Our columnist reviews this month’s releases.
Our columnist reviews this month’s releases.
Author: Perrin, Kristen, author.
Published: 2025
Call Number: F PERRIN
Format: Books
Summary: "Kristen Perrin is back with the second novel in her Castle Knoll series. Annie Adams is caught in a new web of murder that spans decades, returning us to the idyllic English village that holds layers of secrets"-- "Present day: Annie Adams is just settling into life in Castle Knoll when local fortune teller Peony Lane shares a cryptic message only hours before being found dead inside the locked Gravesdown Estate. Annie has no choice but to delve into the dark secrets of her new countryside home in order to find out just what Peony Lane was trying to warn her about, before her brand new life comes crashing down around her. 1967: Teenage Frances Adams, Annie's great aunt, finds herself caught between two men. Ford Gravesdown is one of the only remaining members of a family known for its wealth and dubious uses of power. Archie Foyle is a local who can't hold down a job and lives above the village pub. But when Frances teams up with Archie to investigate the car crash that killed most of Ford's family, it quickly becomes clear that this was no accident--hints of cover-ups, lies, and betrayals abound. The question is, just how far does the blackness creep through the heart of Castle Knoll? When Frances uncovers secrets kept by both Ford and Archie, she starts to wonder: What exactly has she gotten herself into?" --Amazon.com
Author: McFadden, Freida, author.
Published: 2025 2023
Call Number: LP F MCFADDEN
Format: Regular print
Summary: "It's hard to find an employer who doesn't ask too many questions about my past. So I thank my lucky stars that the Garricks miraculously give me a job, cleaning their stunning penthouse with views across the city and preparing fancy meals in their shiny kitchen. I can work here for a while, stay quiet until I get what I want. It's almost perfect. But I still haven't met Mrs. Garrick, or seen inside the guest bedroom. I'm sure I hear her crying. I notice spots of blood around the neck of her white nightgowns when I'm doing laundry. And one day I can't help but knock on the door. When it gently swings open, what I see inside changes everything ... That's when I make a promise. After all, I've done this before. I can protect Mrs. Garrick while keeping my own secrets locked up safe. Douglas Garrick has done wrong. He is going to pay. It's simply a question of how far I'm willing to go ..."--Provided by publisher.
Author: El-Mohtar, Amal, author. Neeley, Kathleen, illustrator.
Published: 2025
Call Number: F ELMOHTAR
Format: Books
Summary: In the small town of Thistleford, on the edge of Faerie, the mysterious Hawthorn family tends the willow trees there. For as long as anyone can remember, the Hawthorns have paid tribute to the willow trees, honouring an ancient compact to sing to them in thanks for their magic. None, though, have taken up this calling more devotedly than the family's latest daughters, Esther and Ysabel, who cherish each other as much as they cherish the trees. But when Esther rejects a forceful suitor in favour of a lover from the land of Faerie, not only the sisters' bond but also their lives will be at risk.--
Author: Maggi, Nicole, author.
Published: 2025
Call Number: PB MAGGI
Format: Books
Summary: "Beautiful views, deadly encounters. Grief-stricken over her mother' s death and bruised by her failure on her most recent case, Special Agent Emmeline Helliwell with the National Park Service returns to her Utah hometown to heal and regroup. She's determined to turn in her badge and take over her mother' s bakery for a much quieter life . . . until the body of a childhood friend turns up in The Narrows of Zion National Park. The case is too personal for Emme to turn down, but the seemingly simple investigation turns treacherous as clues that connect to her previous case grow too glaring to ignore. When bodies start to pile up, Emme must track down the killer before they take more lives, venturing deep into Zion National Park to uncover the sordid secrets hiding beneath its stunning beauty." --
Author: Cope, Suzanne, 1978- author.
Published: 2025
Call Number: 940.5486
Format: Books
Summary: "From underground soldiers to intrepid spies, Women of War unearths the hidden history of the brave women who risked their lives to overthrow the Nazi occupation and liberate Italy. Using primary sources and brand new scholarship, historian Suzanne Cope illuminates the roles played by women while Italians struggled under dual foes: Nazi invaders and Italian fascist loyalists. Cope's research and storytelling introduces four brave and resourceful women who risked everything to overthrow the Nazi occupation and pry their future from the fascist grasp. We meet Carla Capponi in Rome, where she made bombs in an underground bunker then ferried them to their deadly destination wearing lipstick and a trenchcoat; and Bianca Guidetti Serra who rode her bicycle up switchbacks in the Alps, dodging bullets while delivering bags of clandestine newspapers and munitions to the anti-fascist armies hidden in the mountains. In Florence, the young future author of Italy's new constitution, Teresa Mattei, carried secret messages and hid bombs; while Anita Malavasi led troops across the Apennine Mountains. Women of War brings their experiences as underground resistance fighters, partisan combatants, spies, and saboteurs to life. Essential and original, Women of War offers not only a reexamination of the elision of women from vital WWII history but also a valuable perspective on the ongoing fight for gender equality and social justice. After all, these were the women who launched a feminist movement as they fought for the future of their country, and what that could mean for its women, all while under Nazi and fascist fire"--
Author: Hawken, Paul, author.
Published: 2025
Call Number: 612.22
Format: Books
Summary: "Carbon is the only element that animates the entirety of the living world. Though comprising a tiny fraction of Earth's composition, our planet is lifeless without it. Yet it is maligned as the driver of climate change, scorned as an errant element blamed for the possible demise of civilization. Here, Paul Hawken looks at the flow of life through the lens of carbon. Embracing a panoramic view of carbon's omnipresence, he explores how this ubiquitous and essential element extends into every aperture of existence and shapes the entire fabric of life. Hawken charts a course across our planetary history, guiding us into the realms of plants, animals, insects, fungi, food, and farms to offer a new narrative for embracing carbon's life-giving power and its possibilities for the future of human endeavor. In this stirring, hopeful, and deeply humane book, Hawken illuminates the subtle connections between carbon and our collective human experience and asks us to see nature, carbon, and ourselves as exquisitely intertwined--and inseparably connected." --
Author: Fahmy, Huda, author, illustrator. Chen, Weinye, colorist.
Published: 2025
Call Number: Y FAHMY
Format: Books
Summary: Huda Fahmy is ready for junior year. She's got a plan to join all the clubs, volunteer everywhere, ace the ACTs, write the most awe-inspiring essay for her scholarship applications. Easy. But then Mama and Baba announce the most unthinkable news: they're getting a divorce. Huda is devastated. She worries about what this will mean for her family, their place in the Muslim community, and her future. Her grades start tanking, she has a big fight with her best friend, and everything feels out of control. Will her life ever feel normal again? Huda F wants to know--Amazon.com.
Author: Graves, Sarah, 1951- author.
Published: 2025
Call Number: F GRAVES
Format: Books
Summary: "Decorations of cobwebs and creatures are just being taken down across Eastport's picturesque houses as the community says farewell to Halloween and ushers in winter with the unique confectionaries found only at the Chocolate Moose. Revelers have gathered on the waterfront for a party at local celebrity Hank Rafferty's ramshackle mansion, known as Stone House. The home repair TV show star and his guests await a devilish dessert delivery from Jake and Ellie--who arrive just after Hank's body falls to his death from the house's turret's balcony. Despite his show's popularity, Hank was not exactly beloved in Eastport, prompting the police to conduct a homicide investigation. Their number one suspect is the temperamental boyfriend of police chief Lizzie Snow, whom Hank openly hit on during the party. Although he may be hotheaded, Lizzie doesn't believe her boyfriend is capable of killing anyone. And neither do Jake and Ellie. Plenty of people had motive to want Hank dead--a disillusioned admirer, a school bully, and a discontented wife among them. Did any of them take the murderous plunge, or is there another ghost in Hank's shady past yet to be revealed?"--
Author: Atkinson, Rick, author.
Published: 2025
Call Number: 973.3
Format: Books
Summary: "The first twenty-one months of the American Revolution--which began at Lexington and ended at Princeton--was the story of a ragged group of militiamen and soldiers fighting to forge a new nation. By the winter of 1777, the exhausted Continental Army could claim only that it had barely escaped annihilation by the world's most formidable fighting force. Two years into the war, George III is as determined as ever to bring his rebellious colonies to heel. But the king's task is now far more complicated: fighting a determined enemy on the other side of the Atlantic has become ruinously expensive, and spies tell him that the French and Spanish are threatening to join forces with the Americans. Prize-winning historian Rick Atkinson provides a riveting narrative covering the middle years of the Revolution. Stationed in Paris, Benjamin Franklin woos the French; in Pennsylvania, George Washington pleads with Congress to deliver the money, men, and materiel he needs to continue the fight. In New York, General William Howe, the commander of the greatest army the British have ever sent overseas, plans a new campaign against the Americans--even as he is no longer certain that he can win this searing, bloody war. The months and years that follow bring epic battles at Brandywine, Saratoga, Monmouth, and Charleston, a winter of misery at Valley Forge, and yet more appeals for sacrifice by every American committed to the struggle for freedom."--
Author: Brickell, Christopher, author. Joyce, David, -2000, author.
Published: 2025 1996
Call Number: 635.91
Format: Books
Summary: This definitive Royal Horticultural Society guide offers practical, step-by-step instructions for pruning over 800 plants, including trees, shrubs, roses, and climbers. With clear images and advanced techniques like topiary and coppicing, it's an essential resource for gardeners seeking expert pruning advice. "Keep your garden in top shape with this guide to pruning over 800 plants, shrubs, fruit bushes, ornamental trees, and climbing plants. Clear illustrations and step-by-step photographs guide you through some of the simplest--and more complicated--approaches to keeping your plants in good order. Knowing how to prune and shape plants correctly will help you achieve the best displays of flowers, produce bumper crops of fruit, and help your plants remain disease-free. A practical A-Z approach, organized by plant type, displays detailed information in an easy-to-use format, as well as guides for more specialized techniques. Whether pinch or renovation pruning, or pollaring and topiary, this book has it all."--Amazon.com
Author: Wendig, Chuck, author.
Published: 2025
Call Number: F WENDIG
Format: Books
Summary: Five high school friends are bonded by an oath to protect one another no matter what. Then, on a camping trip in the middle of the forest, they find something extraordinary: a mysterious staircase to nowhere. One friend walks up—and never comes back down. Then the staircase disappears. Twenty years later, the staircase has reappeared. Now the group returns to find the lost boy—and what lies beyond the staircase in the woods. . . .
Author: Lawson, Liz, 1980- author.
Published: 2025
Call Number: Y LAWSON
Format: Books
Summary: Told in three voices, Grace questions her eyewitness testimony that convicted Henry's brother in a murder trial, leaving former childhood friends Henry and Ally no choice but to join forces with her to prove Jake's innocence. "Grace, Henry, and Ally grew up together on the same block. They used to be best friends--until Grace's testimony put Henry's brother, Jake, away for killing their English teacher. Now, two years later, Ally and Henry hate Grace, and Grace is doubting what she thinks she saw that night. It feels like everyone's getting a second chance, then, when due to a mistrial, Jake is suddenly released. And Henry knows his brother is innocent, but when Grace reaches out to say she's rethinking what she saw the night of the murder, Jake's reaction is confusing. He doesn't want Henry--or Grace--getting involved..." --Amazon.com
Author: Cambridge, Colleen, author.
Published: 2025
Call Number: F CAMBRIDG
Format: Books
Summary: "If there's one art the French have mastered as well as fine cuisine, it's haute couture. Tabitha and Julia are already accustomed to sampling the delights of the former. Now fashion is returning to the forefront in Paris, as the somber hues of wartime are replaced by vibrant colors and ultra-feminine silhouettes, influenced by Christian Dior's "New Look." Tabitha and Julia join a friend for a private showing at an exclusive fashion atelier, Maison Lannet. The event goes well, but when Tabitha returns later that evening to search for a lost glove, she finds the lights still on--and the couturier dead, strangled by a length of lace. The shop manager suspects that a jealous rival--perhaps Dior himself--committed the crime. Tabitha dismisses that idea, but when another body is found, it's apparent that someone is targeting employees of Maison Lannet. Meanwhile, Tabitha's Grand-père and Oncle Rafe are in the midst of their own design-related fracas, as they squabble over how to decorate their new restaurant. And there are strange break-ins at a nearby shoe store--but are the crimes related? It's up to Tabitha to don her investigative hat and find answers before someone commits another fatal fashion faux pas"--
Author: Gitlin, Marty, editor.
Published: 2025
Call Number: 306.2
Format: Books
Summary: "The concept of 'identity politics' was first introduced in academic circles in the 1970s, but it has only reached mainstream political discourse in recent decades. Identity politics refers to a person's political identity being based on a particular aspect of their personality, such as their race, gender, sexuality, ethnicity, religion, or socioeconomic class. While identity politics have played an important role in social movements such as the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s, the women's rights movement of the 1960s and 1970s, and LGBTQ+ rights movements, some raise concerns that identity politics also cause greater political polarization by emphasizing the differences between groups of people. This volume looks at the role identity politics plays in today's political landscape and past political movements, considering its political and social benefits and challenges." --
Author: Joseph, Judith, author. Robbins, Mel, 1968- writer of foreward.
Published: 2025
Call Number: 616.8527 JOSEPH
Format: Books
Summary: "In High Functioning, Dr. Judith Joseph draws on original research, client cases, and her own personal struggles with HFD to demystify this poorly understood condition. Her five simple tools--the Five V's--will help you understand the science of your happiness and empower you to reclaim your life and joy. -Validation: Acknowledge and accept your emotions about past traumas and present pain -Venting: Let out the frustrations and anxious energy bottled up inside -Values: Identify the purpose and priorities that matter most -Vitals: Slow down to listen to your brain and body and monitor the six vital signs of emotional functioning -Vision: Plan for and celebrate successes, milestones, and everyday joy. By following the Five V's, we can put an end to self-sacrificing and self-sabotaging, calm our inner turmoil, and go from merely functioning to truly living." --
Author: Perino, Dana, author.
Published: 2025
Call Number: 158.1 PERINO
Format: Books
Summary: "... A blueprint for success in your life and career. An all-star line-up of Dana's lifelong friends and Fox News personalities with wide-ranging talents and accomplishments share amazing stories about their own experiences, offering invaluable guidance and wisdom on a range of subjects ..."-- "I Wish Someone Had Told Me . . . is a blueprint for success in your life and career. An all-star line-up of Dana's lifelong friends and Fox News personalities with wide-ranging talents and accomplishments share amazing stories about their own experiences, offering invaluable guidance and wisdom on a range of subjects... This illuminating and essential book is ideal for new graduates and everyone starting their first job; professionals thinking about making a change, transitioning into a different position, or phasing into a new career or act in life; and anyone looking for timeless insight and a helpful resource for self-improvement and career enhancement." --Amazon.com
Author: Suk, Sarah, author.
Published: 2025
Call Number: Y SUK
Format: Books
Summary: "Seventeen-year-old Yena Bae is spending the summer in Busan, South Korea, working at her mom's memory-erasing clinic. She feels lost and disconnected from people, something she's felt ever since her best friend, Lucas, moved away four years ago without a word, leaving her in limbo. Eighteen-year-old Lucas Pak is also in Busan for the summer, visiting his grandpa, who was recently diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. But he isn't just here for a regular visit--he's determined to get his beloved grandpa into the new study running at the clinic, a trial program seeking to restore lost memories. When Yena runs into Lucas again, she's shocked to see him and even more shocked to discover that he doesn't remember a thing about her. He's completely erased her from his memories, and she has no idea why. As the two reconnect, they unravel the mystery and heartache of what happened between them all those years ago--and must now reckon with whether they can forge a new beginning together."--
Author: Anbar, Ran D., author.
Published: 2025
Call Number: 646.7008
Format: Books
Summary: "In The Life Guide for Teens: Harnessing Your Inner Power to be Healthy, Happy, and Confident, Dr. Anbar uses clear, empowering terms to take a deep dive into the most prevalent wellness concerns for teens. He guides readers through such topics as anxiety, relationships, sleep, making tough decisions, and communicating effectively with easy-to-implement tools and advice from experts and teens who've been there. Throughout, he offers encouragement, reassurance, and strength to teens who are struggling, showing them how they can develop a positive, healthy self-image and promote self-care."--
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