Author: Chambers, Becky, author. Published: 2021 Call Number: F CHAMBERS Format: Books Summary: "With no water, no air, and no native life, the planet Gora is unremarkable. The only thing it has going for it is a chance proximity to more popular worlds, making it a decent stopover for ships traveling between the wormholes that keep the Galactic Commons connected. If deep space is a highway, Gora is just your average truck stop. At the Five-Hop One-Stop, long-haul spacers can stretch their legs (if they have legs, that is), and get fuel, transit permits, and assorted supplies. The Five-Hop is run by an enterprising alien and her sometimes helpful child, who work hard to provide a little piece of home to everyone passing through. When a freak technological failure halts all traffic to and from Gora, three strangers--all different species with different aims--are thrown together at the Five-Hop. Grounded, with nothing to do but wait, the trio--an exiled artist with an appointment to keep, a cargo runner at a personal crossroads, and a mysterious individual doing her best to help those on the fringes--are compelled to confront where they've been, where they might go, and what they are, or could be, to each other"--Dust jacket flap.
Author: Berman, Sarah, author. Published: 2021 Call Number: 364.153 BERMAN Format: Books Summary: Explores the shocking practices of NXIVM, a cult run by Keith Raniere and many enablers, detailing its rise as a personal development company, its ability to evade prosecution for decades, and the investigation that finally revealed its dark secrets to the world. Sex trafficking. Forced labor. Gaslighting. Berman explores the shocking practices of NXIVM, a cult run by Keith Raniere and many enablers. She details its rise as a personal development company, its ability to evade prosecution for decades, and the investigation that finally revealed its dark secrets to the world.-- adapted from back cover
Author: Dunn, Jon (Conservationist), author. Published: 2021 Call Number: 598.764 DUNN Format: Books Summary: "Hummingbirds are a glittering, sparkling collective of over three hundred wildly variable, colorful species. For centuries they have captured our imaginations - revered by indigenous Americans, coveted by European collectors, and to this day admired worldwide for their unsurpassed metallic, jewel-like plumage, acrobatic flight, and immense character. Yet they exist on a knife-edge -- theirs is a precarious life, dependent upon finding sufficient nectar to provide the high energy their bodies demand daily. They live fast and die young. And they do this in habitats that range from boreal woodlands to deserts, from dripping cloud-forests to montane paramo, and on islands both tropical and sub-polar. They are, perhaps, the ultimate embodiment of evolution's power to carve a niche for a seemingly delicate creature in even the harshest of places. This tells the colorful story of these fabulous birds -- their history, their compelling life cycles, and their perilous position in a changing landscape -- and the stories of the people, past and present, whose lives have been shaped by the zealous passion hummingbirds inspire. Enthusiastic amateur birdwatchers, conservation workers, scientists, smugglers, witches, and celebrities -- all have been consumed in one way or another with passion for the most remarkable family of all the birds. Travelling the full length of their worldwide range, from the very edge of the Arctic Circle to the sub-Antarctic islands off the tip of South America, nature writer Jon Dunn embarks on a search for the most remarkable examples of their kind, exploring their rich cultural heritage, and encountering a host of human characters as colorful as the birds themselves"-- For centuries they have captured our imaginations, and are admired worldwide for their unsurpassed metallic, jewel-like plumage, acrobatic flight, and immense character. Yet hummingbirds have a precarious life, dependent upon finding sufficient nectar to provide the high energy their bodies demand daily. They live fast and die young-- in many different habitats. Dunn tells the colorful story of these fabulous birds-- their history, their compelling life cycles, and their perilous position in a changing landscape-- and the stories of the people, past and present, whose lives have been shaped by the zealous passion hummingbirds inspire. -- adapted from publisher info
Author: Thayer, Nancy, 1943- author. Published: 2021 Call Number: F THAYER Format: Books Summary: "A grandmother-granddaughter duo are eager to spend their summer together on peaceful Nantucket, but the season that unfolds brings about unforgettable surprises in New York Times bestselling author Nancy Thayer's magical, multigenerational novel. Eleanor Sunderland loves living on the Nantucket cliffside, in a charming home that has been in her family for decades. Now widowed, she looks forward to the arrival of her children and grandchildren for an annual family reunion, eager for the life and laughter that will soon fill the air. But Eleanor's island idyll is shattered when her money-driven children suggest she sell the house and move to a retirement community. She finds a lone ally in her twenty-two-year-old granddaughter, Ari, who moves in with her for the summer. Ari longs for a change of scenery, to stray from the path her parents have set for her. What she does not expect is an electric romantic spark with a Nantucket local, Cal, whose kind heart and charisma have her absolutely smitten. With plenty of her signature Nantucket magic, Nancy Thayer brings both Eleanor and Ari on a summer beyond their wildest imaginations, filled with exciting connections, old and new"--
Author: Meiburg, Jonathan, author. Published: 2021 Call Number: 598.96 Format: Books Summary: "An enthralling account of a modern voyage of discovery as we meet a rare and mysterious bird of prey--the caracara--that puzzled Darwin, fascinates modern-day falconers, and carries secrets of our planet's deep past in its family history. In 1833, Charles Darwin was astonished by an animal he met in the Falkland Islands: handsome, social, and oddly crow-like falcons that were "tame and inquisitive ... quarrelsome and passionate," and so insatiably curious that they stole hats, compasses, and other valuables from the crew of the Beagle. Darwin wondered why these birds were confined to remote islands at the tip of South America, sensing a larger story, but he set this mystery aside and never returned to it. Almost two hundred years later, Jonathan Meiburg takes up this chase. He takes us through South America, from the fog-bound coasts of Tierra del Fuego to the tropical forests of Guyana, in search of these birds: striated caracaras, which still exist, though they're very rare. He reveals the wild, fascinating story of their history, origins, and possible futures. And along the way, he draws us into the life and work of William Henry Hudson, the Victorian writer and naturalist who championed caracaras as an unsung wonder of the natural world, and to falconry parks in the English countryside, where captive caracaras perform incredible feats of memory and problem-solving. A Most Remarkable Creature is a hybrid of science writing, travelogue, and biography, as generous and accessible as it is sophisticated, and absolutely riveting."--
Author: Philippe, Ben, author. Published: 2021 Call Number: 973.04 PHILIPPE Format: Books Summary: In the biting, hilarious vein of What Doesn't Kill You Makes You Blacker and We Are Never Meeting in Real Life comes Ben Philippe's candid memoir-in-essays, chronicling a lifetime of being the Black friend in predominantly white spaces. From cheating his way out of swim tests to discovering stray family members in unlikely places, he finds the punchline in the serious while acknowledging the blunt truths of existing as a Black man in today's world.
Author: Davidson, Jim (Professional speaker), author. Published: 2021 Call Number: B DAVIDSON Format: Books Summary: "A dramatic account of the deadly avalanche on Everest-and a return to reach the summit. On April 25, 2015, Jim Davidson was climbing Mount Everest when a 7.8-magnitude earthquake released avalanches all around him and his team, destroying their only escape route and trapping them at nearly 20,000 feet. It was the largest earthquake in Nepal in eighty-one years and killed nearly 8,900 people. That day also became the deadliest in the history of Everest, with eighteen people losing their lives on the mountain. After spending two unsettling days stranded on Everest, Davidson's team was rescued by helicopter. The experience left him shaken, and despite his thirty-three years of climbing and serving as an expedition leader, he wasn't sure that he would ever go back. But in the face of risk and uncertainty, he returned in 2017 and finally achieved his dream of reaching the summit. Suspenseful and engrossing, The Next Everest portrays the experience of living through the biggest disaster to ever hit the mountain. Davidson's background in geology and environmental science makes him uniquely qualified to explain why the seismic threats lurking beneath Nepal are even greater today. But this story is not about "conquering" the world's highest peak. Instead, it reveals how embracing change, challenge, and uncertainty prepares anyone to face their next "Everest" in life"--
Author: Roberts, Sheila, 1951- author. Mira, publisher. Published: 2021 Call Number: PB ROBERTS Format: Books Summary: Jenna Jones has been hesitant to get involved with anyone, even with two good men interested in her. Her best friend, Courtney, thinks she should. When tragedy strikes, Jenna is more confused than ever, but this heartache might help her figure out who she can turn to when times get tough.
Author: Cleeton, Chanel, author. Published: 2021 Call Number: F CLEETON Format: Books Summary: "At the end of the nineteenth century, three revolutionary women fight for freedom in New York Times bestselling author Chanel Cleeton's captivating new novel inspired by real-life events and the true story of a legendary Cuban woman--Evangelina Cisneros--who changed the course of history. A feud rages in Gilded Age New York City between newspaper tycoons William Randolph Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer. When Grace Harrington lands a job at Hearst's newspaper in 1896, she's caught in a cutthroat world where one scoop can make or break your career, but it's a story emerging from Cuba that changes her life. Unjustly imprisoned in a notorious Havana women's jail, eighteen-year-old Evangelina Cisneros dreams of a Cuba free from Spanish oppression. When Hearst learns of her plight and splashes her image on the front page of his paper, proclaiming her, "The Most Beautiful Girl in Cuba," she becomes a rallying cry for American intervention in the battle for Cuban independence. With the help of Marina Perez, a courier secretly working for the Cuban revolutionaries in Havana, Grace and Hearst's staff attempt to free Evangelina. But when Cuban civilians are forced into reconcentration camps and the explosion of the USS Maine propels the United States and Spain toward war, the three women must risk everything in their fight for freedom"--
Author: Quick, Amanda, author. Published: 2021 Call Number: F QUICK Format: Books Summary: "Beauty and glamour meet deception and revenge in this electrifying novel by New York Times bestselling author Amanda Quick. Investigative apprentice Lyra Brazier, the newest resident of Burning Cove, is unsettled when her boss suddenly goes on a health retreat at an exclusive spa and disappears without another word. Lyra knows something has happened to Raina Kirk, and she is the only one who can track her down. The health spa is known for its luxurious offerings and prestigious clientele, and the wealthy, socialite background Lyra desperately wanted to leave behind is perfect for this undercover job. The agency brings in a partner and bodyguard for her, but she doesn't get the suave, pistol-packing private eye she expected. Simon Cage is a mild-mannered antiquarian book dealer with a quiet, academic air, and Lyra can't figure out why he was chosen as her partner. But it soon becomes clear when they arrive at the spa and pose as a couple: Simon has a unique gift that allows him to detect secrets, a skill that is crucial in finding Raina. The unlikely duo falls down a rabbit hole of twisted rumors and missing socialites, discovering that the health spa is a façade for something far darker than they imagined. With a murderer in their midst, Raina isn't the only one in grave danger--Lyra is next"--
Author: Maxwell, Cathy, author. Published: 2021 Call Number: PB MAXWELL Format: Books Summary: "As a member of the local Logical Men's Society, Ned Thurlowe prides himself on thinking clearly and calmly at all times. And it's clear that the meeting place of the society--a local tavern--is his even if the men have turned it to shambles. But Ned's claim is challenged by Gemma Estep, who's announced she's decided to turn it into some sort of respectable tea garden for the local ladies. Ned challenges Gemma, and in doing so behaves most illogically, for though he wants to dismiss her, he also can't help but desire her. Gemma has had enough of men telling her what to do, and she's vowed to make her own way in the world. And Ned Thurlowe is ruining her plans. Not only has he laid claim to her property, pitting them in a heated fight for its ownership, he's also arousing in her feelings she's never sensed before. And although they argue, they quickly discover they have more in common than they'd each ever dreamed--could their disagreement be turning into desire?"--Provided by publisher.
Author: Woodfolk, Ashley, author. Published: 2021 Call Number: Y WOODFOLK Format: Books Summary: Hardening her heart in her resolve to protect her family, Noelle Lee takes on extra hours at work when her father loses his job, a situation that is further complicated by Noelle's growing feelings for a fellow Flyy Girl. "Noelle Lee can't afford any distractions. She's dedicated to keeping her grades up and practicing the cello so she can get into her dream conservatory. But she can't stay focused if her ex-boyfriend, besties, and budding feelings for her friend Tobyn keep getting in the way. Just when her life seems complicated enough, her dad loses his job and the much-needed income that goes with it. Noelle has always been a little mean, but with all the added stress, even she knows her attitude is becoming too much to handle" --
Author: McMeekin, Sean, 1974- author. Published: 2021 Call Number: 940.5347 MCMEEKIN Format: Books Summary: "Drawing on ambitious new research in European and U.S. archives, Stalin's War revolutionizes our understanding of World War II by moving its epicenter to the east. Hitler's genocidal ambition may have helped unleash Armageddon, but as McMeekin shows, the war that emerged in Europe in August 1939 was the one Stalin wanted, not Hitler. So, too, was the Pacific war of 1941-1945 the direct result of Stalin's maneuverings, which he orchestrated to unleash the furies of war between capitalist powers Japan and the U.S. This groundbreaking reassessment of the Second World War elucidates Stalin's conquest of most of Eurasia, from Berlin to Beijing, for Communism"--
Author: Farley, Grant, 1951- author. Published: 2021 Call Number: Y FARLEY Format: Books Summary: In 1970s northern California, fifteen-year-old RJ Armante must fight to save himself and his disabled brother from the Blackjacks gang, and free his hometown, Arcangel, from its past. 1970s. RJ Armante has never known a life outside his dead-end hometown of Arcangel, CA. The Blackjacks rule as they have for generations, luring the poorest kids into their monopoly on petty crime. They've left RJ alone... until now. They want RJ to prey upon an old loner. But RJ is at his breaking point: about the gang, about the town, about Charley, his younger brother, who is disabled. About Roxanne, the girl he can't reach. About the kids in his crew who have nothing to live for. If RJ is to resist, he must fight to free Arcangel of its past. -- adapted from jacket
Author: Bischer, Karen, author. Published: 2021 Call Number: Y BISCHER Format: Books Summary: When her boyfriend Hunter dumps her, high school senior Ellie is forced to make new friends, while watching Hunter swoon over his new girlfriend. Ellie Agresti's not sure anything could be worse than being dumped by her boyfriend, Hunter, the first day of senior year. But sharing a "life skills" class with him and his new girlfriend, Brynn? AND getting partnered with a "family" of misfits (A.J., the loudmouth; Isaiah, the horse-racing obsessive; and Luke, the tattooed stunt-biker)? It's a recipe for certain disaster...until an in-class competition allows Ellie to channel her angst into beating Hunter and Brynn's team, and she unexpectedly bonds with her own group--especially Luke--in the process. But as Ellie soon discovers, it will take more than classroom triumphs to heal her broken heart-and find herself again.
Author: Smith, Joan F., 1985- author. Published: 2021 Call Number: Y SMITH Format: Books Summary: When sixteen-year-old Lila's mother sends her to a summer-long grief camp, following the suicide of Lila's father, potential new friends and a new crush threaten to drag her back into life, but facing the truth about her family will be the hardest part of moving on. It's been three months since Lila lost her father to suicide. She protects herself from pain by following these two rules: One: The only people who can truly hurt you are the ones you love. Therefore, love no one. Two: Stay away from liars. Liars are the worst. Lila's mother sends her to a summer-long grief camp. Potential new friends and an unexpected crush threaten to drag her back into life for the first time since her dad's death. Also, there's more about what happened that Lila doesn't know, and facing the truth about her family will be the hardest part of learning how a broken heart can love again. --adapted from front jacket flap.
Author: Kelly, Jack, 1949- author. Published: 2021 Call Number: 973.35 Format: Books Summary: "The wild and suspenseful story of one of the most crucial and least known campaigns of the Revolutionary War when America's scrappy navy took on the full might of Britain's sea power. "Few know of the valor and courage of Benedict Arnold... With such a dramatic main character, the story of the Battle of Valcour is finally seen as one of the most exciting and important of the American Revolution." ?Tom Clavin author of Dodge City and co-author of Valley Forge During the summer of 1776, a British incursion from Canada loomed. In response, citizen soldiers of the newly independent nation mounted a heroic defense. Patriots constructed a small fleet of gunboats on Lake Champlain in northern New York and confronted the Royal Navy in a desperate three-day battle near Valcour Island. Their effort surprised the arrogant British and forced the enemy to call off their invasion. Jack Kelly's Valcour is a story of people. The northern campaign of 1776 was led by the underrated general Philip Schuyler (Hamilton's father-in-law), the ambitious former British officer Horatio Gates, and the notorious Benedict Arnold. An experienced sea captain, Arnold devised a brilliant strategy that confounded his slow-witted opponents. America's independence hung in the balance during 1776. Patriots endured one defeat after another. But two events turned the tide: Washington's bold attack on Trenton and the equally audacious fight at Valcour Island. Together, they stunned the enemy and helped preserve the cause of liberty"--
Author: Carroll, James, 1943- author. Published: 2021 Call Number: 282.09 Format: Books Summary: "James Carroll weaves together the story of how his Irish mother inspired little Jimmy to believe in the Church, despite his young doubts, with the story of how the Catholic Church evolved in history to become an institution that places dominance and power in an all-male clergy. Carroll argues that clericalism is both the root cause and the ongoing enabler of the present Catholic crisis, and compromises the ability of Pope Francis to create change in a power structure accountable only to itself."--
Author: Greene, Joshua, 1950- author. Lipstadt, Deborah E., writer of foreword. Published: 2021 2020 Call Number: B WILZIG Format: Books Summary: "Unstoppable is the ultimate immigrant story and an epic David-and-Goliath adventure. While American teens were socializing in ice cream parlors, Siggi was suffering beatings by Nazi hoodlums for being a Jew and was soon deported along with his family to the darkest place the world has ever known: Auschwitz. Siggi used his wits to stay alive, pretending to have trade skills the Nazis could exploit to run the camp. After two death marches and near starvation, he was liberated from camp Mauthausen and went to work for the US Army hunting Nazis, a service that earned him a visa to America. On arrival, he made three vows: to never go hungry again, to support the Jewish people, and to speak out against injustice. He earned his first dollar shoveling snow after a fierce blizzard. His next job was laboring in toxic sweatshops. From these humble beginnings, he became President, Chairman and CEO of a New York Stock Exchange-listed oil company and grew a full-service commercial bank to more than $4 billion in assets"--
Author: Koy, Jo, author. Published: 2021 Call Number: B KOY Format: Books Summary: "Well guys, here it is -- my story. A funny, sad, at times pathetic but also kick-ass tale of how a half-Filipino, half-white kid whose mom thought (and still thinks) his career goal was to become a clown became a success. Not an overnight success, because that would have made for a really short read, but an All-American success who could give my immigrant mom the kind of life she hoped for when she came to this country, and my son the kind of life I wished I'd had as a kid. With all the details of what it felt like to get the doors closed in my face, to grind it out on the road with my arsenal of dick jokes, and how my career finally took off once I embraced the craziness of my family, which I always thought was uniquely Filipino but turns out is as universal as it gets." -- Publisher annotation
