Adult Book Club will meet the first Wednesday of each month at 2 pm. The next meeting will be Oct. 5 and the book "Maine" by J. Courtney Sullivan will be discussed. Belonging to this group will allow readers to share their feelings, interests, and concerns about the books they have read.

The Entry Display highlights "Historical Fiction". See if any of the displayed books catches your interest.

Discarded Books For Sale. $1.00 each. Proceeds go to "Friends of The Library". Selections are displayed in the north hallway. Authors include: Ludlum, McBain, Woods, King, W.E.B. Griffin, Koontz and a hundred more.

NEW MATERIALS

Adult

The Echo Chamber  by Luke Williams 
Product Description
An evocative and exquisitely written debut novel about family, empire and money.

Impressive in its scope and ambition, this first novel is at once a family saga, a book that reimagines the myth of the empire, and a history of objects. The Echo Chamber is narrated by fifty-four- year-old Evie Steppman, who grew up in Nigeria in the 1950s during the last decade of British rule. As a child, Evie exhibited extraordinarily acute powers of hearing; now, alone in an attic in Scotland that is filled with objects from her past and with her powers of hearing starting to fade, she sets out to record her history before it all disintegrates into a meaningless din. Tales of the twelfth-century mapmaker in Palermo, stories whispered by embittered expatriates, and eyewitness accounts from Nigeria's civil war mingle with Evie's memories of her childhood, of her grandfather, a watchmaker who attempted to forge a mechanical likeness of his dead wife, and of her travels across America. Williams's interest in history and storytelling and his talent for evoking multiple voices will remind readers of the work of David Mitchell, Peter Carey, and Jonathan Safran Foer.

The Gentlemen's Hour  by Don Winslow 
Product Description 
Boone Daniels lives to surf.

Laid back, ultra–California cool, the former cop turned PI begins each day with the Dawn Patrol, a close-knit group of surfers, best friends who not only ride waves together but have one another’s backs out of the water. It’s the life Boone loves, all he wants. To him, “There’s no such thing as a bad day at the beach.” So when one of their own is murdered—especially an icon like Kelly Kuhio, a local hero—and another surfer, a young punk from the Rockpile Crew, stands accused, the small world of Pacific Beach is rocked to its core.
Boone knows he can no longer ignore the painful truth that violence is seeping into the surfing community. But when he agrees to help the defense, the outrage he courts from the community, and the Dawn Patrol, is more than he ever anticipated. He’s risking losing the relationships that define his life— just when he needs them most.
As Boone digs deeper into San Diego’s murkier side, delving into places the city’s reputationconscious establishment would rather he left alone, it becomes clear that more than a murder case is at stake. He soon finds himself out there alone, struggling to stay afloat as the waves get rougher and rougher . . . and more deadly.
This Burns My Heart  by Samuel Park 
Amazon.com Review 
Amazon Best Books of the Month, July 2011:

Tradition, love, and sacrifice--in Samuel Park's novel, This Burns My Heart, these immensely powerful forces propel the struggles of Soo-Ja Choi in post-war South Korea. Soo-Ja starts out as a privileged young women straining against the suffocating traditions of her family and culture, yet it is her own allegiance that drives her to enter into a loveless marriage rather than break tradition and marry the man who knows her heart. Soo-Ja's marriage is a yoke she cannot shake, crushing her with familial servitude and hardship, but, like the culture itself, she perseveres--and true love follows her through the years like a message in a bottle waiting to be washed ashore. A heartrending story with a remarkable heroine who is both maddening and humbling, Park's elegant prose resonates with the quiet force of love in all its guises and a country struggling to be reborn.


Picture Books
Trick or Treat, Marley  by John Grogan 
Product Description

It’s Halloween, the silliest and spookiest night of the year. And when Marley’s around, it’s also the messiest! This year the family is throwing a big Halloween party, and Marley wants to help with the preparations. But in typical Marley fashion, instead of helping he causes havoc. He gets his head stuck in a pumpkin, turns the streamers into confetti, eats all of the Halloween candy, and that’s just the beginning!
In this follow-up to the bestselling Bad Dog, Marley!, A Very Marley Christmas, Marley Goes to School, and Marley and the Kittens, John Grogan and Richard Cowdrey spin another web of Marley fun. Hilarious and heartwarming, this tale is perfect for trick-or-treaters everywhere.

It's the Great Pumkin, Charlie Brown  by Charles M. Schulz Creative Associates 

Amazon.com Review

Every year, as the leaves start turning gold and the night air gets chilly, children all over the world begin dreaming of the Great Pumpkin... Well, at least one faithful child does. Poor Linus. While Charlie Brown, Lucy, Snoopy, and the gang make preparations for trick-or-treating and Halloween parties, this stalwart believer risks their ridicule to write his annual letter to the mystical orange orb, in hopes that this year he'll be able to catch sight of his hero as he rises from the most sincere pumpkin patch around to fly through the air with his bag of toys for all the children. For over 35 years, children have eagerly anticipated Halloween, not just for the tricks and treats, but because they know their favorite television special will be aired. It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown is based on this TV program, so now fans can enjoy the Halloween antics of the Peanuts gang any time. (Ages 5 to 8)

New Artist: Sally Lumpkin displaying Photography on Metallic Paper. Work includes flowers, sunsets, and "Greek Street Vendor".  Flower Titles include: Caladium, Ruella, Coral Lilly, See The Bee, Purple Passion, Pink Lilley, Petals and Spokes. Enjoy the display.

NEW MATERIALS

Adult

Full Black  by Brad Thor 
Book Description
Author Brad Thor brings readers his darkest and most intriguing thriller yet—a terrifying story of espionage and betrayal—brilliantly paced with superb nonstop action.

Born in the shadows and kept from heads of state, there are some missions so deadly, so sensitive, that they simply don’t exist. When one such mission goes horribly wrong, a wave of dramatic terrorist attacks is set in motion. Their goal: the complete and total collapse of the United States.
With the CIA’s intelligence abilities hobbled, former Navy SEAL Team 6 member turned covert counter-terrorism operative Scot Harvath launches an audacious plan to infiltrate the terrorists’ network and prevent one of the biggest threats the United States has ever faced.
Simultaneously, a foreign wet work team has been sent to California. Their target: one of Hollywood’s most famous filmmakers. While working on a secret documentary project, movie producer Larry Salomon has unknowingly exposed one of the world’s wealthiest and most politically connected powerbrokers—a man with a radical anti-American agenda poised to plunge the nation into deadly, irreversible chaos.
As the plots rocket to their pulse-pounding conclusion and the identities of the perpetrators are laid stunningly bare, Harvath will be left with only one means to save America. Unable to trust anyone, he will be forced to go Full Black.
Intense and frighteningly realistic, Full Black is, hands down, Brad Thor’s most riveting thriller to date.

Young Adult

Flawless  by Sara Shepard 

Product Description
Spencer stole her sister's boyfriend. Aria is brokenhearted over her English teacher. Emily likes her new friend Maya . . . as much more than a friend. Hanna's obsession with looking flawless is making her sick. And their most horrible secret yet is so scandalous that the truth would ruin them forever.
And why shouldn't I tell? They deserve to lose it all. With every crumpled note, wicked IM, and vindictive text message I send, I'll be taking these pretty little liars down. Trust me, I've got enough dirt to bury them alive.

Perfect  by Sara Shepard 
Product Description

In Rosewood, Pennsylvania, four perfect-looking girls aren't nearly as perfect as they seem.
Aria can't resist her forbidden ex. Hanna is on the verge of losing her BFF. Emily is freaking out over a simple kiss. And Spencer can't keep her hands off anything that belongs to her sister.
Lucky me. I know these pretty little liars better than they know themselves. But it's hard keeping all of their secrets to myself. They better do as I say . . . or else!

Unbelievable  by Sara Shepard 
Product Description

Four pretty little liars' charmed lives have turned into living nightmares.
Emily's been shipped off to Iowa to live with her überconservative cousins. Aria's boyfriend is behind bars—because of her. Spencer's afraid she was involved in Ali's murder. But Hanna's fate is far worse: She's clinging to life in the hospital because she knew too much.
If these girls don't start listening to me, Hanna's going to look like the lucky one.

Juvenile

The Mostly True Story of Jack  by Kelly Barnhill 
Amazon.com Review 

Amazon Best Books of the Month, August 2011 : Jack had always been invisible. Not literally, though it often felt that way even around his family. When Jack arrives in Hazelwood, Iowa, to spend the summer with his unusual relatives he suddenly finds himself getting noticed…a lot. In fact, people seem to know all about him, especially Mr. Avery, the wealthiest man in town who inexplicably hates Jack on sight. In The Mostly True Story of Jack a keenly perceptive boy, a fearsome girl, and her damaged twin brother, help Jack discover who he is--unearthing deeply rooted secrets in the process. Twists and turns abound as more is revealed in this strange town where nature, magic, love, and sacrifice, are deeply entwined with the extraordinary power of belonging.

Picture Books

Hello, Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle  by Betty MacDonald 
Product Description

The incomparable Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle loves children good or bad and never scolds but has positive cures for Answer-Backers, Never-Want-to-Go-to-Bedders, and other boys and girls with strange habits.






I Had A Favorite Dress  by Boni Asburn 
Product Description

Open up a fresh and stylish story about growing up and keeping hold of your favorite memories. As the year passes, the narrator’s favorite dress goes through a series of creative changes, from dress to shirt to tank top to scarf and so on, until all that’s left of it is a good memory. Assisted by her patient and crafty mama, the narrator finds that when disaster strikes her favorite things, she doesn’t need to make mountains out of molehills—she “makes molehills out of mountains” instead! Structured around the days of the week, the story is also illustrated to show the passing of the seasons, a perfect complement to the themes of growing older and keeping hold (and letting go) of special mementos.

Bailey  by Harry Bliss 
Product Description

Meet Bailey, a dog who surprises and charms his fellow human classmates with his irrepressible antics.
Follow Bailey the dog as he gets ready and goes to school. Should he wear the red or blue collar? Both are so fashionable! Will he be late? That squirrel is a distraction! And what about Bailey's homework? Would you believe he ate it? That is what dogs do, after all.
In this funny new book from the best selling children's illustrator Harry Bliss, school proves to be an unexpected place for Bailey to do all sorts of things he loves: reading, fetching, painting, digging, singing - and making friends!

Short Chapter

Ivy + Bean and the ghost that had to Go  by Annie Barrows 
From School Library Journal

Grade 1–3—This story defies expectations of what an early chapter book can be. When the normally quiet Ivy tells her classmates that there's a ghost in the second-grade bathroom, reactions vary from fascination to fear. When a girl refuses to use the bathroom, though, Ms. Aruba-Tate's gentle reprimand sends Ivy reeling, and she and her friend Bean decide to make the problem go away by performing an exorcism. Barrows keeps the language simple and clear without sacrificing wit and subtlety. While Ivy steadfastly insists that the ghost is real, sensitive readers will see her diversionary tactic for what it is. (She doesn't want anyone to know she can't do a cartwheel.) The author even makes the occasional vocabulary lesson palatable ("Cody had lit two garbage cans on fire and wasn't allowed to come back to school anymore. He was expelled"). The slightly wider than normal format with large print, lots of white space, fun detailing, and Blackall's expressive illustrations make an attractive package that will be welcome in most collections.

Things Will Never Be the Same  by Tomie DePaola 
From School Library Journal

Grade 2-4-The fifth installment in the series is delightful. The story starts in January, 1941. Each chapter begins with a diary entry while the first-person text fleshes out the boy's memorable experiences such as a special dance recital, sledding on his Junior Flexible Flyer, and seeing Walt Disney's Fantasia for the first time. DePaola's distinctive black-and-white illustrations add humor and child appeal. The book's title comes from the last chapter in which the author remembers the impact on his family of the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Children who remember 9/11 will identify with his feeling that "things will never be the same." A welcome addition to any easy chapter-book collection.

Pee Wee & Plush  by Johanna Hurwity 
From School Library Journal

Grade 2-4-An accessible story for beginning chapter-book readers. In this third story about the resourceful guinea pig who lives in Central Park, PeeWee wants a family, and he courts Plush, who has been brought to the park by his human friend to keep him company. He wins her love and trust with his ability to read, and he takes her to the operas in the park. The two guinea pigs are helped by Lexi, PeeWee's squirrel friend and sidekick, from Lexi's Tale (SeaStar, 2001), who has the sometimes annoying habit of reciting proverbs. Meanwhile, they must plan for winter in order to survive. Plush and PeeWee become the responsible parents of Pudge, Perky, Pip, and Squeak. Brewster's comical pencil drawings accompany the charming text. Clever characters and steady adventures will keep children reading to the happy ending.

First Readers

Ricky Ricotta's Mighty Robot vs. The Uranium Unicorn From Uranus  by Dav Pilkey 
From School Library Journal

Grade 1-3–In this installment in the early chapter-book adventure series, Ricky and his robot battle villains from Uranus. When the little mouse finds himself weary of the problems associated with having an awkwardly huge robot friend, he wishes that the Mighty Robot would find a pal his own size. Ricky's wish comes true when the evil Uncle Unicorn creates a giant Ladybot to steal the Mighty Robot's affections. It's all part of Uncle Unicorn's plan to take over the Earth. Ricky enlists the help of his cousin Lucy and her Jurassic Jackrabbit pets to break the Ladybot's hold on his robot and to save the planet. The author delivers another plot-driven, action-packed tale complete with rock 'em-sock 'em battle scenes illustrated in gimmicky Flip-O-Rama. Ontiveros's black-and-white cartoons add to the fun and provide additional character details. The text is easy to read, with manageable sentences and short chapters. The package is designed to attract reluctant readers, especially boys, and it will do just that. The book even includes a mini art lesson so fans can draw their favorite characters from the story.

Ricky Ricotta's Mighty Robot vs. the Stupid Stinkbugs From Saturn  by Dav Pilkey 
Product Description

With more than one million books in print, Ricky Ricotta and his Mighty Robot are a big hit with children. Here the mightiest struggle of the solar system continues with Stupid Stinkbugs from Saturn!

Ricky Ricotta and his Mighty Robot battle for the safety of the solar system once again! This time, smelly Sergeant Stinkbug arrives on Earth with a plan to kidnap the king of the world, but he ends up with Ricky's little cousin Lucy instead. Now it's up to Ricky and his Robot to save Lucy and the rest of mousekind from a stinky situation! With easy-to-read language and action-packed illustrations on every page, the Ricky Ricotta books are perfect for beginning readers. It's adventure that's truly out of this world!

Ricky Ricotta's Mighty Robot vs. the Jurassic Jackrabbits from Jupiter  by  Dav Pilkey 

Amazon.com Review
Dav Pilkey hits the halfway mark in this cheerfully ridiculous, easy-reader series that spans the solar system, as Ricky Ricotta's Mighty Robot takes on the Jurassic Jackrabbits from Jupiter.
Little Ricky (a smart young mouse, for those of you just joining us) is having a birthday, and that's cause for some serious robotic celebration. The family--along with cousin Lucy ("a little PEST!")--piles on top of the Mighty Robot for a trip to see dino skeletons at the local museum. Unfortunately, General Jackrabbit, evil ruler of Jupiter's "billions of carrot-loving jackrabbits" (the carrots make the planet orange, you see), has other plans for our heroes. He's hoping to take over Earth, but he knows that first he's got to take down Ricky Ricotta's Mighty Robot. And how better to accomplish that than using the museum's dino skeletons, some of the General's own DNA, and a Meany Machiney to create three big, mean Jurassic Jackrabbits?
There's no doubt that Pilkey can be much funnier when he has more words to work with--witness any of the Captain Underpants books (and Ricky Ricotta is no George or Harold)--but this series at least gives younger readers something fun to do while working on their reading chops. And, of course, you don't have to read a single word to thoroughly enjoy Flip-o-Rama, Pilkey's "world-famous cheesy animation technique," which lets readers flip pages back and forth to animate the action. (Also includes step-by-step drawing tips from equally fun-loving illustrator Martin Ontiveros.) (Ages 4 to 8)

Closed Labor Day, Monday, September 5

NEW MATERIALS 

Adult
Robert Ludlum's The Bourne Dominion  by Eric Van Lustbader 
Product Description

Jason Bourne is searching for an elusive cadre of terrorists planning to destroy America's most strategic natural resources-and needs the help of his longtime friend, General Boris Karpov. Karpov, the newly appointed head of Russia's most feared spy agency, FSB-2, is one of the most determined, honorable, and justice-hungry men that Bourne knows. But Karpov has made a deal with the devil. In order to remain the head of FSB-2, he must hunt down and kill Bourne.
Now, these two trusted friends are on a deadly collision course. From the Colombian highlands to Munich, Cadiz, and Damascus, the clock is counting down to a disaster that will cripple America's economic and military future. Only Bourne and Karpov have a chance to avert the catastrophe-but if they destroy each other first, that chance will be gone forever.

Justice  by Karen Robards 
Product Description

Feisty criminal attorney Jessica Ford has done her best to comply with the orders of the Secret Service’s unofficial witness protection program ever since she became the lone witness to the First Lady’s murder. She changed her name, dyed her dark hair blonde, and traded her sturdy black-rimmed glasses for contact lenses. Unfortunately, winning her first high-profile case for prestigious Washington, D.C., law firm Ellis Hayes, and subsequently landing her face all over the news, is not exactly “keeping a low profile.” Or so says hunky Secret Service agent Mark Ryan, whose newest assignment—despite Jess’s stubborn protests—is keeping her safe at all costs. It just so happens he’s also her ex-boyfriend.
The trial earns Jess a permanent spot on the firm’s elite legal defense team ....

Back of Beyond  by c.J. Box 
Product Description

The Edgar® Awardwinning and New York Times bestselling author delivers a thriller about a troubled cop trying to save his son from a killer in Yellowstone.

Cody Hoyt, while a brilliant cop, is an alcoholic struggling with two months of sobriety when his mentor and AA sponsor Hank Winters is found burned to death in a remote mountain cabin. At first it looks like the suicide of a man who’s fallen off the wagon, but Cody knows Hank better than that. Sober for fourteen years, Hank took pride in his hard-won sobriety and never hesitated to drop whatever he was doing to talk Cody off a ledge. When Cody takes a closer look at the scene of his friend’s death, it becomes apparent that foul play is at hand. After years of bad behavior with his department, he’s in no position to be investigating a homicide, but this man was a friend and Cody’s determined to find his killer. When clues found at the scene link the murderer to an outfitter leading tourists on a multi-day wilderness horseback trip into the remote corners of Yellowstone National Park—a pack trip that includes his son Justin—Cody is desperate to get on their trail and stop the killer before the group ...

Young Adult

The Power of Six by Pittacus Lore 
Product Description
I've seen him on the news. Followed the stories about what happened in Ohio. John Smith, out there, on the run. To the world, he's a mystery. But to me . . . he's one of us.

Nine of us came here, but sometimes I wonder if time has changed us—if we all still believe in our mission. How can I know? There are six of us left. We're hiding, blending in, avoiding contact with one another . . . but our Legacies are developing, and soon we'll be equipped to fight. Is John Number Four, and is his appearance the sign I've been waiting for? And what about Number Five and Six? Could one of them be the raven-haired girl with the stormy eyes from my dreams? The girl with powers that are beyond anything I could ever imagine? The girl who may be strong enough to bring the six of us together?
They caught Number One in Malaysia. Number Two in England. And Number Three in Kenya. They tried to catch Number Four in Ohio—and failed. I am Number Seven. One of six still alive. And I'm ready to fight.

 Picture Books 

The Winter Visitors  by Karel Hayes

This charming and highly original story reveals what happens at a vacation cottage once the summer visitors have left for the winter. With fewer than two dozen words, the story is told primarily in pictures. Children and adults will revel in the activities of a family of bears that takes up residence in the empty camp. 





The Summer Visitors  by Karel Hayes

This follow-up to the successful The Winter Visitors, traces the interactions between a family of bears and a human family during their summer stay at a lake cottage. Told primarily through illustration, with only a few dozen words in the book, children and parents (and grandparents) alike will delight in following the antics of the bumbling bears as they enjoy the comforts of cottage life, but also try to avoid detection by their human hosts.

Everything I Need To Know Before I'm Five  by Valorie Fisher

Do you know your letters? Can you count to twenty? Learn all that and more in this all-in-one concept picture book. Perfect for kids heading to kindergarten, this book covers the alphabet, counting, opposites, shapes, colors, and seasons. Award winning author-illustrator Valorie Fisher uses bright, gorgeous photos of retro toys to illustrate these topics in a completely fresh way. Parents will love this stylish and funny approach to basic concepts, while kids will learn, well, everything.


The Next Door Bear  by Mary Kuryla

New apartment, new neighborhood, new kids.
For Emma, everything is new, new, new—and not very welcoming. When Emma tries to join the kids in running through the sprinklers, no one lets her have a turn. And when she rides the elevator, a honeybee makes an attack on her! Emma has to admit it: She just isn't welcome.
But a lot is in store for Emma when she receives a surprise invitation to tea and honey from an unlikely friend. Is it possible for one act of kindness to give a little girl the confidence to make herself welcome? In this uplifting story, we find out the answer.


What Will fat Cat Sit On  by Jan Thomas

What will Fat Cat sit on? The pig? (Oink!) The chicken? (Cluck!) How about the dog? (Grrrr.)

Everyone in this bumbling animal gang (understandably) hopes the victim will be someone else! Leave it to Mouse to come up with a brilliant solution that satisfies everyone, even Fat Cat himself. Filled with hilarious asides and an interactive question-answer format, this irreverent young picture book will delight toddlers who love to shout "NO!"

Rhyming Dust Bunnies  by Jan Thomas 
From Booklist

Three dust bunnies, Ed, Ned, and Ted, rhyme all the time. They say that far, jar, and tar rhyme with car, but a fourth dust bunny, Bob, just does not seem to get it; he says, “Look!” When they try and teach him that rug, hug, and mug rhyme with bug, he says, “Look out!” Of course, the smug majority is wrong. Bob’s warnings come true and when a broom and then a vacuum cleaner prove him right, the rhyming trio ask Bob what rhymes with “How do we get out?” With thick black lines and neon colors, the dust creatures on the bright colored pages look like the huge monsters that they think they are––until the big, powerful human tools take over. Preschoolers will recognize how it feels to be just a mite in a grown-up world, and they will enjoy the playful rhymes and simple wordplay as much as the bold scenarios of the tiniest creatures in danger from giants, and one hero who sees it coming.