freeText8382627279673732305"><br /></span></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span id="freeText15702703252835514922"><span id="freeText5057279072952339567"><span id="freeText8382627279673732305">The following is from Goodreads:</span></span></span><br /><span id="freeText15702703252835514922"><span id="freeText5057279072952339567"><span id="freeText8382627279673732305"><span id="freeText10221146983155032433"></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span id="freeText15702703252835514922"><span id="freeText5057279072952339567"><span id="freeText8382627279673732305">Bernie Gunther returns in the thirteenth book in the<i><b> Sunday Times</b></i> and <i><b>New York Times</b></i> <b>bestselling series</b>, perfect for fans of <b>John le Carre </b>and <b>Robert Harris</b>.</span></span></span><br />
<span id="freeText15702703252835514922"><span id="freeText5057279072952339567"><span id="freeText8382627279673732305">1957,
Munich. Bernie Gunther's latest move in a long string of varied careers
sees him working for an insurance company. It makes a kind of sense:
both cops and insurance companies have a vested interest in figuring out
when people are lying to them, and Bernie has a lifetime of experience
to call on.</span></span></span><br />
<span id="freeText15702703252835514922"><span id="freeText5057279072952339567"><span id="freeText8382627279673732305">Sent to Athens to investigate a claim from a fellow
German for a ship that has sunk, Bernie takes an instant dislike to the
claimant. When he discovers the ship in question once belonged to a
Greek Jew deported to Auschwitz, he is convinced the sinking was no
accident but an avenging arson attack. Then the claimant is found dead,
shot through both eyes. It's a win for Bernie's employers at least: no
one to pay out to even if the claim is genuine. But who is behind the
murder, and why?</span></span></span><br />
<span id="freeText15702703252835514922"><span id="freeText5057279072952339567"><span id="freeText8382627279673732305">Strong-armed into helping the Greek police with
their investigation, Bernie is once again drawn inexorably back to the
dark history of the Second World War, and the deportation of the Jews of
Salonika - now Thessaloniki. As Europe seems ready to move on to a more
united future with Germany as a partner rather than an enemy, at least
one person in Greece is ready neither to forgive nor forget. And, deep
down, Bernie thinks they may have a point.</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span id="freeText15702703252835514922" style="font-size: large;"><span id="freeText5057279072952339567"><span id="freeText8382627279673732305"><b><i>Warlight </i>by Michael Ondaatje, 2018</b></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span id="freeText15702703252835514922"><span id="freeText5057279072952339567"><span id="freeText8382627279673732305">This new novel fromMichael Ondaatje has received great reviews from all quarters. </span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span id="freeText15702703252835514922"><span id="freeText5057279072952339567"><span id="freeText8382627279673732305">The title, <i>Warlight,</i> refers to a hazy, unclear - - dark even - - light and refers to the physical situation that prevailed in Europe many years after the defeat of the Nazis. Essentially the story is one of a son realizing that he never really knew his mother and set in post WW II England.</span></span></span><br />
<span id="freeText15702703252835514922"><span id="freeText5057279072952339567"><span id="freeText8382627279673732305">Here is part of the review from The Washington Post:</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span id="freeText15702703252835514922"><span id="freeText5057279072952339567"><span id="freeText8382627279673732305">On a summer day in postwar London, Nathaniel and Rachel, both teenagers,
listen bleakly as their parents announce that they are leaving for
Singapore on business, without them. “Neither Rachel nor I said a word,”
Nathaniel recalls. “They had rarely spoken to us about their lives. We
were used to partial stories.” The reader too is blinkered from the
outset, permitted to see only what Ondaatje, a master of concealment,
reveals as Nathaniel exhumes his parents’ secrets from the mire of
espionage and war. “I know how to fill in a story from a grain of sand
or a fragment of discovered truth,” he declares decades later when the
ultimate revelation strikes with quiet but lethal force. And “Warlight”
is a mosaic of such fragments, so cunningly assembled that the finished
pattern seems as inevitable as it is harmonious. What must happen does
happen in this elegiac thriller; we just can’t see it coming. </span></span></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><span id="freeText15702703252835514922"><span id="freeText5057279072952339567"><i>The Overstory</i> by Richard Powers, 2018</span></span></b></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span id="freeText15702703252835514922"><span id="freeText5057279072952339567">I tried to compose a single sentence, or two, that would convey the essence of this book. I failed. </span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span id="freeText15702703252835514922"><span id="freeText5057279072952339567"><i>The Overstory</i> is a complex and provocative novel. The nine main (human) characters span hundreds of years -- just like trees. </span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span id="freeText15702703252835514922"><span id="freeText5057279072952339567">The <i>Atlantic </i>headlined their review:</span></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;">The Novel That Asks, ‘What Went Wrong With Mankind?</span></span>’</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Richard Powers’s climate-themed epic, <i>The Overstory</i>, embraces a dark optimism about the fate of humanity.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">"P<span class="smallcaps">eople see better</span> what looks like them,” observes the field biologist Patricia Westerford, one of the nine—<i>nine</i>—main characters of Richard Powers’s 12th novel, <i>The Overstory</i>.
And trees, Patricia discovers, look like people. They are social
creatures, caring for one another, communicating, learning, trading
goods and services; despite lacking a brain, trees are “aware.” After
borers attack a sugar maple, it emits insecticides that warn its
neighbors, which respond by intensifying their own defenses. When the
roots of two Douglas firs meet underground, they fuse, joining vascular
systems; if one tree gets ill, the other cares for it. The chopping down
of a tree causes those surrounding it to weaken, as if in mourning. But
Powers’s findings go beyond Dr. Pat’s. In his tree-mad novel, which
contains as many species as any North American forest—17 are named on
the first page alone—trees speak, sing, experience pain, dream, remember
the past, and predict the future. The past and the future, it turns
out, are mirror images of each other. Neither contains people.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span id="freeText15702703252835514922"><span id="freeText5057279072952339567">The Washington Post review called it 'The most exciting book about trees you'll ever read,"</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span id="freeText15702703252835514922"><span id="freeText5057279072952339567">Here is an excerpt from that review:</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span id="freeText15702703252835514922"><span id="freeText5057279072952339567"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">“The Overstory” moves the way an open field evolves into a thick forest:
slowly, then inevitably. For a while, its various stories develop
independently, and it’s not apparent that they have anything to do with
one another. But have faith in this worldmaker. Powers is working
through tree history, not human history, and the effect is like a
time-lapse video. Soon enough his disparate characters set out branches
that touch and mingle: Before the Civil War, a Norwegian immigrant
travels to Iowa and begins homesteading in the largely empty new state.
Just after World War II, a young man sails from Shanghai to San
Francisco. In the late 1970s, an odd kid from a troubled family gets
accepted to college. And a sergeant in the Vietnam War barely escapes
death when a 300-year-old banyan catches his body falling from a cargo
plane. “He owes his own life to a tree,” Powers writes. </span></span></span>Gary Samuelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14313320007920561339noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3418288816343399887.post-56093683985676079842018-06-19T20:19:00.000-04:002018-06-19T20:19:08.878-04:00BOOK DISCUSSION FOR JULY<h2 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">BOOK DISCUSSION FOR JULY</span></h2>
<br />
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> The next Deering Library book
discussion will take place on WEDNESDAY, 11 JULY at 6:30 pm in DEERING
COMMUNITY CHURCH (763 Deering Center Rd. Deering)</span></h3>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span></h3>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> This month we will discuss HILLBILLY ELEGY by J.D. Vance <span class="text_exposed_show"></span></span></h3>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="text_exposed_show"></span></span></h4>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="text_exposed_show"><br /></span></span>
<div class="text_exposed_show">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
Author J.D. Vance tells the story of his own family of white,
working-class Americans as they try to claim their part of the 'American
Dream' in the face of rapidly and radically changing cultural and
economic conditions. People whose country has become very unfamiliar and
in which they have become strangers.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> We welcome everybody's participation and look forward to a good discussion.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> Contact Gary Samuels (samuelspatty@gmail.com, 603 464 3143) with questions.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFH0MCd7NyukI-7xIMwZR3MfOM5r1MGQj_og_FllQvDI2YfYu7HPM_HiI3fQXbP7fOetzieYH9343nQ5h8eCeFoqTEP06qFR_4S3diBZs1J8-156Xla93RIQkiLfS0GLH9NnsbcM2wzCs/s1600/hillbilly+elegy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1057" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFH0MCd7NyukI-7xIMwZR3MfOM5r1MGQj_og_FllQvDI2YfYu7HPM_HiI3fQXbP7fOetzieYH9343nQ5h8eCeFoqTEP06qFR_4S3diBZs1J8-156Xla93RIQkiLfS0GLH9NnsbcM2wzCs/s640/hillbilly+elegy.jpg" width="422" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="text_exposed_show">Copies of this book are available to borrow from Antrim's James A. Tuttle Library (membership is free for Deering Residents).</span></span> </div>
Gary Samuelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14313320007920561339noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3418288816343399887.post-64297452774447163522018-03-28T15:23:00.003-04:002018-03-28T15:23:41.527-04:00BOOK DISCUSSION FOR MAY<h3>
The Deering Public Library book discussion group will meet again on May 7th. This month we will discuss the book <i>The Brief, Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao</i>, by Junot Diaz. </h3>
<br />
We have not yet set the place for the discussion. Deering resident can borrow a copy of the book from the James A Tuttle library in Antrim. Deering residents can obtain free library cards for the Tuttle Library by applying to the library, which is located in the center of downtown Antrim on Rt. 202.<br />
<br />
<i><b>The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao</b></i> (2007) is a novel written by <a class="mw-redirect" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dominican_American" title="Dominican American">Dominican American</a> author <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Junot_D%C3%ADaz" title="Junot Díaz">Junot Díaz</a>. Although a work of fiction, the novel is set in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Jersey" title="New Jersey">New Jersey</a> in the United States, where Díaz was raised and deals with the Dominican Republic experience under dictator <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rafael_Trujillo" title="Rafael Trujillo">Rafael Trujillo</a>.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-jersey_1-0"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Brief_Wondrous_Life_of_Oscar_Wao#cite_note-jersey-1">[1]</a></sup> The book chronicles both the life of Oscar De León, an overweight <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/People_of_the_Dominican_Republic" title="People of the Dominican Republic">Dominican</a> boy growing up in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paterson,_New_Jersey" title="Paterson, New Jersey">Paterson, New Jersey</a>,
who is obsessed with science fiction and fantasy novels and with
falling in love, as well as the curse that has plagued his family for
generations.<br />
Narrated by multiple characters, the novel incorporates a significant amount of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanglish" title="Spanglish">Spanglish</a> and neologisms, as well as references to fantasy and science fiction films and books. Through its overarching theme of the <i>fukú</i> curse, it additionally contains elements of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magic_realism" title="Magic realism">magic realism</a>. It received highly positive reviews from critics, who praised Díaz's writing style and the multi-generational story. <i>The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao</i> went on to win numerous awards in 2008, such as the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Book_Critics_Circle_Award" title="National Book Critics Circle Award">National Book Critics Circle Award</a> and the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pulitzer_Prize_for_Fiction" title="Pulitzer Prize for Fiction">Pulitzer Prize for Fiction</a>.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-bloomberg_2-0"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Brief_Wondrous_Life_of_Oscar_Wao#cite_note-bloomberg-2">[2]</a></sup>Gary Samuelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14313320007920561339noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3418288816343399887.post-73535555953556769752018-03-28T14:05:00.001-04:002018-03-28T14:05:51.727-04:00LITTLE LIBRARIES IN DEERING<h3>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span></h3>
<h3>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The trustees of the Deering Public Library have set out the first of a planned several Little Libraries in Town Hall.</span></h3>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As you enter Town Hall and look to the left you will see a book cart with books on it. Take one of those books.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This is the first of the 'Little Libraries' that the trustees plan to distribute around Deering. Each Little Library will be stocked with magazines and (more or less) recent - - if not exactly 'new' - - fiction for adults and children.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We hope that you will read the books. Return them or not. It's ok. These are books from your library shelves that are a bit past their prime. Don't get me wrong, these books imminently readable, though they might be ten or more years old. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">You can return the book to the little box, or keep it, or pass it along. It's all good. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">If you want to leave a book, we only request that it be in good condition and - - - please do not simply unload your unused books at the little box. If you have books you'd like to donate to the Little Library program, please contact me. DO NOT LEAVE ANY BOOKS IN THE LIBRARY/COMMITTEE ROOM IN TOWN HALL. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We hope to construct new Little Libraries over the summer. We'll let you know as we put them out.</span>Gary Samuelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14313320007920561339noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3418288816343399887.post-4005557573859297682018-03-28T13:41:00.001-04:002018-03-28T13:41:47.573-04:00NEW BOOKS FOR SPRING<h2>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> A large bunch of books was added to the Deering Public Library in March.</span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></h2>
<h4>
</h4>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
TWO CURRENTLY POPULAR NOVELS.</span></h4>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>Origin</i> by Dan Brown, 2017</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is a page-turner, just like the preceding 4 Robert Langton (Tom Hanks) thrillers from Dan Brown and the formula is unchanged: an apocalyptic event, The Church and a bunch of clerics, a death or two, some symbols, Robert Langdon and a savvy young woman. Solve the riddle and prevent the apocalypse. In this case the Big Threat is to the existence of organized religion posed by the revelation of a discovery that will make Religion irrelevant. The revelation is initially thwarted and it is up tp Robert and his lady friend to get the message out. They are helped by a computer that seems to have all the characteristics of a human but is not encumbered by a body. uh huh. In this installment of the Robert Langton series Brown is preoccupied by the late 19th/early 20th Cenetury Spanish architect Gaudi. There are detailed descriptions of edifices built by Gaudi in Spain, where the action takes place. The action was (sort of ) intense and that kept me reading. Of course, the short chapters with lots of blank page at the end of each chapter, heightened the sense of action and the compulsion to keep reading just one more chapter. It's a biggish book, but because each chapter begins in a new page, there are not as many words as the heft of the book would suggest. I never thought to stop reading this book, but I could never buy into the proposition that any scientific discovery (I won't tell you what that discovery is) would make organized religion moot or would upset the millions of people to whom the Big Announcement is aimed. I also found the detailed descriptions of works by Gaudi to read more like entries in Wikipedia than interesting literature. I like good writing (just finished an older work by Richard Russo, <i>Bridge of Sighs</i> that was wonderful for observations and depictions of common folk in upper New York State and am currently reading on tape (with my elliptical trainer) Walter Mosley Easy Rawlins mystery. These books, vastly different from each other, are better literature than <i>Origin</i>).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>Sing, Unburried, Sing</i>, by Jesmyn Ward, 2017</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Goodreads reviewrs generally awarded <i>Sing, Unburried, Sing</i> 5 stars.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here is an excerpt from one of those reviews:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="readable" id="reviewTextContainer1930602044"><span id="freeText11348255073047434601">This
is the tale of two Mississippi families, one black and one white,
joined by bloodshed and bloodlines. Joined by love and hatred, by death
and birth. But this is also a coming-of-age story of one teenaged boy,
Jojo, whose life is forever changed. Jojo is the biracial son of the
often high, often absent Leonie—who sees her murdered brother, Given, in
drug-induced hallucinations—and Michael, whose hostile, racist family
will never accept his black girlfriend and half-breed children. Jojo is
caught between being a parent to his three-year-old sister, Kayla, and
learning to be a man from his grandfather, Pop. But this place he is
emotionally sandwiched between is a place he calls home, a place of
comfort and togetherness, between Kayla and Pop—until Leonie comes back
from a bender and piles them all in the car on the way to Parchman
Penitentiary to retrieve Michael from the prison that has changed and
ended so many lives connected to theirs. It is on this journey that Jojo
sees the naked truth of racial hierarchies and the hatred the South is
all too known for and discovers his gift of sight he never knew he had.
And it is also on this journey that Jojo faces who his mother is, what
she is capable of and what she will never be. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="readable" id="reviewTextContainer1930602044"><span id="freeText11348255073047434601">Another reviewer wrote:</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>"I washed my hands every day, Jojo. But that damn blood ain't never come out."</i></span>
</blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Such a stunning book.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><i>Sing, Unburied, Sing</i>
captivated me almost instantly. THIS is how character-driven family
dramas should be, and there's nothing quite like a nice bit of
dysfunctional family drama to keep me turning pages. But I don't want to
diminish the strength of this novel. It <i>is</i> a character study of a contemporary African-American family in Mississippi, but it is also a <b>darkly beautiful story about ghosts</b>. In the literal and figurative sense.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="readable" id="reviewTextContainer2082297372"><span id="freeText3039055081517806689"><span style="color: black;">FICTION FOR YOUNG GIRLS</span></span></span><span class="readable" id="reviewTextContainer2082297372"><span id="freeText3039055081517806689"><span style="color: black;"> </span></span></span></span></h4>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="readable" id="reviewTextContainer2082297372"><span id="freeText3039055081517806689"><span style="color: black;">These two books were found in the 'in box' of the library. Jo</span></span></span><span class="readable" id="reviewTextContainer2082297372"><span id="freeText3039055081517806689"><span style="color: black;"><span id="freeText8424249904626241996">in Ann Brashares's
beloved sisterhood once again in dazzling, fearless novels. Each summer in the series will forever change the lives of Lena, Carmen, Bee, and
Tibby, here and now, past and future, together and apart.</span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="readable" id="reviewTextContainer2082297372"><span id="freeText3039055081517806689"><span style="color: black;"><br /></span></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Girls in Pants. The third summer of the Sisterhood</i>, by Ann Brashares, 2005</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Forever in Blue. The fourth summer of the Sisterhood</i>, by Ann Brashares, 2007</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
LARGE PRINT NOVELS</span></h4>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Centerpoint Large Print Publishers donated several large print novels to our library. Apart from Jose Saramago, Nobel Prize winning Portuguese author, I have not heard of the authors or their books. The largely seem to be romantic novels that might help you pass time while waiting for the water to boil, or for the doctor to see you. The reviews of all of these novels were generally positive. If reading is difficult because of the size of the font, these should make reading much easier and more pleasurable.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>The Clasp, </i>by Sloane Crosley, 2015</b></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Reviews were mixed. Some Goodreads reviewrs loved it and found the story amusing, others thought the story was trite and the term 'self absorbed thirty-somethings' was common.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here's the description from Goodreads:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span id="freeText1818938675516395381">"Kezia, Nathaniel, and
Victor are reunited for the extravagant wedding of a college friend. Now
at the tail end of their twenties, they arrive completely absorbed in
their own lives—Kezia the second-in-command to a madwoman jewelry
designer in Manhattan; Nathaniel, the former literary cool kid, selling
his wares in Hollywood; and the Eeyore-esque Victor, just fired from a
middling search engine. They soon slip back into old roles: Victor loves
Kezia. Kezia loves Nathaniel. Nathaniel loves Nathaniel.<br /><br />In the
midst of all this semi-merriment, Victor passes out in the mother of the
groom’s bedroom. He wakes to her jovially slapping him across the face.
Instead of a scolding, she offers Victor a story she’s never even told
her son, about a valuable necklace that disappeared during the Nazi
occupation of France.<br /><br />And so a madcap adventure is set into
motion, one that leads Victor, Kezia, and Nathaniel from Miami to New
York and L.A. to Paris and across France, until they converge at the
estate of Guy de Maupassant, author of the classic short story <i>The Necklace.</i><br /><br />Heartfelt, suspenseful, and told with Sloane Crosley’s inimitable spark and wit, <i>The Clasp</i>
is a story of friends struggling to fit together now that their lives
haven’t gone as planned, of how to separate the real from the fake. Such
a task might be possible when it comes to precious stones, but is far
more difficult to pull off with humans."</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span id="freeText1818938675516395381"><i>The Mistletoe Promise</i>, by Richard Paul Evans, 2014</span></b></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span id="freeText1818938675516395381">One Goodreads reviewer summed up the book like this:</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span id="freeText1818938675516395381"><span class="readable" id="reviewTextContainer1124245984"><span id="freeTextContainer18004458919413677673">"This
is another wonderful Christmas story told in a way only Richard Paul
Evans could do. It is a quick read and I did not want to put it down.
Without giving anything away it's about two people that meet during the
Christmas holidays and decide to sign a contract pretending to be a
couple to help each other get through the holidays. "</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>What I Love About You (Military Men # 3)</i>, by Rachel Gibson, 2014</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is a romance that includes a sexy ex Navy Seal and a divorced, former cheerleader mom who comes with a 5-yr-old cute ad a pin daughter, a puppy and steamy romance. Be warned.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Some reviewers really liked it.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>The Rebellion of Miss Lucy Ann Lobdell</i>, by William Klaber, 2013.</b></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span id="freeText2387059316462894353"> This book is based on a true story. Goodreads reviewers ranged from liking it to really liking it.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span id="freeText2387059316462894353"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span id="freeText2387059316462894353">Here is the description from Goodreads:</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span id="freeText2387059316462894353"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span id="freeText2387059316462894353">"One day in 1855 Lucy
Lobdell cut her hair, changed clothes, and went off to live her life as a
man. By the time it was over, she was notorious. The <i>New York Times</i>
thought her worthy of a lengthy obituary that began “Death of a Modern
Diana . . . Dressed in Man’s Clothing She Wins a Girl’s Love.” The obit
detailed what the <i>Times</i> knew of Lucy’s life, from her backwoods
upbringing to the dance school she ran disguised as a man, “where she
won the love of a young lady scholar.” But that was just the start of
the trouble; the<i> Times</i> did not know about Lucy’s arrest and trial
for the crime of wearing men’s clothes or her jailbreak engineered by
her wife, Marie Perry, to whom she had been married by an unsuspecting
judge.<br /><br />Lucy lived at a time when women did not commonly travel
unescorted, carry a rifle, sit down in bars, or have romantic liaisons
with other women. Lucy did these things in a personal quest—to work and
be paid, to wear what she wanted, and to love whomever she cared to. But
to gain those freedoms she had to endure public scorn and wrestle with a
sexual identity whose vocabulary had yet to be invented. Lucy promised
to write a book about it all, and over the decades, people have searched
for that account. Author William Klaber searched also until he decided
that the finding would have to be by way of echoes and dreams. This book
is Lucy’s story, told in her words as heard and recorded by an upstream
neighbor.<br /><br />It has been named a Stonewall Book Award-Barbara Gittings Literature Award Honor Book for 2014."</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span id="freeText2387059316462894353"><i>Skylight</i>, by Jose Saramago, 2014 </span></b></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span id="freeText2387059316462894353"></span><span id="freeText2387059316462894353"><span id="freeText18389519643018899265">Pilar del Rio,
president of José Saramago Foundation writes in the novel's introduction
that in 1953 31-year old José Saramago sent a bundle of typewritten
papers to a publishing house for their consideration. The manuscript was
ignored, not returned and lost to time for 36 years. Meanwhile Saramago
would go on to world recognition and would become a 1998 Nobel Prize
recipient in literature.<br /><br />When the lost novel was discovered in
1989 the publishing house respectfully asked if they could publish it
and Saramago said no, not in his lifetime and collected what would have
been his first novel. The initial rejection had been so painful that
Saramago, while writing poems, journals and essays, would not write
another novel for 30 years. Upon his death in 2010, the wheels were set
in motion to publish <i>Skylight</i>, "the book lost and found in time". <br /><br />The English version of <i>Skylight</i>,
translated by Margaret Jull Costa, tells the daily-life stories of
ordinary families who live in a fading apartment building in the Lisbon
of the early 1950s, men and women who are struggling to make ends meet.
José Saramago would become a master of character portrayal; <i>Skylight</i> gives the reader an introduction into the development of stories and characters to come.</span> </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span id="freeText2387059316462894353"><i>An Island Christmas</i>, by Nancy Thayer, 2014</span></b></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span id="freeText2387059316462894353">From Goodreads: </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span id="freeText2387059316462894353"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span id="freeText2387059316462894353"><span id="freeText13008993128881514704">In this enchanting holiday novel from <i>New York Times</i>
bestselling author Nancy Thayer, family and friends gather on Nantucket
for a gorgeous winter wedding with plenty of merry surprises in store.<br /> <br />
As Christmas draws near, Felicia returns to her family’s home on the
island to marry her adventurous, rugged boyfriend, Archie. Every detail
is picture-perfect for a dream wedding: the snow-dusted streets,
twinkling lights in the windows, a gorgeous red and white satin dress.
Except a lavish ceremony is not Felicia’s dream at all; it’s what her
mother, Jilly, wants. Jilly’s also worried that her daughter’s life with
daredevil Archie will be all hiking and skydiving. Wondering if their
handsome neighbor Steven Hardy might be a more suitable son-in-law,
Jilly embarks on a secret matchmaking campaign for Felicia and the
dashing stockbroker.<br /> <br /> As the big day approaches and Jilly’s
older daughter, Lauren, appears with rambunctious kids in tow, tensions
in the household are high. With the family careening toward a Yuletide
wedding disaster, an unexpected twist in Nancy Thayer’s heartwarming
tale reminds everyone about the true meaning of the season.</span> </span></span> <br />
<br /><br />
<span class="readable" id="reviewTextContainer2082297372"><span id="freeText3039055081517806689"><span style="color: black;"><br /></span></span></span>
<br />
<br />
<br />Gary Samuelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14313320007920561339noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3418288816343399887.post-41078614944953157952017-12-30T13:41:00.001-05:002017-12-30T13:56:19.990-05:00NEW BOOKS (MOSTLY FOR KIDS)<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">New books added to the Deering Public Library. These are mostly for younger readers, but two are for 'young adults' and two are for adults.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<h3>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>Ada Twist, Scientist</i> by Andrea Beaty, illustrated by David Roberts, 2016</span></span></h3>
<h3>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">From School Library Journal</span></span></span></h3>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="a-expander-content a-expander-partial-collapse-content">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">
</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">K-Gr 2—Ada Marie Twist is an inquisitive African
American second grader and a born scientist. She possesses a keen yet
peculiar need to question everything she encounters, whether it be a
tick-tocking clock, a pointy-stemmed rose, or the hairs in her dad's
nose. Ada's parents and her teacher, Miss Greer, have their hands full
as the child's science experiments wreak day-to-day havoc. On the first
day of spring, the title character is tinkering outside her home when
she notices an unpleasant odor. She sets out to discover what might have
caused it. Beaty shows Ada using the scientific method in developing
hypotheses in her smelly pursuit. The little girl demonstrates trial and
error in her endeavors, while appreciating her family's full support.
In one experiment, she douses fragrances on her cat and then attempts to
place the feline in the washing machine. Her parents, startled by her
actions, send her to the Thinking Chair, where she starts to reflect on
the art of questioning by writing her thoughts on the wall—now the Great
Thinking Hall. Ada shines on each page as a young scientist, like her
cohorts in the author's charming series. The rhyming text playfully
complements the cartoon illustrations, drawing readers into the
narrative. VERDICT A winner for storytime reading and for young children
interested in STEM activities. Pair with science nonfiction for an
interesting elementary cross-curricular project.—Krista Welz, North
Bergen High School, NJ </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">You can download teaching and activity guides for this book at http://www.abramsbooks.com/adatwist/</span><br />
<br />
<h3 class="a-size-large a-spacing-none" id="title">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i><span class="a-size-large" id="productTitle">After the Fall (How Humpty Dumpty Got Back Up Again)</span></i><span class="a-size-large" id="productTitle">, by Dan Sentat, 2017</span></span></span></h3>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Age Range: 4 - 8 years</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Grade Level: Preschool - 3</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Everyone knows that when Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall, Humpty Dumpty had a great fall. But what happened <i>after</i>? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Caldecott
Medalist Dan Santat's poignant tale follows Humpty Dumpty, an avid bird
watcher whose favorite place to be is high up on the city wall―that is,
until <i>after</i> his famous fall. Now terrified of heights, Humpty can longer do many of the things he loves most.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Will he summon the courage to face his fear?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>After the Fall (How Humpty Dumpty Got Back Up Again)</i> is a masterful picture book that will remind readers of all ages that <i>Life begins when you get back up</i>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">2018 NCTE Charlotte Huck Award Winner<br />A <i>Kirkus Reviews </i>Best Picture Book of 2017<br />A <i>New York Times </i>Notable Children's Book of 2017<br />A New York City Public Library Notable Best Book for Kids<br />A Chicago Public Library Best Book of 2017<br />A <i>Horn Book </i>Fanfare Best Book of 2017<br />An NPR Best Book of 2017</span><br />
<br />
<h3 class="a-size-large a-spacing-none" id="title">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i><span class="a-size-large" id="productTitle">Albert’s Almost Amazing Adventure, </span></i><span class="a-size-large" id="productTitle"><span style="font-weight: normal;">by Marty Kelley, 2016</span></span></span></span></h3>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Age Range: 5 - 8 years</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Grade Level: 1 - 2</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Albert's vacation was amazing or so he thought. To friends, his time in
Maine was boring. Dull. Lame. They've got a more vivid and exciting idea
of what Albert could and should have done on his trip. But Albert might
just have a surprise for his friends, after all. Marty Kelley tells
this wonderful read-aloud story in a fresh and imaginative way,
contrasting panels of black-and-white charcoal drawings of dull old
Albert with wonderful color spreads of what Albert s friends imagine for
his summer adventures. Did Albert really tussle with ninjas and parlay
with pirates? Or did he spend his time in Maine in the most boring ways
imaginable? What really made his amazing summer vacation so amazing?</span><br />
<br />
<div class="a-section a-spacing-none">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<h3 class="a-size-large a-spacing-none" id="title">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i><span class="a-size-large" id="productTitle">The Princess and the Warrior: A Tale of Two Volcanoes , </span></i><span class="a-size-large" id="productTitle"><span style="font-weight: normal;">by Duncan Tunatiuth, 2016</span></span><i><span class="a-size-large" id="productTitle"></span></i></span></h3>
<h1 class="a-size-large a-spacing-none" id="title">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="a-size-large" id="productTitle">(Americas Award for Children's and Young Adult Literature. Commended)</span>
<span class="a-size-medium a-color-secondary a-text-normal">Hardcover</span>
<span class="a-size-medium a-color-secondary a-text-normal">– September 20, 2016)</span></span></span></span></h1>
<h3>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">From School Library Journal</span></span></span></h3>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="a-expander-content a-expander-partial-collapse-content">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">PreS-Gr 2—Princess Izta is the most beautiful and
eligible maiden in the land. One day, a humble warrior named Popoca
approaches the princess, offering her the promise of true love and
fidelity instead of lavish gifts or material wealth. Izta falls in love
with him, even though her father, the emperor, feels Popoca is
unsuitable for his royal daughter. He agrees to allow Popoca and Izta to
marry, under one condition: Popoca must defeat Jaguar Claw, the
infamous ruler of a neighboring land. Popoca fights many battles and
defeats Jaguar Claw. But with the help of a bribed messenger, a bitter
Jaguar Claw manages to take one last stab at Popoca by tricking Izta
into poisoning herself into a deep sleep. Just as he promised, Popoca
stays by her side, lying next to her until, as legend has it, two
volcanoes are formed: Popocatépetl, meaning smoky mountain, and
Iztaccíhuatl (sleeping woman). Award-winning author/illustrator Tonatiuh
successfully retells this ancient tale using his distinctive and
artistic illustrations with spare but effective text. The action battle
scenes will excite and captivate, while the images of Popoca kneeling
beside Izta in determined wait will stir the hearts of readers. The
integration of Nahuatl words (defined with a pronunciation guide in the
glossary) into the narrative provides a rich opportunity to introduce
and explore another facet of Aztec culture. VERDICT Use this Aztec
legend to inspire readers while teaching a bit about dramatic irony; a
first purchase for all folklore collections.—Natalie Braham, Denver
Public Library </span><br />
<br />
<h3 class="a-size-large a-spacing-none" id="title">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span class="a-size-large" id="productTitle"><i>A Perfect Day, </i><span style="font-weight: normal;">by Lane Smith, 2017</span></span></span></span></h3>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Age Range: 4 - 8 years</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Grade Level: Preschool - 3</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">A Spring 2017 Kids' Indie Next List Pick</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">"Like reaching the bottom of a candy dish and unexpectedly biting into a Sour Skittle, the clever <i>A Perfect Day</i> provides a delightful jolt." ―NPR</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">"This
gently humorous book is sure to circulate well in any picture book
collection. A perfect way to introduce the concept of point of view."―<i>School Library Journal</i>, <b>starred review</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">"With
the text using so few words (though, admirably, much repetition), Smith
tells the story mostly through his textured mixed-media illustrations,
which reflect each animal’s joy-filled frolic."―<i>Horn Book</i>, <b>starred review</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">"Smith's
mixed-media artwork masterfully explores texture and scale... Perfectly
funny while offering a chance to discuss perspective."―<i>Kirkus</i>, <b>starred review</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">"The
humorous surprise ending will make children squeal as they ponder the
concept of perfect... this true-to-form picture book will draw plenty of
readers." ―<i>Booklist</i><br /><br />"An easily accessible tale that has both humor and relatability."―<i>Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books</i></span></div>
<div class="a-expander-content a-expander-partial-collapse-content">
</div>
<div class="a-expander-content a-expander-partial-collapse-content">
<h3>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><i> <span style="font-size: large;">Wonder</span></i><span style="font-size: large;">,</span></b><span style="font-size: large;"> by R.J. Palacios, 2012</span></span></span></h3>
</div>
<div class="a-expander-content a-expander-partial-collapse-content">
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Age Range: 8 - 12 years</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Grade Level: 3 - 7</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i> </i><span style="font-weight: normal;">Amazon.com Review</span>
</span><br />
<div class="a-expander-content a-expander-partial-collapse-content">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">
</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?docId=1000768871&plgroup=2"><b>Amazon Best Books of the Month for Kids, February 2012</b></a>: <i>Wonder</i>
is a rare gem of a novel--beautifully written and populated by
characters who linger in your memory and heart. August Pullman is a
10-year-old boy who likes Star Wars and Xbox, ordinary except for his
jarring facial anomalies. Homeschooled all his life, August heads to
public school for fifth grade and he is not the only one changed by the
experience--something we learn about first-hand through the narratives
of those who orbit his world. August’s internal dialogue and
interactions with students and family ring true, and though remarkably
courageous he comes across as a sweet, funny boy who wants the same
things others want: friendship, understanding, and the freedom to be
himself. “It is only with one’s heart that one can see clearly. What is
essential is invisible to the eye.” From <i>The Little Prince</i> and R.J. Palacio’s remarkable novel, <i>Wonder</i>.--<i>Seira Wilson</i></span><br />
<br />
<h3 class="a-size-large a-spacing-none" id="title">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span class="a-size-large" id="productTitle">The Girl Who Drank the Moon, by Kelly Barnhill, 2016</span></span></span></h3>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Age Range: 10 - 14 years</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Grade Level: 5 - 9</span></li>
</ul>
<h3>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">From School Library Journal</span></span></span></h3>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="a-expander-content a-expander-partial-collapse-content">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">
</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Gr 4–6—Once a year in the Protectorate there is a Day of
Sacrifice. The youngest baby is taken by the Elders and left in the
forest to die, thus appeasing the witch who threatens to destroy the
village if not obeyed. Unbeknownst to the people, Xan, the witch of the
forest, is kind and compassionate. When she discovers the first baby
left as a sacrifice, she has no idea why it has been abandoned. She
rescues the infants, feeds each one starlight, and delivers the shining
infants to parents in the Outside Cities who love and care for them. On
one occasion, Xan accidentally feeds a baby moonlight along with
starlight, filling her with glowing magic. Xan is smitten with the
beautiful baby girl, who has a crescent moon birthmark on her forehead,
and chooses to raise her as her own child. Twists and turns emerge as
the identity of the true evil witch becomes apparent. The swiftly paced,
highly imaginative plot draws a myriad of threads together to form a
web of characters, magic, and integrated lives. Spiritual overtones
encompass much of the storytelling with love as the glue that holds it
all together. VERDICT An expertly woven and enchanting offering for
readers who love classic fairy tales.—D. Maria LaRocco, Cuyahoga Public
Library, Strongsville, OH </span><br />
<br />
<h3 class="a-size-large a-spacing-none" id="title">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span class="a-size-large" id="productTitle">One Minute Mysteries: 65 Short Mysteries You Solve With Science! by Eric and Natalie Yoder 2016</span></span></span></h3>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Age Range: 9 - 14 years</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Grade Level: 4 - 9</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Developing higher-level thinking skills should be
commonplace in the curriculum now and this book does provide a way of
doing that, it might even lead to students making up their own mysteries
for their classmates to solve. I would recommend this book to teachers
of years 5, 6 or 7. (<i>The Association for Science Education</i>)<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">One Minute Mysteries: 65 Short Mysteries You Solve With Science!</span>
is a wonderful resource for teachers who want to provide real-life math
problems for their students. Each story problem is conveyed in a
one-page format that asks the reader to draw a conclusion. The stories
provide an insightful look into how math can be applied in the real
world. Problems include discovering how much it would cost to either
replace a book at the library or pay the late fees; the score you would
need to win a gymnastics meet; and how to modify a recipe to accommodate
a large group of people. Bonus sections include five extra math
mysteries and five science mysteries. Most of the problems require
higher-order thinking and may be difficult for students to complete
independently. My sixth-grade classes worked in small groups with this
book, which helped the students work toward a solution. Some of the
stories are slightly fanciful, but they are completely math based and do
not lend themselves to giving students the answer. I believe that the
book would have been more coherent and beneficial for teachers if the
stories had been better organized. Rather than arranged by story line,
the stories could have been organized by concept (i.e., algebraic
reasoning, geometry, probability, and so on). Overall this book can
provide intriguing, useful, and challenging problems for a variety of
students. (Jennifer G. Martin)<br /><br />Encouraging critical thinking skills, it teaches children to think quickly and scientifically. <span style="font-style: italic;">One Minute Mysteries: 65 Short Mysteries You Solve With Science!</span> is a highly recommended purchase for science teachers who want to introduce a bit of extra fun into the classroom. (Willis B. Buhle, Reviewer <i>Buhle's Bookshelf</i>)<br /><br />Conundrums, puzzles and enigmas! The scientific approach prevails overall. <span style="font-style: italic;">One Minute Mysteries: 65 Short Mysteries You Solve With Science!</span> turns us into sleuth hounds. If only textbooks were such fun! (April Holladay, Author of Globe and Mail's online science column, WonderQuest)<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">One Minute Mysteries: 65 Short Mysteries You Solve With Science!</span>
turns kids into scientists! Each of these clever stories sets up a
mystery that can be solved using a bit of creative analytical reasoning.
Stimulating and great fun for the whole family! (Katrina L. Kelner, Ph.D., Deputy Editor of Life Sciences <i>Science</i>)<br /><br />Parents and kids alike will be challenged by these stimulating, real-world science mysteries. <span style="font-style: italic;">One Minute Mysteries: 65 Short Mysteries You Solve With Science!</span> is a great way to grow a young scientist—or improve an old one! This book belongs in every school and every home. (Julie Edmonds, Co-Director, Carnegie Academy for Science Education)<br /><br />Everyone loves a mystery! The father-daughter team behind <span style="font-style: italic;">One Minute Mysteries: 65 Short Mysteries You Solve With Science!</span>
have done a wonderful job writing stories that draw in curious young
people... and show them that science can answer many of life’s
mysteries! (Patricia Sievert, MS, Physics and Physics Education, Northern Illinois University)<br /><br />A
wonderful novel way to get kids happily engaged in problem-solving. It
not only teaches kids about science, but also demonstrates how to use
science in everyday life. Relevant, real-life examples make <span style="font-style: italic;">One Minute Mysteries: 65 Short Mysteries You Solve With Science!</span> a great read for kids…and adults! (Marina Moses, Dr. PH, George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services)<br /><br />These
clever little science-based mysteries will have a myriad of uses. I see
them as the perfect solution for stimulating kids on car journeys by
really getting them to use their intellect. (Kathleen Karr, Author of Born for Adventure and Agatha Award-winning The 7th Knot)<br /><br />Like potato chips, one isn’t enough—with <span style="font-style: italic;">One Minute Mysteries: 65 Short <span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Mysteries You Solve With Science!</span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
you’ll just want to read more: These one-minute science mysteries are
fun treats for readers that will sharpen their powers of observation and
improve their reasoning abilities.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> (Brenda Seabrooke, Author of Award-Winning The Haunting of Swain's Fancy)
</span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<h1 class="a-size-large a-spacing-none" id="title">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="a-size-large" id="productTitle"><i>Akata Witch</i>, by Nnedi Okorafor, 2012</span></span></span>
</h1>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span>Affectionately dubbed "the Nigerian Harry Potter," <i>Akata Witch</i> weaves together a heart-pounding tale of magic, mystery, and finding one's place in the world.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Twelve-year-old
Sunny lives in Nigeria, but she was born American. Her features are
African, but she's albino. She's a terrific athlete, but can't go out
into the sun to play soccer. There seems to be no place where she fits
in. And then she discovers something amazing—she is a "free agent" with
latent magical power. Soon she's part of a quartet of magic students,
studying the visible and invisible, learning to change reality. But will
it be enough to help them when they are asked to catch a career
criminal who knows magic too?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Ursula K. Le Guin and John Green are Nnedi Okorafor fans. As soon as you start reading <i>Akata Witch</i>, you will be, too! </span><br />
<h3 class="a-size-large a-spacing-none" id="title">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="a-size-large" id="productTitle"><br /></span></span></span></h3>
<h3 class="a-size-large a-spacing-none" id="title">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="a-size-large" id="productTitle">Christmas at Eagle Pond, by Donald Hall, 2012</span></span></span></span></h3>
<div class="a-size-large a-spacing-none" id="title">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"> I read this book on Christmas Eve while seasonal music played in the background, and a good single malt filled my right hand. Just right for a very snowy evening. I much enjoyed reading Donald Hall's <i>Seasons at Eagle Pond, </i>which we also have in the Deering Library.</span></span></span></div>
<h3>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> From <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html/?docId=1000027801">Booklist</a></span></span></span></h3>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="a-expander-content a-expander-partial-collapse-content">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Twelve-year-old Donnie </span>spends Christmas 1940 at his
grandparents’ farm. His mother is recovering from surgery rapidly, so he
and her parents don’t fret as they observe the holiday. They go to
church two nights before Christmas, where preteens and early teens
perform seasonal music and poems, and the little kids enact the
Christmas story. Relatives come for the eve and the day—Grandma’s
much-elder brother and Donnie’s mother’s unmarried sister—and a few
friends join them for midday Christmas dinner. Stories are told,
especially about the most recently departed, until they notice it’s
snowing heavily. Will Donnie be able to take the train back to a delayed
second Christmas at home? The ordinary, everyday routines of a small
dairy farm, in which Donnie helps now Grandpa, now Grandma, surround the
familiar holiday plot, and drawings by Caldecott Medalist Mary Azarian
decorate sublimely. The little book is completely truthful, though poet
and former poet-laureate Hall really never spent Christmas with his
grandparents. It was the gift he never received, so he gives it to
himself and, as an evergreen delight, to readers. --Ray Olson </span><br />
<br />
<br /><h3>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">AND ONE BOOK OF FICTION FOR ADULTS!</span></span></h3>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <i> </i></span><br />
<h3>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><i>Salvage the Bones, </i>by Jesmyn Ward, 2014</b></span></span></h3>
<h3>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Winner of the 2011 National Book Award</span></span></h3>
<h3>
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">A hurricane is building over the Gulf of Mexico, threatening the coastal
town of Bois Sauvage, Mississippi, and Esch's father is growing
concerned. A hard drinker, largely absent, he doesn't show concern for
much else. Esch and her three brothers are stocking food, but there
isn't much to save. Lately, Esch can't keep down what food she gets;
she's fourteen and pregnant. Her brother Skeetah is sneaking scraps for
his prized pitbull's new litter, dying one by one in the dirt. While
brothers Randall and Junior try to stake their claim in a family long on
child's play and short on parenting. As the twelve days that comprise
the novel's framework yield to the final day and Hurricane Katrina, the
unforgettable family at the novel's heart--motherless children
sacrificing for each other as they can, protecting and nurturing where
love is scarce--pulls itself up to struggle for another day. A wrenching
look at the lonesome, brutal, and restrictive realities of rural
poverty, <i>Salvage the Bone</i> is muscled with poetry, revelatory, and real.</span> </span></h3>
<h3>
</h3>
<br />
<h3>
</h3>
</div>
<h3 class="a-size-large a-spacing-none" id="title">
<span class="a-size-large" id="productTitle"></span></h3>
<h3 class="a-size-large a-spacing-none" id="title">
<span class="a-size-large" id="productTitle"> </span>
</h3>
<br /></div>
<br />
<h3 class="a-size-large a-spacing-none" id="title">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span class="a-size-large" id="productTitle"> </span></span>
</h3>
<i> </i>
</div>
</div>
<div class="a-expander-content a-expander-partial-collapse-content">
</div>
<div class="a-expander-content a-expander-partial-collapse-content">
<br />
<h3 class="a-size-large a-spacing-none" id="title">
<span class="a-size-large" id="productTitle"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"> </span></span></span></h3>
<br /></div>
<h1 class="a-size-large a-spacing-none" id="title">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="a-size-medium a-color-secondary a-text-normal"> </span></span></span>
</h1>
</div>
<br />
<h1 class="a-size-large a-spacing-none" id="title">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span class="a-size-large" id="productTitle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"> </span></span><i><span class="a-size-large" id="productTitle"></span></i></span></h1>
<br />
<h1 class="a-size-large a-spacing-none" id="title">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="a-size-large" id="productTitle"> </span></span><i><span class="a-size-large" id="productTitle"></span></i></span></h1>
<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
Gary Samuelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14313320007920561339noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3418288816343399887.post-20298016720408630812017-11-11T12:34:00.002-05:002017-11-11T16:00:48.853-05:00NEW BOOKS IN NOVEMBERHere is a bunch of novels, including two collections of short fiction, and non fiction from Ta-Nehisi Coates and a kids book that were added recently to the Deering Public Library<br />
<br />
Remember: our library works on an honor system. Please indicate on the card the date you took the book. Please also write your name on the card -- so that we can keep in touch. If you would like to have a number, rather than revealing your name, please contact me.<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>We Were Eight Years in Power. An American tragedy.</i> Ta-Nihisi Coates. 2017</b></span><br />
<br />
<span id="freeText12840516513324703870">"We were eight years in
power" was the lament of Reconstruction-era black politicians as the
American experiment in multiracial democracy ended with the return of
white supremacist rule in the South. Ta-Nihisi Coates </span><span id="freeText12840516513324703870"><span id="freeText12840516513324703870">explores the tragic
echoes of that history in our own time: the unprecedented election of a
black president followed by a vicious backlash that fueled the election
of the man Coates argues is America's "first white president."</span></span><br />
<br />
<span id="freeText12840516513324703870"><span id="freeText12840516513324703870"><span id="freeText12840516513324703870"><i>We Were Eight Years in Power </i>features Coates's iconic essays first published in <i>The Atlantic, </i>
including "Fear of a Black President," "The Case for Reparations," and
"The Black Family in the Age of Mass Incarceration," along with eight
fresh essays that revisit each year of the Obama administration through
Coates's own experiences, observations, and intellectual development,
capped by a bracingly original assessment of the election that fully
illuminated the tragedy of the Obama era. <i>We Were Eight Years in Power</i> is a vital account of modern America, from one of the definitive voices of this historic moment.</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span id="freeText12840516513324703870"><span id="freeText12840516513324703870"><span id="freeText12840516513324703870"><i>The Sign of the Beaver</i>. Elizabeth George Speare. 1983.</span></span></span></b></span><br />
<span id="freeText12840516513324703870"><span id="freeText12840516513324703870"><span id="freeText12840516513324703870"><span class="uitext greyText"></span> <span class="uitext reviewText"> </span></span></span></span><br />
<span id="freeText12840516513324703870"><span id="freeText12840516513324703870"><span id="freeText12840516513324703870"><span class="uitext reviewText">Early readers, beginners, 2nd grade</span> </span></span></span><br />
<span id="freeText12840516513324703870"><span id="freeText12840516513324703870"><span id="freeText12840516513324703870"><span id="freeText17912980740114718431"></span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
Although he faces
responsibility bravely, thirteen-year-old Matt is more than a little
apprehensive when his father leaves him alone to guard their new cabin
in the wilderness. When a renegade white stranger steals his gun, Matt
realizes he has no way to shoot game or to protect himself. When Matt
meets Attean, a boy in the Beaver clan, he begins to better understand
their way of life and their growing problem in adapting to the white man
and the changing frontier.<br />
<br />
Elizabeth George Speare’s Newbery
Honor-winning survival story is filled with wonderful detail about
living in the wilderness and the relationships that formed between
settlers and natives in the 1700s. Now with an introduction by Joseph
Bruchac.<br />
<br />
<br />
<h4>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span id="freeText12840516513324703870"><span id="freeText12840516513324703870"><span id="freeText12840516513324703870"><span id="freeText17912980740114718431">New Adult Fiction </span></span></span></span></span></h4>
<span id="freeText12840516513324703870"><span id="freeText12840516513324703870"><span id="freeText12840516513324703870"><span id="freeText17912980740114718431"></span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>The Late Show.</i> Michael Connelly. 2017</b></span><br />
<br />
<span id="freeText10814925195366119757">From #1 New York Times
bestselling author Michael Connelly, a new thriller introducing a driven
young detective trying to prove herself in the LAPD<br /><br />Renée
Ballard works the night shift in Hollywood, beginning many
investigations but finishing none as each morning she turns her cases
over to day shift detectives. A once up-and-coming detective, she's been
given this beat as punishment after filing a sexual harassment
complaint against a supervisor.<br /><br />But one night she catches two
cases she doesn't want to part with: the brutal beating of a prostitute
left for dead in a parking lot and the killing of a young woman in a
nightclub shooting. Ballard is determined not to give up at dawn.
Against orders and her own partner's wishes, she works both cases by day
while maintaining her shift by night. As the cases entwine they pull
her closer to her own demons and the reason she won't give up her job no
matter what the department throws at her.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span id="freeText10814925195366119757"><i>The Boy Who Drew Monsters. </i>Keith Donohue. 2014. </span></b></span><br />
<span id="freeText10814925195366119757"></span><br />
<br />
<span id="freeText10814925195366119757"><span id="freeText16419321609741721424"><b>From the <i>New York Times</i> bestselling author of <i>The Stolen Child</i>
comes a hypnotic literary horror novel about a young boy trapped inside
his own world, whose drawings blur the lines between fantasy and
reality.</b><br /><br />Ever since he nearly drowned in the ocean three
years earlier, ten-year-old Jack Peter Keenan has been deathly afraid to
venture outdoors. Refusing to leave his home in a small coastal town in
Maine, Jack Peter spends his time drawing monsters. When those drawings
take on a life of their own, no one is safe from the terror they
inspire. His mother, Holly, begins to hear strange sounds in the night
coming from the ocean, and she seeks answers from the local Catholic
priest and his Japanese housekeeper, who fill her head with stories of
shipwrecks and ghosts. His father, Tim, wanders the beach, frantically
searching for a strange apparition running wild in the dunes. And the
boy’s only friend, Nick, becomes helplessly entangled in the eerie power
of the drawings. While those around Jack Peter are haunted by what they
think they see, only he knows the truth behind the frightful
occurrences as the outside world encroaches upon them all.<br /><br />In the tradition of <i>The Turn of the Screw</i>, Keith Donohue’s <i>The Boy Who Drew Monsters</i> is a mesmerizing tale of psychological terror and imagination run wild, a perfectly creepy read for a dark night.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span id="freeText10814925195366119757"><span id="freeText16419321609741721424"><i>The Nightingale</i>. Kristin Hannah. 2015.</span></span></b></span><br />
<br />
<span id="freeText10814925195366119757"><span id="freeText16419321609741721424"><span id="freeText9494842740823553984">Despite their
differences, sisters Vianne and Isabelle have always been close.
Younger, bolder Isabelle lives in Paris while Vianne is content with
life in the French countryside with her husband Antoine and their
daughter. But when the Second World War strikes, Antoine is sent off to
fight and Vianne finds herself isolated so Isabelle is sent by their
father to help her. <br /><br />As the war progresses, the sisters'
relationship and strength are tested. With life changing in unbelievably
horrific ways, Vianne and Isabelle will find themselves facing
frightening situations and responding in ways they never thought
possible as bravery and resistance take different forms in each of their
action.</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span id="freeText10814925195366119757"><span id="freeText16419321609741721424"><span id="freeText9494842740823553984"><i>The Fifth Season.</i> N.K. Jemisin, 2015.</span></span></span></b></span><br />
<br />
<span id="freeText10911256151279011956">THIS IS THE WAY THE WORLD ENDS. AGAIN.<br /><br />Three terrible things happen in a single day.<br /><br />Essun,
masquerading as an ordinary schoolteacher in a quiet small town, comes
home to find that her husband has brutally murdered their son and
kidnapped their daughter. Mighty Sanze, the empire whose innovations
have been civilization's bedrock for a thousand years, collapses as its
greatest city is destroyed by a madman's vengeance. And worst of all,
across the heartland of the world's sole continent, a great red rift has
been been torn which spews ash enough to darken the sky for years. Or
centuries.<br /><br />But this is the Stillness, a land long familiar with
struggle, and where orogenes -- those who wield the power of the earth
as a weapon -- are feared far more than the long cold night. Essun has
remembered herself, and she will have her daughter back.<br /><br />She does not care if the world falls apart around her. Essun will break it herself, if she must, to save her daughter.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span id="freeText10814925195366119757"><span id="freeText16419321609741721424"><span id="freeText9494842740823553984"><i>The Signal Flame. </i>Andrew Krivak. 2017.</span></span></span></b></span><br />
<br />
<span id="freeText10814925195366119757"><span id="freeText16419321609741721424"><span id="freeText9494842740823553984"><span id="freeText12774107553377134763">The stunning second
novel from National Book Award finalist Andrew Krivak - a heartbreaking,
captivating story about a family awaiting the return of their youngest
son from the Vietnam War.<br /><br />In a small town in Pennsylvania's
Endless Mountains Hannah and her son Bo mourn the loss of the family
patriarch, Jozef Vinich. They were three generations under one roof.
Three generations, but only one branch of a scraggy tree; they are a
war-haunted family in a war-torn century. Having survived the trenches
of World War I as an Austro-Hungarian conscript, Vinich journeyed to
America and built a life for his family. His daughter married the
Hungarian-born Bexhet Konar, who enlisted to fight with the Americans in
the Second World War but brought disgrace on the family when he was
imprisoned for desertion. He returned home to Pennsylvania a hollow man,
only to be killed in a hunting accident on the family's land. Finally,
in 1971, Hannah's prodigal younger son, Sam, was reported MIA in
Vietnam.<br /><br />And so there is only Bo, a quiet man full of conviction,
a proud work ethic, and a firstborn's sense of duty. He is left to
grieve but also to hope for reunion, to create a new life, to embrace
the land and work its soil through the seasons. The Signal Flame is a
stirring novel about generations of men and women and the events that
define them, brothers who take different paths, the old European values
yielding to new world ways, and the convalescence of memory and war. <br /><br />Beginning
shortly after Easter in 1972 and ending on Christmas Eve this ambitious
novel beautifully evokes ordinary time, a period of living and working
while waiting and watching and expecting. The Signal Flame is gorgeously
written, honoring the cycles of earth and body, humming with blood and
passion, and it confirms Andrew Krivak as a writer of extraordinary
vision and power.</span>
</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span id="freeText10814925195366119757"><span id="freeText16419321609741721424"><span id="freeText9494842740823553984"><i>The Essex Serpent</i>. Sarah Perry. 2016.</span></span></span></b></span><br />
<br />
<span id="freeText10814925195366119757"><span id="freeText16419321609741721424"><span id="freeText9494842740823553984"><span id="freeText17272576092288595628">Set in Victorian London
and an Essex village in the 1890's, and enlivened by the debates on
scientific and medical discovery which defined the era, <i>The Essex Serpent</i> has at its heart the story of two extraordinary people who fall for each other, but not in the usual way.<br /><br />They
are Cora Seaborne and Will Ransome. Cora is a well-to-do London widow
who moves to the Essex parish of Aldwinter, and Will is the local vicar.
They meet as their village is engulfed by rumours that the mythical
Essex Serpent, once said to roam the marshes claiming human lives, has
returned. Cora, a keen amateur naturalist is enthralled, convinced the
beast may be a real undiscovered species. But Will sees his
parishioners' agitation as a moral panic, a deviation from true faith.
Although they can agree on absolutely nothing, as the seasons turn
around them in this quiet corner of England, they find themselves
inexorably drawn together and torn apart.<br /><br />Told with exquisite
grace and intelligence, this novel is most of all a celebration of love,
and the many different guises it can take.</span> </span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span id="freeText10814925195366119757"><span id="freeText16419321609741721424"><span id="freeText9494842740823553984"><i>Since We Fell</i>. Dennis Lehane. 2017.</span></span></span></b></span><br />
<br />
<span id="freeText10814925195366119757"><span id="freeText16419321609741721424"><span id="freeText9494842740823553984"><span id="freeText1998011173681962590"><i>Since We Fell</i>
follows Rachel Childs, a former journalist who, after an on-air mental
breakdown, now lives as a virtual shut-in. In all other respects,
however, she enjoys an ideal life with an ideal husband. Until a chance
encounter on a rainy afternoon causes that ideal life to fray. As does
Rachel’s marriage. As does Rachel herself. <br /><br />Sucked into a
conspiracy thick with deception, violence, and possibly madness, Rachel
must find the strength within herself to conquer unimaginable fears and
mind-altering truths. By turns heart- breaking, suspenseful, romantic,
and sophisticated, <i>Since We Fell</i> is a novel of profound psychological insight and tension. It is Dennis Lehane at his very best.</span> </span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span id="freeText10814925195366119757"><span id="freeText16419321609741721424"><span id="freeText9494842740823553984"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Her Body and Other Parties. </i>Carmen Maria Machado. 2017.</b></span><br /><i></i></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span id="freeText10814925195366119757"><span id="freeText16419321609741721424"><span id="freeText9494842740823553984"><span id="freeText9249138049378178748">In Her Body and Other Parties,
Carmen Maria Machado blithely demolishes the arbitrary borders between
psychological realism and science fiction, comedy and horror, fantasy
and fabulism. While her work has earned her comparisons to Karen Russell
and Kelly Link, she has a voice that is all her own. In this electric
and provocative debut, Machado bends genre to shape startling narratives
that map the realities of women's lives and the violence visited upon
their bodies.<br /><br />A wife refuses her husband's entreaties to remove
the green ribbon from around her neck. A woman recounts her sexual
encounters as a plague slowly consumes humanity. A salesclerk in a mall
makes a horrifying discovery within the seams of the store's prom
dresses. One woman's surgery-induced weight loss results in an unwanted
houseguest. And in the bravura novella Especially Heinous, Machado
reimagines every episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,
a show we naively assumed had shown it all, generating a phantasmagoric
police procedural full of doppelgangers, ghosts, and girls with bells
for eyes.<br /><br />Earthy and otherworldly, antic and sexy, queer and caustic, comic and deadly serious, Her Body and Other Parties
swings from horrific violence to the most exquisite sentiment. In their
explosive originality, these stories enlarge the possibilities of
contemporary fiction</span>.</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span id="freeText10814925195366119757"><span id="freeText16419321609741721424"><span id="freeText9494842740823553984"><i>Sundays at Tiffany's</i>. James Patterson and Gabrielle Charbonnet. 2009.</span></span></span></b></span><br />
<br />
<span id="freeText10814925195366119757"><span id="freeText16419321609741721424"><span id="freeText9494842740823553984"><span id="freeText855417660469642623">As a little girl, Jane
has no one. Her mother, the powerful head of a Broadway theater company,
has no time for her. She does have one friend-a handsome, comforting,
funny man named Michael-but only she can see him. <br /><br />Years later,
Jane is in her thirties and just as alone as ever. Then she meets
Michael again-as handsome, smart and perfect as she remembers him to be.
But not even Michael knows the reason they've really been reunited.<br /><br />SUNDAYS
AT TIFFANY'S is a love story with an irresistible twist, a novel about
the child inside all of us-and the boundary-crossing power of love</span> </span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span id="freeText10814925195366119757"><span id="freeText16419321609741721424"><span id="freeText9494842740823553984"><i>The Ministry of Utmost Happiness</i>. Arundhati Roy. 2017.</span></span></span></b></span><br />
<br />
<span id="freeText10814925195366119757"><span id="freeText16419321609741721424"><span id="freeText9494842740823553984"><span id="freeText13368865860974649080">The Ministry of Utmost
Happiness takes us on an intimate journey of many years across the
Indian subcontinent - from the cramped neighborhoods of Old Delhi and
the roads of the new city to the mountains and valleys of Kashmir and
beyond, where war is peace and peace is war. <br /><br />It is an aching
love story and a decisive remonstration, a story told in a whisper, in a
shout, through unsentimental tears and sometimes with a bitter laugh.
Each of its characters is indelibly, tenderly rendered. Its heroes are
people who have been broken by the world they live in and then rescued,
patched together by acts of love - and by hope. <br /><br />The tale begins
with Anjum - who used to be Aftab - unrolling a threadbare Persian
carpet in a city graveyard she calls home. We encounter the odd,
unforgettable Tilo and the men who loved her - including Musa,
sweetheart and ex-sweetheart, lover and ex-lover; their fates are as
entwined as their arms used to be and always will be. We meet Tilo's
landlord, a former suitor, now an intelligence officer posted to Kabul.
And then we meet the two Miss Jebeens: the first a child born in
Srinagar and buried in its overcrowded Martyrs' Graveyard; the second
found at midnight, abandoned on a concrete sidewalk in the heart of New
Delhi. <br /><br />As this ravishing, deeply humane novel braids these lives
together, it reinvents what a novel can do and can be. The Ministry of
Utmost Happiness demonstrates on every page the miracle of Arundhati
Roy's storytelling gifts</span>.</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span id="freeText10814925195366119757"><span id="freeText16419321609741721424"><span id="freeText9494842740823553984"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Trajectory</i>. Richard Russo. 2017. </b></span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span id="freeText10814925195366119757"><span id="freeText16419321609741721424"><span id="freeText9494842740823553984"><span id="freeText6510996016063526596"><b>Following the best-selling <i>Everybody's Fool, </i> a new collection of short fiction that demonstrates that Richard Russo--winner of the Pulitzer Prize for <i>Empire Falls</i>--is also a master of this genre.</b> <br /><br />Russo's
characters in these four expansive stories bear little similarity to
the blue-collar citizens we're familiar with from many of his novels. In
"Horseman," a professor confronts a young plagiarist as well as her own
weaknesses as the Thanksgiving holiday looms closer and closer: "And
after that, who knew?" In "Intervention," a realtor facing an ominous
medical prognosis finds himself in his father's shadow while he presses
forward--or not. In "Voice," a semiretired academic is conned by his
increasingly estranged brother into coming along on a group tour of the
Venice Biennale, fleeing a mortifying incident with a traumatized
student back in Massachusetts but encountering further complications in
the maze of Venice. And in "Milton and Marcus," a lapsed novelist
struggles with his wife's illness and tries to rekindle his
screenwriting career, only to be stymied by the pratfalls of that trade
when he's called to an aging, iconic star's mountaintop retreat in
Wyoming.</span>
</span> </span></span><br />
<br />
<br />
Gary Samuelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14313320007920561339noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3418288816343399887.post-8477176054536155402017-06-09T18:18:00.000-04:002017-06-18T06:11:21.141-04:00NEW BOOKS IN JUNE<h3>
</h3>
<h3>
</h3>
<h3>
NON FICTION</h3>
<br />
<b><i>American Covenant. A history of civil religion from the Puritans to the present, </i>Phil Gorsky, 2017</b><br />
<br />
Following are excerpts from a perceptive review on Goodreads: <br />
<br />
<span class="readable" id="reviewTextContainer1941663818"><span id="freeText1579654464081667571">"</span></span><span class="readable" id="reviewTextContainer1941663818"><span id="freeText1579654464081667571">Philip
Gorski is one who has looked at the history of America's culture wars
and asks if there is another alternative to what he sees as the extremes
of religious nationalism and radical secularism. He believes that there
is and that it has a long history. He proposes that there may be a form
of "civil religion" that is not invidious and that it is critical that
we retrieve and strengthen a tradition that he believes has been at the
center of our national life and combines what he calls "prophetic
religion" and "civic republicanism." He calls this "prophetic
republicanism."</span></span><br />
<span class="readable" id="reviewTextContainer1941663818"><span id="freeText1579654464081667571"></span></span><br />
<br />
<span class="readable" id="reviewTextContainer1941663818"><span id="freeText1579654464081667571">Gorski's
book provides, on a high level, the kind of education for citizenship,
for republican virtue (not of the party-type) that we desperately need.
It is the kind of education needed with our rising generation, as well
as for all who sense that neither of the extremes of our culture war
offer a good vision for our national life. It offers a substantive
alternative and not a bland compromise to our polarized discourse. I
only hope someone notices."</span></span><br />
<span class="readable" id="reviewTextContainer1941663818"><span id="freeText1579654464081667571"><br /></span></span>
<span class="readable" id="reviewTextContainer1941663818"><span id="freeText1579654464081667571"><b><i>Churchilll's Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare</i>.<i> The maverics who plotted Hitler's defeat</i>,</b> Giles Milton 2016</span></span><br />
<br />
<span class="readable" id="reviewTextContainer1941663818"><span id="freeText1579654464081667571">This is a popular account of British guerilla activities during WWII. Derring Do and all that. One reviewer found the book to be only lightly referenced Still.. following is an excerpt from one review from Goodreads:</span></span><br />
<span class="readable" id="reviewTextContainer1941663818"><span id="freeText1579654464081667571"><br /></span></span>
<span class="readable" id="reviewTextContainer1941663818"><span id="freeText1579654464081667571">"T</span></span><span class="readable" id="reviewTextContainer1915487522"><span id="freeText16958973072223692195">he
author provides us with a history of the British group known as MI(D) –
Military Intelligence Destruction. This group was authorized by the top
echelons of British government in the early days at the beginning of WW
II. Its creation involved a lot of soul searching among the members of
the cabinet because their purpose was to destroy assets of the German
military force in “ungentlemanly ways.” It is what we term guerrilla
warfare today – a term a far cry from the polite posture of the British
people. It finally dawned on the government that fire must be fought
with fire when dealing with the Nazi threat. The people recruited early
on all had special skills beyond the normal military needs. There were
experts in explosives, aeronautics, silent killing, etc. Mr. Milton lays
out some of the main efforts of this group through the war – many of
which were kept as top secret until very recently. The group was
responsible for ‘limpet’ bombs, bombs which were placed against enemy
ships and held there by special magnets and would explode upon proper
activation. They also developed some clever weapons that were used
against submarines."</span></span><br />
<br />
<h3>
<span class="readable" id="reviewTextContainer1915487522"><span id="freeText16958973072223692195">FICTION</span></span></h3>
<h4>
<span class="readable" id="reviewTextContainer1915487522"><span id="freeText16958973072223692195">Young Adult</span></span></h4>
<span class="readable" id="reviewTextContainer1915487522"><span id="freeText16958973072223692195"><b><i>The Sun is Also a Star</i></b>, Nicola Yoon, 2016</span></span><br />
<span class="readable" id="reviewTextContainer1915487522"><span id="freeText16958973072223692195">Two teens meet by chance in New York City. She is from Jamaica and her family, after many years of being here illegally, is facing immediate deportation. He is son of a Korean family and is being pushed to take up medicine at Yale. She has one day to delay the deportation He has one day to make her fall in love with him. The story is a switch: She is the scientist who wants to attend a university. He is the poet who has no interest in medicine. These highly engaging kids exploring love: of each other, of their families, of their cultures, of their country. Incidental characters all have interesting back stories: the security guard who is on the brink of suicide, the lawyer whose first love is not his wife, the brother whose first love is not himself. Parents and their demands and aspirations. The backdrop is New York City, and you can feel the city. Do you believe in Fate? God? Chance? I enjoyed this book. Good writing: the plot is interesting, the characters engaging and the author knows how to use the English language The book was written for young adults, but themes have far broader application than 'young adult,' especially in these days. Makes one think. Read it with your teenaged kids: you'll have a good time comparing notes.</span></span><br />
<b><span class="readable" id="reviewTextContainer1915487522"><span id="freeText16958973072223692195"><br /></span></span></b>
<span class="readable" id="reviewTextContainer1915487522"><span id="freeText16958973072223692195"><b>Adult Fiction</b> </span></span><br />
<span class="readable" id="reviewTextContainer1915487522"><span id="freeText16958973072223692195"><br /></span></span>
<span class="readable" id="reviewTextContainer1915487522"><span id="freeText16958973072223692195"><i><b>Moonglow</b>,</i> Michael Chabon, 2016</span></span><br />
<br />
<span class="readable" id="reviewTextContainer1915487522"><span id="freeText16958973072223692195">I will buy every book Michael Chabon writes if only for his wonderful use of the English language.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span class="readable" id="reviewTextContainer1915487522"><span id="freeText16958973072223692195">Following are excerpts from one Goodreads review:</span></span><br />
<br />
<span class="readable" id="reviewTextContainer1915487522"><span id="freeText16958973072223692195">"</span></span><span class="readable" id="reviewTextContainer1915487522"><span id="freeText16958973072223692195"><span class="readable" id="reviewTextContainer1894837509"><span id="freeText4963516097298589369">Michael
Chabon pulls off a hybrid memoir and a contested fictional
multigenerational family history peppered with anecdotes and stories
from his heavily medicated grandfather on his deathbed. Chabon
unashamedly states its fictional roots and perhaps questions the concept
of a factual memoir, how much of a memoir can be said to be true when
peoples' memories are notoriously unreliable?"</span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span class="readable" id="reviewTextContainer1915487522"><span id="freeText16958973072223692195"><span class="readable" id="reviewTextContainer1894837509"><span id="freeText4963516097298589369"><span class="readable" id="reviewTextContainer1894837509"><span id="freeText4963516097298589369">"I
was entranced by the lyrical prose and the vivid metaphors in the
narrative. The stories of efforts to strangle Alger Hiss with ripped out
telephone cables which lands the grandfather in a New York prison,
blowing up bridges, sex, war time espionage and efforts attempting to
locate Nazi SS officer Wernher Von Braun in Europe only to find he ends
up working for the US space programme, There is the obsession with
rockets and a lovely story of the exploits of Ramon the cat and the hunt
for the snake. It appears the outpouring of tales is chaotic and non
linear, but this is often the nature of memory, going back and forth in
time. What is particularly tender and heartbreaking is the recounting of
the love and loyalty he has for Chabon's grandmother, her desperate and
traumatic history and the consequent mental instability that ensued.
There is the examination of what constitutes family with the inclusion
of non blood family members.</span></span> "</span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span class="readable" id="reviewTextContainer1915487522"><span id="freeText16958973072223692195"><span class="readable" id="reviewTextContainer1894837509"><span id="freeText4963516097298589369">Like this reviewer, I will not soon forget this book! </span></span> </span></span><br />
<span class="readable" id="reviewTextContainer1941663818"><span id="freeText1579654464081667571"><br /></span></span>
<span class="readable" id="reviewTextContainer1941663818"><span id="freeText1579654464081667571"><i><b>The Motion of Puppets,</b> </i>Keith Donohue, 2016</span></span><br />
<br />
<span class="readable" id="reviewTextContainer1941663818"><span id="freeText1579654464081667571">I picked up this book at Toadstool because of its intriguing title. Creepy puppets? Bring 'em on!</span></span><br />
<br />
<span class="readable" id="reviewTextContainer1941663818"><span id="freeText1579654464081667571">Reviews of this book were mixed. Here is one of the good ones</span></span><br />
<br />
<span class="readable" id="reviewTextContainer1941663818"><span id="freeText1579654464081667571">"</span></span><span class="readable" id="reviewTextContainer1941663818"><span id="freeText1579654464081667571"><span class="readable" id="reviewTextContainer1858604138"><span id="freeText14531559119478882757">"Never
enter a toy shop after midnight" is a warning that appears early in
this lovely horror story. Unfortunately, it comes too late for acrobat
Kay, working for the summer in Quebec City and fascinated by the weird
little shop filled with puppets. Returning home to her husband late one
night after a performance, she fears she is being followed; as she
passes the toy shop, she finds it unlocked and enters. By the next
morning, she can be measured in inches, not feet, and is one of the
eerie collection of once-human puppets. Meanwhile, her French professor
husband Theo is beside himself, looking for her over and over with no
success until months later, he learns of a puppet show and sees a news
clip of a puppet who looks remarkably like Kay. And since this is a
re-imagining of Orpheus and Eurydice, is there a chance he can save her?
Very satisfying horror novel, when so many ultimately disappoint me by
laying out all the tricks. Pacing here is relentless but not really
fast, as there are lots of clues to investigate and we follow Kay's life
in the puppet troop and Theo's endless search in alternating points of
view; involving, compelling characters; intricately plotted, inventive
story line that's layered with references to classical roots of Orpheus
and Eurydice tale and fascinating information about photographer
Eadweard Muybridge, the photographer famed for his photographs of
animals in motion (proved that a galloping horse does have all 4 feet in
air); "hypnotic prose"; suspenseful, nightmare tone. Narrator Bronson
Pinchot's performance is a fabulous way to experience this fine story."</span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span class="readable" id="reviewTextContainer1941663818"><span id="freeText1579654464081667571"><span class="readable" id="reviewTextContainer1858604138"><span id="freeText14531559119478882757"><b><i>The Sojourn</i></b>, Andrew Krivak, 2011</span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="readable" id="reviewTextContainer1941663818"><span id="freeText1579654464081667571"><span class="readable" id="reviewTextContainer1858604138"><span id="freeText14531559119478882757">This little book was a National Book Award Finalist and is particularly relevant on the 100th anniversary of USA entering WW I. </span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="readable" id="reviewTextContainer1941663818"><span id="freeText1579654464081667571"><span class="readable" id="reviewTextContainer1858604138"><span id="freeText14531559119478882757"><br /></span></span></span></span>
<span class="readable" id="reviewTextContainer1941663818"><span id="freeText1579654464081667571"><span class="readable" id="reviewTextContainer1858604138"><span id="freeText14531559119478882757">Here is the publisher's blurb:</span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="readable" id="reviewTextContainer1941663818"><span id="freeText1579654464081667571"><span class="readable" id="reviewTextContainer1858604138"><span id="freeText14531559119478882757"></span></span></span></span><br />
<span id="freeText15479959257511047456"><i>"The Sojourn</i> is
the story of Jozef Vinich, who was uprooted from a 19th-century mining
town in Colorado by a family tragedy and returns with his father to an
impoverished shepherd’s life in rural Austria-Hungary. When World War
One comes, Jozef joins his adopted brother as a sharpshooter in the
Kaiser’s army, surviving a perilous trek across the frozen Italian Alps
and capture by a victorious enemy.<br /><br />A stirring tale of
brotherhood, coming-of-age, and survival, that was inspired by the
author’s own family history, this novel evokes a time when Czechs,
Slovaks, Austrians, and Germans fought on the same side while divided by
language, ethnicity, and social class in the most brutal war to date.
It is also a poignant tale of fathers and sons, addressing the great
immigration to America and the desire to live the American dream amidst
the unfolding tragedy in Europe.</span> <span id="freeText15479959257511047456">"</span><br />
<span id="freeText15479959257511047456"><br /></span>
<br />
<span id="freeText15479959257511047456">In the opening pages a desperate mother throws her infant son into a river. The son is saved and mom dies. The boy's immigrant father moves them from Colorado at the end of the 19th Century to his country of origin, Slovakia, in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The boy and his father take up sheep herding when they speak and read English. They are joined by another young boy, who becomes Jozef's brother, in name if not in fact. Jozef becomes disillusioned by something his father does and the two boys join the Kaiser's army where they become snipers. This is followed by death, capture by a victorious enemy and a long coming home.</span><br />
<span id="freeText15479959257511047456"><br /></span>
<br />
<span id="freeText15479959257511047456">Michael Dirda said in the Washington Post:</span><br />
<br />
Although “The Sojourn” is rightly marketed as a literary novel, it
should also appeal to fans of Stephen Hunter’s sniper novels and David
Morrell’s early thrillers, and I really shouldn’t say any more about its
plot, certainly not about the sudden deaths on the snowy mountain pass
or the raped Gypsy girl or the bags of gold hidden in a cave. Yet
throughout, Krivak returns, again and again, to the love between a
father and his son, to the burden of tragic memories, and to the fraught
nature of national or ethnic identity. As Jozef says at one point:
“What was a Czecho-Slovak to me, though, a boy raised among Carpathian
peasants in a Magyar culture, professing loyalty in a poor school to a
Hapsburg, and speaking a language in secret they spoke in a land called
America?”<br />
<br />
"Packed with violence and death, yet wonderfully serene in its tone, Andrew Krivak’s <i>The Sojourn </i>— shortlisted for this year’s [2011] National Book Award — reminds us that one
never knows from where the blow will fall and that, always, in the
midst of life we are in death: “His foot slipped from the poor
hold he had chosen on the next step and he pitched forward and began to
slide and spin sideways down the hill, letting go of the rifle, which
picked up its own speed and outstripped him as it dropped straight and
slammed into a rock not twenty yards from my father and went off,
shooting the man through the heart. He was dead before he came to rest." <br />
<br />
I thought <i>The Sojourn</i> was a very satisfying book that begs me to read it again. Soon.<br />
<br />
<b><i>Heretics</i></b>, Leonardo Padura, 2013 (translation, 2017)<br />
The Good Ship <i>S.S</i>. <i>St Louis</i> and its 900 Jews who are trying to escape Nazi Germany comes to Havana in the hope that Cuba will accept these refugees. We know they won't. Nobody did. They perished back in Europe. But in this story mom and dad and one daughter of the Kaminsky family are on the boat, and the 9-yr-old son Daniel is in Cuba with an uncle, having arrived some time earlier. There is a Rembrandt painting in the family and it is supposed to buy entry into Cuba for the ship-bound Kaminskys. It doesn't. The painting disappears along with the family. The painting resurfaces 70 year later in a London auction house. This leads Daniel to return to Cuba and engage former detective and somewhat down-on-his-luck Mario Conde to try to find out what happened to the painting.<br />
<br />
The story really begins in 17th Century Amsterdam where the Jews who were driven out of the Iberian peninsula in the 15th and 16th Centuries have been welcomed and have established a thriving community. The problem is that painting the human figure is not permitted by Jewish law. Despite that Elias is accepted to learn from the great Rembrandt and eventually is given a signed portrait of Christ, for which Elias was the model. The tensions within Amsterdam's Jewish community, something I knew nothing about, are the major theme of the second novel. Elias is ultimately excluded from the Jewish community and he migrates to Poland. On his death bed he gives the painting to a Dr. Kaminsky. Thus the Rembrandt painting enters the Kaminsky family. <br />
<br />
The book ends in modern day Havana with a Kaminsky girl disappears after becoming and emo (me either), a group of totally despairing youth who paint their faces, wear dark clothes and, oh yes, they hurt themselves. <span class="readable" id="reviewTextContainer1941663818"><span id="freeText1579654464081667571"> There are lesbians and sleazy Italian druggies too. Mario Conde tries to find the missing Judith. </span></span><br />
<span class="readable" id="reviewTextContainer1941663818"><span id="freeText1579654464081667571"><br /></span></span>
<span class="readable" id="reviewTextContainer1941663818"><span id="freeText1579654464081667571">This is a long book over 500 pages. It tends to be discursive, but there is the missing painting, murder, exile and a description of pre Revolutionary Havana -- and Mario Conde drinks a lot of rum with friends and, then, there is the woman -- Tamara -- he might propose marriage to. <i> </i></span></span><br />
<br />
<span class="readable" id="reviewTextContainer1941663818"><span id="freeText1579654464081667571"><i>Heretics</i>, the title? From the NPR book review:</span></span><br />
<br />
"And in all of this, the uniting strand is the idea of heresy — of rules
broken that can never be unbroken, of modernity grinding away at
tradition. The Jewish art student who posed for Rembrandt's Christ
painting, the Kaminsky family displaying it in a fit of atheistic pride,
the kids in Cuba, the "most remarkable tip of the iceberg of a
generation of certified heretics." This is what Padura spends 500 pages
talking about: Heresy as a forgetting of the past."<br />
<br />
<b><i>Lincoln in the Bardo</i></b>, George Saunders, 2017<br />
<br />
Bardo? <span class="readable" id="reviewTextContainer1729236355"><span id="freeText9365320743589737417">bardo.
" (in Tibetan Buddhism) a state of existence between death and rebirth,
varying in length according to a person's conduct in life and manner
of, or age at, death. " (English Oxford Dictionary) </span></span><br />
<br />
<span class="readable" id="reviewTextContainer1729236355"><span id="freeText9365320743589737417">This is the description from Goodreads:</span></span><br />
<br />
<span class="readable" id="reviewTextContainer1729236355"><span id="freeText9365320743589737417"><span id="freeText10957323713403120453">On February 22, 1862,
two days after his death, Willie Lincoln [Abraham Lincoln's son who died probably from typhoid] was laid to rest in a marble
crypt in a Georgetown cemetery. That very night, shattered by grief,
Abraham Lincoln arrives at the cemetery under cover of darkness and
visits the crypt, alone, to spend time with his son’s body. <br /><br />Set over the course of that one night and populated by ghosts of the recently passed and the long dead, <i>Lincoln in the Bardo</i>
is a thrilling exploration of death, grief, the powers of good and
evil, a novel - in its form and voice - completely unlike anything you
have read before. It is also, in the end, an exploration of the deeper
meaning and possibilities of life, written as only George Saunders can:
with humor, pathos, and grace</span>.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span class="readable" id="reviewTextContainer1729236355"><span id="freeText9365320743589737417">This is what one reviewer wrote:</span></span><br />
<br />
<span class="readable" id="reviewTextContainer1729236355"><span id="freeText9365320743589737417">"</span></span><span class="readable" id="reviewTextContainer1729236355"><span id="freeText9365320743589737417"><span class="readable" id="reviewTextContainer1917348545"><span id="freeText7866891980842601900">George
Saunders has written a magnificent, unique, experimental work that is
both heartbreaking and humourous, both heavenly and in the mire. This
novel examines death and existence thereafter, while exalting the beauty
of life, each precious moment of it. It reveals the unbearable grief
felt at the loss of a child. It shows, in a chorus of voices, the many
hues memory paints of an event. All the while, it magnifies the
undeniable dignity of Abraham Lincoln.<br /><br />The range of this book is
astonishing. The format is original - part historical accounting, part
Shakespearean play. The concept is this: Willie Lincoln, at 11 years
old, dies, breaking his presidential father's heart. He finds himself
(amongst a host of other spirits) in the "Bardo" (essentially
purgatory), where he is visited by his father, and where he decides he
will stay in order to see him again. The rest of the story is ghostly,
Godly, mystical, mysterious, and oh-so-human. I loved it."</span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span class="readable" id="reviewTextContainer1729236355"><span id="freeText9365320743589737417"><span class="readable" id="reviewTextContainer1917348545"><span id="freeText7866891980842601900">This is from Thomas Mallon's New Yorker review:</span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span class="readable" id="reviewTextContainer1729236355"><span id="freeText9365320743589737417"><span class="readable" id="reviewTextContainer1917348545"><span id="freeText7866891980842601900">"Saunders’s witty and garrulous graveyard is filled with semi-spirits in a
state of denial. They believe that their dead bodies are merely a
“sick-form,” and that the coffins and crypts containing them are
“sick-boxes,” as if Oak Hill were a hospital instead of a cemetery. They
have chosen to resist passage to a genuine afterlife, and with their
defiance has come boredom: “Each night passed with a devastating
sameness,” Hans Vollman, one of those who have adamantly “soldiered on,”
says. A printer with an enormous penis, he was, back in the
eighteen-forties, just beginning to experience the joy of bedding his
much younger wife when a ceiling beam fell and killed him. Vollman’s
best posthumous pal is the campy, once closeted Roger Bevins III, now
sporting multiple limbs like a Hindu god. The two are frequently in the
company of a straitlaced “old bore,” the Reverend Everly Thomas, the
closest thing to a Stage Manager in Saunders’s netherworld. Unlike
Vollman and Bevins, he knows he is dead, as well as damned." </span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span class="readable" id="reviewTextContainer1729236355"><span id="freeText9365320743589737417"><span class="readable" id="reviewTextContainer1917348545"><span id="freeText7866891980842601900">George Saunders has previously published several collections of short fiction. This is his first novel. Most reviews are very good. There are many characters in this book and becauses of that </span></span>several reviewers said that the book was better when heard in the audio version, and then it was otherworldly (or words to that effect). l</span></span> <br />
<span class="readable" id="reviewTextContainer1941663818"><span id="freeText1579654464081667571"><br /></span></span>Gary Samuelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14313320007920561339noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3418288816343399887.post-16562777437633909192016-12-19T06:30:00.000-05:002016-12-19T06:34:15.045-05:00STORIES FOR THE SEASONThe Winter Solstice is nearly on us, in a few days on December twenty-first. Here in New England it's getting dark at around 4:00 pm, or at least so dark that lights on cars and in rooms are called for.<br />
<br />
For many, the short days of Winter are difficult. Not enough endorphins. Too much unknown lurking in the surrounding darkness maybe.Of course, it's cold as well and the cold and dark night could trigger all kinds of fear.<br />
<br />
I like this time. The long night emphasizes the warmth of my own cozy house. The fire in the hearth (as likely real as figurative) The cold and, if we're lucky snow, preclude travel. The sense of isolation this brings is more like an old quilt taken from the cupboard in my childhood home than it is something to fret over, to be afraid of.<br />
<br />
This is a time I like to read with some 'cool' jazz music in the background. Whatever pressing tasks are on the list just have to wait. Nothing I can do about them now.<br />
<br />
Short stories are a favorite form of literature for me. One book can be like a box of mixed chocolates, except that if a small bite of one does not please me today, I can return it to its place and select another.<br />
<br />
There are a lot of stories for the end of the year. I'm of the Christian tradtion, and so my end of year stories tend in that direction. Sentimental, funny, uplifting: these stories can take me back the seventy-off years to a fondly remembered home town (that, in remembrance, was never as in actuality. But, still....).<br />
<br />
Although this is not the way things went in my largely unreading childhood, I have a romantic vision of how it could have been. Reading together, as a family, is part of that vision.<br />
<br />
With this in mind, I have gathered together some stories that I think you might like to read. Please follow the links and enjoy! Please let me know if you would like to share one of your stories and I will distribute it.<br />
<br />
Light returns with the Solstice,and with it another
kind of joy. But, for now, enjoy this peaceful time.<br />
<br />
<br />
The first story, a poem actually, is,simply stated, obligatory for this season! <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://www.gutenberg.org/files/17135/17135-h/17135-h.htm&source=gmail&ust=1482232057971000&usg=AFQjCNGP1Aw9kqZUTuIbOsG-Eu71f05-sg" href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/17135/17135-h/17135-h.htm" target="_blank">Twas the Night Before Christmas</a><br />
<br />
<div>
<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=https://adobe.ly/2hZXvev&source=gmail&ust=1482232057971000&usg=AFQjCNHFdAsHf5bHrpMXL6Cuc70qwnnfmQ" href="https://adobe.ly/2hZXvev" target="_blank">The Winter Spirit and His Visitor</a> is a Cherokee tale of the Winter Solstice</div>
<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=https://adobe.ly/2gW8nMZ&source=gmail&ust=1482232057971000&usg=AFQjCNEBDW0YL8a6YUqeN1dnpB7BKTPefQ" href="https://adobe.ly/2gW8nMZ" target="_blank">The Christmas Masquerade</a> is the tale of an ill-conceived chamber of commerce Christmas party that goes really wrong!<br />
<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=https://adobe.ly/1maeoVu&source=gmail&ust=1482232057971000&usg=AFQjCNGh8Wf3b7vr5KIeXZOUyZY_qeyUgw" href="https://adobe.ly/1maeoVu" target="_blank"><br /></a><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=https://adobe.ly/1maeoVu&source=gmail&ust=1482232057971000&usg=AFQjCNGh8Wf3b7vr5KIeXZOUyZY_qeyUgw" href="https://adobe.ly/1maeoVu" target="_blank">The Boy With the Box</a> and <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=https://adobe.ly/1mpH0KU&source=gmail&ust=1482232057971000&usg=AFQjCNEmTCwvSLRA27f059uiQdxrNpAymw" href="https://adobe.ly/1mpH0KU" target="_blank">Little Piccola</a> are uplifting stories of kids at Christmas.<br />
<br />
L. Frank Baum, author of the Wizard of Oz, describes a <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=https://adobe.ly/2hFQkcp&source=gmail&ust=1482232057971000&usg=AFQjCNHowopUHebvnQSs0SOXPRDCSG1j1Q" href="https://adobe.ly/2hFQkcp" target="_blank">kidnapping: Of Santa</a> no less!<br />
<br />
<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=https://adobe.ly/1QrAbW2&source=gmail&ust=1482232057971000&usg=AFQjCNFCZ0YZidwL5MxC_wqh3MHQWUmjSQ" href="https://adobe.ly/1QrAbW2" target="_blank">The Tailor of Goucester</a> is a classical tell of mice and men by Beatrix Potter<br />
<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=https://adobe.ly/2hFWQjq&source=gmail&ust=1482232057971000&usg=AFQjCNGB8mA857N_Iz_OH3n8bgfoRyNQyA" href="https://adobe.ly/2hFWQjq" target="_blank"><br /></a>
<div>
<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=https://adobe.ly/2hFWQjq&source=gmail&ust=1482232057971000&usg=AFQjCNGB8mA857N_Iz_OH3n8bgfoRyNQyA" href="https://adobe.ly/2hFWQjq" target="_blank">Whistling Dick's Christmas Stocking</a>, by O. Henry, is a funny story of a Hobo who doesn't want his just rewards for doing good.</div>
<div>
<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=https://adobe.ly/2hFCaua&source=gmail&ust=1482232057971000&usg=AFQjCNG9JZZ2VEqEAWJNsfLFOtqT5CrWWA" href="https://adobe.ly/2hFCaua" target="_blank"><br /></a></div>
<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=https://adobe.ly/2hFCaua&source=gmail&ust=1482232057971000&usg=AFQjCNG9JZZ2VEqEAWJNsfLFOtqT5CrWWA" href="https://adobe.ly/2hFCaua" target="_blank">Christmas Eve in War Time</a> is an admittedly maudlin story from the period of the Civil War, but, wuss that I am, it brought tears to my jaded old eyes.Gary Samuelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14313320007920561339noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3418288816343399887.post-57223825502243262322016-11-17T07:02:00.000-05:002016-11-17T07:02:07.751-05:00YOUR LIBRARY TRUSTEES NEED YOUR HEPThe Trustees of the Deering Public Library continue the tradition of presenting the End of Year/Solstice/Christmas/Kwanzaa/Hanukkah party and we need your help.<br />
<br />
The party will be held on 10 December in Deering Town Hall<br />
<br />
Beginning at 1:00 pm there will be an hour of crafting.<br />
At 2:00 multi instrumentalist Roger Tincknell will present his Solstice Celebration of music and stories.<br />
Santa will arrive at 3:00.<br />
<br />
There will be a drawing for a home-made gingerbread house, the (undecorated) Christmas tree and for two gift cards to Toadstool Bookstore.<br />
<br />
Light refreshments with cocoa will be served.<br />
<br />
How can you help? Can you contribute a craft and manage the table of little kids? These crafts should be simple things; something a child can complete within the hour, to take home. Crafts can be themed in any tradition, not just Christmas.<br /><br />
<br />
We expect anywhere from forty to seventy children, probably closer to the lower number.<br />
<br />
There are only two library trustees. We are determined to make this party a success but could certainly use your help to ensure success.<br />
<br />
If you can help, please leave a comment here.<br />
<br />
THANKS!Gary Samuelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14313320007920561339noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3418288816343399887.post-23173009152023885172016-10-30T16:33:00.002-04:002016-10-30T16:33:24.863-04:00HALLOWEEN AT DEERING TOWN HALL<h3>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Last night, October 29, Deering Town Hall became positively ghoulish as about sixty children brought their elders to the Library Trustee's Third Annual Halloween party.</span></h3>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">There were games, decorating sugar cookies and coloring Halloween pictures. To enter town hall everybody had to pass a deliciously icky GHOULISH pantry, complete with maggotts and vampire brains, jars of eyeballs and little kid fingers. Some kids brought spooky carved pumpkins and every one wore a delightful costume.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Prizes in the form of gift cards from Toadstool Bookshop were awarded for best costumes, jack-o-lanterns and scarecrows. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Outside there was a fire pit where you could warm and toast marshmallows, tended by Michael and Matthew Krill.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The highlight of the party was a hayride on Gregg Hill, thanks to suitably costumed driver Bob Carter. Thanks very much Bob and the whole Carter family for helping make this party a success.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Y<a href="https://goo.gl/photos/MBhtiTfLVVQFFnuy6" target="_blank">ou can see from these pictures e</a>verybody had a good time. </span><br />
Gary Samuelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14313320007920561339noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3418288816343399887.post-44480372736086097292016-10-27T07:06:00.000-04:002016-10-27T07:06:31.462-04:00HENRY JAMES: A QUOTE FOR EVERY DAY OF THE YEAR<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span></h3>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Henry James, a Week in October</span></h3>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span></h3>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><em>The following is drawn from </em>The Daily Henry James: A Year of Quotes from the Work of the Master, <em>which compiles a quote from Henry James’s work for every day of the year, and first appeared in 1911 with James’s cooperation.</em></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I have copied this from the November 10, 2016 issue of <em>The New York Review of Books </em></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">October</span></h3>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">It might be an ado about trifles—and half the poetry,
roundabout, the poetry in solution in the air, was doubtless but the
alertness of the touch of Autumn, the imprisoned painter, the Bohemian
with a rusty jacket, who had already broken out with palette and brush;
yet the way the color begins in those days to be dabbed, the way, here
and there, for a start, a solitary maple on a woodside flames in single
scarlet, recalls nothing so much as the daughter of a noble house
dressed for a fancy-ball, with the whole family gathered round to admire
her before she goes. One speaks, at the same time of the orchards; but
there are properly no orchards when half the countryside shows, the
easiest, most familiar sacrifice to Pomona. The apple tree in New
England plays the part of the olive in Italy, charges itself with the
effect of detail, for the most part otherwise too scantly produced, and,
engaged in this charming care, becomes infinitely decorative and
delicate. What it must do for the too under-dressed land in May and June
is easily supposable; but its office in the early autumn is to scatter
coral and gold. The apples are everywhere and every interval, every old
clearing, an orchard. You pick them up from under your feet but to bite
into them, for fellowship, and throw them away; but as you catch their
young brightness in the blue air, where they suggest strings of
strange-colored pearls tangled in the knotted boughs, as you notice
their manner of swarming for a brief and wasted gayety, they seem to ask
to be praised only by the cheerful shepherd and the oaten pipe.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span><div style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><em>—New England: An Autumn Impression, </em>1905</span></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<br /></div>
<h4 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><strong><strong>OCTOBER</strong> 23</strong></span></h4>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The talk was so low, with pauses somehow so not of
embarrassment that it could only have been earnest, and the air, an air
of privilege and privacy to our young woman’s sense, seemed charged with
fine things taken for granted.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span><div style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">—<em>The Papers</em>, 1903</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span><h1 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">☙</span></h1>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span><div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><strong>OCTOBER 24</strong></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span><div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">One of the things she loved him for,
however, was that he gave you touching surprises in this line, had
sudden in consistencies of temper that were all to your advantage. He
was by no means always mild when he ought to have been, but he was
sometimes so when there was no obligation.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span><div style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">—<em style="line-height: 1.5;">The Princess Casamassima</em><span style="line-height: 1.5;">, 1886</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span><h1 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">☙</span></h1>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span><h4 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><strong>OCTOBER</strong> 25</span></h4>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Sanin’s history is weighted with the moral that salvation
lies in being able, at a given moment, to turn on one’s will like a
screw. If Mr. Turgénieff pays his tribute to the magic of sense he
leaves us also eloquently reminded that soul in the long run claims her
own.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span><div style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">—<em>Ivan Turgénieff</em>, 1878</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span><h1 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">☙</span></h1>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span><h4 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><strong>OCTOBER</strong> 26</span></h4>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The old gentleman, heaven knew, had prejudices, but if they
were numerous, and some of them very curious, they were not rigid. He
had also such nice inconsistent feelings, such irrepressible
indulgences, and they would ease everything off.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span><div style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">—<em>The Reverberator</em>, 1888</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span><h1 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">☙</span></h1>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span><h4 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><strong>OCTOBER</strong> 27</span></h4>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Surprise, it was true, was not, on the other hand, what the
eyes of Strether’s friend most showed him. They had taken hold of him
straightway, measuring him up and down, as if they knew how; as if he
were human material they had already in some sort handled. Their
possessor was in truth, it may be communicated, the mistress of a
hundred cases or categories, receptacles of the mind, subdivisions for
convenience, in which, from a full experience, she pigeon-holed her
fellow-mortals with a hand as free as that of a compositor scattering
type.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span><div style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">—<em>The Ambassadors</em>, 1903</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span><h1 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">☙</span></h1>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span><h4 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><strong>OCTOBER</strong> 28</span></h4>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“If you’ll help me, you know, I’ll help you,” he concluded
in the pleasant fraternizing, equalizing, not a bit patronizing way
which made the child ready to go through anything for him, and the
beauty of which, as she dimly felt, was that it was not a deceitful
descent to her years, but a real indifference to them.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span><div style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">—<em>What Maisie Knew</em>, 1898</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span><h1 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">☙</span></h1>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span><h4 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><strong>OCTOBER</strong> 29</span></h4>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">A suppositious spectator would certainly, on this, have
imagined in the girl’s face the delicate dawn of a sense that her mother
had suddenly become vulgar, together with a general consciousness that
the way to meet vulgarity was always to be frank and simple.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span><div style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">—<em>The Awkward Age</em>, 1899</span></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<br /></div>
<hr />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><strong><em>The Daily Henry James: A Year of Quotes from the Work of the Master </em>will be published, with a new introduction by Michael Gorra, by the <a href="http://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/D/bo24732120.html" target="_blank">University of Chicago Press</a> on November 12th</strong></span><br />
<div class="composeBoxWrapper OMGM5KC-U-i">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> <iframe aria-label="Edit post. Compose mode." class="composeBox editable" frameborder="0" id="postingComposeBox" name="Rich text editor" style="background-color: white; height: 100%; padding: 0px;"></iframe></span> </div>
<strong>mber 12.</strong><br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
Gary Samuelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14313320007920561339noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3418288816343399887.post-56250391740127216362016-10-25T17:38:00.000-04:002016-10-25T17:38:17.114-04:00NEW BOOKS IN THE DEERING LIBRARY<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Six of the seven new books are fiction. Except where noted the summaries are from Goodreads.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b><i>BARKSKINS</i>, Annie Proulx, 2016</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span id="freeText14812040338788765503">In the late seventeenth
century two penniless young Frenchmen, René Sel and Charles Duquet,
arrive in New France. Bound to a feudal lord, a “<i>seigneur</i>,” for
three years in exchange for land, they become wood-cutters—barkskins.
René suffers extraordinary hardship, oppressed by the forest he is
charged with clearing. He is forced to marry a Mi’kmaw woman and their
descendants live trapped between two inimical cultures. But Duquet,
crafty and ruthless, runs away from the seigneur, becomes a fur trader,
then sets up a timber business. Proulx tells the stories of the
descendants of Sel and Duquet over three hundred years—their travels
across North America, to Europe, China, and New Zealand, under
stunningly brutal conditions—the revenge of rivals, accidents,
pestilence, Indian attacks, and cultural annihilation. Over and over
again, they seize what they can of a presumed infinite resource, leaving
the modern-day characters face to face with possible ecological
collapse.<br /><br /> Proulx’s inimitable genius is her creation of
characters who are so vivid—in their greed, lust, vengefulness, or their
simple compassion and hope—that we follow them with fierce attention.
Annie Proulx is one of the most formidable and compelling American
writers, and <i>Barkskins</i> is her greatest novel, a magnificent marriage of history and imagination.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b><span id="freeText14812040338788765503"><i>END OF WATCH (Bill Hodges Trilogy No. 3)</i>, Stephen King, 2016</span></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span id="freeText14812040338788765503">Following is a review from Goodreads:</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span id="freeText14812040338788765503"><span class="readable" id="reviewTextContainer1298924286"><span id="freeText11407859386273352027">Seven
years have passed since Brady Hartsfield drove a stolen Mercedes
through a crowd of people, killing many, and paralyzing one survivor by
the name of Martine Stover. Despite her disability, she still lives a
peaceful life with her mother who is her primary caregiver. That is
until the day the police are called to her residence in what appears to
be a murder/suicide, but is in all actuality anything but. This crime
has Brady Hartsfield written all over it, but he’s in a mostly
vegetative state in the Traumatic Brain Injury Clinic, how could such a
thing even be possible? But when more and more suicides begin popping
up, the only thing that connects them is Brady and Bill Hodges just
might be the only one that could believe such an impossibility.<br /><br />The gang is all back together for one last hurrah: Hodges,
Holly Gibney, and Jerome Robinson. Hodges and Holly were doing their
fair share of investigating the strange evidence piling up around the
recent increase of suicides, but it’s not until one of these attempted
suicides hits close to home that the ante has been upped. Despite the
impossibility of Brady being the backstage conductor, readers that have
been with this series from the beginning will have been given a glimpse
at where King was heading at the end of <b>Finders Keepers</b>. <b>Mr. Mercedes</b>,
the first installment, seemed to at first be a bit of a departure from
King’s typical style, going for your basic mystery/detective thriller,
yet slowly but surely he deftly infused it with his trademark
supernatural horror. Whether it’s due to the blow that Holly landed or
the experimental drugs being delivered by his doctor, Brady has
developed the ability to influence the minds of others. With his
technological genius, he manages to find a way to increase the way he
spreads his infectious thoughts so that he can finally commit the
massive crime he was prevented from carrying out before.<br /><br />Despite
the fact that King doesn’t fully flesh out the supernatural aspects of
the novel, it doesn’t take much suspension of disbelief for it to still
work. The powerful effects of video games are evident in society even
without the supernatural aspects involved and King uses this to bring
that effectiveness to life in this novel of horror. Suffice it to say,
the cover may have been intriguing before reading the story, but after?
You won’t want to maintain eye contact for long. And <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kq3kxtDJxR0" rel="nofollow">this song </a>
is definitely ruined. So, King subsequently ruined the ice cream man
and a Mickey Mouse song in one fell swoop with this series. A most
impressive feat.<br /><br />The initial working title for this book was The
Suicide Prince and while I was disappointed when it was announced it
would actually be End of Watch instead, it’s so much more fitting. King
didn’t disappoint with this ending, not leaving us hanging with
unresolved questions but not coating the ending in unlikely perfection. I
may have started this trilogy skeptical that King could pull off a
convincing mystery but by the end I’m hoping that he experiments with
this genre more in the future</span></span> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span id="freeText14812040338788765503"> </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b><span id="freeText14812040338788765503"><i>HOT MILK,</i> Deborah Levy, 2016</span></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span id="freeText14812040338788765503"><span id="freeText11248635935300152233">Sofia, a young
anthropologist, has spent much of her life trying to solve the mystery
of her mother's unexplainable illness. She is frustrated with Rose and
her constant complaints, but utterly relieved to be called to abandon
her own disappointing fledgling adult life. She and her mother travel to
the searing, arid coast of southern Spain to see a famous
consultant—their very last chance—in the hope that he might cure her
unpredictable limb paralysis.<br /><br />But Dr. Gomez has strange methods
that seem to have little to do with physical medicine, and as the
treatment progresses, Sofia's mother's illness becomes increasingly
baffling. Sofia's role as detective—tracking her mother's symptoms in an
attempt to find the secret motivation for her pain—deepens as she
discovers her own desires in this transient desert community.<br /><br /><i>Hot Milk</i>
is a profound exploration of the sting of sexuality, of unspoken female
rage, of myth and modernity, the lure of hypochondria and big pharma,
and, above all, the value of experimenting with life; of being curious,
bewildered, and vitally alive to the world.</span> </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b><span id="freeText14812040338788765503"><i>NUTSHELL</i>, Ian McEwan, 2016</span></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span id="freeText14812040338788765503"><span id="freeText11885915054955447231">Trudy has betrayed her
husband, John. She's still in the marital home – a dilapidated,
priceless London townhouse – but not with John. Instead, she's with his
brother, the profoundly banal Claude, and the two of them have a plan.
But there is a witness to their plot: the inquisitive, nine-month-old
resident of Trudy's womb.<br /><br />Told from a perspective unlike any other, <i>Nutshell </i>is a classic tale of murder and deceit from one of the world’s master storytellers</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span id="freeText14812040338788765503"><span id="freeText11885915054955447231">The following is from a review of this short novel in the Washington Post:</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span id="freeText14812040338788765503"><span id="freeText11885915054955447231"></span></span>“<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0385542070?ie=UTF8&tag=thewaspos09-20&camp=1789&linkCode=xm2&creativeASIN=0385542070" shape="rect" target="_blank">Nutshell</a>,”
Ian McEwan’s preposterously weird little novel, is more brilliant than
it has any right to be. The plot sounds like something sprung from a
drunken round of literary Mad Libs: a crime of passion based on
Shakespeare’s “Hamlet,” narrated by a fetus.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">If
you can get beyond that icky premise, you’ll discover a novel that
sounds like a lark but offers a story that’s surprisingly suspenseful,
dazzlingly clever and gravely profound. To the extent that “Hamlet” is
an existential tragedy marked with moments of comedy, “Nutshell” is a
philosophical comedy marked by moments of tragedy.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b><i>THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD, </i>Colson Whitehead, 2016</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> <span id="freeText10956850450281831228">Cora is a slave on a
cotton plantation in Georgia. Life is hellish for all the slaves but
especially bad for Cora; an outcast even among her fellow Africans, she
is coming into womanhood - where even greater pain awaits. When Caesar, a
recent arrival from Virginia, tells her about the Underground Railroad,
they decide to take a terrifying risk and escape. Matters do not go as
planned and, though they manage to find a station and head north, they
are being hunted.<br /><br />In Whitehead's ingenious conception, the
Underground Railroad is no mere metaphor - engineers and conductors
operate a secret network of tracks and tunnels beneath the Southern
soil. Cora and Caesar's first stop is South Carolina, in a city that
initially seems like a haven - but the city's placid surface masks an
insidious scheme designed for its black denizens. Even worse: Ridgeway,
the relentless slave catcher, is close on their heels. Forced to flee
again, Cora embarks on a harrowing flight, state by state, seeking true
freedom.<br /><br />As Whitehead brilliantly re-creates the unique terrors
for black people in the pre-Civil War era, his narrative seamlessly
weaves the saga of America from the brutal importation of Africans to
the unfulfilled promises of the present day. <em>The Underground Railroad</em>
is at once a kinetic adventure tale of one woman's ferocious will to
escape the horrors of bondage and a shattering, powerful meditation on
the history we all share.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span id="freeText10956850450281831228">Following is part of a review from Goodreads:</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span id="freeText10956850450281831228"><span class="readable" id="reviewTextContainer1612917750"><span id="freeText2828164249485016413">About
halfway through The Underground Railroad, I started to see the next
turn around the bend. I knew what was going to happen next. This isn't
because of lazy writing, it's because the story rises beyond itself and
becomes almost an allegory or fable. What happens to Cora simply becomes
inevitable. The beauty of this book is that while it has that deep
communal feel of folk tale, it also lives vibrantly through its
characters. This is not archetypes and cardboard cutouts going through
motions to make a moral point. This is a book whose characters are fully
alive. The details of their lives are richly expressed. It feels new
and interesting. These are not characters you've met before. These are
not the same old staunch abolitionists and earnest slaves in the stories
we tell ourselves of our history. I cannot remember another book about
this era that so completely brought the world to life in my mind.<br /><br />Choosing
to read a book about slavery means choosing to immerse yourself in
brutality, violence, and inhumanity. But there's something essential
about reading this kind of book. In the United States it's too easy to
forget the dark times in our history. While this book isn't easy or
light, it is deeply moving and very powerful.</span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b><span id="freeText10956850450281831228"><span class="readable" id="reviewTextContainer1612917750"><span id="freeText2828164249485016413"><i>RAZOR GIRL</i>, Carl Hiaasen, 2016</span></span></span></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span id="freeText10956850450281831228"><span class="readable" id="reviewTextContainer1612917750"><span id="freeText2828164249485016413"><span id="freeText16101786420778604704">When
Lane Coolman's car is bashed from behind on the road to the Florida
Keys, what appears to be an ordinary accident is anything but (this is
Hiaasen!). Behind the wheel of the other car is Merry Mansfield--the
eponymous Razor Girl--and the crash scam is only the beginning of events
that spiral crazily out of control while unleashing some of the wildest
characters Hiaasen has ever set loose on the page. There's Trebeaux,
the owner of Sedimental Journeys--a company that steals sand from one
beach to restore erosion on another . . . Dominick "Big Noogie" Aeola, a
NYC mafia capo with a taste for tropic-wear . . . Buck Nance, a
Wisconsin accordionist who has rebranded himself as the star of a
redneck reality show called Bayou Brethren . . . a street psycho known
as Blister who's more Buck Nance than Buck could ever be . . . Brock
Richardson, a Miami product-liability lawyer who's getting
dangerously--and deformingly--hooked on the very E.D. product he's
litigating against . . . and Andrew Yancy--formerly Detective Yancy,
busted down to the Key West roach patrol after accosting his
then-lover's husband with a Dust Buster. Yancy believes that if he can
singlehandedly solve a high-profile murder, he'll get his detective
badge back. That the Razor Girl may be the key to Yancy's future will be
as surprising as anything else he encounters along the way--including
the giant Gambian rats that are livening up his restaurant inspections.</span> </span></span> </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b><span id="freeText10956850450281831228"><i>AMERICAN REVOLUTIONS</i>. A CONTINENTAL HISTORY, 1750-1804, Alan Taylor, 2016</span></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span id="freeText10956850450281831228">The following review is from <i>SLATE:</i></span></span><br />
<div class="text-3 text parbase section">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">As long ago as the Progressive era, historians argued that the
Founding Fathers’ war against Britain was waged not for lofty democratic
ideals but rather to suit their own material interests. In recent
decades, academic historians have exposed the critical role women,
blacks, and Native Americans played in the War of Independence, as well
as the larger imperial struggles of which the Revolution was just a bit
part. In <em>American Revolutions </em>Taylor synthesizes this more
recent scholarship but astutely combines it with the Progressive-era
argument about the way the Founding Fathers manipulated populist anger
to their own ends. Written with remarkable clarity and finesse, this
will be the gold standard by which all future histories of the period
will be compared. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Taylor’s not interested in a triumphalist account of the nation’s
origins; instead, his core arguments deliberately overturn the notion
that the Revolution was fought for egalitarian, democratic principles.
Most colonists, Taylor highlights, felt deeply attached to the British
monarchy on the eve of the Revolution. There was no distinct American
identity to speak of, and everywhere Britain’s American colonists
looked—north to French Canada, south to Spanish America—they saw
settlers with virtually no political autonomy. Their king, meanwhile,
granted them greater civil liberties than any other European ruler; for
much of the 18<sup>th</sup> century, British monarchs allowed elected
Colonial assemblies to run their own affairs. But rather than
inculcating a sense of independence, these Colonial assemblies only made
American colonists cherish more deeply their status as “free-born
Englishmen.”</span><br />
<br />
<div class="text text-6 parbase section">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">British policymakers in London “concluded that settlers, rather than
Indians, posed the greatest threat to imperial peace.” In consequence,
they drew a firm line in the sand—the Proclamation Line of 1763, running
along the Appalachian Mountain chain, across which colonists could not
venture. But it wasn’t the poor white settlers whose complaints stoked
patriotic fervor: George Washington, a wealthy Virginia slaveholder and
Seven Years’ War veteran, and Benjamin Franklin, an affluent publisher
and slaveholder as well, had bought western land now deemed
inaccessible. As speculators, they had no intention of moving west
themselves; they simply wanted to flip the real estate, cashing in on
the backs of poor settlers. Now, thanks to the crown, they couldn’t.</span><br />
<br />
</div>
</div>
<div class="text-3 text parbase section">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Meanwhile, in port cities such as Boston and New York, artisans,
laborers, and decommissioned soldiers bore the brunt of the new taxes
Parliament imposed on the Colonies. But it was the better-off Colonial
elite who came to their defense, “pos[ing] as Patriots to champion the
rights of common people.” These wealthier elite controlled the cities’
printing presses and could quickly popularize the idea that Parliament
had taxed the colonists without fair representation. Never mind that the
increased taxes were the necessary result of the costly Seven Years’
War, or that they still amounted to only two-thirds of what mainland
Britons paid. The affluent Patriot merchant John Hancock even encouraged
a boycott against British goods while surreptitiously continuing to
import those goods himself, hoping the boycott would destroy his
competitors. When a pro-British newspaper called out Hancock’s
hypocrisy, a Patriot mob nearly killed the publisher.</span></div>
<div class="text-3 text parbase section">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span></div>
<div class="text-3 text parbase section">
</div>
<div class="text-3 text parbase section">
<div class="text parbase text-8 section">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">We are used to thinking about the War of Independence itself, which
lasted from 1775 to 1783, as fought between Americans and Britons. But
Taylor argues that it was truly our first “civil war.” He estimates that
20 percent of colonists were Loyalists—colonists loyal to Britain—and
40 percent Patriots. Another 40 percent constituted the “wavering”
middle, a silent plurality who, like many in wartime, chose their
allegiance not out of principle but out of their own safety and “based
on relationships with neighbors and kin.” Moreover, many Patriots
committed themselves to the revolutionary cause not in pursuit of
freedom but out of fear: The “committees of safety” that emerged at the
war’s outset to replace the discredited Colonial assemblies imposed
crushing boycotts on those who did not swear allegiance. They were
imprisoned and tarred-and-feathered; many received what was called
“Hillsborough paint”—a smattering of shit thrown on their homes. None of
this ought to be surprising. “As in other revolutions,” Taylor reminds
us, “a committed and organized minority led the way, demanded that
others follow, and punished those who balked.”</span><br />
<br />
</div>
<div class="text parbase text-9 section">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Taylor perhaps spends too much time on the battlefield, but he gives a
central role to women, blacks, and Native Americans in determining the
war’s fate. The wives and daughters of Patriot soldiers took over the
shops, farms, and slave plantations of those who left to fight. For the
first time in their lives, white women became public participants in
politics, organizing boycotts and participating in street protests. </span><br />
</div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span></div>
<div class="text-3 text parbase section">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span><div class="text parbase text-10 section">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">If Taylor portrays women as helping to save the Patriot cause, he
suggests that black Americans nearly destroyed it. In 1775, blacks
numbered half a million, making up 20 percent of the entire Colonial
population. Ninety-nine percent of them were enslaved. Shrewdly,
Virginia’s Loyalist governor, Lord Dunmore, offered freedom to any male
slave who fought for the British, and by the war’s end between 30,000
and 40,000 slaves escaped to British lines. As Taylor emphasizes, the
arming of slaves proved a turning point. Up until Dunmore’s
Proclamation, Southerners were ambivalent about the Patriot cause. But
after it, whites in the South felt Britain had rescinded one of their
most cherished liberties: the liberty to own property. In the most
literal sense, they fought for freedom to maintain someone else’s
enslavement.</span><br />
<br />
</div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="text-11 text parbase section">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Taylor rightly underscores that slavery—its protection and
extension—was a central fact of the Revolution and its aftermath. But he
tends to downplay the simultaneous restructuring of black life that
happened in the war’s wake. As he notes, enslaved blacks in the North,
often with the help of white allies, petitioned their new state
governments to ban slavery. <a href="http://www.slate.com/articles/life/the_history_of_american_slavery/2015/06/how_did_slavery_end_in_massachusetts_and_the_north.html">Elizabeth Freeman</a>,
enslaved in Massachusetts, used the new state constitution’s language,
which stated that “All men are born free and equal,” to sue for and win
her freedom in 1781. Her victory set the precedent that abolished
slavery in Massachusetts, and by the end of the century, all the
Northern states would abolish slavery. In focusing on the
contradictions, indeed the hypocrisies, of the white Patriot elite,
Taylor inadvertently overshadows this quieter revolution in freedom that
that was growing up alongside it. The truth is that when we talk about
liberty and equality for all today, we mean it in the way these black
founders meant it, not the Patriot elite. It is a point worth
emphasizing.</span><br />
</div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="text-12 text parbase section">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">But Taylor deserves unqualified praise for vividly capturing what the
more mainstream Revolution was about. The contradictory impulses that
triggered the Revolution were, he suggests, replayed in the making of
the Constitution. The Framers, all of them wealthy elite men, realized
that someone had to pay for the war against Britain. Someone also needed
to pay for defense against potential enemies—the French, Spanish, their
likely Native allies, and that always internal enemy: the enslaved.
Only a powerful central government could achieve all that, so the
Framers devised a federal constitution that took away some local
autonomy from the states in order to achieve a stronger whole.</span> <br />
</div>
<br /><div class="renderHtml section">
</div>
<span id="freeText14812040338788765503"><span id="freeText11885915054955447231"> </span> </span></div>
Gary Samuelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14313320007920561339noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3418288816343399887.post-773617251154958732016-10-12T06:20:00.000-04:002016-10-12T06:20:20.952-04:00HALLOWEEN FESTIVITIES IN DEERING!<h3>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">THERE'S A LOT GOING ON AT DEERING TOWN HALL IN OCTOBER</span></h3>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Everybody is welcome to attend these events and THEY ARE FREE!</span></h4>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /> On Saturday, 22 October, 1-4 pm, the Deering Association will bring its new CIDER PRESS to Deering Town Hall for some cider making. . Bring a bag of apples (no dr<span class="text_exposed_show">ops
please) to share and a jug. Try your hand at operating the new cider
press and take home fresh cider. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span class="text_exposed_show">Saturday, 22 October, 1-4 pm, Deering Town Hall. Set up your scarecrow. This is the second year that the trustees of the Deering Public Library will host a gathering of scarecrows at our town hall. Bring your scarecrow to town hall, introduce it to the others, sit back and smile. As you make your scarecrow please remember to refrain from politics and keep your scarecrows G-rated. Gift cards to Toadstool Bookstores will be awarded for the three best scarecrows (one scarecrow per
family) at the Halloween Party (29 October).</span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="text_exposed_show">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
Saturday, 29 October, Deering Town Hall, 5-7 pm. The Third Annual
Deering Town Halloween Party. Come in a costume, roast marshmallows,
play some games. There will be hay rides and a haunted house. Bring a
carved pumpkin. There will be prizes for best costumes, pumpkins and
scarecrows. There will be cider and donuts. Bring something to share if
you like.</span><br />
<br />
<br /></div>
Gary Samuelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14313320007920561339noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3418288816343399887.post-36251363453793947322016-07-03T07:17:00.001-04:002016-07-03T07:17:40.844-04:00ELIE WIESEL, REST IN PEACEElie Wiesel survived the Nazi Auschwitz and Buchenwald extermination camps. He died on July 2nd, 87 years old<br />
<br />
“Never shall I forget that night, the first night in camp, which has
turned my life into one long night, seven times cursed and seven times
sealed,” Mr. Wiesel wrote. “Never shall I forget that smoke. Never shall
I forget the little faces of the children, whose bodies I saw turned
into wreaths of smoke beneath a silent blue sky. Never shall I forget
those flames which consumed my faith forever. Never shall I forget the
nocturnal silence which deprived me, for all eternity, of the desire to
live. Never shall I forget those moments which murdered my God and my
soul and turned my dreams to dust. Never shall I forget these things,
even if I am condemned to live as long as God himself. Never.”<br />
<br />
Elie Wiesel documented the horrors perpetrated by the Nazi demagogues in many books. Could we have prevented those horrors? Were we spectators to them?<br />
<br />
Could our tribal fears once again be ignited and turned into active hatred and bigotry by a modern demagogue?<br />
<br />
<br />Gary Samuelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14313320007920561339noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3418288816343399887.post-47168076393804811822016-07-02T14:11:00.000-04:002016-07-03T05:54:12.593-04:00NEW BOOKS IN THE DEERING PUBLIC LIBRARY<h3>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Here are new books for the Deering Public Library.</span></h3>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Remember that if Town Hall offices are open, the library is open. We work on an honor system: please fill out a card with your name or number and the date you took the book. If you would rather use a number than your name, please let me know in the comments section here.</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>The Little Red Chairs</b>, Edna O'Brien, 2016</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">A mysterious 'healer' with a foreign accent comes to a small town in western Ireland. Women swoon. One of them, Fidelma, wants a baby that she has not gotten in her stale marriage to a man twenty years her senior. Taken with Vlad, the poetic healer, she will have his baby. In this he merely provided the sperm. She becomes pregnant just as it is revealed that Vlad is a Bosnian Serb war criminal. The little red chairs? Each of the 11,500 chairs represents one dead Sarajavian, killed by the Serbian forces under Radovan Karadzic (Vlad in this book) over about 1500 days of siege. Of those chairs, 643 represented children. Vlad's true evil is revealed within the first third of the book and he pretty much disappears into the War Crimes Tribunal process until the end of the book. Fidelma's life is downhill from here. She is scorned by her husband and the rest of her village. She is kidnapped by mysterious men intent on erasing all trace of Vlad, including the developing fetus. They use a crowbar in a very difficult and unbelievable scene. Be warned. The rest of the book was difficult to follow. Fidelma goes to London and, where she is down and out. She hooks up with other exiled people, many of whom tell their stories. She attends Vlad's trial in The Hague and confronts him in his prison cell to no effect. Fidelma ends up dedicating the rest of her life to victims and exiles. Several reviewers said that they could not sympathize with Fidelma: why didn't she get out of her marriage? Why didn't she see the evil in Vlad sooner? I am not sure what recourse a bad marriage has in Catholic Ireland and I suspect that if she had known that Vlad was the Devil incarnate she would probably have looked for a different mate. It's a short book. I was not as taken as the many who recommended the work on the cover.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Everybody's Fool</b>, Richard Russo, 2016</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This novel is a sequel to Russo's 1994 novel Nobody's Fool (which is in the Deering Public Library). Both are set in small town, Upstate New York. The new novel got a lot 5 star reviews from Goodreads reviewers. One reviewer said that you don't have to read the first to 'get' the new volume. Here's what one reviewer said. It seems to sum up the reviews I read:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span class="readable" id="reviewTextContainer1551453837"><span id="freeText11411283686688330141">"The
magic of Russo is his ability to capture the quiet uniqueness of every
day life as it happens to normal people in normal towns. The dialogue
alone had me chuckling and rereading passages. So sharp! So clever! Each
character so well-drawn! (Sully! What a guy!). Unhappy marriages, a
chief of police who just lost his wife, a poisonous snake on the loose, a
mysterious garage door opener that could be the key to an affair, a
mischievous dog - and the whole thing unfolds over the course of one
epic (and hot) day. It was such a pleasure to <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">spend time with the flawed
but endearing folks of Bath, NY. When I finished the book I almost
wished I could stop by Hattie's for a burger and a beer, and talk shop
with the locals."</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span class="readable" id="reviewTextContainer1551453837"><span id="freeText11411283686688330141"><b>Enchanted Islands</b>, Allison Amend, 2016</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span class="readable" id="reviewTextContainer1551453837"><span id="freeText11411283686688330141">I was attracted to this book in Toadstool because of the cover art and went from there to Galapagos Islands, memoir, WWII and spies to the checkout counter. There are a lot of 5 star reviews in Goodreads and a goodly number of 3 star reviews. Here is one of the five star reviews</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span class="readable" id="reviewTextContainer1576889639"><span id="freeText3041380262059061384">"Inspired
by the real life memoirs of Frances Conway, Enchanted Islands is the
story of Frances Frank’s (then Conway) life, from growing up in Duluth,
Minnesota, to marrying a Navy Intelligence Operator and living in the
Galápagos Islands at the age of 50 right before WWII breaks out.<br /><br />The
first part focuses on the growing friendship between Frances and
Rosalie, both Jewish, one born to poor immigrants from Poland and
another born to a well-to-do family from Germany. But life isn’t exactly
what it seems for both girls growing up, and that’s when their
adventure really begins.<br /><br />From Minnesota, to Chicago, to a
betrayal that makes one of the friends move out on her own, I was
reminded very much of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn and Circle of Friends
while reading this first part.<br /><br />Years later, they reconnect in San
Francisco right before WWII breaks out. There, they see how different
their lives have become. Rosalie, a wealthy, married, stay at home mom,
Frances, working as a secretary at the Office of Naval Intelligence.
There, in her late 40’s, she meets Ainslie Conway and begins another
great adventure heading to the Galápagos Islands on a secret mission
filled with arranged marriages and espionage!<br /><br />When I first
started reading, I thought this book would focus more on Frances’ island
living, but that only makes up about the last third of the book. It’s
mostly about Frances’ relationship with Rosalie and the path she took
that led her to being a secretary one day, and a spy for the US
Government the next.<br /><br />Although a very fictional account of the
lives of very real people, I absolutely loved reading about the strong
friendship between Frances and Rosalie, both women who haven’t had it
easy, but have somehow overcome all of this, about Frances’ complicated
marriage to Ainslie, and of course wartime spying and living on a
deserted island a lá Swiss Family Robinson."</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span class="readable" id="reviewTextContainer1551453837"><span id="freeText11411283686688330141"><b>A brief history of seven killings</b>, Marlon James, 2014</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span class="readable" id="reviewTextContainer1551453837"><span id="freeText11411283686688330141">I knew about this book because it won a Man Booker best book prize. I was attracted to it because my first tropical field work was in Jamaica in 1971, during the election campaign that brought socialist Michael Manley as Prime Minister and during that field trip I was stoned. I mean, literally stoned as in flying rocks crashing against my Landrover in a small village. Truly scary. Outside of those clean resort hotels around Montego Bay, around Kingston for example, violence was nasty for a long time after Manley's election. That's the crux of this book. It's helpful to know a little Jamaican history but not necessary. The book opens in 1976 and involves the assassination attempt on Bob Marley ('The Singer; in the book). It leads from there to drug wars in Brooklyn in 1991. There are far more than 7 killings and at 700 pages the book is not brief. Each chapter is a single character often talking only to him or herself. The book follows the characters, but few make it out in the end. There is even a ghost, a murdered diplomat who sets the historical scene for each of the five parts of the book. there is the CIA, Colombian drug dealers, <i>Rolling <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">S</span>tone </i>writers and a lot of Jamaicans, some hoods and some just caught up. Fortunately there is a cast of characters that was essential for me. The Jamaican characters speak in patois that takes some getting used to.I still do not know what 'bombocloth' means, but it's not good (forgive me if I am 'swearing' here). I would love to have this book on tape, as did many Goodreads reviewers.There is a lot of graphic violence. These are generally not nice people. There are graphic homosexual sex scenes. It turns out that some of the most brutal characters are 'on the 'downlow.' The authors says, in the afterword, that maybe his grandmother should not read part 4. Be advised. I should probably read the book again. It was very good but very intense.</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span class="readable" id="reviewTextContainer1551453837"><span id="freeText11411283686688330141"><br /></span></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span class="readable" id="reviewTextContainer1551453837"><span id="freeText11411283686688330141"><b>Arcadia</b><i>, </i>Iain Pears, 2016</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span class="readable" id="reviewTextContainer1551453837"><span id="freeText11411283686688330141"> Did you ever wonder whether your -- our -- life is existing on a plane, a flat disk, and that our disk was just one of several spinning disks, each having its own population and time? Maybe time has structure, physical dimensions with past, present, future representing irrelevant concepts in the conveyor belt of time? Intersections of time and planes of existence, then, make up this book <i>Arcadia. </i><i> </i>An Oxford don, writing in the 1960's, creates a world in his head. A time traveling colleague/espionage buddy, now working in the 23rd Century puts flesh on our don's world. His story is one of civilization populated by Medieval characters: kings, queens, handsome robbers, conspirators and so on. This neighborhood has neither past nor future apart from what is provided by the writer of the story. Now, this book is a bit complicated because there is yet another parallel universe situated in a post apocalyptic Island of Mull sometime around the 23rd Century. A young girl, neighbor to the 1960's don, accidentally enters the idyllic world and meets people from there and people who have come there from <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">a very brutal </span>23rd Century. It's a bit confusing. Within this t</span></span><span class="readable" id="reviewTextContainer1551453837"><span id="freeText11411283686688330141">here is <span class="readable" id="reviewTextContainer1469773645"><span id="freeText2378170946122914888">
love, murder, mystery, spies, and a cat in addition to the young girl. Characters overlap
from one universe to the other so part of the challenge of the book is keeping the 'who,' the 'when,' and the 'where' all straight. It's fun, all 500-odd pages of it. </span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><span class="readable" id="reviewTextContainer1551453837"><span id="freeText11411283686688330141"><span class="readable" id="reviewTextContainer1469773645"><span id="freeText2378170946122914888">Elle & Coach. </span></span></span></span></b><span class="readable" id="reviewTextContainer1551453837"><b>Diabetes, the Fight for My Daughter's Life, and the Dog Who Changed Everything</b>, <span id="freeText11411283686688330141"><span class="readable" id="reviewTextContainer1469773645"><span id="freeText2378170946122914888">Stefany Shaheen (with) Mark Dagostino, 2015</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span class="readable" id="reviewTextContainer1551453837"><span id="freeText11411283686688330141"><span class="readable" id="reviewTextContainer1469773645"><span id="freeText2378170946122914888">Here is what one Goodreads reviewer said:</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span class="readable" id="reviewTextContainer1551453837"><span id="freeText11411283686688330141"><span class="readable" id="reviewTextContainer1469773645"><span id="freeText2378170946122914888"><span class="readable" id="reviewTextContainer1314936826"><span id="freeText2319505435717871251"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Stefany
Shaheen doesn't need to think when asked what was the worst day of her
life. It was November 28, 2007, the day her daughter Elle was diagnosed
with Type 1 diabetes. Elle and Coach recounts the family's journey and
the trials they faced managing Elle's chronic illness. Elle was active
in the fight against the disease and signed up for many research
studies. She and her mom also acted as delegates and spokespeople for
the fight to find better treatments and a cure for this autoimmune
disease. It was through their advocacy that they learned about medical
service dogs who can alert to blood sugar lows and highs simply through
their sense of smell. Coach is the dog that changed Elle's life.<br /><br />Elle
and Coach was written for adults, but is not a difficult read and may
appeal to 'tween and teen readers who are interested in diabetes or
medical service dogs. Elle's story is a strong and courageous young
woman and the stories of Coach's skill are both heartwarming and awe
inspiring.<br /><br />I loved this book and read it quickly in a weekend.
Coach doesn't become involved in the story until about half way through,
so a warning and a bit of skipping may be called for in the case of
dog-loving and impatient younger readers. I think they'll think the
delay is worth it though and cheer on Elle, an amazingly strong and
appealing girl. This would be a great addition to middle school and high
school libraries or classrooms. Highly recommended.</span></span></span> </span></span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span class="readable" id="reviewTextContainer1551453837"><span id="freeText11411283686688330141"><span class="readable" id="reviewTextContainer1469773645"><span id="freeText2378170946122914888"><b>Thirty-eight: The Hurricane that Transformed New England,</b> Stephen Long, 2016</span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span class="readable" id="reviewTextContainer1551453837"><span id="freeText11411283686688330141"><span class="readable" id="reviewTextContainer1469773645"><span id="freeText2378170946122914888">Most narratives of disaster hurricanes deal with the destruction that takes place on the coasts. Indeed, that is certainly where the loss of life and brute force destruction of cities is greatest. </span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span class="readable" id="reviewTextContainer1551453837"><span id="freeText11411283686688330141"><span class="readable" id="reviewTextContainer1469773645"><span id="freeText2378170946122914888"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span class="readable" id="reviewTextContainer1551453837"><span id="freeText11411283686688330141"><span class="readable" id="reviewTextContainer1469773645"><span id="freeText2378170946122914888">And probably most news crews and writers are situated in cities<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> so, sure, we're going to see stories of mayhem in cities. </span></span></span></span></span></span>This book takes a different tack. The author is a forest ecologist and, apart from the human toll, he sees the effect of all that wind on our forests and the communities that depend upon them. In the short term, maybe not as dramatic as, say, flooding in<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> New Jersey (apart from the horrible loss of l<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">ife). <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">P</span></span></span>erhaps the greatest long-term destruction in 1938 was to the forested landscape. That is what this book is about. Long introduces us to hurricanes and the forces that shape and direct them. He then describes in detail the immediate destruction w<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">r<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">eake<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">d<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> by that particular hurricane </span></span></span></span>and its impact on the future. The forests of our state of New Hampshire may have been the most seriously affected of the New England forests. Forests were, and are, a big part of our economy. How our parents and grandparents got through that hurricane of 1938 is of immense importance to us. </span></span></span></span><span class="readable" id="reviewTextContainer1551453837"><span id="freeText11411283686688330141"><span class="readable" id="reviewTextContainer1469773645"><span id="freeText2378170946122914888">The book is imminently readable, intelligent and fascinating. </span></span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span class="readable" id="reviewTextContainer1551453837"><span id="freeText11411283686688330141"><span class="readable" id="reviewTextContainer1469773645"><span id="freeText2378170946122914888"><span class="readable" id="reviewTextContainer1314936826"><span id="freeText2319505435717871251"></span></span><br /></span></span></span></span>
<br />
<br />
<br />Gary Samuelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14313320007920561339noreply@blogger.com