Book Talk

Eventide
by Kent Haruf

Following Plainsong (RC 49056), Harold and Raymond McPheron escort nineteen-year-old Victoria and her daughter to Fort Collins so Victoria can start college. In Colorado tragedy awaits the brothers returning to their cattle ranch in rural Holt. Some descriptions of sex, some violence, and some strong language. 2004.
DB60217

Hit Man
Lawrence Block

Ten stories that trace the grim exploits of New York-based hired killer J.P. Keller. Between contracts Keller enjoys his pet dog and stamp collecting, seeks romance unsuccessfully, consults a therapist, and dreams about giving up his business for the simple life in rural Oregon. Some strong language and some violence. 1998.
DB49625

First Blood
by W A Swanberg

Night Road
by Kristin Hannah

Pine Island, Washington. Fourteen-year-old freshman Lexi, a former foster child, becomes wealthy Mia's best and only friend. By senior year Mia's popular twin brother Zach and Lexi are a couple. But bad choices made by the three teens lead to disaster for both families. Some strong language. 2011.
DB73536

A Hard Ticket Home
David Housewright

When a friend is diagnosed with leukemia and needs a bone marrow transplant from her long-lost older sister, former cop Rushmore McKenzie embarks on an investigation that takes him to Minneapolis in search of the missing woman. Unrated. Commercial audiobook. Adult. Unrated.
DBC26542

Too Good To be True
Carola Lovering

Skye Starling is overjoyed when her boyfriend Burke Michaels proposes marriage, especially as her crippling OCD has wrecked past relationships. But Burke has secrets and his own, deceptive reasons for proposing marriage. As Skye plans the wedding, those secrets will be revealed. Unrated. Commercial audiobook. 2021.
DB102322

The Bone Collection: four novellas
by Kathy Reichs

Four novellas featuring forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan. First Bones is a prequel to the first novel in the series, Déjà Dead (DB 44763). Just before getting her doctorate in bioarchaeology, a request from two detectives leads Temperance to attempt her first forensic case. Some violence and some strong language. 2016.
DB90359

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 M...

Book Talk for Feb 25 2025

The Book Of Fate
by Brad Meltzer

An assassination attempt leaves twenty-three-year-old presidential aide Wes Holloway disfigured and kills deputy chief of staff Ron Boyle. But when he spots Boyle in Malaysia eight years later, Holloway discovers a labyrinthine conspiracy involving the Freemasons and Thomas Jefferson. Violence and strong language. Bestseller. Commercial audiobook. 2006.
DB63643

Harry Truman's Excellent Adventure The True Story of a Great American Road Trip
by Matthew Algeo

Author retraces the 1953 2,500-mile cross-country road trip of Harry and Bess Truman. Describes the Trumans' post-presidential life in Missouri, when they lived on Harry's army pension, and provides first-person accounts of the original journey. 2009.
DB69543

Slammed
by colleen Hoover

"Following the unexpected death of her father, 18-year-old Layken is forced to be the rock for both her mother and younger brother. Outwardly, she appears resilient and tenacious, but inwardly, she's losing hope. Enter Will Cooper: The attractive, 21-year-old new neighbor with an intriguing passion for slam poetry and a unique sense of humor. Within days of their introduction, Will and Layken form an intense emotional connection, leaving Layken with a renewed sense of hope. Not long after an intense, heart-stopping first date, they are slammed to the core when a shocking revelation forces their new relationship to a sudden halt. Daily interactions become impossibly painful as they struggle to find a balance between the feelings that pull them together, and the secret that keeps them apart." -- Provided by publisher. Unrated. Commercial audiobook.
DB115231

Point of retreat
by Colleen Hoover

"Layken and Will have managed to overcome the obstacles that threatened to destroy their love, proving that they are destined for one another. What they are about to learn, however, is that the things that have brought them together may be the very things that ruin their connection forever... Layken is left second-guessing the relationship whilst Will is jumping over hurdles to prove his love for her. What the young lovers discover about themselves along this journey may change their entire world and the lives of those who depend upon them the most..." -- Provided by publisher. Unrated. Commercial audiobook.
DB115332

This Girl
by Colleen Hoover

"Layken and Will’s love has managed to withstand the toughest of circumstances, and the young lovers, now married, are beginning to feel safe and secure in their union. As much as Layken relishes their new life together, she finds herself wanting to know everything there is to know about her husband, even though Will makes it clear he prefers to keep the painful memories of the past where they belong. Still, he can’t resist his wife’s pleas, and so he begins to untangle his side of the story, revealing for the first time his most intimate feelings and thoughts, retelling both the good and bad moments, and sharing a few shocking confessions of his own from the time when they first met. In This Girl, Will tells the story of their complicated relationship from his point of view. Their future rests on how well they deal with the past in this final installment of the beloved Slammed series." -- Provided by publisher. Unrated. Commercial audiobook.
DB116238

Truths I never told you
by Kelly Rimmer

Beth is cleaning her father's home after settling him in a care facility and discovers loose pieces of a journal in her mother's handwriting from the 1950s. Beth grew up believing her mother died in a car accident, but the journal hints at a darker truth. Unrated. Commercial audiobook. 2020.
DB102014

All the missing Girls: A Novel
by Megan Miranda

A decade after Nicolette leaves Cooley Ridge, North Carolina, she is summoned back home to help her brother sell the family home to pay for their father's dementia care. Nic, her brother, and her old boyfriend are sucked back into the case of Nic's long-missing best friend. Strong language and some descriptions of sex. 2016.
DB90494

Every last Fear
by Alex Finlay

College student Matt Pine receives a devastating call. His parents and younger brother and sister have died in Mexico of an apparent gas leak. But appearances may be deceiving. The family's deaths may be connected to Matt's older brother Danny--in jail for the murder of his girlfriend. Unrated. Commercial audiobook. 2021.
DB102224

No middle Name: The Complete Collected Jack Reacher Short Stories
by Lee Child

Twelve entries featuring itinerant loner Jack Reacher, who constantly stumbles upon--and tackles--crime. In "Too Much Time," Reacher thwarts a bag snatcher, only to be arrested after giving his witness statement. Includes some stories found elsewhere in the NLS/BPH collection. Violence, some strong language, and some explicit descripti...

Book Talk for February 11 2025

Temptation Ridge
by Robyn Carr

After years of caring for her now-deceased mother, twenty-five-year-old Shelby McIntyre moves in with her uncle in Virgin River. Shelby meets former Blackhawk pilot Luke Riordan, and the two fall in love. But Luke doesn't envision a future together. Some strong language and some explicit descriptions of sex. 2009.
BR22730 DB68681

The mountain between us
by Charles Martin

When Dr. Ben Payne is stranded at a Salt Lake City airport, he decides to charter a plane and offers the extra seat to stranger Ashley Knox. The plane crashes in the mountains, leaving Ben and Ashley to depend upon each other if they are to survive. Unrated. Commercial audiobook. 2010.
DB89372

Angel Falls
by Kristin Hannah

After an accident leaves his wife Michaela in a coma, Dr. Liam Campbell discovers she formerly was married to international movie star Julian True. At the risk of losing Michaela to the actor, Liam asks Julian to try to help her recover. Strong language. Commercial audiobook. 2000.
DB70645

Angels Fall
by Nora Roberts

Traumatized by a shooting in Boston, Reece Gilmore flees across the country. She stops in Angel's Fist, Wyoming, and takes a job as a fast-order cook. When she witnesses a murder, only reporter-turned-author Brody believes her. Violence, strong language, and some explicit descriptions of sex. Bestseller. 2006.
DB62893

Down a dark Road
by Linda Castillo

Two years ago, Joseph King was convicted of murdering his wife and sentenced to life in prison. He was a "fallen" Amish man with a drug habit and a violent temper. Now King has escaped, and he's headed back to Painters Mill. Chief Kate Burkholder is on edge. Unrated. Commercial audiobook. 2017.
DB88335

Never Too Late: a Novel
by Robyn Carr

Just as Clare Wilson has decided to divorce her cheating husband, she is in a terrible car accident. Clare's two sisters rush to help her recover, and the three siblings lean on each other as they navigate their romantic difficulties. Some strong language and some explicit descriptions of sex. 2006.
DB90814

Love you a latke
by Amanda Elliot

"Love comes home for the challah-days in this sparkling romance. Snow is falling, holiday lights are twinkling, and Abby Cohen is pissed. For one thing, her most annoying customer, Seth, has been coming into her café every morning with his sunshiny attitude, determined to break down her carefully constructed emotional walls. And, as the only Jew on the tourism board of her Vermont town, Abby's been charged with planning their fledgling Hanukkah festival. Unfortunately, the local vendors don't understand that the story of Hanukkah cannot be told with light-up plastic figures from the Nativity scene, even if the Three Wise Men wear yarmulkes. Desperate for support, Abby puts out a call for help online and discovers she was wrong about being the only Jew within a hundred miles. There's one other: Seth. As it turns out, Seth's parents have been badgering him to bring a Nice Jewish Girlfriend home to New York City for Hanukkah, and if Abby can survive his incessant, irritatingly handsome smiles, he'll introduce her to all the vendors she needs to make the festival a success. But over latkes, doughnuts, and winter adventures in Manhattan, Abby begins to realize that her fake boyfriend and his family might just be igniting a flame in her own guarded heart"-- Provided by publisher. Unrated. Commercial audiobook.
DB124977

Stands a Calder man
by Janet Dailey

Montana, 1909. With the passing of the Enlarged Homestead Act, newcomers threaten the old way of ranching. Webb Calder resists the immigrants fencing in the range. Then he falls in love with one of their wives. Sequel to This Calder Range (BR 13464). Explicit descriptions of sex and some strong language. Bestseller. 1983.
BR13465 DB18693

The Honk and holler opening soon
by Billie Letts

Caney Paxton, a Vietnam vet who has lost the use of his legs, runs a small roadside cafe in Sequoyah, Oklahoma. The regulars at the Honk and Holler are surprised when Caney hires first a Native American waitress and later a Vietnamese cook. The two newcomers soon bring life to the cafe's humdrum routine.
DB48105

Yamamoto: The Man who Planned Pearl Harbor
by Edwin Palmer Hoyt

Isoroku Yamamoto was born in Nagaoka, a city known for its seafaring men, and went on to become an admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy. He gained fame as the developer of successful naval aircraft and as a strong advocate of first-strike power. He eventually used his knowledge, particularly his understanding of the West, to mastermind the attack on Pearl Harbor, supposedly against his better instincts.
DB32786

Operation Vengeance The astonishing Aerial ambush that changed World War II
by Dan Hampton

"A narrative account of the top-...

Book Talk for Feb 4 2025

A Storm of Infinite Beauty: A Novel
by Julianne Maclean

"Gwen Hollingsworth is the curator at a museum in Nova Scotia dedicated to the Hollywood legend Scarlett Fontaine's life. Gwen is also sole descendant and heir to Scarlett's fortune. Gwen is dealing with a messy marital separation and is struggling to move forward. So when Peter Miller, a biographer and photojournalist, come to the museum with shocking claims about Scarlett, which include a life of exile in Alaska and a baby born in secret, Gwen's whole world is turned upside down. Gwen and Peter set out for Alaska together to uncover the truth, but they soon find themselves on a path toward something far deeper and meaningful than either of them ever expected."-- OCLC. Unrated. Commercial audiobook.
DB119628

One Child
by Torey L Hayden

When six-year-old Sheila, the unwashed, unkempt daughter of a migrant worker injures another child, she is temporarily placed in the author's class of retarded and handicapped preadolescents. Hayden soon realizes that this troubled child, whom the court wants to commit to a state institution, is gifted with the IQ of genius. 1980.
DB16782

Dog Day Afternoon
by David Rosenfelt

"Paterson, New Jersey's favorite reluctant lawyer Andy Carpenter returns in Dog Day Afternoon, the next mystery in this fan favorite series from National Bestselling Author David Rosenfelt. Retired lawyer Andy Carpenter has run the Tara Foundation - the dog rescue organization named after his beloved golden retriever - for years. It's always been his calling, even as Andy's pulled into representing clients in court. His investigator, Marcus Clark, has been at Andy's side for a long time. Even though they've known each other for years, Marcus keeps his personal life a mystery. So it's a shock when Marcus arrives at the Tara Foundation with two strangers in tow. Turns out Marcus takes disadvantaged young men under his wing, gets them jobs, a place to live, and a chance at a different life. And they want a dog. Andy's specialty. One of the young men, Nick Williams, instantly falls in love with one of the dogs, Daisy. When there's a mass shooting at Nick's work, leaving six dead, all signs point to Nick. Marcus, who's never asked Andy for anything, asks Andy for help. Despite Nick's troubled background, Andy trusts his friend and takes the case"-- Provided by publisher. Unrated. Commercial audiobook.
DB122212