Note to Shelf: January 2023

Author

Notes

Kiera shares, "Ever since my college intro course on Greek mythology, I’ve loved revisiting stories of the Olympians and the hapless humans they manipulate. I’m also a sucker for modern retellings. I recently picked up Claire North’s Ithaca, which tells the story of Penelope, wife of Odysseus. Penelope is best known as the long-suffering queen left behind when Odysseus goes to fight in the Trojan War and doesn’t return for 20 years. North, staying faithful to the source material, gives voice to the women (and goddesses) running Ithaca while Odysseus and his men are off on their adventures. Narrated by a sharp and saucy Hera, this is a thoroughly enjoyable read for fans of Madeline Miller (Circe, The Song of Achilles) and Jennifer Saint’s Ariadne."

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"This is the story of Penelope of Ithaca, famed wife of Odysseus, as it has never been told before. Beyond Ithaca's shores, the whims of gods dictate the wars of men. But on the isle, it is the choices of the abandoned women--and their goddesses--that will change the course of the world"--

2) Breath: the new science of a lost art

Author

Nestor, James

Notes

Mary-Beth reminds us that "Breath is essential to life. In this book you will learn the best way to breathe. Nestor shares trials that prove breathing correctly increases physical well-being, performance and longevity. Mastering the art of breathing in many cultures is considered powerful medicine. Research has shown that dysevolution of human structure — the changes that have occurred with our evolution — has made our airway more prone to obstruction, congestion, and improper breathing. Mastering the art of breathing in many cultures is considered powerful medicine. I invite you to indulge yourself with this book, make small simple adjustments in your breathing, or practice the dozen plus breathing methods featured. For the more serious breath work readers, Nestor mentions breath masters throughout the text and highlights free apps to assist with timed breathing. Nestor’s book describes how to begin the journey."

Formats:

Book, eBook, Kindle

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"No matter what you eat, how much you exercise, how resilient your genes are, how skinny or young or wise you are, none of it matters if you're not breathing properly. There is nothing more essential to our health and wellbeing than breathing: take air in, let it out, repeat 25,000 times a day. Yet, as a species, humans have lost the ability to breathe correctly, with grave consequences. Science journalist James Nestor travels the world to figure...

3) The bandit queens: a novel

Author

Shroff, Parini

Notes

Colleen loved this book. "It is a character-driven debut full of dark humor, and is, at times, laugh-out-loud funny. It highlights the collaborative power of female friendships and bonding, especially with women who are deemed voiceless. Rumor has it that Geeta killed her “no-good” husband, but there is still no proof five years later. Observing her improved life as a widow and her thriving small business, members of Geeta’s microloan group resort to blackmail and extortion to get her help to get rid of their “no-good” husbands. Geeta wants no part in this conspiracy; however, she considers the benefits of getting rid of these abusive men. As unexpected friendships develop across castes and religions, the women believe that inconsequential invisible housewives are beyond suspicion in their society and considered incapable of planning anything as significant as murder. A hilarious read to brighten the season!"

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"A young Indian woman falsely rumored to have killed her husband finds a way to make her unfortunate reputation surprisingly useful--but complications arise when other village women seek her help offing their husbands--in this provocative, razor-sharp debut. "The Bandit Queens heralds a prodigious and sophisticated literary talent." Téa Obreht, New York Times bestselling author of Inland. In the five years since her husband's disappearance, Geeta...

4) Local gone missing

Author

Barton, Fiona

Notes

Ann discovered this "enticing whodunit set in the small seaside town of Ebbing, England. A music festival comes to this sleepy town where usually nothing exciting ever happens. Detective Elise King has been on medical leave but can't help getting involved when tragedy strikes. During the festival two teenagers suffer an overdose, and Charlie Perry, a beloved local, goes missing. As the investigation begins, Detective Elise discovers that Charlie is possibly not as beloved as believed and, in fact, he might have a truly dark past. This novel is a taut, intriguing story that will keep you guessing and perhaps exclaiming at the conclusion, wow!"

Formats:

Book, Audiobook CD, eAudiobook, eBook, Kindle, Large Print

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"Detective Elise King investigates a man's disappearance in a seaside town where the locals and weekenders are at odds with each other in this rich and captivating new novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Widow. Elise King is a successful and ambitious detective-or she was before a medical leave left her unsure if she'd ever return to work. She now spends most days watching the growing tensions in her small seaside town of Ebbing-the...

5) Lost and found in Paris: a novel

Author

Dolan, Lian

Notes

Carol shares that "If you are a fan of stories with head-spinning twists, turns, and unexpected endings, then you will enjoy this book. When Joan Blakey’s husband confesses to an affair, she is forced to face the end of her marriage and humdrum life. Coveting an escape while seeking some adventure, Joan volunteers to serve as an art courier who delivers sketches to a dealer in Paris. However, when the sketches are stolen, Joan enlists the help of Nate, a man she only just met, and together, they embark on a mission to recover the stolen works. Curiously, in place of the art, the thief has left pages from the journals of her deceased father, sending the pair on a whirlwind tour of Paris to decipher the clues. What started as an adventure ultimately becomes Joan’s journey of self-discovery."

Formats:

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Joan Blakely had an unconventional childhood: the daughter of a globe-trotting supermodel and a world-famous artist. Her artist father died on 9/11, and Joan--an art historian by training--has spent more than a decade maintaining his legacy. Life in the art world is beginning to wear on her--and then one fateful afternoon her husband drops a bombshell: he's fathered twins with another woman. Furious but secretly pleased to have a reason to blow up...

6) Night wherever we go: a novel

Author

Peyton, Tracey Rose

Formats:

Book, eAudiobook, eBook, Kindle

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A gripping, radically intimate debut novel about a group of enslaved women staging a covert rebellion against their owners. On a struggling Texas plantation, six enslaved women slip from their sleeping quarters and gather in the woods under the cover of night. The Lucys--as they call the plantation owners, after Lucifer himself--have decided to turn around the farm's bleak financial prospects by making the women bear children. They have hired a "stockman"...

7) Code 6: a novel

Author

Grippando, James

Formats:

Book, eAudiobook, eBook, Kindle

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Aspiring playwright, Kate Gamble, is struggling to launch a script she's been secretly researching her entire life, mostly at the family dinner table. Her father is Christian Gamble, CEO of Buck Technologies, a private data integration company whose clients include the CIA and virtually every counter-terrorism organization in the Western World. Kate's father adores her, and a play about the dark side of Big Data would be the ultimate betrayal in his...

8) The Mitford affair: a novel

Author

Benedict, Marie

Formats:

Book, Bag Book, eBook, Kindle, Large Print

Description

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"Between the World Wars, the six Mitford sisters--each more beautiful, brilliant, and eccentric than the next--dominate the English scenes. Though they've weathered scandals before, the family falls into disarray when Diana divorces her wealthy husband to marry a fascist leader and Unity follows her sister's lead all the way to Munich, inciting rumors that she's become Hitler's mistress. As the Nazis rise in power, novelist Nancy Mitford grows suspicious...

9) Rough sleepers

Author

Kidder, Tracy

Formats:

Book, Bag Book, eBook, Kindle, Large Print

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"When he graduated from Harvard Medical School, Jim O'Connell was asked by the medical school Dean to spend one year setting up a program to care for the homeless population in Boston. It became Jim O'Connell's life calling, to help people known as "rough sleepers." For the past three decades, Dr. O'Connell has run the Boston Healthcare for the Homeless Program, which he helped to create. Affiliated with Massachusetts General Hospital, the program...

10) The devil's ransom

Author

Taylor, Brad

Formats:

Book, eAudiobook, eBook, Kindle

Description

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When his covert company, along with every other entity in the Taskforce, is hit with a ransomware attack linked to the Taliban, Pike must stop a plot to alter the balance of power on the global stage orchestrated by a former NSA specialist in the U.S. government.

11) How to sell a haunted house

Author

Hendrix, Grady

Description

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"New York Times bestselling author Grady Hendrix takes on the haunted house in a hilarious and terrifying new novel that explores the way your past-and your family-can haunt you like nothing else.... Louise's parents have passed away, and she's returning to the small Southern town where she grew up to get their house ready to sell. It means she'll have to spend time with her younger brother-and their old grudges make that a terrifying prospect. But...