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January 2018 - Posts

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Post by Kristin S. 

January New Releases and Bestsellers!

The cold has set in and our resolutions have begun! Those annual goals will undoubtedly include additions to your reading list which is where this post comes in to play. Check out the selections in fiction, non-fiction, DVDs and recommendations below!

Recent New York Times Bestsellers:

New Fiction

The People vs Alex Cross by James Patterson

Borrow: [Normal Print] [Large Print] [eBook] [eAudiobook]

Charged with gunning down followers of his nemesis Gary Soneji in cold blood, Alex Cross is wrongly portrayed as a trigger-happy corrupt cop while he struggles to prove to a skeptical jury and dwindling supporters that his actions were in self defense.

The Whispering Room by Dean Koontz

Borrow: [Normal Print] [Large Print] [eBook]

Former F.B.I. agent and wanted fugitive Jane Hawk tracks down a group that is brainwashing people into committing suicide.

Year One by Nora Roberts

Borrow: [Normal Print] [Large Print] [eBook]

When a pandemic strikes and the world spins into chaos, several travelers head west to find a new life.

Tom Clancy Power and Empire by Marc Cameron

Borrow: [Normal Print] [Large Print] [eBook] [eAudiobook]

President Jack Ryan seeks to identify the hidden forces escalating the tensions between China and the United States.

Past Perfect by Danielle Stelle

Borrow: [Normal Print] [Large Print] [Audiobook] [eBook]

A Manhattan family moves into a mansion in San Francisco and encounters the ghosts of its original inhabitants.

Darker by E L James

Borrow: [eBook]

Christian Grey's tormented and difficult pursuit of Anastasia Steele is told from his perspective.


New Nonfiction

Let Trump Be Trump by Corey R Lewandowski

Borrow: [Print] [eBook]

A former campaign manager for Donald Trump's successful 2016 presidential run offers an insider's look at the ups and downs on the campaign trail.

Gold Dust Woman by Steven Davis

Borrow: [Print] [eBook]

An in-depth portrait of the classic-rock artist Stevie Nicks covers her role in the stardom of Fleetwood Mac, the affairs that inspired her greatest songs, her struggles with addiction, and her successful solo career.

The Last Black Unicorn by Tiffany Haddish

Borrow: [Print] [eBook] [eAudiobook]

From stand-up comedian, actress, and breakout star of Girls Trip, Tiffany Haddish, comes The Last Black Unicorn, a sidesplitting, hysterical, edgy, and unflinching collection of (extremely) personal essays, as fearless as the author herself.

Natural Disaster by Ginger Zee

Borrow: [Print

The ABC News meteorologist discusses her career, relationships and struggles with depression.


DVD New Releases (Dec. - Jan.)

Kingsman: The Golden Circle

Borrow: [DVD]

In this action-filled installment of the Kingsman series, two top-secret spy organizations - one from the UK and one in the US - join forces to defeat a ruthless common enemy.

Home Again

Borrow: [DVD]

Recently separated from her husband, Alice (Reese Witherspoon) finds an unlikely new family and a budding new romance when three young filmmakers move into her guest house. A story of love, friendship, the families we create, Home Again is a modern romantic comedy with one very big life lesson: starting over is not for beginners!

All Saints

Borrow: [DVD]

Based on the true story of salesman-turned-pastor Michael Spurlock, who with a group of Southeast Asian refugees risked everything to save their church and their lives.

The Unknown Girl

Borrow: [DVD]

After a mysterious young woman dies on her doorstep, a guilt-ridden doctor embarks on an obsessive quest to learn the truth about what happened.

Once Upon a Time at Christmas

Borrow: [DVD]

When a serial-killer couple dressed as Santa and Mrs. Claus terrorizes a small town, a teen girl and a young cop must solve the pattern behind the seemingly random homicides.

Despicable Me 3

Borrow: [DVD]

Gru, Lucy, their adorable daughters, and the Minions are back in the comedy blockbuster where one former super-villain will rediscover just how good it feels to be bad.

American Assassin

Borrow: [DVD]

American Assassin follows CIA black ops recruit Mitch Rapp and Cold War veteran Stan Hurley as the pair is enlisted to stop a mysterious operative intent on starting a World War.

Better Watch Out

Borrow: [DVD]

On a quiet suburban street, a babysitter must defend a twelve-year-old boy from intruders, only to discover it's far from a normal home invasion.

The Osiris Child

Borrow: [DVD]

When a dangerous outbreak threatens to destroy everyone living on a newly colonized planet, Lt. Kane Sommerville goes against orders and leaves his station to rescue his young daughter before it's too late.

The Women's Balcony

Borrow: [DVD]

An accident during a bar mitzvah celebration leads to a gender rift in a devout Orthodox community in Jerusalem, in this rousing, good-hearted tale about women speaking truth to patriarchal power.

 

Crown Heights

Borrow: [DVD]

In 1980, a young man named Marvin Grant was gunned down in Flatbush Brooklyn. Clarence Lewis, a fifteen-year-old with a penchant for lying, told the police he saw what happened and was pressured to identify a suspect. This set into motion a series of events that led to the arrest of Colin Warner, an innocent teenager who lived in nearby Crown Heights.

Dunkirk

Borrow: [DVD]

Trapped on the beach with their backs to the sea, British and Allied troops are surrounded by enemy forces facing a fierce battle in World War II.

Stronger

Borrow: [DVD]

Based on real life events, tells the story of a 2013 Boston Marathon Bombing survivor.

Mayhem

Borrow: [DVD]

Just after being fired, Derek's office is put into quarantine for a virus that causes people to act out their wildest impulses. As chaos erupts, he makes his way to the top-floor executives to settle the score once and for all.

It

Borrow: [DVD]

When children in town begin to disappear, a group of young kids is faced with their biggest fears as they square off against evil clown, Pennywise. Based on the Stephen King novel.

Brawl in Cell Block 99

Borrow: [DVD]

When Bradley (Vince Vaughn) is sent to prison, he is forced to commit acts of violence that turn the place into a savage battleground.


Want to settle in for some cozy reading during the cold weather? 

Check out these recommendations:

Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie
Series: Miss Marple, book #1
Total books in series: 12

Borrow: [Book]

The Murder at the Vicarage is Agatha Christie's first mystery to feature the beloved investigator Miss Marple—as a dead body in a clergyman's study proves to the indomitable sleuth that no place, holy or otherwise, is a sanctuary from homicide.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder by Joanne Fluke
Series: Hannah Swenson, book #1
Total books in series: 22

Borrow: [Audiobook] [eBook]

Take one amateur sleuth. Mix in some eccentric Minnesota locals. Add a generous dollop of crackling suspense, and you've got the recipe for this delicious new mystery series featuring Hannah Swensen, the red-haired, cookie-baking heroine whose gingersnaps are almost as tart as her mouth and whose penchant for solving crime is definitely stirring things up.

The Quilter's Apprentice by Jennifer Chiaverini
Series: Elm Creek Quilts, book #1
Total books in series: 20

Borrow: [Normal Print] [Large Print] [Audiobook]

Sarah, struggling to find a job and a sense of place in her new town, finds herself learning how to quilt from a cantankerous old woman who also teaches her about the deep love that can exist between friends.

Still Life by Louise Penny
Series: Chief Inspector Armand Gamache, book #1
Total books in series: 13

Borrow: [Print] [Audiobook] [eBook] [eAudiobook]

Chief Inspector Armand Gamache of the Sûreté du Québec and his team of investigators are called in to the scene of a suspicious death in a rural village south of Montreal.

Death of a Gossip by M. C. Beaton
Series: Hamish Macbeth, book #1
Total books in series: 33

Borrow: [eBook]

When society widow and gossip columnist Lady Jane Winters joined the fishing class, she wasted no time in ruffling the feathers-or was it the fins?-of those around her. Among the victims of her sharp tongue and unladylike manner was Lochdubh Constable Hamish Macbeth. Yet not even Hamish thought someone would permanently silence Lady Jane's shrills-until her strangled body is fished out of the river. 

The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith
Series: No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, book #1
Total books in series: 18

Borrow: [Print] [Audiobook] [eBook] [eAudiobook]

Mma "Precious" Ramotswe sets up a detective agency in Botswana on the edge of the Kalahari Desert, making her the only female detective in the country. At first, cases are hard to come by. But eventually, troubled people come to Precious with a variety of concerns.

Catering to Nobody by Diane Mott Davidson
Series: A Goldy Bear Culinary Mystery, book #1
Total books in series: 17

Borrow: [Print] [Audiobook] [eAudiobook]

Goldy Bear, recently divorced, has made a home for herself and her young son in scenic Aspen Valley, Colorado. There, calls for Goldilock's Catering have been steady enough to pay the bills. But when a mourner is felled by rat poison during a funeral buffet Goldy is serving, the police quickly close her business. Now it's up to Goldy to find the rat who has tainted her food and her reputation.

The Cat Who Could Read Backwards by Lilian Jackson Braun
Series: The Cat Who, book #1
Total books in series: 29

Borrow: [Print] [Audiobook] [eBook]

Journalist Jim Qwilleran and his feline companion Koko begin their investigative career when Jim finds murder and mischief while covering the art beat for the Daily Fluxion.

The Hunt for Sonya Dufrette by R. T. Raichev
Series: Country House Crime Mysteries, book #1
Total books in series: 9

Borrow: [Print]

At a house party on the day of the royal wedding in 1981, a little girl named Sonya Dufrette wanders off and is never seen again. Twenty years on, divorcee and librarian Antonia Darcy sets out to solve the mystery.

 

 

At Home in Mitford by Jan Karon
Series: The Mitford Years, book #1
Total books in series: 14

Borrow: [Print] [Audiobook] [eBook]

It's easy to feel at home in Mitford. In these high, green hills, the air is pure, the village is charming, and the people are generally lovable. Yet, Father Tim, the bachelor rector, wants something more. Enter a dog the size of a sofa who moves in and won't go away. Add an attractive neighbor who begins wearing a path through the hedge. Now, stir in a lovable but unloved boy, a mystifying jewel theft, and a secret that's sixty years old. Suddenly, Father Tim gets more than he bargained for. And readers get a rich comedy about ordinary people and their ordinary lives.

 

 

The Inn at Rose Harbor by Debbie Macomber
Series: Rose Harbor, book #1
Total books in series: 5

Borrow: [Normal Print] [Large Print] [Audiobook] [eBook] [eAudiobook]

Set in the Pacific Northwest, in the picturesque small town of Cedar Cove, these heartwarming gentle reads feature the cozy Rose Harbor Inn, its young, widowed proprietor, Jo Marie Rose, and a large cast of lovable secondary characters. The beautiful setting and the wise, understanding protagonist make second chances possible for all of her troubled guests.


Happy New Year! Enjoy these books and movies to start 2018 off right!

Sources: The New York Times, Rotten Tomatoes, Amazon, Goodreads, EarlyWord, Novelist

Posted by [email protected]  On Jan 03, 2018 at 10:34 AM
  
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