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BOOKSHELF

November Books

Fiction

Eurotrash, by Christian Kracht

The eponymous narrator “Christian” has arrived in Zurich to care for his 80-year-old mother after her discharge from a mental institution. Reckoning with his family’s dark history — his long-dead grandfather was intimately associated with and unapologetically supportive of the Nazis — and struggling to navigate the emotionally wrenching terrain of his relationship with his mother, Christian sets off on a road trip with her. As they traverse Switzerland in a hired cab, mother and son attempt to give away her vast fortune, which they’re carrying in a large plastic bag, to random strangers. By turns disturbing, disorienting, hilarious and poignant, Eurotrash tells an intensely personal and unsparingly critical story of contemporary culture.

Pony Confidential, by Christina Lynch

Pony has been passed from owner to owner for longer than he can remember. Fed up, he busts out and goes on a cross-country mission to reunite with Penny, the little girl he was separated from and hasn’t seen in years. Now an adult, Penny is living an ordinary life when she gets a knock on her door and finds herself in handcuffs, accused of murder and whisked back to the place she grew up. Her only comfort when the past comes back to haunt her is the memory of her precious, rebellious pony. Hearing of Penny’s fate, Pony knows that Penny is no murderer. So, as smart and devious as he is cute, Pony must use his hard-won knowledge of human weakness and cruelty to try to clear Penny’s name and find the real killer.

Nonfiction

Ghosts of Panama: A Strongman Out of Control, A Murdered Marine, and the Special Agents Caught in the Middle of an Invasion, by Mark Harmon

The once warm relationship between the United States and Gen. Manuel Noriega has eroded dangerously. Newly elected President George H.W. Bush has declared the strongman a drug trafficker and a rigger of elections. Intimidation on the streets is a daily reality for U.S. personnel and their families. The nation is a powder keg. Naval Investigative Service Special Agent Rick Yell has worked the job in Panama since 1986, and lives there with his wife, Annya, and infant child. Like most NIS agents, he’s a civilian with no military rank with a specialty in working criminal cases. The dynamic changes suddenly when Yell inadvertently develops an intelligence source with unparalleled access to the Noriega regime. The powder keg is lit on December 16, 1989, when a young U.S. Marine is gunned down at a checkpoint in Panama City. Yell and his cadre of trusted agents deploy immediately to investigate the killing, and what they determine will decide the fate of two nations. When President Bush hears the details they uncover, he orders an invasion that puts Yell’s family, informants and fellow agents directly in harm’s way. 

How Women Made Music: A Revolutionary History,
from NPR Music by National Public Radio, Inc.

NPR Music’s Turning the Tables launched in 2017 and revolutionized recognition of female artists. How Women Made Music: A Revolutionary History brings this impressive reshaping to the page in a must-have book for music fans, songwriters, feminist historians and those interested in how artists think and work. In it Joan Baez talks about nonviolence as a musical principle; Dolly Parton identifies her favorite song and explains the story behind it; Patti Smith describes art as her “jealous mistress”; Nina Simone reveals how she developed the edge in her voice as a tool against racism; and Taylor Swift talks about when she had no idea if her musical career might work. This incomparable hardcover volume is a vital record of history destined to become a classic.

Children's Books

Alfie Explores A to Z, by Jeff Drew

When Alfie’s pet dust bunny Betty disappears, his search for her leads him to Dee’s Diner, through Ice Cream Island, and more. I Spy meets Where’s Waldo with a poetic alphabetical twist in this gorgeous picture book. (Ages 3-7.)

Best in Show, by David Elliott

Perfectly positioned petite poems pronouncing praise for perfect pets, this collection of short poems of beloved dog breeds also includes factual history and details. A perfect pick for dog lovers of any age. (Ages 3-7.)

When We Gather: A Cherokee Tribal Feast,
by Andrea L. Rogers

In the fall we gather for Thanksgiving but in the Cherokee culture the communal feast happens in the spring with the emergence of the green onion shoots. Family, community and the harvest are all celebrated in this lovely read-together that gives a nod to respecting the Earth by leaving more than you take and sharing what you have to give. (Ages 4-8.)

Sylvia Doe and the 100-Year Flood, by Robert Beatty

Sylvia Doe doesn’t know where she was born or the people she came from. She doesn’t even know her real last name. When Hurricane Jessamine causes the remote mountain valley where she lives to flood, Sylvia must rescue her beloved horses. But she begins to encounter strange and wondrous things floating down the river. Glittering gemstones and wild animals that don’t belong — everything’s out of place. Then she spots an unconscious boy floating in the water. As she fights to rescue him — and their adventure together begins — Sylvia wonders who he is and where he came from. And why does she feel such a strong connection to this mysterious boy?

Known for his Serafina series, Beatty will be donating 100 percent of his earned royalties from Sylvia Doe and the 100-Year Flood — a story he’s been writing for several years — to the people impacted by the catastrophic floods caused by Hurricane Helene in Asheville, North Carolina, where he lives. The real-life 100-year flood struck at the same time the book was scheduled to launch. (Ages 8 -12.)