Shelter : a novel

by Frances Greenslade          (Get the Book)
Set in the rugged beauty of rural British Columbia, Greenslade's captivating novel opens in late 1960, when sisters Maggie and Jenny live with parents Patrick and Irene. Though her family provides a nurturing home, young narrator Maggie is often plagued with anxiety that tragedy is just around the corner. Maggie's worst fears are realized when Patrick is killed in a work-related accident. Left as sole provider, Irene soon decides to leave the girls with an old family acquaintance, with the assumption that she will return for her daughters once she secures steady work. As weeks stretch into months, and Irene's correspondence eventually halts, the sisters begin to accept that they have been abandoned. Maggie and Jenny try to move on with their new lives until unexpected circumstances leave Maggie with no choice but to search for Irene and, with the help of others, journey to uncover the true answers behind her mother's unexplained departure. In this unhurried saga, Greenslade finely captures Maggie's maturing vulnerabilities while exploring well-groomed themes of family and love, and the meaning of home. --Booklist

The ocean of life : the fate of man and the sea

by Callum Roberts.         (Get the Book)
Our oceans are changing. As they warm and become acidic, coral reefs die, exposing shores to more violent storms. Rising waters encroach on coastal cities. Algae blooms remove oxygen from the seas, leaving vast zones deadly to fauna and flora. Large populations of marine species crash in the wakes of overfishing, pollution, habitat loss, climate change, and invasive species. Yet vocal public opinion holds that the oceans covering 80 percent of our planet are inexhaustible and immune to abuse, and politicians continue to support industrial harvesting and mining in the ocean. In this follow-up to his acclaimed The Unnatural History of the Sea (2007), passionate marine conservationist Roberts documents the disturbing changes that threaten the future of marine life and proposes a natural course of conservation that may yet save us from economic crash, environmental ruin, and human suffering. --Booklist

No time like the present

by Nadine Gordimer.          (Get the Book)
What is more emblematic of South Africa's liberation from apartheid than a marriage between a white man and a black woman? Following milestone collections of her short stories (Life Times, 2010) and essays (Telling Times, 2010), Nobel laureate Gordimer continues her uniquely intimate study of the evolution of freedom in her homeland in her fifteenth novel, a delving work of acrobatic stream-of-consciousness as the narration is handed off from husband to wife. Steve, an industrial chemist who made bombs during the Struggle, has entered academia. Jabulile, whose wise headmaster father made sure she received a good education, endured prison and torture and is now studying law and advocating for the poor. The parents of a daughter and a son, they live in a diverse, embracing community outside Johannesburg, which belies the country's violently divided past but cannot shield them from the crushing realities of current government corruption, persistent inequality, and monumental poverty. In this intensely reflective novel of conscience, Gordimer dramatizes with acute specificity, wit, and sympathy the mix of guilt and conviction her freedom-fighter characters experience as they admit, The Struggle is not over. Still, isn't it time to simply live their lives and give up the fight? Literary warrior Gordimer writes, There is only one time, all time, for principles you live by. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: New works by Gordimer are always hot, but the subject of this towering novel, the long aftermath of a liberation movement, is exceedingly timely in the wake of the Arab spring. --Booklist

From here to infinity : a vision for the future of science

by Martin J Rees.            (Get the Book)
Invited to deliver the 2010 BBC Reith Lectures, in which an eminence expounds on his specialty, Rees talked about science's relevance to the future in broad terms, as the four talks reworked for this short tome indicate. The first mulls the extent to which scientists should involve themselves in public policy. So long as they don't invoke their authority as experts in spheres beyond their ken, Rees, a former incumbent of Britain's most prestigious scientific posts and author of works of popular science, in effect says to scientists, have at it. The second lecture picks three issues Rees regards as the most threatening to humanity and, therefore, suitable for science's public activism world population and food supply, climate change (the major worry in Rees' Our Final Hour, 2003), and energy supplies. The third and fourth lectures are, respectively, about Rees' predictions of future discoveries and his suggestions for enhancing the training of scientists in this era of globalization. A prominent figure and accessible writer, Rees will attract interest to his scientific observations and prognostications. --Booklist

Mission to Paris

by Alan Furst                            (Get the Book)
Through his dozen historical-espionage novels, most set just prior to or during WWII, Furst has taken us across Europe, but he is most at home in Paris, which is why legions of his fans, upon seeing the title of his latest book, will immediately feel their pulses quicken. It only gets better. Recalling The World at Night (1996), which starred Parisian filmmaker Jean Casson dodging Nazis in 1940, this equally entrancing tale returns to the world of moviemaking, this time in 1938. Hollywood movie star Fredric Stahl, on loan from Warner Brothers to appear in a French production, arrives in Paris just as Neville Chamberlain is negotiating peace in our time. A Slovenian who was raised in Vienna, Stahl is quickly contacted by old friends, now all Nazi supporters, who see him as a valuable asset in their political warfare against the French. But Stahl has other ideas and, like so many casual hedonists in Furst's books, finds himself drawn into the prewar cloak-and-dagger world but not on the side of his former friends. There is romance, too, of course, but, as always, it carries that familiar carpe diem double edge, as lovers' attention jumps from one another to an unexpected knock on a hotel door. Furst has been doing this and doing it superbly for a long time now, and fans will note sly nods not only to The World at Night (Casson makes a kind of cameo) but also to Kingdom of Shadows (2001) and The Foreign Correspondent (2006). Is Furst repeating himself? Not really, but who would care, even if he was? Rather, he is revisiting a familiar moment in time but viewing it from a slightly different angle, through the eyes of other sets of characters. Thank heavens for that. It looks like we'll always have Furst's Paris. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Long ago Furst made the jump from genre favorite to mainstream bestsellerdom; returning to his signature setting, Paris, he only stands to climb higher. --Booklist

The age of insight : the quest to understand the unconscious in art, mind, and brain : from Vienna 1900 to the present

by Eric R. Kandel.            (Get the Book)
Inspired by his interest in expressionist artists Gustav Klimt, Oskar Kokoschka, and Egon Schiele, Kandel subjects their oeuvres to intensive analysis that integrates Freudian and Gestalt psychology, art history, and neuroscience. A Nobel laureate for his scientific research, covered in his memoir In Search of Memory (2006), Kandel sets several aims for his discussion. The radical direction taken by the expressionists induces Kandel's consideration of their immediate influences, be they fascination with Freud's theories (by Klimt, especially), the emotional tides of their personal lives, or painting's general drift from realism. This trio certainly accelerated the last, and the human emotions evoked by their portraits and nudes, dozens of which the book reproduces, attract Kandel's discerning observations. Art historians Ernst Kris and Ernst Gombrich, who later critiqued the revolution Klimt, Kokoschka, and Schiele wrought, help Kandel link his application of scientific studies of visual perception and the viewer's experience of the expressionists and art in general. Can science and art appreciators coexist for Kandel's prime readers? Yes, if they are not casual readers and are ready for his involved explorations of their interests. --Booklist

Gone girl : a novel

by Gillian Flynn            (Find the Book)
When Nick Dunne's beautiful and clever wife, Amy, goes missing on their fifth wedding anniversary, the media descend on the Dunnes' Missouri McMansion with all the fury of a Dateline episode. And Nick stumbles badly, for, as it turns out, he has plenty to hide, and under the pressure of police questioning and media scrutiny, he tells one lie after another. Juxtaposed with Nick's first-person narration of events are excerpts from Amy's diary, which completely contradict Nick's story and depict a woman who is afraid of her husband, has recently found out she's pregnant, and had been looking to buy a gun for protection. In addition, Amy is famous as the model for her parents' long-running and beloved children's series, Amazing Amy. But what looks like a straighforward case of a husband killing his wife to free himself from a bad marriage morphs into something entirely different in Flynn's hands. As evidenced by her previous work (Sharp Objects, 2006, and Dark Places, 2009), she possesses a disturbing worldview, one considerably amped up by her twisted sense of humor. Both a compelling thriller and a searing portrait of marriage, this could well be Flynn's breakout novel. It contains so many twists and turns that the outcome is impossible to predict. --Booklist

China airborne

by James M. Fallows            (Find the Book)
Atlantic correspondent Fallows dives into this most timely subject and, in brisk yet erudite language, takes readers on a tour of China's burgeoning aviation industry. Along the way, he provides an in-depth look at a place where general aviation is nearly nonexistent, multimillion dollar airports are built before airline traffic is approved, and the military holds ultimate control over all of the airspace. This economic and political narrative includes a great deal of history as well, including that of the American aircraft company Cirrus (now owned by the Chinese government, a subject that Fallows hints is worthy of a book of its own) and a significant look at the shadow Boeing casts worldwide. Fallows' prescient look at society, culture, and business is based on his conversations with numerous individuals in China who spoke to him about the hard shift required to change gears and embrace open and accessible aviation, and the epic hurdles that stand in the way. Paired with China's Wings (2012), readers will acquire an unparalleled view of China in the air past, present, and future. Highly readable and significant, Fallows' book should not be missed by those seeking to understand America's relationship with this global power. --Booklist

Murder at the Lanterne Rouge

by Cara Black.                    (Find the Book)
She grabbed her leopard-print coat and locked the office door. Twenty minutes later she ran up the Metro steps, perspiring and dodging commuters. Who's doing the running? Aimee Leduc, of course. The Paris investigator is a perpetual-motion machine, and she's almost always inappropriately dressed for high-speed galivanting: heels, miniskirts, leopard prints Aimee never sacrifices style for convenience. This time her destination is the oldest and smallest of Paris' four Chinatowns, nestled in the Marais. Her assignment is to deliver a birthday present intended for her partner Rene's mysterious new girlfriend, Meizi Wu, but soon enough, Meizi has disappeared, and Aimee must find her before the distraught Rene falls apart completely. As always, that's only the beginning. Thickening her plot like a French chef stirring coq au vin, Black throws a murdered scientist, a human-trafficking scandal, the Knights Templar, and revelations about Aimee's long-presumed-dead mother into the pot, leaving readers nearly as breathless as Aimee, who hurtles her way toward the conclusion. Fans of the series know the formula and don't mind a bit that it rarely varies. Paris never needs a new look, and neither does Aimee Leduc. --Booklist

The ball : discovering the object of the game

by John Fox           (Find the Book)
Disgraceful to humanity and to civilization eighteenth-century mayors of Derby, England, detested soccer (or football, to them). But Fox shows here that such games have often though not always beneficially shaped our human character and enriched our civilization. In tracing the fascinating history of ball games from the primal contests between prehistoric tribes playing with stuffed balls of grass, to the hypercommercialized violence of twenty-first-century Super Bowls readers witness the evolution of more than just sports. We learn, for instance, how the Aztecs religiously consecrated the arenas where teams battled to bounce a large rubber ball off their hips through stone rings before ritually executing the losers. Nearer our own time, we reflect on how nineteenth-century baseball created a welcome escape from the rigors of urban industry. Some readers may not like the way the mayhem of American-style football captured the national imagination as a symbol of American exceptionalism, but they will be fascinated by the spiritual idealism that launched basketball as a form of muscular Christianity. A book for fans and scholars alike! --Booklist

Canada : [a novel]

by Richard Ford  (Find this Book)

The first novel in six years from Pulitzer Prize winner (for Independence Day) Ford is a tragic rural farrago composed of two awkwardly joined halves. In the late 1950s, in Great Falls, Mont., teenage twins Dell and Berner Parson have different concerns: Berner's is whether to run away with her boyfriend; Dell's is chess and beekeeping. Their comically mismatched parents-rakish, smalltime schemer Bev and brooding, Jewish Neeva-have problems beyond a joyless union. Bev's stolen beef scheme goes awry, leaving him owing his Cree Indian accomplices. In desperation he robs a bank, roping his wife into the crime, and Dell, peering back much later, chronicles every aspect of the intricate but misguided plan, which left his parent incarcerated and he and Berner alone. Berner runs away, and Dell ends up in the care of a shady family friend at a hunting lodge in Canada, living an even more barren and lonely existence than he had in Great Falls. The book's first half has the makings of a succinct rural tragedy, but Dell's inquisition of the past is so deliberate that it eventually moves from poignant to played out. The Canadian section has a mythic strangeness, but adds little, as Dell remains a passive witness to the foolhardy actions of adults. A book from Ford is always an event and his prose is assured and textured, but the whole is not heavily significant. -- Publisher's Weekly

Nixon's darkest secrets : the inside story of America's most troubled president

by Don Fulsom  (Find the Book)

Former White House reporter Fulsom (The Billary Quiz) mines his experience to offer the "inside story" on Nixon, and the result is unfortunately a salacious, demonizing account marked by unreliable sources and unapologetic sensationalism of a flawed president and his equally flawed attendants. According to Fulsom, Nixon initiated or approved numerous assassinations that evenhandedly targeted foreign and domestic targets (including columnist Jack Anderson); had homosexual tendencies; conspired with the mob; was an anti-Semitic drunk; and for good measure, a horrible husband. One unexpected element in the story is the role the Watergate burglars may have played in the Kennedy assassination, and many old, often conflicting, conspiracy saws are offered willy-nilly, including the theory that Lyndon Johnson plotted to kill JFK. Fulsom's problematic sources include "some JFK assassination researchers"; a little known "veteran Nixon watcher"; and discredited New Orleans District Attorney Jim Garrison. Agent: Jane Dystel, Dystel & Goderich Literary Management. -- Publisher's Weekly

The Lost Ones /

by Ace Atkins   (Find the Book)

Edgar-finalist Atkins showcases his versatility in his exciting, thoughtful second thriller starring ex-Ranger-turned-lawman Quinn Colson (after 2011's The Ranger). Colson, who survived tours of duty in both Iraq and Afghanistan, has only recently become sheriff in Tibbehah County, Miss., where graft is personified by Johnny Stagg, president of the board of county supervisors. Stagg, who was Colson's opponent in a special election to fill the vacant sheriff's position, is now determined to make life difficult for his adversary. Things are challenging enough without this personal animus. A battered child brought into the local trauma center leads the authorities to a horrific baby farm, and Donnie Varner, an old friend of Colson's, has gotten mixed up with some very bad and very violent people. Atkins manages to sell the notion of a contemporary laconic lead battling evil that could come straight out of a Gary Cooper western. . -- Publisher's Weekly

Steal like an artist : 10 things nobody told you about being creative /

by Austin Kleon.    (Find this Book)                                You don’t need to be a genius, you just need to be yourself. That’s the message from Austin Kleon, a young writer and artist who knows that creativity is everywhere, creativity is for everyone. A manifesto for the digital age, Steal Like an Artist is a guide whose positive message, graphic look and illustrations, exercises, and examples will put readers directly in touch with their artistic side.
When Mr. Kleon was asked to address college students in upstate New York, he shaped his speech around the ten things he wished someone had told him when he was starting out. The talk went viral, and its author dug deeper into his own ideas to create Steal Like an Artist, the book. The result is inspiring, hip, original, practical, and entertaining. And filled with new truths about creativity: Nothing is original, so embrace influence, col- lect ideas, and remix and re-imagine to discover your own path. Follow your interests wherever they take you. Stay smart, stay out of debt, and risk being boring—the creative you will need to make room to be wild and daring in your imagination. -- Publisher's Description.

The storm : a novel from the NUMA files

by Clive Cussler.    (Find this Book)
Global climate change poses a threat in bestseller Cussler's exciting 10th thriller featuring Kurt Austin and the gang from the National Underwater and Marine Agency (after 2011's Devil's Gate, also coauthored with Brown). When everyone aboard a NUMA research vessel dies after their catamaran runs into a mysterious black oily substance in the Indian Ocean, where they were investigating water temperature anomalies, Kurt and partner Joe Zavala rush to find out what happened. Wealthy Yemeni Jinn al-Khaif, who's behind the killings, has dumped billions of microbots into the sea to cool it and create weather patterns that will deliver rain to certain areas and prevent rain from falling in others. Jinn plans to become even richer by selling these weather patterns to governments. Kurt and Joe are out to stop him, and, as always, the fate of the world rests in their hands. A clever twist at the end shows Cussler still plotting at the top of his game.  -- Publisher's Weekly.

Pot, inc. : inside medical marijuana, America's most outlaw industry

by Greg Campbell.       (Find the Book)
Campbell's impressive new book explores pot from all angles, giving voice to both sides on the complex debate, and providing a surprisingly thoughtful meditation on the drug, especially the medical benefits. Campbell (Blood Diamonds) delves into the history of pot's persecution, beginning with the racial undertones of initial opposition in the 1930s, to Nixon's War on Drugs and the contemporary federal approach that seems too entrenched to reverse its universal policy of "Just Say No." Although he supports a nuanced acceptance of marijuana use, Campbell holds the pro-pot advocates up to the journalistic microscope, highlighting the leadership squabbles, scandals, and shady characters within the movement. The narrative proves most engaging when Campbell explores his personal involvement with the drug. After his home state of Colorado amended the state constitution to permit medical marijuana, and with the 2009 memo from the Obama administration that downplays the importance of persecuting medical marijuana charges, Campbell joins the Wild West of marijuana cultivation, as hundreds of dispensaries pop up overnight, including one in his own gym. Not content to observe, Campbell applies for a medical marijuana card, converts his basement office into a grow room, and even sells his pot on Craigslist. The book masterfully blends research with personal anecdote to argue that the problem in this country isn't marijuana, but how wrongly we perceive it.  -- Publisher's Weekly

The last boyfriend

by Nora Roberts.     (Find this Book)

Owen is the organizer of the Montgomery clan, running the family’s construction business with an iron fist—and an even less flexible spreadsheet. And though his brothers bust on his compulsive list-making, the Inn BoonsBoro is about to open right on schedule. The only thing Owen didn’t plan for was Avery McTavish...

Avery’s popular pizza place is right across the street from the inn, giving her a first-hand look at its amazing renovation—and a newfound appreciation for Owen. Since he was her first boyfriend when they were kids, Owen has never been far from Avery’s thoughts. But the attraction she’s feeling for him now is far from innocent.

As Avery and Owen cautiously take their relationship to another level, the opening of the inn gives the whole town of Boonsboro a reason to celebrate. But Owen’s hard work has only begun. Getting Avery to let down her guard is going to take longer than he expected—and so will getting her to realize that her first boyfriend is going to be her last… Publisher's Marketing.

End this depression now!

by Paul Krugman.       (Find this Book)
Krugman (Fuzzy Math), winner of the 2008 Nobel Prize in Economics, takes an edifying and often humorous journalistic approach to the current economic crisis in this accessible and timely study. Rather than provide a mere postmortem on the 2008 collapse (though relevant history lessons are provided), Krugman aims to plot a path out of this depression. He maintains that "We are suffering from a severe overall lack of demand;" as every purchase is also a sale, everyone's income is someone's spending , and few are currently spending. This "paradox of thrift," when everyone cuts back and tries to pay off old debt at the same time, ensures a stagnant economy-when no new debt is issued, the cycle continues, for one man's debt is another man's asset. Krugman suggests, then, that "the government [must] spend where the private sector won't," a la FDR's workers' programs during the Great Depression. The problem, of course, arises when politics enters the equation-some view government intervention as a gateway to socialism, whereas others can't agree on appropriate "shovel-ready" projects to spend money on. Krugman has consistently called for more liberal economic policies, but his wit and bipartisanship ensure that this book will appeal to a broad swath of readers-from the Left to the Right, from the 99% to the 1%. -- Publisher's Weekly.

Ties That Bind (Cobbled Quilt Series #5)

by Marie Bostwick.      (Find the Book)
Margot Matthews is miserable. Her 40th birthday comes on the heels of the end of her relationship with local lawyer Arnie Kinsella and has convinced Margot that she may never meet the love of her life. Through a series of life-changing events, including a tragedy that nearly severs the relationship she has with her parents, Margot discovers that maybe she was never as alone as she thought. Though this is the fifth book (after Threading the Needle) in Bostwick's quilting series, readers need not have read the others. Bostwick seamlessly introduces characters and recaps their backstories enough for new readers to focus on the action from the start of the novel. Verdict Unexpected twists for Margot and other town residents help move the action along and make the story more interesting than a run-of-the-mill novel about a woman bemoaning her lack of a love life. Those who enjoy reading about close-knit friends who come together in times of need (such as Neta Jackson's "Yada Yada Prayer Group" series) will enjoy this title. -- Library Journal Review.

Bay and her boys : unexpected lessons I learned as a (single) mom /

by Bay Buchanan.     (Find the Book)
Twenty-three years ago, Bay Buchanan was thrown--or as she says, dumped--into the world of single parenting. It wasn't a popular time to be raising kids solo, especially as a rising star in the conservative movement. But she quickly realized she needed to overcome the hurt and confusion and focus on giving her all to her children.
"Bay and Her Boys" is a compelling story that takes the reader on a candid trip into the world of single working motherhood. For the first time, Buchanan writes of her experiences--mistakes she made and rules that worked--in the hopes of encouraging mothers to make success at home their first priority in life.
Buchanan also wants to change the national dialogue about single moms with a shot across the bow of both conservatives and liberals. This book is the first step by a prominent conservative to be there for all mothers: standing with them, inspiring them, and arming them with tools that will help their kids succeed in life. -- Publisher Marketing.

Rest in Pizza (Pizza Lover's Mystery Series #4)

 by Chris Cavender.     (Find this book)
Life is never dull for Eleanor Swift, owner of A Slice of Delight, a pizzeria in the sleepy town of Timber Ridge, N.C., as shown by Cavender’s charming fourth pizza lovers mystery (after 2011’s A Pizza to Die For). When a dead body turns up in her restaurant yet again, Eleanor and her wisecracking younger sister and business partner, Maddy Spencer, must race to find the killer among a host of colorful suspects: a chef’s inebriated wife, a snappy television producer, a wronged assistant chef, and a local bookstore owner hiding a big secret. Meanwhile, Maddy and Eleanor wrestle with their always complicated love lives and the always complicated ins and outs of owning a small business. Though this foodie cozy drags in the middle and suffers from some overwritten passages, the two lovable, dynamic protagonists and the warm smalltown atmosphere more than compensate.  -- Publisher's Weekly.