Author: Hoja, Gulchehra, author. Published: 2023 Call Number: B HOJA Format: Books Summary: "In February 2018, twenty-four members of Gulchehra Hoja's family disappeared overnight. Her crime-and thus that of her family-was her award-winning investigations on the plight of her people, the Uyghurs, whose existence and culture is being systematically destroyed by the Chinese government. A Stone is Most Precious Where it Belongs is Gulchehra's stunning memoir, taking us into the everyday world of life under Chinese rule in East Turkestan (more formally as the Xinjiang Autonomous Region of China), from her idyllic childhood to its modern nightmare. The grandchild of a renowned musician and the daughter of an esteemed archaeologist, Gulchehra grew up with her people's culture and history running through her veins. She showed her gifts early on as a dancer, actress, and storyteller, putting her on a path to success as a major television star. Slowly though, she began to understand what China was doing to her people, as well as her own complicity as a journalist. As her rising fame and growing political awakening coincided, she made it her mission to expose the crimes Beijing is committing in the far reaches of its nation, no matter the cost. Reveling in the beauty of East Turkestan and its people-its music, its culture, its heritage, and above all its emphasis on community and family-this groundbreaking memoir gives us a glimpse beyond what the Chinese state wants us to see, showcasing a woman who was willing to risk not just her own life, but also that of everyone she loves, to expose her people's story to the world." --
Author: Graves, Stephanie, author. Published: 2023 Call Number: F GRAVES Format: Books Summary: Weaving wartime intrigue, rural village life, and little-known historical facts about the role of carrier pigeons in WWII, Stephanie Graves continues the adventures of British pigeoneer Olive Bright, but as bitter cold weather forces her racing birds indoors in November 1941, Olive is assigned to a new role in the war effort--escorting none other than Lieutenant Commander Ian Fleming on his visit to the Brickendonbury Manor spy training center... As the weather turns bitterly cold in the dark days of November 1941, fewer pigeons are being conscripted for missions into occupied Europe and Olive fears her covert program may be dropped altogether. In fact, the new CO of the Baker Street intelligence operation at Brickendonbury Manor, Major Blighty, has expressed his doubts regarding her birds--not to mention Olive herself--and assigned her to a far more insignificant role: escort to a visiting officer of the Royal Navy Intelligence Special Branch.
Author: Taubman, Philip, author. Published: 2023 Call Number: B SCHULTZ Format: Books Summary: "Deftly solving critical but intractable national and global problems was the leitmotif of George Pratt Shultz's life. No one at the highest levels of the United States government did it better or with greater consequence in the last half of the 20th century, often against withering resistance. His quiet, effective leadership altered the arc of history. While political, social, and cultural dynamics have changed profoundly since Shultz served at the commanding heights of American power in the 1970s and 1980s, his legacy and the lessons of his career have even greater meaning now that the Shultz brand of conservatism has been almost erased in the modern Republican Party. This book, from longtime New York Times Washington reporter Philip Taubman, restores the modest Shultz to his central place in American history. Taubman reveals Shultz's gift for forging relationships with people and then harnessing the rapport to address national and international challenges, under his motto "trust is the coin of the realm"--as well as his difficulty standing up for his principles, motivated by a powerful sense of loyalty that often trapped him in inaction. Based on exclusive access to Shultz's personal papers, housed in a sealed archive at the Hoover Institution, In the Nation's Service offers a remarkable insider account of the behind-the-scenes struggles of the statesman who played a pivotal role in unwinding the Cold War"--
Author: Valdes, Alisa, author. Published: 2023 Call Number: F VALDES Format: Books Summary: "After a long stint in academia, Jodi Luna leaves Boston for the wilds of New Mexico to start a new life as a game warden. Jodi is no stranger to the wilderness; her family has lived here for generations. Determined to protect her homeland, she nabs a poacher in her first week on the job. But when he retaliates by stalking Jodi and her teenage daughter, a cat and mouse game leads Jodi to a white supremacist group deep in the mountains. She learns that new recruits are kidnapping women of color to prove their mettle to the organization's leader..."--
Author: Stradal, J. Ryan, author. Published: 2023 Call Number: F STRADAL Format: Books Summary: "This novel is the story of Mariel and Ned, a couple from two very different restaurant families in rustic Minnesota, and the legacy of love and tragedy, of hardship and hope, that unites and divides them"-- Mariel Prager needs a break. Her husband Ned is having an identity crisis, her spunky, beloved restaurant is bleeding money by the day, and her mother Florence is stubbornly refusing to leave the church where she's been holed up for more than a week. The Lakeside Supper Club has been in her family for decades, and while Mariel's grandmother embraced the business, seeing it as a saving grace, Florence never took to it. When Mariel inherited the restaurant, skipping Florence, it created a rift between mother and daughter that never quite healed. Ned is also an heir--to a chain of home-style diners--and while he doesn't have a head for business, he knows his family's chain could provide a better future than his wife's fading restaurant. In the aftermath of a devastating tragedy, Ned and Mariel lose almost everything they hold dear, and the hard-won victories of each family hang in the balance. With their dreams dashed, can one fractured family find a way to rebuild despite their losses, and will the Lakeside Supper Club be their salvation? In this colorful, vanishing world of relish trays and brandy Old Fashioneds, J. Ryan Stradal has once again given us a story full of his signature honest, lovable yet fallible Midwestern characters as they grapple with love, loss, and marriage; what we hold onto and what we leave behind; and what our legacy will be when we are gone.
Author: Clark, Mary Higgins, author. Burke, Alafair, author. Published: 2023 Call Number: LP F CLARK Format: Large print Summary: "More than four decades since readers first met Nancy Harmon and her children, comes the thrilling sequel to the groundbreaking book that set the stage for future generations of psychological suspense novels. A lawyer turned successful podcaster, Melissa has recently married a man whose first wife died tragically, leaving him and their young daughter, Riley, behind. While Melissa and her brother, Mike, help their mom, Nancy, relocate from Cape Cod to the Hamptons, Melissa's new stepdaughter goes missing. Drawing on the experience of their own abduction, Melissa and Mike race to find Riley to save her from the trauma they still struggle with--or worse"--
Author: Banash, Jennifer, author. Published: 2023 Call Number: F BANASH Format: Books Summary: "An electrifying novel about a woman in thrall to the exhilarating rhythms of Manhattan, lost in the dizzying promise of youth, and fatally naive to the dark pressures of fame. When Rolling Stone journalist Kayla McCray is assigned a cover story on pop icon Lexi Mayhem, Kayla stumbles across a startling new angle to the exposé. Years ago, another rising star from Lexi's past mysteriously leaped to her death. Some things are better off forgotten, Lexi says. Kayla disagrees. It's 2005 and Ava Petrova moves to New York with a notebook full of songs and a dream. Then she meets Lexi, an up-and-coming singer who brands Ava with an enigmatic new stage name and introduces her to an intoxicating city alive with possibilities. From fast friends and kindred spirits to creative muses and inseparable soul mates, Ava and Lexi embark on a parallel journey to stardom, but there is room for only one at the top. As past and present converge, Kayla chases the ghost of a young woman doomed by betrayal and erased by a secret, and unravels the truth that it takes more than ambition to become a star."--Amazon website.
Author: Adams, Ellery, author. Published: 2023 2022 Call Number: LP F ADAMS Format: Large print Summary: "When corpses clutching poems begin turning up around Storyton Hall, Jane Steward is on the trail of someone exercising poetic license to kill and is determined to keep her fairytale resort from turning into a southern gothic...As Jane eagerly anticipates the wedding of her best friend Eloise Alcott, Storyton Hall is overrun with poets in town to compete for a coveted greeting card contract. They're everywhere, scrawling verses on cocktail napkins in the reading rooms or seeking inspiration strolling the Poet's Walk, a series of trails named after famous authors. But the Tennyson Trail leads to a grim surprise: a woman's corpse drifting in a rowboat on a lake, posed as if she were The Lady of Shalott. When a second body is discovered, also posed as a poetic character, a recurring MO emerges. Fortunately, Jane is well versed in sleuthing and won't rest until she gives the killer a taste of poetic justice..."--
Author: Turk, Marilyn, author. Published: 2023 Call Number: LP F TURK Format: Large print Summary: "After the Nazis started the bombing blitz of England, Beryl Clarke puts her university education on hold to return to Leeds, care for her mother, and work as a secretary at the Waddingtons game company. While she endures the war at home, her brother James fights the enemy in the air. When he is shot down, injured, and captured, James reunites with a former college friend, American POW Kenneth Bordelon, and they plan to escape the Nazi prison camp. Beryl knows there is a board game with escape plans being delivered to POWs by the Red Cross. But how can she let them know about the game's secret without revealing the information to the enemy?"--
Author: Cavallari, Kristin, 1987- author. Published: 2023 Call Number: 641.5637 Format: Books Summary: "In Truly Simple, she focuses on the weekday meal, with more than 140 recipes that are family friendly, mostly gluten-free, as well as quick and easy to prepare. Along with tips and tricks for stocking your pantry, Kristin has created her most personal book yet, as she shares her philosophy on food and cooking for kids: let go of perfectionism. Don't beat yourselves up over what you're putting on the table! Sit down and enjoy the time with your family. Health is a constantly evolving journey, so don't stress! These simple recipes include: breakfasts: Blueberry Cinnamon Sugar-Baked Oats and Turmeric Fried Eggs with Crispy Kale and Chili Oil; salads: Buffalo Cauliflower Salad and Salmon BLT Salad with Spicy Tomatillo Ranch; lunches: Cheesy Stuffed Poblanos and Veggie Rice Bowl with Sweet Tahini Sauce; dinners: Mediterranean Meatballs with Tzatziki Sauce, Fried Chicken with Spicy Arugula and Honey Mustard, and Tuscan Spaghetti Squash Casserole; sides: Bacon Wrapped Asparagus and Mac and Cheese Two Ways; snacks: Creamy Cilantro Lime Dip With Avocado Chips and Spicy Grilled Peaches with Balsamic Glaze; desserts: Skillet Carrot Cake and Cold Brew Brownie Cookies"--
Author: Black, Lisa, 1963- author. Published: 2023 2022 Call Number: LP F BLACK Format: Large print Summary: "When D.C. crime scene analyst Dr. Ellie Carr is called to investigate the heartrending case of a missing baby, she's shocked to discover that the child's mother is her own cousin. Close during their impoverished childhoods, Ellie and Rebecca eventually drifted apart. Rebecca is now half of a Washington power couple, and she and her wealthy lobbyist husband, Hunter, have been living a charmed life in an opulent mansion--until their infant son is taken. Every contact leaves a trace. That's the basic principle of forensic science followed by pathologist Dr. Rachael Davies. A reluctant Ellie is teamed with Rachael, employed by Hunter to help with the investigation. But in this case, discovering where those traces lead quickly becomes a dangerous journey through a web of greed and deadly ambition. At first antagonists, then allies, Ellie and Rachael race to find the baby alive and bring the kidnappers to justice. What seemed like a simple ransom grab reveals links to a lobbying effort to loosen regulations on a billion-dollar gaming empire. Unless they can piece together the evidence before the Senate hearing, Rebecca's son--and others like him--will face an unthinkable fate..."--
Author: Brennan, Allison, author. Published: 2023 2021 Call Number: LP F BRENNAN Format: Large print Summary: "Lucas Vega is obsessed with the death of Candace Swain, who left a sorority party one night and never came back. Her body was found a week after she disappeared, but the case has grown cold. Three years later while interning at the medical examiner's, Lucas discovers new information, but the police are not interested. Lucas knows he has several credible pieces of the puzzle. He just isn't sure how they fit together. So he creates a podcast to revisit Candace's last hours. Then he encourages listeners to crowdsource what they remember and invites guest lecturer Regan Merritt, a former US marshal, to come on and share her expertise. New tips come in that convince Lucas and Regan they are onto something. Podcast callers hint at Candace's secret life, a much darker picture than Lucas imagined--and one that implicates other sorority sisters. Then shockingly a sorority alum, one of the last people to see Candace before she disappeared, turns up dead. Regan uses her own resources to bolster their theory and learns that Lucas is hiding his own secret. The pressure is on to solve the murder, but first Lucas must come clean about his real motives in pursuing this podcast--before the killer silences him forever."--
Author: Davis, Susan Page, author. Published: 2023 2022 Call Number: LP F DAVIS Format: Large print Summary: "Murder strikes Skirmish Cove during the coastal town's winter carnival. Jillian Tunney, part owner of the nearby Novel Inn, discovers the body of a clerk at her favorite bookstore. With her sister Kate and brother, Officer Rick Gage, she tries to find out who killed him. Meanwhile, Jillian is immersed in redecorating one of the themed rooms, but Kate is annoyed when a mysterious guest at the inn doesn't want to leave his room. The innkeepers find they have way too many secrets to solve."--
Author: Seeck, Max, 1985- author. London, Kristian, translator. Published: 2023 Call Number: F SEECK Format: Books Summary: "While her colleagues investigate the brutal murder of a prominent businessman, Jessica Niemi must battle demons from her past in this terrifying new novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Witch Hunter. Powerful executive Eliel Zetterborg has been found murdered in his upscale Helsinki home. What at first seems like a straightforward case soon proves to be anything but when it becomes clear the murderer has other targets. The only clue the police have is a photo of Zetterborg with three men whose faces have all been scratched off. Detective Jessica Niemi has taken some time off from her work with the Helsinki police to track down the coven that nearly killed her, and her partner, Yusuf, is assigned to lead the investigation. But as Yusuf delves into the case, he realizes he needs Jessica's help. And as they dig deeper, they realize that the evil they've been hunting all along has returned and is lying in wait for the right moment to strike"--
Author: Burke, Kelsy, 1985- author. Published: 2023 Call Number: 306.771 Format: Books Summary: "For readers of Peggy Orenstein and Rebecca Traister, an authoritative, big think look at pornography in all its facets -- historical, religious, and cultural. In the 1960s, sex researchers Masters and Johnson declared the end of the fake orgasm. Nearly two decades later, in 1982, evangelical activist Tim LaHaye foretold that the entire pornography industry would soon be driven out of business. Neither prediction proved true. Instead, with the rise of the internet, pornography saturates the American conscience more than ever and has reshaped our understanding of sexuality, relationships, media, and even the nature of addiction. Dr. Kelsy Burke has spent the last five years researching and interviewing internet pornography's opponents and its sympathizers. In The Pornography Wars, Burke does a deep dive into the long history of pornography in America and then turns her gaze on our present society to examine the ways this industry touches on the most intimate parts of American lives. She offers a complete understanding of the major players in the debates around porn's place in society: everyone from sex workers, activists, therapists, religious leaders, and consumers. In doing so, she addresses and debunks the myths that surround porn and porn usage while showing how everything from the way we teach children about sex to the legal protections for what can be published is tied up in the deeply complicated battles over pornography. Sweeping, savvy, and deeply researched, The Pornography Wars is a necessary and comprehensive new look at pornography and American life." --Front jacket flap.
Author: Doller, Trish, author. Published: 2023 Call Number: F DOLLER Format: Books Summary: "On the road to love, you don't need a GPS...Carla Black's life motto is "here for a good time, not for a long time." She's been traveling the world on her own in her vintage Jeep Wrangler for nearly a decade, stopping only long enough to replenish her adventure fund. She doesn't do love and she doesn't ever go home. Eamon Sullivan is a modern-day cartographer who creates digital maps. His work helps people find their way, but he's the one who's lost his sense of direction. He's unhappy at work, recently dumped, and his one big dream is stalled out--literally. Fate throws them together when Carla arrives in Dublin for her best friend's wedding and Eamon is tasked with picking her up from the airport. But what should be a simple drive across Ireland quickly becomes complicated with chemistry-filled detours, unexpected feelings, and a chance at love--if only they choose it"--
Author: Escobar, Mario, 1971- author. Abernathy, Gretchen, translator. Published: 2023 Call Number: F ESCOBAR Format: Books Summary: "The true story of an astonishingly brave woman who saved hundreds of mothers and their children during the Spanish Civil War and WWII"-- "Elisabeth Eidenbenz left Switzerland in 1937 to aid children orphaned during the Spanish Civil War. Now, her work has led her to France, where she's determined to provide expectant mothers and their unborn children a refuge amid one of the worst humanitarian crises of the twentieth century. Desperate to escape the invasion of Franco's Fascist troops, Isabel Duenas becomes one of many Spanish patriots fleeing their country. She leaves behind her husband as he fights for democracy, and she seeks asylum in a refugee camp across the border in France. Without adequate shelter, clean drinking water, or medical care, Isabel's future looks bleak--until she meets Elisabeth." --Front jacket flap
Author: Kolber, Aundi, author. Published: 2023 Call Number: 158.1 Format: Books Summary: In Strong like Water, author and trauma therapist Aundi Kolber offers a framework for true flourishing. With each page, you'll: Learn how your nervous system shapes your experience so that we can move through pain instead of being stuck in it. Explore various practices, rhythms, and resources to support you in challenging circumstances with compassion and hope. Discover how to internalize connection, love, and safety--empowering you with greater resilience. A different, more expansive way of healing, wholeness, and possibly--especially--strength is possible. We were made to be strong like water.
Author: Adams, Ellery, author. Published: 2023 Call Number: F ADAMS Format: Books Summary: When Kelly Walsh, the woman her ex-husband left her for, is murdered, bookstore owner and bibliotherapist Nora Pennington and The Secret, Book, and Scone Society seek justice for Kelly amidst gossip and suspicion. Miracle Springs, North Carolina, is famed for its healing springs. But bookstore owner Nora Pennington has a tendency to land in a different kind of hot water. Though she loves to practice bibliotherapy by finding the perfect books for her customers while listening to their secrets, she also likes to bury her nose in the occasional local crime...Nora escaped her past a decade ago. So it feels like a visit from another world when Kelly Walsh--the woman her ex-husband left her for--walks through the door of Miracle Books along with her son, a sweet, serious boy with a talent for origami. Kelly hasn't come to gloat, though. As it turns out, she's been dumped too. She's also terribly ill, and all she wants from Nora is forgiveness. Shockingly, however, this woman who's been the victim of so much misfortune is about to become a murder victim. Who would do such a thing? Certainly not Nora, but that doesn't stop the gossip and suspicion--especially after Kelly's brother claims that he saw the two women arguing. In seeking justice for Kelly, The Secret, Book, and Scone Society joins forces with the sheriff's department, but they've barely begun their probe when life throws another wrench. After serving a twenty-year sentence, Estella's father returns to Miracle Springs. And when his past comes back to haunt him, it might be more than the four friends can handle.
Author: Connolly, Rebecca, author. Published: 2023 Call Number: F CONNOLLY Format: Books Summary: "Based on a true story, this historical novel focuses on Edith Cavell's work as a nurse in Belgium during World War I, her involvement smuggling wounded Allied soldiers to freedom, and her eventual arrest and execution"-- "Can one nurse on a mission of mercy and rebellion turn the tide of WWI? November 1914--The Great War has come to Brussels, the Germans have occupied the city, and Edith Cavell, Head Nurse at Berkendael Medical Institute, faces an impossible situation. As matron of a designated Red Cross hospital, Edith has sworn an oath to help any who are wounded, under whatever flag they are found. But Governor von Lüttwitz, the ranking German officer, has additional orders for her. She and her nurses must also stand guard over the wounded Allied prisoners of war and prevent them from escaping.Edith feels that God called her to be a healer, not a jailer. How can she heal these broken boys, only to allow them to be returned to the hands of their oppressors to be beaten again? So when members of the Belgian resistance, desperate for help, bring two wounded British soldiers to her hospital in secret, she makes a decision that will change everything: she will heal the soldiers, and then attempt to smuggle them out of the hospital to freedom. With her loyal friend and fellow nurse, Elizabeth, by her side, Edith establishes her hospital as a safe house for the resistance, laboring tirelessly to save as many soldiers as she can. Working under the watchful eyes of the German army, Edith faces challenging odds and charges of treason-which carries the death penalty if she is caught--as she fights alongside the resistance to bring-and keep-hope to her small corner of a war-torn world.Based on a true story, Under the Cover of Mercy is the remarkable account of one woman who defied an entire nation in order to heal those who needed her help the most. "--
