Walking in the Garden of Eden. Mr. Craig Hassler is leading a class starting at the Webb Library Circulation Desk on Tuesdays and Thursdays at noon. Walk (rain or shine) for an hour all over downtown Morehead City observing the terrestrial and marine environments, history, businesses, City and State Port activities. Class fee is $10, if you get to the Webb Library using motorized transport, $5 for nonmotorized transport. If you'd rather not use cash, I'll accept tin or aluminum cans cut into shingles. 40 or 20 shingles depending on your mode of transport to the Webb Library. Video for creating the shingles and applying them is on Hassler's facebook site. Feel free to bring your cameras, video recorders and notebooks to class to record the beautiful sights and treasures of downtown Morehead City. No reservations are required.

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NEW MATERIALS

Adult


The Orchard Affair  by Lauren Willig 
From Booklist

Hot on the heels of The Mischief of the Mistletoe (2010), Willig’s engaging spy series continues with an adventure set in Napoleonic France. Fresh out of spy school, Laura Grey has been dubbed the Silver Orchid and sent to France to be a governess to the children of Andre Jaouen, the deputy minister of police. It is up to Laura to discover if Jaouen and the sinister inspector Gaston Delaroche are about to thwart a Royalist plot to put a prince of royal blood back on the throne. Working with the legendary spy known as the Pink Carnation, Laura is surprised to uncover where Jaouen’s loyalties truly lie when a respected artist, Antoine Daubier, is arrested by the dastardly Delaroche. After rescuing Daubier and being forced to flee France with him and the royal heir, Laura and Andre pose as a married couple in a troupe of actors and find themselves battling their powerful feelings for each other. Another delightfully delectable adventure from Willig, who expands her rich, appealing stable of characters with each entry.

The Evolution of Bruno Littlemore by Benjamin Hale  
Amazon.com Review 

Amazon Best Books of the Month, February 2011: From the first page of Benjamin Hale's exquisite novel, The Evolution of Bruno Littlemore, Hale’s linguistic talent locks the reader into their seat and sends them ticking up the roller coaster ride of Bruno Littlemore’s life. An unlikely narrator, Bruno is a chimpanzee trying to become a man--a process he sees as “equal parts enlightenment and imprinting your brain with taboos.” Bruno acquires a fervent love of language--and of primatologist Lydia Littlemore, with whom he develops a deep (and, yes, sexual) relationship until she falls ill. Comic relief comes in the form of Leon, a boisterous subway thespian, who introduces Bruno to the stage shortly before a murderous transgression results in Bruno’s return to captivity. With Bruno Littlemore, Hale has crafted a truly original narrator, holding a mirror on humanity with a razor-like precision that makes this stunning novel one readers will want to discuss the minute they turn the last page.


Young Adult

Emily the Strange: Dark Times  by Rob Reger and  Jessica Gruner 
Review

“There’s no doubting the lighthearted but darkly hued creativity on display. Pure black gold.”— (ALA Booklist )

“The book dresses up teen-identity issues in midnight-black humor and piles on so much persistent weirdness that oddball outsiders, goths in training, and other subversive types will find themselves positively smirking with glee.”— (ALA Booklist )

“A highly enjoyable read that will appeal to both readers new to the series and Emily fans alike.”— (School Library Journal )

“[Emily’s] sarcastic, nerdy individualism—with a hint of buried sweetness—will make readers want to spend more time with her.”— (Publishers Weekly )
See What I See  by Gloria Whelan 
From School Library Journal

Grade 9 Up—When Kate leaves the natural beauty of Michigan's Upper Peninsula for a scholarship to art school in Detroit, her intentions are twofold. She's set her sights on growing into the artist she's always known she could be, but she's also seeking her long-absent father's approval and affection. The second she'd never admit. In Kate's eyes, showing up on her father's doorstep is simply a means to an end. She has no money for housing and he lives in Detroit. Yet his status as a world-renowned artist-turned-recluse who unapologetically left the family years earlier complicates matters. When Kate arrives, she finds the man aloof and self-centered. She soon discovers that he dying of liver cancer and is racing against the clock to finish his crowning art show, and she has to decide how much of herself she's willing to sacrifice to help him. Detroit's air of lost possibilities serves as an apt background for this bittersweet story. Kate's tendency to view life through the lens of famous works of art and her continual references to the natural surroundings of her home help shape her into a unique, living and breathing character. Development of a few secondary characters and plots is not as strong, but the story as it stands is sweet and thoughtful and avoids neatly wrapped edges, as any title that captures the intricacies of family relationships must do.

Delirium  by Lauren Oliver  
Amazon.com Review 

Amazon Best Books of the Month, February 2011: Lena Haloway is content in her safe, government-managed society. She feels (mostly) relaxed about the future in which her husband and career will be decided, and looks forward to turning 18, when she’ll be cured of deliria, a.k.a. love. She tries not to think about her mother’s suicide (her last words to Lena were a forbidden “I love you”) or the supposed “Invalid” community made up of the uncured just beyond her Portland, Maine, border. There’s no real point—she believes her government knows how to best protect its people, and should do so at any cost. But 95 days before her cure, Lena meets Alex, a confident and mysterious young man who makes her heart flutter and her skin turn red-hot. As their romance blossoms, Lena begins to doubt the intentions of those in power, and fears that her world will turn gray should she submit to the procedure. In this powerful and beautifully written novel, Lauren Oliver, the bestselling author of Before I Fall, throws readers into a tightly controlled society where options don’t exist, and shows not only the lengths one will go for a chance at freedom, but also the true meaning of sacrifice.

Juvenile

Angus and Sadie  by Cynthia Voigt 
From School Library Journal

Grade 4-6–Two border collie puppies adopted by a Maine farm couple try to decipher what Mister and Missus really want and how to fulfill their role as faithful and useful companions. The pups are polar opposites. Angus is an alpha male with an abundance of self-confidence. Sadie is submissive, introspective, and dominated by her brother. Of course, Mister quickly believes that Angus is the more talented of the pair but Missus reassures Sadie that she is special, too. When Angus's bossiness reaches a peak, Sadie proves to be courageous and smart and he begins to respect her. There is an old-fashioned style to this story about the different personality traits in siblings and learning to respect those differences. The drama is slight–a sheep or two are rescued and two cat bullies are put in their place. Although Sadie is a very sympathetic character, Angus's cockiness borders on annoying, and Mister's attention to him at Sadie's expense seems chauvinistic. The leisurely pace of this story and lack of action may limit its appeal to only the most ardent dog-story enthusiasts.