In The Queue

Here are some new titles that you are sure to love!

New Fiction Novels

The Darling Dahlias and the Texas Star by Susan Wittig Albert
When Lily Dare is threatened and her plane sabotaged, the Darling Dahlias race to the rescue.

Maddaddam: A Novel by Margaret Atwood
Margaret Atwood combines adventure, humor, romance and superb storytelling to dramatically conclude her dystopian trilogy.

Something Borrowed, Someone Dead: An Agatha Raisin Mystery by M.C. Beaton
Gloria French has a nasty habit of borrowing things and not returning them. Now she is dead and Agatha Raisin is hired to track down her murderer.

Signature of All Things: A Novel by Elizabeth Gilbert
An enthralling story of love, adventure and discovery.

Burial Rites: A Novel by Hannah Kent
A brilliant literary debut novel which is inspired by a true story. Agnes stands accused of the brutal murder of her former master. She is sent to an isolated Icelandic farm to await her execution. How can she hope to endure when her life depens upon the stories told by others?

Beloved Enemy: A Jack McClure Novel by Eric Lustbader
The stunning follow up to "Father Night", where Jack McClure faces a choice: help the woman he loves or destroy her as the enemy she is.

On King's Mountain: A Ballad Novel by Sharyn McCrumb
John Sevier did not take much interest in the American Revolution, he was too busy fighting Indians and taming the wilderness. But when an arrogant British officer threatens his settlement-promising to burn the farms and kill the families the war becomes personal.

Someone: a Novel by Alice McDermott
A fully realized portrait of one woman's life. Her ordinary life becomes extraordinary as her heart is revealed during her defeats and triumphs. It's a bittersweet story you will love. 

New Non-Fiction

Wilson by A. Scott Berg
An intimate portrait of Wilson's life accomplishments, and failings. This story gives tribute to Wilson the man, not just Wilson the icon.

One Summer: America, 1927 by Bill Bryson
A fascinating and gripping narrative that features American heroes, Charles Lindbergh, Babe Ruth, Herbert Hoover and a gallery of criminals, eccentrics and politicians.

Killing Jesus: A History by Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard
This nonfiction work takes readers inside Jesus' life, recounting the seismic political and historical events that made his death inevitable and changed the world forever.

And the winners are…

The 2013 Dayton Literary Peace winners have been announced! This year hosted an amazing group of finalists. The previous Dayton Literary Peace Prize blog focused on the texts when the finalists were announced. For the winners, I will give you some biographical information about the authors who created the award winning pieces.

Fiction Winner
Adam Johnson , The Orphan Master’s Son
Adam Johnson is Associate Professor of English with emphasis in creative writing at Stanford University. His work has appeared in Esquire, Harper’s, Playboy, GQ, Paris Review, Granta, Tin House, The New York Times and Best American Short Stories. He is the author of Emporium, a short-story collection, and the novel Parasites Like Us. His books have been translated into twenty-three languages. Johnson was a 2010 National Endowment for the Arts Fellow. His novel The Orphan Master’s Son was published in 2012 by Random House and received the 2013 Pulitzer Prize in fiction. He also has been awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship for 2013-14.
Fiction Runner-up
Ben Fountain, Billy Lynn’s Long Half-time Walk
Ben Fountain is also the author of a story collection, Brief Encounters with Che Guevara. His work has received the National Book Critics Circle Award, the Los Angeles Times Book Award, the PEN/Hemingway Award, and a Whiting Writer's Award and also has been a finalist for the National Book Award both in the United States and the U.K. His nonfiction has appeared in The New York Times, The New York Times Sunday Magazine, and The Wall Street Journal. His reportage on post-earthquake Haiti was broadcast nationally on the radio show "This American Life." A graduate of Duke University School of Law, he practiced real estate law before quitting the law in 1988 to become a full-time writer.

Nonfiction Winner
Andrew Solomon, Far from the Tree
Andrew Solomon is a writer and lecturer on psychology, politics, and the arts. He also won the National Book Award, and is an activist in LGBT rights, mental health, and the arts. For a more complete biography, please go to Andrew Solomon's webpage.

Nonfiction Runner-up
Gilbert King, Devil in the Grove
Gilbert King is the author of Devil in the Grove: Thurgood Marshall, the Groveland Boys, and the Dawn of a New America, which was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 2013. King is originally from Schenectady, New York. He has written about Supreme Court history and the death penalty for the New York Times and the Washington Post, and he is a featured contributor to Smithsonian magazine’s history blog, Past Imperfect.

 

The awards will be presented on November 3^rd at the Schuster Center. However, don’t try to reserve a seat at this point; the event is completely sold out. There is still space available for the “Conversation with the Authors” event held at Sinclair Community College on the morning of November 3^rd. For more information about the events, please refer to the Dayton Literary Peace Prize website.

Forensic Mysteries and Thrillers--Part 2

forensics-- is the use of science and technology to investigate and establish facts to be presented in a court of law. This comes from a variety of perspectives and specialties such as art, anthropology, archeology, pathology, geology, psychology, and psychiatry.

This is part two of a two-part blog on mystery and thriller series that highlight the many, great authors and very diverse group of scientists that make up the characters of these books.  So try some of the following great series and hone your CSI skills to a scalpel's keen edge. I have provided the author, character name, forensic specialty, and first book in the series.

Forensic Art--is art used in law enforcement or legal proceedings. Some skills used are composite drawing, crime scene sketching, image modification and identification, and postmortem and facial approximation. Not every artist uses all of these skills.


Robin Burcell--Sydney Fitzpatrick, FBI forensic artist in San Francisco, CA.  Face of a Killer.

Iris Johansen--Eve Duncan, forensic sculptor in the state of Georgia.  The Face of Deception.

Forensic Psychiatry--is the use of psychiatry in a legal setting to evaluate competency to stand trial, mental disease defense, and sentencing recommendations.

Keith Ablow--Frank Clevenger, forensic psychiatrist in the state of Massachusetts.  Denial.

Meg Gardiner--Jo Beckett, forensic psychiatrist in San Francisco, CA.  The Dirty Secrets Club.

Forensic Psychology--is the study of the human mind and functions and understanding of the law in order to be able to interact appropriately with judges and other legal professionals.

Lindsay Ashford--Dr. Megan Rhys, forensic psychologist in Birmingham, England.  Frozen.

Sarah Lovett--Sylvia Strange, forensic psychologist in Santa Fe, New Mexico.  Dangerous Attachments.

Val McDermid--Tony Hill, forensic psychologist in Bradfield, England.  The Mermaids Singing.

Forensic Science--is the application of sciences and technologies to investigate situations after the fact and establish what occurred based on collected evidence.  Examples of these are: botany, chemistry, geology, DNA analysis, fingerprints, insects, teeth, footprints, toxicology, and trace evidence to name a few.

Lori Andrews--Dr. Alexandra Blake, geneticist and forensic specialist working for the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology in Washington, DC.  Sequence.

Sarah Andrews--Em Hansen, forensic geologist in the state of Wyoming.  Tensleep.

Elizabeth Becka--Evelyn James, forensic expert in the Cleveland, OH medical examiner's office.  Trace Evidence.

Lisa Black--Theresa MacLean, forensic scientist in Cleveland, OH.  Takeover.

Kathy Brandt--Hannah Simpson, CSI diver in the British Virgin Islands.  Swimming with the Dead.

Caleb Carr--Lazlo Kreitzer, "alienist" in 1896 New York.  The Alienist.

Jeffery Deaver--Lincoln Rhyme, disabled ex-head of NYPD forensics in New York City.  The Bone Collector.

Tim Downs--Dr. Nick Polchak, aka The Bug Man, a roving forensic entomologist.  Shoofly Pie.

Zoe Ferraris--Katya Hijazi, a forensic scientist in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.  Finding Nouf.

D. E. Meredith--Adolphus Hatton, professor and forensic scientist in 1850s London, England.  Devoured.


If our library is missing any titles, we can request them through SearchOhio.

A pilot's true story

You may have noticed over the past couple of years a rise in the popularity of books about near-death experiences (NDEs). While I think the topic has always been an interesting one to most people regardless of their own personal beliefs, books such as Heaven is for Real by Todd Burpo (with Lynn Vincent), To Heaven and Back by Dr. Mary C. Neal, Waking up in Heaven by Crystal McVea, and Proof of Heaven by Dr. Eben Alexander (read my blog post about it here), not to mention numerous talk-show appearances by the authors and cover stories in magazines, have all propelled NDEs back into the national spotlight. If taking an armchair-tour of heaven is your thing, you've undoubtedly read most of the above-mentioned books and others like it in the library's collection, but here's one you might have missed: Flight to Heaven: A Plane Crash ... A Lone Survivor ... A Journey to Heaven -- and Back by Captain Dale Black. 

Dale Black in 1968

On July 18, 1969, Dale, who was just nineteen years old and training to become a pilot, his friend and mentor Chuck Burns, and the pilot that day, Gene Bain, had planned to make a routine training flight in a Piper Navajo. They took off from California's Burbank Airport, but after immediately sensing that something was wrong with the plane, they attempted to land in a nearby cemetery. Unfortunately, the plane clipped the tops of several trees that stood in the way and slammed head-on into a seventy-five-foot high cement and marble memorial dedicated, ironically enough, to fallen aviators: the Portal of the Folded Wings. Gene and Chuck died that day, and Dale found himself embarking on an incredible journey to a place that he could only describe later as heaven.

Actual photo of the crash site and plane wreckage

This experience changed Dale forever, forcing him to see the world through very different eyes, and those who knew him before the crash couldn't ignore his startling transformation. And if surviving the crash wasn't enough of a miracle, the fact that he healed rapidly and sufficiently enough to pass his FAA physical and pilot a Piper Cherokee over the very monument he'd crashed into--all in exactly one year's time, mind you--proved to him that his life truly was in God's hands. As he told the control tower on July 18, 1970, "Burbank Tower, thank you for your help today. This is 37 November reminding you that with God...nothing shall be impossible." Every year for the next twenty-five years, he would make an anniversary flight over the Portal of the Folded Wings.

Dale, wife Paula, and daughter Kara (April 2012)

So what exactly did Dale see and experience during his "flight to heaven" that had such a transformative effect on his life? Well, you'll just have to read the book to find out. Flight to Heaven can be requested through the library's SearchOhio service by clicking here.

The Rook by Daniel O’Malley

The Rook by Daniel O’Malley

Within O’Malley’s The Rook there is an interesting blending of two fairly popular genres. The first is the spy novel. We are treated to secrecy and intrigue at the highest levels, impersonations, investigations, and infiltrations abound and sufficient baddies and brawls to sate followers of Ian Fleming’s notorious 007. Second, elements of urban fantasy/paranormal, which seems to continue in popularity.

The Rook opens out protagonist (Myfanwy Thomas) coming to in a rainy park with no memory of who she is or why she is so bruised and sore, seemingly from fighting, and surrounded by dead bodies. In fact, only a note from her past even lets Myfanwy even know her name and that her memory and even her personality have been erased. As she tries to grasp what happened and find out who is behind it, we learn that is a high level member of the Checquy, an organization that battles supernatural threats to Britain. As Thomas struggles to impersonate past, wiped-personality, she also learns that there is a plot afoot to overthrow not only the Checquy group, but to also invade England. To make matters worse, it is someone within the Checquy leadership that attacked Thomas and the plot to take over England.

Initially, the concept of this supernatural organization feels a bit like a spin-off of the X-men, with some powers that seem just odd. However, O’Malley does introduce a character by the name of Gestalt, who is one mind in control of 4 bodies and does some rather interesting things with the concept.

Stylistically, we are subjected to letters from the old Thomas giving useful but ill-timed information right as the new Thomas is about to start something dangerous. The effect is very similar to mini-cliffhanger commercial breaks in TV shows.

While The Rook does have the feel of a debut novel, it is still an entertaining read. Also, with some more experience and polish, I can easily see O’Malley taking this spy/paranormal/fantasy genre some very interesting and fun places.

The Returned: A Miracle or An Abomination?

 
Every so often you find a book that grips you from the beginning and makes you question everything you know. It makes you wonder what you would do if you were in the same situation. The Returned, a debut novel by Jason Mott, is one of those novels. It is a gripping tale that will haunt and mesmerize you. A beautifully written story that will have you turning pages to learn what happens next.

Jason's premise is simple, what if your deceased loved one returned from the grave. No, this is not a supernatural thriller. There are no zombies. The returned look like the living, act like the living and have the memories of their departed self. They were dead and now they are not. It is really rather simple until hundreds, even thousands of returned appear.

For Lucille and Harold Hargrave when Agent Bellamy knocks on their door with 8 year old, Jacob Hargrave by his side, Lucille believes it is a miracle. Her son Jacob drowned fifty years ago and now he is alive. Harold does not know what the boy is, but he knows the boy is not his son. Lucille wants to keep him, so they do, but Harold is uneasy. He is not alone, the rest of the world is also anxious.

There are returned appearing everywhere. The living are afraid. There are so many returned, soon the returned may outnumber the living. The bureau that was designed to deal with the returned and their families is overwhelmed. As tensions mount the government decides to confine the returned to their homes. This only increases the tension between the living and the returned and soon the government determines the returned have even less rights. The question is are the returned even human.

This haunting novel will make you think and make you wonder what you would do if your deceased child or spouse returned. Would you accept them as a miracle or would you treat them as an abomination and want to send them back? This is truly a debut novel that should not be missed.

Forensic Mysteries and Thrillers--Part 1

forensic--(fo-ren-sic)--"of, relating to, or denoting the application of scientific methods and techniques to the investigation of crime." (Oxford Dictionary)

forensics-- is the use of science and technology to investigate and establish facts to be presented in a court of law.  This comes from a variety of perspectives and specialties such as art, anthropology, archeology, pathology, geology, psychology, and psychiatry.

This is part one of a two-part blog on mystery and thriller series that highlight the many, great authors and very diverse group of scientists that make up the characters of these books.  We seem to be fascinated with TV crime dramas, true-crime documentaries, crimes in the media, and literature about crime and criminals.  Some of our favorite TV crime series and movies are based on books: Bones (Kathy Reichs), Rizzoli and Isles (Tess Gerritsen), The Bone Collector (Jeffrey Deaver), Wire in the Blood (Val McDermid), and Kiss the Girls (James Patterson) are a few examples.

So try some of the following great series and hone your CSI skills to a scalpel's keen edge.  I have provided the author, character name, forensic specialty, and first book in the series.

Forensic Anthropology--is the application of anthropology in a legal setting. A forensic anthropologist can assist in the identification of victims whose remains are decomposed, burned, mutilated, or otherwise unrecognizable.

Jefferson Bass--Dr. Bill Brockton, forensic anthropologist in Tennessee.  Carved in Bone.

Simon Beckett--Dr. David Hunter, forensic anthropologist in England.  Chemistry of Death.

*Beverly Connor--Diane Fallon, forensic anthropologist, museum director, and former Human Rights investigator.  One Grave Too Many.

Aaron Elkins--Gideon Oliver, forensic anthropologist in Washington state.  Fellowship of Fear.

*Kathy Reichs--Temperance Brennan, forensic anthropologist in the province of Quebec, Canada, and Charlotte, North Carolina.  Deja Dead. The TV series Bones is based on her books.

Forensic Archeology--is the application of archeology used to uncover evidence at a crime scene. They locate, excavate, and record buried remains.

*Beverly Connor--Lindsay Chamberlain, forensic archaeologist at the University of Georgia in Athens.  A Rumor of Bones.



Forensic Pathology--uses medical knowledge for legal purposes and focuses on determining the cause of death by examining a dead body. This is done by a coroner or medical examiner.

Michael Baden--Jake Rosen, medical examiner/pathologist.  Remains Silent.

Benjamin Black--Quirke, coroner in 1950s Dublin, Ireland.  Christine Falls.

Patricia Cornwell--Dr. Kay Scarpetta, chief medical examiner in Richmond, VA.  Postmortem.

Ariana Franklin--Adelia, coroner working for King Henry II in 12th century England.  Mistress of the Art of Death.

Tess Gerritsen--Maura Isles, medical examiner in Boston, Massachusetts.  The Surgeon.

Christine Green--Kate Kinsella, nurse and medical examiner in England.  Deadly Errand.

Susanna Gregory--Matthew Bartholomew, physician in 14th century Cambridge, England.  A Plague on Both Your Houses.

*Erin Hart--Nora Gavin, American pathologist in Ireland.  Haunted Ground.

Marsha Landreth--Dr. Samantha Turner, medical examiner in Sheridan, Wyoming.  The Holiday Murders.

Peter May--Margaret Campbell, American pathologist in Beijing, China.  Firemaker.

Nigel McCrery--Dr. Samantha (Sam) Ryan, pathologist working for the Home Office in London, England.  Silent Witness.

Sharyn McCrumb--Elizabeth MacPherson, pathologist and forensic anthropologist in the Southern United States.  Sick of Shadows.

Karin Slaughter--Dr. Sara Linton, pediatrician and coroner in Grant County, Georgia. Blindsighted.


The starred * titles are some of my favorite series.

If our library is missing any titles, please request them through SearchOhio.