Category: Books

She’s Not Sorry by Mary Kubica

- Stephanie Leave a comment

“The truth is that social media is an optical illusion. It’s an unreality, it’s the very deliberate version of people’s lives that they want you to see.”
― Mary Kubica, She’s Not Sorry

Meghan Michaels is an ICU nurse and single mom to a teenage girl. Following the divorce from her ex-husband, Meghan and her daughter move to a small apartment relatively close to where she works.

One day, a new patient is admitted to the ICU. This wouldn’t normally be cause for concern except for the fact that this woman is plastered all over the news. Why? Caitlin is in a coma from a traumatic brain injury that she sustained after a fall from a bridge. Was this suicide? Or did someone push her? Meghan would normally keep her distance from her patients, but Caitlin’s actions, her family, and Meghan’s own past lure her in.

On top of dealing with Caitlin, Meghan is also struggling with fallout from her divorce. Looking for help, she heads to a divorce support group. Meghan runs into an old friend from high school who appears to be in an abusive relationship with her husband. Meghan will do anything to help her old friend. Her decision to help means adding another complication to her messy life. Add in someone terrorizing women in her neighborhood and Meghan is extra on edge. She must keep herself and her daughter safe, while also focus on her patient at work. When a witness steps forward saying they know what happened to Caitlin, police swarm the ICU, putting all the staff on edge as they now aren’t sure whether Caitlin jumped or was pushed.

Kubica has crafted a slow burn thriller that had me on the edge of my seat questioning how all the threads would tie together. As is true with most psychological thrillers, this is not a book where you can shift focus while reading. Every detail is important! I can’t wait to see what Mary Kubica comes up with next.

This title is also available in large print and a CD audiobook.

New Travel books for 2024!

- Michelle Leave a comment

This fall brings an abundance of new and updated travel guides for nearly anywhere you would like to venture.  If you are planning your first trip abroad, thinking about a road trip to a few national parks or you are a seasoned traveler ready for a new adventure, there is something for everyone.  Even if you are not planning a trip in the near future, consider one of these guidebooks for armchair traveling!

DK National Parks of the USA – A comprehensive account of our 63 parks, DK National Parks of the USA covers the best sites and itineraries for each park.  With some of the most gorgeous photography in any travel guide, this guide outlines the best choices whether you are visiting a park for one hour or one week.  This guide also has detailed and easy to read maps for a hassle-free experience.  Also, included are the best places to eat, sleep and dine in close proximity to each park.

Rick Steves Best of Europe – One of the best travel guides for new or seasoned travelers to Europe, this nearly 1,000 page book covers the top European destinations for any experience or budget.  Steves includes detailed information on taking trains, trams and buses with ease and ideas for walking tours to capture the top sights.  Destinations include England, France, Spain and Italy.

Rick Steves France – Similar to the previous title and other Rick Steves travel guides, his series highlight the life changing aspects of travel, including meeting locals and visiting top sites along with itineraries that includes stops less well known.  This guide to France is the 21st edition with near yearly updates on hotels and other accommodations for all budgets.   Also included are walking tours and ample coverage of museums, local restaurants and cultural and historic information.  Not only is Paris included, Steves devotes ample pages to Normandy, Burgundy, Provence, the French Riviera and the Brittany region.

DK Top 10 New England – DK Top 10 guides are perfect for a short break and DK Top 10 New England is no exception.  Covering the top local cuisine, outdoor activities, quaint towns and historic gems, the authors of this guide have streamlined the best of the best in Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut.  Sample itineraries are included for a weekend or a few days accompanied by a laminated pull out map.

Fodor’s Essential Japan – Written by Fodor’s local experts who have an intimate knowledge of Japan, Fodor’s Essential Japan, is an updated volume that has been redesigned in an easier to read format, newly updated photos and multiple itineraries for each destination.  Included are Tokyo, Osaka, Sapporo, Mt. Fuji and more.  Along with the historical and cultural background of Japan, this guide has practical transportation information and language tips with essential phrases.

Lonely Planet Offbeat North America – For travelers looking for more remote or off the beaten track travels, try Lonely Planet Offbeat North America.  With over 100 lesser known destinations in The United States, Canada and Mexico, this guide also includes 25 extra hidden gems along with expertly curated advice on how to beat the crowds and the best times to travel to these locales.  Unique to this title are alternatives to popular sites that are equally as memorable but not so touristy.

 

 

In addition to the titles listed above check out these other brand new travel guides!

Rick Steves Spain

Rick Steves Scandinavia

DK Top 10 Brussels (includes Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp)

DK Top 10 Seattle

DK Top 10 Las Vegas 

Rick Steves Barcelona

Rick Steves Paris

Fodor’s Tokyo

 

The Last Murder at the End of the World by Stuart Turton

- Stephanie Leave a comment

“everything we fear finds us eventually, so there’s no point trying to outrun it.”
― Stuart Turton, The Last Murder at the End of the World

Stuart Turton’s latest novel, The Last Murder at the End of the World, is a genre-bending murder mystery that contains elements of science fiction, crime thrillers, and dystopia.

An island in the middle of the ocean holds what is left of humanity. A fog swept the world, killing anyone and everything it touched. Thanks to the work of three scientists living on the island, a security system is in place keeping the fog at bay. 122 villagers live with the scientists, fishing and farming, supplying the island with what they need to survive.

Their idyllic lives are shattered when, upon waking one morning, they discover one of the scientists dead in a burning building. They quickly learn that the death triggered the security system to lower, bringing the fog closer and closer to the island. With only hours left before the fog destroys the island and kills them all, they must figure out what happened to the scientist. Obstacles repeatedly pop up during the investigation, leading the villagers chasing leads all over the island. The truth will be hard to figure out, but the clock is ticking. If they don’t solve this mystery, the fog will wipe their problems, and their lives, away.

This is a book that is hard to talk about without giving too much away. Let me start by saying that the beginning of this book gives off very much ‘hippie commune thrown for a loop by a crime’ vibes. I love that. The rest of the book is chock full of twists and turns as they try to solve the crime. This was a very quick read, but I found it to be difficult to follow at times in the audiobook as two of the characters’ accents were only *slightly* different. Overall, The Last Murder at the End of the World was intriguing and had me hooked to the very end.

A Full Life

- Bill Leave a comment

Firstly, this isn’t a new book at DPL.  President Carter penned this biography ten years ago at the whippersnapper age of 90.    There are a host of fascinating tidbits here about Smiling Jimmy.  For example, you wouldn’t think the first centenarian US president would be a guy who produced radioactive urine for six months after saving a damaged Canadian nuclear reactor.  As he tells it, science’s burgeoning cognizance of radiation in 1952 erroneously permitted human exposure levels 1000 times our modern understanding.  It worked out for Bruce Banner, right?

Carter’s roots were humble.  In fact, he was the first president to reside in public housing, undoubtedly igniting his passion for Habitat for Humanity.  Little Jimmy was a racial minority among his schoolmates, solidifying his stance as supporter of civil rights in the turbulent 60’s.  Where he was from, that platform cost him a few victories in his nascent political career.

Governor.  Presidency.  Ayatollah. Hostage Crisis. Energy Crisis. Reagan.   And then, it was right back to Plains, GA, the peanut farm, and the same home he’s owned for sixty years.  Did he ever stop teaching Sunday school?  He missed a few catechisms 1976-1980, yeah.

Check out the story of the man who is more famous for what he did AFTER being POTUS while there isn’t a holds list.  If heaven ever claims the objectively kindest human to occupy the oval office, there might be demand for this story.  Of course, we’ve been saying that a while.  Jimmy may rival “Silent Cal” Coolidge for the least sensational commander-in-chief, but his century on Earth is undeniably grounded in public service.

The Lonely Hearts Book Club by Lucy Gilmore

- Stephanie Leave a comment

“This world was a terrible place. It gave you people to love and then took them away before you stopped loving them. It made you mean and angry and cruel to those who needed you most. It ground you down until it was all you could do to get through the day. But most of all, it tried to convince you that you were alone in your suffering.”
― Lucy Gilmore, The Lonely Hearts Book Club

Sloane Parker is a cheerful librarian in her small town. When she brushes up against Arthur McLachlan, an old man with the power to send the other librarians scurrying away, Sloane takes an instant liking to him. She looks forward to Arthur’s daily visits to the library when she can spar and listen to his insults. Arthur’s visits are consistent and regular every day at the same time. When he doesn’t show up one day, Sloane is instantly concerned. When his absence continues, Sloane is torn. She wants to check up on Arthur, but to do so would put her job in jeopardy. Desperate, Sloane decides to check on Arthur to put her anxiety at bay.

When Sloane arrives at Arthur’s house, she is shocked to see that Arthur has suffered from a medical emergency and is not happy with his care home staff. Sloane inserts herself into Arthur’s life and soon realizes that there are other misfits in her orbit and in Arthur’s life willing to intervene. Sloane starts a book club as a form of intervention for Arthur that eventually becomes a safe space for Sloane and her band of lonely misfits. This group of lonely hearts starts to bond, helping each other and making sure Arthur takes care of himself.

Lucy Gilmore has written complex characters with deep storylines and even deeper issues. This story is heartwarming highlighting quality character development and superb writing quality. The Lonely Hearts Book Club is split into multiple points of view which allows readers to learn more about characters’ actions. This book pulled on my heart strings with its incredible insight, easy readability, and sharp wit. I can’t wait to read more by this author.

November Picture Book Spotlight: DINOSAUR TAKE OVER!

- Brittany Leave a comment

Happy NovembROAR!! This month, I am excited to share some delightful Dinosaurific stories to share with your favorite little velociraptor in your life!

Dinosaurs, Dinosaurs by Byron Barton
In prehistoric days there were many different kinds of dinosaurs, big and small, those with spikes and those with long, sharp teeth.
– provided by our catalog

 

 

Never Touch the Dinosaurs by Rosie Greening
This roar-some counting book is perfect for young children. There’s plenty to explore in this innovative board book with silicone textures and silly rhyming text. Little ones will love learning to count down from five as they explore the amazing bumpy dinosaurs on every page.
– provided by our catalog

 

 

 

Penelope and the Problem with Pets by Ryan T. Higgins
Penelope Rex gets a saber-toothed tiger for her first pet, but find ‘Mittens’ a lot to handle.
-provided by our catalog

 

 

Tea Rex by Molly Idle
Cordelia and her brother host a tea party for an unusual guest–a T-Rex!
– provided by our catalog

 

 

 

 

The Dinos on the Bus by Peter Miller illustrated by Tony Neal
The Wheels on the Bus transforms into the squeals on the bus as the little dinos travel up and down, round and round, all through the land. Packed full of actions to join in, with a calming ending to wind down after all the excitement, this is the perfect first picture book to enjoy together. Young readers will stomp their feet and clap their hands in delight as they sing along with this fun-filled, dinosaur reinvention of this popular rhyme!
– provided by our catalog

D is for Dinosaur by Christopher Robbins illustrated by Volha Kaliaha
Take a trip back in time to the Mesozoic Era when dinosaurs walked the earth! With G for giganotosaurus, P for pachycephalosaurus, and X for xenoceratops, the ABCs have never been so T-riffic! Every little dino lover will have a roaring good time learning dinosaur names all the way down to zalmoxes.
– provided by our catalog

 

That’s Not My Dinosaur by Fiona Watt
Turn the pages and touch the patches of different textures to develop sensory and language awareness.
– provided by our catalog

 

 

 

Edwina, the Dinosaur Who Didn’t Know She Was Extinct by Mo Willems
Edwina is well-known in her neighborhood, she plays with kids, she bakes delicious chocolate chip cookies and helps old ladies cross the street. She is well-loved by everyone except for one person: Reginald Von Hoobie-Doobie. He knows for a fact that dinosaurs are extinct and tries to convince everyone that they are. What happens when Edwina finds out?
– provided by our catalog

 

Have you read any of these titles? I would love to hear about what you thought of them in the comments!

Cultish

- Bill Leave a comment

The cornerstone of cults, as it turns out, is the master manipulation of words.  Such skill is a common strength of your most tragically successful demagogues.  Language is the glue that binds together a cult- an insider shorthand which others outside detractors, structures exclusivity, and staunches objection.  As advertised, that’s the focus of linguist and podcaster Amanda Montell’s bestseller, Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism.

Exhibit A: The thought-terminating cliche

The usual suspects are represented here: Scientology, Heaven’s Gate, and Jim Jones.  However, you’ll learn sundry gyms and workout plans, current political movements, and multi-level marketing scams utilize precisely the same techniques.  If you are into the power of words and baffled by the malleability of bright citizens, this is the book for you.  But, please don’t expect the thrilling page turner perspective among similar nonfiction bestsellers.  For those that Dewey, this is far more of a 400 than 364.

As it turns out, the vast majority of this book focuses on linguistics with minor treatment of true-crime tidbits.  I accept full responsibility.  Focus on the title words in boldface and a cool cover like this reader did and you may also fall down that well of naivete.  We truly need a truism warning readers of such haphazard browsing.

November’s Celebrity Book Club Picks

- Stephanie Leave a comment

It’s a new month which means that Jenna Bush Hager and Reese Witherspoon have picked new books for their book clubs! Reminder that if you join Simply Held, you can choose to have their selections automatically put on hold for you.

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Jenna Bush Hager has selected This Motherless Land by Nikki May for her November pick.

Curious what This Motherless Land is about? Check out the following description provided by the publisher.

Quiet Funke is happy in Nigeria. She loves her art teacher mother, her professor father, and even her annoying little brother (most of the time). But when tragedy strikes, she’s sent to England, a place she knows only from her mother’s stories. To her dismay, she finds the much-lauded estate dilapidated, the food tasteless, the weather grey. Worse still, her mother’s family are cold and distant. With one exception: her cousin Liv.

Free-spirited Liv has always wanted to break free of her joyless family. She becomes fiercely protective of her little cousin, and her warmth and kindness give Funke a place to heal. The two girls grow into adulthood the closest of friends.

But the choices their mothers made haunt Funke and Liv and when a second tragedy occurs their friendship is torn apart. Against the long shadow of their shared family history, each woman will struggle to chart a path forward, separated by country, misunderstanding, and ambition.

Moving between Somerset and Lagos over the course of two decades, This Motherless Land is a sweeping examination of identity, culture, race, and love that asks how we find belonging and whether a family’s generational wrongs can be righted. – Mariner Books

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Reese Witherspoon has selected We Will Be Jaguars: A Memoir of My People by Nemonte Nenquimo and Mitch Anerson for her November pick.

Curious what We Will Be Jaguars is about? Check out the following description provided by the publisher.

Born into the Waorani tribe of Ecuador’s Amazon rainforest—one of the last to be contacted by missionaries in the 1950s—Nemonte Nenquimo had a singular upbringing.

She was taught about plant medicines, foraging, oral storytelling, and shamanism by her elders. At age fourteen, she left the forest for the first time to study with an evangelical missionary group in the city. Eventually, her ancestors began appearing in her dreams, pleading with her to return and embrace her own culture. She listened.

Two decades later, Nemonte has emerged as one of the most forceful voices in climate change activism. She has spearheaded the alliance of indigenous nations across the Upper Amazon and led her people to a landmark victory against Big Oil, protecting over a half million acres of primary rainforest. Her message is as sharp as a spear—honed by her experiences battling loggers, miners, oil companies and missionaries.

In We Will Be Jaguars, she partners with her husband, Mitch Anderson, founder of Amazon Frontlines, digging into generations of oral history, uprooting centuries of conquest, hacking away at racist notions of indigenous peoples, and ultimately revealing a life story as rich, harsh, and vital as the Amazon rainforest herself. – Abrams Press

Join Simply Held to have Oprah, Jenna, and Reese’s adult selections automatically put on hold for you!

Good Bad Girl by Alice Feeney

- Stephanie Leave a comment

“There is always a reason why people behave the way that they do. Sometimes bad people are just sad people in disguise.”
― Alice Feeney, Good Bad Girl

Good Bad Girl follows the lives of three women working through traumas from their past that haunt their lives today. One woman’s baby was stolen from a stroller in a grocery store twenty years ago. In a care home in present day, a woman is found murdered. Are the two crimes connected?

Edith has been tricked into living in a nursing home by her daughter, but she has a plan to escape with the help of one of the staff. Patience spends her days cleaning up at the nursing home and keeping Edith company. Patience’s intentions aren’t 100% pure though.

Edith’s daughter Clio is exhausted. She won’t talk to Edith no matter how hard she tries. It’s hard to spend time with someone who constantly berates her. Clio’s life is about to change when a new person shows up on her doorstep. Whether that change is positive or negative, time will tell.

This thriller is full of drama and twisting surprises. Each character has reasons to distrust, hiding parts of themselves from others. They question intentions, challenge histories, and push for the truth. This is a mystery with three suspects, two murders, and one victim. Figuring out who is who could prove deadly for all.

This title is also available as large print and CD audiobook.