New Books – 1928 Edition

For decades the Sewickley Herald featured columns with information about new books the library had added to the collection.  This article from January 1928, less than five years after our current building opened, features seven books added to the collection. So what ever happened to these books? Does the library still have any of them? Can you still get them today?

We start with China Today Through Chinese Eyes. A New York Times review from the time mentions an article that delves into the Literary Revolution in China, a movement of books beginning to be published in the popular Chinese language away from the traditional Chinese.  The book is no longer part of Sewickley’s collection.  In fact, it can’t be found at any library in Allegheny County.  The closest place to find a printed copy of the book today would be Carlow University’s library in Pittsburgh:  https://www.worldcat.org/title/874929035.

My Lady of the India Pudah by Elizabeth Cooper  can no longer be checked out at the Sewickley Public Library.  However, if you get a public library card in Cleveland you can place a hold on this book today.  Of course, they will have the retrieve it from their offsite storage first!  Who has time for that?  If you really want to read about the Hindu princess Natara you can read it for free on Google Books right now.

Care and Feeding of Children by  L.E. Holt is a republication of Holt’s original 1894 publication.  Luther Emmett Holt was the head physian at New York’s Babies Hospital and this book was later “selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it,” according to a 2015 republication.  This book can’t be found at Sewickley or in our system either, but you can find another book by L.E. Holt called Food, Health and Growth from 1922 if you want to venture into Oakland and check out the Carnegie Library’s closed reference collection.

George Washington by Rupert Hughes is a two volume set on our first US president.  The first volume is subtitled The Human Being & The Hero, 1732-1762, the second volume is The Savior of the States 1777-1781. One would think that a library is sure to hold onto a biography of our first president, right? Sadly, no libraries have held onto this one either! You can access the full text for free thanks to archive.org and Trent University.  Don’t worry you can still find close to 20 George Washington biographies at SPL.

The Meadows by J.C. Van Dyke explores the natural beauty of the Raritan Valley in…New Jersey.  John Charles Van Dyke was an art historian, critic, and nature writer who was born in New Brunswick, New Jersey. Although no libraries around kept this 95 year old book there has been at least one positive Good Reads review from a fellow New Jersian.

At last we come to Best Plays of 1926-1927.  The book surely featured the play Show Boat, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein (pre-Richard Rodgers).  Although we can’t see a scanned, digital version of the book to confirm Show Boat’s inclusion we can request the book with a library card.  That’s right, this is the one book from 1928 that remains at a library in Allegheny County.  You can request the book from the Wilkinsburg Public Library and pretend it’s predepression (1928) Sewickley once again!

 

 

 

 

 

 

New Additions to the TV Series Collection

New Additions to the TV Series Collection

If you are looking for a new television series to start or ready to catch the next season of a favorite series, here are some of the recently added titles in our TV Series on DVD collection.


The Flight Attendant. The Complete Seasons 1 & 2. Cassie Bowden is a globe-trotting flight attendant with a devil-may-care attitude who relishes flying off at a moment’s notice to her next great adventure. But Cassie’s seemingly glamorous world is suddenly thrown into a tailspin when her illegal escapades catch up with her.

 


The Man Who Fell to Earth. Season One. An alien crashes deep into the oilfields of New Mexico with a mission: he must find the brilliant scientist Justin Falls, the one woman on earth who can help save his species. An unlikely duo, together they discover that in order to save his world, they must first save ours. An inspired continuation of the novel by Walter Tevis and the iconic 1976 film starring David Bowie.

 


Ghosts. Season One. Freelance writer Samantha and aspiring chef Jay throw both caution and money to the wind to leave NYC and convert a rundown country estate they inherited into a bed & breakfast, only to find that it’s inhabited by a close-knit, eclectic group of spirits of deceased former residents. Adding to the supernatural surprises, Samantha discovers that she can see and hear ghosts everywhere, including those with whom she now shares a home. Old-school haunting and oddball humor fuel this sharp-witted, quirky comedy series that gives new meaning to the real estate phrase, ‘It’s got great bones.’


Star Trek, Strange New Worlds. Season One. Season 1 is based on the years Captain Christopher Pike manned the helm of the USS Enterprise. The series features fan favorites from Season 2 of Star Trek: Discovery – Anson Mount as Captain Christopher Pike, Rebecca Romijn as Number One, and Ethan Peck as Science Officer Spock. The series follows Captain Pike and the crew in the decade before Captain Kirk boarded the USS Enterprise, as they explore new worlds around the galaxy.


The Suspect. Joe O’Loughlin is a successful psychologist with a loving family, but a recent medical diagnosis has thrown his life off balance. When the police ask him to assist in the case of a murdered young woman, ghosts from his past begin to resurface.

 


Yellowstone. Season 5. Determined to protect his land and legacy at any cost, John Dutton takes his fight to the halls of government in the most explosive season of Yellowstone yet. But with greater power comes further scrutiny…of his family, his land, and the morally questionable measures he’s taken to protect them both. As new threats emerge and old enemies return, John, Beth, Kayce, Rip, and Jamie learn that power has a price.


Sanditon. Season Three. The final season continues the story of high-spirited heroine Charlotte Heywood and her friend, Georgiana Lambe. What adventures, scandals, intrigue, and – above all else – romance await them?

 

 


City on a Hill. Season Three. Having left the FBI, Jackie Rohr lands a new gig running security for a wealthy family in Boston’s high society Beacon Hill. Life is good until secrets begin to unravel. ADA Decourcy Ward sees an opportunity to rip out the machinery perpetuating a broken criminal justice system. Siobhan Quays encounters the city’s corruption firsthand, all while coping with the traumatic events of her past year. As Jenny Rohr can attest, some experiences will haunt you beyond your breaking point.


All Creatures Great & Small. Season 3. It’s the spring of 1939. Big changes are happening at Skeldale House and everyone has to learn how to adjust. Tristan is now a qualified vet while James enters a new stage of his life with Helen and at the practice.

 


Vienna Blood. Season 3. 1900s Vienna is a hotbed of philosophy, science and art, where a clash of cultures and ideas collide in the city’s grand cafes and opera houses. Brilliant Dr. Max Liebermann is a student of Sigmund Freud, and together with Detective Inspector Oskar Rheinhardt, they investigate a series of unusual and disturbing murders.

 


His Dark Materials. The Complete Third Season. The third and final season of Philip Pullman’s His Dark Material trilogy returns with an adaptation of the final book in the best-loved book series, The Amber Spyglass. Season Three opens with Lyra unconscious, having been given a sleeping draught by her mother, as Will, still carrying the Subtle Knife, continues his quest to find her in this epic story of love and truth.

Popular 2023 Books

Popular 2023 Books

What are people reading this year (so far…)?

Pineapple Street by Jenny Jackson

A deliciously funny, sharply observed debut of family, love, and class, this zeitgeisty novel follows three women in one wealthy Brooklyn clan.

 


Hello Beautiful by Ann Naplintano

William Waters grew up in a house silenced by tragedy, where his parents could hardly bear to look at him, much less love him–so when he meets the spirited and ambitious Julia Padavano in his freshman year of college, it’s as if the world has lit up around him. With Julia comes her family, as she and her three sisters are inseparable: Sylvie, the family’s dreamer, is happiest with her nose in a book; Cecelia is a free-spirited artist; and Emeline patiently takes care of them all. With the Padavanos, William experiences a newfound contentment; every moment in their house is filled with loving chaos.


The House of Eve by Sadeqa Johnson

“A triumph of historical fiction” ( The Washington Post ), an instant New York Times bestseller, and a Reese’s Book Club pick, 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.


The House is on Fire by Rachel Beanland

Told from the perspectives of four people whose actions changed the course of history, this masterful work of historical fiction takes readers back to 1811 Richmond, Virginia, where, on the night after Christmas, the city’s only theater burned to the ground, tearing apart a community.


The Bandit Queens by Parini Shroff

Five years ago, Geeta lost her no-good husband. As in, she actually lost him–he walked out on her and she has no idea where he is. But in her remote village in India, rumor has it that Geeta killed him. And it’s a rumor that just won’t die.


Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros

Enter the brutal and elite world of a war college for dragon riders from New York Times bestselling author Rebecca Yarros. Friends, enemies, lovers. Everyone at Basgiath War College has an agenda–because once you enter, there are only two ways out: graduate or die


The Ferryman by Justin Cronin

Proctor Bennet works for the Department of Social Contracts as a ferryman, gently shepherding people through the “retirement” process — and, when necessary, enforcing it.  He receives a disturbing and cryptic message from his father, who is himself about to be retired, that causes Proctor to question everything he once believed.


Lone Woman by Victor LaValle

In 1915, Adelaide Henry, after her secret sin killed her parents, sets out for Montana, dragging an enormous steamer trunk that’s locked at all times, to become one of the “lone women” taking advantage of the government’s offer of free land where she hopes to bury her past.


 

Literal Beach Reads

Literal Beach Reads

These books will literally whisk you away to the beach!

Five Star Weekend by Elin Hilderbrand

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Hotel Nantucket : After tragedy strikes, Hollis Shaw gathers four friends from different stages in her life to spend an unforgettable weekend on Nantucket.

 


Bad Summer People by Emma Rosenblum

Emma Rosenblum’s Bad Summer People is a whip-smart, propulsive debut about infidelity, backstabbing, and murderous intrigue, set against an exclusive summer haven on Fire Island.

 


The Cuban Heiress by Chanel Cleeton

New York heiress Catherine Dohan seemingly has it all. There’s only one problem. It’s a lie. As soon as the Morro Castle leaves port, Catherine’s past returns with a vengeance and threatens her life. Joining forces with a charismatic jewel thief, Catherine must discover who wants her dead – and why.


The Celebrants by Steven Rowley

A Big Chill for our times, celebrating decades-long friendships and promises–especially to ourselves–by the bestselling and beloved author of The Guncle.

 


Summer Reading by Jenn McKinlay

When a woman who’d rather do anything than read meets a swoon-worthy bookworm, sparks fly, making for one hot-summer fling in New York Times bestselling author Jenn McKinlay’s new rom-com.

 

Quick Read Classics

Are you thinking of tackling a classic book this summer?  Not quite ready for War and Peace or Middlemarch?  How about a short classic?  Check out one of those well-known books you’ve always meant to read!  And all are under 200 pages!

The Postman Always Rings Twice by James M. Cain

This best-selling sensation when first published in 1934, is still one of the best, most important, and most interesting crime novels in the canon.

 

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

A controversial tale of friendship and tragedy during the Great Depression — and a gateway into the work of  Steinbeck.

 

 

Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin

Set among the bohemian bars and nightclubs of 1950s Paris, this groundbreaking novel about love and the fear of love is “a book that belongs in the top rank of fiction.”

 

 

O Pioneers! by Willa Cather

The novel that first made Willa Cather famous–a powerfully mythic tale of the American frontier told through the life of one extraordinary woman.

 

 

Breakfast at Tiffany’s by Truman Capote

Holly Golightly knows that nothing bad can ever happen to you at Tiffany’s. In this seductive, wistful masterpiece, Capote created a woman whose name has entered the American idiom and whose style is a part of the literary landscape–her poignancy, wit, and naïveté continue to charm.

 

Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe

The most widely read book in modern African literature tells two overlapping, intertwining stories, both of which center around Okonkwo, a fearless Igbo warrior in Nigeria.

 

 

Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston

One of the most important and enduring works of the twentieth century.  A southern love story told with wit and pathos — perhaps one of the most widely read and highly acclaimed novel in the cannon of African-American literature.

 

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

F. Scott Fitzgerald’s third book, stands as the supreme achievement of his career. First published in 1925, this quintessential novel of the Jazz Age has been acclaimed by generations of readers.

 

Page 1The Girls of Slender Means by Muriel Spark

The girls of Spark’s novel live in the May of Teck Club in London, disturbed but not destroyed by WWII—both the Club, that is, and the girls.

Upcoming Spring Mysteries & Thrillers

APRIL

City of Dreams by Don Winslow – April 18

Following the epic, ambitious, instant New York Times bestseller City on Fire, “The Godfather for our generation” (Adrian McKinty), comes the dramatic second novel in an epic crime trilogy from Don Winslow, #1 internationally bestselling author of the Cartel trilogy (The Power of the Dog, The Cartel and The Border).


Where are the Children Now? by Mary Higgins Clark – April 18

The legacy of the “Queen of Suspense” continues with the highly anticipated follow-up to Mary Higgins Clark’s iconic novel Where Are The Children? , featuring the children of Nancy Harmon, facing peril once again as adults.


The Tip Line by Vanessa Cuti – April 18

Eager to get married, thirty-year-old Virginia Carey lands a job as an operator at a police tip line, where she thinks finding a husband will be easy. There’s Charlie Ford, a surprisingly sweet homicide detective, and charming police chief Declan “Deck” Brady. But just as Virginia’s plans begin to fall into place and she can almost picture a ring on her finger, she answers a call from Verona-a mysterious woman who provides a tip about four bodies on a remote local beach.


Small Mercies by Dennis Lehane – April 25

The acclaimed New York Times bestselling writer returns with a masterpiece to rival Mystic River–an all-consuming tale of revenge, family love, festering hate, and insidious power, set against one of the most tumultuous episodes in Boston’s history.


The Eden Test by Adam Sternbergh – April 25

From Edgar Award-finalist Adam Sternbergh, an electrifying domestic suspense novel for fans of The Perfect Marriage and Rock Paper Scissors , about a couple who are forced to the ultimate extremes to save their marriage–and themselves.


MAY

The 23rd Midnight by James Patterson – May 1

The latest in this “successful and suspenseful” ( Entertainment Weekly ) series: an attention-seeking copycat is recreating murders by a famous killer from the Women’s Murder Club’s past–with devastating new twists.

 


The Chateau by Jaclyn Goldis – May 23

A dream girls trip to a luxurious French chateau devolves into a deadly nightmare of secrets and murder in this stylish, twisty thriller for fans of Lucy Foley, Ruth Ware, and Lisa Jewell.

 


Beware the Woman by Megan Abbot – May 30

By the “master of thinly veiled secrets often kept by women who rage underneath their delicate exteriors” (Kirkus Reviews), Beware the Woman is Megan Abbott at the height of her game.

 


Drowning by T. J. Newman – May 30

Flight attendant turned New York Times bestselling author T. J. Newman–whose first book Falling was an instant #1 national bestseller and the biggest thriller debut of 2021–returns for her second book, an edge-of-your-seat thriller about a commercial jetliner that crashes into the ocean, and sinks to the bottom with passengers trapped inside, and the extraordinary rescue operation to save them.


Killing Moon by Joe Nesbo – May 30

This killer will get inside your head. * Brilliant rogue police investigator Harry Hole is back, this time as an outsider assembling his own team to help find a serial killer who is murdering young women in Oslo in the next novel in the New York Times best-selling series.

 

 

Novels Set in Western PA

Novels Set in Western PA

Pittsburgh Novels interactive map example

Example of the interactive map feature

We are excited to announce that the Penn State University Libraries’ Open Publishing program has launched “The Pittsburgh Novel: Western Pennsylvania in Fiction and Drama, 1792–2022.” This online annotated bibliography compiled by Peter Oresick and Jake Oresick includes all known fiction with a significant geographical setting in any of Pennsylvania’s 26 westernmost counties published between 1792 and 2022 – more than 1,500 works.

The searchable bibliography organizes content using keywords, genres and place settings and includes abstracts and notes for each entry. Places are nested in each entry by county, municipality, neighborhood, sub-neighborhood and landmark. A unique feature of the bibliography is the interactive map. Clicking on a region in the map provides a list of titles associated with that region or zone with links to that title in the bibliography.

The bibliography includes national bestsellers, award-winning films and screenplays of popular motion pictures, children’s and young adult works, scripts of plays and television series, and obscure and self-published titles.

Read more about this project here:  Penn State University Libraries launches online bibliography of western Pa. fiction (PSU News – January 31, 2023)

Search the database here.

New Documentary DVDS

New Documentary DVDS

Consider adding a documentary to your DVD viewing queue; here are some of the recent additions to our nonfiction DVD collection.


Cover ImageHonk. The power of love shines in this heartwarming tale of friendship and inspiration between an unlikely duo. Cheryl inadvertently befriends a mourning goose, Honk, while recycling in the local park. As the budding friendship blossoms and Cheryl seeks Honk a new home, he becomes a viral sensation capturing the hearts and minds of millions.


Cover ImageSo Late So Soon. Half a century into their marriage, Chicago artists Jackie and Don Seiden approach the fragility of their elderly lives in their own distinct ways. Jackie, notorious for her unbounded energy, is constantly on the move, inspired to create works of art while also maintaining the couple’s multistory, brightly-painted Victorian house. Don steadily sketches in his notebook while facing alarming interruptions to his health. Director Daniel Hymanson filmed the Seidens, on-and-off for five years, capturing the hardships of aging as well as a view into enduring companionship, in this charming character study.


Cover ImageBehind the Stage Door. Explores the life and work of Pittsburgh concert promoter Rich Engler, one of the top concert promoters in the United States.

 


Cover ImageExposing Muybridge. Examines the life and work of groundbreaking 19th century photographer Eadweard Muybridge, best known for his studies of humans and animal locomotion.


Cover ImageFrom Where They Stood. At Auschwitz and a few other Nazi death camps, a small number of prisoners managed to take photographs of life inside. Using the surviving photographs as evidence, director Christophe Cognet pieces together the stories of the brave men and women who took them.


Cover ImageMaking Black America Through the Grapevine. The four-part series hosted by Henry Louis Gates, Jr., chronicles the vast social networks and organizations created by and for Black people beyond the reach of the “White gaze.” The series recounts the establishment of the Prince Hall Masons in 1775 through the formation of all-Black towns and business districts, Historically Black Colleges and Universities, destinations for leisure, and the social media phenomenon of Black Twitter. Professor Gates sits with noted scholars, politicians, cultural leaders, and old friends to discuss this world behind the color line and what it looks like today. It takes viewers into an extraordinary world that showcased Black people’s ability to collectively prosper, defy white supremacy and define Blackness in ways that transformed America itself.


Cover ImageMuseum Town. Tells the story of a unique museum, the small town it calls home, and the great risk, hope, and power of art to transform a desolate post-industrial city. MASS MoCA is the largest museum for contemporary art in the world, but just three decades before, its vast brick buildings were the abandoned relics of a massive shuttered factory. Threaded with interviews of a diverse cast, a tattooed curator, a fabricator, former factory worker, and shopkeepers, the film also looks at the artistic process itself, tracking the work and ideas of celebrated artist Nick Cave as he creates his groundbreaking installation at MASS MoCA, UNTIL. With appearances by artists ranging from James Turrell to David Byrne, narration by Meryl Streep, and a soundtrack from John Stirratt of Wilco, the film captures the meeting of small-town USA and the global art world as it tells a tale that is, like any great artwork, soulful, thought-provoking and unforgettable.


Cover ImageHarriet Tubman Visions of Freedom. Harriet Tubman: Visions of Freedom is a rich and nuanced portrait of the woman known as a conductor of the Underground Railroad, who repeatedly risked her life and freedom to liberate others from slavery.

 


Cover ImageHiding in Plain Sight Youth Mental Illness. A two-part, four-hour documentary that explores America’s youth mental health crisis through the eyes of more than twenty young people, who speak about their lived experience with mental health challenges, from depression to addiction to suicide ideation. Includes Spanish SDH subtitles.

New Holiday DVDS

New Holiday DVDS

Whether it’s a holiday classic or one of these new titles, you are sure to find something festive to enjoy this holiday season.


Cover ImageA Mrs. Miracle Christmas. When a family faces loneliness and loss of faith, Mrs. Miracle swoops in to renew their Christmas Spirit, and they experience a holiday of heavenly proportions. Based on the book “A Mrs. Miracle Christmas” by author Debbie Macomber.

 


Cover Image

Dear Santa. As thousands of letters to Santa Claus flood post offices during the holiday season, it’s up to the US Postal Service’s 107-year-old Operation Santa to deliver them to Kris Kringle himself.

 


Cover ImageChristmas in Harmony. Harmony is tricked into auditioning for the Holiday Chorus – directed by an ex-boyfriend. By Christmas Eve, they could be harmonizing in the key of love. Starring Ashleigh Murray, Luke James, Basil Wallace, Michelle Williams, and Loretta Devine.

 


Cover ImageA Dickens of a Holiday. Boyfriends of Christmas Past. A Hallmark 2-movie collection. A Dickens of a Holiday!: To make the 100th anniversary of her hometown’s Victorian festival a success, Cassie invites action movie star and former high school classmate Jake to play Scrooge in ‘A Christmas Carol.’Boyfriends of Christmas Past: Leading up to Christmas, marketing executive, Lauren, is visited by the ghosts of four ex-boyfriends. She must learn to open her heart or risk losing her best friend, Nate.


Cover ImageThe Mistletoe Promise. A chance meeting between two strangers who share a disdain for Christmas results in The Mistletoe Promise, a pact to help them navigate their holiday complications together. But as they spend more time with each other and experience the magic of Christmas the phony couple discovers there may be more to their contract than business.


Cover ImageChristmas on the Square. An embittered scrooge of a woman plans to sell her small town, regardless of the consequences to the people who live there. However, a kindhearted angel arrives and shows her what would happen before she mends her ways and redeems herself. Starring Dolly Parton, Jenifer Lewis, Josh Segarra, Jeanine Mason, Mary Lane Haskell, Treat Williams, Christine Baranski.


Cover ImageEight Gifts of Hanukkah. An anonymous suitor sends optometrist Sara a gift for each night of Hanukkah. On her journey to find her secret admirer, she learns her one true love might be someone she never expected. Starring Inbar Lavi, Jake Epstein, Sheila Tyson, Barry Levy, David Kaye, Natalie Malaika, Doron Bell.

 


Cover ImageChristmas in Paradise. Joanna’s holiday is shattered when her sisters tell her that their dad has been dumped by his fiancée, he isn’t responding to any calls and disappeared to a Caribbean island. The sisters decide to go to save their father and bring him home for Christmas. Starring Kelsey Grammer, Elizabeth Hurley, Billy Ray Cyrus, Nathalie Cox, Naomi Frederick, Ray Fearon, Victoria Ekanoye.


Cover ImageThe Christmas Promise ; Christmas for Keeps. In “The Christmas Promise,” a woman learns to deal with grief with the help of her grandfather and a carpenter named Joe, who she hires to renovate the home she was to share with her fiancé. And in “Christmas for Keeps,” close-knit childhood friends return home for Christmas after 10 years to take part in a celebration of life for their beloved high school teacher.

 

Library Lovers Book Picks

Love Your LibraryWhat do Sewickley Public Library users love to read?  During Love Your Library month we asked you, and received about 100 responses on our display.  Here is a highlight of some of the responses, maybe you can find something new that would spark your interest!

 

Where’d You Go Bernadette / Maria Semple

When her notorious, hilarious, volatile, talented, troubled and agoraphobic mother goes missing, teenage Bee begins a trip that takes her to the ends of the earth to find her.

Where the Crawdads Sing / Delia Owens

Viewed with suspicion in the aftermath of a tragedy, a beautiful hermit who has survived for years in a marsh becomes targeted by unthinkable forces.

The Handmaid’s Tale / Margaret Atwood

Offred, a Handmaid, describes life in what was once the United States, now the Republic of Gilead, a shockingly repressive and intolerant monotheocracy, in a satirical tour de force set in the near future.

100 Years of Solitude / Gabriel Garcia Marquez

The evolution and eventual decadence of a small South American town is mirrored in the family history of the Buendias.

The Godfather / Mario Puzo

The Godfather is an extraordinary novel which has become a modern day classic. Puzo pulls us inside the violent society of the Mafia and its gang wars. The leader, Vito Corleone, is the Godfather. He is a benevolent despot who stops at nothing to gain and hold power. His command post is a fortress on Long Island from which he presides over a vast underground empire that includes the rackets, gambling, bookmaking, and unions. His influence runs through all levels of American society, from the cop on the beat to the nation’s mighty.

Ten Thousand Doors of January / Alix Harrow

A woman navigating the out-of-place artifacts in her caretaker’s sprawling early 20th-century mansion discovers a mysterious book that reveals impossible truths about the world and her own past.

And Then There Were None / Agatha Christie

Ten houseguests, trapped on an isolated island, are the prey of a diabolical killer. A famous nursery rhyme is framed and hung in every room of the mansion: Ten little Indian boys went out to dine; One choked his little self and then there were nine–When they realize that murders are occurring as described in the rhyme, terror mounts. Who has choreographed this dastardly scheme? And who will be left to tell the tale?

The Thursday Murder Club / Richard Osman

Meeting weekly in their retirement village’s Jigsaw Room to exchange theories about unsolved crimes, four savvy septuagenarians propose a daring but unorthodox plan to help a woman rookie cop solve her first big murder case.

7 ½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle / Stuart Turton

Doomed to repeat the same day over and over, Aiden Bishop must solve the murder of Evelyn Hardcastle in order to escape the curse in a world filled with enemies where nothing and no one are quite what they seem

Cloud Cuckoo Land / Anthony Doerr

Follows four young dreamers and outcasts through time and space, from 1453 Constantinople to the future, as they discover resourcefulness and hope amidst peril in the new novel by the Pulitzer Prize–winning author All the Light We Cannot See.

Running with Scissors / Augusten Burroughs

The author describes his bizarre coming-of-age years after his adoption by his mother’s psychiatrist, during which he witnessed such misadventures as a fake suicide attempt and front-lawn family/patient sleepovers.

President’s Club / Nancy Gibbs

Traces the history of the presidential fraternity conceived by Harry Truman and Herbert Hoover during Eisenhower’s inauguration, exploring the ways in which the nation’s presidents depended on, sabotaged, and formed alliances that had world-changing impacts.