Author: Agar, Nicholas, author. Published: 2019 Call Number: 302.23 Format: Books Summary: An argument in favor of finding a place for humans (and humanness) in the future digital economy. In the digital economy, accountants, baristas, and cashiers can be automated out of employment; so can surgeons, airline pilots, and cab drivers. Machines will be able to do these jobs more efficiently, accurately, and inexpensively. But, Nicholas Agar warns in this provocative book, these developments could result in a radically disempowered humanity. The digital revolution has brought us new gadgets and new things to do with them. The digital revolution also brings the digital economy, with machines capable of doing humans' jobs. Agar explains that developments in artificial intelligence enable computers to take over not just routine tasks but also the kind of "mind work" that previously relied on human intellect, and that this threatens human agency. The solution, Agar argues, is a hybrid social-digital economy. The key value of the digital economy is efficiency. The key value of the social economy is humanness. A social economy would be centered on connections between human minds. We should reject some digital automation because machines will always be poor substitutes for humans in roles that involve direct contact with other humans. A machine can count out pills and pour out coffee, but we want our nurses and baristas to have minds like ours. In a hybrid social-digital economy, people do the jobs for which feelings matter and machines take on data-intensive work. But humans will have to insist on their relevance in a digital age.
Author: Bradford, Chris, author. Published: 2017 2014 Call Number: Y BRADFORD Format: Books Summary: Teen bodyguard Connor's new assignment seems more like a vacation as he and Ling protect wealthy twins on a yacht, until Somali pirates attack.
Author: Johnson, Yvette, author. Published: 2017 Call Number: 305.896 Format: Books Summary: "In this memoir, Yvette Johnson travels to the Mississippi Delta to uncover the true story of her late grandfather, whose extraordinary act of courage changed both their lives. "Have to keep that smile," Booker Wright said in the 1966 NBC documentary Mississippi: A Self-Portrait. At the time, Wright spent his evenings waiting tables for whites at a local restaurant and his mornings running his own business. The ripple effect from his remarks would cement Booker as a civil rights icon because he did the unthinkable: before a national audience, Wright described what life truly was like for the black people of Greenwood, Mississippi"--Jacket.
Author: Collins, Olive, author. Published: 2017 Call Number: F COLLINS Format: Books Summary: 1821: After the landlord of Lugdale Estate in Kerry is assassinated, young Art O'Neill's innocent father is hanged and Art is deported to the cane fields of Jamaica as an indentured servant. On Mangrove Plantation he gradually acclimatises to the exotic country and unfamiliar customs of the African slaves, and achieves a kind of contentment. Then the new plantation heirs arrive. His new owner is Colonel Stratford-Rice from Lugdale Estate, the man who hanged his father. Art must overcome his hatred to survive the harsh life of a slave and live to see the eventual emancipation which liberates his coloured children. Eventually he is promised seven gold coins when he finishes his service, but doubts his master will part with the coins.--adapted from back cover.
Author: Glasgow, Kathleen, 1969- author. Published: 2016 Call Number: Y GLASGOW Format: Books Summary: Charlotte Davis is in pieces. At seventeen she's already lost more than most people lose in a lifetime. But she's learned how to forget. The thick glass of a mason jar cuts deep, and the pain washes away the sorrow until there is nothing but calm. You don't have to think about your father and the river. Your best friend, who is gone forever. Or your mother, who has nothing left to give you. Every new scar hardens Charlie's heart just a little more, yet it still hurts so much. It hurts enough to not care anymore, which is sometimes what has to happen before you can find your way back from the edge.
Author: Elwes, Cary, 1962- author. Layden, Joe, author. Published: 2014 Call Number: 791.4372 Format: Books Summary: From actor Cary Elwes, who played the iconic role of Westley in The Princess Bride, comes a first-person account and behind-the-scenes look at the making of the cult classic film filled with never-before-told stories, exclusive photographs, and interviews with costars Robin Wright, Wallace Shawn, Billy Crystal, Christopher Guest, and Mandy Patinkin, as well as author and screenwriter William Goldman, producer Norman Lear, and director Rob Reiner.
Author: Mikoley, Kate, author. Published: 2022 Call Number: 302.343 Format: Books Summary: "As young people continue to share more of their lives online, social media opens up increasing opportunities for international dialogue, but it also means they run the risk of encountering the problematic parts of a virtual community, such as cyber mobs, bullies, and trolls. This thoroughly researched text takes a deep dive into these issues, examining the reasons they happen, common ways to identify them, and tips for protecting oneself from becoming a victim. Readers use full-color photographs, quotes from experts, sidebars, and discussion questions to develop a comprehensive overview of online issues and take precautions in their digital life"--
Author: Brown, Rita Mae, author. Brown, Sneaky Pie, 1982- author. Gellatly, Michael, illustrator. Published: 2021 Call Number: F BROWN Format: Books Summary: A thrilling new tale from New York Times bestselling author Rita Mae Brown and her feline co-author Sneaky Pie Brown. Death stalks the Blue Ridge Mountains once again and Mary Minor "Harry" Harristeen, along with her beloved cats, is on the case. Pharamond "Fair" Haristeen is known throughout Crozet, Virginia, as a good horse vet and a better man. When Benjamin Wagner, a new vet in town, is found dead in his unopened clinic, local police turn to Fair for help getting to the bottom of things. He quickly realizes Ben's clinic has been robbed of ketamine, used by doctors as a horse tranquilizer but also a popular recreational drug. Then Fair's own ketamine goes missing from the back of his truck. When Candida Perez, one of Crozet's oldest and most beloved citizens, is found dead at her desk it's not alarming, given her ninety years of life. But the bickering of her children, Ballard and Constance, over her will and the family's valuable collection of historical letters threatens to drive the rest of the town to madness. Just how far will they take their family squabble? -- adapted from jacket
Author: Brooks, Terry, author. Published: 2021 Call Number: F BROOKS Format: Books Summary: "From the brilliant mind behind the Shannara saga comes an electrifying new fantasy series about a human girl struggling to find her place in a magical world she's never known. At nineteen, Auris Afton Grieg has led an . . . unusual life. Since the age of fifteen, she has been trapped in a sinister prison. Why? She does not know. She has no memories of her past beyond the vaguest of impressions. All she knows is that she is about to age out of the children's prison, and rumors say that the adult version is far, far worse. So she and some friends stage a desperate escape into the surrounding wastelands. And it is here that Auris's journey of discovery begins, for she is rescued by a handsome yet alien stranger. Harrow claims to be Fae--a member of a magical race that Auris had thought to be no more than legend. Odder still, he seems to think that she is one as well, although the two look nothing alike. But strangest of all, when he brings her to his wondrous homeland, she begins to suspect that he is right. Yet how could a woman who looks entirely human be a magical being herself? Told with a fresh, energetic voice, this fantasy puzzle box is Terry Brooks as you have never seen him before, as one young woman slowly unlocks truths about herself and her world--and, in doing so, begins to heal both"--
Author: Strout, Elizabeth, author. Published: 2021 Call Number: F STROUT Format: Books Summary: "Strout's iconic heroine Lucy Barton recounts her complex, tender relationship with William, her first husband -- and longtime, on-again-off-again friend and confidante."-- Lucy Barton is a writer, but her ex-husband, William, remains a hard man to read. William, she confesses, has always been a mystery to me. Another mystery is why the two have remained connected after all these years. They just are. So Lucy is both surprised and not surprised when William asks her to join him on a trip to investigate a recently uncovered family secret--one of those secrets that rearrange everything we think we know about the people closest to us.
Author: Peterson, Tracie, author. Published: 2021 Call Number: LP F PETERSON Format: Large print Summary: She's made big promises. It'll take everything she's got to keep them. Crisscrossing the Great Lakes onboard her father's freighter ship, the Mary Elise, Elise Wright has grown up cooking and caring for the crew. It is a life she loves. Unlike her estranged sister, Elise has turned down numerous opportunities for a "respectable life" with their wealthy relatives. And now, because of promises she made to her dying mother, she's bound to the ship and her deeply grieving father more than ever. Nick Clark is grateful to be hired on as the Mary Elise's first mate as he works to overcome his own guilt and others' censure for a fatal decision he made captaining another ship. He feels protective of the Wrights and their generous natures, especially when a rough new sailor seems intent on causing serious trouble. As the sailor's misdeeds grow, tragedy swells up from another corner. Left to pick up the pieces of the commitments they've made to themselves and to each other, Nick and Elise will have to rely on their faith to see them through.
Author: Saab, Gabriella, author. Published: 2021 Call Number: F SAAB Format: Books Summary: Vowing to avenge the murder of her family, Maria, a young Polish resistance worker imprisoned in Auschwitz, plays chess in exchange for her life, and, in doing so, challenges the man who destroyed her family to one last game that will end in either failure or justice. Maria Florkowska is many things: daughter, avid chess player, and, as a member of the Polish underground resistance in Nazi-occupied Warsaw, a young woman brave beyond her years. Captured by the Gestapo, she is imprisoned in Auschwitz, but while her family is sent to their deaths, she is spared. Realizing her ability to play chess, the sadistic camp deputy, Karl Fritzsch, decides to use her as a chess opponent to entertain the camp guards. However, once he tires of exploiting her skills, he has every intention of killing her. Befriended by a Catholic priest, Maria attempts to overcome her grief, vows to avenge the murder of her family, and plays for her life. For four grueling years, her strategy is simple: Live. Fight. Survive. By cleverly provoking Fritzsch's volatile nature in front of his superiors, Maria intends to orchestrate his downfall. Only then will she have a chance to evade the fate awaiting her and see him punished for his wickedness. As she carries out her plan and the war nears its end, she challenges her former nemesis to one final game, certain to end in life or death, in failure or justice. If Maria can bear to face Fritzsch--and her past--one last time.
Author: Macomber, Debbie, author. Published: 2021 Call Number: F MACOMBER Format: Books Summary: "Lindy Carmichael isn't feeling particularly joyful when she returns home to Wenatchee, Washington, for Christmas. The man she thought was 'the one' has cheated on her with her best friend, and she feels completely devoid of creativity in her graphic-design job. Not even carolers or Christmas cookies can cheer her up--but Lindy's mother, Ellen, remembers an old tradition that might lift her daughter's spirits. Reading through a box of childhood letters to Santa and reminiscing about what she'd wished for as a young girl may be just the inspiration Lindy needs. With Ellen's encouragement, she decides to write a new letter to Santa, one that will encourage her to have faith and believe just as she'd done all those years ago. Little does Lindy know that this exercise in gratitude will cause her wishes to unfold before her in miraculous ways." --Front jacket flap
Author: Kellerman, Jonathan, author. Kellerman, Jesse, author. Published: 2021 Call Number: LP F KELLERMA Format: Large print Summary: When deputy coroner Clay Edison discovers a link between the murder he is investigating and his brother, he is forced to reckon with his own suspicions, resentments, and loyalties. A raging wildfire. A massive blackout. A wealthy man shot to death in his palatial hilltop home. For Clay Edison, it's all in a day's work. As a deputy coroner, caring for the dead, he speaks for those who cannot speak for themselves. He prides himself on an unflinching commitment to the truth. Even when it gets him into trouble. Then, while working the murder scene, Clay is horrified to discover a link to his brother, Luke. Horrified. But not surprised. Luke is fresh out of prison and struggling to stay on the straight and narrow. And now he's gone AWOL. The race is on for Clay to find him before anyone else can. Confronted with Luke's legacy of violence, Clay is forced to reckon with his own suspicions, resentments, and loyalties. Is his brother a killer? Or could he be the victim in all of this, too?
Author: Archer, Jeffrey, 1940- author. Published: 2021 Call Number: F ARCHER Format: Books Summary: At the heart of three murder investigations--one in London involving a cold case, one in Geneva involving a millionaire art collector and one in New York involving a wealthy dynasty, Detective Chief Inspector William Warwick must catch the killers before it's too late. In London, the Metropolitan Police have set up a new Unsolved Murders Unit - a cold case squad - to catch the criminals nobody else can. Four victims. Four cases. All killers poised to strike again. In Geneva, millionaire art collector Miles Faulkner, convicted of forgery and theft, was pronounced dead two months ago. So why is his unscrupulous lawyer still representing a dead client? And who is the mysterious man his widow is planning to marry? On board the luxury cruise liner The Alden, a group of wealthy clientele have signed up the for opulence and glamour of a trans-Atlantic voyage. But the battle for power at the heart of a wealthy dynasty is about to turn to murder. And at the heart of all three investigations lies Detective Chief Inspector William Warwick, rising star of the Met. Only Warwick's genius for deductive reasoning, his fierce intelligence and his occasionally rash bravery - combined with that of ex-undercover operative Ross Hogan, reluctantly brought in from the cold - can bring the criminals to justice and put his nemesis behind bars. But can they catch the killers before it's too late?
Author: Colbert, Brandy, author. Published: 2021 Call Number: Y 976.6 COLBERT Format: Books Summary: "In the early morning of June 1, 1921, a white mob marched across the train tracks in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and into its predominantly Black Greenwood District--a thriving, affluent neighborhood known as America's Black Wall Street. They brought with them firearms, gasoline, and explosives. In a few short hours, they'd razed thirty-five square blocks to the ground, leaving hundreds dead. The Tulsa Race Massacre is one of the most devastating acts of racial violence in US history. But how did it come to pass? What exactly happened? And why are the events unknown to so many of us today? These are the questions that . . . author Brandy Colbert seeks to answer in this . . . nonfiction account of the Tulsa Race Massacre"--Provided by publisher.
Author: Robert, Katee, author. Published: 2021 Call Number: F ROBERT Format: Books Summary: "Society darling Persephone Dimitriou wants nothing to do with her mother's ambitions. She has plans to leave the ultra-modern city of Olympus and start her life far away from the backstabbing and politics. But that all goes down the drain when her mother ambushes her with an engagement to Zeus, the dangerous power behind their glittering city's dark facade. With no options left, Persephone flees Olympus and makes a devil's bargain with a man she once believed was a myth...a man who awakens her heart and her body to a world she never knew existed"--
Author: Andrews, Donna, author. Published: 2021 Call Number: F ANDREWS Format: Books Summary: "The cast of Donna Andrews' New York Times bestselling Meg Langslow mystery series is back for an unforgettable holiday story in The Twelve Jays of Christmas. Meg's brother Rob and his fiancé Delaney have been engaged for some time now. In fear of their mothers' propensity for over-the-top celebrations, they decide to throw a party just before Christmas and then elope. When a blizzard traps their guests inside, the two mothers find out about the planned elopement and start trying to pull together the kind of over-the-top event the couple was trying to avoid in the first place. To make matters worse, a murder is afoot. Will Meg manage to help the snowbound would-be eloping couple thwart their mothers' grandiose wedding plans AND solve a murder among the assembled friends and relatives?"--
Author: Rosenfield, Kat, author. Published: 2021 Call Number: F ROSENFIE Format: Books Summary: When the town pariah Lizzie Oullette is found dead, with her husband missing, Detective Ian Bird discovers a link to a social media influencer and wife of a disgraced billionaire who had a relationship with Lizzie that cut across class boundaries-and ultimately became deadly. Copper Falls, Maine. The local junkyard is burning, and town pariah Lizzie Oullette is dead-- with her husband, Dwayne, nowhere to be found. Detective Ian Bird's inquiries unexpectedly lead him to a swank city townhouse several hours south. Adrienne Richards, blonde and fabulous social media influencer and wife of a disgraced billionaire, had been renting Lizzie's tiny lake house. As her connection to the case becomes clear, so too does her connection to Lizzie, who narrates their story from beyond the grave. Each woman is desperately lonely in her own way, and they navigate a relationship that cuts across class boundaries: transactional, complicated, and, finally, deadly. -- adapted from jacket
