Author: Kim, Sŏng-il (Science fiction writer), author. Hur, Anton, translator. Published: 2024 2016 Call Number: F KIM Format: Books Summary: "From award-winning Korean author Sung-il Kim & translated by the world-renowned Anton Hur, Blood of the Old Kings begins an epic journey unlike any other. There is no escaping the Empire. Even in death, you will serve. In an Empire run on necromancy, dead sorcerers are the lifeblood. Their corpses are wrapped in chains and drained of magic to feed the unquenchable hunger for imperial conquest. Born with magic, Arienne has become resigned to her dark fate. But when the voice of a long-dead sorcerer begins to speak inside her head, she listens. There may be another future for her, if she's willing to fight for it. Miles away, beneath a volcano, a seven-eyed dragon also wears the Empire's chains. Before the imperial fist closed around their lands, it was the people's sacred guardian. Loran, a widowed swordswoman, is the first to kneel before the dragon in decades. She comes with a desperate plea, and will leave with a sword of dragon-fang in hand and a great purpose before her. In the heart of the Imperial capital, Cain is known as a man who gets things done. When his best friend and mentor is found murdered, he will leave no stone unturned to find those responsible, even if it means starting a war. Step into a world of necromancy, murder, and twisted magic. A world in need of a hero"--
Author: Aduba, Uzo, author. Published: 2024 Call Number: B ADUBA Format: Books Summary: "The Road Is Good is a memoir of Black immigrant identity, the coming-of-age story of Nigerian American actress Uzo Aduba, one of the stars of the television series Orange is the New Black"-- A powerful, timely memoir of Black immigrant identity, the story of an unforgettable matriarch, and a unique coming-of-age story by Nigerian American actress Uzo Aduba.The actress Uzo Aduba came of age grappling with a master juggling act: as one of few Black families in their white Massachusetts suburb, she and her siblings were the unexpected presence in whatever school room or sports team they joined. But Aduba was also rooted by a fierce and nonnegotiable sense of belonging and extraordinary worth that stemmed from her mother’s powerful vision for her children, and their connection to generations of family in Nigeria. The alchemy of being out of place yet driven by fearless conviction powered Aduba to success.The Road Is Good is more than the journey of a young woman determined to survive young adulthood — and to create a workable identity for herself. It is the story of an incredible mother and a testament to matriarchal power. When Aduba’s mother falls ill, the origin of her own power crystallizes and Aduba leaps into a caretaker role, uniquely prepared by the history and tools her mother passed along to become steward of her ancestral legacy. Deeply mining her family history—gripping anecdotes her mother, aunts, and uncles shared in passing at family celebrations and her own discoveries through countless auditions in New York and her travels to Nigeria—Aduba pieces together a life story imbued with guiding lessons that are both personal and profoundly universal. -- Barnes & Noble.
Author: Bradley, Anna (Romance fiction writer), author. Published: 2024 Call Number: PB BRADLEY Format: Books Summary: "Alarmed by the sound of an intruder, Rose St. Claire fetches her pistol. She's shocked to discover that the trespasser is a handsome gentleman--one who states that the house, which Rose recently inherited from her late benefactor, was stolen from his father decades ago. He claims it is now his. And it is--but not entirely. As it turns out, Hammond Court has been left to them both--and neither can evict the other without forfeiting their right to the property...Wealthy and ruthless, Maxwell Burke, Duke of Grantham, has spent years regaining the many properties his father lost to bad wagers. Only Hammond Court remains. But Rose has no intention of leaving. In fact, as Christmas draws near, circumstances force Max to plan a holiday party, and Rose is all too happy to help. Max despises such merriment--until he sees it as an opportunity...Max will forgive the debt of another young duke's family if the attractive gentleman woos Rose at the party, ultimately marries her--and returns her share of the estate to Max. It's foolproof. Except that Rose's spirited joy is seductive, recalling within Max long ago feelings of happiness--and awakening a deep attraction. Has Max cooked his own Christmas goose--or is there a chance love will prevail?..."--
Author: Chemerinsky, Erwin, author. Published: 2024 Call Number: 342.73 Format: Books Summary: "This book argues that the Constitution has become a threat to American democracy and must be dramatically changed or replaced if secession is to be avoided. Deeply troubled by the Constitution's inherent flaws, Erwin Chemerinsky, the dean of Berkeley Law School, came to the conclusion that our nearly 250-year-old founding document is responsible for the crisis now facing American democracy. Pointing out that just fifteen of the 11,848 amendments proposed since 1789 have passed, Chemerinsky contends that the very nature of our polarization results from the Constitution's 'bad bones', which have created a government that no longer works or has the confidence of the public. Yet political Armageddon can still be avoided, Chemerinsky writes, if a new constitutional convention is empowered to replace the Constitution of 1787, much as the Founding Fathers replaced the outdated Articles of Confederation. If this isn't possible, Americans must give serious thought to forms of secession--including a United States structured like the European Union--based on a recognition that what divides us as a country is, in fact, greater than what unites us"--
Author: Buffini, Moira, author. Published: 2024 Call Number: Y BUFFINI Format: Books Summary: "Elsa is used to hiding the most important parts of herself--her feelings for Rye, her distaste for a world ruled by men, and, most crucially, her gift of songlight. She buries that secret deep inside. In Brightland, those with songlight are called Unhumans and are abhorred. Rye is the only other person Elsa has known with songlight, and their shared bond has brought them together. Elsa's world begins to fall apart one desperate, heart-wrenching day and she doesn't know where to turn until a girl appears before her. But the girl isn't really there--her songlight has been drawn to Elsa's frantic grief. Elsa lives in a remote seaside village; Nightingale, her new friend, lives in a city hundreds of miles away with her father, a government official responsible for rooting out Unhumans. The two never expected to connect via songlight. But when they do, and when they realize the extent of their power, they'll be thrust in the middle of a war that threatens their very existence"--
Author: Thao, Dustin, author. Published: 2024 Call Number: Y THAO Format: Books Summary: Eric, a lonely nineteen-year-old grappling with the loss of his best friend, retreats into his imagination and finds solace in a memory of a day spent with a boy named Haru, but Eric's imagination and reality blur together when he walks into a coffee shop and sees Haru. "After the death of his best friend, Eric Ly creates imaginary scenarios in his head to deal with his grief. Until one of them becomes real when a boy he met last summer in Japan finds his way back into his life. When he least expectgs it, Haru Tanaka walks into the coffee shop and sits down next to him. The only thing is, nobody else can see him. In a magical turn of events, Eric suddenly has someone to connect with, making him feel less alone in the world. But as they spend more and more time together, he begins to question what is real. Then he starts losing control of the very thing that is holdong him together, Eric must finally confront his reality. Even if it means losing Haru forever."--
Author: Boot, Max, 1968- author. Published: 2024 Call Number: B REAGAN Format: Books Summary: "Son of the Midwest, movie star, and mesmerizing politician--America's fortieth president comes to three-dimensional life in this gripping and profoundly revisionist biography. In this "monumental and impressive" biography, Max Boot, the distinguished political columnist, illuminates the untold story of Ronald Reagan, revealing the man behind the mythology. Drawing on interviews with over one hundred of the fortieth president's aides, friends, and family members, as well as thousands of newly available documents, Boot provides "the best biography of Ronald Reagan to date" (Robert Mann). The story begins not in star-studded Hollywood but in the cradle of the Midwest, small-town Illinois, where Reagan was born in 1911 to Nelle Clyde Wilson, a devoted Disciples of Christ believer, and Jack Reagan, a struggling, alcoholic salesman. Boot vividly creates a portrait of a handsome young man, indeed a much-vaunted lifeguard, whose early successes mirrored those of Horatio Alger. And contextualizing Reagan's life against American history, Boot re-creates the world in which Reagan transitioned from local Iowa sportscaster to budding screen actor. The world of Hollywood from the 1930s to the 1950s would prove significant, not only in Reagan's coming-of-age in such classics as Knute Rockne and Kings Row but during the twilight of his film career, when he played opposite a chimpanzee in Bedtime for Bonzo, and then his eventual emergence as a television host of General Electric Theater, which established his bona fides as one of the leading conservative voices of the time. Indeed, the leap to California governor in 1966 seemed almost preordained, in which Reagan became a bellwether for a nation in the throes of a generational shift. Reagan's 1980 presidential election augured a shift that continues into this century. Boot writes not as a partisan but as a historian seeking to set the story straight. He explains how Reagan was an ideologue but also a supreme pragmatist who signed pro-abortion and gun control bills as governor, cut deals with Democrats in both Sacramento and Washington, and befriended Mikhail Gorbachev to end the Cold War. A master communicator, Reagan revived America's spirits after the traumas of Vietnam and Watergate. But Boot also shows how Reagan was armored in obliviousness. He traces Reagan's opposition to civil rights over forty years, reveals how he neglected the exploding AIDS epidemic, and details how America experienced a level of income inequality not seen since the Gilded Age. With its revelatory insights, Reagan: His Life and Legend is no apologia, depicting a man with a good-versus-evil worldview derived from his moralistic upbringing and Hollywood westerns. Providing fresh examinations of "trickle-down economics," the Cold War's end, the Iran-Contra affair, as well as a nuanced portrait of Reagan's family, this definitive biography is as compelling a presidential biography as any in recent decades."--
Author: Coats, J. Anderson (Jillian Anderson), author. Published: 2024 Call Number: Y COATS Format: Books Summary: "In this twisting, page-turning read, shipwrecked teen girls from opposing sides of a long war must find common ground in order to survive. When the Burying Ground goes down in neutral waters, it sends the delegations from two warring nations--and the peace treaty they were about to sign--to the bottom of the ocean. The only survivors are a pair of teen girls: Cora, daughter of a Duran newspaper man, and Vivienne, lady's maid to an Ariminthian princess. Neither has known a time when war between their two countries did not rage, but now they must learn to trust each other if they are to find sustenance, avoid dangerous pirates, and have any hope of rescue from the remote island they washed up on. However, in the midst of a conflict steeped in fierce national identity, propaganda, disinformation, and radicalization, finding a common path forward seems nearly impossible, for both Cora and Vivienne and their respective countries. But when the teens' politically charged rescue seems likely to extend the war, Cora and Vivienne realize they do have a shared purpose: peace. If only it isn't too late."--
Author: Hawkins, Paula, author. Published: 2024 Call Number: LP F HAWKINS Format: Large print Summary: "Welcome to Eris: an island with only one house, one inhabitant, one way out. Unreachable from the Scottish mainland for twelve hourseach day. Once home to Vanessa: A famous artist whose notoriously unfaithful husband disappeared twenty years ago. Now home to Grace: Asolitary creature of the tides, content in her own isolation. But when a shocking discovery is made in an art gallery far away in London, a visitor comes calling. And the secrets of Eris threaten to emerge..."--
Author: Benen, Steve, author. Published: 2024 Call Number: 324.2734 Format: Books Summary: "A searing, vital investigation of the Republican Party's dangerous campaign to rewrite history in real time from the Emmy Award-winning producer of The Rachel Maddow Show" -- "For as long as historical records have existed, people in positions of authority have tried to rewrite history to suit their purposes. The pattern has become tragically familiar: dictatorial powers use their editing pens to create myths, spread propaganda, justify decisions, erase opponents, and even dispose of crimes. Today, as Republican politics becomes increasingly radicalized, it's not surprising to see the party read from a similarly despotic script. Indeed, the party is taking dangerous, aggressive steps to rewrite history--and not just from generations past. Unable to put a positive spin on Trump-era scandals and fiascos, GOP voices and their allies have grown determined to rewrite the stories of the last few years, treating the recent past as an enemy to be overpowered, crushed, and conquered. The consequences for our future, in turn, are deadly. Extraordinarily timely and undeniably important, Steve Benen's new book tells the staggering chronicle of the Republican party's unsettling attempts at historical revisionism. It reveals not only how dependent they have grown on the tactic, but also how dangerous the consequences are if we allow the party to continue. The stakes, Benen argues, couldn't be higher: the future of democracy hinges on both our accurate understanding of events and the end of alternative narratives that challenge reality"--
Author: Cohen, Brian Tyler (Vlogger), author. Raskin, Jamin B., author of foreword. Published: 2024 Call Number: 324.2734 Format: Books Summary: "In Shameless, Brian Tyler Cohen lays bare the long con of the modern Republican Party. While the radical right continues hiding behind gaslighting maneuvers, artificial slogans, and hollow catchphrases, Cohen's unflinching narrative illuminates the realities and dangers of the ever-widening gulf between the vaunted Republican brand and their actual behavior. With a foreword by Congressman Jamie Raskin, drawing on interviews and insights from Pete Buttigieg, Mehdi Hasan, Jen Psaki, and other luminaries of the Left, Cohen reveals: How Republicans have leaned on their historƯical branding to give themselves a permission structure to behave antithetically to everything they say; Why the mainstream media has proved itself a willing participant in this ongoing farce--particularly since the rise of toxic, sensationalƯist MAGA mania; and What lessons Democrats can glean from a clear-eyed view of the landscape we?re operating in--and the steps we must take to rebalance our political landscape. During this all-hands-on-deck moment in our hisƯtory, Shameless is essential reading for those seeking to understand our dire situation, and a rallying cry for those fighting to preserve democracy." --Amazon.com
Author: O'Connor, Carlene, author. Published: 2024 Call Number: F OCONNOR Format: Books Summary: In a remote village on Ireland's southwest coast--where winding windswept roads open to spectacular views of rugged cliffs against immense, lonely beaches--some fear a mysterious cult could be connected to the disappearance of a young pregnant woman. "After two pregnant women in Dingle who have never met each receive a chilling email warning them that they're in grave danger, the two decide to meet each other to figure out what is going on. But when one of the mothers, Shauna, a deaf woman, arrives at their meeting place at the village Spring Festival, she fears a trap and hurries off to meet the couple who plan to adopt her baby. Meanwhile, Dimpna Wilde has her hands full with lambing season and keeping track of her father, so she's grateful for the help of a well-meaning ten-year-old boy, Dylan, at the veterinary clinic. But when the lad goes missing after going into a bog on a dare with two other boys to search for a 'monster,' she is desperate to help find him." --Amazon.com
Author: Whitney, Eleanor C., author. Published: 2024 Call Number: 070.5 Format: Books Summary: "When you write a book, your work doesn't end on publication day. In fact, a key part of your job as an author is to get your book into the hands of readers . . . and that means you need to promote it. But how to do that? In this interactive standalone companion to Promote Your Book, you'll find tips, exercises, and templates to get you started. From building your literary network to identifying your audience to planning social media posts and book tours, this workbook empowers you to create an individualized plan centered on authenticity and community. Regardless of your publishing pathway (traditional, self, or hybrid) and the kind of book you've written, you'll find the tools to make the process of promoting your book approachable, fruitful, and, most importantly, fun." -- Back of book.
Author: McFadden, Freida, author. Published: 2024 2021 Call Number: LP F MCFADDEN Format: Large print Summary: "While eleven-year-old Nora Davis was up in her bedroom doing homework, she had no idea her father was killing women in the basement. Until the day the police arrived at their front door. Decades later, Nora's father is spending his life behind bars, and Nora is a successful surgeon with a quiet, solitary existence. Nobody knows her father was a notorious serial killer. And she intends to keep it that way. Then Nora discovers one of her young female patients has been murdered. In the same unique and horrific manner that her father used to kill his victims. Somebody knows who Nora is. Somebody wants her to take the fall for this unthinkable crime. But she's not a killer like her father. The police can't pin anything on her. As long as they don't look in her basement"--
Author: White, Andrew Joseph, author. Published: 2024 Call Number: Y WHITE Format: Books Summary: "A queer Appalachian thriller that pulls no punches--following a trans autistic teen who's drawn into the generational struggle between the rural poor and those who exploit them. On the night Miles Abernathy--sixteen-year-old socialist and proud West Virginian--comes out as trans to his parents, he sneaks off to a party, carrying evidence that may finally turn the tide of the blood feud plaguing Twist Creek: Photos that prove the county's Sheriff Davies was responsible for the so-called "accident" that injured his dad, killed others, and crushed their grassroots efforts to unseat him. The feud began a hundred years ago when Miles's great-great-grandfather, Saint Abernathy, incited a miners' rebellion that ended with a public execution at the hands of law enforcement. Now, Miles becomes the feud's latest victim as the sheriff's son and his friends sniff out the evidence, follow him through the woods, and beat him nearly to death. In the hospital, the ghost of a soot-covered man hovers over Miles's bedside while Sheriff Davies threatens Miles into silence. But when Miles accidently kills one of the boys who hurt him, he learns of other folks in Twist Creek who want out from under the sheriff's heel. To free their families from this cycle of cruelty, they're willing to put everything on the line--is Miles? A visceral, unabashedly political page-turner that won't let you go until you've reached the end, Compound Fracture is not for the faint of heart, but it is for every reader who's ready to fight for a better world. Hand this story to teens pushing for radical change." --
Author: Glasgow, Kathleen, 1969- author. Published: 2024 Call Number: Y GLASGOW Format: Books Summary: When fifteen-year-old Bella's latest blackout lands her in the hospital, she enters rehab to confront her addiction to alcohol. Everyone in fifteen-year-old Bella's life needs something from her. Her mom needs her to help around the house, her dad needs her to not make waves, her ex needs her to not be so much. The only person who never needed anything from her was her grandmother-- and now she's dead. There's only one thing the pressure: alcohol. Vodka, beer, peppermint schnapps-- alcohol smooths the sharp edges of Bella's life. And what's the big deal? Everyone drinks. Besides, Bella can stop whenever she wants. But after she gets blackout drunk at a Thanksgiving party and wakes up in the hospital, it's time to face reality. And for Bella. reality means rehab."--
Author: Blake, Kendare, author. Published: 2024 Call Number: Y BLAKE Format: Books Summary: "Kendare Blake returns to the world of the Aristene in this epic fantasy novel as a young member of the order faces down old loves and old foes."-- "The cost was steep, but Redd is officially an Aristene. And not just any Aristene, but a Glorious Death, guiding only those heroes whose glory cost them their lives. It is a heavy burden, but to forget the prince she left behind, Reed throws herself into it, harvesting heroes at what some say is a reckless pace. So when Lyonene is summoned to guide a princess to a glorious marriage, Reed sees an opportunity--a hero who isn't fated to die-- and they secretly arrange for Reed to go in her place. But instead of an easy mission, she arrives to find chaos: an old enemy is rising to threaten the Aristene, and one of the princess's suitors is Hestion, whom Reed still loves, and whom may yet love her. Reed has already given everything to the order. As oaths are broken and lives are lost, what more must she give to save her sisters, and herself?"--
Author: Deverell, William, 1937- author. Published: 2024 Call Number: F DEVERELL Format: Books Summary: "Arthur Beauchamp takes a break from the courtroom to write a memoir so he can set the record straight about a headline murder case he fought as a young lawyer in 1966. The trial would either mark him as a pathetic loser or thrust him into the top ranks of criminal counsel. The background: in 1966, a young housemaid was raped by her employer, a callous and vindictive millionaire. She shot him point blank, so it seemed an open-and-shut case of first-degree murder. Enter Arthur Beauchamp, a young lawyer haunted by having bungled his only previous murder case. He is now called upon to defend a murder that he is almost certain can't be won. But as the trial speeds through twists and turns, his slashing cross-examinations bring hope that the jury might entertain a reasonable doubt. In present time, Arthur learns that writing about his social gaffes, booze, and sex is not easy, especially as his efforts are regularly interrupted by the quirky characters who inhabit his supposedly idyllic Garibaldi Island."--
Author: Marske, Freya, author. Published: 2024 Call Number: F MARSKE Format: Books Summary: "High heat. Low stakes. Sharp steel. The cozy, low stakes of Legends & Lattes meets the scorching bodyguard fantasy of Jennifer L. Armentrout's From Blood and Ash in this enemies-to-lovers romance where, yes, the swords do cross. Mattinesh Jay, dutiful heir to his struggling family business, needs to hire an experienced swordsman to serve as best man for his arranged marriage. Sword-challenge at the ceremony could destroy all hope of restoring his family's wealth, something that Matti has been trying -- and failing -- to do for the past ten years. What he can afford, unfortunately, is part-time con artist and full-time charming menace Luca Piere. Luca, for his part, is trying to reinvent himself in a new city. All he wants to do is make some easy money and try to forget the crime he committed in his hometown. He didn't plan on being blackmailed into giving sword lessons to a chronically responsible -- and inconveniently handsome -- wool merchant like Matti. However, neither Matti's business troubles nor Luca himself are quite what they seem. As the days count down to Matti's wedding, the two of them become entangled in the intrigue and sabotage that have brought Matti's house to the brink of ruin. And when Luca's secrets threaten to drive a blade through their growing alliance, both Matti and Luca will have to answer the question: how many lies are you prepared to strip away, when the truth could mean losing everything you want?"--
Author: Harris, Robert, 1957- author. Published: 2024 Call Number: F HARRIS Format: Books Summary: "Summer 1914. A world on the brink of catastrophe. In London, twenty-six-year-old Venetia Stanley--aristocratic, clever, bored, reckless--is part of a fast group of upper-crust bohemians and socialites known as "The Coterie." She's also engaged in a clandestine love affair with the Prime Minister, H. H. Asquith, a man more than twice her age. He writes to her obsessively, sharing the most sensitive matters of state. As Asquith reluctantly leads the country into war with Germany, a young intelligence officer with Scotland Yard is assigned to investigate a leak of top-secret documents. Suddenly, what was a sexual intrigue becomes a matter of national security that could topple the British government--and will alter the course of political history"--
