New books at the Library

ADULT FICTION

"Angel's Game" by Carlos Ruiz Zafon - In 1920s Barcelona, David Martin is born into poverty, but,aided by patron and friend Pedro Vidal, he rises to become a crime reporter and then a beloved pulp novelist. David becomes a suspect in a string of murders, and his race to uncover the truth is a delicious puzzle: is he beset by demons or a demon himself? Zafón's novel is detailed and vivid, and David's narration is charming and funny, but suspect. Villain or victim, he is the hero of and the guide to this dark labyrinth that, by masterful design, remains thrilling and bewildering. (June) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. -- Publisher's Weekly

"Knock Out" by Catherine Coulter - Bestseller Coulter's riveting 13th FBI thriller (after TailSpin) opens with a bang as psychic FBI agent Dillon Savich thwarts a gang of gun-totting robbers attempting to hold up the First Union Bank of Washington, D.C. Then a seven-year-old sends him a telepathic message that she's in danger. Though eager to help, Dillon is busy tracking a bank robber who escaped, a teenage girl now leaving a trail of bodies in her wake. Meanwhile, in Titusville, Va., a mother reports her daughter missing to sheriff Ethan Merriweather. After finding Autumn, Ethan discovers her sinister uncle, Blessed, has evil designs on his psychic niece. Before Dillon and his fellow FBI agent and wife, Lacey Sherlock, can get to Titusville, Autumn and her mother flee. Well-developed characters and an expertly paced plot that builds to a breathtaking conclusion make this one of the best in this paranormal suspense series. (June) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. -- Publisher's Weekly

"Omen (Star Wars: Fate of the Jedi, Book 2" by Christie Golden - Series fans will enjoy this entry and the continued exploration of the huge and mysterious Star Wars galaxy. Demand makes this an essential purchase for all science-fiction collections. --Jessica Moyer, Booklist

"Relentless" by Dean Koontz - A bad book review propels this farcical thriller from bestseller Koontz. Bestselling author Cullen Cubby Greenwich is mortified when Shearman Waxx, the nation's premier literary critic, savages his work. Cubby manages to find the syphilitic swine at Roxie's Bistro in Newport Beach, Calif., where the author's six-year-old prodigy son nearly pees by accident on Waxx in the restaurant's men's room. In retaliation, Waxx threatens Cubby with doom and gets things started nicely by blowing up his house. With almost superhuman ease, the book critic keeps track of Cubby and his family as they flee for their lives. While some may take this as satire, the over-the-top villain's underdeveloped motivation and a jokey narrative tone that jars when juxtaposed with terrifying scenes of violence will leave others scratching their heads. By the time Koontz introduces a science fiction element, a lot of readers may have already checked out. (June)Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. -- Publisher's Weekly

"Tunneling to the Center of the Earth" by Kevin Wilson - Four mutually loathing brothers fold hundreds of paper cranes for a contest to determine who will own the family plantation house. A young man counts every step to and from a factory in which he winnows the Qs from heaps of new-minted Scrabble tiles. Three new BAs spend months after graduation tunneling beneath the hometown of one of them. A professional substitute grandmother gets queasy about her new family when she discovers they also retain a faux child. That last story, “Grand Stand-In,” is the creepiest in the book, though the bad-dream pulp-noir exercise, “The Shooting Man,” is a close, gritty runner-up. Two stories of teens and sex, “Mortal Kombat” and “Go, Fight, Win”—the only third-person narratives here—express great though measured sympathy. Wildly imaginative in the manner of new weirdness fiction (see Feeling Very Strange, 2006), Wilson’s work is also warmly compassionate in tenor. He creates an appealing voice for each first-person narrator he invents, and in third person, he is flat-out magisterial, with more than a hint of the magical. Watch him closely. --Ray Olson - Booklist

"Ultimatum" by Matthew Glass - In 2032, newly elected president Joe Benton realizes that the effects of global warming have been greatly underestimated and must scramble to negotiate with other countries to come up with a plan to stop the crisis. "The novel is propelled by character and dialogue, but it’s solidly plotted, too, and given the current public interest in global warming, it may spark some interesting debate on the subject." --David Pitt, Booklist

ADULT NON_FICTION

"End of Overeating" by David Kessler, MD - Uncovers the influences that have conditioned people to overeat, explaining how combinations of fat, sugar, and salt; food cues; and the cultural norms that are difficult to ignore have hijacked our brain circuitry, and demonstrates how to regain control. "Dr. David Kessler has written a fascinating account of the science of human appetite, as well as its exploitation by the food industry. The End of Overeating is an invaluable contribution to the national conversation about the catastrophe that is the modern American diet." --Michael Pollan, author of In Defense of Food

"Looting of America" by Les Leopold - “Les Leopold tells the story of our economic collapse so clearly, so broadly, so stylishly I didn’t get lost; in fact, to my great surprise, I kept going and going like Hansel and Gretel through the thick forest of mortgage finance, credit swaps, bubbles and bailouts. The Looting of America is a guided tour for people who wonder if the ups and downs of a free market are inevitable, or if we can’t make a few changes for a smoother ride.”--Robert Krulwich, NPR Science Correspondent and co-host of Radio Lab

"Magnificent Desolation" by Buzz Aldrin - Recounts the astronaut's life and career, including his childhood, the landmark 1969 moon landing, and his battles with alcoholism and depression after his fame. "An admirable account of an icon of the golden age of space flight."
–Kirkus Reviews

"Always Looking Up" by Michael J. Fox - Always Looking Up is a memoir of this last decade, told through the critical themes of Michael's life: work, politics, faith, and family. The book is a journey of self-discovery and reinvention, and a testament to the consolations that protect him from the ravages of Parkinson's.

"Howard Dean's Prescription for Real Health Care Reform" by Howard Dean - In a searing indictment of private insurers who put profits ahead of care, Dean advocates a public-health insurance option, posing the question: “Is private health insurance really health insurance? Or is it simply an extension of the things that have been happening on Wall Street?” Dean is most controversial when he proposes to fund reforms with a carbon tax on gasoline, and only slightly less so when asserting that a “reform bill is not worth passing” without a public option. This lively, detailed read should help shape the debate on one of the year's most pressing issues. - Publisher's Weekly

"Birds of North America" - Twenty experts, with renowned ornithologist Fran?is Vuilleumier as editor-in-chief, have assembled a wealth of information on more than 650 North American bird species.
A page is devoted to each bird, with colorful illustrations and photographs, color-coded maps, details of important plumage variations and descriptive texts. Details include information on behavior, nesting, voice (the bird's call), flight patterns and similar species. --Deseret News

MYSTERY

"Loitering with Intent" by Stuart Woods - Stone Barrington travels to Key West, Fla., in this easygoing entry in bestseller Woods's long-running series to feature the New York cop turned lawyer. Stone is supposed to track down Evan Keating, a young man whose signature is needed on documents allowing his father to sell the family business, except that Evan doesn't want to be found and when he is, doesn't want to sign the papers. Meanwhile, there's always time to enjoy good food and romance. Stone and Dino Bacchetti eat a lot of conch, while a beautiful Swedish doctor, Annika Swenson, learns the hard way that being involved with Stone is the most dangerous job in America. Woods handles the proceedings with dispatch and good humor, the pages fly by, and contented readers will sit back and eagerly await the next installment. Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. - Publisher's Weekly

"Scared to Live" by Stephen Booth - Two gruesome homicides preoccupy Det. Sgt. Diane Fry and Det. Constable Ben Cooper. In England's Peak district, Fry looks into a suspicious house fire. Meanwhile, Cooper investigates the death of Rose Shepherd. Both cases yield few clues, and Fry and Cooper run into one dead-end after another. While the link that they eventually uncover between the murders of Shepherd and the Mullens and a notorious Bulgarian gang stretches credulity, Booth compensates with his energetic pace and memorable characters. Genre fans may find a subplot involving psychotic hallucination. Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved -- Publisher's Weekly.

JUVENILE FICTION

"Antsy Does Time" by Neal Shusterman - When classmate Gunnar Ümlaut announces that he is going to die in six months from a rare disease, Antsy Bonnano prints up a formal contract that signs over a month of his own life to his gloomy buddy. This impulsive gesture of comfort unexpectedly nets Antsy a series of dates with Gunnar’s hot older sister Kjersten—but also takes on a life of its own when everyone who finds out about the good deed wants to get into the act. Meanwhile, Antsy and his closest friend, blind Lexie, plot to kidnap Lexie’s irascible grandpa “Creepy” Crawley, and Antsy’s father works his way toward heart-attack country struggling to get the Bonnano family’s new restaurant on its feet. Featuring a terrific supporting cast led by Antsy’s wise, acerbic mother, an expert blend of comedy and near tragedy, and the wry observations of a narrator whose glib tongue and big heart are as apt to get him into trouble as out of it, this will keep tween readers hooked from start to finish. Grades 6-9. --John Peters, Booklist

"Masterpiece" by Elise Broach - Broach's projection of beetle life, complete with field trips to the family's solarium and complex uses of human discards for furniture and meals, is in the best tradition of Mary Norton's The Borrowers (Harcourt, 1953) and similar classic looks at miniature life. Murphy's illustrations add perspective and humor, supporting the detailed narrative. A masterpiece of storytelling.—Beth L. Meister, Milwaukee Jewish Day School, WI

"Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian" by Sherman Alexie - Sherman Alexie tells the story of Junior, a budding cartoonist growing up on the Spokane Indian Reservation. Determined to take his future into his own hands, Junior leaves his troubled school on the rez to attend an all-white farm town high school where the only other Indian is the school mascot. Heartbreaking, funny, and beautifully written, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, which is based on the author's own experiences, coupled with poignant drawings that reflect the character's art, chronicles the contemporary adolescence of one Native American boy as he attempts to break away from the life he thought he was destined to live.

"Slam" by Nick Hornby - Fifteen-year-old Sam’s girlfriend gets pregnant. What should he do? He doesn’t want to repeat the mistakes of his mother, who got pregnant as a teen. Distressed Sam talks to his poster of skateboarding legend Tony Hawk, which helps his troubled teenage soul. This moving, bittersweet work is packed with Hornby’s trademark insight and incisive wit. -- Booklist

JUVENILE NON-FICTION

"Slavery: Real People and their Stories of Enslavement" by Reg Grant - Featuring breathtaking photographs, illustrations, letters, and personal histories, a comprehensive discussion of slavery throughout history examines its lasting impact on societies and people around the world.

PICTURE BOOKS

"Fancy Nancy Tea Parties" by Jane O'Conner
"Goldilicious" by Victoria Kann
"Homework" by Arthur Yorinks
"Oddly" by Joyce Dunbar
Superhero School by Aaron Reynolds
"Two of a Kind" by Jacqui Robbins

YOUNG ADULTS

"Clover: Omnibus Edition" by CLAMP - In the far future, a mysterious government organization monitors and confines psychic children in the Clover program. A professional singer and one-leaf ranked psychic named Ora has only the ability to predict her own death. The most powerful psychic in the world, a four-leaf girl named Sue lives a life of voluntary isolation inside a gilded cage. Sue hears Ora s singing inside her head, befriends her via telephone and hopes to meet her one day. Events in the book unfold in a reverse chronology, as the first chapter takes place after Ora s death and proceeds backwards in time. CLAMP manages to present a richly detailed retro-mechanical future using a minimum number of panels per page; reading this book is like looking into a dystopic future through one tiny, perfectly square frame, as the story unfolds across nearly blank pages scattered with repeating love song lyrics. The character designs are magnificent and tiny details on the clockwork birds and imaginative effects are stunning. Though CLAMP s most experimental work, it s still accessible to a wide audience. --Publishers Weekly