The Library is closed today, dear readers, but we’ll be open tomorrow to help you with all your literary, audio, visual, and technological-related needs before the long weekend (hooray!).  There’s been a bumper-crop of new books being released into the wild over the past few weeks, so let’s lose no time in savoring all the lovely books that have waltzed their way onto our shelves this week!

And whatever you celebrate, from Easter to Passover, to gardening, to sunshine, to staying in bed for a few extra minutes/hours, we wish you a very peaceful and fulfilling weekend!

Long Black Veil: Jennifer Finney Boylan’s newest book has been drawing a number of comparisons to Megan Abbott, Donna Tartt, and, most impressively, Shirley Jackson.  On a warm August night in 1980, six college students sneak into the dilapidated ruins of Philadelphia’s Eastern State Penitentiary, looking for a thrill. With a pianist, a painter and a teacher among them, the friends are full of potential. But it’s not long before they realize they are locked in—and not alone. When the friends get lost and separated, the terrifying night ends in tragedy, and the unexpected, far-reaching consequences reverberate through the survivors’ lives. As they go their separate ways, trying to move on, it becomes clear that their dark night in the prison has changed them all. Decades later, new evidence is found, and the dogged detective investigating the cold case charges one of them—celebrity chef Jon Casey— with murder. Only Casey’s old friend Judith Carrigan can testify to his innocence.  But Judith is hiding secrets of her own–secrets that could destroy the life she’s built since that haunting night.  Boylan’s first foray into fiction is winning praise from readers and reviewers alike, with Publisher’s Weekly  calling it a “madcap thriller full of hidden identities…And embedded in the whodunit is a heartwarming midlife love story, in which hard-won candor, tenacity, and a generous sense of humor are the most saving of graces.”

No One Is Coming to Save Us: And speaking of impressive comparisons, Stephanie Powell Watts’ debut has been drawing comparisons to The Great Gatsby, and that is no mean feat.  In this story, JJ Ferguson has returned to his roots in Pinewood, North Carolina, to build his dream house and to pursue his high school sweetheart, Ava.  But with the furniture factories of his childhood in decline, and the area’s latent racism becoming increasingly visible and unsettling, Ferguson begins to wonder if he can ever find the place he left behind.  JJ’s return—and his plans to build a huge mansion overlooking Pinewood and woo Ava—not only unsettles their family, but stirs up the entire town. The ostentatious wealth that JJ has attained forces everyone to consider the cards they’ve been dealt, what more they want and deserve, and how they might go about getting it.   This is a book that captures the hope, heartbreak, and beautiful humanity, nestled in a part of America that is bleakly believable and hauntingly real.  Kirkus Reviews gave this book a starred review, saying “Watts spins a compelling tale of obsessive love and dashed dreams…Watts’ gently told story, like Fitzgerald’s, is only superficially about money but more acutely about the urgent, inexplicable needs that shape a life.”

The Ashes of London: Andrew Taylor is a master of twisty, controversial mysteries, and his ability to create a historic setting is pretty darned impressive.  Now, he turns those powers to creating London in September 1666, during The Great Fire that destroyed, and, eventually, revolutionized the city.  Amidst this horror, where even the impregnable cathedral of St. Paul’s is engulfed in flames, stands Richard Marwood, son of a disgraced printer, and reluctant government informer. In the aftermath of the fire, a semi-mummified body is discovered in the ashes of St. Paul’s, in a tomb that should have been empty. The man’s body has been mutilated and his thumbs have been tied behind his back – the sign of a Regicide, one of those who signed Charles I’s death warrant during the English Civil War some two decades earlier. Under orders from the government, Marwood is tasked with hunting down the killer across the devastated city. But at a time of dangerous internal dissent and the threat of foreign invasion, Marwood finds his investigation leads him into treacherous waters – and across the path of a determined, beautiful and vengeful young woman.   British reviewers loved Taylor’s newest book, with the Financial Times saying that he “presents a breathtakingly ambitious picture of an era … the multiple narrative strands are drawn together in a brilliantly orchestrated finale”, and readers on this side of the proverbial pond are sure to love it, as well!

The Road to Jonestown: Jim Jones and Peoples Temple: It’s a tricky thing to talk about a book that talks about a cult leader, especially one as notorious as Jim Jones, but Jeff Guinn’s book is so thoroughly researched, and has been getting such high praise from so many diverse quarters, that is seems worth bringing up here.  In the 1950s, a young Indianapolis minister named Jim Jones preached a curious blend of the gospel and Marxism. His congregation was racially integrated, and he was a much-lauded leader in the contemporary civil rights movement. Eventually, Jones moved his church, Peoples Temple, to northern California. He became involved in electoral politics, and soon was a prominent Bay Area leader.  But there was another side to Jones, and a darker tale of drug addiction, extramarital affairs, and fraud that would culminate in the decision to move his followers to the jungles of Guyana, South America, and, finally, the death of over 900 people who were forced to swallow a cyanide-laced beverage.  Guinn brought all his investigative skills to bear on this book, examining thousands of pages of FBI files on the case, traveling to Jones’s Indiana hometown, as well as to the Jonestown site, and working with Jonestown survivors.  The result is a book that is troubling, insightful, and already being hailed as the definitive book on Jonestown, with Publisher’s Weekly calling it “Magisterial. . . . Guinn’s exhaustive research, shrewd analysis, and engaging prose illuminate a monstrous yet tragic figure–and the motives of those who lost their souls to him.”

The Lowells of Massachusetts: An American Family: Think fast–what’s the address of the West Branch?  That’s right…it’s the street named after the Lowells of Massachusetts, a family that settled in “the New World” in the 1600s, and were instrumental in shaping the new nation that emerged in the 1700s.  Their prosperity grew as the family became merchants and manufacturers, building prosperity in the 1800s, and scientists and artists flourishing in the 1900s. For the first time, Nina Sankovitch tells the story of this fascinating and powerful dynasty that has left its stamp on American history, Massachusetts state history, and the history of our own city, as well!  Sankovitch’s well-researched and fascinating story is epic in its scope, engaging not only with the history of one family, but with the Industrial Revolution, the Civil War, the history of American arts and letters, and some of the biggest personalities that touched each of these moments in time.  Library Journal recognized this achievement, noting “Sankovitch’s use of interpretative passages breathe color into descriptions of the home life and various Lowells, adding an artistic dimension to the account. Her ability to switch focus among family members while keeping readers fully engaged in the narrative is a significant achievement.”

Until next week, beloved patrons–happy reading!

And welcome, dear readers, to another Friday!

Technology seems to be conspiring against us today at the Library, so in the interest of sharing these great titles with you, let’s get right to the books that have galloped up onto our shelves this week–come on in and check them out soon!

The Spaceman of Bohemia: There are some books that happen along that, quite literally, defy description. Jaroslav Kalfar’s debut novel is one of them.  But I would argue it makes for a more entertaining and thought-provoking read, when you quite literally have no idea what is going to happen next.  Orphaned as a boy, raised in the Czech countryside by his doting grandparents, Jakub Procházka has risen from small-time scientist to become the country’s first astronaut. When a dangerous solo mission to Venus offers him both the chance at heroism he’s dreamt of, and a way to atone for his father’s sins as a Communist informer, he ventures boldly into the vast unknown.  Alone in Deep Space, Jakub discovers a possibly imaginary giant alien spider, who becomes his unlikely companion. Over philosophical conversations about the nature of love, life and death, and the deliciousness of bacon, the pair form an intense and emotional bond.  For all that this might seem like a highly theoretical book, it’s actually really charming, surprisingly light, funny, and empathetic, and clever, and a definite must-read for anyone who thinks there is nothing new under the Sun (or near Venus).  RT Book Reviews agreed, having given this book a Top Pick status and saying in their review, “Kalfar’s novel is a work of beautiful contradictions: Though simple in its structure and gently playful in its narrative, Kalfar manages some remarkably complex connections with searing insight and disarming honesty…Remarkably, all of these contradictions combine into a surprising, thought-provoking whole that is wry, poignant and wholly unique.”

The Lawrence Browne Affair: Late last year, Avon Books became the first major publisher to put out a male-male romance…and a male-male historical romance, at that.  Now, Cat Sebastian returns with her second book about two heroes defying conventions (and the law) in their quest for true love.  Lawrence Browne, the Earl of Radnor, is mad. At least, that’s what he and most of the village believes. A brilliant scientist, he hides himself away in his family’s crumbling estate, unwilling to venture into the outside world. When an annoyingly handsome man arrives at Penkellis, claiming to be Lawrence’s new secretary, his carefully planned world is turned upside down.  Georgie Turner is a swindler and con man who has fled to the wilds of Cornwall for his own safety. Pretending to be a secretary should be easy, but he doesn’t expect that the only madness he finds is the one he has for the gorgeous earl.  Sebastian’s love stories are just plain good romances, with believable characters (with real problems, not just, you know, issues), and sensational chemistry.  Library Journal agrees, giving this book a starred review and cheering “Sebasitan has crafted an epic romance in which Lawrence and Georgie share incredible chemistry. Profoundly romantic and highly recommended.”

Enduring Vietnam: An American Generation and Its War:  James Wright is a history professor as well as a veterans’ rights advocate, and in this book, he puts those two identities together to create a timely and engaging story about a conflict that changed the way the American public thought about violence, service, duty, and its place in the world.  The Vietnam War is largely recalled as a mistake, either in the decision to engage there or in the nature of the engagement. Or both. Veterans of the war remain largely anonymous figures, accomplices in the mistake. Critically recounting the steps that led to the war, James Wright’s book does not excuse the mistakes, but it details the experiences of those who served, and recounts the experiences of the families who grieved those who did not return.  The work has received praise from military officials, veterans, and critics alike, with Publisher’s Weekly praising “Wright’s worthy effort is a tribute to Americans who saw the worst that the Vietnam War offered, combined with a broad look at the domestic and geopolitical factors that led to the U.S. getting involved in the long, controversial conflict.”

Mister Mystery: Looking to get away from things for a little while?  How about an escape to Paris at the end of the 19th century?  This sensational mystery is the perfect get-away for armchair adventurers and time-travelers alike!  In Paris in the year 1899, Marcel Després is arrested for the murder of his wife and transferred to the famous Salpetriere Asylum. And there the story might have stopped.  But the doctor assigned to his care soon realizes this is no ordinary patient: Marcel Després is a man who cannot forget. And the policeman assigned to his case soon realizes that something else is at stake: For why else would the criminal have been hurried off to hospital, and why are his superiors so keen for the whole affair to be closed?  This crime involves something bigger and stranger than a lovers’ fight, something with links to the highest and lowest establishments in France—but the answers lie inside Marcel’s head. And how can he tell what is significant when he remembers every detail of every moment of his entire life?  This is not only a fascinating mystery, but a really interesting study of 19th-century psychology, criminology, and society overall.  Publisher’s Weekly loved this book, too, giving it a starred review and saying “Fin de siècle Paris provides the backdrop for this outstanding thriller…Sedgwick thoughtfully explores fundamental questions about the relationship of memory and identity.”

Border Child: Michel Stone’s beautifully crafted novel is both an insightful tale of family and an unflinching consideration of the perils of immigration in today’s current political climate.  Young lovers Héctor and Lilia dreamed of a brighter future for their family in the United States. Héctor left Mexico first, to secure work and housing, but when Lilia, desperate to be with Héctor, impetuously crossed the border with their infant daughter, Alejandra, mother and child were separated. Alejandra disappeared. Now, four years later, the family has a chance to reunite in Mexico, where they try to reclaim a semblance of normal life, with a toddler son and another baby on the way. Then they receive an unexpected tip that might lead them to Alejandra, and both agree they must seize this chance, whatever the cost.  This tale doesn’t look at politics or grand scale issues, but rather focuses on a small group of finely-wrought characters in whom readers can utterly empathize.  The result is a story that Kirkus Review calls “A gripping and politically savvy look at the human impact of current immigration policy and an honest examination of the perils facing desperate immigrants as they travel north.”

Until next week, beloved patrons, happy reading!

And so we come to the end of another week, and the arrival of another snow storm, dear readers.  Though I am sure many of your yearn for spring and the chance to garden, or head to the beach, or not wear socks when you go outside, there are some benefits to snow fall.  You have a guaranteed, old-as-time excuse to stay in with a book, or dvd, or audiobook, and simply enjoy.

So come into the Library before the flakes begin to fly and pick up one of these new books that have tip-toed onto our shelves this week!

New York 2140: The title of Kim Stanley Robinson’s newest release provides the date and location of the setting right up front.  The world itself is one where the ice caps have melted, flooding the earth and turning New York into a submerged city.  But humanity adapted, building bridges between skyscraper islands, and developing a new social hierarchy and economy to enable them to thrive. But as the rules of civilization change, a few insightful inhabitants of one residential building will figure out just how those rules can be manipulated, creating ripple effects in this drowned city that will prove that no change is ever permanent, and no evolution is ever complete.  This story is as much a cautionary tale for our own time as it is an imagined view of the future, and Robinson’s excellent characters make what could be a terrifying dystopia into something engrossing and entertaining.  RT Book Reviews agrees, making this book a Top Pick and saying, “Robinson embraces the darkest visions of the future, mixing it with wry humor, inexhaustible creativity and incorrigible excitement to create a world that is surprisingly recognizable, utterly immersive and unexpectedly hopeful. As much a critique of contemporary capitalism, social mores and timeless human foibles, this energetic, multi-layered narrative is also a model of visionary worldbuilding.”

Edgar and Lucy: Victor Lodato, a playwright by training, is, perhaps not surprisingly, a master of dialogue, and that talent serves him very well in this surprising and hypnotizing novel.  Eight-year-old Edgar Fini remembers nothing of the accident people still whisper about. He only knows that his father is gone, his mother has a limp, and his grandmother believes in ghosts. When Edgar meets a man with his own tragic story, the boy begins a journey into a secret wilderness where nothing is clear: not even the line between the living and the dead. In order to save her son, Lucy has no choice but to confront the demons of her past.  Critics and readers alike have been hailing this book, and calling it addictive and joyful, despite its tough themes, mostly as a result of Lodato’s writing skills.  The New York Times Book Review is one such source–their review says, in part, “On every page Lodato’s prose sings with a robust, openhearted wit, making Edgar & Lucy a delight to read…Lodato keeps us in his thrall because his grip on the tiller stays reassuringly firm. Not to mention the supporting cast he’s gathered, a group so eclectic and beguiling that many of them could carry an entire novel of their own. A riveting and exuberant ride.”

Ill Will: Dan Chaon’s thriller is a fascinating and complex tale of memory, time, and the sins both can hide that is getting a great deal of good press.  A psychologist in suburban Cleveland, Dustin is drifting through his forties when he hears the news: His adopted brother, Rusty, is being released from prison. Thirty years ago, Rusty received a life sentence for the massacre of Dustin’s parents, aunt, and uncle. The trial came to epitomize the 1980s hysteria over Satanic cults; despite the lack of physical evidence, the jury believed the outlandish accusations Dustin and his cousin made against Rusty. Now, after DNA analysis has overturned the conviction, Dustin braces for a reckoning.  Meanwhile, one of Dustin’s patients has been plying him with stories of the drowning deaths of a string of drunk college boys. At first Dustin dismisses his patient’s suggestions that a serial killer is at work as paranoid thinking, but as the two embark on an amateur investigation, Dustin starts to believe that there’s more to the deaths than coincidence. Soon he becomes obsessed, crossing all professional boundaries—and putting his own family in harm’s way.  Chaon walks a tightrope here between horror and mystery, keeping the tension good and tight from the outset of this story, resulting in a book that that Chicago Tribune called “Powerfully unsettling . . . There’s a lot going on under the surface of Ill Will—more than one reading will reveal. Going back and reading this oddly compelling book again will only provide more pleasure.”

A Colony in a Nation: From the editor of The Nation, Chris Hayes, comes a book about crime in America, about the way in which we think about crimes and criminals, and proposed a new way of thinking about the American justice system that incorporates race, economics, and location in wholly unique ways, and asks how a country founded on justice now looks like something uncomfortably close to a police state.   Examining the surge in crime that began in Nixon’s America and peaked in the 1990s, and the unprecedented decline that followed, Hayes draws on close-hand reporting at flashpoints of racial conflict, as well as deeply personal experiences with policing; from the influential “broken windows” theory to the “squeegee men” of late-1980s Manhattan, this book shows how fear causes us to make dangerous and unfortunate choices, both in our society and at the personal level. With great empathy, Hayes seeks to understand the challenges of policing communities haunted by the omnipresent threat of guns and, surprising, offers hope by locating examples of justice and the potential for positive change.  Activists, academics, and everyday readers alike have praised Hayes’ work, and The Christian Science Monitor writes “Hayes is a forceful and eloquent writer…. He offers a clear and useful framework for understanding the current dysfunctions of American society. It’s a brilliant diagnosis, [and] more urgent than ever.”

Richard Nixon: A Life: And speaking of Nixon, John Farrell’s new biography makes a case that we are living in the world he created, emphasizing the importance of Nixon’s presidency as a whole.  Nixon’s sins as a candidate were legion; and in one unlawful secret plot, as Farrell reveals here, Nixon acted to prolong the Vietnam War for his own political purposes. Finally elected president in 1969, Nixon packed his staff with bright young men who devised forward-thinking reforms addressing health care, welfare, civil rights, and protection of the environment. But Nixon aspired to make his mark on the world stage instead, and his 1972 opening to China was the first great crack in the Cold War.  He also left America divided and polarized. His bombing of Cambodia and Laos enraged the antiwar movement. It was Nixon who launched the McCarthy era, who played white against black with a “southern strategy,” and spurred the Silent Majority to despise and distrust the country’s elites. Ever insecure and increasingly paranoid, he persuaded Americans to gnaw, as he did, on grievances—and to look at one another as enemies. Finally, in August 1974, after two years of the mesmerizing intrigue and scandal of Watergate, Nixon became the only president to resign in disgrace.  Farrell shows us not only the man in the office, but the country that developed around him, making for a fascinating counterpoint to our own political observations.  Kirkus Review gave this work a starred review, calling it “Full of fresh, endlessly revealing insights into Nixon’s political career, less on the matter of his character, refreshingly, than on the events that accompanied and resulted from it.”

Until next week, beloved patrons–happy reading!

Technically, this is our first Five Book Friday of Spring, beloved patrons, and I had a great post planned about the onset of longer days and brighter skies and warmer weather….but we had warmer weather in February, and now we are paying for it, because the weather gods are feckless, cruel beings.  Nevertheless, here are a few myths, legends, and stories from around the world about the coming of spring to keep your hopes high:

1. The Spring Beauty, A Chippewa Legend (click the title for the full story)
   “I am Seegwun, the Spirit of Spring,” answered the youth. “I breathe, and flowers spring up in the meadows and woods….I shake my ringlets…and the warm showers of soft rain fall upon the Earth. The flowers lift their heads from the ground, and the grass grows thick and green. My voice recalls the birds, and they come flying joyfully from the South-land. The warmth of my breath unbinds the streams, and they sing the songs of Summer. Music fills the groves wherever I walk, and all Nature rejoices.”
2. Persephone, of the Greek Pantheon
   And oldie, but still a goodie: Demeter, Goddess of agriculture, had a daughter named Persephone. One day Persephone was snatched away by Hades, God of the Underworld, to live with him in down in the Underworld.  Demeter, heard her cries but couldn’t find her daughter, so she left all the harvest alone and as a result, mass famine struck. One day while Apollo was making his rounds through the underworld as he does through the sky, he spotted Persephone down there and reported the finding to Zeus. Zeus then sent Hermes, the messenger god, to bring Persephone back. Unfortunately, Persephone ate six pomegranate seeds given to her by Hades in the land of the dead. This trickery bound her to return to the underworld for six months every year. When Persephone returns from the underworld each year, Demeter makes the earth bloom and grow beautifully which is the time of year we know as Spring and Summer. When Persephone returns to the underworld, Demeter stops and Fall & Winter arrive.
3. Baldur, of the Norse pantheon
   The god of light Baldur was the son of Odin and Frigga. He was so attractive and personable that he was beloved by everyone and was considered the most handsome of the gods. Naturally Loki, the premier trouble-maker in Norse mythology, resented Baldur, and, eventually killed him with mistletoe.Frigga was in such despair the world grew colder and plants shriveled up and died. Humanity prayed for deliverance from the oppressive cold and the lack of food, and finally Odin interceded.  He learned that Hel, the goddess who ruled over the land of the dead, was not inclined to release Baldur unless everything living and unliving mourned for him. Though Frigga was not able to convince everything on earth to mourn for him, Baldour was allowed to return for a small amount of time every year (much like Persephone does in the Greek tale).
4. The Legend of the Blue Corm Maiden, from the Hopi People (Click the title for the full tale)
   Winter Katsina saw that he needed to make peace with Summer Katsina, not war. The two sat and talked.  They agreed that Blue Corn Maiden would live among the People of the Pueblos and give them her blue corn for half of the year, in the time of Summer Katsina. The other half of the year, Blue Corn Maiden would live with Winter Katsina and the People would have no corn.  Blue Corn Maiden went away with Summer Katsina, and he was kind to her. She became the sign of springtime, eagerly awaited by the People.

…Are you enjoying these stories?  If so, why not come into the Library and check out a few more?  Here is a sample of some of the sensational books that have clambered up onto our shelves this week:

Exit West: Mohsin Ameed’s work has already been celebrated around the world, but this book is being hailed as quite possibly his best work, providing a heart-rending look at the world in which we live, touched with the magic of love and the weirdness of fairy tale.  In a country teetering on the brink of civil war, two young people meet—sensual, fiercely independent Nadia and gentle, restrained Saeed. They embark on a furtive love affair that grows and is eventually threatened when violence explodes around them.  They begin to hear whispers about doors—doors that can whisk people far away, if perilously and for a price. As the violence escalates, Nadia and Saeed decide that they no longer have a choice. Leaving their homeland and their old lives behind, they find a door and step through.  This is a book not only about our own political climate, but about the effects of violence on human life and relationships, and the vicious and vital promise of hope.  Entertainment Weekly agrees, giving this book a glowing review which reads in part, “Nearly every page reflects the tangible impact of life during wartime—not just the blood and gunsmoke of daily bombardments, but the quieter collateral damage that seeps in. The true magic of [Exit West] is how it manages to render it all in a narrative so moving, audacious, and indelibly human.” 

Lola: Melissa Scrivner Love’s debut crime thriller puts a phenomenal twist on the “girl” titles of recent years (this “girl” has a name!  Yay!), with a  story about a ruthlessly intelligent gang leader, and the city she both embodies, and calls home.  The Crenshaw Six are a small but up-and-coming gang in South Central LA who have recently been drawn into an escalating war between rival drug cartels. To outsiders, the Crenshaw Six appear to be led by a man named Garcia. but what no one has figured out is that the gang’s real leader (and secret weapon) is Garcia’s girlfriend, a brilliant young woman named Lola. Lola has mastered playing the role of submissive girlfriend, and in the man’s world she inhabits she is consistently underestimated. But in truth she is much, much smarter–and in many ways tougher and more ruthless–than any of the men around her, and as the gang is increasingly sucked into a world of high-stakes betrayal and brutal violence, her skills and leadership become their only hope of survival.  This is a story for anyone who enjoyed Breaking Bad, and Love is definitely an author on whom thriller fans should be keeping their eye.  The New York Times agrees, calling this book, “Intense, gritty, and breathlessly paced…The titular Lola is The City of Angels made flesh, beauty and horror living side by side with no barriers between. …I fell hard for Lola in all her fierce and broken beauty, her reckless and necessary hardness, her bottomless capacity for loyalty. Don’t miss this ride.”

Delicious Geography: Travel and food. I fail to see how this book can check too many more of my boxes.  This entertaining book takes us on a fascinating exploration of the world of food, as father and daughter duo, geographer Gary Fuller and chef Tracy Reddekopp, travel the globe in an exploration of how we are all linked by food.  By studying the preparation of 35 different dishes, Fuller and Reddekopp show how sharing of foods and food traditions are prime examples of our global connection, not only in the present, but in the past as well.  There are reasons that the same dishes, or types of dishes, appear in different geographic locales when they do, and becoming conscious of this, while become well-fed, is an excellent learning experience, as well as a delectable culinary adventure!  Booklist had this to say: “From discussions on global impacts of specific ingredients, such as the introduction of the potato into Bolivia, to the social influences of ingredients like that of dairy, Fuller and Reddekopp put an interesting personal slant to each chapter. Recipes are bolstered with the history of the highlighted element of each featured recipe, along with…intimate stories to bolster the well-researched histories and tried recipes with a unique slant. . . . This is an enjoyable read that features a number of intriguing recipes that have been crafted for the home cook.”

The River of Kings: Taylor Brown is a master at the American journey story, having brought us a journey during Reconstruction in last year’s The Fallen Land, we now are treated to a river trek–and a historical journey–that is just as touching and engrossing. The Altamaha River, Georgia’s “Little Amazon,” has been named one of the 75 “Last Great Places in the World.” Crossed by roads only five times in its 137-mile length, the blackwater river is home to thousand-year-old virgin cypress, descendants of 18th-century Highland warriors, and a motley cast of rare and endangered species. The Altamaha has even been rumored to harbor its own river monster, as well as traces of the most ancient European fort in North America. Brothers Hunter and Lawton Loggins set off to kayak the river, bearing their father’s ashes toward the sea.  Both young men were raised by an angry, enigmatic shrimper who loved the river, and whose death remains a mystery that his sons hope to resolve. As the brothers proceed downriver, their story is interwoven with that of Jacques Le Moyne, an artist who accompanied the 1564 expedition to found a French settlement at the river’s mouth, which began as a search for riches and ended in a bloody confrontation with Spanish conquistadors and native tribes.  Publisher’s Weekly loved this trip, saying that Brown’s book “Captures the essence of an enchanting place with a story combining adventure, family drama, and local history.”

No One Cares About Crazy People: In this heartbreaking, well-researched, and determined book, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Ron Powers asks, How did we, as a society, get to this point in our treatment and thinking about mental illness. Powers traces the appalling narrative–from the sadistic abuse of “lunaticks” at Bedlam Asylum in London seven centuries ago to today’s scattershot treatments and policies. His odyssey of reportage began after not one but both of his beloved sons were diagnosed with schizophrenia.  Braided into his vivid social history is the moving saga of Powers’s own family: his bright, buoyant sons, both of whom struggled mightily with schizophrenia, and the way their personal history fits into the scope of his wider history on mental illness.  Kirkus Reviews gave this journey a starred review, saying, “Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Powers presents two searing sagas: an indictment of mental health care in the United States and the story of his two schizophrenic sons…. This hybrid narrative, enhanced by the author’s considerable skills as a literary stylist, succeeds on every level.”

Until next week, beloved patrons, happy reading!

Remember when everyone was thinking of heading to the beach in February, dear readers?  Well, as we all knew, here we are in March paying for the unseasonable warmth with…unseasonable cold.  March, it truly seems, has trotted in like the proverbial lion…

…But is that what that phrase actually means?  A few years ago, The Paris Review published a fascinating piece on the phrase “in like a lion, out like a lamb”, trying to conclude the origin of the phrase in an article that is both informative and delightfully quirky.  I’ll just leave it here for you to check out.

And if you’re looking for things to keep you busy this chilly weekend, here are a selection of the super-terrific books that have waltzed their way onto our shelves this week, and are very eager to make your acquaintance!  Though the summer thrillers are already making their appearance, they are also perfectly suitable for helping you through a lion-like March just fine:

The Girl Before: Oh hey, look!  It’s another book with “Girl” in the title.   *Sigh*.  Anyways, despite my overwhelming frustration with this trend, there’s no arguing that J.P. Delaney’s is getting everyone very excited–critics, authors, and reviewers alike are raving, and Ron Howard has already started adapting it for film.  The story centers around two women who, it would seem, have found the perfect home; an architectural marvel; a masterpiece in design.  However, enigmatic architect who designed the house retains full control: no books, no throw pillows, no photos or clutter or personal effects of any kind. The space is intended to transform its occupant—and it does..  But before they move in, they are both confronted with an odd request….Please make a list of every possession you consider essential to your life.  For Emma, who is still coping with the after-effects of a traumatic break-in, this is the first place that feels safe.  For Jane, who is dealing with a painful tragedy, the place (and its creator) are a haven and a welcome distraction.  Until Jane learns about the girl before her, and her untimely end.  And as she tries to uncover the truth about Emma, she finds herself caught in the same situation, encountering the same people–and sharing the same fate?  This is a twisty, turny, psychological novel that is drawing comparisons to Gillian Flynn and Paula Hawkins, with the USA Today gleefully commenting that “Delaney has created a genuinely eerie, fascinating setting in One Folgate Street. . . . The novel’s structure, volleying back and forth as first Emma and then Jane begin to question their improbable luck, is beautifully handled. The pages fly.”

Her Every Fear: And while we’re on the topic of houses being scary, Peter Swanson’s newest book features a Boston house doing it’s best to freak us all out, and the woman who has to face down the truth these walls conceal.  Kate Priddy has always been anxious and perhaps a bit obsessive–traits that grow nearly crippling after an ex-boyfriend kidnaps and nearly kills her. When Corbin Dell, a distant cousin in Boston, suggests the two temporarily swap apartments, Kate, now an art student in London, leaps at the idea, hoping that a change of scene will help her get a grip on her life again.  But soon after her arrival at Corbin’s Beacon Hill apartment, Kate makes a shocking discovery: his next-door neighbor, a young woman named Audrey Marshall, has been murdered.  Though Corbin is quick to profess his innocence, several discoveries in the apartment make the jet-lagged Kate more and more uneasy about her cousin–and Alan, the quiet, attractive young man across the courtyard.  Is there anyone she can trust?  Swanson excels at writing good noir, shifting narrative perspective with ease and creating an atmosphere that is being compared to Hitchcock’s Rear Window as his heroine confronts the evil before her and the fear inside her in a story that earned a starred review from Booklist, who said “The skillfully conjured Boston winter creates the perfect atmosphere for breeding paranoia… Swanson … introduces a delicious monster-under-the-bed creepiness to the expected top-notch characterization and steadily mounting anxiety.”

The Dry: From the chill of a Boston winter, we move to the deadly heat of an Australian summer in Jane Harper’s mystery debut.  Federal Agent Aaron Falk arrives in his hometown for the first time in decades, after being summoned to attend the funeral of his best friend, Luke. Two decades ago, Falk was accused of murder, and Luke was his alibi. Falk and his father fled under a cloud of suspicion, saved from prosecution only because of Luke’s steadfast claim that the boys had been together at the time of the crime. But now more than one person knows they didn’t tell the truth back then, and Luke is dead.  Now, amidst the worst drought in a century, Aaron is beginning to realize just how well little towns can keep secrets–and to discover who killed his best friend.  In addition to praising Harper’s ability to set a scene, crafting the choking heat and creeping menace of a hometown that will make your skin crawl, her talent at crafting a mystery has reviewers raving.  Kirkus gave it a starred review, declaring it “A nail-biting thriller…A chilling story set under a blistering sun, this fine debut will keep readers on edge and awake long past bedtime.”

The Aleppo Cookbook: It probably should come as a surprise that one of the world’s most long-inhabited cities is also home to some of its richest culinary traditions. And in this stunning new cookbook, Marlene Matar, one of the Arab world’s most renown chefs, takes us on a tour of the many cultures, people, and ingredients that have shaped, and been shaped by, this remarkable city.  Along with the requisite pictures of food (which are quite enough to produce a fit of the munchies in and of themselves), there are also a number of photographs of the markets and people of Aleppo, offering readers insight into life there today.  The result is a deliciously enticing cookbook, as well as a haunting testament to the survival, endurance, and humanity of the people of Syria.

Blitzed: Drugs in the Third Reich: It has taken several generations of historians to being to tackle the nuances and intricacies of the Third Reich–and understandably so, as we are still trying to cope with the larger horrors of the Holocaust–but within recent years, some genuinely fascinating pieces have been written on gender, economics, humor and, now, on the drugs of Hitler’s Germany.  Though the Nazi party may have touted an ideology of physical, mental, and moral purity, Norman Ohler reveals that the Third Reich was actually saturated with drugs of all kinds.  Powerhouses like Merck and Bayer cooked up cocaine, opiates, and, most of all, methamphetamines, to be consumed by everyone from factory workers to housewives to millions of German soldiers.  Indeed, soldiers were fed a form of crystal meth in order to keep their morale and ‘fighting spirit’ high (which is a big step up from the cocaine that they were fed during the First World War).  Rather than seeing this widespread intoxication as an excuse or a rationale for the course of history, Ohler instead argues that drugs are a vital way of making sense of Nazi German society.  His work is well-researched and completely readable, making for a book that has been garnering praise from historians and pop-culture outlets alike, with the British Times praising its depiction of “how Nazi Germany slid towards junkie-state status. It is an energetic … account of an accelerating, modernizing society, an ambitious pharmaceuticals industry, a military machine that was looking for ways to create an unbeatable soldier, and a dictator who couldn’t function without fixes from his quack … It has an uncanny ability to disturb.”

Until next week, beloved patrons–happy reading!

We were mired in a wealth of technical difficulties on Friday, beloved patrons (it’s been a frustrating month for technology, but we hope that it’s all under control at last), and as a result, we missed our regular Five Book Friday post, for which, a whole wheelbarrow-full of apologies.  As a way to make it up to you, we are bringing you a heaping Six Book Sunday, featuring some of the newest books to shuffle up onto our shelves this week, including a snazzy extra book for your reading pleasure!

All Our Wrong Todays: One of the most anticipated releases of the year, Elan Mastai’s novel of life, love, and time travel somehow manages to live up to all its hype, delivering a story that is unexpectedly funny and stunningly touching.  In Tom Barren’s version of 2016, technology has progressed, war is an outdated concept, and everyone lives a life of well-regulated hedonism.  But Tom Barren’s world has never been one into which he fit.  Then a bizarre time-traveling mishap launches Tom into our 2016.  It all seems like some kind of dystopian nightmare at first, but then Tom meets this world’s version of his family and acquaintances, and realizes that this messy, dirty, nasty world of ours might be worth much more than he first thought.  What makes this book so incredible is how Mastai blends complex science with simple, earnest, heartfelt story-telling to make a book that is high-concept, but utterly accessible.  RT Book Reviews gave his work a Top Pick rating, saying, “With humor, grace and dizzying skill, Mastai crafts a time-traveling novel that challenges every convention of the trope, and succeeds brilliantly. His droll, unassuming writing style couches a number of razor-sharp critiques…while the endless array of technological gadgets, innovations and possibilities give the story its drive and irresistible exuberance… heartrending, funny, smart, and stunningly, almost brazenly hopeful.”

Boston’s Massacre: Perfectly timed to coincide with the 247th anniversary of the Boston Massacre, Eric Hinderaker’s book offers a new take on this seminal event in the run-up to the American War of Independence.  On the night of March 5, 1770, British soldiers fired into a crowd gathered in front of Boston’s Custom House, killing five people–yet for all that we reference the event, very little about the “Boston Massacre” is known for a fact.  In this thoroughly-researched and illuminating work, Professor Hinderaker takes on the multiple competing narratives that emerged from the ‘massacre’, and draws connections between this event and more modern examples of police brutality, showing that the Boston Massacre still has some significance today.  As Publisher’s Weekly notes, “Hinderaker claims no definitive version of the event, instead offering a thoughtful meditation on the episode’s significance for shared American identity and memory. Untangling the complex circumstances under which Britain stationed thousands of troops in Boston in the peacetime of 1768…He ends with a provocative…reflection on the massacre’s symbolic resonance with more recent examples of police brutality, making this book important reading for anyone interested in questions regarding the limits of authority and protest.”

Girl in Disguise: Even though I’ve publicly stated that I will no longer tolerate another novel with “girl” in the title, Greer Macallister’s historic mystery is good enough to make me want to bend the rules.  With no money and no husband, Kate Warne finds herself with few choices. The streets of 1856 Chicago offer a desperate widow mostly trouble and ruin–unless that widow has a knack for manipulation and an unusually quick mind. In a bold move that no other woman has tried, Kate convinces the legendary Allan Pinkerton to hire her as a detective.  Faced with fighting criminals and coworkers alike, Kate immerses herself in the dangerous life of an operative, winning the right to tackle some of the agency’s toughest investigations, even at the risk to her own life and spirit.  Based on the adventures of real-life detective Kate Warne, Macallister has crafted a action-packed thrill-ride through 1850’s America that Booklist called “a rip-roaring, fast-paced treat to read, with compelling characters, twisted villains, and mounds of historical details adeptly woven into the tale of a courageous woman who loves her job more than anything or anyone else.”

Who Killed Piet Barol?:  Keeping within the realms of historic fiction, we have Richard Mason’s second book featuring Piet Barol (the first being History of a Pleasure Seeker), here, it is 1914, and Piet is living large in South Africa’s Cape Colony, pursuing his constant hunger for riches and comfort, even as imperial official ruthlessly turn native inhabitants out of their homes in an attempt to create a land of white settlers.  However, Piet’s prodigious luck is about to run out.  Reinventing himself once again as a furniture dealer–but the wood he needs is in a forbidden forest filled with sacred, untouchable trees. His pursuit of the bewitched trees of the fabled forest of Gwadana takes him deep into the Xhosa homelands, where unfailing charm, wit and the friendship of two black men are his only allies as he attempts an act of supreme audacity: to steal a forest from its rightful owners.  Mason always does a superb job of crafting a setting, and the portrait he paints of the violent and fascinating Cape Colony is one of his finest.  But more than that, this narrative–a bizarre blend of fact, fable, horror and hilarity, is one that is hard to put down or forget.  Library Journal loved this book, remarking on its “Eloquent, sensuous prose . . . Mason imbues the forest with life, taking readers inside the psyche of each tree, animal, or insect, as it senses the looming danger . . . Vivid . . . This profoundly tragic tale, in which colonialism battles tribal customs, and divisions of race and class sow distrust, should put Mason over the top.”

Lincoln in the Bardo: Quite seriously, it’s only March, and George Saunders’ first full-length novel may be the biggest, most acclaimed book of the entire year.  After Lincoln’s beloved son, Willie, dies the president is bereft. Newspapers report that a grief-stricken Lincoln returns, alone, to the crypt several times to hold his boy s body. From that seed of historical truth, George Saunders spins an unforgettable story of familial love and loss that breaks free of its realistic, historical framework into a supernatural realm both hilarious and terrifying. Willie Lincoln finds himself in a strange purgatory where ghosts mingle, gripe, commiserate, quarrel, and enact bizarre acts of penance. Within this transitional state called, in the Tibetan tradition, the bardo a monumental struggle erupts over young Willie’s soul.  On one level, this is a novel about monumental loss–not only Lincoln’s son, but the thousands and thousands of sons who were killed in the Civil War, and the optimism of a nation that very nearly tore itself apart.  On the other, it is a stunning, whimsical, haunting story about life and living, that features an astounding number of individual voices, viewpoints, and truths.  For those who like audiobooks, Saunders gathered over 100 narrators for this book, making it one of the most impressive productions of the year, as well.  It’s hard to choose one good review out of the countless numbers that are rolling in, but we’ll go with Kirkus’ review here, which called this book “Exhilarating . . . Ruthless and relentless in its evocation not only of Lincoln and his quandary, but also of the tenuous existential state shared by all of us.”

Insomniac City: New York, Oliver, and Me: Oliver Sacks died of cancer in August of 2015, leaving behind a fascinating body of work focused on the brain, its vagaries, and the way it made us uniquely–sometimes bizarrely–human, a number of touching books and memoirs…and Bill Hayes, a photographer who came to New York in 2009 after the death of his partner, and fell in love with the city at night, with the people who inhabited it, and, especially, with his neighbor, Sacks.   This book of vignettes of Hayes’ memories of Sacks, and their shared love of New York City, including a number of Hayes startlingly honest, utterly captivating photos, offers a touchingly intimate view of a man that so many felt they knew from his books, from his falling in love for the first time at the age of 75 to his death.  While a heart-rending tale of loss, it is also a beautiful meditation on the moments that make life worth living, and the kind of love that comes along once in a lifetime.  Newsweek summed it up beautifully, saying “Buy a box of tissues and pray for snow: This…will have you alternately bawling and giddily clapping your hands for the lovers that may not have had the time they deserved, but certainly made the best with the time that they had.”

Until later, beloved patrons–happy reading!