Bookshelf

February Books

FICTION

Carolina Built, by Kianna Alexander

Based on the life of real estate magnate Josephine N. Leary, Carolina Built tells the story of a woman born into slavery who gained her freedom at the age of 9 and succeeds in building a real estate empire in Edenton, North Carolina. Striving to create a legacy for her two daughters, Josephine teaches herself to be a businesswoman, to manage her finances, and to make smart investments. But with each passing year, it grows more and more difficult to juggle work and family obligations. Alexander brings Leary to life in her page-turning book of historical fiction as Josephine becomes a wife, landowner, business partner and visionary.

Love and Saffron, by Kim Fay

This witty and tender novel follows two women in 1960s America as they discover that food really does connect us all, and that friendship and laughter are the best medicine. When 27-year-old Joan Bergstrom sends a fan letter — and a gift of saffron — to 59-year-old Imogen Fortier, a life-changing friendship begins. Joan lives in Los Angeles and is just starting out as a food writer. Imogen lives on Camano Island outside Seattle, writing a monthly column for a Pacific Northwest magazine. While she can hunt elk and dig for clams, she’s never tasted fresh garlic. The two women bond through their letters, building a closeness that sustains them through the Cuban Missile Crisis, the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, and the unexpected events in their own lives. Told in three parts, this tender and honest book is a reminder that we are never finished growing, changing and loving.

The Christie Affair, by Nina de Gramont

“A long time ago, in another country, I nearly killed a woman . . . ” So begins The Christie Affair, a stunning new novel that reimagines the unexplained 11-day disappearance of Agatha Christie that captivated the world. The story is narrated by Miss Nan O’Dea, a fictional character based on a real person who infiltrated the wealthy, rarified world of author Christie and her husband, Archie — a world of London townhomes, country houses, shooting parties and tennis matches. First, she became part of their world, and then she became Archie’s mistress. What did it have to do with the mysterious 11 days that Agatha Christie went missing? The answer takes you back in time, to Ireland, to a young girl in love, to a time before The Great War, to a star-crossed couple destined to be together until war and their shameful secrets tore them apart.

Black Cake, by Charmaine Wilkerson

In this moving debut novel, two estranged siblings must set aside their differences to deal with their mother’s death and her hidden past — a journey of discovery that takes them from the Caribbean to London to California, beginning and ending with her famous black cake. Eleanor Bennett passes away in present-day California, leaving behind a puzzling inheritance for her two children, Byron and Benny: a traditional Caribbean black cake — made from a family recipe — and a voice recording. In her message, Eleanor shares a tumultuous story about a headstrong young swimmer who escapes her island home under suspicion of murder. The heartbreaking journey that unfolds challenges everything the siblings thought they knew about their family, the secrets their mother held back, and the mystery of a long-lost child.

CHILDREN’S BOOKS

Love You By Heart, by Peter H. Reynolds

Triumphs, joys, fumbles, falls, when you truly love someone, you love all of them. The perfect little gem for Valentine’s Day, or any day, because when you love someone, you love them warts and all. (All ages.)

Bob Ross, Peapod the Squirrel, and the Happy Accident, by Robb Pearlman

Mistakes are just happy accidents when Bob Ross and Peapod are in the art studio. Celebrate art! Creativity! Fun! This little book encourages young artists to go with the flow. (Ages 4-7.)

Smooch!: A Celebration of the Enduring Power of Love, by Karen Kilpatrick

Whether you’re in the pool, the tub, or get licked by your furry friend, nothing can wipe away the kiss of someone who loves you. For family members who cannot be together this Valentine’s Day, this adorable title is the perfect way to say, “I love you.” (Ages 3-6.)

Bold Words from Black Women: Inspiration and Truths from 50 Leaders Who Helped Shape Our World, by Dr. Tamara Pizzoli

From Alice Walker to Zora Neale Hurston, this stunning collection features quotes and portraits of 50 amazing Black women. An absolute must-have for young readers. (Age 6 to adult.)  PS

Compiled by Kimberly Daniels Taws and Angie Tally.

Bookshelf

January Books

FICTION

The Maid, by Nita Prose

A charmingly eccentric hotel maid discovers a guest murdered in his bed. Solving the mystery will turn her once orderly world upside down in this utterly original debut novel. Molly Gray struggles with social skills and misreads the intentions of others, but her obsessive love of cleaning and proper etiquette make her delight in her job as a hotel maid. Molly’s orderly life is upended the day she finds infamous and wealthy Charles Black dead in his bed. Her unusual demeanor has the police targeting her as their lead suspect. This Clue-like, locked-room mystery explores what it means to be the same as everyone else and, yet, entirely different.

The Final Case, by David Guterson

From the award-winning, bestselling author of Snow Falling on Cedars comes a moving father-son story that is also a taut courtroom drama and a bold examination of privilege, power and how to live a meaningful life. A girl dies one late, rainy night a few feet from the back door of her home. The girl, Abeba, was born in Ethiopia. Her adoptive parents are conservative, white fundamentalist Christians and are charged with her murder. The Final Case is an astute examination of justice and injustice.

Mouth to Mouth, by Antoine Wilson

In a first-class lounge at JFK airport, our narrator listens as Jeff Cook, a former classmate he only vaguely remembers, shares the uncanny story of his adult life — a life that changed course years before, when he resuscitated a drowning man, a renowned art dealer, and begins to surreptitiously visit his Beverly Hills gallery. The dealer does not recognize him but casts his legendary eye on Jeff and sees something worthy. He takes the younger man under his wing, initiating him into his world, where knowledge, taste and access are currency; a world where value is constantly shifting and calling into question what is real, and what matters. The paths of the two men come together and diverge in dizzying ways until the novel’s staggering ending.

How High We Go in the Dark, by Sequoia Nagamatsu

A spellbinding debut that follows a cast of intricately linked characters over hundreds of years as humanity struggles to rebuild itself in the aftermath of a climate plague. From funerary skyscrapers to hotels for the dead to interstellar starships, Nagamatsu takes readers on a wildly original and compassionate journey, spanning continents, centuries and even celestial bodies to tell a story about the resilience of the human spirit, our infinite capacity to dream, and the connective threads that tie us all together in the universe.

Violeta, by Isabel Allende

This sweeping novel from the New York Times bestselling author of A Long Petal of the Sea tells the epic story of Violeta Del Valle, a woman whose life spans 100 years and bears witness to the greatest upheavals of the 20th century. Her life is marked by extraordinary events. The ripples of the Great War are still being felt, even as the Spanish flu arrives on the shores of her South American homeland almost at the moment of her birth. She tells her story in the form of a letter to someone she loves above all others, recounting times of devastating heartbreak and passionate affairs, poverty and wealth, terrible loss and immense joy.

NONFICTION

The Vanished Collection, by Pauline Baer de Perignon

It all started with a list of paintings — the names of the masters whose works once belonged to her great-grandfather, Jules Strauss — Renoir, Monet, Degas, Tiepolo and more. Pauline Baer de Perignon knew little to nothing about Strauss, or about his vanished, precious art collection. But the list drove her on a frenzied trail of research in the archives of the Louvre and the Dresden museums, through Gestapo records, to a consultation with Nobel laureate Patrick Modiano. What happened in 1942? And what became of the collection after Nazis seized her great-grandparents’ elegant Paris apartment?

CHILDREN’S BOOKS

Show the World!, by Angela Dalton

It’s a powerful thing to have even one person believe in you. A gift of this powerful little book would encourage anyone to make the world their canvas. (Ages 4-7.)

Dinosaurs on Kitty Island,
by Michael Slack

Awwwww! The kitties on Kitty island are so cute . . . or are they? When the dinosaurs come to play, they’ll see just who is cute and cuddly after all. This perfect read-aloud will have everyone giggling. (Ages 3-6.)

Twisty-Turny House, by Lisa Mantchev

Everyone has their proper place in the twisty-turny house. The cats are upstairs and the dogs are downstairs until one day a bold cat ventures down the stairs and opens the door for everyone to discover the wonders the whole house has to offer. A sweet story of sharing, misconceptions and new experiences. (Ages 4-7.)

Winnie-the-Pooh, by A. A. Milne

January is a great time to snuggle up with a classic, and this stunning new edition of the stories of a silly old bear is the perfect choice. The complete text of the 1926 classic is accompanied by full color versions of the original illustrations by E. H. Shepherd. (Ages 4-10.)  PS

Compiled by Kimberly Daniels Taws and Angie Tally.

Bookshelf

November Books

FICTION

Dava Shastri’s Last Day, by Kirthana Ramisetti

Dava Shastri, one of the world’s wealthiest women, has always lived with her sterling reputation in mind. A brain cancer diagnosis at the age of 70, however, changes everything, and Dava decides to take her death — like all matters of her life — into her own hands. Summoning her four adult children to her private island, she discloses shocking news: In addition to having a terminal illness, she has arranged for the news of her death to break early, so she can read her obituaries. As someone who dedicated her life to the arts and the empowerment of women, Dava expects to read articles lauding her philanthropic work. Instead, her “death” reveals two devastating secrets, truths she thought she had buried forever.

Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone, by Diana Gabaldon

Jamie Fraser and Claire Randall were torn apart by the Jacobite Rising in 1746; now the American Revolution threatens to do the same. In this newest novel in the Outlander series, it is 1779, and Claire and Jamie are at last reunited with their daughter, Brianna, her husband, Roger, and their children on Fraser’s Ridge. Yet, even in the North Carolina backcountry, the effects of war are being felt. Tensions in the Colonies are great, and Jamie knows loyalties among his tenants are split and it won’t be long until the war is on his doorstep. Brianna and Roger have their own worry: that the dangers that provoked their escape from the 20th century might catch up to them. Not so far away, young William Ransom is still coming to terms with the discovery of his true father’s identity — and thus his own — and Lord John Grey has reconciliations to make, and dangers to meet . . . on his son’s behalf, and his own.

Wish You Were Here, by Jodi Picoult

Diana O’Toole is perfectly on track. She will be married by 30, have kids by 35, and move out to the New York City suburbs, all while climbing the professional ladder in the cutthroat art auction world. She’s not engaged just yet, but she knows her boyfriend, Finn, a surgical resident, is about to propose on their romantic getaway to the Galapagos — days before her 30th birthday. When a virus appears in the city and it’s all hands on deck at the hospital, Finn has to stay behind. Reluctantly, Diana goes on the trip without him. Almost immediately, her luggage is lost, the Wi-Fi is nearly nonexistent, the whole island is under quarantine, and she is stranded until the borders reopen. Slowly, she carves out a connection with a local family and is transformed.

NONFICTION

Under Jerusalem, by Andrew Lawler

This is the story of underground Jerusalem, bringing to life the indelible characters who have investigated this subterranean landscape and discussing how the 150-year quest to unearth Biblical history in Jerusalem has led to remarkable discoveries, but also contributed to riots, bloodshed, and the impossibility of peace in the Middle East. When National Geographic published the cover story that inspired this book in November 2019, it became one of their most-read pieces of the year.

The Correspondents: Six Women Writers on the Front Lines of World II, by Judith Mackrell

On the front lines of the Second World War, a contingent of female journalists were bravely waging their own battle. The Correspondents follows six remarkable women as their lives and careers intertwined: Martha Gellhorn, who got the scoop on Ernest Hemingway on D-Day by traveling to Normandy as a stowaway on a Red Cross ship; Lee Miller, who went from being a Vogue cover model to the magazine’s official war correspondent; Sigrid Schultz, who hid her Jewish identity and risked her life by reporting on the Nazi regime; Virginia Cowles, a “society girl columnist” turned combat reporter; Clare Hollingworth, the first English journalist to break the news of World War II; and Helen Kirkpatrick, the first woman to report from an Allied war zone with equal privileges to men.

POETRY

Books and Libraries: Poems, by Andrew Scrimgeour

An enchanting book about books: a beautiful hardcover Pocket Poets anthology that testifies to the passion books and libraries have inspired through the ages and around the world. The poets collected here range from the writer of Ecclesiastes in the third century BCE to Maya Angelou, and Derek Walcott.

CHILDREN’S BOOKS

A House, by Kevin Henkes

A square, a circle, a roof, some snow, then flowers, some people, a house! With a simple palette and rhythmic repetitive text, this celebration of home and family may be the first book a child reads on their own and a family favorite, too. (Ages 2-6.)

Thank You, Neighbor, by Ruth Chan

Young and old, big and small, neighbors are always there to take care of each other. This sweet story with Chan’s charming illustrations celebrates neighbors of all kinds, even the furry ones. (Ages 2-6.)

Cat Problems, by Jory John

There’s just no end to the problems in kitty’s life. Someone keeps stealing the best cozy spot; sunbeam is falling down on the job; the couch doesn’t have any good scratching spots left; and (gag) there’s dry food in the food bowl. No one understands just how hard it is to be kitty. (Ages 4-7.)

City of Thieves: Battle Dragons, by Alex London

Wings of Fire meets How to Train Your Dragon in this series that’s sure to be at the top of every dragon-lover’s holiday list. (Ages 9-13.)

Cold Turkey, by Corey Rosen Schwartz

It’s time for some f-f-frozen f-f-farmyard f-f-fun when Turkey shares his cozy clothing with his frosty friends and then f-f-finds himself a bit f-f-frosty. This story of sharing, caring, and friendship is perfect for Thanksgiving or every day. (Ages 3-6.)  PS

Compiled by Kimberly Daniels Taws and Angie Tally.

Bookshelf

October Books

FICTION

The Lincoln Highway, by Amor Towles

In Nebraska during the summer of 1954, 18-year-old Emmett is released from his sentence on a work farm to retrieve his 8-year-old brother following the death of his father and the subsequent foreclosure on the family farm. The plan is to head west on the Lincoln Highway for a fresh start, but two of Emmett’s friends, who escaped from the work farm, have other ideas. So begins an incredible odyssey blown completely off course, hopping freight trains and encountering Americana. Filled with retribution, heartache, empathy and humor, Towles delivers a rich and powerful novel with deeply developed characters.

No Diving Allowed, by Louise Marburg

From F. Scott Fitzgerald to John Cheever, the swimming pool has long held a unique place in the mythos of the American idyll, by turns status symbol and respite. The 14 stories that comprise No Diving Allowed fearlessly plunge the depths of the human condition as Marburg freights her narratives with the often unfathomable pressure of what lies beneath.

Jacket Weather, by Mike DeCapite

Jacket Weather drops you right into the beating heart of New York City — the heart of the music scene of the ’80s, the steamy gym of early morning, the delicious pain of obsessive love, the quiet rainy morning with the half-finished New York Times crossword, and a recipe for perfect Italian pasta. This one is a real treat.

The Memoirs of Stockholm Sven, by Nathaniel Ian Miller

Beginning in 1916, the hapless young Sven leaves Stockholm for a life of adventure in the icy north. A terrible mining accident alters his life and appearance, pushing him farther north to lead a solitary existence. Fate steps in, bringing a small, fascinating cast of people into his world, enhancing his isolation and worldview. Miller provides unforgettable characters, a deeply mesmerizing tale, and the most exquisite prose.

Miss Eliza’s English Kitchen: A Novel of Victorian Cookery and Friendship, by Annabel Abbs

A light novel about Eliza Acton, a British woman who lived in the 1800s. For 10 years she worked with her kitchen maid, Ann, and recorded her recipes with precise measurements and in a format that was readable. Publishing her cookbook, she changed the way recipes were written forever.

NONFICTION

On Animals, by Susan Orlean

In a charming menagerie of stories of beasts and birds and the bizarre humans who share their world, Orlean writes about a range of creatures — the household pets we dote on; the animals we raise to end up as meat on our plates; the creatures who could eat us for dinner; the various tamed and untamed animals we share our planet with. In her own backyard, Orlean discovers the delights of keeping chickens. In a different backyard, in New Jersey, she meets a woman who has 23 pet tigers — something none of her neighbors knew about until one of them escaped. In Iceland, the world’s most famous whale resists efforts to set him free; in Morocco, the world’s hardest working donkeys find respite at a special clinic. We meet a show dog, a lost dog, and a pigeon who knows exactly how to get home.

The Storyteller: Tales of Life and Music, by Dave Grohl

You may know Grohl as the Nirvana drummer or the frontman of the Foo Fighters or the interesting and reflective essayist who writes beautifully for magazines like The Atlantic. These essays encompass his childhood, life as a dad, creation of both iconic bands, activism, and memories of stars like Iggy Pop, Joan Jett, Tom Petty, Paul McCartney and Little Richard.

CHILDREN’S BOOKS

Boo, Baa, La La La, by Sandra Boynton

When does a cow say “Boooooo”? When it’s Halloween and she wants to try something newwwwww. Superb silliness from the beloved Sandra Boynton will make all the ghouls and boys giggle with this new board book just perfect for fall fun. (Ages 0-3.)

Looking for a Jumbie, by Tracey Baptiste

Mama says Jumbies only exist in stories, but Naya is pretty sure she knows where to find them. This We’re Going on a Bear Hunt-ish book with a Caribbean beat is the perfect (only a little bit scary) autumn read-aloud. (Ages 4-6.)

Bat Wings? Cat Wings!, By Laura Gehl

The cow says moo and the dog says ruff, but there’s always that kid who wants to turn everything on its head, and this is the perfect book for those little rebels. Animal facts combine with a bit of ridiculousness to make for a fun read-aloud that’s ideal for bedtime or any time giggles are in order. (Ages 4-7.)

The Beatryce Prophecy, by Kate DiCamillo

When your family is in danger, when you are the subject of a prophecy, when you are in the way of a king’s mission, it really helps if you have the soft ear of a goat to hold onto — and a friend or two on your side. From the three-time Newbery Award winning author, this brilliant novel is a must for young adventurers. (Ages 9-12.)  PS

Compiled by Kimberly Daniels Taws and Angie Tally.

Hometown

The Show Went On

Snatching victory from the jaws of oblivion

By Bill Fields

When most people think of memorable golf moments at Pinehurst, the 1981 Hall of Fame Tournament isn’t among them.

I beg to differ.

A long time before Pinehurst No. 2 held its first U.S. Open and subsequently became part of the rota for the national championship, the ’81 PGA Tour event there made its own mark. Forty years later, I’m proud to have been part of it.

I was 22, fresh out of a summer school session at North Carolina, my diploma in the mail. I needed a job. My friend Michael Dann, executive director of the World Golf Hall of Fame and the Hall of Fame Tournament, needed a public relations director who would work cheap.

The ’81 tour stop in the Sandhills was the tournament that wouldn’t die. As Chip Alexander wrote in The News & Observer that summer, not long after I was hired, “The pulse was weak, the last rites all but read. As recently as two weeks ago, the Hall of Fame Tournament seemed to be breathing its last, ready for the slab.”

The tournament had rallied spectacularly. In March, it only had $30,000 in the bank. Even during an era when purses were around $250,000, that wasn’t much. PGA Tour commissioner Deane Beman extended the deadline for posting the prize money multiple times. Tour pros who had a soft spot for Pinehurst, notably Ben Crenshaw and George Burns, took up the cause. Jack Nicklaus, who won the 1975 World Open but hadn’t competed in a handful of years, committed to play. Lee Trevino, who would be inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame during tournament week with fellow honoree Ralph Guldahl, also agreed to play. Gov. Jim Hunt did what he could to round up sponsorship.

Once the tournament was green-lighted, we set out to promote it. I ordered bumper stickers and buttons. We hired a film crew to gather sound bites from tour pros to distribute to television sports stations across the state. Michael and I went to the PGA Championship in Atlanta. Raymond Floyd was not happy when I interrupted him on a practice day at the PGA Championship, but his bark was worse than his bite. We made a commercial on a lean budget. To get a tight clubhead-striking-ball image for the ad, I hit my MacGregor Tourney driver on the fifth hole of No. 2, a short walk from our offices at the WGHOF building.

My last, lazy days of college had given way to long hours doing what I could to help. I went on television shows with Lee Kinard in Greensboro and Jim Burns in Wilmington. I tracked down Guldahl for a story in the tournament program, which was printed on the Golf World press in Southern Pines. Before the event I helped lay down temporary carpet on the wooden floors in the press room — the converted Donald Ross Grill. Once the tournament started, I put on my best radio voice, offering updates to any station in the region that was interested. Everyone on our small staff felt like we were on an important mission to pull off what had seemed so unlikely.

The surprise winner turned out to be Morris Hatalsky, an unheralded and unassuming 29-year-old from San Diego. Ron Green Sr. of The Charlotte News wrote that Hatalsky “looks like a singing waiter.” He sure hit all the right notes over 72 holes, one-putting 11 times in a first-round 65 and going on for a 2-stroke victory over Jerry Pate and D.A. Weibring at 9-under 275. Hatalsky won $45,000 for the first of four career PGA Tour victories. The weather was glorious, which helped draw sizable galleries of 12,000 to 15,000 people on the weekend.

My foray into golf administration was brief. I applied for a job in the communications department at the USGA later that fall but didn’t get it. By the following spring, I was sending out resumes to a couple hundred newspapers across the country in search of a sportswriter position. I accepted an offer from the afternoon paper in Athens, Georgia.

The World Golf Hall of Fame building was razed years ago, but I can’t drive past the woods where it used to stand and not think of those days, that tournament and the fun we had making it happen.  PS

Southern Pines native Bill Fields, who writes about golf and other things, moved north in 1986 but hasn’t lost his accent.

Bookshelf

September Books

FICTION

Matrix, by Lauren Groff

A woman’s power is often judged by her beauty, wealth and situation in life. Marie — awkward, too tall, illegitimate, without means, and orphaned — has none of these. Sent to the most wretched abbey England has to offer in 1158, Marie comes to understand that a woman’s power comes from cleverness, ingenuity, fortitude and the bond of sisterhood. In this first novel since the brilliant Fates and Furies, Groff delivers a story that shakes the walls of the age-old patriarchy.

The Magician, by Colm Tóibín

In a provincial German city at the turn of the 20th century, Thomas Mann grows up with a conservative father, bound by propriety, and a Brazilian mother, alluring and unpredictable. As a boy, Mann hides his artistic aspirations from his father and his homosexual desires from everyone. He is infatuated with one of the richest, most cultured Jewish families in Munich, and marries the daughter, Katia. They have six children. On a holiday in Italy, he longs for a boy he sees on a beach and writes the story Death in Venice. He becomes the most successful novelist of his time, winner of the Nobel Prize for literature, a public man whose private life remains secret. In a stunning marriage of research and imagination, Tóibín explores the heart and mind of a writer whose gift is unparalleled, and whose life is driven by a need to belong and the anguish of illicit desire. The Magician is an intimate, astonishingly complex portrait of Mann, his magnificent and complex wife, Katia, and the times in which they lived — World War I, the rise of Hitler, World War II, the Cold War, and exile.

Cloud Cuckoo Land, by Anthony Doerr

Like the characters of Marie-Laure and Werner in Doerr’s novel All the Light We Cannot See, Anna, Omeir, Seymour, Zeno and Konstance are dreamers and outsiders who find resourcefulness and hope in the midst of the gravest danger. Their lives are gloriously intertwined as Doerr’s dazzling imagination transports us to worlds so dramatic and immersive that we forget, for a time, our own. Dedicated to “the librarians then, now, and in the years to come,” Cloud Cuckoo Land is a beautiful and redemptive novel about stewardship — of the book, of the Earth, of the human heart.

The Santa Suit, by Mary Kay Andrews

When newly divorced Ivy Perkins buys an old farmhouse sight unseen, she is looking for a change in her life. The farmhouse, The Four Roses, is a labor of love, but Ivy didn’t bargain on just how much labor. The previous family left so much furniture and so much junk, it’s a full-time job sorting through it. At the top of a closet, Ivy finds a Santa suit, beautifully made and decades old. In the pocket is a note written in a childish hand from a little girl who has one Christmas wish, and that is for her father to return home from the war. The discovery sets Ivy off on a mission. Who wrote the note? Did the man ever come home? What mysteries did the Rose family hold? Ivy just might find more than she ever thought possible: a welcoming town, a family reunited, a mystery solved, and a second chance at love.

NONFICTION

Cuba: An American History, by Ada Ferrer

Cuba’s history is full of violent conquest, invasions and military occupations; conspiracies against slavery, colonialism and dictators; revolutions attempted, victorious and undone. Ferrer, a celebrated New York University professor and the daughter of Cuban immigrants, brings her personal perspective to this sweeping history of Cuba, and its complex and intimate ties to the United States, utilizing stories from both well-known and little-known characters from Cuban history. She documents the enormous influence the U.S. has had on Cuba and the many ways in which Cuba is a recurring presence in U.S. history, beginning with its key role in the American Revolution.

Travels with George: In Search of Washington and his Legacy, by Nathaniel Philbrick

When George Washington became president in 1798, the United States of America was still a loose and quarrelsome confederation and a tentative political experiment. Washington undertook a tour of the ex- Colonies to talk to ordinary citizens about their lives and their feelings about the new government, and to imbue in them the idea of being one thing — Americans. Philbrick embarked on his own journey into what Washington called “the infant woody country” to see for himself what it has become in the nearly 225 years since. Writing in a thought- ful first person about his own adventures with his travel companions (his wife and puppy), Philbrick follows Washington’s tour of America — an almost 2,000-mile journey. The narrative moves smoothly back and forth from the 18th to 21st centuries, seeing the country through Washington’s eyes as well as Philbrick’s. Written at a moment when America’s foundational ideals are under scrutiny, Travels with George grapples bluntly and honestly with Washington’s legacy as a man of the people, a mythical figure of the early republic, a reluctant president, and a plantation owner who held people in slavery. Philbrick paints a picture of 18th century America as divided and fraught as modern America, and comes to understand how Washington, through belief, vision and sheer will, created a sense of national solidarity that had never existed before.

CHILDREN’S BOOKS

Isobel Adds Up,
by Kristy Everington

Isobel loves to solve problems. Multiplication, subtraction, addition, bring them on! But she begins to have some trouble when a new loud neighbor moves into the apartment next door. Of course, clever Isabel has a solution and maybe also a new friend. Math-loving young readers will delight in this fun new problem-solving story that is sure to bring on some giggles. (Ages 5-7.)

Negative Cat, by Sophie Blackall

When a boy finally gets his long-awaited cat, things don’t go quite as expected, but sometimes it takes a bit to discover the joy that comes from being just a little outside the box. Fun for anyone who loves an animal that’s just a little unusual, and a perfect read-aloud by the Caldecott-winning illustrator Sophie Blackall. (Ages 3-6.)

Dozens of Dachshunds, by Stephanie Calmenson

Dozens of dachshunds waltz, woof and wag their way across the page and into the hearts of readers in this adorable read-aloud. Long-haired, smooth-haired and wire-haired dachshunds alike are all dressed in costume (of course there’s a hot dog!) for the Dachshund Day parade. With a seek-and-find game and back matter on real Dachshund Day celebrations, this one’s sure to have everyone barking for more. (Ages 3-6.)  PS

Compiled by Kimberly Daniels Taws and Angie Tally.

Bookshelf

August Books

FICTION

Damnation Spring, by Ash Davidson

For generations, Rich Gundersen’s family has chopped a livelihood out of the redwood forest along California’s rugged coast. Now, Rich and his wife, Colleen, are raising their own young son near Damnation Grove, a swath of ancient redwoods on which Rich’s employer, Sanderson Timber Co., plans to make a killing. For decades, the herbicides the logging company uses were considered harmless. But Colleen is no longer so sure. As mudslides take out clear-cut hillsides and salmon vanish from creeks, her search for answers threatens to divide a town that lives and dies on timber.

Once There Were Wolves, by Charlotte McConaghy

Inti Flynn arrives in Scotland with her twin sister, Aggie, to lead a team of biologists tasked with reintroducing 14 gray wolves into the remote Highlands. She hopes to heal not only the dying landscape but Aggie too, unmade by the terrible secrets that drove the sisters out of Alaska. Inti is not the woman she once was, either, changed by the harm she’s witnessed. As the wolves thrive, Inti begins to let her guard down, even opening herself up to the possibility of love. But, when a farmer is mauled to death, Inti knows where the town will lay blame. Unable to accept her wolves could be responsible, she makes a reckless decision to protect them. If the wolves didn’t make the kill, then is something more sinister at play?

Lightning Strike, by William Kent Krueger

Aurora is a small town nestled in the ancient forest alongside the shores of Minnesota’s Iron Lake. In the summer of 1963, it is the whole world to 12-year-old Cork O’Connor, its rhythms as familiar as his own heartbeat. When Cork stumbles upon the body of a man he revered hanging from a tree in an abandoned logging camp, it is the first in a series of events that cause him to question everything he took for granted about his hometown, his family and himself. Cork’s father, Liam O’Connor, is Aurora’s sheriff, and it is his job to confirm that the man’s death was the result of suicide. In the shadow of his father’s official investigation, Cork begins to look for answers on his own. Together, father and son face the ultimate test of choosing between what their heads tell them is true and what their hearts know is right.

Children of Dust, by Marlin Barton

In researching his family history in the year 2000, Seth Anderson discovers an unexpected story from the late 1800s. In 19th century rural Alabama, his relative, Melinda Anderson, struggles to give birth to her 10th child, tended by Annie Mae, a part-Choctaw midwife. When the infant dies just hours after birth, suspicion falls upon two women — Betsy, Annie Mae’s daughter and the mixed-race mistress of Melinda’s husband, Rafe; and Melinda herself, worn out by perpetual pregnancies and nurturing a dark anger toward her husband. Seeking to clear her own name, Melinda enlists the help of a conjure woman who dabbles in dark magic. Filled with haunts, new and old, Children of Dust is a novel about the relationship between two women allied against a violent man with secrets of his own.

NONFICTION

A Brief History of Motion: From the Wheel to the Car to What Comes Next, by Tom Standage

Beginning around 3500 BCE with the wheel — a device that didn’t catch on until a couple of thousand years after its invention — Standage zips through the eras of horsepower, trains and bicycles, revealing how each successive mode of transit embedded itself in the world we live in. Then, delving into the history of the automobile’s development, Standage explores the social resistance to cars and the upheaval that their widespread adoption required. Cars changed how the world was administered, laid out and policed, how it looked, sounded and smelled — and not always in the ways we might have preferred.

All In: An Autobiography, by Billie Jean King

An inspiring and intimate self-portrait of the champion of equality that encompasses her brilliant tennis career, unwavering activism, and an ongoing commitment to fairness and social justice. King recounts her groundbreaking tennis career — six years as the top-ranked woman in the world, 20 Wimbledon championships, 39 grand-slam titles, and her watershed defeat of Bobby Riggs in the famous Battle of the Sexes. She poignantly recalls the cultural backdrop of those years and the profound impact on her worldview from the women’s movement, the assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy, the anti-war protests of the 1960s, the civil rights movement, and, eventually, the LGBTQ+ rights movement. She describes the myriad challenges she’s faced — entrenched sexism, an eating disorder, near financial peril after being outed — and offers insights and advice on leadership, business, activism, sports, politics, marriage equality, parenting, sexuality and love.

YOUNG ADULT

Dog Island, by Jil Johnson

Willy stared out through the crisscross wires of his cage. He had figured out a few things. One, being born a spunky beagle wasn’t always cookies and naps. Two, there was no way he was staying in this barbed wire apartment. And three, as he listened to the rows of dogs barking and howling, he wasn’t going alone. (Ages 8 and up.)

CHILDREN’S BOOKS

Becoming Vanessa, by Vanessa Brantley-Newton

That first day of school can be hard on anyone, but especially if your name is looonnng and has more than one “s” and your style is a little more colorful than your new classmates. But, no matter what, it is important to be yourself. Stunning illustrations reminiscent of the brilliant Molly Bang bring this important first-day-of-school book to life. This one is a must-have for rising kindergartners. (Ages 4-6.)

T. Rexes Can’t Tie Their Shoes, by Anna Lazowski

Baby horses can stand up. Narwhals change color. And red sea urchins can live for 200 years! But nobody can do everything. Laugh out loud with the animals of the alphabet as they show what they can and cannot do in this super-cute ABC book that is perfect for story time, bedtime or anytime. (Ages 3-7.)

The Foodie Flamingo, by Vanessa Howl

At the Pink Flamingo restaurant, it’s shrimp, shrimp, shrimp, shrimp. But when Frankie the Flamingo gets a wild feather to sample something different, she becomes Foodie Flamingo. Soon everyone is sampling new things and the Pink Flamingo will never be the same! Fun with food for all ages. (Ages 3-6.)

How To Spot a Best Friend, by Bea Birdsong

It’s easy to spot a friend, but how do you know when you’ve discovered a best friend? This sweet story is the perfect read together for the night before back-to-school or any new situation. (Ages 4-7.)  PS

Compiled by Kimberly Daniels Taws and Angie Tally.

Angie’s favorite book is The Autobiography of Alice B. Tolkas by Gertrude Stein and Kimberly loves The Power of One by Bryce Courtenay.

Bookshelf

July Books

FICTION

Hell of a Book, by Jason Mott

In Hell of a Book, a Black author sets out on a cross-country publicity tour to promote his bestselling novel. Hilarious, yet arresting, spellbinding and reflective, Hell of a Book is unforgettably told, with characters who burn into your mind and an electrifying plot ideal for book club discussion. Mott’s first author event for his debut novel, The Returned, was at The Country Bookshop in Southern Pines in 2014. Hell of a Book is the novel Mott has been writing in his head ever since.

The Personal Librarian, by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray

In her 20s, Belle da Costa Greene is hired by J. P. Morgan to curate a collection of rare manuscripts, books and artwork for his newly built Pierpont Morgan Library. Belle becomes a fixture in New York City society and one of the most powerful people in the art and book world, known for her impeccable taste and shrewd negotiating as she helps create a world-class collection. Belle simultaneously is passing as white with Portuguese heritage when in actuality she is the daughter of Richard Greener, the first Black graduate of Harvard and a well-known advocate for equality. The Personal Librarian is the story of a powerful and brilliant woman and the carefully crafted white identity that allowed her to succeed in the racist world in which she lived.

Embassy Wife, by Katie Crouch

Persephone Wilder is a displaced genius and the wife of an American diplomat in Namibia. She takes her job as a representative of her country seriously, coming up with an intricate set of rules to survive the problems she encounters: how to dress in hundred-degree weather without showing too much skin; how not to look drunk at embassy functions; and how to eat roasted oryx with grace. She also suspects her husband is not actually the ambassador’s legal counsel, but a secret agent in the CIA. The consummate embassy wife, she takes the newest spouse, Amanda Evans, under her wing. Propulsive and provocative, Embassy Wife asks what it means to be a human in this world, even as it helps us laugh in the face of our own absurd, seemingly impossible states of affairs.

Intimacies, by Katie Kitamura

From the author of A Separation, Kitamura’s new novel is the story of a woman who works as an interpreter at The Hague. A person of many languages and identities, she’s drawn into simmering personal dramas: Her lover, Adriaan, is still entangled in his former marriage; her friend Jana witnesses an act of violence; and the interpreter is pulled into an explosive political controversy when she’s asked to translate for a former president accused of war crimes. This woman is the voice in the ear of many, but what command does that give her, and how vulnerable does that leave her? She is soon pushed to the precipice, where betrayal and heartbreak threaten to overwhelm her, forcing her to decide what she wants from her life.

NONFICTION

The Man Who Hated Women: Sex, Censorship, and Civil Liberties in the Gilded Age, by Amy Sohn

Anthony Comstock, special agent to the U.S. Post Office, passed a law in 1873 that severely penalized the mailing of contraception and obscenity. Eight women were charged with violating state and federal Comstock laws. These “sex radicals” — publishers, writers, doctors and the first woman presidential candidate — took on the fearsome censor in explicit, personal writing and in court seeking to redefine work, family, marriage and love for a bold new era. Risking imprisonment and death, they redefined birth control access as a civil liberty.

In the Forest of No Joy: The Congo-Océan Railroad and the Tragedy of French Colonialism, by J.P. Daughton

One of the deadliest construction projects in history, the Congo-Océan railroad was completed in 1934, when Equatorial Africa was a French colony. In the Forest of No Joy details the story of African workers forcibly conscripted, who hacked their way through dense tropical foliage, suffered disease, malnutrition, and rampant physical abuse, likely resulting in at least 20,000 deaths.

New Women in the Old West: From Settlers to Suffragists, an Untold American Story, by Winifred Gallagher

Survival in this uncharted American West for the more than half a million settlers between 1840 and 1910 required two hard-working partners, compelling women to take on equal responsibilities to men, a stark contrast to the experience of women in the East. As these women wielded their authority in public life for political gains, served in office and established institutions, they fought for the right to earn income, purchase property, and vote. In 1869, partly to lure more women, Wyoming gave women the vote. Utah, Colorado and Idaho followed. Nearly every Western state or territory had enfranchised women long before the 19th Amendment did so across the country in 1919.

CHILDREN’S BOOKS

Stingers, by Randy Wayne White

Readers searching for mystery and adventure need look no further than Stingers, the second book in the Sharks Incorporated Series. When marine biologist Doc Ford invites three young nature lovers to the Bahamas where invasive lionfish are upsetting the ecological balance of the coral reefs, they make a few unexpected discoveries that may just get them into deep water. (Ages 9-12.)

Bubbles Up, by Jacqueline Davies

A love poem to water and the many things one can do with it, this fun title screams of summer and sun and fun but also of self-confidence and empowerment. This picture book from the author of The Lemonade War is an absolute must for summer reading. (Age 3-5.)

Dino Gro, by Matt Myers

Everybody knows sometimes new friends have to grow on you, but in Cole’s case his new friend grows and grows and GROWS. Move over Clifford, author/illustrator Myers has created a new lovable oversized friend with Dino-Gro. This one is sure to be a big hit with little dinosaur lovers. (Ages 3-6.)

Faraway Things, by Dave Eggers

“It’s a faraway thing,” declares the boy when he finds a cutlass washed up on the beach. This faraway thing is, indeed, a ticket to another world for the boy, who must decide if it is worth more to keep the cutlass or venture into the world of the unknown to discover his real treasure. This lovely picture book will be enjoyed by readers of all ages as they dream of the sea and what real treasure means to them. (Ages 4-8.)  PS

Compiled by Kimberly Daniels Taws and Angie Tally.

Bookshelf

June Books

FICTION

The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot, by Marianne Cronin

Lenni, 17, meets Margot, 83, while they are both in a hospital in Glasgow. They develop a friendship in an art class, where they decide to paint 100 pictures between them, one for each year of their lives, in this beautiful story of friendship at any age and how it changes us.

The Nature of Witches, by Rachel Griffin

For centuries, witches have maintained the climate, their power peaking in the season of their birth. But now their control is faltering as the atmosphere becomes more erratic. All hope lies with Clara, an Everwitch, whose rare magic is tied to every season. The Nature of Witches is a fierce, romantic YA story about a world on the brink of destruction, the one witch who holds the power to save it, and the choice that could cost her everything she loves.

Malibu Rising, by Taylor Jenkins Reid

It’s the day of Nina Riva’s end-of-summer party, and anticipation is at a fever pitch. Everyone wants to be around the famous Rivas: Nina, the talented surfer and supermodel; brothers Jay and Hud, one a championship surfer, the other a renowned photographer; and their adored baby sister, Kit. Together the siblings — the offspring of the legendary singer Mick Riva — are a source of fascination in Malibu and the world over. By midnight the party will be completely out of control. By morning, the Riva mansion will have gone up in flames. But before that first spark is lit, the loves and secrets that shaped this family’s generations will all come rising to the surface.

Double Blind, by Edward St. Aubyn

Moving from London to Provence to California and back to a beautiful woodland entirely off the grid, Double Blind is a breathtaking, kaleidoscopic novel exploring friendship, love, consciousness and the natural world. Timely and expansive ecological concerns animate the novel as it follows three friends and their circle through a year of transformation, moving between London, Oxford, Cap d’Antibes, Sussex and Big Sur. It’s about the headlong pursuit of knowledge and the consequences of fleeing what we already know about others and ourselves.

Morningside Heights, by Joshua Henkin

An Ohio woman attends Yale, falls in love with her professor, and marries him. As she struggles to face her aging, a chance at new romance arrives. Morningside Heights is a compassionate novel about surviving a marriage wrecked with hardship, the love between men and women, parents and children, and living a life different from what we expected.

The Personal Librarian, by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray

Belle da Costa Greene was born a light-skinned Black woman whose family moved to New York to live as white. She is hired by J.P. Morgan to be his personal librarian, changing not only her world, but her family’s, too. Belle was an exceptional woman with a love for rare books that matched Morgan’s. Authors Benedict and Murray, one white and one Black, have written a fabulous book that puts you in Belle’s shoes as you feel her daily fear of exposure.

NONFICTION

The Power of Awareness: And Other Secrets from the World’s Foremost Spies, Detectives, and Special Operators on How to Stay Safe and Save Your Life, by Dan Schilling

In this compelling guide, Schilling uses stories from his Special Operations career, and from other experts, to outline six rules you can apply anywhere to improve your personal safety and situational awareness as Americans emerge from the lockdown of the pandemic.

The Ride of Her Life: The True Story of a Woman,
Her Horse and Their Last-Chance Journey Across America, by Elizabeth Letts

It’s the winter of 1954 in rural Maine and Annie Wilkins is a 62-year-old woman living a hardscrabble existence on a failing farm. When she becomes ill and learns that she has just a few years to live, Annie buys a rundown horse, packs a few necessities, and she and her dog set out on a ride to see California — her mother’s dream. The story of this woman’s journey provides a lens to view the cultural shift in America as one era ends and another begins.

CHILDREN’S BOOKS

Last Gate of the Emperor, by Kwame Mbalia and Prince Joel Makonnen

Yared Heywat, a flawed hero with a gift for gab, teams up with the mysterious Ibis to dominate the boards in the augmented reality game “The Hunt for Kaleb’s Obelisk” and, as play progresses, they realize they are involved in something way more serious than a mere game. Rooted in the real-life history of Makonnen’s family, the last emperors of Ethiopia, Last Gate of the Emperor is a must read for all young adventure lovers.  (Ages 9-13.)

Freaky Funky Fish, by Debra Kempf Shumaker

A fish book with freakiness ratings really should be on the shelf of every young outdoor adventurer. From those that fly to those that climb, from those with invisible heads to those that can dance, there’s a fish for every weird attribute possible, and they’re all rated on a freakiness scale from 1-5. (Ages 5 and up.)

What Will You Be?, by Yamile Saied Méndez

“What will you be when you grow up?” A builder, a teacher, a leader, a student? Children are asked this all the time, and this stunning picture book answers in some surprising ways. This little gem is the perfect gift for graduates of all ages.

Darling Baby, by Maira Kalman

No day is ordinary when it’s shared between a grandparent and their new grandchild. This sweet story of just one of those days is illustrated by the brilliant Kalman and is the perfect read-together for grandparents and grandchildren. (Ages birth to 5.)

The Trillium Sisters 1: The Triplets Get Charmed, by Laura Brown and Elly Kramer

Nature themes, girl power and cute baby animals with amazing secret powers combine to make this new series perfect for readers who are looking for a new, fun and adventurous chapter book series. (Ages 6-9.)

A Father’s Love, by Hannah Holt

A father’s love, whether in the animal kingdom or the human one, is powerful and true and long-lasting. A fun look at the roles of fathers in the animal kingdom, this little gem is perfect for Father’s Day or every day. (Ages birth to 3.)  PS

Compiled by Kimberly Daniels Taws and Angie Tally.

Bookshelf

May Books

FICTION

The Kingdoms, by Natasha Pulley

With a little time travel, a little altered history, a little humor, a prophetic postcard and a narrator with an untrustworthy memory, there’s just something for everyone in The Kingdoms. For anyone who loved Matt Haig’s Midnight Library or Alex Landragin’s Crossings, Pulley’s The Kingdoms is a book you will not want to stop reading, and then not want to stop thinking about.

Local Woman Missing, by Mary Kubica

In a thrilling and satisfying read, the New York Times bestselling author and master of suspense takes domestic secrets to a whole new level, showing that some people will stop at nothing to keep the truth buried. From the heart-pounding first chapter to the twists and turns that come together at the very end, this is Kubica’s best yet.

The Invisible Husband of Frick Island, by Colleen Oakley

Piper’s husband has died, but she continues to act as if he’s still here, and everyone on Frick Island pretends along with her. A small-town journalist shows up for an “island life” story and discovers Piper and her “husband” Tom, and decides Piper’s story could be the making of his career. Oakley, a USA Today bestselling author, delivers an unforgettable love story about an eccentric community, a grieving widow, and an outsider who slowly learns that sometimes faith is more important than facts.

Mary Jane, by Jessica Anya Blau

In a coming-of-age tale set during the mid-’70s, Mary Jane is brought up in a strict, staid, traditional, run-like-clockwork household. At 14, she’s hired as a nanny in a completely unorthodox situation. Her task is to take care of the adorable 5-year-old daughter of a psychiatrist and his free-spirited wife. A glamorous movie star and her rock star husband move in with them so that he can be treated for addiction. What follows is an unforgettable summer when Mary Jane finds her stride.

The Newcomer, by Mary Kay Andrews

Letty Carnahan is kind and not much like her wild sister, Tanya. When her sister joined her in New York and had a lovely child, Maya, with the wealthiest man they knew, she told Letty if anything ever happened to her to take her child and run for their lives. When Letty finds Tanya dead, she does just that. They end up in a charming motel full of older snowbirds who have been there for years. Letty has to find out what happened to her sister and fast, but who can she trust? The motel owner’s son is a hot cop who is hot on her trail in a book full of twists and turns that.

Magic City, by Jewell Parker Rhodes

When Joe Samuels, a young Black man with dreams of becoming the next Houdini, is accused of rape, he must perform his greatest escape by eluding a bloodthirsty mob. Meanwhile, Mary Keane, the white, motherless daughter of a farmer who wants to marry her off to the farmhand who viciously raped her, must find the courage to help exonerate the man she accused with her panicked cry. Set in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in 1921, Magic City evokes 20th century Jim Crow America while painting an intimate portrait of the heroic but doomed stand that pitted the National Guard against a small band of Black men determined to defend the prosperous town they had built.

The Cave Dwellers, by Christina McDowell

In a compelling family saga that takes place in the powerful social scene of Washington, D.C., teenagers and their parents live in an unspoken hierarchy inextricably linked by wealth, family longevity, political offices, scandals and secrets. Their circle is closed to outsiders until those inside society choose to open their eyes to the invisible divisions erected by exploitation over generations. Gone are the days when inherited wealth can continue without naming the evil that created it. A new generation becomes the one shining a light on themselves.

NONFICTION

Chasing the Thrill: Obsession, Death and Glory in America’s Most Extraordinary Treasure Hunt,
by Daniel Barbarisi

When Forrest Fenn was given a fatal cancer diagnosis, he came up with a bold plan: He would hide a chest full of jewels and gold in the wilderness and publish a poem that would serve as a map leading to the treasure’s secret location. But he didn’t die, and after hiding the treasure in 2010, Fenn instead presided over a decade-long gold rush that saw many thousands of treasure hunters scrambling across the Rocky Mountains in pursuit of his fortune. Full of intrigue, danger and break-neck action, Chasing the Thrill is a riveting tale of desire, obsession and unbridled adventure.

CHILDREN’S BOOKS

Always by My Side, by Jennifer Black Reinhardt

The most dedicated friend a child will ever have is their woobie, their blankie, their stuffie. They share in joys, sorrows, worries and triumphs, and maybe, just maybe, the little people mean just as much to the stuffies as the stuffies mean to the little people. The perfect gift for a new baby or a graduate, Always by My Side is a celebration of friendship. (Ages 2-5.)

Something’s Wrong!, by Jory John

Jeff is having one of those days. He knows something’s wrong, but just can’t quite put his finger on it, so off he goes to find a friend to help. What he finds is not only a true friend, but also a hilarious solution to his problem. This giggle-inducing read-aloud is sure to become a bedtime favorite.
(Ages 3-6.)

Bear Can’t Wait, by Karma Wilson

Waiting is so hard when you’re planning something exciting for a friend, and patience is a virtue Bear just can’t seem to muster in this newest installment of the delightful “Bear” series.  (Ages 3-6.)

The Poop Song, by Eric Litwin

Everybody does it, so why not sing about it? Fun for potty trainers or just for some little kid silly time, the poop song is sure to make everyone giggle. (And yes . . . it will get stuck in your head.) (Ages 2-5.)

Golden Gate, by James Ponti

Adventure, STEM and a bit of spy-thriller action combine to make the “City Spies” series the perfect choice for kids looking for a fast-paced new series. With team members from around the world joining forces and sharing their unique gifts in a magical CIA-type organization, readers won’t be able to put Golden Gate down. (Ages 9-12.)

Where the Heart Is, by Jo Knowles

It’s the first day of summer and Rachel’s 13th birthday. With a summer job caring for the neighbor’s farm animals, her best friend, Micah, nearby and weeks of warm weather and fun to look forward to, Rachel is living the dream. But when bad news threatens all she loves, Rachel must make some difficult decisions about who and what are really important in her life. At once sweet, silly, sad and ultimately satisfying, Where the Heart Is is the perfect summer read. (Ages 11-14.)  PS

Compiled by Kimberly Daniels Taws and Angie Tally.