The Webb will be open Monday April 25 from 10 am to 8 pm.

Today we continue our Reads Like with author Mary Higgins Clark. Sandra Brown, Catherine Coulter, Joy Fieldng, Tami Hoag, Linda Howard, Barbara Michaels, Ruth Rendell, Lisa Gardner, Iris Johansen, Michael Allegtetto, Judith Kelman, Amy Gutman, Patricia Cornwell, Velda Johnston, Nora Roberts, Barbara Vines, Phyllis Whitney, Marlys Millhiser, Jonathon Kellerman, Faye Kellerman, Michael Connelly, William Katz, Gloria Murphy, John Katzenbach, Jonellen Heckler, Betg R Gutcheon, Jack Olsen, Hellen MacInnes, Daphne DuMaurier, Robin Cook, V C Andrews, Victoria Holt, Stuart Woods, Stehen Coonts, Phillip Margolin, James Patterson, Sandra Brown, Carol Higgins Clark, Susan Isaacs, Iris Johansen, Judirh Ann Krentz, Greg Iles, Sue Grafton, Sara Paretsky. 

NEW MATERIALS

Adult 

Dead or Alive  by Tom Clancy 
Product Description

For years, Jack Ryan, Jr. and his colleagues at the Campus have waged an unofficial and highly effective campaign against the terrorists who threaten western civilization. The most dangerous of these is the Emir. This sadistic killer has masterminded the most vicious attacks on the west and has eluded capture by the world’s law enforcement agencies. Now the Campus is on his trail. Joined by their latest recruits, John Clark and Ding Chavez, Jack Ryan, Jr. and his cousins, Dominick and Brian Caruso, are determined to catch the Emir and they will bring him in . . . dead or alive.

Toys  by James Patterson

Hays Baker and his wife Lizbeth possess super-human strength, extraordinary intelligence, stunning looks, a sex life to die for, and two beautiful children. Of course they do--they're Elites, endowed at birth with the very best that the world can offer. The only problem in their perfect world: humans and their toys!     The one with the most toys--dies
The top operative for the Agency of Change, Hays has just won the fiercest battle of his career. He has been praised by the President, and is a national hero. But before he can savor his triumph, he receives an unbelievable shock that overturns everything he thought was true. Suddenly Hays is on the other side of the gun, forced to leave his perfect family and fight for his life.  Now a hunted fugitive, Hays is thrown into a life he never dreamed possible--fighting to save humans everywhere from extinction. He enlists all of his training to uncover the truth that will save millions of lives--maybe even his own. James Patterson's Toys is a thriller on a hyper plane--with a hero who rivals both James Bond and Jason Bourne.

Closed Friday, April 22 and Saturday, April 23 for Easter.


Coming May 19 to the Webb. The Morehead City Women's Club Tea Party celebrating their 90th anniversary. Please join them.

NEW MATERIALS

Adult

Toys  by James Patterson

The top operative for the Agency of Change, Hays has just won the fiercest battle of his career. He has been praised by the President, and is a national hero. But before he can savor his triumph, he receives an unbelievable shock that overturns everything he thought was true. Suddenly Hays is on the other side of the gun, forced to leave his perfect family and fight for his life.

Now a hunted fugitive, Hays is thrown into a life he never dreamed possible--fighting to save humans everywhere from extinction. He enlists all of his training to uncover the truth that will save millions of lives--maybe even his own. James Patterson's Toys is a thriller on a hyper plane--with a hero who rivals both James Bond and Jason Bourne.

In the Hour Before Midnight  by Jack Higgins 
Product Description

Stacey Wyatt is a gifted pianist. He is also a competent mercenary soldier. But at the moment, he is sojourning in an Egyptian prison.
Sean Burke has plans to rescue him. Charity is not his motive. He merely needs Stacey for what becomes a deadly intrigue. There is just one hitch.
"An astonishing story of high-action and foreign intrigue. The developing play of confidences leads to an explosive climax unrivaled in the genre.

Large Print

Blue-Eyed Devil  by Robert B. Parker 
From Publishers Weekly

This excellent posthumous western from bestseller Parker (1932–2010) continues the saga of gun-slinging saddle pals Virgil Cole and Everett Hitch (after Brimstone) as they trade wisecracks and hot lead with back-shooting owlhoots and murderous Apaches in the town of Appaloosa. Cole and Hitch used to be the law in town, but now Appaloosa has a corrupt, ambitious, and deadly police chief named Amos Callico backed up by 12 rifle-toting cops of dubious background, and though Callico sees Cole and Hitch as impediments to his plans for extortion and high political office, his threats don't worry the boys much. Meanwhile, Cole kills the son of a prominent rancher in a fair fight, renegade Apaches plan an attack on the town, and a mysterious dandy arrives in town with a sinister agenda. Fortunately, Cole and Hitch are smart and resourceful, and there's trickery, gunplay, and throat-cutting until only a few folks are left standing. Lean, fast, and full of snappy dialogue, it's everything a series fan would expect.

Razor Sharp  by Fern Michaels 
Product Description

A Friend In Need...Needs The Sisterhood. When it comes to repaying a debt, the women of the Sisterhood - Myra, Annie, Kathryn, Alexis, Yoko, Nikki, and Isabelle - never forget. And now one of their allies needs help only they can give. A powerful attorney with a cut-throat reputation, Lizzie Fox has just taken on a high-profile new client - Lily Flowers, the Madam of a high-end bordello operating under the guise of a summer camp. The chips - a.k.a. the prominent Washington politicians who frequent the bordello - are stacked against Lily and her girls. But one phone call to the Sisterhood might just swing the vote. And soon, even the highest courts in the land will prove no match for seven fearless friends determined to ensure that real justice is served, Sisterhood style.

Foreign Influence  by Brad Thor 
From Publishers Weekly

In Thor's formulaic ninth Scot Harvath thriller (after The Apostle), the ex–navy SEAL has lost his job with the disbanding under a new presidential administration of the Apex Project, a Department of Homeland Security secret antiterrorist program that didn't worry about obeying any rules. Fortunately, Harvath lands on his feet with the Carlton Group, funded covertly by the Department of Defense, with an identical mission. After a bus full of Americans is blown up in Rome, Harvath travels to Europe to track down a man known as the Troll, who's been implicated in the bombing. Meanwhile, John Vaughn, a Chicago cop who somehow moonlights as an attorney for private clients, seeks to identify the Middle Eastern–looking man who ran down a woman with his cab. Predictably, Vaughn uncovers a plot against civilian targets in Chicago. Bumbling CIA agents make members of the secret Carlton Group look even more heroic. Fans of TV's 24 may enjoy the over-the-top setups, but even they might wish for a little more sophistication.

Hothouse Orchid  by Stuart Woods 
From Publishers Weekly

Bestseller Woods piles on the coincidences in his modestly entertaining fifth thriller to feature CIA agent Holly Barker (after Iron Orchid). When Holly returns home to Orchid Beach, Fla., where she was once chief of police, she's reunited with both welcome and unwelcome figures from her past. Renegade ex-CIA agent Teddy Fay, sporting a new identity, has chosen to settle in nearby Vero Beach. Lauren Cade, a former military comrade, is now a sergeant with the Florida State Patrol. Holly is shocked to learn that James Bruno, her former commanding officer who was tried and acquitted of raping Lauren and who once tried to rape Holly herself, is Orchid Beach's new police chief. Holly's not so shocked to learn that a serial killer and rapist is at work in the area. Woods glibly lets the reader stay well ahead of the legal posse tracking the killer while still keeping a card or two up his sleeve. Playful dialogue and romantic sexual escapades lighten the atmosphere.

The Spy  by Clive Cussler 
From Publishers Weekly

Set in 1908, bestseller Cussler and Scott's action-packed third adventure featuring Isaac Bell, head operative of the Van Dorn Detective Agency, leaves behind the railroad theme of the first two books (The Chase and The Wrecker), focusing instead on the espionage-riddled world of warship and armament manufacturing in the buildup to WWI. Someone is murdering the leading lights of America's naval research and development. When the indefatigable Bell looks into the supposed suicide of chief gun designer Arthur Langner, he uncovers a succession of possible international suspects, all of whom are attempting to disrupt America's development of a fleet of dreadnought battleships. Bell clashes with old enemies and new until the climactic battle, where he must stop a massive submarine attempting to sink the navy's newest battleship. The expanded area of interest will attract new readers to this exciting series in the Cussler franchise.

Young Adult 

Dark Secrets 2: No Time to Die * The Deep End of Fear  by Elizabeth Chandler 
Product Description

Secrets taken to the grave don’t always stay buried.
In No Time to Die, Jenny is devastated by the recent death of her sister, Liza. Looking for a sense of closure, she secretly signs up for the drama camp where Liza died. Jenny knows that someone here holds the key to what really happened to Liza that night, but if she doesn’t find out the truth soon, she may become the next victim.
In The Deep End of Fear, Kate has tried to bury the horrible memories associated with the Westbrook estate. After her best friend Ashley drowned on the estate, Kate vowed never to return. But now, twelve years later, she is drawn back towards the house and that fatal icy pond. There, Kate still feels Ashley’s presence and the past seems to be pulling her back towards Ashley’s life-threatening dares.

Children's DVD Movies

Shelley Duvall's Faerie Tale Theatre: the Complete Collection
26 Spellbinding Stories Digitally Restored and Re-Mastered Plus Story Book and 3-in-1 Card Game

Amazon.com
One of the first gems of the cable TV age, Faerie Tale Theatre brings 26 classic tales to life. Produced over a five-year span (1982-87) for Showtime, FTT brought together creative dramatics and whimsical writing with some of the top talents of the day. Executive producer/host Shelley Duvall (who was coming off her breakout role in The Shining) shepherds this mix of theatrical simplicity and grand storytelling for these oft-told tales ("Goldilocks and the Three Bears," "Little Red Riding Hood," "Hansel and Gretel," "Sleeping Beauty," and the like) for kids and their parents. Since they are not elaborately produced, FTT may be a hard sell for some smaller members of the family at first, but most should be hooked, even older kids who may pooh-pooh fairy tales. There's always a slight twist that makes these productions fresh.

Closed Friday, April 22 and Saturday, April 23 for Easter.

Reads Like Tom Clancey.  Dale Brown, Stephen Coonts, David Poyer, Jack Higgins, Clive Cussler, Larry Bond, Joe Weber, R J Pineiro, Robert Lublum, Alistair MacLean, Dean Ing, J C Pollock, Robin White, Jeffery Archer, Lee Child, Len Deighton, Nelson DeMille, Ken Follett, Frederick Forsyth, Jack Higgins, John LeCarre, W E B Griffin, Daniel Easterman, Eric Van Lustbader, David Hagberg, Franklin Leib, Payne Harrison, Harold Coyle, Richard Herman, Basil Jackson, Brian Freemantle, Richard Cullen, John Gardnet, Gerald Seymour, Patrick Robinson, Chris Stewart, Campbell Armstrong, Bill Granger, Craig Thomas, Lawrence Sanders.


NEW MATERIALS 

Adult

The Anatomy of Ghosts  by Andrew Taylor 
From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. Set in England in 1786, this masterful thriller from British author Taylor (Bleeding Heart Square) opens on a tragic note. In the months since London bookseller John Holdsworth's little son, Georgie, slipped into the Thames and hit his head against a coal barge with fatal results, Holdsworth's grief-stricken wife, Maria, has repeatedly visited the site of the boy's death. Until her own untimely death, Maria spends most of her days with a woman who relays messages from Georgie from the beyond. At loose ends, Holdsworth, who's written a treatise debunking ghost sightings, accepts an assignment from Lady Anne Oldershaw in Cambridge to prove to her son, a Jerusalem College student who claims to have seen a ghost, that he's suffering from a delusion. Fans of Michael Cox and Charles Palliser will relish this sophisticated period puzzle, which takes an intriguing look at the age-old question of the reality of ghosts.

Whitethorn Woods  by Maeve Binchy 
From Publishers Weekly

A proposed highway near the Irish town of Rossmore will mean the destruction of St. Ann's Well, a shrine in Whitethorn Woods thought to deliver healing, husbands and other miracles. The shrine resides in the parish of Fr. Brian Flynn, curate of St. Augustine's. As a fracas erupts between shrine skeptics who want the highway and shrine believers who want the shrine preserved, Flynn, unsure of where he stands on the issue and questioning his place in an increasingly secular Ireland, goes to the shrine and prays that he might "hear the voices that have come to you and know who these people are." Binchy (Tara Road) goes on to deliver just that: a panoply of prosaic but richly drawn first-person characters, such as Neddy Nolan, a not-so-simple simpleton; 60-something Vera, who finds love on a singles trip meant for those much younger; and unassuming antiques magnate James, whose wife of 26 years is dying. Stories of greed, infidelity, mental illness, incest, the joys of being single, the struggles of modern career women, alcoholism, and the heartbreak of parenting span generations, simply and poignantly.

One of Our Thursdays is Missing  by Jasper Fforde 
From Publishers Weekly

With the real Thursday Next missing, the "written" Thursday Next leaves her book to undertake an assignment for the Jurisfiction Accident Investigation Department, in Fforde's wild and wacky sixth BookWorld novel (after Thursday Next: First Among Sequels). As written Thursday Next finds herself playing roles intended for her real counterpart, BookWorld's elite try to deal with a border dispute between Racy Novel and Women's Fiction. It's not always possible to know where one is in BookWorld, which has been drastically remade, or in Fforde's book, which shares the madcap makeup of Alice in Wonderland, even borrowing Alice's dodo. Outrageous puns (e.g., a restaurant called Inn Uendo) and clever observations relating to the real book world (e.g., the inhabitants of "Vanity" island now prefer Self-Published or Collaborative) abound. Fforde's diabolical meshing of insight and humor makes a "mimefield" both frightening and funny, while the reader must traverse a volume that's a minefield of unexpected and amusing twists

Mystery  by Jonathan Kellerman 
From Booklist

Alex Delaware, the L.A. psychologist and crime-solver, returns to tackle another tricky case. A woman has been murdered, her body mutilated. Homicide detective Milo Sturgis, Delaware’s frequent partner, brings Alex into the case, hoping for some insight into the psychology of the killer. Alex is surprised to discover that the victim is familiar to him; Alex and his girlfriend saw her at a restaurant only hours before her death. But how can Alex and Milo expect to find any usable clues when the restaurant is now out of business? The Delaware series has been going since 1985, and it’s long since settled into a comfortable formula, which is just fine as far as fans are concerned. The books star a pair of engaging protagonists and, for the most part, are well plotted. In addition, Kellerman usually tosses in a couple of twists to keep readers on their toes. This installment is nothing out of the ordinary for the series, but it’s a solid entry that will please the established audience.

The Wrong War  by Bing West 
From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. West (The Strongest Tribe), a former Marine combat veteran and assistant secretary of defense under Reagan, boldly assesses the prospects for U.S. success in Afghanistan in this provocative analysis. The author made eight trips to Afghanistan to witness the Obama administration's counterinsurgency strategy that emphasizes "winning over the population" ("Thus our military became a gigantic Peace Corps... drinking billions of cups of tea, and handing out billions of dollars"). Embedded with frontline troops in Afghanistan's most violent provinces, West eloquently captures their tireless efforts to carry out an "amorphous" mission. The lack of "understandable policy" confused the soldiers, encouraged risk avoidance among commanders, and "created a culture of entitlement" instead of cooperation among the Afghans who are content to accept aid and remain neutral as they wait to see whether the Americans or the insurgents will take ultimate control. Concluding that we can't win with this strategy but that withdrawal would be "disastrous," the author proposes that the U.S. immediately "transition to an adviser corps" whose primary task would be to continue training Afghan forces to defeat the Taliban. West's vivid reporting and incisive analysis provides a sober assessment of the present situation and prescribes a way for the Afghans to "win their own war."

Young Adult

Unearthly  by Cynthia Hand  
From School Library Journal

Grade 7–10—Clara Gardner is a quarter-angel. She lives with her mom and brother in California, until she starts to receive visions of her divine purpose involving a handsome young man, a forest fire, and sadness. The teen and her mom slowly piece together her visions and realize that the fire is near Jackson, WY. Clara's family packs up and moves there so that she can fulfill her destiny. She meets the boy from her vision, Christian, but he already has a girlfriend and a popular set of friends. She tries to get closer to him, but is distracted by friends, trying to learn to fly, and a cute, but annoying cowboy. Despite her brief visions, Clara doesn't know much about her angelic nature. She meets Angela, who is also an angel, and guesses that Clara is too. Clara learns that fallen angels have dark wings and will try to take her powers. The day of her purpose comes and she must make an impossible choice—do what she is supposed to do or save the boy she loves. Although the book is lengthy, the plot moves quickly and should appeal to reluctant readers. Hand does an excellent job of creating and sustaining the mood of teenage angst mixed with first love. A gentle, paranormal romance that is sure to appeal to Stephenie Meyer's Twilight (Little, Brown, 2005) fans. First book in a projected trilogy.

WINNER. Congratulations to Jean Moore, the First Winner of our identify the fictional character contest with her correct answer of Hieronomyus Bosch, a character created by Michael Connelly. Win your slice of pizza by identifying our new fictional character.

CLOSED FOR EASTER: Friday April 22 and Saturday April 23

The MHC   WOMEN'S CLUB will Celebrate their 90the Anniversary with a tea party in the Webb Library Garden on May 19 from 10:15 am to 1:00 pm. You are invited to join them.

ADULT BOOK CLUB. “The Forgotten Garden” by Kate Morton will be discussed at the April 5 meeting.

NEW MATERIALS 

Adult
Coming Back  by Marcia Muller
Review from curledup.com

Sharon McCone’s adventure after recovery from a gunshot wound in the head that leaves her victim of “locked-in syndrome” is disappointing. The details of that horrendous experience (near-total paralysis with an alert mind) are hardly addressed after the first few chapters, fading to irrelevancy as the story progresses. With McCone’s friendship with another patient as a bridge from hospital room to plot, the disappearance of fellow patient Piper Quinn draws McCone back into the action as head of McCone Investigations, even as coworkers and her husband doubt her ability to handle the pressure: “It was as if the accident had severed her time line, leaving Before on one side and After on the other.”


The Vaults  by Toby Hall 
Product Description 

In a dystopian 1930s America, a chilling series of events leads three men down a path to uncover their city's darkest secret.

At the height of the most corrupt administration in the City’s history, a mysterious duplicate file is discovered deep within the Vaults---a cavernous hall containing all of the municipal criminal justice records of the last seventy years. From here, the story follows: Arthur Puskis, the Vault’s sole, hermit-like archivist with an almost mystical faith in a system to which he has devoted his life; Frank Frings, a high-profile investigative journalist with a self-medicating reefer habit; and Ethan Poole, a socialist private eye with a penchant for blackmail.
All three men will undertake their own investigations into the dark past and uncertain future of the City---calling into question whether their most basic beliefs can be maintained in a climate of overwhelming corruption and conspiracy

Minding Frankie  Maeve Binchy 
From Booklist

Reading a Maeve Binchy novel is like settling in for a cozy visit with an old friend. In vintage Binchy style, a cast of colorfully eccentric characters living in a snug Dublin neighborhood seamlessly weave in and out of each other’s lives, united by family, faith, friendship, and community. When a young alcoholic learns he has fathered a child with a dying woman, he must step into the role of father, protector, and provider to his infant daughter, Frankie, in a matter of weeks. Determined to succeed, though totally unprepared for his new responsibilities, Noel gets an essential assist from his visiting American cousin. Exercising her tremendous gifts of organization and insight, Emily cobbles together a neighborhood support system, featuring a few familiar faces from previous Binchy books. As everybody begins to mind Frankie, a suspicious social worker pokes her nose in where it doesn’t belong, attempting to dredge up any dirt she can on Noel and his slightly unorthodox network of babysitters. Readers will need a box of tissues handy as the good-hearted residents of St. Jarlath’s Crescent prove that it does indeed take a village to raise a child.

Young Adult

The Back Door to Midnight: A Dark Secret Novel  by Elizabeth Chandler 
From School Library Journal

Grade 7 Up—When Anna O'Neill Kirkpatrick receives an invitation from her great-uncle Will asking her to visit him and her great-aunt Iris as soon as possible, she goes willingly. She had lived with them as a child after her mother was killed in a robbery, but was then put in foster care and later adopted by her loving foster mother. When she arrives, she finds that her uncle was killed in a fire, that the perpetrator has not been caught, and that her aunt is either senile or crazy. Anna sets out on her own to investigate the murder and discovers her family history in the process. She soon learns that some family secrets are to die for. Chandler does a fantastic job of keeping readers on edge and creating a suspenseful mood and tone. This is an excellent stand-alone book that is sure to be popular.

Kissed by an Angel  by Elizabeth Chandler

In a romantic and suspenseful collection of the New York Times bestselling trilogy, love's unbreakable bonds are put to the test.
When her boyfriend, Tristan, died, Ivy thought she'd lost everything, even her faith in angels. But now she's discovered that he's her guardian angel -- his presence so strong that she can feel the touch of his hand, the beat of his heart. Ivy needs Tristan now more than ever because he knows she's in terrible danger. Only Ivy's guardian angel can save her now that his killer is after her.
But if Tristan rescues Ivy, his mission on earth will be finished, and he must leave her behind forever. Will saving Ivy mean losing her just when he's finally reached her again?

Evercrossed: A Kissed by an Angel Novel  by Elizabeth Chandler 
Product Description

It’s been a year since Ivy’s boyfriend, Tristan, died. They’ve both moved on—Tristan to the other side of the afterlife, and Ivy to sweet, dependable Will. Now Ivy’s heading to Cape Cod, hoping to leave the horror of last summer behind. She wants nothing more than to lie on the beach, sip lemonade, and hang out with her friends.
But then a car crash ends Ivy’s life.
As she floats to the beyond, looking down on the life she’s left behind, Tristan breathes life back into her with a passionate kiss. She wakes up in the hospital, surrounded by Will and her family, but all she can think about is the love that she lost.
But memories aren’t all that’s come back from the past. And this time, Ivy’s not sure love will be enough to save her.

Juvenile

Cirque Du Freak: Sons of Destiny  by Darren Shan 
Product Description

Time seemed to collapse... There was a sharp stabbing sensation in my stomach... Steve crowed, "Now I have you! Now you're gonna die!"
Dead if he loses - damned if he wins. The time has finally come for Darren to face his archenemy, Steve Leopard. One of them will die. The other will become the Lord of the Shadows - and destroy the world.
Is the future written, or can Darren trick destiny?
No Passengers Beyond This Point  by Gennifer Choldenko

Picture Books

Cloudette  by Tom Lichtenheld 
From School Library Journal

Gr 1-3-Reminiscent of the determination and courage of The Little Engine That Could, this title delivers its message with charm. A petite cloud believes that she is not big enough to accomplish what the big clouds can: provide enough rain to water crops or replenish a flowing waterfall or river. She is inspired by the accomplishments and "good-natured" acts of her larger kin and wants to have a positive effect on the Earth. She floats over a dried-up pond with one little frog hoping for enough rain to revive it. Can Cloudette move beyond what she believes are her limitations and do great things? Lively illustrations in ink, pastels, colored pencils, and watercolors create engaging spreads and characters that tell a story above and beyond the narrative. For example Cloudette's eyes and mouth grow tighter and her color changes from white to gray to black as she builds up enough steam to form that much-needed cloudburst. A few themes emerge for discussions in this multifaceted book, and there are plenty of details for children to discover. An excellent choice for a storytime or classroom.

Italy ABCs: A Book about the People and Places of Italy  by Sharon Katz Cooper  
Product Description

An alphabetical exploration of the people, geography, animals, plants, history, and culture of Italy.

The Thingamabob  by Il Sung Na 
From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 1—Intriguing artwork, worthy of close study, delicately illustrates this simple tale of an elephant that encounters a puzzling, inanimate object—a bright red umbrella. Not having the faintest idea what it is or its purpose, the pink-cheeked animal examines it, asking friends if they have any ideas. Experimentation helps to rule out what the "thingamabob" isn't. The pachyderm's gently humorous attempts at sailing it, flying with it, and, especially, hiding behind it will elicit smiles. When there's a small cloudburst, he finally figures out its function, understanding that he and his friends can stay dry together. The illustrations have the same captivating quality as those in the artist's A Book of Sleep (Knopf, 2009) and are made "by combining handmade painterly textures with digitally generated layers," then compiled in Photoshop. Use this title along with Antoinette Portis's Not a Stick (HarperCollins, 2008) for a storytime about using the imagination.

You're Finally Here   by Melanie Watt 
Product Description

"Hooray! You're finally here!" Bunny exclaims from the first page of this young picture book. Then his mood changes: "Where have you been?" Bunny goes on to demonstrate the many reasons why it is rude to keep someone waiting. Just when it looks as though he has convinced the reader to stay, he takes a cell phone call! This silly book captures the way kids feel about being at the mercy of other people's busy schedules.