Library Reading Room Displays Wide Variety of Current Periodicals by Janice Clauser

The Crawfordsville Library’s reading room offers 159 magazines and comfortable seating for perusing them. Non-current issues may be taken out for a week.

There are also 14 newspapers: Barron’s, The Chicago Tribune, The New York Times plus its Book Review and its Large Print Weekly, Human Events, The Indianapolis Business Journal, The Indianapolis Star, The Lafayette Journal & Courier, The Wall Street Journal, U.S.A. Today, The Wabash (College) Bachelor, The Crawfordsville Journal Review, and The Paper of Montgomery County.

Here are new choices of fiction and nonfiction about the 20^th century. The beauty of the Italian Alps is the setting in 1900 for a story, continued in America, presenting a young man drafted into World War I and a girl who becomes a seamstress involved in the life of singer Enrico Caruso. The couple meets, separates, and joins again with “operatic scope” in “The Shoemaker’s Wife” by Adriana Trigiani. Ford Madox Ford’s masterpiece “Parade’s End” about England during the same era, is four novels bound together, exploring the ruling class as it descends into the chaos of war.

“Princess Elizabeth’s Spy” by Susan MacNeal tackles WW II as England steels itself against German attack, and as the former secretary to Winston Churchill becomes a spy for MI-5. The royal family is in danger, and with great wit and smallest clues, big secrets are unraveled. “Road to Valor” by Aili McConnon is the true story of World War II Italy, the Nazis, and the cyclist who inspired a nation (Gino Bartali, who won the Tour de France twice, ten years apart.)

“The Valley of Unknowing” by Philip Sington takes place during the twilight  years of Communist East Germany when an author finds that a cocky scriptwriter has satirized his work and proving it will be hard in the Workers’ and Peasants’ State. “The Round House” by Louise Erdrich begins when a Ojibwe squaw on a reservation in North Dakota is attacked, puzzling her son and tribal judge husband. The harsh realities of life, where tribal and white live together with all kinds of injustice, are handled with literary skill. Fast forward to 9/11 and the Afghanistan and Iraq era when a scientist has developed a virus that can infect the fuel supply of the entire world; the plot moves fast in “Slow Apocalypse” by John Varley.

  

In Clive Cussler’s “Poseidon’s Arrow” Dirk Pitt faces an international crisis because a missing element in the U.S. Navy’s latest attack submarine technology causes ships to vanish in mid-ocean. There is also a Large Print edition and an 11-disc audio version available.

            Last are two impressive biographies. “Zumwalt” by Larry Berman describes the life and times of Admiral Elmo Russell “Bud” Zumwalt, Jr., chief of naval operations and “the navy’s most popular leader since WW II”. In his career spanning forty years, he served during the Soviets’ challenge to the US, became commander of all Navy forces in Vietnam and endured Watergate and an admirals’ spy ring. Later helping thousands of Vietnam veterans secure reparations brought him the Presidential Medal of Honor. Jean Edward Smith’s “Eisenhower in War and Peace” reintroduces us to the young dreamer with a maddening apprenticeship under Douglas MacArthur, his dilemmas in World War II, and the sudden 1952 Republican National Convention which catapulted him to the White House as our 34^th President.

Special Programs Await Patrons in January by Janice Clauser

The Crawfordsville Library sponsors a variety of classes and conferences. This month beginning and advanced knitting, painting, Ask a Lawyer, Spanish instruction, children’s programs, and an author signing are open to the public. Simply visit www.cdpl.lib.in.us.

   

New books to borrow begin with a combination of writings by Danielle Steel. Her nonfiction “A Gift of Hope: Helping the Homeless” tells how she has transformed her pain at the loss of her son into a campaign of service that has enriched her life beyond what she could imagine. Her novel “The Sins of the Mother” features a business tycoon who, realizing she had missed out on much of her children’s lives, tries to make amends.

            William Manchester’s amazing third and final volume of his Winston Churchill biography began to take shape in 1988 after his research was complete. Using over 40 50-page 81/2 by 21-inch paper tablets, he wrote “The Last Lion: Defender of the Realm” about the war years 1940-1945 and a few more pages about 1946-1965 for a total of 1058 pages of text.

             

           Another fine and long work is Juliet Barker’s 979-page “The Brontes” the real story of the Bronte sisters, revised and updated for a new generation. It demolishes myths yet provides startling new information that is just as compelling, forming a revolutionary picture of the world’s favorite literary family.

            Robert Utley’s “Geronimo” is a fast-paced biography of the most famous North American Indian of all time, with new material to expand knowledge of the man behind the legend.  Inside covers have good maps of his Mexican and New Mexico/Arizona Chiricahua Apache inhabited grounds.

             

           

            

            Two books about the Holy Land are “Jerusalem: A Cookbook” by Yotam Ottolenghi, a large picture book of recipes, and “Mossad” by Michael Bar-Zohar, detailing the greatest missions of the Israeli Secret Service. 

             

            

           A new history issue by Thomas Madden  is “Venice” the first full portrait of the city written in English in more than thirty years. “American Phoenix” by Sarah Kilborne tells the remarkable story of William Skinner, a man who who lost everything in a devastating flood, and his improbable, inspiring comeback to the pinnacle of the business world as a leading founder of the American silk industry. William Knoedelseder’s “Bitter Brew” details the rise and fall of Anheuser-Busch and America’s kings of beer. 

            “Treasure Island: The Untold Story” by John Amrhein, Jr. is the result of nine years of investigation by an international team of researchers, taking us back there just as Robert Louis Stevenson did in 1883. Only this time, it’s not doubloons and pieces of eight that are uncovered but rather an incredible tale that up until now has remained buried.  

            

             

            Newly arrived fiction begins with Pauls Toutonghi’s “Evel Knievel Days” about a Half-Egyptian native of Butte, Montana who travels to Egypt to find his father and also finds new connections with his parents. “Margaret Truman’s Experiment in Murder” by Donald Bain is based on one of Truman’s ideas found after her death and used as the next hero in her still- running Capital Crimes Series as a slain shrink linked to a highly secret CIA mind-control project. “Two Graves” by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child features an FBI agent discovering his wife alive after believing she’d died 12 years earlier.

Books to Note for Winter Reading by Janice Clauser

The Crawfordsville Library staff wishes everyone a happy holiday, while the building will be closed December 24^th, 25^th, and 26^th.   

 

         

 

 

 

 

 

New history books continually add to our cultural knowledge. Peter Ackroyd’s “Foundation” presents the history of England, from its earliest beginnings to the Tudor period with special pages like beautiful colored plates from Stonehenge and a dynasty poster showing the Rose of Tudor which incorporated the white rose of Yorkshire within the red rose of Lancashire. “The Founders and Finance” by Thomas McCraw reviews how Alexander Hamilton, Albert Gallatin, and other immigrants forged a new economy, solving the fiscal crisis of their time, and setting the U. S. on a path to long-term economic success. 

 

 

           

 

 

 

 

            In March and April of 1944, Gestapo gunmen killed fifty POWS – a brutal act in defiance of international law and the Geneva Convention. “Human Game” by Simon Read is the true tale of the men who hunted them down. “500 Days” is Kurt Eichenwald’s revelation of secrets and lies in the terror wars; he recounts the days after 9/11, and his story is a gripping page-turner read. As an actress in Hollywood, Jayne Larson needed a job, so she became a limousine driver for the Saudi royal family vacationing in Beverly Hills. She describes her eye-opening adventures as the only female in a detail of over 40; she was assigned to chauffeur a princess and her family and entourage. Her title is “Driving the Saudis.” 

            Nolo’s “Becoming a U.S. Citizen” is a guide to the law, exam, and interview. It shows how to fill out the forms, study for the exam, and interview successfully. The author is Ilona Bray.

 

 

             

 

 

 

 

 

            Kenny Rogers’ “Luck or Something Like It” is the memoir of his lifelong journey to become one of American music’s elder statesmen, creating hit records while staying true to his values as a performer and a person. “Total Recall: My Unbelievably True Life Story” is Arnold Schwarzenegger’s own life adventure with his theme-song of keeping growing and making new contributions.

            “Garbology: Our Dirty Love Affair with Trash” by Edward Humes analyzes the 7.1 pounds a day, 102 tons across a lifetime the American presently throws away, and he  asks “Are we China’s trash compactor or will the country pioneer a new and less wasteful path?” Brene Brown offers “Daring Greatly” telling how the courage to be vulnerable transforms the way we live, love, parent, and lead. In “Change Your Words, Change Your Life” Joyce Meyer writes that she believes our words can increase or decrease our level of joy, affecting the answers to our prayers, and having a positive or negative effect on our future. Jim Cymbala offers “Spirit Rising” about tapping into the power of the Holy Spirit.

 

 

           

 

 

 

 

            Two books about eating look helpful. First, “The Food and Feasts of Jesus” take us inside the world of first-century fare, with menus and recipes by Douglas Neel and Joel Pugh (like always - appreciated stuffed dates, split with the stone removed, filled with cream cheese and an almond sliver).  The second is “Hunt, Gather, Cook: Finding the Forgotten Feast” by Hank Shaw who doesn’t ask us to forgo the supermarket, but does ask us to make more meals from basic ingredients, not prepackaged foods, because “honest food need not be wild, but it must be made by hand and with love.”

Upper Gallery Invites Visitors by Janice Clauser

Malcolm Ross is our “Name of the Day,” a local man who distinguished himself in the service of our country. The Crawfordsville Library’s Upper Gallery is displaying details of his career. As a Linden High School graduate in 1936, and a Naval Aerology officer on the USS Saratoga flying missions in World War II, he received  a campaign star in his Pacific Theatre ribbon for his first carrier plane strike at Tokyo in February, 1945. He was recalled to service for the Korean War in 1950 as a Lieutenant in the US Naval Reserves. Later, in Project Skyhook, a program using new plastic high altitude balloons for upper atmosphere research, he was the first active duty officer qualified and licensed as a free balloon pilot, receiving many awards including the Harmon Trophy from President Kennedy and the Federation Aeronautique Internationale Diplome de Record in 1961 for his record-breaking 21.5 mile high ride. Come enjoy the pictures and other materials collected by the library’s reference staff.

 

 

           

 

 

 

 

            New fiction invites your attention on the main floor book shelves outside the Reading Room. Elizabeth Lowell’s “Beautiful Sacrifice” addresses the legend forecasting December 21^st this year as the end of the world; the story’s heroine has devoted her life to studying ancient Mayan artifacts, some of which have just disappeared. Ken Follett’s Book 2 of his Century Trilogy, called “Winter of the World,” picks up its five interrelated families, American, German, Russian, English and Welsh, from the rise of the third Reich, through the Spanish Civil War and the great dramas of World War II, to the explosions of the American and Soviet atomic bombs and the beginning of the long Cold War. Carla Neggers’ ”Heron’s Cove” is suspense-filled adventure on the Maine coast,  as FBI agents must decide whether working alone or standing together is the way to thwart the theft of rare Russian jewelry.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In Susan Phillips “The Great Escape” a bride who prides herself in not embarrassing the family she adores, especially her famous mother, flees her wedding ceremony in an old blue choir robe, and hitches a ride on the back of a beat-up motorcycle plastered with offensive bumper stickers, in search of herself. Stuart Woods’ Stone Barrington novel “Severe Clear” calls him to Bel-Air to oversee an exclusive event of Hollywood stars, socialites, and politicians from overseas, an event which has also attracted a dangerous criminal group with sinister plans. In Dean Koontz’ “Odd Apocalypse” a mission of mercy leads Odd through realms of darkness as he probes deadly adversaries’ long-held secrets. In the historical fiction “True Sisters” by Sandra Dallas, four Mormon converts make a 1,300-mile journey in 1856 from Iowa City to Salt Lake City, outfitted with two-wheeled handcarts, testing their faith and learning the true meaning of friendship.

“The Inn at Rose Harbor” by Debbie Macomber creates a Pacific Northwest town of Cedar Cove where a charming cast of characters finds love and forgiveness behind the doors of the cozy Inn. By contrast, Laurell Hamilton’s “Kiss the Dead” an Anita Blake novel, features a 15-year-old girl abducted by vampires.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Low Pressure” by Sandra Brown is about a woman’s obsessive quest to discover the truth behind her sister’s brutal murder. The same author’s “Love is Murder,” the third Thriller anthology, contains 30 heart-pounding stories of romantic suspense by authors who are members of International Thriller Writers, Incorporated, an organization of 1,635 members in 28 countries. 

Donations Welcome in Library Archives by Janice Clauser

 

 

In the Crawfordsville Library’s archives, Wingate High School yearbooks for 1910, 1946, 1948, 1950 and 1953 are available for study. This collection could be made even more valuable if those with other Wingate books would allow them to be copied. They’d be returned to the owner, of course.

For many years, interurban lines delivered vital transportation. They featured big wood passenger cars, name trains, beloved stations, and varied freight services. Jerry Marlette’s “Terre Haute, Indianapolis and Eastern Traction Company” catalog recalls details of this service with a map of its routes from Sullivan to Lafayette and Richmond. 

            New editions of park catalogs from National Geographic are “Guide to National Parks” and “Guide to State Parks of the United States.” Lonely Planet has a new guide to “Argentina.”

 

           

 

 

 

 

            Salman Rushdie, the author “sentenced to death” by the Ayatollah Khomeini for being “against Islam, the Prophet and the Qur’an, was forced underground and needed constant  protection by armed police. How a writer and his family can live with this danger for nine years is the subject of his book “Joseph Anton: A Memoir.” “Farther Away” by Jonathan Franzen gathers his essays and speeches written mostly in the past five years; the author’s goal was to conceal nothing, tracing how a mature mind wrestles with itself regarding the most important issues of the day. “Terrible Swift Sword” is Joseph Wheelan’s report on the life of Civil War General Philip Sheridan, warrior, scourge of the Shenandoah and Great Plains, and savior of Yellowstone. Joseph Crespino has penned “Strom Thurmond’s America” about the major figure in modern conservative politics whose father’s last advice to him was “Do not forget that ‘skill and integrity’ are the keys to success.” Paul Auster’s “Winter Journal,” an unorthodox examination of his life, is composed in the manner of a musical fugue, using fragments that jump backward and forward in time and merge as a chorus of multiple voices.

 

           

 

 

 

 

            Here are four new mysteries. Karin Slaughter’s “Criminal” shows a brilliant agent in the Georgia Bureau of Investigation who is trying to put a difficult past behind him. Suddenly he’s paired with his deputy director to solve a case that involves his own birth and parentage. Tess Gerritsen’s 10^th episode “Rizzoli & Isles: Last to Die” tells of a “circling predator” intent on doing harm to a sanctuary where young victims of crime are taught survival in their dangerous world. “Bones are Forever” by Kathy Reichs is the story which inspired the Fox TV series “Bones.” “Gone Girl” by Gillian Flynn is about a marriage “gone terribly, terribly wrong.” Carthage, Missouri is the setting. “Black List” is a thriller by Brad Thor following up the fact that somewhere deep inside the U.S. government is a closely guarded list of those crucial workers against terrorism who are targeted for death.

           

 

 

 

 

 

            In Emily Giffin’s “Where We Belong” a television producer in New York must team up with a 28-year-old, using a key to her past to find the one thing missing in both their lives. Bernard Cornwell’s “Death of Kings” prefaces the story with “As the Ninth Century wanes, Alfred the Great lies dying, his dream of a unified England in danger and his kingdom on the brink of chaos;” this chapter in the saga about the making of England sounds like exciting reading today. “In the Kingdom of Men” by Kim Barnes brings the reader to 1967 when an Oklahoma granddaughter marries a hometown hero and they move to Saudi Arabia. .