Preview Shelf by Janice Clauser

Library News and Notable New Books

New holiday-themed books begin with "Grace" by Shelley Gray, a Christmas Sisters of the Heart novel; at an inn, unexpected visitors appear, forcing the owners to shelter them for the holidays and uncover the truth behind several secrets. Lori Wilde's "The First Love Cookie Club" is based on a legend that says "On Christmas Eve, if you sleep with kismet cookies under your pillow, and dream of your one true love, he will be your destiny." This is the fourth in her Twilight, Texas series.

A piece of interesting-looking nonfiction is "Feathers" by Thor Hanson, alerting us to the "most efficient insulating material ever discovered." Feathers have decorated queens and Aztec priests, and they've kept penguins dry below the ice. The author reveals details about their natural background as they've been used to protect, attract, and adorn though history in many places from Africa to Antarctica. Their many fascinating uses transport us from modern-day science to mythical associations with the divine. Read all about feathers. Another is "An Unfinished Revolution" which begins with Karl Marx and Abraham Lincoln's exchange of letters at the end of the Civil War when they agreed on the need to end slavery; there’s much more to this subject. "The Fiddler in the Subway" (referring to Joshua Bell) is a group of true stories Gene Weingarten researched to the 'nth degree, making them riveting and entertaining.

Emily Brightwell's Victorian mystery of a murder most English is "Mrs. Jeffries Forges Ahead." Fannie Flagg's "I Still Dream about You" shows us Birmingham, Alabama, past, present, and future with equal parts southern charm, murder mystery, and the comedic wisdom that is her specialty. "Nick of Time" a Bug Man novel by Tim Downs tells about a lady forensic entomologist ready to marry a dog trainer, except that the groom has disappeared on a mission. Paul Christopher's "The Templar Conspiracy" begins when an Army Ranger uncovers the motive behind the Pope's murder; he attempts unlocking secrets of the Templars’ conspiracy. Adam Barrow contributes "Blind Spot" which is about an especially disturbing crime scene at an Oregon rest stop and a plot with a surprise ending.

Every crime scene tells a story. Some tales keep you awake at night. Others haunt your dreams. Tess Gerritsen's "The Silent Girl", a Rizzoli & Isles novel, will do both with a grisly display in Boston's Chinatown; a violent death and a chilling prequel. "Dead by Midnight" is Carolyn Hart's 21st Death on Demand mystery. Annie Darling, who owns a mystery bookstore, suspects an apparent suicide to be a murder case. Chevy Stevens' "Never Knowing" is a psychological thriller about a woman's search into her past, and the deadly truth she uncovers.

Wanda Brunstetter's "Betsy's Return" is Book Two of the Brides of LeHigh Canal series in which a new pastor comes to Walnutport, PA. "Plain Proposal" by Beth Wiseman, A Daughters of the Promise novel, visits Lancaster County, PA where a young man and a young woman struggle as they consider leaving their Amish community.