Preview Shelf by Janice Clauser

Library News and Notable New Books

Crawfordsville District Public Library librarians Jodie Steelman Wilson, Emily Griffin Winfrey, and Rebecca McDole have co-authored a book titled “Hidden History of Montgomery County.” The book introduces obscure local characters, including a vaudeville actor, a record-holder for highest altitude in a hot air balloon, and a special firedog. A display highlighting their book can be seen on the second floor of the library.

A new world history book is Simon Montefiore’s “Jerusalem” which names the city “the shrine of three faiths, the prize of empires, the site of Judgment Day and the battlefield of today’s clash of civilizations” and “the only city that exists twice – in heaven and on earth.” “Killing Lincoln”, retelling the shocking assassination that changed America forever, is Bill O’Reilly’s historical thriller. “Fire on the Horizon” reviews the Gulf Oil Disaster of 2010; in it John Konrad takes us on a journey around the world, and then gives us an up-close view of one of the worst environmental disasters in recent history. Jon Winokur’s “The Garner Files” is an intimate memoir of the actor John Garner’s six-decade career, including being the first Oklahoma draftee of the Korean War, for which he received two Purple Hearts.

“Boomerang” by Michael Lewis explains and illustrates how cheap credit between 2002 and 2008 tempted entire societies to indulge without limit. Susannah Charleson’s “Scent of the Missing” is about a partnership with a search-and-rescue dog. “The American Bird Conservancy Guide to Bird Conservation” by Daniel Lebbin identifies species and environments.

The new edition of “Fundamentals of Nursing: Standards & Practice” by Sue DeLaune is now available. Other healthy books are “1-2-3 Magic for Christian Parents: Effective Discipline for Children 2-12” by Thomas Phelan, a well-researched report on the deadly pathogen “Superbug: The Fatal Menace of MRSA” by Maryn McKenna, and the guide for teens called “Take Control of ADHD” by Ruth Spodak.

Common sense is stressed in “Who Says Bullies Rule?” by Catherine DePino, “You are Not so Smart” by David McRaney (about ways we delude ourselves), and “Terrorists in Love: The Real Lives of Islamic Radicals” by Ken Ballen.

New knitting books are “Knitting Scarves from Around the World” with 23 patterns edited by Kari Cornell, and “Spin Control”, Amy King’s techniques for spinning the yarn you want. How about “Origami Architecture”? This book includes models of the world’s most famous buildings made of paper, showing how to create three-dimensional paper structures!

A pair of travelogues are “The Rough Guide to Kenya” from Rough Guides, and “Pawnee: The Greatest Town in America” by Leslie Knope, deputy director of the hit television show “Parks and Recreation”.

Three new mysteries have just arrived. Patricia Cornwell’s “Red Mist”, a Scarpetta novel, is her 19th novel featuring chief medical examiner Dr. Kay Scarpetta. In this installment, Kay, while driving through Savannah’s Low country, agrees to meet with an inmate at the Georgia Prison for Women to learn how her former deputy chief had died. In Michael Connelly’s “The Drop” LAPD detective Harry Bosch faces two murder investigations at once. Stephen Cannell’s “Vigilante” concerns a crime with ties to the world of reality TV.