Nanny Returns

Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus. Nan revisits 721 Park, home of the moneyed but morally bankrupt Xs, and the boy she guiltily left behind in their inept care in this smart and sassy sequel to The Nanny Diaries. And though Nan has grown up a bit, married "Harvard Hottie" Ryan and traveled the world, the plight of the rich and stupid continues, as does Nan's new crusade to save former charge Grayer and his younger brother Stilton, renovate a crumbling East Harlem mansion and stick it out at a soulless Manhattan private school. Outcomes are deeply uncertain, though Nan is nothing if not a natural-born cheerleader: "I know what I'm worth. Because I care for these kids, I do, right down to my toes," she says of her young charges in and out of school. There's still one fear, however whether she'll ever be able to make the leap from nanny to mommy. McLaughlin and Kraus leave no dry eyes as they once again wield a razor-sharp wit that cuts down the most uppity mortals even as it lifts up their vulnerable children. You could safely bet your first born that this'll be another smash hit. (Check Catalog)

Churchill

by Paul Johnson: In this enthusiastic yet first-rate biography, veteran British historian Johnson (Modern Times) asserts that Winston Churchill (1874–1965) was the 20th century's most valuable figure: "No man did more to preserve freedom and democracy...." An ambitious, world-traveling soldier and bestselling author, Churchill was already famous on entering Parliament in 1899 and within a decade was working with Lloyd George to pass the great reforms of 1908–1911. As First Lord of the Admiralty, he performed brilliantly in preparing the navy for WWI, but blame—undeserved according to Johnson—for the catastrophic 1915 Dardanelles invasion drove him from office. Within two years, he was back at the top, where he remained until the Depression. Johnson delivers an adulatory account of Churchill's prescient denunciations of Hitler and heroics during the early days of WWII, and views later missteps less critically than other historians. He concludes that Churchill was a thoroughly likable great man with many irritating flaws but no nasty ones: he lacked malice, avoided grudges, vendettas and blame shifting, and quickly replaced enmity with friendship. Biographers in love with their subjects usually produce mediocre history, but Johnson, always self-assured as well as scholarly, has written another highly opinionated, entertaining work. -- Publishers Weekly. (Check Catalog)

A Good Fall

by Ha Jin. From National Book Award–winner Jin (Waiting) comes a new collection that focuses on Flushing, one of New York City's largest Chinese immigrant communities. With startling clarity, Jin explores the challenges, loneliness and uplift associated with discovering one's place in America. Many different generational perspectives are laid out, from the young male sweatshop-worker narrator of "The House Behind a Weeping Cherry," who lives in the same rooming-house as three prostitutes, to the grandfather of "Children as Enemies," who disapproves of his grandchildren's desires to Americanize their names. Anxiety and distrust plague many of Jin's characters, and while the desire for love and companionship is strong, economic concerns tend to outweigh all others. In "Temporary Love," Jin explores the inevitable complications of becoming a "wartime couple" or "men and women who, unable to bring their spouses to America, cohabit... to comfort each other and also to reduce living expenses." With piercing insight, Jin paints a vast, fascinating portrait of a neighborhood and a people in flux. - Publishers Weekly. (Check Catalog.)

The spirit level : why greater equality makes societies stronger

Richard G. Wilkinson. Wilkinson and Pickett make an eloquent case that the income gap between a nation's richest and poorest is the most powerful indicator of a functioning and healthy society. Amid the statistics that support their argument (increasing income disparity sees corresponding spikes in homicide, obesity, drug use, mental illness, anxiety, teenage pregnancies, high school dropouts-even incidents of playground bullying), the authors take an empathetic view of our ability to see beyond self-interest. While there are shades of Darwinism in the human hunt for status, there is evidence that the human brain-with its distinctively large neocortex-evolved the way it has because we were designed to be attentive to, depend on, and be depended on by others. Wilkinson and Pickett do not advocate one way or the other to close the equality gap. Government redistribution of wealth and market forces that create wealth can be equally effective, and the authors provide examples of both. How societies achieve equality, they argue, is less important than achieving it in the first place. Felicitous prose and fascinating findings make this essential reading. --Publisher's Weekly. (Check Catalog)

Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinsky

by Chris Greenhalgh. In 1913 Paris, designer Coco Chanel attends the premier of Igor Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring. Fast-forward seven years, and the wealthy couturiere invites the exiled Russian composer and his family to spend a summer in her villa. The impoverished visitors rely on Coco's financial support, even for Catherine's medical care, and soon Coco's energy, beauty, and unconventionality draw Igor into an affair that both energizes and unsettles him. In his debut, screenwriter Greenhalgh excels at depicting not only the physical and emotional passion that connects Igor and Coco but also the creative drive that fuels their professional achievements. Coco's search for a distinctive perfume parallels Igor's efforts to set down the complex music in his mind. A brief chronology identifies the intersections in this duo's professional and personal lives in the 50 years following their little-known affair. Verdict The January 2010 U.S. release of the movie, adapted by Greenhalgh from his novel, will undoubtedly garner interest, especially among readers who enjoyed the recent film Coco Before Chanel, but this book stands on its own as a first-rate choice for fans of historical romance. --Library Journal. (Check catalog)

Simplicity parenting : using the extraordinary power of less to raise calmer, happier, and more secure kids

by Kim John Payne. Waldorf educator and school consultant Payne believes our families are being consumed by too much stuff, too many choices, too much information. Our society's collective stresses are interfering with our children's sense of security that allows for an emerging sense of self. Beginning with the home environment and covering such topics as toys, food, sleep, schedules, and sports, Payne persuasively shows how less is more. He wisely reminds us that in parenting, it is the spaces between the activities that relationships are built. This information is not new but perhaps sold under the banner of "simplicity" we will finally take heed. --Library Journal. (Check Catalog)

Songs for the missing

by Stewart O'Nan. O'Nan proves that uncertainty can be the worst punishment of all in this unflinching look at an unraveling family. In the small town of Kingsville, Ohio, 18-year-old Kim Larsen--popular and bound for college in the fall--disappears on her way to work one afternoon. Not until the next morning do her parents, Ed and Fran, and 15-year-old sister, Lindsay, realize Kim is missing. The lead detective on the case tells the Larsens that since Kim is an adult, she could, if the police find her, ask that the police not disclose her location to her parents. When Kim's car later turns up in nearby Sandusky, Ed, desperate to help, joins the official search. Meanwhile, Fran stays home putting all her energy into community fund-raisers, and Lindsay struggles to maintain a normal life. Through shifting points of view, chiefly those of the shell-shocked parents and the moody Lindsay, O'Nan raises the suspense while conveying the sheer torture of what it's like not to know what has happened to a loved one. When--if ever--do you stop looking? --Publisher's Weekly. (Check catalog)

Talking about detective fiction

P.D. James. One of the most widely read and respected writers of detective fiction, James (The Private Patient) explores the genre's origins (focusing primarily on Britain) and its lasting appeal. James cites Wilkie Collins's The Moonstone, published in 1868, as the first detective novel and its hero, Sergeant Cuff, as one of the first literary examples of the professional detective (modeled after a real-life Scotland Yard inspector). As for Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories, James argues that their staying power has as much to do with the gloomy London atmosphere, "the enveloping miasma of mystery and terror," as with the iconic sleuth. Devoting much of her time to writers in the Golden Age of British detective fiction (essentially between the two world wars), James dissects the work of four heavyweights: Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, Margery Allingham and Ngaio Marsh. Though she's more appreciative of Marsh and Allingham (declaring them "novelists, not merely fabricators of ingenious puzzles"), James acknowledges not only the undeniable boost these women gave to the genre but their continuing appeal. For crime fiction fans, this master class from one of the leading practitioners of the art will be a real treat. --Publisher's weekly. (Check Catalog)

Perfect timing

by Jill Mansell. Mansell's Brit chick lit invasion continues with this enjoyable romp that begins with Poppy Dunbar meeting a charismatic stranger at her bachelorette party. Next thing you know, she's abandoning her intended at the altar and heading to London, but not before she learns that her dad isn't her biological father. In London, she shares a flat with spoiled but desperately insecure Claudia and roguish artist Caspar French, and sets out to find her mystery man and her real father. Soon, though, Poppy learns that getting what you want isn't the same as getting what you need. While undoubtedly by-the-numbers, the story is elevated by strong characters; Poppy and Caspar in particular, and even Claudia, who could so easily be a cliche, earn the reader's sympathy. The end result is thoroughly enjoyable. --Publisher's Weekly. (Check Catalog)

On thin ice : the changing world of the polar bear

by Richard Ellis. Prolific natural history author Ellis (Tuna: A Love Story) focuses on the history and impact of human contact with the polar bear from early Arctic explorations to the present. After describing hunting, mating, and hibernation habits, Ellis discusses the bear's place in the culture of native peoples and its later exploitation as large game, zoo animals, and performing circus animals. Addressing global warming and melting polar ice, which threaten to drive the bear into extinction, Ellis expands on the politics of polar bear protection and preservation. Verdict Well documented with 26 pages of cited references, Ellis's book offers a vast amount of detailed information essential for students and academics researching the polar bear. However, On Thin Ice may be dense for recreational readers. --Library Journal. (Check catalog)

Sunflowers

by Sheramy D. Bundrick. In a knockout debut novel, art historian Bundrick (Music and Image in Classical Athens) brings Vincent Van Gogh's paintings and personal story to vibrant life. While Bundrick takes many liberties (recorded in an author's note) in her fictionalized account of Van Gogh's affair with her narrator, fille de maison Rachel Courteau, she gives Rachel such a believable voice that the proceedings seem genuine. At 35, Van Gogh meets lovable spitfire Rachel while surreptitiously sketching her in a garden. Having taken refuge in an Arles brothel after the death of her parents, Rachel greets Van Gogh as a customer not long after, and soon feelings blossom between them. Visiting friend Paul Gauguin and the cloud of Van Gogh's madness undercut the couple's bliss, as do financial troubles and Rachel's life at the maison, where she's kept a virtual prisoner. While infusing well-known historical moments (like Van Gogh's infamous self-mutilation) with vivid details, humanizing Van Gogh and putting his famous works in context, Bundrick generates an impressive volume of suspense, delight and heartbreak. --Publisher's Weekly. (Check Catalog)

Why my third husband will be a dog : the amazing adventures of an ordinary woman

by Lisa Scottloline. Brief, punchy slices of daily life originally published in her Philadelphia Inquirer column allow novelist Scottoline (Everywhere That Mary Went) to dish on men, mothers, panty lines and, especially, dogs. Somewhere in her mid-50s, twice divorced (from men she calls Thing One and Thing Two) and living happily in the burbs with her recent college-graduate daughter and a passel of pets, Scottoline maintains a frothy repartee with the reader as she discusses ways she would redecorate the White House ("Cupholders for all!"), relies on her built-in Guilt-O-Meter to get dreaded tasks done (a broken garbage disposal rates only a 1, while accumulating late fees at the library rates a 7) and contemplates, while making a will, who will get her cellulite. For some quick gags, Scottoline brings in various family members: mother Mary, a whippersnapper at 4'11" who lives in South Beach with her gay son, Scottoline's brother Frank, and possesses a coveted back-scratcher; and her Harvard-educated daughter, Francesca. Plunging into home improvement frenzy, constructing a chicken coop, figuring out mystifying insurance policies and how not to die at the gym are some of the conundrums this ordinary woman faces with verve and wicked humor, especially how her beloved dogs have contentedly replaced the romance in her life. --Publisher's Weekly. (Check Catalog)

New York : the novel

by Edward Rutherford. Rutherfurd, best-selling author of the novel London (1997), has penned a lush, lavish tribute to the Big Apple. Sweeping in scope, this fictional biography of New York City stretches back in time to the city's origins as an Indian fishing village coveted by Dutch settlers to the aftermath of 9/11. As he marches through the American Revolution, the Civil War, the Industrial Revolution, two world wars, multiple waves of immigration, and the phoenix-like reemergence of a downtrodden New York as the vital center of the economic, social, and cultural universe at the end of the twentieth century, he interweaves the fascinating stories of a multitude of characters, all of whom were profoundly affected by the evolution of the largest and most complex American city. New York's growing pains, its tragedies and triumphs, are reflected in the experiences of a range of ordinary and extraordinary citizens from varying backgrounds, with a wide spectrum of ambitions and expectations. Although it is hard to do justice to a city with such a throbbing pulse, Rutherfurd's homage is compulsively readable. --Booklist. (Check Catalog)

Reading in the brain : the science and evolution of a human invention

by Stanislas Deheane. What's behind the invention of reading? Well, for starters, brain plasticity, the evolution of neurocircuits capable of processing visual with audio information, and the expansion of the prefrontal cortex leading to a behavior described as consciousness. The evolutionary infusion of these elements along with a novel hijacking from their evolved use intersects with human culture and incites a revolution: a culture with texts and brains that read those texts. All this drives neuroscientist Dehaene's (experimental cognitive psychology, CollEge de France) thesis that the invention of reading has less to do with constructs, such as alphabets, words, and sentence structures, than the mechanics and limits of our brains. Simply, our brains didn't evolve to read, but they are flexible enough to learn new tricks. Dehaene supports his thesis with references to a smorgasbord of research, traversing such subjects as anatomy, reading mechanics, primate evolution, history of linguistics, literacy, dyslexia, and brain symmetry. VERDICT This will appeal to a broad audience interested in the cognitive sciences, reading, and linguistics. Some chapters will attract those who teach reading and languages and parents of children with reading disabilities. --Library Journal. (Check Catalog)

The Paris vendetta : a novel

by Steve Berry. In Berry's latest page-turner after The Charlemagne Pursuit, Cotton Malone discovers a Secret Service agent breaking into his Copenhagen bookstore. The agent, Sam Collins, was sent by Cotton's friend Henrik Thorvaldsen to seek his help in getting revenge against the person Henrik has discovered to be responsible for his son's death. The guilty party has ties to a secret organization that plans to take down the global economy with help from a secret Napoleon carried to his grave. A race to solve historical riddles while staying alive ensues. Verdict Berry has written another amazing blend of suspense and history. Fans will love it, and for newcomers it's the perfect place to start. With the September release of Dan Brown's The Lost Symbol, savvy readers looking for more along those lines cannot go wrong with Cotton Malone. This will be Berry's biggest seller yet. --Library Journal. (Check Catalog)

The imperial cruise : a secret history of empire and war

by James Bradley. Bradley (Flags of Our Fathers) has written a compelling book on a forgotten diplomatic mission. In 1905, President Theodore Roosevelt sent Secretary of War William Howard Taft on a cruise to Hawaii, Japan, the Philippines, China, and Korea, a diplomatic mission that also included Roosevelt's daughter, Alice. The mission was to solidify a secret U.S.-Japanese agreement to allow Japan to expand into Korea and China, with the irrepressible Alice distracting reporters. This agreement, resulting in the Treaty of Portsmouth, ultimately helped spark not only World War II in the Pacific but the 1949 Chinese Revolution and the Korean War. Bradley describes Taft and Roosevelt as firm believers in the White Man's Burden: since Japan embraced Western culture, Roosevelt wanted it to spread that culture to the rest of Asia. However, their policies backfired because anti-American feelings grew in China, the Philippines, and Korea as America turned its back on these countries, while America and Europe did not check Japanese aggression. Ultimately, Bradley reminds readers in well-cited detail of Roosevelt's often overlooked racist attitudes. Bradley's writing style will appeal to the general reader, with its good mix of letters, newspapers, and sound secondary sources. --Library Journal. (Check Catalog)

Shades of blue

Karen Kingsbury. The author of more than 40 bestselling fiction titles whose combined sales hover near 15 million, Kingsbury takes her loyal faith-based fans on an exploration of the emotional and spiritual effects of abortion. Interestingly, the author frames the story through a young adult male character, Brad Cutler, an up-and-coming ad agency executive; he revisits a former relationship in which he encouraged his pregnant girlfriend to have an abortion. Years later, Brad continues to feel guilty, and as he readies to marry his fiancee, a new ad campaign for baby clothes has immobilized him. Emma, the former girlfriend, also cannot move past what happened. As the pressure mounts, Brad travels home and reunites with Emma to find closure, but what he discovers in the encounter is far more different than he hoped or expected. Kingsbury tackles a touchy, difficult topic, yet in her characteristic style, her gentle approach wins the day. It will also overcome any reader resistance, no matter what position one takes on this volatile issue. (Check catalog)

A truth universally acknowledged : 34 great writers on why we read Jane Austen

As Carson, a doctoral candidate in French at Yale University, explains in the introduction to this compilation of 33 essays on Jane Austen and her work, "The essayists.tell us why they read Austen.[and] explain the phenomenon of Austen's permanent popularity." Some of the essays are newly composed by contemporary academics and authors including A.S. Byatt, Amy Bloom, and David Lodge. Other contributors are venerable authors and literary critics including E.M. Forster, Somerset Maugham, and Lionel Trilling. In a powerful piece, Anna Quindlen explains that Jane Austen "wrote not of war and peace, but of men, money, and marriage, the battlefield for women of her day, and surely, of our own." Quindlen examines Pride and Prejudice but cautions that too much literary analysis obscures the most important element of the novel, that "it is a pure joy to read." Amy Heckerling reveals how she drew inspiration from Emma to create the 1995 film Clueless. Verdict Although fuller documentation for the source of each essay would have been helpful, devoted Austen fans will undoubtedly find this collection informative and thoroughly entertaining. --Library Journal (Check Catalog)

Rough Country

by John Sandford. Erica McDill is the newly ascended CEO of one of the Twin Cities' most prominent ad agencies. She's taken a few days out of her schedule to recharge at an exclusive northern Minnesota resort catering primarily to wealthy women who may be looking for a fling in between nature hikes. Whatever her vacation plans, she doesn't anticipate her own death at the hands of a sniper. Her prominence in the community leads the governor to hand the case to Lucas Davenport and the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. Davenport assigns the job to his best investigator, Virgil Flowers, whose investigatory technique is textbook but who fosters a reputation for eccentricity with surfer-dude hair and a working uniform of cowboy boots, jeans, and rock-band T-shirts. Virgil has a plethora of motives to sift through. Was McDill's murderer a bitter business rival? An anonymous lover at the resort? Her longtime partner? A couple of days into the investigation, Flowers learns that a former guest of the resort was murdered in Iowa two years earlier. Is there a connection? Best-selling author Sandford seems to be having more fun these days with Flowers than Davenport, the protagonist in the long-running Prey series. And why not? Each of Flowers' cases reveals more quirks, more depth, and a wicked sense of the absurd, as well as an investigator who can be as analytical as Nero Wolfe and as tough as everybody's favorite Boston badass, Spenser. Great entertainment. --Booklist (Check Catalog)

Supernatural Saratoga : haunted places and famous ghosts of the spa city

by Mason Winfield. Amid the famous mineral springs and horse races, Saratoga Springs is a hub for the supernatural. Author Mason Winfield, operator of Saratoga's Haunted History Ghost Walks, chronicles the Spa City's spookiest legends, from the Iroquoian zombie-like vampires to Benedict Arnold's Halloween apparitions. The heart of the city brims with lore, as covens work in secret in the Devil's Den and phantoms linger at the Arcade on Broadway. In the shadow of the Adirondacks, spectral lights appear on remote Snake Hill, and the Woman in White haunts Saratoga Spa State Park. Explore the creepiest legends of Saratoga history, where some gamblers never leave and demons lurk in the forests. (Check Catalog)

Half broke horses : a true-life novel

by Jeannette Walls. No one familiar with Walls's affecting memoir, The Glass Castle, will be surprised by her subtitle here: Walls is a careful observer who can give true-life stories the rush and immediacy of the best fiction. Here she novelizes the life of her grandmother, giving herself just the latitude she needs to create a great story. Lily Casey Smith is one astonishing woman, tough enough to trot her pony across several hundred miles of desert to her first job when she's only a teenager. After a brief stint in Chicago and marriage to a flim-flam man, she's back in the West, teaching again and eventually remarrying, helping her fine new husband at the gas station, raising her children, and running hootch if she must to make ends meet during the Depression. Her story is at once simple and utterly remarkable, for this is one remarkable woman-a half-broke horse herself who's clearly passed on her best traits to her granddaughter. Verdict Told in a natural, offhand voice that is utterly enthralling, this is essential reading for anyone who loves good fiction-or any work about the American West. --Library Journal (Check catalog)

Ayn Rand and the world she made

by Anne Conover Heller. There is a scene in Heller's biography where the controversial writer Rand and her husband delight in the fact that they can select from the more expensive items on a cafeteria menu after selling the movie rights of The Fountainhead. The scene illustrates Heller's ability to capture the essence of her subject. Rand, never a fan of the poor masses, was elated to remove herself from the mob. Although Heller was denied access to the Ayn Rand Institute's archives, because she is not an advocate for Rand's ideas, she still performs beautifully. Heller conducted over 50 interviews, including three long interviews with Rand's former lover, Nathaniel Branden. She traces Rand's childhood in Russia; her arrival in America; her unconventional marriage to actor Frank O'Connor; her work as a playwright and novelist; the development of objectivism, Rand's philosophy that embraces capitalist individualism and rejects altruism; and her long-standing extramarital affair. VERDICT An impartial, well-documented, and sweeping biography for fans and scholars of Rand; with a bibliography and 100-plus pages of notes. --Library Journal. (Check Catalog)

The man in the wooden hat

by Jane Gardam. Edward Feathers, aka Old Filth (an acronym for "Failed in London, Try Hong Kong"), Gardam's proper lawyer and judge, is back for a second outing (after Old Filth), this time as seen through the eyes of his wife, Betty. Lately returned from her wartime work at Bletchley Park and now a regular among the expat community of Hong Kong, Betty is cocooned in comfortable gentility with Filth, a loving but distant husband largely preoccupied with his legal life. After a childhood spent in a Japanese labor camp, she is now unable to have children and largely unfocused; her brief premarital fling with Filth's arch enemy, Terry Veneering, creates an enduring bond with him and his young son, Harry, who fills a void in her life. Verdict Admirers of Old Filth will be delighted to discover the backstory of his marriage and to renew acquaintances with a dear friend. Those meeting him and Mrs. Feathers for the first time will surely want more. An elegant portrait of an old-world marriage. Highly recommended. --Library Journal. (Check Catalog)

Open : an autobiography

by Andre Agassi. Agassi has always had a tortured look in his eyes on the tennis court. In 1992, when he burst onto the world sports stage by winning the Grand Slam at Wimbledon, he looked like a deer in headlights. Nobody seemed more surprised and upset by his big win that day than he did. For good reason, too. Agassi hated tennis. This is the biggest revelation in his very revealing autobiography. Agassi has hated tennis from early childhood, finding it extremely lonely out on the court. But he didn't have a choice about playing the game because his father drove him to become a champion, like it or not. Mike Agassi, a former Golden Gloves fighter who never made it professionally, decided that his son would become a champion tennis player. In militaristic fashion, Mike pushed seven-year-old Andre to practice relentlessly until the young boy was exhausted and in pain. He also arranged for Andre, age 13, to attend a tennis camp where he was expected to pull weeds and clean toilets. The culmination of all of this parental pushing came when Andre began winning as an adult. But it didn't make him happy. Within this framework, Agassi's other disclosures make sense. He had a troubled marriage to Brooke Shields that didn't last. He developed a drug problem that sabotaged his career. He was insecure about everything. Only when Andre met tennis star Steffi Graf (whom he eventually married) did things begin to change. Readers will definitely cheer when Andre finally makes peace with the game he once hated and learns to enjoy it. --Booklist (Check catalog)

The lost symbol : a novel

by Dan Brown. After scores of Da Vinci Code knockoffs, spinoffs, copies and caricatures, Brown has had the stroke of brilliance to set his breakneck new thriller not in some far-off exotic locale, but right here in our own backyard. Everyone off the bus, and welcome to a Washington, D.C., they never told you about on your school trip when you were a kid, a place steeped in Masonic history that, once revealed, points to a dark, ancient conspiracy that threatens not only America but the world itself. Returning hero Robert Langdon comes to Washington to give a lecture at the behest of his old mentor, Peter Solomon. When he arrives at the U.S. Capitol for his lecture, he finds, instead of an audience, Peter's severed hand mounted on a wooden base, fingers pointing skyward to the Rotunda ceiling fresco of George Washington dressed in white robes, ascending to heaven. Langdon teases out a plethora of clues from the tattooed hand that point toward a secret portal through which an intrepid seeker will find the wisdom known as the Ancient Mysteries, or the lost wisdom of the ages. A villain known as Mal'akh, a steroid-swollen, fantastically tattooed, muscle-bodied madman, wants to locate the wisdom so he can rule the world. Mal'akh has captured Peter and promises to kill him if Langdon doesn't agree to help find the portal. Joining Langdon in his search is Peter's younger sister, Kathleen, who has been conducting experiments in a secret museum. This is just the kickoff for a deadly chase that careens back and forth, across, above and below the nation's capital, darting from revelation to revelation, pausing only to explain some piece of wondrous, historical esoterica. Jealous thriller writers will despair, doubters and nay-sayers will be proved wrong, and readers will rejoice: Dan Brown has done it again. --Publisher's Weekly. (Check Catalog)

People of Albany : the first 200 years +

Peter J. Hess. Did you know that Jamestown, Virginia was the earliest English settlement but Jamestown was abandoned in 1699 making Dutch Albany the oldest continuous European settlement in the original thirteen English colonies? Did you know that Santa Claus may have made his first appearance in the New World in Albany and that Santa Claus has nothing whatsoever to do with Christmas? Read about the earliest Van Rensselaers, Schuylers, Ten Broecks, Yates and Lansings. Learn about: Anneke Jans Bogardus who owned 62 acres of Manhattan Island just north of Wall Street-probably the most valuable land in the United States, Kajingahaga and Agotzagena-the earliest Indian tribes encountered at Albany, the entire male population of Albany marching north to fight at Saratoga, all of the events leading up to the Hamilton-Burr duel that happened in Albany, the Albanian who drafted the document that was the basis for the Bill of Rights, the discovery of the Cohoes Mastodon and Cardiff Giant, and much more. (Check Catalog)

Skeletons at the feast : a novel

by Christopher A. Bohjalian. In his 12th novel, Bohjalian (The Double Bind) paints the brutal landscape of Nazi Germany as German refugees struggle westward ahead of the advancing Russian army. Inspired by the unpublished diary of a Prussian woman who fled west in 1945, the novel exhumes the ruin of spirit, flesh and faith that accompanied thousands of such desperate journeys. Prussian aristocrat Rolf Emmerich and his two elder sons are sent into battle, while his wife flees with their other children and a Scottish POW who has been working on their estate. Before long, they meet up with Uri Singer, a Jewish escapee from an Auschwitz-bound train, who becomes the group's protector. In a parallel story line, hundreds of Jewish women shuffle west on a gruesome death march from a concentration camp. Bohjalian presents the difficulties confronting both sets of travelers with carefully researched detail and an unflinching eye, but he blinks when creating the Emmerichs, painting them as untainted by either their privileged status, their indoctrination by the Nazi Party or their adoration of Hitler. Although most of the characters lack complexity, Bohjalian's well-chosen descriptions capture the anguish of a tragic era and the dehumanizing desolation wrought by war. --Publisher's Weekly. (Check catalog)

Your rights in the workplace

by Barbara Kate Repa. The full gamut of workers' rights is covered in an all-new edition of this comprehensive guide that includes the latest federal and state legislation and case law in regard to such issues as dress codes, harassment and discrimination, wages, on-the-job safety, insurance and retirement, job loss, and more. Original. (Check Catalog)

Pornografia

by Witold Gombrowicz. Originally published in 1966 and previously translated into English in 1978, this existential novel is set in occupied Poland during World War II. Narrator Witold and his enigmatic companion, Fryderyk, two intellectuals with ties to the underground resistance, find themselves holed up at a friend's farm. The two men quickly become obsessed with the farmer's teenage daughter and a young farmhand with whom she has been friends since childhood and attempt, for their own voyeuristic amusement, to entice the two into beginning a sexual relationship. Eventually, their games are derailed by, and possibly contribute to, a series of bizarre and disastrous incidents. Each event is overanalyzed by the narrator, allowing Gombrowicz to reveal his underlying concern with the "blind elemental forces" that determine human events: war, love, religion, sin, and desire. VERDICT Philosophical, sensual, and occasionally jarring, Gombrowicz's writing swirls with strange meanings. His singular style may deter casual readers, but those who brave a few chapters will find themselves hypnotized. Borchardt's translation, from the original Polish, returns a clarity and impact to the text that had been lost in the earlier two-step translation from the French. Especially recommended for fans of Sartre, Camus, and similar authors. --Library Journal (Check Catalog)

The war that killed Achilles : the true story of Homer's Iliad

by Caroline Alexander. Alexander, a professional writer who has been published in Granta, The New Yorker, and National Geographic, holds a Ph.D. in classics from Columbia University. Her new book explores her deep fascination with Homer's Iliad. Essentially, she offers an extended discussion of the plot, elaborating and contextualizing it by reference to extant fragments from other epics and other ancient texts and archaeological and historical evidence. She also relates the resonances of The Iliad in the modern world, from Muhammad Ali's refusal to serve in the Vietnam War to the account of an American war widow responding to the death of her husband in Iraq. Verdict Alexander's book is vigorous and deeply learned yet unpedantic. Highly recommended to general readers interested in a full appreciation of the power and the enduring relevance of The Iliad. --Library Journal. (Check Catalog)

The year of the flood : a novel

by Margaret Atwood. Never one to rest on her laurels, famed Canadian author Atwood redeems the word sequel with this brilliant return to the nightmarish future first envisioned in Oryx and Crake. Contrary to expectations, the waterless flood, a biological disaster predicted by a fringe religious group, actually arrives. In its wake, the survivors must rely on their wits to get by, all the while reflecting on what went wrong. Atwood wins major style points here for her framing device, the liturgical year of the God's Gardeners sect. Readers who enjoy suspense will also appreciate the story's shifting viewpoint and nonlinear time line, which result in the gradual revelation of key events and character relationships. Atwood's heroines seem uniformly grim and hollow, but one can hardly expect cheerfulness in the face of the apocalypse, and the hardships of their lives both pre- and postflood are moving and disturbing. VERDICT Another win for Atwood, this dystopian fantasy belongs in the hands of every highbrow sf aficionado and anyone else who claims to possess a social conscience. --Library Journal (Check Catalog)

The shadows of youth : the remarkable journey of the civil rights generation

by Andrew B. Lewis. With deep admiration and rigorous scholarship, historian Lewis (Gonna Sit at the Welcome Table) revisits the "ragtag band" of young men and women who formed the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. Impatient with what they considered the overly cautious and accommodating pace of the NAACP and Martin Luther King Jr., the black college students and their white allies, inspired by Gandhi's principles of nonviolence and moral integrity, risked their lives to challenge a deeply entrenched system. Fanning out over the Jim Crow South, SNCC organized sit-ins, voter registration drives, Freedom Schools and protest marches. Despite early successes, the movement disintegrated in the late 1960s, succeeded by the militant "Black Power" movement. The highly readable history follows the later careers of the principal leaders. Some, like Stokely Carmichael and H. "Rap" Brown, became bitter and disillusioned. Others, including Marion Barry, Julian Bond and John Lewis, tempered their idealism and moved from protest to politics, assuming positions of leadership within the very institutions they had challenged. According to the author, "No organization contributed more to the civil rights movement than SNCC," and with his eloquent book, he offers a deserved tribute. --Publisher's Weekly. (Check Catalog)

Tears of Pearl

by Tasha Alexander. Lady Emily and Colin Hargreaves are on their honeymoon tour, headed to Constantinople via the Orient Express. On the train, they assist Sir Richard St. Clare after he falls ill at dinner. In appreciation of their help, Sir Richard invites the couple to attend an opera at the sultan's palace. As guests are leaving, the body of a harem girl is found. She's identified as Sir Richard's missing daughter, who was kidnapped by bandits over 20 years ago. Emily is determined to exhibit her sleuthing abilities and discover the truth, but is it worth the personal price she'll pay? Because this is the fourth book in Alexander's Victorian series (after A Fatal Waltz), characters have been well established, but their relationships and inner conflicts continue to develop in interesting ways. Curious facts about the Ottoman Empire, comparisons of women's independence there and in England, and vivid descriptions of locations and objects add that little something extra. Verdict The strong female lead and historically accurate details will please readers of Anne Perry, Laurie R. King, and Deanna Raybourn seeking a new fan-favorite author. (Check catalog)

Parallel play : growing up with undiagnosed Asperger's

by Tim Page. At the age of 45, Pulitzer Prize-winning music critic and writer Page learned that he had Asperger's syndrome. The diagnosis explained his lifelong struggle to fit in with others, the parallel play that he engaged in as a child, existing alongside others but never with them. Page watched with envy as his younger sister and brother came into the world, merged into the family, and found a place for themselves in both while he continued to founder. In school, he was absolutely no good at subjects that didn't interest him. Music was a saving grace, regimented yet soaringly creative. Old movies were also an obsession, inspiring him to try his hand at writing and directing silent films cast by his siblings and neighborhood children. His difficulty in making friends heightened the pain of adolescence, but he was pulled into the human race by Emily Post's etiquette lessons, which helped him decipher the mysteries of social conventions. Repulsed by the human touch, Page admits that lovemaking was very mechanical, well into adulthood. In adolescence, he dropped out of school, considered suicide, and dabbled in drugs, including LSD, which produced nightmarish hallucinations on what was already a delicate and disordered psyche. Page eventually found an esteemed career that he thinks might have been enhanced not debilitated by his condition. This highly introspective memoir includes photographs and drawings that evoke a life of struggle and triumph. --Booklist. (Check Catalog)

Say you're one of them

by Uwem Akpan. Nigerian-born Jesuit priest Akpan transports the reader into gritty scenes of chaos and fear in his rich debut collection of five long stories set in war-torn Africa. "An Ex-mas Feast" tells the heartbreaking story of eight-year-old Jigana, a Kenyan boy whose 12-year-old sister, Maisha, works as a prostitute to support her family. Jigana's mother quells the children's hunger by having them sniff glue while they wait for Maisha to earn enough to bring home a holiday meal. In "Luxurious Hearses," Jubril, a teenage Muslim, flees the violence in northern Nigeria. Attacked by his own Muslim neighbors, his only way out is on a bus transporting Christians to the south. In "Fattening for Gabon," 10-year-old Kotchikpa and his younger sister are sent by their sick parents to live with their uncle, Fofo Kpee, who in turn explains to the children that they are going to live with their prosperous "godparents," who, as Kotchikpa pieces together, are actually human traffickers. Akpan's prose is beautiful and his stories are insightful and revealing, made even more harrowing because all the horror--and there is much--is seen through the eyes of children. --Publisher's Weekly. (Check Catalog)

The American Civil War : a military history

by John Keegan. Award-winning British war historian Keegan brings his enormous talents for understanding the "face of battle" and the shape of war to what he calls "one of the most mysterious great wars of history." The American Civil War, to Keegan, was in many ways unique, especially because of the sustained intensity of combat, the importance of infantry and relative insignificance of artillery and cavalry in deciding battles, the voluntarism of the soldiers and their persistent willingness to fight, the complications of geography and topography, and the inability of either side to deliver a decisive military victory. Keegan follows such writers as T. Harry Williams and James McPherson in assessing generalship, and he offers little new about the place of the home fronts and politics in defining and sustaining the war effort, but he moves confidently across military terrain. VERDICT His emphasis on the role of military training, geography, the importance of entrenchments, the use of firepower and infantry tactics, and the technology of war gives Keegan's book a primary place in the annals of modern warfare. With only a few missteps, Keegan provides the single best one-volume assessment of the military character and conduct of America's ordeal by fire. In doing so, he shows why war was so terrible but also, in this case, so necessary. Highly recommended --Library Journal (Check catalog)

The vintage caper

by Peter Mayle. Mayle uncorks a winning wine caper in the tradition of To Catch a Thief. When a hot-shot Hollywood lawyer's most treasured and expensive wines are stolen, his insurance company calls in Sam Levitt, a gourmand and lawyer-of-all-trades with a varied background, to investigate. The investigation takes Sam to Paris and Bordeaux, where he hooks up with the elegant insurance agent Sophie Costes, a fellow wine and food snob. The trail finally leads them to a man named Francis Reboul in Marseille, and soon, with the help of Sophie's journalist cousin, Phillipe, they get an in with Reboul and close in on closing the caper. While the plot may be predictable, the pleasures of this very French adventure-and there are many-aren't in the resolution, of course, but in the pleasant stroll through the provinces and in the glasses of wine downed and decadent meals consumed. (Check Catalog)

Connected : the surprising power of our social networks and how they shape our lives

by Nicholas A. Christakis. Harvard professor and health care policy specialist Christakis (Death Foretold: Prophecy and Prognosis in Medical Care) became interested in social connectivity when observing that the mortality rate of spouses spike after a partner passes away. Christakis sought out a collaboration with Fowler, a health systems and political scientist, and together they compare topology (the hows of a given structure) across different social networks to better explain how participation and positioning enhances the effectiveness of an individual, and why the "whole" of a network is "greater than the sum of its parts." Five basic rules describe the relationship between individuals and their networks-including mutual adaptation, the influence of friends and friends' friends, the network's "life of its own"-but the results do more than promote the good of the group: they also spread contagions; create "epidemics" of obesity, smoking and substance abuse; disseminate fads and markets; alter voting patterns; and more. A thorough but popular take on a complex phenomenon, this volume offers an entertaining guide to the mechanics and importance of human networking. -Library Journal (Check Catalog)

Crush : a Karen Vail novel

by Alan Jacobson. FBI Profiler Karen Vail's idyllic vacation to Napa Valley with her boyfriend, Det. Robby Hernandez, is derailed on day one. A mutilated body bearing distinctive wounds is discovered during their exclusive wine tasting, and Vail is drawn to the case. Further investigations lead her to a second corpse with similar wounds. By the end of day two, Vail joins the Napa County Major Crimes Task Force. As additional bodies are found, Vail and her new colleagues begin a relentless pursuit of "The Napa Crush Killer." As possible motives and patterns begin to emerge and task force members are targeted, intensity levels increase. Jacobson's extensive FBI research background yields a gripping story laced with political underpinnings and dizzying twists that will have readers perched on the edge of their seats. In a style rivaling that of Patricia Cornwell or Harlan Coben, Jacobson surpasses his first Karen Vail thriller, The 7th Victim. Verdict Essential for suspense aficionados. One caveat: readers expecting a neat ending may be disappointed, as a sequel is forthcoming. -Library Journal (Check Catalog)

Ghosts of NY's Capital District : Albany, Schenectady, Troy & more

by Renee Mallett. Covering a dozen communities within the area, read about historic hauntings and modern-day spooks in upstate New York. Renee Mallett is the author of several books, all available from Schiffer Publishing, and numerous pieces of short fiction and poetry. She is a book critic for several online literary journals. She has published articles on a variety of topics ranging from celebrity interviews and travel essays, to fashion reporting. Renee Mallett lives with her husband and three children in southern New Hampshire. (Check catalog)

Nocturnes : five stories of music and nightfall

by Kazuo Ishiguro. In Venice, an old-time singer drafts a guitar player from one of the piazza's bands to accompany him as he serenades the wife he is about to leave. She later turns up in the tale of a sax player whose own wife, having left him, offers to pay for plastic surgery that could help his career. A man who once shared a love for show tunes with an old friend is asked by her husband to act the fool to help save their marriage. A self-centered songwriter breeds disruption while working at his sister's inn, and an inspiring cellist encounters a most unusual teacher. Despite what one might expect from the title, these aren't stories about music, which is simply enfolded in the characters' lives; the music doesn't so much inspire the action as frame it. The writing is lighter and more loose-limbed than one might expect of the author of Never Let Me Go, but it delivers the same scary insights into human misbehavior. Verdict Once again Ishiguro does something different; recommended for anyone who loves thoughtful writing. --Library Journal. (Check Catalog)

The photographer's eye field guide : the essential handbook to traveling with your digital SLR camera

by Michael Freeman. Whether on a weekend city break or a month-long trekking vacation, this handy litle guide will be your indispensable companion. Taking photos that really capture the essence of your time away is a real skill, and swamped with a multitude of choices, it can be hard to organise your time and focus on the shots that really matter. Written by Michael Freeman, one of the world's leading travel photographers, this portable mine of information takes a hands-on approach to travel photography, offering a comprehensive guide to planning and executing your trip. Advice covers everythingnbsp;and includes:nbsp;choosing what to photograph and how to do it, coping with challenging lighting conditions,nbsp;and negotiating customs and security issues. The subjects section covers a diverse array of settings, including: safaris, deserts, diving, cycling, mountains and water. This ensures that, whatever situation you encounter, you have the information you need to take stunning shots right at your fingertips. The themes section takes a more conceptual approach, and is packed with invaluable advice on situations you may encounter: shooting, for example, worship scenes, markets, landscapes and light. There is even a section on reworking cliches, so you can visit the much-photographed sites of the world and come away with something truly unique. Packed with stunning shots, and rooted entirely in the photographers own experiences, this is a highly practical approach to a key area of photography, and an inspirational guide for photographers on the move everywhere. (Check Catalog)

The devil's punchbowl

by Greg Iles. Bestseller Iles's stellar third suspense novel to feature Penn Cage (after Turning Angel) finds the former prosecutor and bestselling novelist serving as the mayor of Natchez, Miss., his hometown. Frustrated by his limited ability to change the system, Cage is plunged into a deadly duel of wits with some bad guys after a childhood friend, Tim Jessup, now a card dealer, alerts him to illegal dog fighting and sexual abuse connected with a floating casino. Before Jessup can deliver proof of his allegations, he's tortured and killed. Convinced Jessup managed to pass on the evidence to the mayor, Jessup's boss confronts and threatens Cage. Daniel Kelly, an old friend working for a private security organization, lends support, sneaking Cage's 11-year-old daughter out of town to safety. Iles brilliantly creates opportunities for his characters to demonstrate principle and courage, both on a large and small scale, making this much more than just an exciting read. --Publisher's weekly (Check Catalog)

The making of Americans : democracy and our schools

by E.D. Hirsch. Hirsch's 1987 bestseller, Cultural Literacy, generated an intense debate over its proposals for education reform, namely that all schools should teach a standard core curriculum—the information every American should be equipped with in order to participate in the national cultural life (e.g., everyone should understand the term Achilles heel; know who said, To be or not to be or who wrote the Gettysburg Address). Hirsch's new book fine-tunes his philosophy while rebutting the criticism that cultural literacy fostered a conservative white curriculum that didn't take into account the learning styles and knowledge base of minority groups. Although must reading for educators, the book undoubtedly will reignite the earlier controversy. For example, Hirsch questions the wisdom of charter schools and educational vouchers, insisting that a trans-ethnic common educational experience can be had only in public schools attended by rich and poor together. However, in the context of the continuing shortcomings of American education and armed with the support of prominent educators, Hirsch once again challenges the prevailing child-centered philosophy, championing a return to a subject-centered approach to learning. --Publisheer's Weekly. (Check Catalog)

Half broke horses : a true-life novel

by Jeanette Walls. No one familiar with Walls's affecting memoir, The Glass Castle, will be surprised by her subtitle here: Walls is a careful observer who can give true-life stories the rush and immediacy of the best fiction. Here she novelizes the life of her grandmother, giving herself just the latitude she needs to create a great story. Lily Casey Smith is one astonishing woman, tough enough to trot her pony across several hundred miles of desert to her first job when she's only a teenager. After a brief stint in Chicago and marriage to a flim-flam man, she's back in the West, teaching again and eventually remarrying, helping her fine new husband at the gas station, raising her children, and running hootch if she must to make ends meet during the Depression. Her story is at once simple and utterly remarkable, for this is one remarkable woman—a half-broke horse herself who's clearly passed on her best traits to her granddaughter. VERDICT Told in a natural, offhand voice that is utterly enthralling, this is essential reading for anyone who loves good fiction—or any work about the American West. --Publisher's Weekly (Check catalog)

How to raise the perfect dog : through puppyhood and beyond

by Cesar Milan. The star of Dog Whisperer presents a wealth of advice, tips, and techniques for ideally raising a puppy, addressing a range of common concerns from selecting a compatible breed and meeting health needs to housebreaking essentials and achieving ideal behavior. TV tie-in. (Check catalog)

South of Broad : a novel

by Pat Conroy. "Kids, I'm teaching you to tell a story. It's the most important lesson you'll ever learn," says the protagonist of Conroy's first novel in 14 years (since 1995's Beach Music). Switching between the 1960s and the 1980s, the narrative follows a group of friends whose relationship began in Charleston, SC. The narrator is Leopold Bloom King (his mother was a Joyce scholar), a likable but troubled kid who goes from having one best friend, his brother, to having no friends after a tragedy, to having, suddenly, a gang, of which he is perhaps not the leader but certainly the glue. Conroy continues to demonstrate his skill at presenting the beauty and the ugliness of the South, holding both up for inspection and, at times, admiration. He has not lost his touch for writing stories that are impossible to put down; the fast pace and shifting settings grip the reader even as the story occasionally veers toward the unbelievable. VERDICT Filled with the lyrical, funny, poignant language that is Conroy's birthright, this is a work Conroy fans will love. Libraries should buy multiple copies. —Library Journal (Check Catalog)

Just like us : the true story of four Mexican girls coming of age in America

by Helen Thorpe. In 2004, Denver journalist Thorpe met four Mexican girls-two legal, two undocumented-and began a five-year journey of chronicling their lives and the lives of their families against the backdrop of growing tensions on immigration issues. She follows the girls-Marisela, Clara, Yadira, and Elissa-from their high-school proms through college graduation, documenting the huge differences between the challenges and uncertainties faced by those with documents and those without. Thorpe also chronicles the family dynamics and economic struggles as the girls tentatively move into the middle class, the tensions of assimilation as the girls become increasingly American, and the emotional challenges to maintaining cultural ties to their families and communities. She follows the story into Mexico when Marisela's mother is deported. But Thorpe also follows the opposition, including former U.S. Representative Tom Tancredo (R-Colorado), who made a name for himself by vociferously opposing illegal immigrants. All the while, Thorpe had the added complication of being married to the mayor of Denver, whose business and political stances added to the heated debate. Thorpe does a masterful job of exploring issues of class, race, and culture in the American amalgam through the lives of four young Mexican women. --Booklist (Check Catalog)

The year of the flood : a novel

Margaret Atwood. Never one to rest on her laurels, famed Canadian author Atwood redeems the word sequel with this brilliant return to the nightmarish future first envisioned in Oryx and Crake. Contrary to expectations, the waterless flood, a biological disaster predicted by a fringe religious group, actually arrives. In its wake, the survivors must rely on their wits to get by, all the while reflecting on what went wrong. Atwood wins major style points here for her framing device, the liturgical year of the God's Gardeners sect. Readers who enjoy suspense will also appreciate the story's shifting viewpoint and nonlinear time line, which result in the gradual revelation of key events and character relationships. Atwood's heroines seem uniformly grim and hollow, but one can hardly expect cheerfulness in the face of the apocalypse, and the hardships of their lives both pre- and postflood are moving and disturbing. VERDICT Another win for Atwood, this dystopian fantasy belongs in the hands of every highbrow sf aficionado and anyone else who claims to possess a social conscience. (Check catalog)

The healing of America : a global quest for better, cheaper, and fairer health care

by T.R. Reid. For all the rights and privileges enjoyed in the U.S, this country remains the only industrialized one that does not guarantee medical services to all its citizens. As a result, our health-care system ranks poorly when it comes to infant mortality, life expectancy, satisfaction, and overall performance. Reid traveled the globe to study the health-care systems of other democratic nations, such as France, Germany, Japan, the UK, and Canada, where medical services are available to every citizen. None of these systems are perfect, but he found that a single national health-care system is not only more efficient but also costs less, saves lives, and provides a better quality of care than the dysfunctional hodgepodge that we have in this country. Reid dispels the common fears about "socialized medicine," waiting lists, and other myths disseminated by the lobbyists and politicians with a stake in the status quo. Here, we get a clear picture of why we have a moral imperative to implement a heath-care system for all Americans. --Booklist (Check Catalog)

Homer & Langley : a novel

E. L. Doctorow. Following the panoramic scope of The March (2005), Doctorow creates a microcosmic and mythic tale of compulsion, alienation, and dark metamorphosis inspired by the famously eccentric Collyer brothers of New York City. Born to wealth in the 1880s, Homer and Langley became recluses and hoarders barricaded inside their Fifth Avenue brownstone, which was crammed with more than 100 tons of moldering junk. Altering facts and tinkering with time, Doctorow has Homer, who is blind, narrate with deadpan humor and spellbinding precision. Homer is devoted to music, and his brother is devoted to him, but Langley, off-kilter after a gas attack in the Great War, is beyond strange. He rebuilds a Model T in the dining room, collects everything from pianos to army surplus, and amasses newspapers to assemble a "forevermore" edition, Doctorow's sly enactment of the fall of print and the rise of the Internet, a realm as chaotic and trash-filled as the Collyer mansion. Over the decades, people come and goûûlovers, a gangster, a jazz musician, a flock of hippies, but finally Homer and Langley are irrevocably alone, prisoners in their fortress of rubbish, trapped in their warped form of brotherly love. Wizardly Doctorow presents an ingenious, haunting odyssey that unfolds within a labyrinth built out of the detritus of war and excess. -- Booklist. (Check Catalog)