Ready to welcome 2018?

The end of 2017 is coming fast.   To help you get in the mood for 2018, we have New Year's themed books for all ages.

Early Reader

The Runaway Wok by Ying Chang Compestine

On Chinese New Year's Eve, a poor couple send their son to market to trade their last eggs for rice so they can make a meal for their neighbors. Instead, Ming swaps the eggs for a smiling, singing wok that boasts, "I am more than what you see!"

Happy New Year, Herbie Bear! by Joanne D. Meier

It's December 31st, and Herbie Bear and his dad are staying up late to ring in the new year. Can Herbie make it to midnight?






Juvenile

Happy New Year, Mallory by Laurie B. Friedman

It's New Year's Eve and Mallory can't wait to celebrate! Her camp friends are coming to Fern Falls and she and Mary Ann have planned out every last detail for a perfect winter reunion and New Year's Eve party. But what Mallory hadn't planned on is getting sick.

Slappy New Year! by R. L. Stine

Poor Shawn Klaven. Just because he's little and shy and gullible, the kids at school are always scaring him. Even a visit to HorrorLand can't give Shawn more courage. Sometimes Shawn thinks that Slappy, the old ventriloquist dummy his dad bought him, is his only friend. But this year, Shawn makes a resolution to get revenge. He has the perfect opportunity too-a spooky New Year's Eve party. What he doesn't realize is that Slappy has some holiday plans of his own


Adult

New Year's Eve Murder by Leslie Meier

 Lucy discovers a host of misdeeds involving real estate deals, animal rights and long-held secrets.  Now, It's up to her to dress down a killer before the ball drops in Times Square...

Death of a Blue Blood by Donald Bain

Invited to attend a New Year's Eve Ball at Castorbrook Castle, Jessica Fletcher  discovers the body of a lady's maid in the garden. While their host, Lord Norrance, his snobbish third wife, other members of the household, and party guests squabble over the tragic death in tight-lipped, perfectly mannered, thoroughly British style, family relations are strained as old wounds are reopened.

Cozy Christmas Mysteries

Wagging Through the Snow is a Melanie Travis Canine Mystery by Laurien Berenson. Melanie Travis is juggling her demanding teaching job at Connecticut's prestigious Howard Academy, her five poodles scampering around the house, and the demands of the Christmas holidays. When her brother and her ex-husband announce their plans to expand their successful country cafe by buying a dilapidated pine tree farm, she has even more on her plate. The ten-acre plot had, at one time, been a popular seasonal destination, but when the previous owner died, it fell into disrepair and will require more than a little tidying up. When a squatter is found dead on the land, it is assumed that he met his end when a fir limb fell on his head. Melanie and Aunt Peg aren't convinced that is what happened, however, and they go digging into Pete the squatter's history. What they find is a terrible habit that cost him everything and probably got him killed.

A Cajun Christmas Killing is a Cajun Country Mystery by Ellen Byron. Maggie Crozat is back home in Pelican, Louisiana and looking forward to the Christmastime traditions of bonfires on the levee, zydeco carols and pots of gumbo, but a dark cloud descends over the Crozat Plantation B & B. Travel websites are being flooded with vicious reviews of the B&B and Maggie thinks she has identified the culprit as rival businessman Donald Baxter. Well, that is, until he is found stabbed to death at Maggie's workplace and she and her loved ones become prime suspects. Maggie and the rest of the Crozat clan are able to establish alibis, but her boyfriend, Detective Bo Durand, remains a person of interest. With Bo sidelined in the investigation, Maggie finds herself making an unlikely alliance with family rival Rufus Durand. Maggie and Rufus are hot on the trail of the killer, but their meddling hasn't gone unnoticed. Will it be "Joyeux Noel" or "Bon Nuit" for Maggie?

Murder on the Toy Town Express is a Vintage Toyshop Mystery by Barbara Early. Liz McCall has come to love running her father's vintage toyshop in East Aurora, NY, so she is excited when the train and toy show comes to town. Craig McFadden has set up his booth right next to Liz's. The only problem is that Craig was Liz's childhood bully and he's now her business rival. When Craig falls from the ceiling in a publicity stunt gone wrong, everyone believes it's a horrible accident. The evidence, however, points to something much more sinister and the brother of Liz's high school sweetheart, Jack, becomes a prime suspect. Pulled into the case by her feelings for both Jack and the police chief, Ken, Liz dives in headfirst only to find that the actual target may have been her father.

How the Finch Stole Christmas is a Meg Langslow Christmas Mystery by Donna Andrews. At home in Caerphilly, Meg's husband has decided to expand his one-man show of Dickens's A Christmas Carol into a full scale production with a larger cast, Meg as stage manager, and their sons Jamie and Josh playing Tiny Tim and young Scrooge. When the famous--and obviously over-the-hill--actor hired to headline the play comes to town, he brings with him a sleigh full of baggage and more enemies than you can shake your jingle bells at. On top of all this, Caerphilly seems to be overrun with more than its share of beautiful caged finches. What is up with that? Meg and company are in for one interesting holiday.

Twelve Days until Christmas!

Need a little break from all of the "Holly Jolly" bustle while still keeping with the season?  Why not try one of these Christmas themed mysteries or suspenses?

Indigo Christmas by Jeanne M. Dams

Just before Christmas, when the husband of her sole remaining friend is accused of theft, arson, and murder, Hilda Johansson has to find new ways of investigating a crime that seems to make no sense.

Christmas at the Mysterious Bookshop editted by Otto Penzler

Every year since 1993, Penzler, founder of The Mysterious Bookshop in New York, has asked a different genre writer to produce a short story to be published and given away as a Christmas gift to customers. The only requirements: the story must be set around the Christmas season, and it must involve the bookshop in its action.

Twelve Slays of Christmas by Jacqueline Frost

Margaret Fenwick, president of the Mistletoe Historical Society, is murdered on the property right after a very public argument with Holly's father.  But Holly knows her father, and is determined to exonerate him.The jingle bells are ringing, the clock is ticking, and if Holly doesn't watch out, she'll end up on Santa's naughty list.

Christmas Romance

Here are a few heartwarming romance stories for your Christmas enjoyment!

In Snowfall on Haven Point by RaeAnne Thayne, Andrea Montgomery and her children have spent the past two years grieving for their lost husband and father, so when the opportunity arises for them to spend Christmas in Haven Point, Andie is determined they are going to enjoy themselves. Andie's friend, Wyn, asks her to look after her brother, Marhall Bailey, who is convalescing after a hit and run accident. Marshall hates feeling so helpless and he resents the protective impulses Andie brings out in him. When a blizzard forces them together for the holidays, Marshall begins to soften and look at Andie in a different light. Her kind nature is soothing and the excitement her kids have for Christmas makes him forget why he never wanted a family. Will Marshall and Andie be able to admit what it is they really want for Christmas?

The Beloved Christmas Quilt by Wanda E. Brunstetter with Jean Brunstetter & Richelle Brunstetter contains three stories all centered around a beloved family quilt. In "Luellas Promise," Luella Ebersol is a caregiver for a dying woman, Dena Lapp, and her young son. When Dena gives Luella her favorite quilt, she makes Luella promise to pass it down to her own daughter. Dena isn't sure she will ever marry. She can't seem to find a man with faith and maturity like Dena's husband Atlee Zook. "Karen's Gift" sees Karen Allgyer and her husband moving to a slow-paced village to raise their children. With three girls and one on the way, Karen is longing for the closeness of her family to help her through the challenges of motherhood. When life's challenges get bigger she will have to either rise above them or cave to her fears. Finally, in "Roseanna's Groom," the unexpected happens on Roseanna Allgyer's wedding day and she winds up blaming herself, though she doesn't understand why. When an old friend returns to town, she battles the butterflies her makes her feel because she fears being hurt once again.

Holly and Ivy by Fern Michaels is a story about the persistence of memory, especially during the holidays. Airline heiress Ivy Macintosh is not looking forward to another festive season alone. For eight long years she has wallowed in the grief caused by the death of her husband and children in a plane crash. Eleven-year-old Holly Greenwood knocks on Ivy's door after becoming lost during a forbidden trip to her singing teacher. Holly's voice is extraordinary and she wants nothing more than to perform in the upcoming Christmas musical, but her father, Daniel, doesn't allow musci in their home, nor does he talk about Holly's mother. Ivy and Daniel will discover that their past tragedies link them together. As Christmas nears, Ivy begins to see a warmth beneath Daniel's gruff exterior and Holly draws Ivy back into the world and toward a new family life that she desperately needs.

Noelle is the fourth novel in the McCray series by Greg Kincaid. Matriarch Mary Ann McCray is determined to shake up this Christmas by becoming Crossing Trail, Kansas's first ever Mrs. Santa Claus. She has decided to put her own twist on tradition and it's no telling what will fall out of her red velvet sleeves. The McCray's close friends, the Robinsons, aren't faring so well this year. They have decided to divorce and all the hoopla is turning their young children's lives upside down. The McCray's son, Todd, has moved back to town to be with his girlfriend and start a new job at the animal shelter. Tagging along is his obstinate dog, Elle, who has a hard time staying out of trouble. The refrain, "No, Elle! No, Elle!" is often heard throughout town. Todd is feeling particularly self-conscious this Christmas and is worried he is somehow disappointing his parents, but he also feels he must live his life and make his decisions on his own terms. Both families are in desperate need of a Christmas Angel, but is this goofy, hard-headed dog the answer?

Other Romantic Christmas Fiction:

Don't forget our collection of Graphic Novels!

Our collection of graphic novels has been growing.  We now have over 260 graphic novels with over 140 of them in the Adult section.

Our titles include comic collections from both DC Comics and Marvel Comics, graphic biographies, works based on novels and popular TV shows as well as original works.  Several of them have won awards for their story and/or artwork such as Pride of Baghdad.

Graphic novels aren't kid-stuff - come in and see!

New Christmas Fiction in Large Print

Since the stores have had Christmas merchandise for a while now, I've decided to feature some of our new Christmas novels that are available in large print.

Pretty Paper is the newest by singer/songwriter/actor/activist Willie Nelson. More than fifty years ago, Willie Nelson's Christmas classic "Pretty Paper" was released, and for all that time, Willie has wondered about the real-life Texas street vendor of wrappings and ribbons who inspired the song. Who was this poor soul? What were his trials and tribulations? This novelization explores just those sort of questions. It's the early sixties and Willie is down and out, just barely getting by as a singer/songwriter. Just a week before Christmas, he comes across a legless man with a cart selling his wares in front of a department store. The man's name is Vernon Clay, a staunchly private man who is in no mood to tell Willie his story. Eventually, Willie learns that Vernon is a fellow musician--a fine guitarist and singer. Vernon disappears and leaves only a diary that chronicles his tale of life-altering tragedy, broken hearts, honky tonks, crooked record execs, good cooking, and a genius for writing country songs.

In a continuation of her Lowcountry Summer series, Mary Alice Monroe offers readers A Lowcountry Christmas. A lesson of the true meaning of Christmas and the strength of family bonds is the center of this story of a wounded warrior and his younger brother. Ten-year-old Miller McClellan is feeling sorry for himself at the moment. His father's shrimp boat is docked, his mother is working two jobs, and finances are strained, so Christmas is going to be really tight. Miller won't be getting the dog he desperately wants. "Your brother's return from war is our family's gift," his parents tell him. When his brother, Taylor, returns he is suffering from PTSD and the holiday looks even darker. Then Taylor gets a large black Lab/Dane mix named Thor as his service dog and Miller is more than a little jealous. Miller decides to take his dad's axe and Thor to the woods to get a Christmas tree since they cannot afford to buy one. When Miller gets lost, his family must come together and rediscover their strengths and what it means to be a part of a family.

Richard Paul Evans offers the tale of a lonely blogger in The Mistletoe Secret. The anonymous LBH pours her heart out in her blog thinking that no one is reading. She wants desperately to know what it's like to have another person to care about her. In Daytona Beach, Florida, Alex Bartlett is that person. He reads LBH's posts faithfully as he nurses his own broken heart. When Alex decides to follow a trail of clues LBH inadvertently leaves in her posts, he finds out that she lives in the small town of Midway, Utah. Just after Thanksgiving, he makes his way there determined to find the mysterious blogger. At the Mistletoe Diner, Alex finds Aria, a waitress who encourages his search and serves him pie along with much-needed sympathy and companionship.

Happy Holidays!

Thanksgiving Holiday Hours

Have a safe and happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving Recipes Time!

Don't forget that the library is a wealth of cookbooks and cooking/lifestyle magazines for use by our patrons.

Want a new recipe for mashed potatoes or a side that you've never tried before? We can help with that.

Have a family member or two who have special diets? We can point you in the right direction.

Want to go all out and cook recipes as close as possible to the original holiday? No problem!

Are you looking for recipes easy enough for your kids to make? We have those too.

Perhaps you would like to keep the little ones busy making crafts and decorations. We have books to keep them busy for hours.

We can even help you print off those recipes and decorating tips you've been saving on your Pinterest boards!