Author: Davis, Kenneth C., author. Published: 2022 Call Number: 011.73 DAVIS Format: Books Summary: An entertaining guide to some of the best short novels of all time looks at works from the eighteenth century to the present day, spanning multiple genres, cultures, and countries. Davis provides a guide to some of the best short novels of all time. The works span from the eighteenth century to the present day, covering multiple genres, cultures, and countries, and are arranged alphabetically by title. Each short (4-to-6 pages) profile includes the first lines of the work, a brief plot summary, information about the author, and Davis's opinion on why you should read the book--and what you should read next. --adapted from perusal of book
Author: Blaque, Erica, author. Published: 2022 Call Number: F BLAQUE Format: Books Summary: "When two detectives appear at Sophia Claire's door saying that a string of murdered young women where all her husband, Rob's, lovers, Sophia doesn't believe that's possible. Sure, Rob is more than selfish enough to cheat, but he isn't a murderer... Or is he? Hunting for answers about her husband's affairs, Sophia instead finds herself drawn to the sexual extremes of her husband's secret life" --
Author: Flint, Eric, author. Waters, Robert E., 1968- author. Published: 2022 Call Number: F FLINT Format: Books Summary: "Up-timer Morris Roth and his Grand Army of the Sunrise stand at a crossroads. Military success against the Polish-Lithuanian magnates has all but guaranteed a continued push east into Ruthenian lands. There, Roth hopes to further his Anaconda Project so that tens of thousands of Jews are not slaughtered in what's to become known as the Chmielnicki Pogrom of 1648. An envoy from Transylvania arrives with a promising offer from its prince, who wishes to form an alliance with Bohemia, but the land shrouded in the fog of the Carpathian mountains and known only to most up-timers as the playground of Count Dracula is a vassal state of the Ottoman Empire. Such an alliance would surely draw the ire of Sultan Murad IV. The United States of Europe agrees to assist the Bohemian forces, and sends in the Silesian Guard, under the command of Brigadier Jeff Higgins. They also send in Gretchen Richter to organize and lead the political struggle. Transylvania is thrown into political, social, and religious turmoil as battle lines are drawn. Whatever happens and whoever wins the fight, one thing is certain: the history of Eastern Europe will change radically. In fact, it already has"--
Author: Usher, Bruce, author. Published: 2022 Call Number: 332.6 Format: Books Summary: "Climate change is an increasingly well understood problem: modern economies are emitting greenhouse gases at an unprecedented rate, leading to a higher concentration of gases in the atmosphere and a rapid warming of the planet. Most investors understand this, but they have waited for government policy on climate change to provide guidance on where to allocate capital. That is now changing. Investment capital is rapidly moving out of assets that contribute to climate change, and into companies and projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This change in investor behavior is driven by five systemic trends--rapid innovation in low-carbon technologies, changes in the physical environment, growth in impact investing, expansion of local government regulations, and evolving social norms. Each of these trends provides an incentive for investors to commit capital to climate change solutions. Taken together, these trends are remaking the investment landscape, creating momentum to solve climate change. The book explores these trends, as well as how both new and old investment strategies apply to them."--
Author: Rutherford, Mara, author. Published: 2022 Call Number: Y RUTHERFO Format: Books Summary: Betraying her family, her best friend, and her whole community by saving a young outsider from drowning in the poisonous lake that protects her island home, Leelo nurses Jaren back to health, understanding that discovery could lead to unthinkable consequences for both of them. Leelo has spent her entire life on Endla, coexisting with the bloodthirsty Forest and respecting the poisonous lake that protects her island from outsiders who seek to destroy it. But as much as Leelo cares for her community, she struggles to accept that her younger brother will be exiled by his next birthday, unless he gains the magic of enchanted song so vital to Endla. When Leelo sees a young outsider on the verge of drowning in the lake, she knows exactly what she's supposed to do. But in a moment that will change everything, Leelo betrays her family, her best friend, and Endla by making an unthinkable choice. Discovery could lead to devastating consequences for both Leelo and the outsider, Jaren, but as they grow closer, Leelo realizes that not all danger comes from beyond the lake--and they can only survive if Leelo is willing to question the very fabric of her society, her people, and herself.
Author: Elmore, Phyllis Biffle, author. Published: 2022 Call Number: B ELMORE Format: Books Summary: "A memoir of a Detroit child raised in Alabama by her grandmother, whose storytelling and quilt-making open up a world of drama, passion, and African American identity"-- At age four Elmore was plucked off her front porch in Detroit and dropped on her grandmother Lula Horn's doorstep in rural Alabama. She felt utterly abandoned until Grandma Lula showed her both all-encompassing love and her intricate "Quilts of Souls." Listening intently as Lula told epic stories of folks who had passed on, the quilts allowed Elmore to paint word-portraits of extraordinary Black women born before and after the Civil War. They are enslaved people, laundresses, storytellers, healers, and quilters whose stories have gone untold until now. Weaving back and forth through time, Elmore pieces together true tales of racism, sexism, and colorism, but also strength and pride. -- adapted from jacket
Author: Turner, Megan Whalen, author. So'Oteh, Deena, illustrator. Published: 2022 2000 Call Number: Y TURNER Format: Books Summary: "This collectible companion to the New York Times-bestselling Queen's Thief series is ideal for longtime fans, as well as readers discovering Megan Whalen Turner's epic and unforgettable world for the first time. The collection includes all of the author's previously published short fiction set in the world of the Queen's Thief, as well as never-before-published stories, vignettes and excerpts, poetry and rhymes, a guide to objects from museums around the world that inspired the author, and a very special recipe for almond cake"-- Moira is the messenger of the gods, and the nearest of the gods to mortals. Her pen records the truth of events in the past and, in certain circumstances, can alter the future. Turner's collection includes all of the previously published short fiction set in the world of the Queen's Thief, as well as never-before-published stories, vignettes and excerpts, poetry and rhymes. Also included is a guide to objects from museums around the world that inspired the author-- and a very special recipe for almond cake. -- adapted from jacket
Author: Petch, Angela, author. Published: 2022 2019 Call Number: F PETCH Format: Books Summary: "Il Mulino. An old crumbling mill, by a winding river, nestled in the Tuscan mountains. An empty home that holds memories of homemade pasta and Nonna's stories by the fire, and later: the Nazi invasion, and a family torn apart by a heartbreaking betrayal. Anna is distraught when her beloved mother, Ines, passes away. She inherits a box of papers, handwritten in Italian and yellowed with age, and a tantalizing promise that the truth about what happened during the war lies within. The diaries lead Anna to the small village of Rofelle, where she slowly starts to heal as she explores sun-kissed olive groves, and pieces together her mother's past: memories of homemade pasta, Nonna's stories by the fire, and happy days spent herding sheep across Tuscan meadows cruelly interrupted when World War II erupted and the Nazis arrived. Her mother fleeing her home to join the Resistenza and risking everything to protect an injured British soldier who captured her heart. But Anna is no closer to learning the truth... What sent Ines running from her adored homeland? When she meets an elderly Italian gentleman living in a deserted hamlet, who flinches at her mother's name and refuses to speak English, Anna is sure he knows more about the devastating secret that tore apart her mother's family. But in this small Tuscan community, some wartime secrets were never meant to be uncovered..."--
Author: Speth, James Gustave, author. Published: 2022 2021 Call Number: 363.738 Format: Books Summary: A devastating, compelling account of the federal government's leading role in bringing about today's climate crisis. In 2015, a group of twenty-one young people sued the federal government in Juliana v. United States for violating their constitutional rights by promoting climate catastrophe and thereby depriving them of life, liberty, and property without due process and equal protection of law. They Knew offers evidence supporting the children's claims, presenting a devastating and compelling account of the federal government's role in bringing about today's climate crisis. James Gustave Speth, tapped by the plaintiffs as one of twenty-one preeminent experts in their climate case, analyzes how administrations from Carter to Trump--despite having information about the impending climate crisis and the connection to fossil fuels--continued aggressive support of a fossil fuel based energy system. What did the federal government know and when did it know it? Speth asks, echoing another famous cover-up. What did the federal government actively do and what did it fail to do? They Knew (an updated version of the Expert Report Speth prepared for the lawsuit) presents the most definitive indictment yet of the US government's role in the climate crisis. Since Juliana v. United States was filed, the federal government has repeatedly taken unprecedented steps to delay the case and force it to the appellate courts' shadow dockets. Yet as the case progresses slowly but certainly, it is inspiring a generation of youthful climate activists.
Author: Zhao, Katie, author. Published: 2022 Call Number: Y ZHAO Format: Books Summary: "During her freshman year at college, Anna Xu investigates the unsolved on-campus murder of her former babysitter, as she and an old rival have to team up to look into the hate crimes happening around campus"-- When Anna Xu moves into the dorms to start freshman year, her parents and their struggling Chines bakery aren't far from campus-- or her mind. Her old middle-school nemesis, Chris Lu, is also on campus. When a vandal hits the Lu family business, Anna matches the racist tag with a clue from an unsolved campus murder. Is a secret society carrying out campus hate crimes? Anna and Chris team up to search into the current threat. -- adapted from jacket
Author: Davis, Dana, 1984- author. Published: 2022 Call Number: Y DAVIS Format: Books Summary: Dylan and Langston used to be best friends. After he moved away, Langston became a star R&B artist. He returns for visit and stays with Dylan and her family. They start to renew their friendship--and maybe see their relationship grow into something else. Dylan Woods hasn't seen her best friend, Langston, in years. After he moved to Los Angeles he ghosted her-- and then became Legendary, the biggest teen R&B artist on the planet. She's moved on, with her sights set on Juilliard. When her parents announce that Langston is coming for a short stay with them, the idea of sharing a house with music's biggest bad boy makes her stomach churn. Langston tells her he kept the bucket list they made together years ago. As they start checking off items on the list, Dylan starts to remember old times, her previous self, and their shared love of music... and starts to realize that maybe her feelings for him go beyond friendship. -- Adapted from jacket.
Author: Bates, Laura, 1986- author. Published: 2022 Call Number: Y BATES Format: Books Summary: When a small plane crash ends with a group of seven teens washed up on a deserted island, their first thought is survival. With supplies dwindling and the fear of being stranded forever becoming more of a reality, they quickly discover that being the most popular kid in high school doesn't help when you're fighting to stay alive. And when strange and terrifying accidents start to occur all around them, the group realizes that they are being targeted by someone who was on the plane, and that the island isn't their only danger. A terrible secret from a party the night before the flight has followed them ashore--and it's clear that someone is looking for justice. Now survival depends on facing the truth about that party: who was hurt that night, and who let it happen?--
Author: Flanagan, Linda (Journalist), author. Published: 2022 Call Number: 796.083 FLANAGAN Format: Books Summary: "A close look at how big money and high stakes have transformed youth sports, turning once healthy, fun activities for kids into all-consuming endeavors-putting stress on children and families alike"-- A close look at how big money and high stakes have transformed youth sports, turning once healthy, fun activities for kids into all-consuming endeavors--putting stress on children and families alike. Some 75% of American families want their kids to play sports. Athletics are training grounds for character, friendship, and connection; at their best, sports insulate kids from hardship and prepare them for adult life. But youth sports have changed so dramatically over the last 25 years that they no longer deliver the healthy outcomes everyone wants. Instead, unbeknownst to most parents, kids who play competitive organized sports are more likely to burn out or suffer from overuse injuries than to develop their characters or build healthy habits. What happened to kids' sports? And how can we make them fun again? In Take Back the Game, coach and journalist Linda Flanagan reveals how the youth sports industry capitalizes on parents' worry about their kids' futures, selling the idea that more competitive play is essential in the feeding frenzy over access to colleges and universities. Drawing on her experience as a coach and a parent, along with research and expert analysis, Flanagan delves into a national obsession that has: Compelled kids to specialize year-round in one sport; Increased the risk of both physical injury and mental health problems; Encouraged egregious behavior by coaches and parents; Reduced access to sports for low-income families; A provocative and timely entrant into a conversation thousands of parents are having on the sidelines, Take Back the Game uncovers how youth sports became a serious business, the consequences of raising the stakes for kids and parents alike--and the changes we need now.
Author: Dale, Ruth Anne, author. Published: 2022 Call Number: 242.843 Format: Books Summary: Walks With The Lord shows us one woman's search to find God in her daily life. As she strives to put Him first, the many miracles she experiences will encourage you to seek His will in your life, and see the incredible miracles that follow a child-like faith.
Author: Smil, Vaclav, author. Published: 2022 Call Number: 303.483 Format: Books Summary: "An essential analysis of the modern science and technology that makes our twenty-first century lives possible--a scientist's investigation into what science really does, and does not, accomplish. We have never had so much information at our fingertips and yet most of us don't know how the world really works. This book explains seven of the most fundamental realities governing our survival and prosperity. From energy and food production, through our material world and its globalization, to risks, our environment and its future, How the World Really Works offers a much-needed reality check--because before we can tackle problems effectively, we must understand the facts. In this ambitious and thought-provoking book we see, for example, that globalization isn't inevitable--the foolishness of allowing 70 per cent of the world's rubber gloves to be made in just one factory became glaringly obvious in 2020--and that our societies have been steadily increasing their dependence on fossil fuels, such that any promises of decarbonization by 2050 are a fairy tale. For example, each greenhouse-grown supermarket-bought tomato has the equivalent of five tablespoons of diesel embedded in its production, and we have no way of producing steel, cement or plastics at required scales without huge carbon emissions. Ultimately, Smil answers the most profound question of our age: are we irrevocably doomed or is a brighter utopia ahead? Compelling, data-rich and revisionist, this wonderfully broad, interdisciplinary guide finds faults with both extremes. Looking at the world through this quantitative lens reveals hidden truths that change the way we see our past, present and uncertain future."--
Author: Chinn, Adrienne, author. Published: 2021 2020 Call Number: F CHINN Format: Books Summary: When Sophie Parry's New York-bound plane is diverted to Newfoundland on September 11, 2001, Sophie decides to reconnect with her estranged Aunt Ellie, who emigrated from England as a World War II war bride in 1946. After her plane is re-routed from New York to Newfoundland on September 11, Sophie Parry seeks refuge with her estranged Aunt Ellie, an English war bride who had crossed the Atlantic to be with her husband after World War II. VE Day 1945: As victory bells ring out across the country, war bride Ellie Burgess' happiness is overshadowed by grief. Her charismatic Newfoundlander husband Thomas is still missing in action.
Until a letter arrives explaining Thomas is back at home on the other side of the Atlantic recovering from his injuries. Traveling to a distant country to live with a man she barely knows is the bravest thing Ellie has ever had to do. But nothing can prepare her for the harsh realities of her new home... September 11th 2001: Sophie Parry is on a plane to New York on the most tragic day in the city's history. While the world watches the news in horror, Sophie's flight is rerouted to a tiny town in Newfoundland and she is forced to seek refuge with her estranged aunt Ellie. Determined to discover what it was that forced her family apart all those years ago, newfound secrets may change her life forever...
Author: Simmons, Dan, 1948- author. Published: 2017 1989 Call Number: F SIMMONS Format: Books Summary: It is the 29th century and the universe of the Human Hegemony is under threat. Invasion by the warlike Ousters looms, and the mysterious schemes of the secessionist AI TechnoCore bring chaos ever closer. On the eve of disaster, with the entire galaxy at war, seven pilgrims set fourth on a final voyage to the legendary Time Tombs on Hyperion, home to the Shrike, a lethal creature, part god and part killing machine, whose powers transcend the limits of time and space. The pilgrims have resolved to die before discovering anything less than the secrets of the universe itself.
Author: Moore, Liz, 1983- author. Published: 2016 Call Number: F MOORE Format: Books Summary: "The moving story of a daughter's quest to discover the truth about her beloved father's hidden past. Ada Sibelius is raised by David, her brilliant, eccentric, socially inept single father, who directs a computer science lab in 1980s-era Boston. Home-schooled, Ada accompanies David to work every day; by twelve, she is a painfully shy prodigy. The lab begins to gain acclaim at the same time that David's mysterious history comes into question. When his mind begins to falter, leaving Ada virtually an orphan, she is taken in by one of David's colleagues. Soon after she embarks on a mission to uncover her father's secrets: a process that carries her from childhood to adulthood. What Ada discovers on her journey into a virtual universe will keep the reader riveted until The Unseen World's heart-stopping, fascinating conclusion"--Provided by publisher.
Author: Butler, Octavia E., author. Steinem, Gloria, writer of introduction. Published: 2016 1993 Call Number: CL BUTLER Format: Books Summary: "Parable of the Sower is the Butlerian odyssey of one woman who is twice as feeling in a world that has become doubly dehumanized. The time is 2025. The place is California, where small walled communities must protect themselves from hordes of desperate scavengers and roaming bands of people addicted to a drug that activates an orgasmic desire to burn, rape, and murder. When one small community is overrun, Lauren Olamina, an 18 year old black woman with the hereditary train of 'hyper-empathy'--which causes her to feel others' pain as her own--sets off on foot along the dangerous coastal highways, moving north into the unknown."--Book jacket.
Author: Brewer, Z, 1973- author. Published: 2007 Call Number: YA BREWER Format: Books Summary: For thirteen years, Vlad, aided by his aunt and best friend, has kept secret that he is half-vampire, but when his missing teacher is replaced by a sinister substitute, he learns that there is more to being a vampire, and to his parents' deaths, than he could have guessed.
