Donations Enhance Library Offerings by Janice Clauser

 

 

 

 

 

                “The Woman Who Cured Cancer” is the remarkable story of Dr. Virginia Livingston-Wheeler and her discovery of what she called the Cancer Microbe. The author is Edmond Addeo and this book which is praised and donated to the Crawfordsville Library by Virgil Lawrence of Ripley Township discusses certain foods and vitamins found effective in supporting the immune system and the destruction of cancer cells. Other new health books this week are “The Real Rules of Life: Balancing Life’s Terms with Your Own” by Ken Druck, “The Essential Guide to Hysterectomy” by Lauren Streicher, and “Depression” by Ann Cvetkovich.

 

 

 

 

 

                New American histories teach us about other problem solvers. First, “The Fall of the House of Dixie” is Bruce Levine’s analysis of the Civil War and the social revolution that transformed the South. “Coolidge” by Amity Shlaes is a fresh look at our 30^th President in the mid-1920s that established our modern way of life, “advancing not only the automobile trade but also aviation,” and how “Silent Cal” showed the nation “how to persevere by persevering himself.” “Engineers of Victory” by Paul Kennedy examines World War II as a grand strategy carried out by ordinary soldiers, scientists, and businessmen responsible for realizing their commanders’ visions of success, and the inventions and innovations that modernized their efforts. “The Hopkins Touch” by David Roll profiles Harry Hopkins, FDR’s confidant on geopolitical issues and one of those who forged the alliance to defeat Hitler.

                Alison Weir’s “A Dangerous Inheritance” is a novel inspired by the life of Lady Jane Grey’s sister Katherine, and interweaves the tragic story of her imprisonment in the Tower of London with the fates of innocent Kate Plantagenet and Princes Edward and Richard. Possessing royal blood can prove to be a dangerous inheritance.

 

 

 

 

 

                Amy Myers’ “Classic in the Clouds” is a case for a car detective to solve, a “carfullly” plotted and well-oiled crime steeped in jealousy and revenge. Indira Ganesan’s “As Sweet as Honey” is an enchanting story of family life set on a gorgeous island in the Indian Ocean. J.A. Jance’s “Deadly Stakes” introduces a police academy-trained former reporter contacted to solve the murder of a divorcee on behalf of the woman accused of the crime. “Alex Cross, Run” by James Patterson involves three very grim cases; the detective doesn’t notice that someone is after him too.  Maeve Binchy’s “A Week in Winter” presents a week in a new Inn on the Irish coast. As usual this author makes us laugh, cry, and care.

 

 

 

 

 

 

                James Patterson’s “Private Berlin” tells how tragedy strikes the Berlin headquarters of the world’s most powerful investigation firm and exposes a hidden past. “The Twelve Tribes of Hattie” by Ayana Mathis describes an unforgettable family, children of the Great Migration. In 1923 a 15-year-old girl flees Georgia, settles in Philadelphia and marries a man who brings only disappointment as she raises many children with grit but without tenderness to prepare them for the sadness of life in a world that won’t be kind, a certain world of racism.

 

 

 

 

 

George Washington – Endlessly Worthy Subject by Janice Clauser

 

Tomorrow being the 281^st birthday of President George Washington, we note that there are 79 titles at the Crawfordsville Public Library about him and his world. Each time we look, different titles might attract us, perhaps “George vs. George” relating him to his contemporary adversary George III, perhaps stories about figures in history given his name, like agricultural researcher George Washington Carver, bridge building engineer George Washington Ferris, Civil War infantry participant George Washington Partridge. There are also 13 titles of fiction.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

            Here are new books of recent developments. “Open Heart” by Nobel Peace Prize winner and the “world’s tireless ambassador of tolerance and justice” Elie Wiesel, asking if there is hope for mankind, as he faces his personal challenges. “Reading the Old Testament” by Lawrence Boadt first appeared in 1984. Now Richard Clifford and Daniel Harrington have brought it into the 21^st century, updating archaeological reports, adding new research, new maps, Jewish-Christian interpretations, and new dialogue. ”Reading the New Testament” third edition, has also been updated with an expanded bibliography and new illustrations by Pheme Perkins. “A Jew among Romans” is Frederic Raphael’s presentation of the life and legacy of Flavius Josephus, the Jewish general turned Roman historian, whose betrayal is a touchstone for the Jew in the Gentile world.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

            Nate Silver’s “The Signal and the Noise” tells about the world of prediction, investigating how we can tell a true signal from our universe of noisy, ever-increasing data. How can being smarter about the future help us make better decisions in the present? W. E. B. Griffin’s novel “Empire and Honor” begins in October, 1945 when the Germans and Japanese have surrendered, and the United States made a secret deal with the head of German intelligence’s Soviet section. In exchange for lots of intelligence, especially the identity of the Soviet spies in the U.S. atomic bomb program, his people would be spirited to safety in Argentina. J. D. Robb’s “Delusion in Death” starts with 80 people dieing in a happy-hour bar downtown after work when sharp words were exchanged.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

            Danielle Steel’s “Until the End of Time” follows two separate couples who have changed their lives for new goals, each with complications. ”Suspect” by Robert Crais is a suspense novel beginning when a cop who survived the death of his partner is paired with a German shepherd who lost her handler. They both suffer from stress syndrome but it gives both of them one more chance at success. This book is also available in a sound recording and a large print version.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

            Linda Howard’s “Shadow Woman” finds one waking up to have no memory of her own face or of the last two years. Suddenly she can elude surveillance like a trained agent. Then she’s paired with a stranger whom she doesn’t trust. (A large print version is also available.)  Having been acquitted for the murder of her best friend, but still untrusted, how does Sharon McCone solve the unsolved murder in “Looking for Yesterday” by Marcia Muller? “Cold Wind” by C. J. Boxes shows a wife arrested for her husband’s murder at a wind turbine. “Robert Parker’s Ironhorse” by Robert Knott takes us to the Indian Territories above Texas where two territorial marshals set out to escort Mexican prisoners to the U.S. border; boarding their train they notice the Texas governor and his family and ruthless bandits boarding too. “What the Cat Saw” by Carolyn Hart shows us a woman who has been plagued by a sixth sense since the death of her fiancé. She can understand the thoughts of cats. This ability helps her solve a death in the neighborhood. (A large print version is also available.)

 

A Novel Forever Young by Janice Clauser

Thursday, February 7, 2013

 

 

           

 

 

 

            As the literary world celebrates the 200^th anniversary of “Pride and Prejudice,” the Crawfordsville Library offers its collection of 26 titles about the novel along with 83 relating to Jane Austen. Even issues like the “The Jane Austen Little Advice Book,” “The Jane Austen Cookbook,” and “Jane Austen’s Guide to Living Happily Ever After” continue, stimulated by world-wide fan clubs and new issues of her beloved stories on movies, audios and DVDs.

Moving ahead to today, current events books include “Games without Rules” by Tamim Ansary, subtitled The Often Interrupted History of Afghanistan. “Why Nations Fail” by Daron Acemoglu explains that it is “manmade political and economic institutions that underlie economic success (or the lack of it).”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Commentaries begin with “Iron Curtain 1944-1956” Anne Applebaum’s report of the crushing of Eastern Europe. “The Eve of Destruction” by James Patterson tells how 1965 transformed America when the sense of harmony gave way to civil rights demonstrations in Selma, Alabama and the war in Vietnam incited rebelliousness at home. “The End of Men and the Rise of Women” by Hanna Rosin explores how society is adapting to the different ways men and women today earn, learn, spend, couple up - even kill - that’s turned the big picture upside down all over the world. James Munton’s “The Con” tells how scams work, why we’re vulnerable, and how to protect ourselves; it shows ordinary people who are thrown into disorienting circumstances by the deceptions of con artists. 

 

           

 

 

 

 

 

            New books about animals abound. In “Little Boy Blue” Kim Kavin details her puppy’s rescue from death row and her journey to learn what can happen in some of America’s shelters. “A Dog Named Boo” is Lisa Edwards’ story of how, besides giving her faith in herself, her dog has changed countless lives through his work as a therapy dog. In “Comet’s Tale” author Steven Wolf tells of adopting an elegant cinnamon-striped racing greyhound, who had to learn common everyday skills, and ends up caring for its owner in amazing ways. In “Buddy” Brian McGrory’s rooster turns him into a family man. The new National Geographic “Bird Watchers Bible” is a complete avian menagerie, compiled by Editor Jonathan Alderfer. Inside “Little House in the Suburbs” Deanna Caswell gives advice about backyard farming and home skills for self-sufficient living. Then, “Prefabulous + Almost Off the Grid” is called “your path” to building an energy-independent home; the author is Sheri Koones.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

            Miscellaneous texts are inviting. “Just Kidding: Using Humor Effectively” comes from Louis Franzini.”24/6” “is a prescription for a healthier, happier life” by Matthew Sleeth, with Biblical references. “Unglued” by Lysa TerKeurst shows how to make wise choices in the midst of raw emotions. “This Will Make You Smarter” edited by John Brockman contains short new scientific memos to improve your thinking offered by 151 of the world’s “most influential thinkers.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

            “Heads in Beds” is Jacob Tomsky’s reckless memoir of hotels, its employees, its services (in other words adventures in the hospitality business.) “What Are You Looking At?” is the surprising, shocking, and sometimes strange story of 150 years of modern art through the eyes of Will Gompertz. His special appendix called Artworks by Location lists the museums where his notable choices are located.

Library Offers Fee-Free Computer Instruction by Janice Clauser

 

            The Crawfordsville Library is hosting a new series of free introductory adult computer classes.  Registration is available for Introduction to Genealogy Research, Microsoft Excel 2010 and Microsoft Word. Call 362-2242 extension 100 or sign up at the Reference Desk on the upper level.             

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

James Patterson’s novel,”NYPD Red,” profiles those sworn to protect and serve New York’s rich and famous. During the Hollywood on the Hudson festival there’s general high alert. Then a producer fatally collapses and the top NYPD Red Detective and his partner seek the killer, deranged and scripting his finale to the last explosive detail. Vince Flynn’s “The Last Man” gives us a close-up of the head of CIA clandestine operations in Afghanistan, who has been kidnapped, his four bodyguards executed in cold blood. Along with an assigned agent, the FBI is also looking for the victim for very different reasons. “Political Suicide” by Michael Palmer brings out double motives when a medical doctor is found in an alcoholic blackout after a powerful government chairman he had treated has died in Washington, D.C. That’s just the beginning of the suspense.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robin Cook’s “Nano” refers to an embattled medical student’s job at a lavishly funded security-conscious nanotechnology institute in the Rockies. Full of secrets, the corporate campus becomes a puzzle of unending funding and human guinea pigs. “The Racketeer” by John Grisham is a whodunit at a judge’s remote cabin where his body rests beside his open safe. Juliet Nicolson’s “Abdication” is labeled “England, 1936,” suggesting the plot of hidden truths and unspoken sympathies as duty and pleasure, tradition and novelty, and order and chaos battle for supremacy for king and commoner alike (Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson.)

 

           

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

            “The Sleepy Hollow Family Almanac” by Kris D’Agostino is a funny story of how folks find the strength to keep going in spite of themselves. “The Cutting Season” by Attica Locke investigates the takeover of farms between Baton Rouge and New Orleans to restore slave times and the resulting crimes that went along with that past era. J. A. Jance’s “Judgment Call” finds a woman sheriff investigating a school principal’s murder with clues that lead to her own daughter, the victim’s hidden past, and problems in her office. “Down the Darkest Road” by Tami Hoag finds a mother hunting for her daughter’s murderer, while all elements compound to make investigation impossible.

            Four survey books offer big pictures: collective views of “Mary Pickford: Queen of the Movies” edited by Christel Schmidt, The National Geographic’s “Space Atlas: Mapping the Universe and Beyond” by James Trefil, and The National Geographic’s “In the Footsteps of Jesus: A chronicle of his life and the origins of Christianity” by Jean-Pierre Isbouts.

 

           

 

 

 

 

 

 

            “Weird Al: The Book” by Nathan Rabin celebrates three decades of live concerts and music videos along with the life story of Al Yankovic, as a tribute to the king of pop parody. The social history of the world’s most versatile instrument “The Violin” by David Schoenbaum, that 16-ounce package of polished wood, strings, and air, and the most adaptable, affordable, portable instrument ever created, receives complete coverage, including the term “perhaps the most coveted of all musical instruments.” “Flight Behavior” by Barbara Kingsolver chooses a plot that takes on the most contentious subject of our time, climate change, and dissects the motives that drive both denial and belief in a precarious world.