Preview Shelf by Janice Clauser

Library News and Notable New Books

A Special Exhibit (Except on the 23rd and 24th when the Library is Closed) - Except on the 23rd and 24th of November when the building is closed, take the stairs or the elevator to the second floor of the Crawfordsville Library and turn left for a wonderful local history adventure, Bill Helling's "Trip Through Crawfordsville, Then and Now". See how many notable figures you can recognize among 19 pictures of local personalities (including five glamorous ladies) dated 1770 to today. See Maurice Thompson posing with his huge bow (he was the father of modern archery). See favorite sites like the Wabash College Pioneer Chapel in 1925 with no treescape, Lane Place in its Italian period, and shots of the Carnegie building throughout its history. Then check the displays of new nonfiction.

"Robert O'Connell's "The Ghosts of Cannae" tells the saga of Hannibal's invasion in 216 B.C. with 48,000 deaths at the Roman Republic's darkest hour that led to its resurgence and the creation of its empire.

"The Mountain Lion" by Jean Stafford is a Classic from New York Review of Books. It explores adolescence with authentic sights, smells, emotions, and the values of childhood and youth. Tana French offers "Faithful Place" a novel of a young couple in Dublin's inner city in 1985, with a plan to run away to London for a better life; he can't find her that night and assumes she's changed her mind. The novel deals with what really happened.

Two linked stories are next. In St. Louis, The Mother of All Darkness vampire wants to control all the vampires in America by possessing the body of her enemy, a legal vampire executioner-U.S. Marshal, according to "Bullet" by author Laurell Hamilton, whose other new book, "Flirt" shows the marshal Anita Blake being sought by a man desperate to have her re-animate his recently deceased wife. Are you tempted?

"Married with Zombies" by Jesse Petersen reports that a zombie apocalypse takes over, but that doesn't mean your other problems go away. Terry Brooks' fantasy "Bearers of the Black Staff" is the first episode in his new series "Legends of Shannara"; in the future, protective magic that surrounded man for five centuries has vanished and unknown predators stalk the area, which has divided loyalties among surviving villages.

In J. A. Jance's "Queen of the Night" two murders threaten to tear apart three separate families of the Tohono O'odham Nation in Arizona. Another thriller is Ridley Pearson's "In Harm's Way" set in Sun Valley; a young woman is convinced she has seen her former captor in person, even though the sheriff watched the captor die. "Body Work" is Sara Paretsky's 17th novel uncovering a chain of ugly truths that stretches all the way from Iraq to Chicago's South Side. When a just-married couple perishes in an automobile wreck, time's healing powers prove elusive in Ayelet Waldman's "Red Hook Road".

"Star Island" is Carl Hiaasen's hilarious spin on life in the celebrity fast lane. An undercover girl who doubles for a pop star attempting a comeback is kidnapped and the challenge is to rescue the double without telling the pop star.

Josh McDowell offers "The New Evidence That Demands a Verdict" answering questions about the Bible's reliability, with archaeological evidence and added chapters confirming the historical Jesus.
Happy Thanksgiving.

Preview Shelf by Janice Clauser

Library News and Notable New Books

From Armistice Day to Veterans Day - In 1919, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed November 11th Armistice Day to honor the sacrifices of our nation's veterans, commemorating cessation of hostilities in World War I, when the Allied powers signed a cease-fire with Germany at Rethondas, France, on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. In 1939 Congress passed legislation making it a legal national holiday. After World War II the holiday was recognized as a day of tribute to veterans of both World Wars. Beginning in 1954 Veterans Day has honored those in all United States wars. Many groups will face east at 11 a.m. (their time) on November 11 for a moment of silence.

New books in the Crawfordsville District Public Library honor all kinds of anniversaries and deeds. Fifty years ago Peg Bracken wrote "The I Hate to Cook Book" and helped change women's schedules. She offered simple recipes that took very little time to put together. Updated for today's pantries, a new printing by Peg's daughter Jo offers to fill your kitchen with wonderful smells and laughter, whether you hate to cook or not (the same title - the 50th anniversary edition).

James Fleming's "Fixing the Sky" is full of stories from elite science, cutting-edge technology, and popular culture tracing how we've tried to monkey with weather, like navigation in the 1830s, drought in the 1890s, aircraft safety in the 1930s and world conflict since the 40s. All kinds of people have tried to manipulate the weather. "Through the Language Glass" is Guy Deutscher's inquiry why the world looks different in other languages. Can different languages lead their speakers to different ideas? Does language reflect culture in major ways? (A personal note: Helen Collar, local activist and traveler, often used to say after returning from a far-flung Old World country, "A nation must have one language in order to move forward").

Bloom's Guides help students analyze books. The library just received one about Harper Lee's "To Kill a Mockingbird". Elizabeth Abbott's "Sugar" is the history of the once most powerful commodity on earth, the sugar cane industry, the luxury staple, the cause of the sweet tooth.

"Blue Blood" contains glorious tales of the Indianapolis Colts told by Nate Dunlevy. Jon Krakauer's "Where Men Win Glory" is Pat Tillman's life walking away from a multimillion-dollar NFL contract to join the Army, because he harbored a remarkable moral obligation. He was killed in Afghanistan two years later.

"The A to Z of the Fashion Industry" comes from Francesca Sterlacce and Joanne Arbuckle; "The A to Z of African American Cinema" comes from the pens of Torriano and Venise Berry. The history of words and their use in effective writing to "captivate with every word" is "The Glamour of Grammar" by Roy Clark. "Delusions of Gender" is Cordelia Fine's essay about how our minds, society, and neurosexism create difference. She debunks the myth of hardwired differences between men's and women's brains, a belief, she says, "that all too often works to the detriment of ourselves and our society". "Nashville Chrome" by Rick Bass evokes the special musical era of the Beatles and Elvis Presley. Karen Carpenter, "Little Girl Blue", is Randy Schmidt's view of the lovely singer, her songs, and her death at 32. Inside the cover of "Waiter Rant" by the waiter Steve Dublanica, the author says "Eighty percent of customers are nice people just looking for something to eat. The remaining twenty percent…are socially maladjusted psychopaths." This is a funny but revealing "kitchen confidential".

Preview Shelf by Janice Clauser

Library News and Notable New Books

The Crawfordsville Library's youth services department just held its annual Fall Party for 54 children and 39 adults. Stories were read, games were played, fall-colored trees were crafted, and cookies and milk were enjoyed. Each young patron received a book courtesy of Random House. The new weekly program is Wiggle & Giggle! On the next two Tuesdays, November 9 and 16, from 4:15 to 4:45 p.m., "music and movement" for kids ages 18 months to 4 years will be featured. Tagalongs are welcome too.

A new biography of Hoosier Red Skelton tells about the man behind the characters Freddie the Freeloader, Clem Kaddiddlehopper, Cauliflower McPugg, and Sheriff Deadeye. In "Red Skelton, The Mask Behind the Mask" film historian Wes Gehring tells and illustrates the comic's life growing up in Vincennes, his days on the vaudeville circuit, his early success on radio, his up-and-down movie career with MGM, and his sometimes tragic personal life.

"Seven Events That Made America America: And Proved that the Founding Fathers Were Right All Along" forces us to rethink what makes our country great, and how, whenever these values are threatened, we lose sight of the principles that make us strong; the author is Larry Schweikart. "Hot Time in the Old Town" by Edward Kohn is enlightening history about New York City's great heat wave of 1896 and the making of Theodore Roosevelt, because the summer of suffering and city government's bumbling response contrasted with Police Commissioner Roosevelt's alertness and leadership.

"Coming Back Stronger" by Drew Brees is a memoir; the back cover says it well, "In the aftermath of one of the most devastating natural disasters in U.S. history, the city of New Orleans needed a hero. What they got was a Saint." "Son of Hamas" by Mosab Yousef recalls terror, betrayal, political intrigue, and unthinkable choices as he exposes events and processes that have been known only by a few; (he has sought political asylum in America). "The Killing of Anna Nicole Smith" by Larry Seidlin is the judge's evidence explaining why he thinks justice eluded Anna, and showing similarities between her drug death and that of Michael Jackson.

"Spider Bones" by Kathy Reichs tells of a Vietnam soldier killed in 1968 who seems to have died again four decades later. Next, a third body is similarly identified. The author is a forensic anthropologist in Quebec, one of only 85 such professionals ever certified by the American Board. "The science is downright snazzy, the mystery plenty devious" - Houston Chronicle.

The third and final novel in Stieg Larsson's trilogy about Lisbeth Salander called "The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest" as well as his other two, "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" and "The Girl Who Played With Fire" (and all three novels in large print), are now members of the Crawfordsville Library's collection. "Hand of Fate" by Lis Wiehl is a "triple threat" novel about the death of an outspoken radio talk show host when gas fills his studio.

"Dexter is Delicious" by Jeffry Lindsay is the fifth in the series that inspired Showtime's hit, "Dexter". "Dreams That Won't Let Go" is the third in Jubilant Soul, the series by Stacy Adams involving sisters and a brother trying to assuage their differences. "Exclusive" by Fern Michaels takes place in Los Angeles where the celebrity scene invades an ailing celebrity magazine.

"Why Animal Suffering Matters" is Andrew Linzey's philosophy, theology, and practical ethics offering a radical new paradigm for our treatment of animals. "Naturally Thin" by Bethenny Frankel asks us to unleash our Skinnygirl and free ourselves from a lifetime of dieting. She lists what categories to eat each day.

Preview Shelf by Janice Clauser

Library News and Notable New Books

The Crawfordsville Library's book club "Deweys Do" will meet Monday, November 8th at 6:30 p.m. to discuss Haven Kimmel's "A Girl Named Zippy", the clever biography-tale by a clever 45-year-old poet-writer with beguiling humor and story-telling abilities. She thinks her epitaph should be "She was ridiculous." She writes this book, set in east-central Mooreland, Indiana, from the viewpoint of her younger self. You're invited to borrow a copy and join the discussion. For more information, please feel free to call the circulation desk at (765)362-2242.

Now comes information about new library books. Making faithful choices about food, energy, and shelter is the theme of "Walking Gently on the Earth" by Lisa McMinn and Megan Neff , listed as a field guide for Christians who want to honor God with every decision as they traverse this world. "Losing My Religion" is William Lobdell's journey of doubt as a religion reporter for a major newspaper, trying to understand the faithful who have bad behavior. Bruce Wilkinson's "You Were Born for This" lists seven keys to a life of predictable miracles. He says almost everyone can point to an event in life that seemed directly orchestrated by Heaven, and he analyzes the value of praising that event and using it to go forward.

"Austin" and "Garrett" are two books about rodeo cowboys from Linda Miller's trilogy called McKettricks of Texas. "Infamous" is Suzanne Brockmann's contemporary romance/suspense story of the filming of a Wild West legend. Kim Sawyer's "A Hopeful Heart" depicts Kansas in 1888 when an Eastern, "dowryless" girl enters a school which will teach her to become a rancher". "Fortunate Harbor" by Emilie Richards is about five women's friendship and their "lifeline-road" in a run-down Florida development called Happiness Key. "Hardball" by Sara Paretsky follows a missing persons investigator tracking down a forty-year-old case of a man lost in a blizzard in the midst of Chicago's racial unrest.

Emily Brightwell's "Mrs. Jeffries Speaks Her Mind" is the product of the "Miss Marple of Victorian Mystery" according to The Paperback Forum. When eccentric Olive is killed after insisting people were trying to harm her, Mrs. Jeffries goes into action. Jamie Freveletti's "Running from the Devil" finds a capable runner thrown unhurt from a plane crash in Venezuela who's able to watch crimes against the other passengers. "The Girl Who Played with Fire" by Stieg Larsson is his second "Girl Who" book where a crusading publisher defends a friend accused of two murders.

Romances are popular too. Keri Arthur's "Moon Sworn" introduces a werewolf-vampire heroine, who, in a normal setting, strives for good answers. In "One Day" by David Nicholls, it is 1988 and for twenty years a man/woman relationship will be analyzed each July 15th. "Rushed to the Altar" by Jane Feather is the first part of a trilogy The Blackwater Brides set in the Georgian period when a surviving nephew must rescue and marry a fallen woman in order to claim his inheritance. "Out of Mind" by Stella Cameron is about her character’s paranormal talents which endanger a business owner being stalked by dark forces in New Orleans.

"Morning's Refrain" by Tracie Peterson is the second installment of Song of Alaska. A new arrival, transplanted from the East, joins a small orchestra but otherwise she feels isolated until a buried secret and two special men enter her life. Part two of Home to Blessing is "No Distance Too Far" by Lauraine Snelling telling about a young missionary who has trouble staying with her dream. "Dead Until Dark" by Charlaine Harris is one of nine Sookie Stackhouse novels about the waitress who can read minds. Then there's the vampire boyfriend. All of it is wrapped up in a rural Louisiana atmosphere.