March 1, 2021 - New Arrivals

March 1, 2021

Adult Fiction

Sweet Tea at Sunrise by Sherryl Woods.

After her disastrous marriage ended in divorce, Sarah Price has come home to Serenity, South Carolina, for a fresh start. With support from her two best friends--the newest generation of the Sweet Magnolias--the emotionally wounded single mom knows she can face any crisis. When Sarah meets handsome stranger Travis McDonald on one of her shifts at Wharton's Diner, she's intrigued by his flattering words. But her battered self-confidence makes it hard for her to take him at face value, and she isn't certain if she's ready to trust again. Travis is intent on getting Sarah to work at his fledgling radio station...and on giving their relationship a chance. Sarah has learned she can't trust sweet words alone. Starting a new relationship may be just what she needs, but first she must decide if she's ready to risk her heart again.

 

The Perfect Neighbors by Sarah Pekkanen.

Bucolic Newport Cove, where spontaneous block parties occur on balmy nights and all of the streets are named for flowers, is proud of its distinction of being named one of the top twenty safest neighborhoods in the US. It's also one of the most secret-filled. Kellie Scott has just returned to work after a decade of being a stay-at-home mom. She's adjusting to high heels, scrambling to cook dinner for her family after a day at the office--and soaking in the dangerous attention of a very handsome, very married male colleague. Kellie's neighbor Susan Barrett begins every day with fresh resolutions: she won't eat any carbs, she'll go to bed at a reasonable hour, and she'll stop stalking her ex-husband and his new girlfriend. Gigi Kennedy seems to have it all together--except her teenage daughter has turned into a hostile stranger and her husband is running for Congress, which means her old skeletons are in danger of being brought into the light. Then a new family moves to this quiet, tree-lined cul-de-sac. Tessa Campbell seems friendly enough to the other mothers, if a bit reserved. Then the neighbors notice that no one is ever invited to Tessa's house. And soon, it becomes clear that Tessa is hiding the biggest secret of all.

 

The Secret by Beverly Lewis.

In the seemingly ordinary Amish home of Grace Byler, secrets abound. Why does her mother weep in the night? Why does her father refuse to admit something is dreadfully wrong? Then, in one startling moment, everything Grace assumed she knew is shattered. Her mother's disappearance leaves Grace reeling and unable to keep her betrothal promise to her long-time beau. Left to pick up the pieces of her life, Grace questions all she has been taught about love, family, and commitment. Heather Nelson is an English grad student, stunned by a doctor's diagnosis. Surely fate would not allow her father to lose his only daughter after the death of his wife a few years before. In denial and telling no one she is terminally ill, Heather travels to Lancaster County--the last place she and her mother had visited together. Will Heather find healing for body and spirit? As the lives of four wounded souls begin to weave together like an Amish patchwork quilt, they each discover missing pieces of their life puzzles--and glimpse the merciful and loving hand of God.

 

Adult Non-Fiction

Master Your Emotions by Charles Wallace.

"Master Your Emotions is the 'how-to' manual your parents should have given you at birth. By reading it, you will learn a step-by-step process to deal with negative emotions so you can live a happier, more fulfilling life. With pragmatic exercises and personal examples, you will explore techniques that counteract draining spirals of negativity and provide immediate relief."-- From Amazon.com.

 

On the Plains in ‘65 by George H. Holliday.

This annotated edition of Holliday's recollections--known primarily among historians of the American West--re-contextualizes his memoir to include his boyhood in southern Ohio and the largely untold story of the hundreds of Buckeyes who crossed the Ohio River to serve their country in Virginia (later West Virginia) regiments, ultimately traveling across Kansas, Nebraska, Colorado, and Wyoming to safeguard mail and stage routes along the celebrated Oregon Trail during a pivotal time in American history. Glenn Longacre's extensive research in federal, state, and local archives, manuscript collections, and period newspapers complements his correspondence with the living descendants of Holliday and other soldiers. His research integrates this story deservedly as part of Appalachian history before, during, and after the Civil War. From this perspective it addresses an entirely new audience of Appalachian studies scholars, Civil War and frontier history enthusiasts, students, and general readers.

 

Easy/Juvenile/Young Adult/Graphic Novel

Pig Latin is Not Dead! by Christa Davis. J

Pig Latin is Not Dead! is a new, inventive way to learn Pig Latin. For young readers, it is a new adventure, and for the older crowd it's a pleasant reminder of simpler, playful times of a "secret" language shared with friends. The story follows a young, sixth-grade girl who lives an ordinary life with a few twists and some great friends. Her way of communicating with Pig Latin makes her life more interesting and offers the reader an entertaining peek into the ways of modern-day teenagers and how they act in this society.

 

Naomi and Ely’s No Kiss List by Rachel Cohn & David Levithan. YA

Naomi and Ely are best friends. Naomi loves and is in love with Ely, and Ely loves Naomi, but prefers to be in love with boys. So they create their "No Kiss List" of people neither of them is allowed to kiss. And this works fine...until Bruce. Bruce is Naomi's boyfriend, so there's no reason to put him on the List. But when Ely kisses Bruce, the result is a rift of universal proportions. Can these best friends come back together again? Or will this be the end of Naomi and Ely: the institution?

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

February 26, 2021 - Staff Reviews

 Staff Reviews

Camino Winds

By John Grisham

Release Date: April 28, 2020

Audiobook Available from WV Reads!

https://wvreads.overdrive.com/wvreads-wvlc/content/media/5115438

1 Star - Honestly, I hadn't been able to get into Camino Island so I was a bit behind with this sequel. Bruce's bookstore makes for an intriguing set piece for the unfolding mystery. His quirky life in South Florida is avoiding hurricanes and holding writer parties and groups worthy of the 1920s. But I have to admit, it was all just a little too weird for me from the start.

Grisham's characters here are interesting but I couldn't call them relatable. I pretty much only sank into Bruce's life, not the other cast of misfits. Maybe Grisham knows a lot of wacky writers but I don't know any real people like this. Or maybe he just had too much fun making them up. While I think his intention was that these unbelievably hilarious and wonderfully non-judgemental people are writing stories for the world to enjoy, I felt like they were mocking us average and less eccentric types.

I will say that there's something so enjoyable about getting immersed in a warm setting while reading in a cold winter. Grisham's trademark prose and style are here. And that part is also enjoyable. Like so many Grisham fans, I guess I just long for his old courtroom thrillers. Michael Beck, in my opinion, is a poor choice of narrator for Grisham's work. His Southern accents are deplorable, hard to understand and garbled, and the dialouge is overdone. He does a decent job with the descriptive half of the story. The book itself might have been a 2 star read but the audio is definitely lower. Now, I won't say there isn't some good stuff here for another reader to like. This little writer world he's created is vivid and the story could be lots of fun for fans of Ernest Hemingway and Agatha Christie. But anyone who is fan of Grisham's older work and looking for a gritty mystery I doubt will be impressed by more than the atmosphere.

(NS)

February 25, 2021 - WV Author of the Month

Brooke County Libraries have popular author Jennifer L Armentrout (AKA J. Lynn) in our WV Author Spotlight. 

Info and images courtesy of Google and Jennifer Armentrout's website.

Jennifer lives in Shepherdstown, West Virginia. All the rumors you’ve heard about her state aren’t true. When she’s not hard at work writing. she spends her time reading, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, hanging out with her husband and her Border Jack Apollo, six judgemental alpacas, two rude goats, and five fluffy sheep. In early 2015, Jennifer was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, a group of rare genetic disorders that involve a breakdown and death of cells in the retina, eventually resulting in loss of vision, among other complications.  Due to this diagnosis, educating people on the varying degrees of blindness has become of passion of hers, right alongside writing, which she plans to do as long as she can.

Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class, where she spent most of her time writing short stories….which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She is published with Tor, HarperCollins Avon and William Morrow, Entangled Teen and Brazen,Disney/Hyperion and Harlequin Teen. Her Wicked Series has been optioned by PassionFlix. 

Jennifer has won numerous awards, including the 2013 Reviewers Choice Award for Wait for You, the 2015 Editor’s Pick for Fall With Me, and the 2014/2015 Moerser-Jugendbuch- Jury award for Obsidian. Her young adult romantic suspense novel DON’T LOOK BACK was a 2014 nominated Best in Young Adult Fiction by YALSA. Her adult romantic suspense novel TILL DEATH was a Amazon Editor’s Pick and iBook Book of the Month. Her young adult contemporary THE PROBLEM WITH FOREVER is a 2017 RITA Award Winner in Young Adult Fiction. Her novel STORM AND FURY was chosen for the 2020-2021 Florida Teens Read List. She also writes Adult and New Adult contemporary and paranormal romance under the name J. Lynn.

Please share with us your favorites from the list of Jennifer L. Armentrout's many series and standalones. Finally below check out the gorgeous cover and description of her latest novel below. Released September 2020.

 A Betrayal…

 

Everything Poppy has ever believed in is a lie, including the man she was falling in love with. Thrust among those who see her as a symbol of a monstrous kingdom, she barely knows who she is without the veil of the Maiden. But what she does know is that nothing is as dangerous to her as him. The Dark One. The Prince of Atlantia. He wants her to fight him, and that’s one order she’s more than happy to obey. He may have taken her, but he will never have her.

 

A Choice….

 

Casteel Da’Neer is known by many names and many faces. His lies are as seductive as his touch. His truths as sensual as his bite. Poppy knows better than to trust him. He needs her alive, healthy, and whole to achieve his goals. But he’s the only way for her to get what she wants—to find her brother Ian and see for herself if he has become a soulless Ascended. Working with Casteel instead of against him presents its own risks. He still tempts her with every breath, offering up all she’s ever wanted. Casteel has plans for her. Ones that could expose her to unimaginable pleasure and unfathomable pain. Plans that will force her to look beyond everything she thought she knew about herself—about him. Plans that could bind their lives together in unexpected ways that neither kingdom is prepared for. And she’s far too reckless, too hungry, to resist the temptation.

 

A Secret…

 

But unrest has grown in Atlantia as they await the return of their Prince. Whispers of war have become stronger, and Poppy is at the very heart of it all. The King wants to use her to send a message. The Descenters want her dead. The wolven are growing more unpredictable. And as her abilities to feel pain and emotion begin to grow and strengthen, the Atlantians start to fear her. Dark secrets are at play, ones steeped in the blood-drenched sins of two kingdoms that would do anything to keep the truth hidden. But when the earth begins to shake, and the skies start to bleed, it may already be too late.

February 24, 2021 - Staff Reviews

 All the Way

By Kristen Proby

Release Date: August 21, 2018

Ebook Available from WV Reads

https://wvreads.overdrive.com/media/3656654

2.5 Stars - Just about anything I read from Kristen Proby I enjoy. However, this series is far from my favorite. Her heroine London is trying to find a new life for herself and admirably struggling to recover from recent events. In the meantime, she meets Finn Cavanaugh. He's her charming and considerate next door neighbor. All the hang ups here are London's though and Finn was admirably patient. This book felt a bit one-sided.

I felt this book had three parts to it. In the beginning, London is a former dancer trying to bounce back from an injury, and I admit she had my support and showed a real soft side. But then she became harder to like as we went. Finn was everything a hero should be. He was sweet, caring, and cool. But... I thought he was a bit boring. I'm still not sure why he was a lawyer other than the opening scene and some cheesy dialouge. The second third of the book moves into really steamy scenes, but also there's random travel and some whining from London. The final third morphed into suspense which was a pleasant surprise.

I think I needed more from Finn's viewpoint as the majority was London's. This book started off like it was about three people, including his niece. Gabby was also an issue for me in the 2020 release "After All". Truthfully it felt like Proby couldn't decide which age this girl should be. I thought she was 12 or 13 until the end of Chapter 3 revealed she was only ten. I get kids are growing up faster today but Finn's time with her didn't give me the warm and fuzzies. Their relationship and London's connection with her was a lot of early page time. Refreshingly, there was little push/pull between Finn and London, their relationship growing at a steady pace. The bickering actually felt forced, like they were just too perfect together. London's brother's role could have been fleshed out much better. Dealing with a close relative with addiction isn't a topic often tackled in fiction though it is suitably dramatic. Everything got resolved so hurriedly that I was yearning for the good times earlier in the book. 

(NS)

 

February 23, 2021 - Staff Reviews

Staff Review

Three Single Wives

By Gina Lamanna

Release Date: October 21, 2020

Ebook Available from WV Reads!

https://wvreads.overdrive.com/media/5376628

3 Stars - Prior to this book, I'd only read a few of Lamanna's cozier, funnier mysteries. And I was pleased to find her crisp writing style translated well to domestic thrillers. The group of women the story centers on are probably relatable more than likable. From the opening scene to the foreshadowing trial transcripts there's this book has powerful levels of intrigue from the get-go.

The book starts out with sharp contrasts and descriptions of Eliza, Anne, Olivia, and Penny's lives. While I had an accurate picture of their roles and homes, I could have liked seeing a bit more personality. Eliza was like an onion with layers and layers. Penny was sympathetic but a a bit too naive. Anne and Olivia were tough to figure out for me. Lamanna uses a broken up timeline and point of view that really grabbed me but might be confusing for a distracted reader. I saw shades of classic murder mysteries like those by Agatha Christie and John D MacDonald. There were plenty of twists and dark motives. But it's hard to specify without spoilers.

One trait of domestic thrillers that I applaud is central female characters. And they aren't all the same adorable, sweater wearing, plucky heroines. But often the author seems to scrub them of casual traits for a mysterious effect. These women are constantly and exhaustively questioning themselves. Eliza putting cheap shampoo into expensive brand bottles in her own shower? Anne gets zero enjoyment out of mothering four children? I understand that one of the traits of the genre is to break down the family unit and create a sense of unease. And that doesn't fit with rainbows and unicorns but confidence out of the heroine(s) would be refreshing. This plot has a little of everything but I'm keeping it vague. It's got pregnancies, stolen money, and courtroom drama. The breathless pace toward the end is enthralling but may be tiring for some.

(NS)

 

February 22, 2021 - New Arrivals

February 22, 2021

Adult Fiction

Party of Two by Jasmine Guillory.

"A chance meeting with a handsome stranger turns into a whirlwind affair that gets everyone talking. Dating is the last thing on Olivia Monroe's mind when she moves to LA to start her own law firm. But when she meets a gorgeous man at a hotel bar and they spend the entire night flirting, she discovers too late that he is none other than hotshot junior senator Max Powell. Olivia has zero interest in dating a politician, but when a cake arrives at her office with the cutest message, she can't resist--it is chocolate cake, after all. Olivia is surprised to find that Max is sweet, funny, and noble--not just some privileged white politician she assumed him to be. Because of Max's high-profile job, they start seeing each other secretly, which leads to clandestine dates and silly disguises. But when they finally go public, the intense media scrutiny means people are now digging up her rocky past and criticizing her job, even her suitability as a trophy girlfriend. Olivia knows what she has with Max is something special, but is it strong enough to survive the heat of the spotlight?"-- Provided by publisher.

 

Korea Strait by David Poyer.

United States Navy officer and Medal of Honor winner Dan Lenson's mission is to observe an international military exercise involving the navies of South Korea, Japan, Australia, and America. It should be routine duty for Dan, but old alliances are unraveling, as North Korea threatens the U.S. and China expands its influence. Acting as both adviser and adversary to a ruthless South Korean task force commander, Dan must stop a wolfpack of unidentified submarines, armed with nuclear weapons, which is trying to elude Allied surveillance and penetrate the Sea of Japan. Is it the start of an invasion...or an elaborate feint, to divert attention from a devastating attack? Battling faulty weapons, a complacent Washington establishment, and a fierce typhoon season at sea, Dan must act on his own - even if doing so means the end of his career, the lives of his observers, and the risk of nuclear war.

 

Always the Last to Know by Kristan Higgins.

Barb and John Frost are testy and bored with each other after fifty years of marriage. At least they have their daughters - Barb's favorite, Juliet; and John's darling, Sadie. The girls themselves couldn't be more different, but at least they got along, more or less. Until the day John has a stroke, and their house of cards came tumbling down. Now Sadie has to come home to care for her beloved dad-and face the love of her old life. Now Juliet has to wonder if people will notice that despite her perfect life, she's spending an increasing amount of time in the closet having panic attacks. And now Barb and John will finally have to face what's been going on in their marriage all along.

 

Adult Non-Fiction

Soul Full of Coal Dust by Chris Hamby.

Decades ago, a grassroots uprising forced Congress to enact long-overdue legislation designed to virtually eradicate black lung disease and provide fair compensation to coal miners stricken with the illness. Today, however, both promises remain unfulfilled. Levels of disease have surged, the old scourge has taken an aggressive new form, and ailing miners and widows have been left behind by a dizzying legal system, denied even modest payments and medical care. In this urgent work of investigative journalism, Pulitzer Prize winner Chris Hamby traces the unforgettable story of how these trends converge in the lives of two men: Gary Fox, a black lung-stricken West Virginia coal miner determined to raise his family from poverty, and John Cline, an idealistic carpenter and rural medical clinic worker who becomes a lawyer in his fifties.  Opposing them are the lawyers at the coal industry's go-to law firm; well-credentialed doctors who often weigh in for the defense, including an elite unit Johns Hopkins; and Gary's former employer, Massey Energy, a regional powerhouse run by a cantankerous CEO often portrayed in the media as a dark lord of the coalfields. On the line in Gary and John's longshot legal battle are fundamental principles of fairness and justice, with consequences for miners and their loved ones throughout the nation. Taking readers inside courtrooms, hospitals, homes tucked in Appalachian hollows, and dusty mine tunnels, Hamby exposes how coal companies have not only continually flouted a law meant to protect miners from deadly amounts of dust but also enlisted well-credentialed doctors and lawyers to help systematically deny much-needed benefits to miners. The result is a legal and medical thriller that brilliantly illuminates how a band of laborers -- aided by a small group of lawyers, doctors and lay advocates, often working out of their homes or in rural clinics and tiny offices - challenged one of the world's most powerful forces, Big Coal, and won.

 

The Third Rainbow Girl by Emma Copley Eisenberg.

In the early evening of June 25, 1980 in Pocahontas County, West Virginia, two middle-class outsiders named Vicki Durian, 26, and Nancy Santomero, 19, were murdered in an isolated clearing. They were hitchhiking to a festival known as the Rainbow Gathering but never arrived; they traveled with a third woman however, who lived. For thirteen years, no one was prosecuted for the "Rainbow Murders," though deep suspicion was cast on a succession of local residents in the community, depicted as poor, dangerous, and backward. In 1993, a local farmer was convicted, only to be released when a known serial killer and diagnosed schizophrenic named Joseph Paul Franklin claimed responsibility. With the passage of time, as the truth seemed to slip away, the investigation itself caused its own traumas--turning neighbor against neighbor and confirming a fear of the violence outsiders have done to this region for centuries. Emma Copley Eisenberg spent years living in Pocahontas and re-investigating these brutal acts. Using the past and the present, she shows how this mysterious act of violence has loomed over all those affected for generations, shaping their fears, fates, and the stories they tell about themselves. In The Third Rainbow Girl, Eisenberg follows the threads of this crime through the complex history of Appalachia, forming a searing and wide-ranging portrait of America--its divisions of gender and class, and of its violence.

 

Easy/Juvenile/Young Adult/Graphic Novel

What is the Civil Rights Movement? by Sherri L. Smith.  J NF

Even though slavery had ended in the 1860s, African Americans were still suffering under the weight of segregation a hundred years later. They couldn't go to the same schools, eat at the same restaurants, or even use the same bathrooms as white people. But by the 1950s, black people refused to remain second-class citizens and were willing to risk their lives to make a change. Author Sherri L. Smith brings to life momentous events through the words and stories of people who were on the frontlines of the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s.

 

Never After: The Thirteenth Fairy by Melissa de la Cruz.  J

Nothing ever happens in Filomena Jefferson-Cho's sleepy little suburban town of North Pasadena. The sun shines every day, the grass is always a perfect green, and while her progressive school swears there's no such thing as bullying, she still feels bummed out. But one day, when Filomena is walking home on her own, something strange happens. Filomena is being followed by Jack Stalker, one of the heroes in the Thirteenth Fairy, a series of books she loves about a brave girl and her ragtag group of friends who save their world from an evil enchantress. She must be dreaming, or still reading a book. But Jack is insistent--he's real, the stories are real, and Filomena must come with him at once! Soon, Filomena is thrust into the world of evil fairies and beautiful princesses, sorcerers and slayers, where an evil queen drives her ruthless armies to destroy what is left of the Fairy tribes. To save herself and the kingdom of Westphalia, Filomena must find the truth behind the fairytales and set the world back to rights before the cycle of sleep and destruction begins once more.

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

February 19, 2021 - Staff Reviews

Stone Cross

By Marc Cameron

Release Date: March 31, 2020

Audiobook Available from WV Reads

https://wvreads.overdrive.com/media/4835082

3 Stars - Likable and gruff US Marshall Arliss Cutter takes on a few tough cases here. The story is full of Alaskan, rural atmosphere. And Cameron has a slew of interesting characters from heroes to villians to victims. I'm not sure I could classify it as an action thriller but it's going to appeal to fans of the genre.

Cameron's writing style is so blatantly masculine that sometimes I get a bit disconnected listening to it. There's just something so straight forward and unromantic, it doesn't quick stick with me. But never-the-less, he is crafty with both the mystery angles and suspense. My big complaint was the sexual assault details that felt entirely wrong to me. He does try to infuse some worldiness too, throwing in Kipling references and mystery fan favorite Occam's razor, etc. Cutter's a good lead character. He's pretty much the Chief Deputy US Marshal you picture, but in a satisfying way. He is older and griseled and basically righteous. He does have a family but it's more so one he has adopted. Also, his coworkers at the marshal's office are unique and cool, all quite enjoyable to read about but not stand-out memorable. 

We're all sucked into protecting a frustrating, self-absorbed judge. And then this victim couple attacked by shady bad guys and held hostage. These people and scenarios are well set up. Simple and easy to picture. This book was just a little dull, I have to admit. I'm not sure how when there was a lot going. At one point over halfway through, characters actually point out all the crimes/craziness and said basically no one noticed or cared because they were isolated up in small town Alaska. Like oh well, just another day in the life for these people. I can't say I'd ever gotten that vibe from law enforcement characters before this. I'd say this series is a good fit for Stephen Hunter fans, maybe even Ace Atkins or Brad Thor. As for myself, I'll probably only return to this series if something in the description really appeals or I'm looking to fill some time.

(NS)