December 21, 2020 - New Arrivals

December 21, 2020

Adult Fiction

Noel Street by Richard Paul Evans.

The year is 1975. Elle Sheen--a single mother who is supporting herself and her six-year-old, African-American son, Dylan, as a waitress at the Noel Street Diner--isn't sure what to make of William Smith when his appearance creates a stir in the small town of Mistletoe, Utah. As their lives unexpectedly entwine, Elle learns that William, a recently returned Vietnam POW, is not only fighting demons from his past, but may also have the answer to her own secret pain--a revelation that culminates in a remarkable act of love and forgiveness.

 

The Noel Letters by Richard Paul Evans.

After nearly two decades, Noel Post, an editor for a major New York publishing house, returns to her childhood home in Salt Lake City to see her estranged, dying father. What she believed would be a brief visit turns into something more as she inherits the bookstore her father fought to keep alive. Reeling from loneliness, a recent divorce, and unanticipated upheavals in her world, Noel begins receiving letters from an anonymous source, each one containing thoughts and lessons about her life and her future. She begins to reacquaint herself with the bookstore and the people she left behind, and in doing so, starts to unravel the reality of her painful childhood and the truth about her family. As the holidays draw near, she receives a Christmastime revelation that changes not only how she sees the past but also how she views her future.

 

Forever by Your Side by Tracie Peterson.

After years of schooling on the East Coast, Constance Browning returns to Oregon and the reservation where she grew up with her missionary parents. She is accompanied by Thomas Lowell, her best friend and colleague, and together they embark on a project to catalogue the native peoples of Oregon for the Bureau of American Ethnology. But Connie and Tom have another purpose--to prove her parents are not involved in a secret conspiracy to goad the oppressed tribes into a doomed war. Connie finds life on the reservation much bleaker than she remembered, and she is glad to have Tom by her side. But she also becomes reacquainted with Clint Singleton, the government agent on whom she had a crush as a girl. Now that she's back, Clint finally seems interested in her, but Connie is no longer sure of her feelings. As tensions on the reservation rise and war looms ever closer, Connie and Tom search for whoever is truly behind the uprising. With danger unfolding amid shocking revelations, Connie will also have a revelation of the heart.

 

Adult Non-Fiction

On Beyond Leatherbark: The Cass Saga by Roy B. Clarkson.

One hundred years ago the community of Leatherbark, in Pocahontas County, West Virginia, consisted of three farm houses located at the mouth of Leatherbark Run on the Greenbrier River. At the turn of the century this site became the location of one of the largest lumber mills in the Eastern United States, and eventually, the area became one of the best tourist attractions in West Virginia, The Cass Scenic Railroad. In 1899, The West Virginia Pulp and Paper Company, now WESTVACO Corporation, purchased 136 acres of land at Leatherbark and established the town of Cass. They built a large band sawmill and constructed a railroad up the face of Back Allegheny Mountain to reach the vast stands of red spruce growing on Cheat Mountain. This book depicts a lumber town in detail not found in any other source. It presents not only details of company formation and operations but also a dedication of life in the lumber woods, on the log train, in the mill, and a long chapter on the town, its people, and their daily lives.

 

Jesus and History by Steven Waterhouse.

Jesus and History examines the historical background of the gospels, addressing questions such as: Can we identify their authors and dates, or were they later forgeries? Are the people and places in the Gospels historical or mythological? Did Jesus do the miracles or make the claims attributed to Him or did early Christians exaggerate His life? Who is He? Chapters include: The Life of Jesus in the Epistles; Gospel people also mentioned in non-Christian sources; Places in the Gospels; and Jesus, History, and Miracles. This exhaustive work includes 371 end notes, Glossary included. Also included at the appendix is rare historical research on abortion in the ancient world and the response by the first Christians.

 

Easy/Juvenile/Young Adult/Graphic Novel

The Christmas Extravaganza Hotel by Tracey Corderoy. (E)

Bear is looking forward to a quiet, low-key Christmas. But as he's enjoying a book, an excited frog shows up at his doorstep. "Hello!" says Frog showing Bear a brochure. I'm ready for my Christmas extravaganza!" Bear realizes that Frog is miles away from the hotel he's looking for, and Frog is devastated. Is there anything Bear can do to help?

 

A Midnight Clear: Selected Family Christmas Stories by Katherine Paterson. (J)

The true meaning of Christmas can be found in this lovely gift book of twelve modern-day stories inspired by the hope and peace of the season. Over the years, the author wrote these stories for her husband, a reverend, who read them to his congregation every Christmas Eve. The stories encompass a variety of themes--from a tale of a child coping with disappointment, to a proud, lonely widow befriended by a well-meaning boy, to a couple awaiting the birth of their baby. Each story possesses a warmth and spirituality which could only come from Katherine Paterson.

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