Monday, June 27, 2016

Books In For Review

Check out the latest books to arrive for review!




A Black Sail: A Coleridge Taylor Mystery by Rich Zahradnik On the eve of the U.S. Bicentennial, newsman Coleridge Taylor is covering Operation Sail. New York Harbor is teeming with tall ships from all over the world. While enjoying the spectacle, Taylor is still a police reporter. He wants to cover real stories, not fluff, and gritty New York City still has plenty of those in July of 1976. One surfaces right in front of him when a housewife is fished out of the harbor wearing bricks of heroin, inferior stuff users have been rejecting for China White, peddled by the Chinatown gangs. Convinced he's stumbled upon a drug war between the Italian Mafia and a Chinese tong, Taylor is on fire once more. But as he blazes forward, flanked by his new girlfriend, ex-cop Samantha Callahan, his precious story grows ever more twisted and deadly. In his reckless search for the truth, he rattles New York's major drug cartels. If he solves the mystery, he may end up like his victim--in a watery grave. Book 3 of the Coleridge Taylor Mystery series.

The Fire Trail by Christine Sunderland U.C. Berkeley grad student Jessica Thierry walks the Fire Trail in the hills and witnesses a rapist-murderer leave the scene. Fearing for her life, she tries to focus on her doctorate about Christianity’s role in Berkeley's history. Grad student Zachary Aguilar, in love with Jessica, searches for goodness, beauty, transcendence, and truth as he tries to protect her from the killer. Armenian Pastor Nathaniel Casparian, disfigured by burns, is resident caretaker of Comerford House Museum. He cares for his dying brother who is writing The Question of Civilization. Nate prays for religious freedom and for the return of faith in a loving God. Anna Aguilar, Comerford's docent, vets violent novels donated to her children's library. Frightened by rising crime, she is encouraged by Nate’s belief in the Judeo-Christian tradition in the public square. Set against the collapse of Western civilization, The Fire Trail draws these four characters to an unforgettable conclusion.

Abandoned in Search of Rainbows by A.K. Diggs Discovered inside a brown paper bag left on a toilet seat in a Rochester, New York, bar-and-grill washroom, newborn A.K. Driggs made headlines from the start. Adopted by a loving couple, she continued making waves on her extraordinary life journey--animal communicator, musical prodigy, bisexual lover, phone-sex superstar, recording artist.... Welcome to the colorful world of A.K. Briggs. From abandonment and betrayal to unconditional love and trust, Abandoned in Search of Rainbows chronicles Driggs's incredible life. Her provocative, often sizzling, candor lets us experience the whole spectrum of emotions as Driggs searches for a meaningful life. By finally finding her place in the world--personally and professionally, romantically and sexually, musically and spiritually--Driggs illuminates a magical path for each of us to follow to get there too. As she says in her song, "I Found the Rainbow": In perfect harmony/my answers are clear. With my eyes finally open/And now I can see. For I found the rainbow/And the rainbow is....ME.

An Act of Murder: A Professor Prather Mystery by Mary Angela In the sleepy college town of Copper Bluff, South Dakota, English professor Emmeline Prather is enjoying the start of a new semester. But when one of her students dies working on the fall musical, it disrupts life on the small, quiet campus. Although the police rule the death accidental, Prof. Prather has good reason to suspect foul play. Unmasking the murderer proves much more challenging than finding dangling participles, so Em recruits fellow English professor Lenny Jenkins for assistance. Together, they comb the campus and vicinity for clues, risking their reputations and possibly their jobs. After an intruder breaks into Em's house, Lenny advises caution--and perhaps a change of address. Em, on the other hand, is all the more determined to forge ahead, convinced they're on the brink of an important breakthrough.

The Pennydale Zoo Great Talent Contest by Ian Sadler A fun visit to the Pennydale Zoo brings even more excitement when Juniper Mouse discovers the Zoo’s very own Great Talent Contest. Anyone can enter and that means Juniper too. But what will happen? Is there enough time to practice? From Gerald the giraffe trying to make a rabbit disappear to a quartet of singing camels and a nut-juggling turtle, the story has hilarious consequences under the guidance of head judge, Big Paws Galore, a fearsome lion with a terrifying roar. The creative store for children ages 4-8 shows that one CAN succeed with determination and practice. Even the underdog (or mouse!) can rise to the top.

Normal Nina and the Magic Box by Ian Sadler Normal Nina knows all about it. She is just a regular person that people don’t notice or appreciate for the regular things that she does. There’s certainly nothing fun about that. So, when Nina discovers a strange magic box outside her house and meets the blue-masked genie who lives there, she knows exactly what her three wishes will be. And there’s nothing normal about them at all! This delightful story for children ages 4-8 it shows that exciting adventures can be fun but being normal has its good points too.

Where Jesus Slept by Norma Lewis "This is the bed where Jesus slept. This is the straw that lined the bed where Jesus slept." From here, the story builds with each spread, adding a new element and explaining the relationships among the participants in and witnesses to the first Christmas. From Jesus sleeping sweetly to the wise men bringing gifts, this charming book reminds readers of the joyous event we celebrate at Christmastime. Children will love the charming illustrations and the engaging repetition in this Nativity tale. Ages 4-7.

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