" /> What's New at the Caestecker Public Library: November 2005 Archives

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November 29, 2005

New Teen Fiction

Beasts of no nation by Uzodinma Iweala.

In this stunning debut novel, Agu, a young boy in an unnamed West African nation, is recruited into a unit of guerrilla fighters as civil war engulfs his country. Haunted by his father's own death at the hands of militants, which he fled just before witnessing, Agu is vulnerable to the dangerous yet paternal nature of his new commander.

While the war rages on, Agu becomes increasingly divorced from the life he had known before the conflict started -- a life of school friends, church services, and time with his family still intact. As he vividly recalls these sunnier times, his daily reality spins further downward into inexplicable brutality, primal fear, and loss of selfhood. His relationship with his commander deepens even as it darkens, and his camaraderie with a fellow soldier lends a deceptive sense of normalcy to his experience.

Crooked river by Shelley Pearsall.

When twelve-year old Rebecca Carter's father brings a Native American accused of murder into their 1812 Ohio settlement town, Rebecca, witnessing the town's reaction to the Indian, struggles with the idea that an innocent man may be convicted and sentenced to death.

The Naming by Alison Croggon.

A manuscript from the lost civilization of Edil-Amarandah chronicles the experiences of sixteen-year-old Maerad, an orphan gifted in the magic and power of the Bards, as she escapes from slavery and begins to learn how to use her Gift to stave off the evil Darkness that threatens to consume her world.

Peeps by Scott Westerfeld.

Cal Thompson is a carrier of a parasite that causes vampirism, and must hunt down all of the girlfriends he has unknowingly infected.

New Children's Fiction

Princess Academy by Shannon Hale.

While attending a strict academy for potential princesses with the other girls from her mountain village, fourteen-year-old Miri discovers unexpected talents and connections to her homeland.

Upstairs mouse, downstairs mole by Wong Herbert Yee.

Mouse and his downstairs neighbor, Mole, discover that when they help each other, housecleaning and other daily tasks are much easier.

New Picture Books

The cat came back by Fred Penner.

A persistent and indestructible cat keeps coming back, despite his owner's attempts to give him away.

Three French hens: a holiday tale by Margie Palatini.

Three French hens outwit a hungry Bronx fox and show him the true meaning of Christmas.

Trains: steaming! pulling! huffing! by Patricia Hubbell.

Rhyming text presents the characteristics of various kinds of trains.

November 22, 2005

New Children's Nonfiction

Where's Mom's hair?: a family journey through cancer by Debbie Watters.

New Board Book

Knick-Knack Paddywhack

Every child loves This Old Man. Every child sings it, at home and at school, and uses it to learn to count to 10. Emily Bolam's lively art will add to kids' pleasure, conveying every drop of the cumulative and entertaining antics. In a unique twist, the pictures show the amusing interaction between a father and son, as the dad drives the child crazy making knick-knack noises as he bangs on a drum, a treehouse, and even the boy's knees. The pictures will have kids laughing, and the familiar words will have them chorusing in joy.

New Mystery

Deadly corruption by Jeffrey Ashford.

New Children's DVD

Madagascar

MPAA rating: PG.

The friendship between a New York City lion and zebra is tested when fate brings them out to the unforgiving wilderness in this computer-animated DreamWorks feature.

New Nonfiction

Teacher man by Frank McCourt.

In Teacher Man Frank turns his attention to the subject that he most often talks about in his lectures-teaching: why it's so important, why it's so undervalued. He describes his own coming of age-as a teacher, a storyteller, and, ultimately, a writer. He is alternately humble and mischievous, downtrodden and rebellious. He instinctively identifies with the underdog; his sympathies lie more with students than administrators. It takes him almost fifteen years to find his voice in the classroom, but what's clear in the thrilling pages of Teacher Man is that from the beginning he seizes and holds his students' attention by telling them memorable stories. And then it takes him another fifteen years to find his voice on the page.

New Bestsellers

Light from heaven by Jan Karon.

All good things—even laughter and orange marmalade cake—must come to an end. And in Light from Heaven, the long-anticipated final volume in the phenomenally successful Mitford Years series, Karon deftly ties up all the loose ends of Father Timothy Kavanagh's deeply affecting life.

Mary, Mary by James Patterson.

For the best sleuths, vacations are impossible. This time, FBI agent Alex Cross is relaxing with his family at Disneyland when he gets a call from the director. An A-list actress has been murdered outside her Beverly Hills home. At first, the killing appears to be an isolated incident, but Cross quickly deduces that a star-obsessed serial killer known as Mary Smith is on the loose. Before long, every Hollywood celebrity is running scared, hoping not to become next week's deadly attraction.


November 10, 2005

New Mystery

What angels fear: a historical mystery by C. S. Harris.

In London, 1811, a young woman is brutally raped and murdered, her body left on the altar steps of an ancient church. The prime suspect: Sebastian St. Cyr, a brilliant young nobleman still haunted by his experiences in the Napoleonic Wars. Now he is running for his life, desperate to catch the killer and prove his innocence. Moving from Mayfair's glittering ballrooms to St. Giles's fetid back alleys, Sebastian is assisted by a band of unlikely allies and pursued by a Machiavellian powerbroker with ties to the Prince Regent himself. What Angels Fear seamlessly weaves an intimate knowledge of the period with a multi-layered and compelling story, and is the first of a series of novels featuring these characters.

New Fiction

Everyone else's girl by Megan Crane.

When her father's car accident forces her back to her hometown, a young woman must deal with family issues and her own self-awareness.

New Nonfiction

How to talk so teens will listen & listen so teens will talk by Adele Faber.

Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish transformed parenting with their breakthrough, bestselling books Siblings Without Rivalry and How to Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids Will Talk. Now, they return with this essential guide that tackles the tough issues teens and parents face today.

Filled with straightforward advice and written in their trademark, down-to-earth style sure to appeal to both parents and teens, this all-new volume offers both innovative, easy-to-implement suggestions and proven techniques to build the foundation for lasting relationships. From curfews and cliques to sex and drugs, it gives parents the tools to help their children safely navigate the often stormy years of adolescence.

New Teen Graphic Novel

Cat Woman: Wild ride by Ed Brubaker.

Seeking an escape from Gotham City, Selina and Holly take off on a road trip, but get more than they bargained for when some mysterious and dangerous Egyptian thieves keep crossing their path. Guest starring Batman, Wildcat, Hawkman, Hawkgirl, and Captain Cold.

November 8, 2005

New DVDs

Christmas with the Kranks

Rated PG. Brief language and suggestive content.

Tim Allen, Jamie Lee Curtis, Dan Aykroyd, Erik Per Sullivan, Cheech Marin, Jake Busey, M. Emmet Walsh, Kevin Chamberlin, Elizabeth Franz, René Lavan, Austin Pendleton, Caroline Rhea, Patrick Breen, Felicity Huffman, Arden Myrin, Julie Gonzalo.

When only child, Blair leaves the family nest, Luther and Nora decide to book a cruise and skip Christmas altogether. Their decision to boycott tradition has the whole neighborhood in an uproar, and when Blair calls on Christmas Eve to announce a surprise visit with her new fiancée, the Kranks have just twelve hours to perform a miracle and pull themselves and their neighbors together to throw the best celebration ever.

Me and you and everyone we know

MPAA rating: R; disturbing sexual content involving children and for language.

John Hawkes, Miranda July, Miles Thompson, Brandon Ratcliff, Carlie Westerman, Hector Elias, Brad William Henke, Natasha Slayton, Najarra Townsend, Tracy Wright.

A lonely shoe salesman and an eccentric performance artist struggle to connect in this unique take on contemporary life.

New Children's DVDs

Charlie and the chocolate factory

The perfect man

Rated PG. Some mildly suggestive content.

Hilary Duff, Heather Locklear, Chris Noth, Mike O'Malley, Ben Feldman, Vanessa Lengies, Caroline Rhea, Carson Kressley, Kym Whitley, Aria Wallace, Michelle Nolden.

Holly Hamilton is on a mission to find her single mom a perfect man...even if she has to make that man up. Without other options, she creates an imaginary secret admirer based on a charming restaurateur. But this scheme keeps Holly on her toes more than it actually sweeps her mother off her feet. One crazy mishap after another leads to the discovery that sometimes what you're looking for is already right in front of you.

Veggie Tales: Lord of the Beans

A young Flobbit is given a special bean and he wants to know what it is for. He goes on an epic quest with a fearless band of adventurers through mysterious lands. Along the way he begins to use his new gift to help others.

What's new Scooby Doo: Ghosts on the go

The gang crosses the Atlantic Ocean and takes on Europe! Special features include a European travel adventure challenge.

November 5, 2005

New Fiction

Love with noodles: an amorous widower's tale by Harry I. Freund.

Stockbroker Dan Gelder (60) has a posh Fifth Avenue address, is two years a widower, and remains faithful to his deceased wife. Numbed by grief, he is annoyed-not flattered-by the attentions of the women introduced to him by friends. Then he meets Violet Finkel. And Susan Klein. And Myra Cox. And Tatiana Andrevsky. Violet tempts him with limitless luxury and then with truly profound affection, which he discovers on a journey with her to Jerusalem. But plumpish, pretty Susan offers him cookies in her kitchen, while Myra, an activist dedicated to the cause-and jewelry-of Native Americans, tests the strength of his lower back. Exotic Tatiana weds beauty to mystery, and grace to pride, as she strives to overcome a Russian immigrant's poverty for herself and her young son. Dan's son, Eric, meanwhile, is facing bankruptcy, which Dan can handle more readily than Eric's marriage proposal to the non-Jewish Carol Hoffman. Forced to examine this unexpected crisis in terms of his own faith and his Jewish heritage, Dan at sixty finds that more than his libido has been renewed. This comic, yet wise, delightful novel views the follies and fallibilities of romance at a certain age-serving up love deliciously, with noodles.

The Sea by John Banville.

Winner of the 2005 Man Booker Prize

From the award-winning author of The Untouchable ("Contemporary fiction gets no better than this."--Patrick McGrath, The New York Times Book Review), an elegiac, deeply moving, and eminently accessible novel about love, loss, and the unpredictable power of memory.

New Mystery

Cover Your Assets by Patricia Smiley.

New Children's Nonfiction

Good King Wenceslas by John M. Neale.

Tim Ladwig's illustrations invite readers into the lyrics of the Christmas carol Good King Wenceslas by John M. Neale, as he casts a boy in the role of the page to the generous King; the two set out together on the day of the Feast of Stephen to feed a poor family.

New Picture Books

Love that baby by Susan Milord.

A playful lift-the-flap book that celebrates the interaction between baby and parent, and baby and book! Giggle along with baby in this bright and cheery board book that includes seven flaps. Love that book!

Mutt dog by Stephen Michael King.

Mutt Dog is brave and fast and gentle and loyal and smart, but he's also hungry, and he doesn't have a home. Then one day his luck changes, and he at last finds a family--and a cozy, loving place to belong.

When cows come home for Christmas by Dori Chaconas.

When Moosha gets stuck in the space meant for the Christmas tree, the cow family is sad until Dale, a baby calf, shows them how to make the best of the situation.

New Children's Fiction

The penultimate peril by Lemony Snicket.

While very little has been revealed about this next to last title in the SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS series, this book does have things getting much worse, an evil Count Olaf, and the Baudelair Orphans losing a contest.

November 3, 2005

New Nonfiction

365: no repeats: a year of deliciously different dinners by Rachael Ray.

Even your favorite dinner can lose its appeal when it’s in constant rotation, so mix it up! With her largest collection of recipes yet, Food Network’s indefatigable cook Rachael Ray guarantees you’ll be able to put something fresh and exciting on your dinner table every night for a full year...without a single repeat!

700 Sundays by Billy Crystal.

Hailed as a triumph by everyone from the New York Times to Sports Illustrated©, Billy Crystal's 700 SUNDAYS is the crowning achievement of an amazing career. A poignant, hilarious, and personal portrayal of his youth, Crystal's play broke Broadway box office records and failed to leave a dry eye in the house.

Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook by Martha Stewart.

Taking the same comprehensive approach as her bestselling Hors d'Oeuvres, The Baking Handbook provides over 250 time-tested, foolproof recipes for the best -- and most beautiful -- baked goods. Each chapter begins with the basics, detailing the batterie de cuisine (the tools, gadgets, and ingredients) and general troubleshooting for the chapter. Then the recipes progress from the simplest to the most ambitious, satisfying every level of home cook.

Our endangered values: America's moral crisis by Jimmy Carter.

In Our Endangered Values, Carter offers a personal consideration of "moral values" as they relate to the important issues of the day. He puts forward a passionate defense of separation of church and state, and a strong warning of where the country is heading as the lines between politics and rigid religious fundamentalism are blurred.

New Children's Nonfiction

Space by Mike Goldsmith.

Join Sally Ride, the first American woman in space, who will be your guide as you explore the mysteries of the universe. Look at planets, stars, meteors, comets, black holes, and our very own planet Earth. Find out what it takes to train and be an astronaut and discover what it feels like to break through Earth's atmosphere. Learn what's inside the space shuttle and investigate the other planets and moons in our solar system. Finally, consider what surprises other galaxies might hold in this dynamic look at the world of space exploration.

Wild weather by Caroline Harris.

Join the world-renowned tornado chaser and weather photographer Warren Faidley, who will be your guide as you explore the world's most extreme environments in this innovative new book. Visit Tornado Alley in the United States and take a close-up look at how these deadly twisters form. Find out from Warren what it's like to be a storm-chaser, and learn about monsoons, tsunamis, blizzards, mirages, and the effects of weather phenomena like El Nino. Investigate the wildest and the worst weather Mother Nature has to offer with the man they call the "Cyclone Cowboy"!

New Book on CD

Shakespeare: the biography by Peter Ackroyd.

With his magisterial and ingenious re-creations of the lives of Chaucer, Dickens, T. S. Eliot, William Blake, and Sir Thomas More, Peter Ackroyd has long been recognized as today's foremost practitioner of the literary biography. His adroit style and unrivaled ability to uncover the telling detail have made those books both critical and commercial successes. And now, in SHAKESPEARE: THE BIOGRAPHY, Ackroyd delivers his crowning achievement.

New Teen Fiction

It girl by Cecily Von Ziegesar.

Popular Gossip Girl character Jenny Humphrey is leaving Constance Billard to attend Waverly Academy, an elite boarding school in New York horse country where glamorous rich kids don't let the rules get in the way of an excellent time. Jenny's determined to leave her crazy Manhattan past behind and become a sophisticated goddess on campus. But first she'll have to content with her self-absorbed roommates, Callie Vernon and Brett Messerschmidt.

Hot guys, new intrigue, and more delicious gossip all add up to more trouble than ever for Jenny. But if getting caught with boys and going up against the Disciplinary Committee is what it takes, Jenny's ready. She'll do all that and more to be The It Girl.

New Mysteries

And only to deceive by Tasha Alexander.

From gifted new writer Tasha Alexander comes a stunning novel of historical suspense set in Victorian England, meticulously researched and with a twisty plot that involves stolen antiquities, betrayal, and murder.

The bishop in the old neighborhood: a Blackie Ryan story by Andrew M. Greeley.

"Blackwood, there's trouble in the old neighborhood! Murder in the sanctuary of the Church!"

The church in question is St. Lucy's, a humble edifice at the heart of a venerable Chicago neighborhood now suffering the throes of gentrification. St. Lucy's has long stood as a bulwark against evil and change, which some in the community have often seen as much the same thing.

Now three dead bodies have been left in the sanctuary, stripped, mutilated, and shot through the head, execution-style. A warning to those who would remake the neighborhood---or to St. Lucy's charismatic monsignor, who has made a few enemies of his own?

Dispatched by his cardinal to investigate, Bishop "Blackie" Ryan fears that the atrocious murders are only the beginning of a campaign of terror directed at this particular church. But to solve the mystery, and to banish the evil gathering over the community, Blackie will need an unexpected assist from his own long-dead father, as well as the help of Declan O'Donnell, a savvy young cop with a touch of the second sight, and of Camilla Datilo, a radiant assistant state's attorney of Sicilian origins.

Infernal: a Repairman Jack novel by F. Paul Wilson.

The ninth Repairman Jack novel brims with murder, international terrorism, sibling rivalry, and a truly infernal device. A mutual tragedy throws Jack together with his brother Tom, a judge from Philadelphia. They've never been close, and it doesn't take Jack long realize that's a good thing. Tom and he are opposites.

Still, Tom convinces Jack to go on a trip to get to know each other better. He has a map locating a wreck off the coast of Bermuda and wants Jack to help him find it. Reluctantly Jack agrees. But instead of treasure they find a strange object, part organic, part manmade, known as the Lilitongue of Gefreda. Ancient lore claims that it is a means "to elude all enemies and leave them helpless." The big question is, why does Tom want such a thing?

And if the Lilitongue lives up to the legend, where does it take you? No one seems to know. Matters take a bizarre and dangerous turn-no surprise for a Repairman Jack novel--when someone accidentally activates the Lilitongue.

New Fiction

Hot flash holidays by Nancy Thayer.

New Picture Book

The witch's walking stick by Susan Meddaugh.

When a witch loses her magic walking stick, which has been used over the years to grant hundreds of miserable wishes, she tricks a young girl into finding and returning it, with unexpected results.

November 2, 2005

New Teen Fiction

Pretties by Scott Westerfeld.

Tally has finally become pretty. Now her looks are beyond perfect, her clothes are awesome, her boyfriend is totally hot, and she's completely popular. It's everything she's ever wanted.

But beneath all the fun -- the nonstop parties, the high-tech luxury, the total freedom -- is a nagging sense that something's wrong. Something important. Then a message from Tally's ugly past arrives. Reading it, Tally remembers what's wrong with pretty life, and the fun stops cold.

Now she has to choose between fighting to forget what she knows and fighting for her life -- because the authorities don't intend to let anyone with this information survive.

New Fiction

Ordinary heroes by Scott Turow.

Stewart Dubinsky knew his father had served in World War II. And he'd been told how David Dubin (as his father had Americanized the name that Stewart later reclaimed) had rescued Stewart's mother from the horror of the Balingen concentration camp. But when he discovers, after his father's death, a packet of wartime letters to a former fiancée, and learns of his father's court-martial and imprisonment, he is plunged into the mystery of his family's secret history and driven to uncover the truth about this enigmatic, distant man who'd always refused to talk about his war.


New DVDs

Aliens of the deep

In the shadow of the stars

A hilarious and affectionate look at the path to stardom inside the competitive world of grand opera. Weaving together portions of eight acclaimed operas with personal interviews and behind-the-scenes footage, the film explores the choristers' lives.

Nobody knows

Star Wars Episode 3: Revenge of the Sith

MPAA rating: PG13.
Torn between loyalty to his mentor, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and the seductive powers of the Sith, Anakin Skywalker ultimately turns his back on the Jedi, thus completing his journey to the dark side and his transformation into Darth Vader.

Turtles can fly

New Children's DVD

Millions

MPAA rating: PG.

A young Irish boy finds a bagful of money. He and his older brother have differing views on what to do with the money. What they both discover is that money can cause lots of problems.

New Fiction

The Christmas quilt: an Elm Creek quilts novel by Jennifer Chiaverini.

When Christmas Eve comes to Elm Creek Manor, the tenor of the holiday is far from certain. Sylvia Bergstrom Compson, the Master Quilter, has her own reasons for preferring a quiet, even subdued, Christmas. Her young friend Sarah McClure, however, takes the opposite view and decides to deck the halls brightly. As she explores the trunks packed with Bergstrom family decorations that haven't been touched in more than fifty years, Sarah discovers a curious Christmas quilt. Begun in seasonal fabrics and patterns, the quilt remains unfinished.

Sylvia reveals that the handiwork spans several generations and a quartet of Bergstrom quilters -- her great aunt, her mother, her sister, and herself. As she examines the array of quilt blocks each family member contributed but never completed, memories of Christmases past emerge.

Memories of my melancholy whores by Gabriel Garcia Marquez.

Memories of My Melancholy Whores is Gabriel García Márquez’s first work of fiction in ten years, written at the height of his powers, the Spanish edition of which Ilan Stavans called, "Masterful. Erotic. As hypnotizing as it is disturbing" (Los Angeles Times). On the eve of his ninetieth birthday, our unnamed protagonist "an undistinguished journalist and lifelong bachelor" decides to give himself "the gift of a night of wild love with an adolescent virgin." The virgin, whom an old madam procures for him, is splendidly young, with the silent power of a sleeping beauty. The night of love blossoms into a transforming year. It is a year in which he relives, in a rush of memories, his lifetime of (paid-for) sexual adventures and experiences a revelation that brings him to the edge of dying – not of old age, but, at long last, of uncorrupted love. Memories of My Melancholy Whores is a brilliant gem by the master storyteller.

Mrs. Freud by Nicolle Kress-Rosen.

Nicolle Rosen, a psychoanalyst herself, shows Martha in a human light, as the privileged witness to Sigmund Freud. From this intimate perspective, we glimpse the great scientist and his famous daughter, Anna, described without any indulgence, as well as the entire Freud family in their peregrinations.

The preacher's daughter by Beverly Lewis.

Annie Zook--the preacher's eldest daughter--is expected to join the Amish church, but at 20 she is 'still deciding.' Because of the strict rules that guide the Plain community, she must continually squelch her artistic passion, although it has become her solace.

The secret lives of fortunate wives by Sarah Strohmeyer.

Pampered Hunting Hills, Ohio, socialite Marti Denton never realized she was madly in love with John Harding until he impulsively married Claire Stark, a beautiful but socially awkward newspaper reporter to whom a "coming-out" party is a controversy, not a tradition. It's not until the Hunting Hills wives are plunged into a series of explosive scandals that the two women reach a new understanding of each other and what it means to be a fortunate wife in the twenty-first century. In The Secret Lives of Fortunate Wives, Sarah Strohmeyer has written a Stepford Wives for our time--funny, wise, and eye-opening.

New Teen Fiction

Twilight by Stephanie Meyer.

Isabella Swan's move to Forks, a small, perpetually rainy town in Washington, could have been the most boring move she ever made. But once she meets the mysterious and alluring Edward Cullen, Isabella's life takes a thrilling and terrifying turn. Up until now, Edward has managed to keep his vampire identity a secret in the small community he lives in, but now nobody is safe, especially Isabella, the person Edward holds most dear. The lovers find themselves balance precariously on the point of a knife -- between desire and danger.

Deeply romantic and extraordinarily suspenseful, Twilight captures the struggle between defying our instincts and satisfying our desires. This is a love story with bite.

New Mysteries

Murder never forgets by Diana O'Hehir.

An accomplished Egyptologist, Carla Day's affectionate-but-confused elderly father now lives in a fusion of past and present at an upscale assisted living facility. Then a string of suspicious events unravels at the home, and Carla, hoping to keep a close eye on her dad, takes a job there. But management has one condition: Spy for us, figure out who's doing this, and you and your father can stay...

Soon, terrible things happen-and Carla's father rambles not only about Egypt, but also about a dead woman on the nearby beach. The answer may lie in an ancient Egyptian tomb. Or maybe it's somewhere further-buried deep in the recesses of a brilliant old man's memory.

Rybbubg with the dead by Jay Brandon.

Sexual politics, corruption in high-school athletics, revenge, and a mysterious stalker combine for an explosive new legal thriller by lawyer/author Jay Brandon. Four years ago, San Antonio District Attorney Chris Sinclair faced his first and biggest case as a defense attorney. His friend, teacher Henry Claremont had been accused of rape. Chris won the case, but had to reveal a love affair Henry had with another teacher. Then Henry's body was found, beaten to death.

Fast-forward to the present, when Chris Sinclair receives word that Henry's murder has been solved. The man accused, Hike Grimason, is a high ranking school administrator and high school basketball coach who, Chris discovers, took bribes from parents of his basketball players. During this trial, Chris and his daughter Clarissa are threatened by a man identical to the convicted multiple-murder Malachi Reese.

As events rush to a furious climax, Chris must succeed in the most high-pressure courtroom performance of his career, if he is to save Clarissa and to feel he's brought justice to his unfairly accused friend Henry, whose death can be avenged only through Grimason's conviction.

New Large Print

Gardenias for breakfast by Robin Jones Gunn.

A mother-daughter journey "home" becomes an adventure of discovery--about the importance of family and the healing found in forgiveness.

Toxic bachelors by Danielle Steel.

New Fantasy

Thud! by Terry Pratchett.

Commander Sam Vimes of the Ankh-Morpork City Watch will be damned if he lets anyone disturb his city's always tentative peace -- and that includes a rabble-rousing dwarf from the sticks who's been stirring up trouble on the eve of the anniversary of one of Discworld's most infamous historical events.

Centuries earlier, in a hellhole called Koom Valley, trolls met dwarfs in bloody combat. Though nobody's quite sure why they fought or who actually won, each species still bears the cultural scars and views the other with simmering animosity. Lately, an influential dwarf, Grag Hamcrusher, has been fomenting unrest among Ankh-Morpork's more diminutive citizens. And it doesn't help matters when the pint-size provocateur is discovered beaten to death ... with a troll club lying nearby.

Vimes knows the well-being of his city depends on his ability to solve the Hamcrusher homicide. But there's more than one corpse waiting for him in the vast mine network the dwarfs have been excavating beneath Ankh-Morpork's streets. A deadly puzzle is pulling Sam Vimes deep into the muck and mire of superstition, hatred, and fear -- and perhaps all the way to Koom Valley itself.

New Nonfiction

Marley & me: life and love with the world's worst dog by John Grogan.

John and Jenny were just beginning their life together. They were young and in love, with a perfect little house and not a care in the world. Then they brought home Marley, a wiggly yellow furball of a puppy. Life would never be the same.

Marley quickly grew into a barreling, ninety-seven-pound streamroller of a Labrador retriever, a dog like no other. He crashed through screen doors, gouged through drywall, flung drool on guests, stole women's undergarments, and ate nearly everything he could get his mouth around, including couches and fine jewelry. Obedience school did no good—Marley was expelled. Neither did the tranquilizers the veterinarian prescribed for him with the admonishment, "Don't hesitate to use these."

And yet Marley's heart was pure. Just as he joyfully refused any limits on his behavior, his love and loyalty were boundless, too. Marley shared the couple's joy at their first pregnancy, and their heartbreak over the miscarriage. He was there when babies finally arrived and when the screams of a seventeen-year-old stabbing victim pierced the night. Marley shut down a public beach and managed to land a role in a feature-length movie, always winning hearts as he made a mess of things. Through it all, he remained steadfast, a model of devotion, even when his family was at its wit's end. Unconditional love, they would learn, comes in many forms.

Is it possible for humans to discover the key to happiness through a bigger-than-life, bad-boy dog? Just ask the Grogans.

New Children's Fiction

The gruesome guide to world monsters by Judy Sierra.

Provides illustrations and brief descriptions of monsters found in different parts of the world, including Bloody Mary, who pulls children into mirrors throughout North America, and the blood-sucking, water-dwelling Kappas of Japan.

November 1, 2005

New Nonfiction

America's battlegrounds: walk in the footsteps of American's bravest by Richard Sauers.

Walk the fields where soldiers fought: Imagine the sound of cannons roaring, the smell of gunpowder in the air, and the sight of the enemy lying in wait. Feel history come to vibrant life as you turn the pages of America's Battlegrounds.

Artist's materials: all the materials you will ever need to make art by Lorraine Harrison.

Artist's Materials is a detailed, accessible and comprehensive reference to all the materials available for drawing and painting. The book provides a brief history of the materials focusing on those that have been used for generations -- such as oil paint and ink -- and art surfaces such as paper, canvas, wood and others. Each material is discussed in terms of cost, suitability, and drying times.

Between you and me by Mike Wallace.

With a reporter's eye for detail, Wallace mingles laughter, tragedy, and revelatory insight in a memoir unlike any other. For anyone who's ever wondered what it's like to make history for a living, this is a must-read.

Dean & me: a love story by Jerry Lewis.

In DEAN AND ME, Jerry Lewis makes a convincing case that Dean Martin was one of the great--and most underrated--comic talents of our era. But what comes across most powerfully in this definitive memoir is the depth of affection Lewis felt, and still feels, for his partner, and which his partner felt for him: truly a love to last for all time.

Driven from within by Michael Jordan.

Everyone knows the results. In Driven from Within, Michael Jordan and those in his inner circle reveal the philosophy that makes it all happen.

A fractured mind: my life with multiple personality disorder by Robert B. Oxnam.

In the tradition of An Unquiet Mind by Kay Redfield Jamison comes the heartbreaking memoir of a prominent scholar's long journey to put the pieces of his fractured life together.

Generation Rx: how prescription drugs are altering American lives, minds and bodies by Greg Critser.

Greg Critser's brilliantly incisive Generation Rx moves the conversation about prescription drugs to where it hits home: our own bodies. How, he asks, has big pharma created a nation of pharmaceutical tribes, each with its own unique beliefs, taboos, and brand loyalties? How have powerful chemical compounds for chronic diseases, once controlled by physicians, become substances we feel entitled to, whether we need them or not? How did we come to hate drug companies but love their pills?

Giving thanks: Thanksgiving recipes and history, from Pilgrims to pumpkin pie by Kathleen Curtin.

Healing adult acne by Richard Fried.

This book offers stress-relieving tips, help for building self-esteem, and information about natural and medical treatments for acne.

John Lennon: All I want is the truth by Elizabeth Partridge.

Partridge chronicles the emotional highs and paralyzing lows Lennon transformed into brilliant, evocative songs. With striking black-andwhite photographs spanning his entire life, John Lennon: All I Want Is the Truth is the unforgettable story of one of rock's biggest legends.

The Joslin guide to diabetes: a program for managing your treatment by Richard S. Beaser.

Fom the world-famed Joslin Diabetes Center, here is the definitive guide to diabetes self-care - an indispensable resource for everybody with the disease. The Joslin Diabetes Center, affiliated with Harvard Medical School, is considered the preeminent diabetes reserch center and clinic in the nation - and indeed in the world - and The Joslin Guide is without a question the most up-to date book in its field.

Taste of home: Mom's best meals

Team of rivals: the political genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin.

On May 18, 1860, in the midst of the nominating battle at the Republican National Convention, four contenders–Lincoln, Seward, Chase and Bates–wait in their hometowns for the results of the balloting in Chicago. Seward, Chase and Bates were political visionaries whose national reputations towered over Lincoln's. When they vied with Lincoln for the presidential nomination and lost, each was astonished at his defeat to this relatively obscure and inexperienced prairie lawyer. Through the 1850s, the four had intertwined with the creation of a sectional Republican party. Each positioned himself to lead the nation. That Lincoln emerges to win the race is the result of character traits forged by life experiences that separated him from his rivals and provided him with advantages that were unrecognized at the time and would prove his political adroitness and eventual greatness.

New Suspense

Cadaver's ball by Charles Atkins.

In this riveting psychological thriller, Charles Atkins demonstrates his rare skill for creating passionate characters with a range of motivations, from obsession and vengeance to self-preservation.

New Children's Fiction

Fairy-tale detectives by Michael Buckley.

Sisters Grimm: Book One.

In this first book in the series, the girls are pitted against giants, who have been rampaging through town in their search for an Englishman named Jack, currently working at the Big & Tall store. In a new breed of mystery that intermingles humor, excitement, adventure and imagination, The Sisters Grimm Book One: The Fairy Tale Detectives will inject the legends of fairytale with modern day sensibilities and suspense, creating an irresistible combination young readers will love!

Out of order by Betty Hicks.

Four youngsters, ages nine to fifteen, narrate one side of the story of their newly blended family's adjustment, interwoven with grief and loss.

Theseus by Geraldine McCaughrean.

In this action-packed retelling, Theseus struggles to understand the timeless concepts of trust and true love, making this tale strikingly relevant for young people.

Unusual suspects by Michael Buckley.

The Sisters Grimm: Book Two.

With the winning combination of Nancy Drew meets Shrek, this next book in the new Sisters Grimm series will entertain fans with the same hilarious mix of mysteries with fairy tale twists-plus some new, outrageous adventures.

Where the great hawk flies by Liza Ketchum.

On Daniel Tucker's 13th birthday, a hawk flies over his family's farm. Does the hawk announce a visitor, or warn of imminent danger? Daniel's mother and sister listen for the hawk's message, while something urgent stirs inside Daniel. He is struggling to find his own path between the heritage of his Pequot mother and the customs of his English father. Meanwhile, a new family has moved into the crumbling cabin next door. Hiram Coombs can't believe his parents have returned to Vermont now that the Revolutionary War is over. Don't they remember the terror of the raid, when Indians and Redcoats burned the family's previous farm and kidnapped Hiram's uncle? When Hiram encounters Daniel at the trout stream that separates the two farms, he sees only a 'dirty Injun', while Daniel regards Hiram as 'baffle-brained.' The arrival of two more unexpected visitors heightens the tensions between the boys and threatens to rekindle the smoldering embers of the war.

New Picture Books

Magic beach by Crockett Johnson.

Two children are playing on a beach talking: "Stories are just words. And words are just letters. And letters are just different kinds of marks." But if they make those marks in the sand on this beach, magic happens. When they write "jam", a wave flows over the word, and when it ebbs, a dish full of jam appears. "Bread" and "milk" follow and then the plot thickens."King" and "forest", "farm" and "castle" -- so the story grows.

One mitten by Kristine O'Connell George.

One mitten can do many things, but when the second mitten is found, it is time to go outside and have fun.

New Easy Reader

The prince has a boo-boo by Harriet Ziefert.

There is excitement in the court when the little prince bumps his head and needs a bandage.

New Teen Graphic Novels

Batman: the greatest stories ever told

Collects twelve Batman stories that have defined the Batman legend for over seventy years.

Superman: for tomorrow, Volume One by Brian Azzarello.

A cataclysmic event has struck the Earth. Millions of people have vanished without a trace. No one is left unaffected not even Superman. A year has passed, and Superman is left with many questions and very few answers. For a hero who tries to have all the answers, it's torture. And, just as the action heats up and the stakes are raised, one huge question emerges: just how far is Superman willing to go "For Tomorrow"?

New Teen Fiction

Can't get there from here by Todd Strasser.

Tired of being hungry, cold, and dirty from living on the streets of New York City with a tribe of other homeless teenagers who are dying, one by one, a girl named Maybe ponders her future and longs for someone to care about her.

The minister's daughter by Julie Hearn.

In 1645 in England, the daughters of the town minister successfully accuse a local healer and her granddaughter of witchcraft to conceal an out-of-wedlock pregnancy, but years later during the 1692 Salem trials their lie has unexpected repercussions.

New Paperback

One little sin by Liz Carlyle.

National bestselling author Liz Carlyle presents her most tempting romance to date -- a sinfully sensual tug-of-war between heavenly desires and earthly delights....