Preview Shelf by Janice Clauser

Library News and Notable New Books

Information on “Scams and Identity Theft” will be offered by a representative of the Indiana Attorney General’s Office on Monday, the 23rd at 6 p.m. in the Crawfordsville Library.

Nadine Gordimer’s new fiction “No Time Like the Present’ reveals the inextricable link between personal life and political, communal history, through the lives of a “mixed” couple, both combatants in the struggle for freedom against apartheid in South Africa. A thriller of espionage and betrayal challenging the survival of the United States is Brad Thor’s “Full Back”. A tale of fathers and sons set in the world of Major League baseball is “Calico Joe” by John Grisham. Ellen Ullman’s “By Blood” takes us to San Francisco in the1970s when a professor takes on a challenge by visiting a displaced persons’ camp in Europe. Mary Higgins Clark’s “The Lost Years” discovers what may be the most revered document in history, a letter written by Jesus Christ, stolen from the Vatican Library in the 1500s. Barbara Taylor Bradford’s “Letter from a Stranger” involves a filmmaker’s trip to Istanbul, searching for the grandmother she thought dead for a decade, after finding a letter showing her own mother plotted the disappearance. A mother sacrifices her future for a child from her past in Lisa Scottoline’s “Come Home”. Fern Michaels’ plot “Deadline” uses the phrase “living well is an art” in searching for a lost starlet. “In-Flight Entertainment” is a group of 13 stories by Helen Simpson focusing on aspects of contemporary living.

Other new fiction is “The Morrow Anthology of Great Western Short Stories” ,that uniquely American form of literature, devoted to the ideals of individualism and courage edited by Jon Tuska. “The Perfect Suspect” is a Catherine McLeod mystery by Margaret Coel in which a wildly popular candidate for governor of Colorado has been murdered. “Coral Glynn” by Peter Cameron describes a woman who arrives at an isolated mansion deep in the English countryside in 1950 for private nurse duty; random events show how quickly need and desire can blossom into love. “Lives Other Than My Own” by Emmanuel Carrere details a tsunami in Sri Lanka at the same time as a young woman succumbs to illness in France; two families are restored from tragedy by realization of the richness of human connection. Ronie Kendig’s novel “Digitalis” features an intriguing woman who draws an ex-Marine into a deadly game. Shelley Gray’s “A Texan’s Honor” is Book 2 of the Heart of a Hero series, taking place in Kansas in the 1870s. Working hard to vanquish ghosts in an inherited South Carolina home is the challenge in Karen White’s ”The Strangers on Montagu Street”.

Two new books are about chickens. “Free-Range Chicken Gardens” shows how to create a beautiful, chicken-friendly yard. Amy Stewart touts Jessi Bloom’s ideas by saying she gives “Practical and beautiful solutions for any gardener who wants to invite a flock into the backyard.” Gail Damerow’s “The Chicken Encyclopedia: An Illustrated Reference” would be the perfect companion to that garden book. Jon Young’s “What the Robin Knows” explains how birds reveal the secrets of the natural world.

New knitting books are “The Handknitter’s Yarn Guide” by Nikki Gabriel, “Mom & Me Knits”, projects for mothers and daughters by Stefanie Japel, and the 700-page “The Principles of Knitting” by June Hiatt covering techniques, stitch and color patterns, pattern design, and materials.

Preview Shelf by Janice Clauser

Library News and Notable New Books

Here is a group of miscellaneous new books. All kinds of interests are covered.
First comes “The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Glass” by Mark Pickvet. The illustrations are black and white, but it is designed for every glass enthusiast, collector, researcher, and historian. “Beautiful No-Mow Yards” shows 50 lawn alternatives found by Evelyn Hadden. Rachel Devine’s ”Beyond Snapshots” illustrates how to take a DSLR camera off “Auto” and photograph your life like a pro. “Textiles: The Whole Story” by Beverly Gordon, says “There are few aspects of our lives, physical, emotional, spiritual, in which thread and fabrics do not play a notable part.”

Edwin Black’s “British Petroleum and the Redline Agreement” tells about the West’s secret pact to get Middle Eastern oil. “The Barefoot Bandit” by Bob Friel is the true tale of Colton Harris-Moore, young American outlaw, who as a neglected teenager relished crime sprees, crashed three planes, and was finally killed in the Bahamas. Jeanette Winterson’s “Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal?” is her search to find happiness during her life in an English industrial town in the 1960s and 70s; through endless troubles she found literature, her guide to life. “Frommer’s Alaska” is the latest guide to travel there including 241 photographs. Remember Jaycee Lee Dugard’s abduction? “Lost and Found” tells of her 18 years in captivity from 1999-2009, written by John Glatt. “Cruising Attitude” by Heather Poole reflects fifteen years as an airline flight attendant and “she’s seen it all”.

“The English Is Coming!” by Leslie Dunton-Downer tells how one language is sweeping the world. “Weeknights with Giada” by Giada De Laurentiis, holds her quick and simple recipes to revamp dinner.

Faraway places are studied in two new books. One is Katherine Boo’s “Behind the Beautiful Forevers” and depicts “life, death, and hope in a Mumbai undercity”. James Hershberg’s “Marigold” tells about the lost chance for peace in Vietnam, the secret Polish-Italian initiative that sought to end the war, or at least to open direct talks between Washington and Hanoi in 1966. It failed.

“Woodworking FAQ: The Workshop Companion” handles all kinds of projects step by step. “Barron’s ASVAB” the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery” contains the most up-to-date review and practice tests currently available.

Les Savage, Jr.’s “Outlaws of the Brasada” combines a short story with a novel, the latter reflecting Reconstruction imposed by the Union Occupation force after the Civil War. A spirited young woman survives the sinking of the Titanic only to be embroiled in the aftermath of that tragedy in “The Dressmaker” by Kate Alcott. Robert Ludlum’s “The Bourne Dominion” is a new Jason Bourne novel by Eric Van Lustbader, as Jason searches for an elusive cadre of terrorists planning to destroy America’s most strategic natural resources. He and the head of Russia’s most feared spy agency must work together regardless of the Russian’s desire to kill him. “Vonnegut” collects the writer’s novels and stories written between 1963 and 1973. As he idolized Mark Twain, “Vonnegut is a satirist with a heart, a moralist with a whoopee cushion, a cynic who wants to believe.”

Preview Shelf by Janice Clauser

Library News and Notable New Books

Here are books that will give you ancient, earlier American, and modern history. “Babylon” discussing Mesopotamia and the birth of civilization comes from Paul Kriwaczek, a former BBC executive. He explores the political and social systems there from 5400 BC to the sixth century BC. Babylon never lost its allure as the ancient world’s greatest city. Next comes “Warfare and Society in Europe 1792-1914” by Geoffrey Wawro. This covers the period from the French Revolution to the eve of the First World War, treating warfare as a social and political phenomenon as well as a military and technological one. Maya Jasanoff’s “Liberty’s Exiles” examines American Loyalists in the Revolutionary World; after the American Revolution, 60,000 Americans loyal to the British cause fled the United States and became refugees throughout the British Empire.

Three books take on aspects of the American Civil War. Winston Groom’s “Shiloh 1862” explores the fact that more casualties occurred there in a single day than from all previous U.S. wars combined, including the American Revolution; (it was he who wrote “Forrest Gump”). “Decided on the Battlefield” by David Johnson studies Grant, Sherman, Lincoln and the election of 1864. At that time Lincoln thought he would lose the election if the war were not over. If McClellan had won, the plan was to end the war immediately, grant the South its independence, and let the Confederacy keep its slaves. Tobin Buhk’s “True Crime in the Civil War: Cases of Murder, Treason, Counterfeiting, Massacre, Plunder & Abuse” tells that the war created new opportunities to gain profits from illegal activities; the final chapter explains the fate of the Lincoln assassination conspirators.

Steven Hayward’s “The Politically Incorrect Guide to The Presidents: From Wilson to Obama” reveals rather unknown happenings during their periods in office. “Escape from Camp 14” is Blaine Harden’s account of a young man from North Korea who defied everything bad in that country to escape to China at 2005 at 23 years old. “Before the Curse” tells about The Chicago Cubs’ glory years 1870-1945, full of lively newspaper accounts and vintage articles.

Books about non-humans are varied too. “The Bluebird Effect: Uncommon Bonds with Common Birds” by Julie Zickefoose features watercolor touches because the author’s knowledge of birds is profound, with fascinating observations, and trustworthy accounts. She has saved injured birds, and knows how each species has unique habits and quirks. “Behind the Dolphin Smile” by Richard O’Barry tells about his campaign to protect the world’s dolphins. He learned not to keep them in captivity. He’s an advocate for dolphin freedom. ”The Backyard Homestead Guide to Raising Farm Animals” edited by Gail Damerow illustrates how you need not have grown up on a farm to learn to raise the animals and here’s how. This is also a special book visually. “Meet the Breeds” comes from the American Kennel Club and shows all kinds of dogs, sporting, hounds, working, terriers, non-sporting, and herding types. This would be indispensable if you’re thinking of what dog to acquire.

Preview Shelf by Janice Clauser

Library News and Notable New Books

There are many new commentaries. John Stossel says “NO They Can’t: Why Government Fails – But Individuals Succeed”. “Ripley’s Believe It or Not! (8), Strikingly True” and “Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Special Edition 2012” come from Ripley Entertainment, Inc. “Talking Back to Facebook” by James Steyer is “the common sense guide to raising kids in the digital age”. “iDisorder” is Larry Rosen’s treatise about understanding our obsession with technology and overcoming its hold on us. Stedman Graham has written “Identity: Your Passport to Success”. The Reader’s Digest has issued “How to Do Just About Anything”. Jonah Goldberg’s “The Tyranny of Cliches” questions “progress”.

New nonfiction also offers enticing destinations. Retired Head of the Field Services Section of the Indiana Geological Survey Samuel Frushour’s “A Guide to Caves and Karst of Indiana” (karst being a landscape characterized by sinkholes, sinking streams, springs, cave entrances etc.) analyzes the features of places generally southward from Putnam County to the Ohio River. Some locations are Marengo Cave in Crawford County, Squire Boone Caverns in Harrison County, and Little Wyandotte Cave, Crawford County. “The Lonely Planet Guide to the Philippines” and “Frommer’s Nashville & Memphis” highlight other destinations.

Activities are “Cutting-Edge Cycling” by Allen Hunter as well as “Complete Triathlon Guide” compiled by Triathlon’s national governing body USA.

Next are autobiographies. “Agatha Christie” (with a CD) is the Queen of Mystery’s memoir started in 1950 and finished 15 years later when she was 75 years old. She remembers Victorian England, her volunteer work during World War II, and the inspiration for her two most famous characters, Hercule Poirot and Jane Marple. Nikki Haley, Governor of South Carolina has written “Can’t Is Not an Option: My American Story”. Diane Keaton’s “Then Again” “does away with the star’s ‘me’ and replaces it with a daughter’s ‘I’”. Kevin Mitnick’s “Ghost in the Wires” tells about his adventures as the world’s most wanted hacker.

Biographies begin with Douglas Brinkley’s “Cronkite”. Mark Kurlansky’s “Birdseye”, the story of Clarence Birdseye’s development of freezing to preserve foods, his electric sunlamp, an improved incandescent light bulb, a harpoon gun to tag finback whales, and a way to make paper from leftover pulp are still in use today. “Dwight Yoakam”, virtuosic vocalist, superb writer, and live performer “too country for rock, too rock for country” identifies influences described by his biographer Don McLeese. An earlier subject by H. W. Brands is “The Heartbreak of Aaron Burr”, described as a man before his time and a proponent of equality between the sexes.