Preview Shelf by Janice Clauser

Library News and Notable New Books

Art League Gift Enhances Library's Art Collection - Department K of The Art League of Montgomery County has contributed three special books to the Crawfordsville Library as memorial contributions. "Doorways, Windows & Transoms", "Contemporary Designs" (both stained glass pattern books) by Anna Croyle, and "Making Stained Glass Boxes" (a photographic and descriptive instruction book with patterns) by Michael Johnston have been donated in memory of William Reidel, father of Department K member Nancy Bowes. The new manuals have received personalized book plates; well-chosen gifts like these are appreciated and they enhance the value of the local collection.

Other new books are commentaries. "The Knowledge Deficit" by E. D. Hirsch, Jr. is a critical analysis of the shocking educational gap for American children; it speaks to the general public, parents and teachers. "Deluxe: How Luxury Lost its Luster" is Dana Thomas' behind-the-scenes look at the high-fashion industry today, as world traveler and writer for Newsweek in Paris, interviewing corporate heads and factory workers.

"Make Job Loss Work for You" features the Deems Job Getting Skills system developed by Richard and Terri Deems. "Getting What We Deserve" about health & medical care in America is offered by Alfred Sommer.

"The Making of a Story" is a new Norton Guide to Creative Writing by Alice LaPlante. "Clean, Well-Lighted Sentences" by Janis Bell is a helpful guide to avoiding the most common errors in grammar and punctuation. Town &Country "Wedding Speeches & Toasts" by Caroline Tiger has other "words" for family and friends at ceremonies. "Social Networking for Genealogists" by Drew Smith offers chapters on blogs, collaborative editing, message boards, mailing lists, and other up-to-date methods.

Another new nonfiction title is Immaculee Ilibagiza's "Led by Faith" about rising from the ashes of the Rwandan genocide alone, hanging on to her faith, and finally enabled to come to the U.S. to work for the United Nations. "A Perfect Mess" is Lisa Harper's essay showing why we don't have to worry about being good enough for God. Rebecca Skloot's "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" was written when Henrietta's children found out her cells (taken during illness) launched a medical revolution, used mostly without her own knowledge. Humorous girl-talk about life in general can be enjoyed in "Why My Third Husband Will Be a Dog" by Lisa Scottoline.

The story "The Summer Kitchen" by Karen Weinreb makes a heroine of a mother who loses her wealth and is forced to work in a bakery patronized by her own friends. "The Bordeaux Betrayal" is Ellen Crosby's new wine country mystery about the Mount Vernon, Virginia area. Vince Flynn's "Pursuit of Honor" races through espionage, covert intelligence, and counterterrorism in the District of Columbia. Allison Brennan's thriller "Cutting Edge" requires the FBI's domestic terrorism unit to stop a sadistic assassin. "The Careful Use of Compliments" is an Isabel Dalhousie novel by Alexander McCall Smith concerning an art auction puzzle, namely two new paintings attributed to a now-deceased artist, so are they forgeries? "After You" by Julie Buxbaum makes use of the story "The Secret Garden" when a best friend steps in to become a mother-figure for her deceased friend's daughter. Laurell Hamilton's "Divine Misdemeanors" is dark fantasy with magical characters active in Los Angeles. Two sisters separated by fate reconnect to clash and then unite in "Once in a Blue Moon" by Eileen Goudge. "Big Girl" is Danielle Steel's latest novel about a chubby girl dealing with her weight problem; "big girl or not, she is terrific and discovers that herself." "A Slow Burn" by Mary DeMuth is a Texas story of 1977 and Book Two of her Defiance Texas Trilogy.