April 12, 2021 - New Arrivals

April 12, 2021

Adult Fiction

Fast Ice by Clive Cussler & Graham Brown.

In the early days of World War II, the infamous German Luftwaffe embark upon an expedition to Antarctica, hoping to set up a military base to support their goal of world domination. Though the military outpost never comes to fruition, what the Nazis find on the icy continent indeed proves dangerous...and will have implications far into the future. In the present day, Kurt Austin and his assistant Joe Zavala embark for the freezing edge of the world after a former NUMA colleague disappears in Antarctica. While there, they discover a photo of the Luftwaffe expedition of 1939, and are drawn into a decades-old conspiracy. Even as they confront perilous waters and frigid temperatures, they are also up against a terrifying man-made weapon--a fast-growing ice that could usher in a new Ice Age. Pitted against a determined madman and a monstrous storm, Kurt and the NUMA team must unravel the Nazi-era plot in order to save the globe from a freeze that would bury it once and for all.

Lightning Game by Christine Feehan.

GhostWalker Rubin Campo's rough upbringing made him into the man he is today: strong, steadfast and wary of outsiders. When he and his brother return to their family's homestead in the Appalachian Mountains, he can immediately sense that a stranger has taken up residence in their cabin--a woman who just happens to be a GhostWalker too. Jonquille looks deceptively delicate but is clearly a fighter. She also doesn't seem to care that Rubin could kill her where she stands. She sought him out, wanting to connect on their shared interest in electrical charges. As one of the first failed GhostWalker experiments, Jonquille can produce lightning with her body--but she can't control it. Their connection is magnetic, their abilities in sync. Rubin knows she's his match, the answer to a lifetime of pain and intense loneliness. But Jonquille came to him with hidden intentions, ones that threaten to destroy their bond before it can truly begin...

Fix Her Up by Tessa Bailey.

Georgette Castle's family runs the best home renovation business in town, but she picked balloons instead of blueprints and they haven't taken her seriously since.  Frankly, she's over it. Georgie loves planning children's birthday parties and making people laugh, just not at her own expense. She's determined to fix herself up into a Woman of the World... whatever that means. Phase one: new framework for her business (a website from this decade, perhaps?) Phase two: a gut-reno on her wardrobe (fyi, leggings are pants.) Phase three: updates to her exterior (do people still wax?) Phase four: put herself on the market (and stop crushing on Travis Ford! Living her best life means facing the truth: Georgie hasn't been on a date since, well, ever. Nobody's asking the town clown out for a night of hot sex, that's for sure. Maybe if people think she's having a steamy love affair, they'll acknowledge she's not just the "little sister" who paints faces for a living. And who better to help demolish that image than the resident sports star and tabloid favorite? Travis Ford was major league baseball's hottest rookie when an injury ended his career. Now he's flipping houses to keep busy and trying to forget his glory days. But he can't even cross the street without someone recapping his greatest hits. Or making a joke about his... bat. And then there's Georgie, his best friend's sister, who is not a kid anymore. When she proposes a wild scheme--that they pretend to date, to shock her family and help him land a new job--he agrees. What's the harm? It's not like it's real. But the girl Travis used to tease is now a funny, full-of-life woman and there's nothing fake about how much he wants her...

 

Adult Non-Fiction

American Kompromat by Craig Unger.

"American Kompromat tells the story of the unimaginably corrupt, dissolute, and decadent subculture of the most powerful people in the world and how they have orchestrated, obtained, and used kompromat--Russian for compromising information--as leverage to achieve their political goals."-- Provided by publisher.

Ida B. the Queen by Michelle Duster.

Ida B. Wells committed herself to the needs of those who did not have power. In the eyes of the FBI, this made her a "dangerous negro agitator." In the annals of history, it makes her an icon. Ida B. the Queen tells the awe-inspiring story of a pioneering woman who was often overlooked and underestimated--a woman who refused to exit a train car meant for white passengers; a woman brought to light the horrors of lynching in America; a woman who cofounded the NAACP. Written by Wells' great-granddaughter Michelle Duster, this "warm remembrance of a civil rights icon" (Kirkus Reviews) is a unique visual celebration of Wells' life, and of the Black experience. A century after her death, Wells' genius is being celebrated in popular culture by politicians, through song, public artwork, and landmarks. Like her contemporaries Frederick Douglass and Susan B. Anthony, Wells left an indelible mark on history--one that can still be felt today. As America confronts the unfinished business of systemic racism, Ida B. the Queen pays tribute to a transformational leader and reminds us of the power we all hold to smash the status quo.

 

Easy/Juvenile/Young Adult/Graphic Novel

If We Were Gone by John Coy.  E

Water, air, sunlight, plants . . . we need these elements to live in this world. But does the world need us? And what would happen to the world if humans were gone? This is the premise of a thought-provoking picture book from John Coy. His insightful text explores how nature would reclaim the planet, accompanied by Natalie Capannelli's gorgeous watercolor illustrations. Back matter gives further context and discusses what kids (and all of us) can do to truly help our planet.

The Smartest Kid in the Universe by Chris Grabenstein.  J

When seventh-grader Jake McQuade mistakes the world's first ingestible knowledge pills for jelly beans, he suddenly knows all about physics and geometry and can speak Swahili (though Spanish would be a lot more useful)--but his sort-of girlfriend Grace thinks they can use his new found brilliance to save their middle school from the new principal, who is conspiring to get it shut down.

Brooke County Public Libraries    Wellsburg (304) 737-1551    Follansbee (304) 527-0860

April 10, 2021 - Staff Reviews

Steele

By Sawyer Bennett

Release Date: December 8, 2020

Ebook Available from WV Reads

https://wvreads.overdrive.com/media/5816534

3 Stars - Bennett's books are all pretty unique, and yet again Steele different from the rest of the Arizona hockey series. It's sentimental not sappy but also light and easy to read. This couple is trying to repair their broken relationship.

The hero and heroine aren't the usual young yet somehow bitter and baggage ridden characters of so many romance novels lately. There's angst but it's not hangs up from past heartache here. I definitely wanted more of Ella and less of Steele though at parts. Steele being a mediocre husband I could sort of forgive because it takes two to keep up a marriage in all ways. But he wasn't just a sloppy husband, he was a sloppy dad. He was willing to fight to keep his family which I totally respected but his faults were hard to take. Ella didn't get nearly enough POV time in the beginning. She's still got her heart firmly attached to Steele, but she's trying to think about her future.

So Bennett has so many books and I have to give her major points for continuing to release in multiple series when so many authors (from a few years ago's popular lists) are slacking. I love mixing it up with a romance about a married or long-term couple! There are some excellent old school screwball comedy elements are work here, and I loved every bit of that. Also it was refreshing to see Lucy as a teenage girl who isn't a total brat even if she's troubled. It pains me to say I think I would have liked this a bit more without her but I think some of the back and forth with Steele and Ella wouldn't be so painful if they childless. And Steele's slacking in the past would have been easier to forgive. He does grovel though and makes a lot of effort. I think we could have used a bit more excitement. Their standard fight toward the end was pretty dull. But seeing them reunited in the end was worth the read.

(NS)

April 8, 2021 - Book Club Preview

Our BCPL book club pick for April is Don't Tell 'Em You're Cold by Katherine P. Manley! 

Meeting is Thursday April 29th 2021 at 5pm. Our discussion with be available in person and virtual (local health guidelines permitting).

Don’t Tell’em You’re Cold: a Memoir of Poverty and Resilience is an uplifting story of survival from abject poverty, set in the hills and coal camps of southern West Virginia. Katherine Manley and her family faced extreme challenges and struggles with ingenuity and traditional Appalachian stoicism. Beyond the poverty, other obstacles compounded Katherine’s life: a severely disabled father, and a mother who struggled with the day-to-day survival. On a cool October morning, she left in a taxi and never returned, leaving 14-year-old Katherine to take care of her father and raise her siblings in her mother’s stead. Katherine went on to become an award-winning teacher, paying forward her hard-learned lessons to thousands of lucky students. This is a story of triumph that encourages everyone to never give up.

Many times while growing up, Kathy Manley experienced the shame of poverty. Shame that kept her from inviting friends to the family’s shabby house filled with dumpster-salvaged furniture. Shame when a teacher took up a collection from classmates so Kathy could attend a football game. The real shame, however, is that any family in this wealthy country lacks adequate food. The real shame is that our social safety net is so inadequate. Don’t Tell ’em You’re Cold (Mountain State Press, 2019) is a powerful, moving memoir about growing up in southern West Virginia, one that is painful to read and, at the same time, illustrates the determination of its author to transcend poverty. Manley had an irrepressible belief that one day life would get better and the will to make it happen. This memoir was a semi-finalist in the William Faulkner Writing Competition, an honor well-deserved.

Manley’s story reads much like Jeannette Walls’s Glass Castle, yet her family differs from Walls’s in important ways.

Images and Info are courtesy of Google, Wikipedia, and Southern Lit review webpage.

Let us know if you've enjoyed this book or any other like it! We love to hear from you.

April 6, 2021 - Staff Reviews

Shielding Jayme

By Susan Stoker

Release Date: January 5, 2021

Ebook Available from WV Reads!

https://wvreads.overdrive.com/media/5711627

2.5 Stars - Overall, this story is just too short. Stoker's Delta Team 2 series is sort of in between novellas for her other series/teams. I wasn't lost having not read all her works but this felt a little lacking in character and atmosphere. Not a bad quick read for a distracted day but probably only worthwhile as a free, fun time-filler. There's steaminess, sweetness, and a little excitment toward the end.

This is nothing like Stoker's usual action thrillers and I was disappointed as I expected more. This isn't slow-paced but it's a bit dull. Rocket (weirdly enough Stoker used this as his real, legal name this time) is a former Navy helicopter mechanic and a big, rough Texas alpha male. If older, rugged heroes are your favorites, he will appeal for sure. But while his personality is kind but gruff, there isn't much to his backstory. He's not a badass like Stoker's usual heroes, though he does kind of take care of Winnie and Jayme. Speaking of Jayme, she was pretty forgettable. She's a shy, self-concious baker with a quirky grandmother.

I think even with the story being short, more could have been done with this set up. Bakers in danger despite their innocent profession is not an unusual trope but Jayme's never in danger but for one scene. She likes to cook and bake, but up until her thirties or mid-thirties (Ages were pretty vague) she hasn't had a lot of self-willed ambition. There's a little pity party about how she developed trust issues when the bakery she used to manage didn't sell to her. And then she grumbles because Rocket does her whole business plan I guess and she wants the project to be more hers. All this is told in a few pages of info dumps as time moves at "rocket" speed. Two weeks go by, then two months, and then two years etc and it's the epilouge. The epilouge was a good chunk of the page count. Normally, I'm good with some sexy scenes but this is also far from Stoker's best work. She calls unwarranted to attention to weird thoughts about things like toes and hair, etc that was really distracting from building any passion or excitement. Skip this story unless you're looking for a few hours to kill, maybe at Christmas time.

(NS)

April 5, 2021 - New Arrivals

April 5, 2021

Adult Fiction

The Affair by Danielle Steel.

When Rose McCarthy's staff at Mode magazine pitches a cover shoot with Hollywood's hottest young actress, the actress's sizzling affair with a bestselling French author is exposed. The author happens to be Rose's son-in-law, which creates a painful dilemma for her. Her daughter Nadia, a talented interior designer, has been struggling to hold her marriage together, and conceal the truth from their young daughters, her family, and the world. But Nicolas, her straying husband, is blinded by passion for a younger woman--and not only that, she is pregnant with his child. Nadia's three sisters close ranks around her, flying to Paris from Los Angeles and New York to lend support and offer their widely divergent advice. Athena, a jovial celebrity chef with her own TV show in Los Angeles, is leery of marriage. Olivia, a stern conservative New York superior court judge, is haunted by a shocking secret of her own. Venetia, a zany fashion designer, happily married with three kids, has the gentlest, most realistic point of view. Despite their well-meaning advice, Nadia needs to figure out what she herself thinks, and what to do next.

Destined for You by Tracie Peterson.

In 1869, Gloriana Womack's family is much smaller since smallpox killed her mother and two of her siblings. She lives in a modest cottage in Duluth, Minnesota, with her father and young brother, and she has dedicated her life to holding her tiny, fractured family together--especially as her father is frequently gone on long fishing trips. Their livelihood may come from the waters of Lake Superior, but storms on the lake can be dangerous, even to those who know it well. Luke Carson has come to Duluth to help shepherd the arrival of the railroad to the city's port, and he's eager to be reunited with his brother, Scott, who recently moved there with his pregnant wife. Competition for the railroad is fierce, with the neighboring city of Superior, Wisconsin, fighting for the tracks to come through their town instead. But the real danger lies in a resident of Duluth who is determined to have his revenge upon Luke. When tragedy brings Gloriana and Luke together, they help each other through their grief and soon find their lives inextricably linked. If they survive the trials ahead, could it be possible they've been destined for each other all along?

A Matter of Life and Death by Phillip Margolin.

Joe Lattimore, homeless and trying desperately to provide for his young family, agrees to fight in a no-holds-barred illegal bout, only to have his opponent die. Lattimore now finds himself at the mercy of the fight's organizers who blackmail him into burglarizing a house. However, when he breaks in, he finds a murdered woman on the floor and the police have received an anonymous tip naming him the murderer. Robin Lockwood, an increasingly prominent young attorney and former MMA fighter, agrees to take on his defense. But the case is seemingly airtight--the murdered woman's husband, Judge Anthony Carasco, has an alibi and Lattimore's fingerprints are discovered at the scene. But everything about the case is too easy, too pat, and Lockwood is convinced that her client has been framed. The only problem is that she has no way of proving it and since this is a death case, if she fails then another innocent will die.

 

Adult Non-Fiction

QuickBooks Online for Dummies by David H. Ringstrom, CPA & Elaine Marmel.

Perfect for small business owners, managers, and employees, QuickBooks Online for Dummies delivers the newest and most up-to-date advice based on the latest versions of QuickBooks Online. No longer will you have to struggle through your interactions with the most used bookkeeping and accounting software in the world. Master this technology with the straightforward and accessible approach made famous by the For Dummies series.

Windows 10 All-in-One for Dummies by Woody Leonhard & Ciprian Rusen.

Computer users have been "doing Windows" since the 1980s. That long run doesn't mean everyone knows the best-kept secrets of the globally ubiquitous operating system. Windows 10 All-in-One for Dummies, 4th Edition offers a deep guide for navigating the basics of Windows 10 and diving into more advanced features. Authors and recognized Windows experts Ciprian Rusen and Woody Leonhard deliver a comprehensive and practical resource that provides the knowledge you need to operate Windows 10, along with a few shortcuts to make using a computer feel less like work.

 

Easy/Juvenile/Young Adult/Graphic Novel

A is for Another Rabbit by Hannah Batsel.  E

A is for . . . A rabbit. B is for . . . Bunny. C is for . . . Can you believe how many rabbits are in this book?! A rabbit-obsessed narrator makes an owl increasingly irate by refusing to play by the rules of a conventional alphabet book. Every entry is about bunnies, from "delightful, dynamic, daredevil rabbits" to "xylophone rabbits and rabbits on drums!" Readers will pore over scenes of bunnies at the circus, in a tiny town, at the museum, even in a motorcycle gang.

The Queen’s Secret by Melissa de la Cruz.  YA

Lilac's birthright makes her the Queen of Renovia, and a forced marriage made her the Queen of Montrice. But being a ruler does not mean making the rules. For Lilac, taking the throne means giving up the opportunity to be with love of her life, the kingdom's assassin, Caledon Holt. Worse, Cal is forced to leave the castle when a horrific set of magical attacks threatens Lilac's sovereignty. Now Cal and Lilac will have to battle dark forces separately, even though being together is the only thing that's ever saved them.

Brooke County Public Libraries    Wellsburg (304) 737-1551    Follansbee (304) 527-0860

April 2, 2021 - Excited for Spring?

Spring is ready to be sprung! Are you ready? 

We've got a great collection of Spring stories at Brooke County Libraries. Check out the list below with Ebooks, Audiobooks, and print copies!

Easter Bunny Murder by Leslie Meier

Spring has sprung in Tinker's Cove, and Lucy Stone has a mile-long to-do list from painting eggs with her grandson, to preparing the perfect Easter feast, to reviving her garden after a long, cold winter, she hardly has time to search for a killer with adeadly case of spring fever.

Come Spring by Time Lahaye and Gregory S Dinallo

Dylan Cooper, a Scotsman, an immigrant, and a gifted photographer, discovers that photographs are not his only calling when he meets and falls in love with Grace MacVicar.

Bleak Spring by Jon Cleary

When local solicitor Will Rockne is found in his car by his wife - shot through the head - it seems a baffling and motiveless murder. However, Scobie Malone, newly assigned to the case, has his suspicions. Despite his daughter Claire's shy romance with young Jason Rockne, Scobie and his wife Lisa's encounters with Will and Olive Rockne at school functions have always been a little disconcerting...Will had been determined to convince them that he was more than just a suburban lawyer. But when a huge amount of cash is found in a safe in Rockne's office, Scobie discovers that he wasn't just boasting; he would seem to have been caught up in something big - big enough to involve Bernie Bezrow, Sydney's largest bookmaker

Spring Brides by Various Authors

Happily ever after begins today. The honor of your presence is requested at three spring weddings . . .

Come the Spring by Julie Garwood

Adam, Douglas and Travis Clayborne are each happily married, and their beloved Mama Rose is overjoyed with the wonderful ladies who have joined the family. But all the Claybornes wonder on which side of the law their restless brother Cole will land. Now, Julie Garwood brings her irresistible mix of heartwarming wit and thrilling sensuality to a memorable Clayborne reunion...and at last we meet the elusive stranger who has slipped in and out of their lives, a man who lured Cole Clayborne into a shadowy chase, and who will now bring unexpected turns to Cole's uncertain future.

The Hope of Spring by Wanda E. Brunstetter

A Lancaster County Saga, Meredith Stoltzfus is trying to piece her life back together, while in a hospital miles away, a young man is fighting for his life and remains in a coma. . . . Weeks away from the baby being born, Meredith has never been so scared. She aches for Luke and knows her baby will need his father. She’s nearly out of money; can she somehow manage to provide for herself and her baby—alone? 

Come Spring by Jill Marie Landis

Love's tender kiss turns a harsh frontier winter into spring when Bostonian Annika Storm heads West to seek adventure--only to be mistaken for a mail-order bride and abducted by rugged Buck Scott. ...

The Spring Cleaning Murders by Dorothy Cannell

Ellie Haskell has a bout of spring cleaning fever. But she also has an assortment of problems facing her, not the least of which is her char, Mrs. Malloy, giving notice and going off to London to babysit her new granddaughter.

The Spring at Moss Hill by Carla Neggers

Kylie Shaw has found a home and a quiet place to work as an illustrator of children's books in little Knights Bridge, Massachusetts. No one seems to know her here—and she likes it that way. She carefully guards her privacy in the refurbished nineteenth-century hat factory where she has a loft. And then California private investigator Russ Colton moves in.

Spring Fever by Mary Kay Andrews

Annajane truly believes she is over her ex-husband, Mason. They've been divorced for four years, she's engaged to a terrific new guy, and she's ready to leave the small North Carolina town where she and Mason had so much history. She is so over Mason that she has absolutely no problem attending his wedding. But when fate intervenes

Spring Forward by Catherine Anderson

When a favorite customer on his delivery route needs a favor, Tanner Richards agrees to help without a second thought. The last thing he expects is to face off against the man's spitfire granddaughter. Crystal Malloy is near her breaking point. Her beloved grandfather constantly skirts the rules at the retirement center where he's recovering from surgery. She's caring for his escape artist dog, even if it means abandoning her salon customers, and she has no time for a romantic attraction to the handsome new stranger.

It Happens Every Spring by Catherine Palmer and Gary Chapman

Meet the characters that live, work, dream, and love in the community of Deepwater Cove. Best-selling authors Gary Chapman and Catherine Palmer team up to show how four married couples, all in different stages in life, experience the joys and hardships of marriage

Spring Collection by Judith Krantz

It's the hottest thing that's ever happened to Loring Model Management. Threeof its unknown models have been chosen to star in the debut spring collectionof bad-boy designer Marco Lombardi--and one of them will win an exclusive, multimillion-dollar contract. But the agency's owner, Justine Loring, isfurious. Only she knows that Lombardi's billionaire backer, Jacques Necker, has set her up, hoping to manipulate her into chaperoning her models to Paris, and meeting him face-to-face.

April Fool Dead by Carolyn Hart

Someone is playing a rather nasty April Fool's prank on mystery bookstore owner Annie Darling. A felonious forger on the idyllic -- if rarely tranquil -- South Carolina island of Broward's Rock has made it appear as if Annie is accusing some of her neighbors of murder.

Let us know if any of these are favorites of yours or you have additional suggestions! We'd love to hear from you in our comment section or on any of our social media pages.

Images and info are courtesy of Google, Goodreads, and WV Reads.

 

April 1, 2021 - Staff Reviews

 

The Governess Game

By Tessa Dare

Release Date: August 28, 2018

Ebook Available from WV Reads!

https://wvreads.overdrive.com/wvreads-wvlc/content/media/3668891

4.5 Stars - Delightful regency romance featuring a stubborn heroine who happens to land a governess job. And a likable rogue (of course) who finds himself guardian to two troubled but funny little girls. Dare's penchant for quirky and quick but utterly fun storytelling shines here. I wouldn't say this book was especially original but definitely worth the read.

Alex starts off the story as a down-on-her-luck clock repair girl. Her backstory was unique and intriguing, having lived a quiet, cautious life after a turbulent childhood. I have to give Dare credit for packing so much character development into the first quarter of the book. I was also charmed by Chase and his role as reluctant guardian by then. He's in a unique position of just so much responsibility. And his subtle indulgence for Rosamund and Daisy is adorable. All the sparks between this two felt real from their meet-cute to the first kiss and so on.

Tessa Dare's book are hit and miss for me. I loved A Week to Be Wicked, for example. But I couldn't get into the first entry in this series The Duchess Deal. All the "Beauty & the Beast-ness" bored me. In comparison, I think I liked that Chase was just an average man. He considered his soul and reputation to be grisly rather than his appearance but he didn't seem to have an insurmountable pile of baggage. The way Alex, her attitude, her love of astronomy and all intrigued him came across as genuiene. And he wanted better for her than himself. Seldom do I truly like the pace a couple in a romance has, but I was hooked the whole way. There are some old-fashioned bodice ripper elements here but for the most part, the story could easily be turned into a modern movie with a nanny and a businessman. Every time I thought I things were settling down or wrapping up, I actually ended up enjoying it a little more. Fans of period romances I'd say give this one a try, maybe even a reader new to the genre.

(NS)