Back To School Time - Don't Forget Our Links For Homework Help!

School is back in session!

Don't forget there is plenty of help for homework woes available online to our patrons regardless of the level of class :

• MAGNOLIA - A database of scholarly journals, newspaper archives and literary critiques.

• World Book Online - The online version of the popular encyclopedia and more.

• LearningExpress Library - Offers test prep for high school, college, and adult education.  It alos offers tutorials for some of the popular software.

• Gale Cengage - A large variety of online reference books including the Contemporary Black Biography series.  Features include allowing users to sign in with their Google account to save articles and citations to Drive, print and email (with any email account), The site also features highlighting, note-taking and audio content.

• Salem Press Online - Online reference books, specifically for high school age and up.  Users are able to set up a free account to save search information, citations, and articles.  The site also features the ability to print and email articles and citations.

For the reference services listed above, pick up the Digital References handout available at the Reference Desk for the websites, login names and passwords to use to access them.

Also, don't forget to visit our Kids Page on the library website for links to Homework Help, the AR Bookfinder, BJ Pinchback's Homework Helper, Khan Academy and World Book for Kids.

Have a great school year!

The Strong Female Lead

     This week's novels are new paperback fiction that feature strong female characters who are struggling to overcome adversity. Enjoy!

      “The Witches of Cambridge” is a novel by Menna Van Praag. Amandine Bisset has always had the ability to read the emotions of those around her. The only people she can share her secret with are the other professors—all witches—of the Cambridge University Society of Literature and Witchcraft. Amandine cherishes the meetings with her dear friends, but lately, she senses that the ties that bind them starting to unravel. If only she had her student Noa’s power to actually read people’s thoughts she is sure she could help the others heal the rifts forming in their friendships. Noa, however, is sure that her gift is a curse and jumps at the chance to be “cured” when a seductive con artist comes to town. Then, there is mathematics professor Kat and her baker sister Cosima. Kat is stewing in her unrequited love, but she refuses to cast any spells to help the process along. Cosima, on the other hand, is all too happy to sprinkle her pastries with sugar and enchantment, but when she casts a spell on Kat’s crush, she creates a dangerous love triangle.

     “No Ordinary Life” is a novel by Suzanne Redfearn. Faye Martin’s husband abandoned her and their three children and now she is struggling to make ends meet. When her four-year-old daughter is discovered through a YouTube video and offered a starring role on a television series, it seems that Faye’s prayers have been answered. The reality of this new life hits her hard and Faye realizes that fame and fortune come with a price. In this world everyone is an actor, every move is watched by millions, and knowing who to trust is absolutely impossible. Faye finds herself completely alone in her struggle to protect this precious and fragile time in her children’s lives.

     “The Restaurant Critic’s Wife” is a novel by Elizabeth LaBan. Lila Soto has a work-obsessed husband, two kids, and a master’s degree that is going to waste. She is also quite perplexed as to how she ended up in this situation. They have recently moved to Philadelphia where Lila’s husband, Sam, is taking his job of restaurant critic much too seriously. In order to protect his professional credibility, Sam is determined to remain anonymous and goes out of his way to make sure none of his family have any contact with anyone from the foodie culture. Lila craves adult conversation and some relief from her homemaker role. She can feel her patience wearing thin and she begins to question the major decisions of the past several years—her decision to get pregnant again, giving up her career, her marriage to Sam, breaking up with her ex-boyfriend. As Sam becomes more and more obsessed with his anonymity, Lila begins to wonder if her own identity has completely disappeared and she’s not sure what to do to get it back.

New Books About Being Online for the Children's Department

As part of our grant from the International Paper Foundation, we have added three new books to our Nonfiction collection in the Children's Department that deal with online safety.

In Smart Online Communication by Mary Lindeen, kids will learn about digital footprints, how what you post online is beyond your control once it is posted and how to avoid some common mistakes many people make with their online privacy.  It also discusses things like cyberbullying, phishing, spam and hacking.

Smartphone Safety by Eric Minton covers several important topics such as the importance of guarding your phone's password, when to make use of the GPS (and when to turn it off), using caution when posting pictures or videos and even what to do if you lose your phone.

Finally,  Tips for Good Social Networking by Ruth Bennett talks about what social networking is, why and how you might want to use it, how to build your network and how to maintain it.

Check out these and other books to safely get the most out of your online devices.

The Suspense is Killing Me!

     The titles for this week are new paperback fiction. Each one is contains a story full of mystery and suspense. They are perfect for reading while relaxing on the beach!

     “The Secrets of Lizzie Borden” is a novel by Brandy Purdy. This fictionalized account of the life of Lizzie Borden draws on the real events surrounding the murder of her father and step-mother. Lizzie and her sister Emma should have been fortunate young women. Their father was wealthy and could have easily afforded to give his daughters every modern convenience along with fashionable clothes, travel and a cultured life. However, the Fall River, Massachusetts businessman was haunted by his own childhood poverty and forced his daughters to live frugally, denying them modern conveniences like indoor plumbing and electric lighting. Suitors, too, were discouraged because Mr. Borden viewed all gentleman callers as fortune hunters. Lizzie is lonely and extremely unhappy, but she suppresses her frustrations while dreaming of the freedom and wealth she will have upon her father’s death. On a hot day in August 1892, Lizzie’s long simmering anger explodes.

     “Mermaid Moon” is a Sunset Cove Novel by Colleen Coble. Mallory Davis has stayed away from her home for the last fifteen years out of shame and confusion. When her dad mysteriously dies on his mail boat route, she has no choice but to return to Mermaid Point. Mallory comes to believe that her father was murdered and those suspicions are confirmed when Kevin O’Connor, game warden in Downeast Maine, comes to the same conclusion. Kevin is apprehensive about helping Mallory in her search for the truth; after all, she broke his heart and left without a word all those years ago. Mallory and her beloved daughter Haylie begin receiving death threats as they untangle the web surrounding the murder. Mallory must stay alive long enough to put all the pieces together. And maybe, just maybe, she can find herself again.

   “Angels Burning” is a psychological thriller by Tawni O’Dell. Dove Carnahan has lived all of her fifty years in same Pennsylvanian countryside. She is a trailblazer who, as the current police chief, is faced with investigating the most brutal crime in her career. A girl’s body has been found in a fiery sinkhole in an abandoned coal town. She is identified as a daughter of the Truly family—notorious antagonistic rednecks and petty criminals.  Chief Carnahan’s troubles are compounded when the man who was convicted of killing her mother years earlier is released from prison. He still proclaims his innocence and his accusations will force the Chief to examine the parallels between her own family’s trauma and that of the Trulys.

Want Some More Summer Reading? These Have Been Our Most Popular Titles So Far This Year.

Looking for something new or different to read?  Check over our list of popular titles to see if any catch your interest.

Adult Fiction

1. Depraved Heard
2. Best Friends Forever
3. Off the Grid : a Joe Pickett novel
4. Scandalous Behavior : a Stone Barrington novel
5. Tricky Twenty-two
6. The Crossing
7. NYPD Red 4
8. Rogue Lawyer
9. Somebody Has to Pay
10. The Bitter Season

Adult Nonfiction

1. Destiny : Step into your Purpose
2. Dinner Solved!
3. Andy and Don
4. King John
5. Vicksburg 1863
6. Chainsaws & Casseroles
7. Devotion : an Epic Story of Heroism, Friendship, and Sacrifice
8. The Gluten-free Slow Cooker
9. Leonard : My Fifty Year Friendship with a Remarkable Man
10. Maggie Smith : a Biography

Young Adult

1. Twilight
2. Cinder
3. Illusion
4. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children
5. Scarlet
6. Divergent
7. Insurgent
8. Matched
9. New Moon
10. The Sleeper and the Spindle

Rustle Up Some Westerns, Partner!

     This week I have decided to feature three of our new western novels from the Large Print collection.

   Shawn O’Brien, Town Tamer is a western novel by William W. Johnstone with J. A. Johnstone. Not content to settle down on the family ranch in the New Mexico territory; Shawn O’Brien has a great deal of the wanderer in him. He also has a lightning-fast draw, eagle eyes, and a heightened sense of justice. Shawn has been making a reputation for himself all over the West by taking the most dangerous and lawless towns and making them safe for the good, honest citizens to live in peace. When Shawn is stranded in Holy Rood, Utah after a stagecoach accident, he doesn’t take long to realize he’s landed in one of the most vicious towns in the territory. He’s not worried though; after all, Shawn O’Brien is the town tamer.

   The Devil’s Posse is a novel by Charles G. West. Logan and Billy Cross have worked the same cattle drive since they were teenagers and have gained a reputation as being the most dependable of workers. Unfortunately, their boss has decided to retire and the brothers are soon to be out of a job. So the boys aren’t left twisting in the wind, the boss man sends them up to Fort Pierre in the Dakota Territory so they can join a horse drive to Sturgis. On their way to meet their prospective boss, Billy smiles at the wrong woman and draws the ire of Quincy Morgan and his gang of desperados.

     Shotgun Charlie is a Ralph Compton Novel by Matthew P. Mayo. Charlie Chilton is a young and naïve drifter who happens to be big for his age. Charlie is taken in by the leader of a band of small-time crooks who sees something of himself in the kindly, restless youth. When shady character Grady Haskell joins the gang and convinces them to pursue the biggest score of their lives, Charlie fails to thwart the heist and it turns bloody. Unfortunately, Charlie is the only gang member to be caught alive and he is sentenced to hang to the crime. Determined to prove his innocence, Charlie must escape, track down Haskell and the gang, and bring them to justice before he loses his own life.

The Summer Library Program is nearing the finish line!

Remember - Friday, July 8 is the final day to report on books read for the Summer Library Program.  All participants that reach their goal by that date are invited to participate in the celebration which will feature magician Dorian LaChance!

Our end of Summer Library Program celebration will be on Thursday, July 14th.  Make sure not to miss it!

All About Animals

     This week's selection includes three very different non-fiction books. One is a memoir of a young woman who seeks to train the vicious goshawk as a way to cope with her father's death and to pay tribute to him at the same time. The second book is for those who would like to know how to quell your dogs behavior problems. The third book--while technically not about an animal--is a gardening book for those who would like to attract bees and other pollinators to their gardens.

     H is for Hawk is by Helen Macdonald. When her father died suddenly on a London street, Helen was inconsolable. In her grief, she decided to train one of the most aggressive members of the falcon family, the goshawk. As an experienced falconer, Helen knew their fierce and feral nature and was determined to adopt and train Mabel as a means to coping with her grief. She turned to author T.H. White's book The Goshawk for advice and inspiration. This achingly beautiful account of bereavement and the magnetic pull of such an extraordinary creature, H is for Hawk also offers a parallel examination of a legendary writer's eccentric falconry.

     The Dog Behavior Problem Solver by Teoti Anderson, CPDT-KA, KPA-CTP, offer step-by-step positive training techniques to help dog owners correct more than twenty problem behaviors. Dog owners will get professional advice to help you understand your dog and why he behaves the way he does. You'll learn techniques for positive, reward-based methods, like clicker training, to teach foundation behaviors as you build the basic bond upon which all dog training is based. The author offers detailed step-by-step solutions for specific problems like aggression, barking, begging, separation anxiety, and shyness. You will also find case studies based on real dogs and how positive training helped them to overcome their behavioral obstacles.

     Finally, we have The Bee-Friendly Garden by Kate Frey and Gretchen LeBuhn. The authors provide everything you will need to create a breathtakingly hued, vibrant, healthy garden that helps both the threatened honeybee and native bees alike. The size of you available space is not an issue. Whether you live in the city, suburbs, or country, just a few simple changes to your garden can help fight the effects of colony collapse disorder and the worldwide decline of the bee population that threatens the global food chain. This is a book for every gardener who wants to change the world by creating a welcoming environment for nature's pollinators.

Two Recent Show Business Biographies

We have added the biographies of two very different show business personalities to our New Adult Nonfiction collection.

The first is A Girl's Got to Breathe about theatre and movie actress, Teresa Wright (1918-2005).  Though her name may not be well known today, she was the only actress to ever be nominated for her first three films (The Little Foxes, The Pride of the Yankees, and Mrs. Miniver), winning the award on her third nomination.  She also continues to garner critical acclaim for her work in the films Shadow of a Doubt and The Best Years of Our Lives.

However,  it was the real-life drama of breaking her contract with Samuel Goldwyn that put her mark on history and changed the way that stars were treated in Hollywood.   Author Donald Spoto was appointed as her official biographer by her family and heirs.  Given exclusive access to her letters and papers, he brings to life the woman who once said "I never wanted to be a star. I only wanted to be an actress."

Sweet Dreams are Made of This is the memoir of Dave Stewart's four decade long career in the music industry.  Musician, songwriter and album producer, he covers his years starting with growing up in Northern England, his move to London and fateful meeting with a young waitress named Annie Lennox, his collaborations with other artists from Tom Petty to Mick Jagger, and his more recent ventures, such as the show Songbird, a competition-style show for aspiring songwriters.

With plenty of stories about his friends and collaborators, this is a partial story of a life that is very much still in progress.




These and other new biographies can be located in our Adult New Nonfiction section.

Want to Add a Little Heat to Your Summer?

     Summer is the perfect time to pick up a steamy paperback romance and relax with a tall glass of iced tea. Whether you like old fashioned "clean" romance like Jane Austen or if you go for the steamy, modern-day fare, you can find it here at the library. This week--in that spirit--I thought I would feature some of our new paperback romances, but with a supernatural twist.

     First, we have one of the newest Otherworld Novels by Yasmine Galenorn called "Darkness Raging." This series follows the D'Artigo sisters--Camille the good witch; Delilah the werecat and Death Maiden; and Menolly the vampire married to a werepuma. These cunning half-human, half-Fae sisters used to work for the Otherworld Intelligence Agency, but as of late they have been battling the forces of darkness amassing to break free of the Sub Realms to make their way onto the streets of Seattle. When Menolly's wife, Nerissa, is kidnapped by the enemy, she will lead her army of vampires to the depths of the Subterranean Realms and she is wholly prepared to destroy anyone who gets in her way.

     Next, there is "Dead Heat: An Alpha and Omega Novel" by Patricia Briggs. Charles Cornick and Anna Latham are mated werewolves who have been very busy lately. Charles is enforcer for his father, but with a lull in business, the two lovebirds decide to take a pleasure trip to Arizona. Unfortunately for them, they stumble upon a sinister plot by a dangerous fae being. It seems the fae have decided to escalate their cold war with the human race. They have been secretly replacing human children with fae-blooded clones and Charles and Anna know they will be squarely in the cross fire. Will these two ever get a break?

     "Runaway Vampire" is an Argeneau Novel by Lynsay Sands. Dante Notte is an immortal vampire hot on the trail of the people who kidnapped his twin. Unfortunately, Mary Winslow has just run over Dante with her RV while escaping the exact same bad guys. His broken ribs and punctured lung are nothing compared to the intense electric feeling he gets whenever her gets near Mary. He knows that this smart, stubborn woman is supposed to be his life mate. Mary feels the same irresistible connection to Dante as well, but trusting her feelings will mean putting her life in the hands of an immortal being who is the very definition of a perfect stranger.

     Finally, we have "White Tiger: a Shifters Unbound Novel" by Jennifer Ashley. For the past twenty years, Kendrick--a white tiger Shifter--has been the guardian of a group of shape shifters who are living in secret and constantly in fear of being found out and consigned to Shiftertowns. When Kendricks group is found out and forced to flee, he becomes more desperate than ever to protect them. Addison Price is a lonely waitress at a diner in the middle of nowhere, but she has noticed a great many unusual strangers drifting through. None have been as imposing or enigmatic as the fugitive who wields a broadsword with the ease and skill of a master. When he risks his life to save her, Addison's fear turns to empathy and finally to desire. As she learns more about Kendrick and his cubs, the more she wants to help them, no matter the cost.