May the 4th Be With You!

One of the greatest antagonists in all of fi ction rises again! Fresh from a stinging defeat at the hands of the Rebel Alliance, Darth Vader must reassert the Empire's iron grip on the galaxy. But will his personal desire for vengeance against the young Jedi who destroyed the Death Star distract from Vader's duty to the Emperor? As a fateful quest begins, the Dark Lord of the Sith will face fresh threats to his power. And, as other villains old and new play their part - from Boba Fett and Jabba the Hutt to diabolical debutante Aphra and the killer droids Triple-Zero and BeeTee - will Vader's Imperial march continue, or will his schemes prove his undoing?

When Princess Leia Organa was captured by the Empire, she never betrayed her convictions - even after the complete destruction of her home world, Alderaan. When her rescue came, Leia grabbed a blaster and joined the fight, escaping back to the Rebel Alliance and helping strike the biggest blow against the Empire - the destruction of the Death Star! But in the aftermath of that victory, the question remains...what is a princess without a world? As Leia comes to grips with her loss, a new mission leads her to the underground world of Sullust. The Empire is rounding up fugitive Alderaanians, and that doesn't sit well with their Princess! But what can one woman do against the Galactic Empire? They're about to find out! Join the galaxy's toughest Princess on a quest to save her people and rebuild her life!

You know him...you love him...now, join him for his biggest caper as master of charm Lando Calrissian gets his very own book! Before he joined the rebellion, before he ran Cloud City, Lando made his way in the galaxy getting by on some swindles, some swagger, and a smile. Lobot at his side, Lando has a plan to steal a very valuable ship...but has he bitten off more than he can chew? 

Luke Skywalker and the ragtag rebels opposing the Galactic Empire are fresh off their biggest victory so far — the destruction of the massive Death Star. But the Empire’s not toppled yet! Join Luke, Princess Leia, Han Solo, Chewbacca, C-3PO, R2-D2 and the rest of the Rebel Alliance as they fight for freedom against Darth Vader and his evil master, the Emperor! But when a Rebel assault goes wrong, Han and Leia must think fast to make their escape — while Luke comes face-to-face with Darth Vader! In the explosive aftermath, a humbled Luke returns to Tatooine to learn more about his mentor, Obi-Wan Kenobi. Meanwhile, Leia and Han undertake a vital — and dangerous — secret mission. But can they succeed without Luke? Plus: the menace of Boba Fett!

Injustice reigns on Tatooine as villainous scum run rampant. Will Ben Kenobi risk revealing himself to do what's right? Then, Luke continues his quest to learn about the Jedi by heading for the Jedi Temple on Coruscant. Plus: Han & Leia are confronted by an unexpected foe from Han's past!

New Adult Fiction for Your Enjoyment

The White Lady introduces yet another extraordinary heroine from Jacqueline Winspear, creator of the best-selling Maisie Dobbs series. This heart-stopping novel, set in Post WWII Britain in 1947, follows the coming of age and maturity of former wartime operative Elinor White—veteran of two wars, trained killer, protective of her anonymity—when she is drawn back into the world of menace she has been desperate to leave behind. A reluctant ex-spy with demons of her own, Elinor finds herself facing down one of the most dangerous organized crime gangs in London, ultimately exposing corruption from Scotland Yard to the highest levels of government. The private, quiet “Miss White" as Elinor is known, lives in a village in rural Kent, England, and to her fellow villagers seems something of an enigma. Well she might, as Elinor occupies a "grace and favor" property, a rare privilege offered to faithful servants of the Crown for services to the nation. But the residents of Shacklehurst have no way of knowing how dangerous Elinor's war work had been, or that their mysterious neighbor is haunted by her past. It will take Susie, the child of a young farmworker, Jim Mackie and his wife, Rose, to break through Miss White's icy demeanor—but Jim has something in common with Elinor. He, too, is desperate to escape his past. When the powerful Mackie crime family demands a return of their prodigal son for an important job, Elinor assumes the task of protecting her neighbors, especially the bright-eyed Susie. Yet in her quest to uncover the truth behind the family’s pursuit of Jim, Elinor unwittingly sets out on a treacherous path—yet it is one that leads to her freedom.

In a voice infused with sly humor, Sylvie Pelletier recounts leaving her family’s snowbound mountain cabin to work in a manor house for the Padgetts, owners of the marble-mining company that employs her father and dominates the town. Sharp-eyed Sylvie is awed by the luxury around her; fascinated by her employer, the charming “Countess” Inge, and confused by the erratic affections of Jasper, the bookish heir to the family fortune. Her fairy-tale ideas take a dark turn when she realizes the Padgetts’ lofty philosophical talk is at odds with the unfair labor practices that have enriched them. Their servants, the Gradys, formerly enslaved people, have long known this to be true and are making plans to form a utopian community on the Colorado prairie. Outside the manor walls, the town of Moonstone is roiling with discontent. A handsome union organizer, along with labor leader Mary Harris “Mother” Jones, is stirring up the quarry workers. The editor of the local newspaper—a bold woman who takes Sylvie on as an apprentice—is publishing unflattering accounts of the Padgett Company. Sylvie navigates vastly different worlds and struggles to find her way amid conflicting loyalties. When the harsh winter brings tragedy, Sylvie decides to act. Drawn from true stories of Colorado history, Gilded Mountain by Kate Manning is a tale of a bygone American West seized by robber barons and settled by immigrants, and is a story imbued with longing—for self-expression and equality, freedom and adventure.

Angels of the Resistance by Noelle Salazar is a story inspired by true events, about courageous women who risked everything for country, for family, and for each other. Netherlands, 1940. As bombs fall across Europe, fourteen-year-old Lien Vinke fears that the reality of war is inescapable. Though she lives a quiet life with her mother and older sister, Elif, in their small town of Haarlem, they are no strangers to heartache, having recently suffered an immeasurable loss. And when the Nazis invade the Netherlands, joining the Dutch resistance with Elif offers just the atonement Lien craves. Trained to shoot by their late father, the sisters are deadly wolves in sheep’s clothing. They soon find themselves entrenched in the underground movement, forging friendships with the other young recruits, and Lien even discovers a kindred spirit in a boy named Charlie. But in wartime, emotional attachments are a liability she can’t afford, especially when a deeply personal mission jeopardizes everything she holds dear—her friendships, her family, and her one shot at redemption.

The Call of the Wrens by Jenni L. Walsh introduces the little-known story of the daring women who rode through war-torn Europe carrying secrets on their shoulders. An orphan who spent her youth without a true home, Marion Hoxton found in the Great War something other than destruction. She discovered a chance to belong. As a member of the Women’s Royal Naval Service—the Wrens—Marion gained sisters. She found purpose in her work as a motorcycle dispatch rider assigned to train and deliver carrier pigeons to the front line. And despite the constant threat of danger, she and her childhood friend Eddie began to dream of a future together. Until the battle that changed everything. Now twenty years later, another war has broken out across Europe, calling Marion to return to the fight. Meanwhile others, like twenty-year-old society girl Evelyn Fairchild, hear the call for the first time. For Evelyn, serving in the war is a way to prove herself after a childhood fraught with surgeries and limitations from a disability. The re-formation of the Wrens as World War II rages is the perfect opportunity to make a difference in the world at seventy miles per hour. Told in alternating narratives that converge in a single life-changing moment, The Call of the Wrens is a vivid, emotional saga of love, secrets, and resilience—and the knowledge that the future will always belong to the brave souls who fight for it.

Some New Adult Nonfiction

 

A good book may have the power to change the way we see the world, but a great book actually becomes part of our daily consciousness, pervading our thinking to the point that we take it for granted, and we forget how provocative and challenging its ideas once were—and still are. The Structure of Scientific Revolutions by Thomas S. Kuhn is that kind of book. When it was first published in 1962, it was a landmark event in the history and philosophy of science. Fifty years later, it still has many lessons to teach. With The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, Kuhn challenged long-standing linear notions of scientific progress, arguing that transformative ideas don’t arise from the day-to-day, gradual process of experimentation and data accumulation but that the revolutions in science, those breakthrough moments that disrupt accepted thinking and offer unanticipated ideas, occur outside of “normal science,” as he called it. Though Kuhn was writing when physics ruled the sciences, his ideas on how scientific revolutions bring order to the anomalies that amass over time in research experiments are still instructive in our biotech age. This new edition of Kuhn’s essential work in the history of science includes an insightful introduction by Ian Hacking, which clarifies terms popularized by Kuhn, including paradigm and incommensurability, and applies Kuhn’s ideas to the science of today. Usefully keyed to the separate sections of the book, Hacking’s introduction provides important background information as well as a contemporary context.  Newly designed, with an expanded index, this edition will be eagerly welcomed by the next generation of readers seeking to understand the history of our perspectives on science.

A browsable, illustrated one-stop shop for reliable and updated information on the signs, symptoms, tests, treatment and prevention of most common health conditions. Allergies, breast cancer, hyperthyroidism, PTSD, shin splints – when you’ve got questions about health conditions, you want quick, clear answers. You’ll find them in the second edition of Mayo Clinic A to Z Health Guide, with information on identifying, treating and preventing a wide range of medical problems from experts at the top-ranked U.S. hospital. With topics ranging from hiccups to cancer, the full-color pages inside Mayo Clinic A to Z Health Guide feature medical illustrations that add clarity to complex medical concepts, and the user-friendly design helps you easily find what you’re looking for such as:

• Questions like, ‘What is it?’ and ‘What’s the cause?’
• The latest knowledge of risk factors
• Symptom checker, with comprehensive lists of common signs and symptoms
• What tests to expect, to help you approach any health care visit feeling prepared
• Treatment, including updated medication options
• Lifestyle tips for treatment and prevention in your daily life

For trustworthy health advice at your fingertips, Mayo Clinic A to Z Health Guide by Sanjeev Nanda is the go-to resource you’ll pull off your bookshelf time and time again.

You want your kitchen to be the heartbeat of the home, but you’re overwhelmed and out of breath trying to make it happen. Meals are on a never-ending loop, and you don’t have time to prepare dinner, much less enjoy it. Popular Lazy Genius expert and bestselling author Kendra Adachi is here to help! Packed with proven Lazy Genius principles, the book will teach you to: 

• name what matters to you in the kitchen—whether that’s flavor, convenience, or something else entirely 
• feed your people with efficiency and ease 
• apply a simple, actionable five-step process—prioritize, essentialize, organize, personalize, and systemize—to multiple areas of your kitchen, empowering you to enjoy your kitchen the way you’ve always wanted 

You don’t need magical recipes, fancy gadgets, or daunting lists to follow to the letter; you just need a framework that works whether you’re cooking for one or for twenty. Straightforward, strategic, soulful, and a little sassy, The Lazy Genius Kitchen will turn your hardest-working room into your favorite one, too.

April is National Gardening Month!

For every gardener who cares about the planet, this guide to designing a bee garden helps you create a stunningly colorful, vibrant, healthy habitat that attracts both honeybees and native bees. In The Bee-Friendly Garden, award-winning garden designer Kate Frey and bee expert Gretchen LeBuhn provide everything you need to know to create a dazzling garden that helps both the threatened honeybee and our own native bees. No matter how small or large your space, and regardless of whether you live in the city, suburbs, or country, just a few simple changes to your garden can fight the effects of colony collapse disorder and the worldwide decline in bee population that threatens our global food chain. There are many personal benefits of having a bee garden as well! Bee gardens:

• · contain a gorgeous variety of flowers
• · bloom continuously throughout the seasons
• · are organic, pesticide-free, and ecologically sustainable
• · develop healthy and fertile soil
• · attract birds, butterflies, and other beneficial insects
• · increase the quantity of your fruit and vegetable harvest
• · improve the quality, flavor, and size of your produce

Illustrated with spectacular full-color photos, The Bee-Friendly Garden debunks myths about bees, explains seasonal flower progression, and provides detailed instructions for nest boxes and water features. From “super blooming” flowers to regional plant lists and plants to avoid, The Bee-Friendly Garden is an essential tool for every gardener who cares about the planet and wants to make their yard a welcoming habitat for nature’s most productive pollinator. (from Amazon.com)

“Jessica Walliser lets readers in on the secrets to a garden that buzzes with activity. Her profiles, on the insects that fight pests and the best plants for attracting them, offer clear, practical tips.” —Martha Stewart Living. A healthy population of beneficial insects can eliminate the need for dangerous pesticides. Say goodbye to common pests like spider mites, aphids, and leafhoppers just by planting a beautiful garden full of the right flowers and herbs! At first it might seem counter intuitive to want bugs in your landscape, but insects are good for your garden—especially the helpful ones that eat the pests feeding on your favorite plants.  Say goodbye to common pests like spider mites, aphids, and leafhoppers just by planting a beautiful garden full of the right flowers and herbs! In Attracting Beneficial Bugs, organic gardening expert Jessica Walliser provides an accessible guide to selecting, placing, and caring for plants that will invite beneficial insects into your garden to do the dirty work of pest control for you. You’ll learn which plants lure in pest-eating predators and how to design a beautiful garden that provides for these beneficial bugs throughout the year. (from Amazon.com)

Nothing tastes better than herbs harvested fresh from the garden! Grow Your Own Herbs shares everything you need to know to grow the forty most important culinary herbs. You’ll learn basic gardening information, including details on soil, watering, and potting. Profiles of 40 herbs—including popular varieties like basil, bay laurel, lemon verbena, tarragon, savory, thyme, and more—feature tasting notes, cultivation information, and harvesting tips. Additional information includes instructions for preserving and storing, along with techniques for making delicious pastes, syrups, vinegar, and butters. If you are new to gardening, have a limited space, or are looking to add fresh herbs to their daily meals, Grow Your Own Herbs by Susan Belsinger is a must-have. (from Amazon.com)

Companion planting has a long history of use by gardeners, but the explanation of why it works has been filled with folklore and conjecture. Plant Partners by Jessica Walliser delivers a research-based rationale for this ever-popular growing technique, offering dozens of ways you can use scientifically tested plant partnerships to benefit your whole garden. Through an enhanced understanding of how plants interact with and influence each other, this guide suggests specific plant combinations that improve soil health and weed control, decrease pest damage, and increase biodiversity, resulting in real and measurable impacts in the garden. Intentionally growing certain plants together to benefit the whole garden now has science to explain its success. Jessica Walliser’s new vision of an old tradition is built around a modern understanding of the marvelous web of connections happening in the garden and how to use them to create real and measurable results. Discover dozens of well-studied partnerships that offer fresh strategies to:

• - Break up heavy soils
• - Combat weeds and disease
• - Lure pests away
• - Attract specific beneficial insects
• - Improve pollination

Raised bed gardening is the fastest-growing garden strategy today, and Raised Bed Revolution by Tara Nolan is the definitive guidebook to mastering this consistently proven and effective gardening method. Raised Bed Revolution provides you with information on size requirements for constructing raised beds, height suggestions, types of materials you can use, and creative tips for fitting the maximum garden capacity into small spaces—including vertical gardening. Enhanced with gorgeous photography, this book covers subjects such as growing-medium options, rooftop gardening, cost-effective gardening solutions, planting tips, watering strategies (automatic water drip systems and hand watering), and more. The process of creating and building raised beds is a cinch, too, thanks to the extensive gallery of design ideas and step-by-step projects. This gardening strategy is taking serious root. Why? Several reasons:

• Raised beds allow gardeners to practice space efficiency as well as accessibility (the beds can be customized to be any height).
• Raised beds permit gardeners to use their own soil, and they can be designed with wheels for easy portability if partial sunlight is a problem.
• Water conservation is easier for gardeners who use raised beds.
• Pest control is assisted because most garden pests can’t make the leap up into the raised bed. For yards that struggle with drainage, raised bed gardening offers a no-brainer solution. Raised beds simply create a more interesting yard!

Find out more about why everyone is joining the raised bed revolution, roll up your sleeves and join in! (from Amazon.com)

New Fiction to Fit Your Fancy

Stateless is a novel by Elizabeth Wein. A murder mystery set in 1937 Europe with intrigue, glamour, secrets, and betrayal. When Stella North is chosen to represent Britain in Europe’s first air race for young people, she knows all too well how high the stakes are. As the only participating female pilot, it’ll be a constant challenge to prove she’s a worthy competitor. But promoting peace in Europe feels empty to Stella when civil war is raging in Spain and the Nazis are gaining power—and when, right from the start, someone resorts to cutthroat sabotage to get ahead of the competition. The world is looking for inspiration in what’s meant to be a friendly sporting event. But each of the racers is hiding a turbulent and violent past, and any one of them might be capable of murder…including Stella herself. (from Goodreads.com)

Jesse Q. Sutanto brings readers a new cozy mystery titled Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers. Put the kettle on, there’s a mystery brewing…Tea-shop owner. Matchmaker. Detective?Sixty-year-old self-proclaimed tea expert Vera Wong enjoys nothing more than sipping a good cup of Wulong and doing some healthy ‘detective’ work on the internet (AKA checking up on her son to see if he’s dating anybody yet). But when Vera wakes up one morning to find a dead man in the middle of her tea shop, it’s going to take more than a strong Longjing to fix things. Knowing she’ll do a better job than the police possibly could – because nobody sniffs out a wrongdoing quite like a suspicious Chinese mother with time on her hands – Vera decides it’s down to her to catch the killer. Nobody spills the tea like this amateur sleuth. (from Goodreads.com)

The latest from Kirsten Weiss is called Going, Going, Dead. At an auction, competition can be deadly...When Maddie attends an estate auction of artifacts from America’s spiritualist era, it’s just another day in the life of a paranormal museum owner…. Until she discovers the body of the murdered auctioneer. Her mother is convinced the murderer is after a mysterious statuette that once belonged to the town’s Ladies Aid Society. With the holidays approaching, Maddie and friends dive into the mad world of obsessive collectors to find the missing statuette… and a killer. Maddie tracks her suspects through a secluded gothic estate, in the wineries of Central California, and along the streets of small-town San Benedetto. But this clever criminal is determined to win at all costs. Will the killer use Maddie’s friends as the ultimate weapon against her?

The House at the End of the World is the latest from bestselling suspense author Dean Koontz. In retreat from a devastating loss and crushing injustice, Katie lives alone in a fortress-like stone house on Jacob’s Ladder island. Once a rising star in the art world, she finds refuge in her painting. The neighboring island of Ringrock houses a secret: a government research facility. And now two agents have arrived on Jacob’s Ladder in search of someone—or something—they refuse to identify. Although an air of menace hangs over these men, an infinitely greater threat has arrived, one so strange even the island animals are in a state of high alarm. Katie soon finds herself in an epic and terrifying battle with a mysterious enemy. But Katie’s not alone after all: a brave young girl appears out of the violent squall. As Katie and her companion struggle across a dark and eerie landscape, against them is an omnipresent terror that could bring about the end of the world.

New Western Fiction in Large Type

In The Sister's Search by Susan Paige Davis, a young woman searches for her missing brother and finds much more awaits her—if she can escape war-torn Texas. Molly Weaver and her widowed mother embark on an arduous journey at the end of the Civil War. They hope to join Molly’s brother Andrew on his ranch in Texas. When they arrive, Andrew is missing and squatters threaten the ranch. Can they trust Joe, the stranger who claims to be Andrew’s friend? Joe’s offer to help may be a godsend—or a snare. And who is the man claiming to be Molly’s father? If he’s telling the truth, Molly’s past is a sham, and she must learn where she really belongs.

Dismal River by Wayne D. Dundee is the first book of the Lone McGantry series. The Nebraska Sandhills of the 1880s are a vast, untamed expanse of treeless, rolling hills scoured by harsh wind and blistering sun. Into this rugged landscape former Indian scout Lone McGantry reluctantly agrees to lead an expedition of explorers and adventurers headed by an English lord. The hardships of the environment soon become secondary, however, when other threats-both from within and without-overtake the expedition. Deceit, betrayal, stampeding buffalo, a raging grass fire, and a band of ruthless marauders all must be dealt with. The very survival of the expedition is at stake. Lives will be lost and the banks of the Dismal River will be scorched and stained by blood before the ordeal is finished.

The latest action-packed installment in the national bestselling Western authors William W. Johnstone and J.A. Johnstone’s entertaining Duff MacCallister series is called Riding the Nightmare. Duff MacCallister left Scotland to forge a new life in America, raising cattle on the western plains of the growing nation. But keeping his dream alive means facing off against the country’s most violent, bloodthirsty men . . .The Spencer family is part of a wagon train passing through Chugwater, Wyoming, bound for the valley of Longshot Basin. Unfortunately, the trail that leads there has been buried under an avalanche. The only route the homesteaders can take is the infamous Nightmare Trail—a  treacherous, terrifyingly steep and narrow mountainside path that has claimed many lives. If that wasn’t dangerous enough, the trail is also a killing ground for the outlaw Hardcastle gang. The disreputable Arkansas Ozark clan don’t take kindly to anyone trespassing on their road without paying—in blood. Duff MacCallister is not about to let the Spencers ride the Nightmare Trail without his guidance. He knows the terrain. He knows how to defend himself. And he knows that when it comes to badmen like the Hardcastles, the best defense is killing first—and fast. Live Free. Read Hard.

A medicine man turns vigilante when he sets out to take revenge against the gang who took everything from him, in Snake Oil Justice, the new Western in Ralph Compton's bestselling Sundown Riders series written by Jackson Lowry. Jerome Frederick Kincannon is a medicine man—an apothecary by trade and a healer at heart. But when his wife and young son are murdered by the notorious Benjamin Gang, his world crumbles around him. Kincannon can't forgive the four Benjamin brothers for their transgressions, and he'll never forget. His ambitions from that day forward are simple: kill them all. For a year, Kincannon has searched high and low for Hank, Leland, Curtis, and the unidentified fourth Benjamin brother. But the gang has proven to be more wily than expected. But Kincannon's content to wait, coiled and ready to strike, until the perfect opportunity comes around. After all, a snake will mind its business if you mind yours—but when provoked, you'd best watch out for its venom.

Meet Beak and Ally in the New Juvenile Graphic Novels

 The Beak and Ally series by Norm Feuti consists of four titles:

#1 is Unlikely Friends--Ally the alligator is perfectly happy being alone . . . until one day a noisy bird named Beak lands on her snout. Beak thinks Ally is lonely and needs a friend. He has all sorts of friendship goals in mind, like riding bikes together, going to the movies together, and even solving mysteries together! But when a Long-Billed Party Pooper crashes Beak’s nest-warming party, Ally decides to show Beak something important to her: sticking up for what’s right.

#2 is Bedtime Jitters--Beak & Ally are back, and they’ve got some bedtime jitters! Late at night, the swamp is full of weird noises . . . spooky noises! Like the GUURNT GUURNT! of the horrible Grunty Beast, the CHH CHH CHH CHH of the chilling Chatter Ghosts, and the ZZUMP ZZUMP of the mechanical Zump Monster! How’s Beak the bird supposed to get any rest with all these strange sounds sounding off around him? Thankfully, Ally the alligator has some good ideas about where all the racket is coming from.

#3 is The Big Storm--Ally’s enjoying a peaceful, rainy day down in the swamp until Beak tells her that a big storm is coming. As Ally makes her way home to prepare, she can’t help but notice other swamp critters struggling to get ready for the bad weather. Even though she has a lot to do, she offers them a hand. But before she knows it, the storm is upon her, and she has to take shelter in the first secluded spot she can find. Once the storm passes, Ally returns to find her once beautiful home in utter ruin! Will Ally be able to save her home, or will she be forced to leave the swamp . . . for good?

#4 is Snow Birds--Winter is coming! Beak loves the snow, but his hopes are dashed when Ally informs him the swamp stays warm year-round and not much changes. As a matter of fact, the only big change is that it gets a lot more crowded! Beak soon discovers what Ally means when the snow birds arrive . . . Hawaiian shirt–wearing, music-jamming new neighbors who have flown south for the winter. At first, Beak is thrilled when they decide to spend their vacation in his tree—he loves to party! But when the noise gets louder and louder, it’s time for Beak and Ally to take action. Confronting new friends can be hard, but anything is possible when you have your best friend by your side to help.

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY!

Cozy Mysteries in both regular and large print

A Catered St. Patrick's Day is by Isis Crawford. To most of the people of Longely, New York, St. Paddy's Day means good food, great music, and plenty of Guinness. But when the lifeless body of Mike Sweeney floats to the top of a vat of green beer, it looks like the luck o' the Irish has just run out. Unfortunately for the Simmons sisters, Bernie and Libby, the number one suspect is related to one of their very best catering customers, the pampered and powerful Bree Nottingham. When Bree visits A Little Taste of Heaven to beseech them to clear her nephew's name, they just can't say no. But the more information Bernie and Libby stir up, the more Duncan Nottingham looks like a killer. For Bernie and Libby, the situation is in danger of boiling over. And they can't count on good old Saint Pat to drive out the snake in their midst…they'll have to do it themselves.

Leslie Meier has penned St. Patrick's Day Murder. Not many people in Tinker’s Cove, Maine, knew Old Dan Malone. The grizzled barkeep’s social circle was limited to the rough-hewn lobstermen and other assorted toughs that frequented his bar. But when his body is found bobbing in the town’s icy harbor, Lucy Stone makes getting to know more about Old Dan a priority. A local musician insists Old Dan conned a winning lottery ticket worth five grand from him. A handyman claims that Old Dan stiffed him for repair work he’d done at the bar. The confusion surrounding the death is only compounded by the arrival of Dylan Malone, Old Dan’s brother and a prominent, if fading, star of the Dublin stage. Dylan has come to direct the production of Finian’s Rainbow, the featured event at Our Lady of Hope’s St. Patrick’s Day extravaganza. Was Old Dan killed by someone he’d cheated or someone he’d loved? Lucy can’t be sure, but one thing is abundantly clear: The stage is set for a murder mystery with a killer ending…

St. Patrick's Day Cozy Mysteries available on hoopla digital

When a local corrections officer is sent to a fiery death during the St. Patrick’s Day parade, part-time reporter (and sometimes sleuth) Lucy Stone is tasked with clearing the name of her professional rival in New York Times bestselling author Leslie Meier’s latest mystery--Irish Parade Murder--set in Tinker’s Cove, Maine! Lucy Stone’s late-winter blues usually vanish by the time Tinker’s Cove goes green for its annual St. Patrick’s Day celebration. There’s just one wee problem that not even the luck of the Irish can fix—murder…After returning from her father-in-law’s funeral in Florida, Lucy can almost hear the death knell of her part-time reporter job. The Pennysaver’s new hire, Rob Callahan, is young, ambitious, and positioning himself to become their next star. Adding insult to injury, Lucy only gets assigned the local St. Patrick’s Day parade after Rob passes on the story. But before beer flows and bagpipes sound, Rob is suspected of destroying more than other people’s careers…It’s a shock when Rob is charged with sending a corrections officer from town to a fiery death. Yet despite the evidence, Lucy doubts he’s guilty, and she’s willing to follow that hunch into the darkest corners of the community. An unnerving mystery unfolds, and a strange woman reveals news that could change everything for Lucy and her family. As the personal and professional collide, Lucy realizes she’ll sooner discover a four-leaf clover than confront a killer with the gift of the gab and live to tell about it…

You don’t need to be Irish to enjoy St. Patrick’s Day in Maine, where the chilly March weather offers the perfect excuse to curl up with an Irish coffee. But someone may have spiked this year’s brew with murder . . .

IRISH COFFEE MURDER by LESLIE MEIER Part-time reporter Lucy Stone is writing a piece for the Courier about four Irish step dancing students from Tinker’s Cove on the cusp of making it big. But the story becomes headline news for all the wrong reasons when one girl’s mother is found dead in her bathtub. Did a stage mom take rivalry too far, or is some other motive at play? 

DEATH OF AN IRISH COFFEE DRINKER by LEE HOLLIS As owner of Bar Harbor’s hottest new restaurant, Hayley Powell offers to cater the after-party for popular comedian Jefferson O’Keefe, who’s playing his old hometown for St. Patrick’s Day. But it’s no laughing matter when Jefferson keels over after gulping down his post-show Irish coffee, leaving Hayley to figure out who decided this joker had gone too far . . .

 PERKED UP by BARBARA ROSS It’s a snowy St. Patrick’s Day in Busman’s Harbor. But when the power goes out, what better way for Julia Snowden to spend the evening than sharing local ghost stories—and Irish coffees—with friends and family? By the time the lights come back, they might even have solved the coldest case in town . . .

March is Women's History Month

The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank is one of the most powerful memoirs that let the public know about the plight of the Jews during World War II. Anne Frank kept a diary from 12 June 1942 to 1 August 1944. Initially, she wrote it strictly for herself, but one day in 1944, Gerrit Bolkestein, a member of the Dutch government in exile, announced in a radio broadcast from London that after the war he hoped to collect eyewitness accounts of the suffering of the Dutch people under the German occupation, which could be made available to the public. As an example, he specifically mentioned letters and diaries. Anne Frank decided that when the war was over she would publish a book based on her diary.

Flappers: Six Women of a Dangerous Generation is by Judith Mackrel."By the 1920s, women were on the verge of something huge. Jazz, racy fashions, eyebrow-raising new attitudes about art and sex―all of this pointed to a sleek, modern world, one that could shake off the grimness of the Great War and stride into the future in one deft, stylized gesture. The women who defined this the Jazz Age―Josephine Baker, Tallulah Bankhead, Diana Cooper, Nancy Cunard, Zelda Fitzgerald, and Tamara de Lempicka―would presage the sexual revolution by nearly half a century and would shape the role of women for generations to come. In Flappers, the acclaimed biographer Judith Mackrell renders these women with all the color that marked their lives and their era. Both sensuous and sympathetic, her admiring biography lays bare the private lives of her heroines, filling in the bold contours. These women came from vastly different backgrounds, but all ended up passing through Paris, the mecca of the avant-garde. Before she was the toast of Parisian society, Josephine Baker was a poor black girl from the slums of Saint Louis. Tamara de Lempicka fled the Russian Revolution only to struggle to scrape together a life for herself and her family. A committed painter, her portraits were indicative of the age's art deco sensibility and sexual daring. The Brits in the group―Nancy Cunard and Diana Cooper― came from pinkie-raising aristocratic families but soon descended into the salacious delights of the vanguard. Tallulah Bankhead and Zelda Fitzgerald were two Alabama girls driven across the Atlantic by a thirst for adventure and artistic validation. But beneath the flamboyance and excess of the Roaring Twenties lay age-old prejudices about gender, race, and sexuality. These flappers weren't just dancing and carousing; they were fighting for recognition and dignity in a male-dominated world. They were more than mere lovers or muses to the modernist masters―in their pursuit of fame and intense experience, we see a generation of women taking bold steps toward something burgeoning, undefined, maybe dangerous: a New Woman." (from Amazon.com)

"From the moment of her ascension to the throne in 1952 at the age of twenty-five, Queen Elizabeth II was the object of unparalleled scrutiny. But through the fog of glamour and gossip, how well did we really know the world’s most famous monarch? Drawing on numerous interviews and never-before-revealed documents, acclaimed biographer Sally Bedell Smith pulls back the curtain to show in intimate detail the public and private lives of Queen Elizabeth II, who led her country and Commonwealth through the wars and upheavals of the last twentieth and twenty-first centuries with unparalleled composure, intelligence, and grace. In Elizabeth the Queen, we meet the young girl who suddenly becomes “heiress presumptive” when her uncle abdicates the throne. We meet the thirteen-year-old Lilibet as she falls in love with a young navy cadet named Philip and becomes determined to marry him, even though her parents prefer wealthier English aristocrats. We see the teenage Lilibet repairing army trucks during World War II and standing with Winston Churchill on the balcony of Buckingham Palace on V-E Day. We see the young Queen struggling to balance the demands of her job with her role as the mother of two young children. Sally Bedell Smith brings us inside the palace doors and into the Queen’s daily routines—the “red boxes” of documents she reviewed each day, the weekly meetings she had with twelve prime ministers, her physically demanding tours abroad, and the constant scrutiny of the press—as well as her personal relationships: with her husband, Prince Philip, the love of her life; her children and their often-disastrous marriages; her grandchildren and friends." (from Amazon.com)

"Singer. Actress. Beauty. Spy. During WWII, Josephine Baker, the world's richest and most glamorous entertainer, was an Allied spy in Occupied France. Prior to World War II, Josephine Baker was a music-hall diva renowned for her singing and dancing, her beauty and sexuality; she was the highest-paid female performer in Europe. When the Nazis seized her adopted city, Paris, she was banned from the stage, along with all “negroes and Jews.” Yet instead of returning to America, she vowed to stay and to fight the Nazi evil. Overnight, she went from performer to Resistance spy. In Agent Josephine, bestselling author Damien Lewis uncovers this little-known history of the famous singer’s life. During the war years, as a member of the French Nurse paratroopers—a cover for her spying work—Baker participated in numerous clandestine activities and emerged as a formidable spy. In turn, she was a hero of the three countries in whose name she served—the US, France, and Britain. Drawing on a plethora of new historical material and rigorous research, including previously undisclosed letters and journals, Lewis upends the conventional story of Josephine Baker, explaining why she fully deserves her unique place in the French Panthéon." (from Amazon.com)

New Adult Nonfiction

Michael Miller has updated his Computer Basics: Absolute Beginner's Guide for Windows 11. Make the most of your Windows 11 laptop or desktop computer--without becoming a technical expert! This book is the fastest way to get comfortable, get productive, get online, get started with social networking, make more connections, and have more fun! Even if you've never used a Windows computer before, this book shows you how to do what you want, one incredibly clear and easy step at a time. Computer basics have never, ever been this simple! Who knew how simple using computers could be? This is today's best beginner's guide to using your computer or tablet with the Windows 11 operating system...simple, practical instructions for doing everything you really want to do! Here's a small sample of what you'll learn:

• Set up your computer and personalize the Windows 11 Start menu and desktop
• Connect to the Internet and browse the Web with Microsoft Edge
• Get started with social networking on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and LinkedIn
• Video chat with Zoom and Microsoft Teams
• Use Windows 11's built-in apps--and find great new apps in the Microsoft Store
• Connect printers and external storage
• Connect to a home wireless network or public Wi-Fi hotspot
• Go online to shop and sell--including ordering food and groceries online
• Get work done quickly with Microsoft Office
• Organize, view, and share photos
• Listen to streaming music with Pandora and Spotify
• Watch streaming movies and TV shows with Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, HBO Max, Hulu, Netflix, and more
• Protect yourself against viruses, spyware, and spam

Bad credit can get better. Attorney Amy Loftsgordon has updated her book Credit Repair: Make a Plan, Improve Your Credit, Avoid scams. A bad credit report can prevent you from getting a mortgage, car loan, credit card, apartment, or even a job. The sensible strategies in Credit Repair help you take control of your finances, clean up your credit report and rebuild your credit. Learn how to:

• prioritize debts and create a budget
• reduce debts and cut expenses
• negotiate with creditors
• correct credit report errors and remove old information
• add positive information to your credit report
• adopt strategies to rebuild your credit, and
• avoid identity theft and credit repair scams.

Updates to the 15th edition of Credit Repair include new credit reporting standards for medical debts and revised rules about what debt collectors must include in collection notices.

The Glaucoma Handbook: Expert Advice on Maintaining Healthy Vision is by Constance Okeke. An easy-to-read yet thorough guide to understanding and managing glaucoma and taking care of your vision.

When you receive a glaucoma diagnosis, knowing where to turn and how to understand treatment options can be overwhelming. Fifty percent of people with glaucoma do not even know they have the disease, and those who do may still struggle with managing it. If left untreated, glaucoma can lead to irreversible blindness. The Glaucoma Guidebook is an invaluable resource for anyone living with glaucoma and for those who are at high risk of developing the disease. Dr. Constance Okeke, an expert with over 20 years of experience helping thousands of patients see better, provides the critical advice and best practices needed to take control of your vision. In simple, accessible language, the book explains:

• What glaucoma is, including early symptoms

• What causes increased eye pressure

• Treatment options

• How to prevent blindness

• How to become an advocate for your own eye health

If you have been recently diagnosed with glaucoma or are struggling with managing your glaucoma, this is the book for you. With over 50 color images and illustrations and easy-to-follow advice from both Dr. Okeke and actual glaucoma patients, this book will not only serve as a guide for those with glaucoma but also provide invaluable information for family members, caregivers, eyecare providers, and educators.

Your indispensable guide to taking charge of the second half of your life. From Dr. Rosanne M. Leipzig, a top doctor with more than 35 years of experience caring for older people, Honest Aging is an indispensable guide to the second half of life, describing what to expect physically, psychologically, functionally, and emotionally as you age. Leipzig, an expert in evidence-based geriatrics, highlights how 80-year-olds differ from 60-year-olds and why knowing this is important for your health. With candor, humor, and empathy, this book will provide you with the knowledge and practical advice to optimize aging. The book:

• helps you recognize age-related changes in your body and mind and understand what's typical with aging and what's not;

• offers guidance for common health concerns, including problems with memory, energy, mood, sleep, incontinence, mobility and falls, hearing and vision, aches and pains, gastrointestinal problems, weight, and sex;

• shares advice on how to make decisions about health care, driving, and where to live;

• includes helpful checklists and lists of medications to prepare for doctor and hospital visits;

• recommends the best technology options, such as mobility devices, emergency device systems, and more;

• counters common myths about aging; and

• offers resources for additional information, self-help, and support.

Enriched by illustrations, patient stories, and deep dives into science and the latest research, Honest Aging gives you the tools to take control of your health and well-being as you age.

What if we could help loved ones misusing opioids and support them as they seek treatment? In Ending the Crisis, addiction medicine specialist Dr. Holly Geyer goes beyond the science of addiction to offer those struggling with opioids a real solution. Developed by trusted Mayo Clinic experts, this empowering and accessible book contains vital information about opioids and addiction, as well as practical tools for recovery, and impactful personal stories from those who’ve lived through the experience. Recovery is a marathon, not a sprint. Key topics include:

• Managing pain and using prescribed opioids safely
• Understanding addiction and opioid use disorder
• The intervention: a play-by-play example
• Treatment programs and help taking the first step
• Helping loved ones recover from opioid use disorder
• Opioid overdose: how you can save a life

 “The opioid epidemic is a story about all of us. It’s about the people we love, the people we’ve lost and the people we fear losing. Whether the stories we have shared come from friends, family, or total strangers, they’re all passed on with a purpose: to educate and plead for change, to pave the path for a different tomorrow.”