Book Talk for March 4, 2025
James: a Novel
by Percival Everett
"From Percival Everett a recipient of the NBCC Lifetime Achievement Award and finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, Booker Prize, and numerous PEN awards comes James, a retelling of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, both harrowing and ferociously funny, told from the enslaved Jim's point of view. When the enslaved Jim overhears that he is about to be sold to a man in New Orleans, separated from his wife and daughter forever, he decides to hide on nearby Jackson Island until he can formulate a plan. Meanwhile, Huck Finn has faked his own death to escape his violent father, recently returned to town. As all readers of American literature know, thus begins the dangerous and transcendent journey by raft down the Mississippi River toward the elusive and too-often-unreliable promise of the Free States and beyond. While many narrative set pieces of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn remain in place (floods and storms, stumbling across both unexpected death and unexpected treasure in the myriad stopping points along the river's banks, encountering the scam artists posing as the Duke and Dauphin...), Jim's agency, intelligence and compassion are shown in a radically new light. Brimming with the electrifying humor and lacerating observations that have made Everett a "cult literary icon" (Oprah Daily), and one of the most decorated writers of our lifetime, James is destined to be a major publishing event and a cornerstone of twenty-first century American literature"-- Provided by publisher. Unrated. Commercial audiobook.
DB120063
For Jerusalem: A Life
by Teddy Kollek and Amos Kollek
Informal memoir of the mayor of Jerusalem weaves together the story of his own full life, his involvement with Israel, and his work with the Zionist movement. Relates experiences for Jewish causes in many countries including the United States, and his attempts to create a united Jerusalem.
DB12575
The Eastern Front: The History of the Great War 1914-1918
by Nick Lloyd
"The second installment in Lloyd's bravura history of the First World War, "The Eastern Front" chronicles the bloody fighting in Eastern Europe and the Balkans through diary entries, eyewitness reports and memoirs. The definitive history of the Eastern Front in the First World War, from the acclaimed military historian and author of "Passchendaele" and "The Western Front." In the second volume of his landmark First World War trilogy, Professor Nick Lloyd tells the story for the first time of what Winston Churchill once called the "unknown war": the vast conflict in Eastern Europe and the Balkans that brought about the collapse of three empires. Much has been written about the fighting in France and Belgium, yet the Eastern Front was no less bloody. Between 1914 and 1917, huge numbers of people--perhaps as many as 16 million soldiers and two million civilians--were killed, wounded or maimed in enormous battles that sometimes ranged across a front of 100 km in length. Through intimate eyewitness reports, diary entries and memoirs--many of which have never been translated into English before--Lloyd reconstructs the full story of a war that began in the Balkans as a local struggle between Austria-Hungary and Serbia, and which sucked in Russia, Germany and Italy, right through to the final collapse of the Habsburg Empire in 1918. "The Eastern Front" paints a vivid and authoritative picture of a conflict that shook the world, and that remains central to understanding the tragic, blood-soaked trajectory of the entire twentieth century, including the current war in Ukraine."-- From publisher. Unrated. Commercial audiobook. Bestseller.
DB124655
Mr. Clarinet
by Nick Stone
"There was nothing waiting for ex-cop Max Mingus when he walked out of Attica Prison after serving hard time for murder—his adored wife died in a car crash while he was locked up. Now Miami’s one-time top detective is haunted by an empty house, bad memories…and an impossible job offer for obscenely good money. Three years ago, Charlie Carver, the five-year-old son of a powerful Haitian billionaire, vanished. His father is offering Max $15 million to bring the boy back—or, at the very least, to find his body and deliver his abductors. Max knows he should turn this case down. There’s no way the kid is still alive, and pursuing his ghost means plunging headfirst into Haiti, a steaming island hotbed of crime, greed, voodoo, and corruption. And the three detectives who preceded Mingus are all dead…or worse. But Max has nothing left to lose—even if his investigation stirs up a murky evil that can swallow a man whole…and leads him to the soul-destroying truth about a terrifying local myth, a child-stealing nightmare called “Mr. Clarinet.”" -- Dust jacket. Violence and strong language.
DB110589
Lead me home: Hardship and Hope on the Oregon Trail
by Teresa Hupp
Caleb McDoughall leaves Boston to follow the Oregon trail after reading about explorer John Fremont's travels. In Missouri, he kills a man who is assaulting a young girl. He and the girl then join a wagon train bound for Oregon. Explicit descriptions of sex, strong language, and violence.
DBC16291
Locust Lane
by Stephen Amidon
"On the surface, Emerson, Massachusetts, is just like any other affluent New England suburb. But when a young woman is found dead in the nicest part of town, the powerful neighbors close ranks to keep their families safe. The three teenagers who were partying with her that night are the suspects: Hannah, a sweet girl with an unstable history; Jack, the popular kid with a mean streak; Christopher, an outsider desperate to fit in. Their parents, each with motivations of their own, only complicate the picture: they will do anything to protect their children, even at the others' expense." -- adapted from jacket Unrated. Commercial audiobook.
DB124664
Christmas at the shelter Inn
by RaeAnne Thayne
"Growing up at the Shelter Inn hotel, Natalie Shepherd envied guests who could come and go as they pleased. So when it was time to finally leave for college and put the lush green mountains around Shelter Springs-along with the cloud of loss that seemed to follow her family-behind her, she swore she'd never come back. But now her sister McKenna needs a favor. On pregnancy bed rest at doctor's orders, McKenna needs a helping hand with her two young daughters and someone to take over the inn during the hectic holiday season, and Nat can't refuse. And just when things can't get worse, she runs into her late brother's best friend, Griffin Taylor. Griffin has mixed feelings about Natalie's return. She's just as beautiful and full of life as he remembered, but there's a secret he's carried for years about her brother-and the guilt is eating away at him. Still, Christmas in this small town is filled with treasured traditions and new adventures that hold the promise of something sweet and lasting. From matchmaking seniors to rambunctious nieces, it seems everyone is hoping Nat and Griffin will put loss behind them and find a happy new beginning..."-- Provided by publisher. Unrated. Commercial audiobook.
DB124006
The House of Eve
by Sadeqa Johnson
"From the award-winning author of Yellow Wife, a daring and redemptive novel set in 1950s Philadelphia and Washington, DC, that explores what it means to be a woman and a mother, and how much one is willing to sacrifice to achieve her greatest goal. 1950s Philadelphia: fifteen-year-old Ruby Pearsall is on track to becoming the first in her family to attend college, in spite of having a mother more interested in keeping a man than raising a daughter. But a taboo love affair threatens to pull her back down into the poverty and desperation that has been passed on to her like a birthright. Eleanor Quarles arrives in Washington, DC, with ambition and secrets. When she meets the handsome William Pride at Howard University, they fall madly in love. But William hails from one of DC’s elite wealthy Black families, and his parents don’t let just anyone into their fold. Eleanor hopes that a baby will make her finally feel at home in William’s family and grant her the life she’s been searching for. But having a baby—and fitting in—is easier said than done. With their stories colliding in the most unexpected of ways, Ruby and Eleanor will both make decisions that shape the trajectory of their lives." -- Provided by publisher. Unrated. Commercial audiobook.
DB112651
This is happiness
by Niall Williams
In the small Irish village of Faha, the rain that no one remembers beginning is stopping. Soon after, seventeen-year-old Noel Crowe meets Christy who is search of his lost love. It is then that Noel realizes something truly has changed, and he examines life around him. Unrated. Commercial audiobook. 2019.
DB99125
One Summer: American 1927
by Bill Bryson
Chronicles the events of 1927 during Calvin Coolidge's presidency. Highlights newsmakers Charles Lindbergh, Babe Ruth, and Al Capone; anarchists and flappers; the deadly Mississippi River flood; the first talking movies; and the actions that set the stage for the 1929 global economic crash. Bestseller. 2013.
DB77749
A few words in defense of our country: the biography of Randy Newman
by Robert Hilburn
"The definitive biography of songwriter Randy Newman, told with his full cooperation, by acclaimed biographer and longtime Los Angeles Times music critic, Robert Hilburn. Randy Newman is widely hailed as one of America's all-time greatest songwriters, equally skilled in the sophisticated melodies and lyrics of the Gershwin-Porter era and the cultural commentary of his own generation, with Bob Dylan and Paul Simon among his most ardent admirers. While tens of millions around the world can hum "You've Got a Friend in Me," his disarming centerpiece for Toy Story, most of them would be astonished to learn that the heart of Newman's legacy is in the dozens of brilliant songs that detail the injustices, from racism to class inequality, that have contributed to the division of our nation. Rolling Stone declared that a single Newman song, "Sail Away," tells us more about America than "The Star-Spangled Banner." And yet, his legacy remains largely undocumented in book form--until now. In A Few Words In Defense Of Our Country, veteran music journalist Robert Hilburn presents the definitive portrait of an American legend. Hilburn has known Newman since his club debut at the Troubadour in 1970, and the two have maintained a connection in the decades since, conversing over the course of times good and bad. Though Newman has long refused to talk with potential biographers, he now gives Hilburn unprecedented access not only to himself but also to his archives, as well as his family, friends, and collaborators. Bob Dylan, Paul Simon, John Williams, Linda Ronstadt, Don Henley, Bonnie Raitt, Chuck D, James Taylor, and New York Times' Pulitzer-winning columnists, Thomas Friedman and Wesley Morris, among others, contributed to the book. In addition to exploring Newman's prolific career and the evolution of his songwriting, A Few Words In Defense Of Our Country also dives into his childhood and early influences, his musical family that ruled Hollywood movie scores for decades, the relationships that have provided inspiration for his songs, and so much more. As thought-provoking and thorough as it is tender, this book is an overdue tribute to the legendary songwriter whose music has long reflected and challenged the America we know today."-- From publisher. Unrated. Commercial audiobook.
DB126286
Death in the Clouds
by Agatha Christie
Who would want to kill a little old lady like Madame Giselle? The answer soon becomes clear as Hercule Poirot delves into the life of the slain victim and discovers that she was a blackmailer, a money-lender, and a woman with a lurid past. Unrated. Commercial audiobook. 1935.
DB100864
Driving Force
by Dick Francis
Ex-jockey Freddie Croft has one strict rule for drivers of his horse vans: never pick up hitchhikers. A driver breaks the rule, and before the two reach their destination, the hitchhiker is dead. Then Croft's mechanic makes a discovery that results in the mechanic's death, and Croft is nearly drowned, his car is wrecked, and his house is ransacked. Even the investigator is in danger. Some strong language. Bestseller.
DB35869
Murder in Mesopotamia
by Agatha Christie
Hercule Poirot, the lively Belgian detective, becomes involved in some Middle East archaeological explorations in solving the mysterious death of a woman in a room which no murderer could possibly enter.
DB40597 BR04387