On Tuesday the National Book Foundation unveiled the finalists for the 2019 National Book Awards. There are five finalists in each of the following categories: Fiction, Non-fiction, Poetry, Translated Literature, and Young People's Literature. The winners of the Award will be announced on November 20.

See below for the Finalist titles available at the library.

 

Trust exercise : a novel by 1969- Susan Choi
Also available in: e-book | e-audiobook

In an American suburb in the early 1980s, students at a highly competitive performing arts high school struggle and thrive in a rarified bubble, ambitiously pursuing music, movement, Shakespeare, and, particularly, their acting classes. When within this striving "Brotherhood of the Arts," two freshmen, David and Sarah, fall headlong into love, their passion does not go unnoticed--or untoyed with--by anyone, especially not by their charismatic acting teacher, Mr. Kingsley.

The outside world of family life and economic status, of academic pressure and of their future adult lives, fails to penetrate this school's walls--until it does, in a shocking spiral of events that catapults the action forward in time and flips the premise upside-down. What the reader believes to have happened to David and Sarah and their friends is not entirely true--though it's not false, either. It takes until the book's stunning coda for the final piece of the puzzle to fall into place--revealing truths that will resonate long after the final sentence.

As captivating and tender as it is surprising, Susan Choi's Trust Exercise will incite heated conversations about fiction and truth, and about friendships and loyalties, and will leave readers with wiser understandings of the true capacities of adolescents and of the powers and responsibilities of adults. 

Sabrina & Corina : stories by Kali Fajardo-Anstine

In an American suburb in the early 1980s, students at a highly competitive performing arts high school struggle and thrive in a rarified bubble, ambitiously pursuing music, movement, Shakespeare, and, particularly, their acting classes. When within this striving "Brotherhood of the Arts," two freshmen, David and Sarah, fall headlong into love, their passion does not go unnoticed--or untoyed with--by anyone, especially not by their charismatic acting teacher, Mr. Kingsley.

The outside world of family life and economic status, of academic pressure and of their future adult lives, fails to penetrate this school's walls--until it does, in a shocking spiral of events that catapults the action forward in time and flips the premise upside-down. What the reader believes to have happened to David and Sarah and their friends is not entirely true--though it's not false, either. It takes until the book's stunning coda for the final piece of the puzzle to fall into place--revealing truths that will resonate long after the final sentence.

As captivating and tender as it is surprising, Susan Choi's Trust Exercise will incite heated conversations about fiction and truth, and about friendships and loyalties, and will leave readers with wiser understandings of the true capacities of adolescents and of the powers and responsibilities of adults. 

Canton Seniors Book Discussion Group: November 21, 2019

Also available in: e-book | audiobook | e-audiobook | large print

 

It isn't paranoia if it's really happening. Anna Fox lives alone-- a recluse in her New York City home, drinking too much wine, watching old movies... and spying on her neighbors. Then the Russells move next door: a father, a mother, their teenaged son. The perfect family. But when Anna sees something she shouldn't, her world begins to crumble-- and its shocking secrets are laid bare. What is real? What is imagined? Who is in danger? Who is in control? In this gripping Hitchcockian thriller, no one and nothing are what they seem.

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September marks the end of summer and the beginning of fall. As the seasons change, the library continues to keep new large print titles rolling in. Below are just a few of the new titles available to help you stay cozy.

Also available in: print | e-book | e-audiobook

In 1942,  the Allies were losing, Germany seemed unstoppable, and every able man in England was on the front lines. To "set Europe ablaze," in the words of Winston Churchill, the Special Operations Executive (SOE) was forced to do something unprecedented: recruit women as spies. Thirty-nine answered the call, leaving their lives and families to become saboteurs in France.

In D-Day Girls, Sarah Rose draws on recently de­classified files, diaries, and oral histories to tell the thrilling story of three of these remarkable women. There's Andrée Borrel, a scrappy and streetwise Parisian who blew up power lines with the Gestapo hot on her heels; Odette Sansom, an unhappily married suburban mother who saw the SOE as her ticket out of domestic life and into a meaningful adventure; and Lise de Baissac, a fiercely independent member of French colonial high society and the SOE's unflap­pable "queen." Together, they destroyed train lines, ambushed Nazis, plotted prison breaks, and gathered crucial intelligence--laying the groundwork for the D-Day invasion that proved to be the turning point in the war.

Rigorously researched and written with razor-sharp wit, D-Day Girls  is an inspiring story for our own moment of resistance: a reminder of what courage--and the energy of politically animated women--can accomplish when the stakes seem incalculably high.

The testaments [large print] by 1939- Margaret Atwood
Also available in: print | audiobook

More than fifteen years after the events of The Handmaid's Tale, the theocratic regime of the Republic of Gilead maintains its grip on power, but there are signs it is beginning to rot from within. At this crucial moment, the lives of three radically different women converge, with potentially explosive results.
 
Two have grown up as part of the first generation to come of age in the new order. The testimonies of these two young women are joined by a third voice: a woman who wields power through the ruthless accumulation and deployment of secrets.
 
As Atwood unfolds The Testaments, she opens up the innermost workings of Gilead as each woman is forced to come to terms with who she is, and how far she will go for what she believes.

C.J. Box is the bestselling author of the Joe Pickett mystery series. 

Wyoming game warden Joe Pickett has now been the protagonist in seventeen novels, starting with Open Season in 2001. Over that time, he’s taken on environmental terrorists, rogue federal land managers, animal mutilators, crazed cowboy hitmen, corrupt bureaucrats, homicidal animal rights advocates, and violent dysfunctional families. Source.

If you enjoy reading about unlikely heros who can hold their own, then you may enjoy titles by authors similar to C.J. Box...

A dangerous man by Robert Crais
Also available in: e-book | audiobook | large print

A brilliant new crime novel from the beloved, bestselling, and award-winning master of the genre--and Joe Pike's most perilous case to date. Joe Pike didn't expect to rescue a woman that day. He went to the bank same as anyone goes to the bank, and returned to his Jeep. So when Isabel Roland, the lonely young teller who helped him, steps out of the bank on her way to lunch, Joe is on hand when two men abduct her. Joe chases them down, and the two men are arrested. But instead of putting the drama to bed, the arrests are only the beginning of the trouble for Joe and Izzy. After posting bail, the two abductors are murdered and Izzy disappears. Pike calls on his friend, Elvis Cole, to help learn the truth. What Elvis uncovers is a twisted family story that involves corporate whistleblowing, huge amounts of cash, the Witness Relocation Program, and a long line of lies. But what of all that did Izzy know? Is she a perpetrator or a victim? And how far will Joe go to find out?

Experience To Go Kits are created to help you pursue your best life and try something new. The Card-making Party Kit includes all of the supplies you may need to bring together loved ones for a crafty, creative time. Items such as blank notecards and envelopes, fine tip pens and markers, calligraphy pens, washi tape, stamps + stamp pad, and patterned paper. Also included is a book on the art of lettering and even resources for where your final product can be sent to brighten someone's day. 

Want to work on your card design skills in advance? Try one of the titles listed below:

The ultimate guide to chalk lettering and design, by a renowned chalk artist: 60 step-by-step lessons with full-colour photos, three foldout chalkboards for practice, and 12 projects including a birthday greeting, a holiday design, and fun signage for a party. 

Learn to create gorgeous hand-drawn letterforms in 14 different styles (including ribbon, wester, circus, retro and more!) and develop your own personal look with flourishes, banners and other illustration techniques. 

Start with the basics (how to write your name, design a chalk layout, create a monogram), add charming details (illustrations like flowers and snowflakes), and graduate to wonderfully creative projects including a study in heart shaped lettering, and inspirational quote in whimsical script, a coffee shop-inspired bake sale sign, greeting cards for birthdays and other occasions, festive projects for the holidays, and three different projects for a backyard blowout party (including a right-on-trend Photo Booth sign!

Hand-lettering techniques are a popular and visually dynamic way to add textual elements to crafts, from journals to mixed-media art. Sixteen accomplished contributors--including calligraphers, painters, collagists, card makers, fiber artists, and graphic designers--give their personal perspectives on lettering. They all offer their favorite tools, how they use them, their signature technique with step-by-step instructions and photos, and an alphabet sampler of their own font. Gorgeous gallery images of each contributor's work are also included.

The Large Print collection at CPL continues to grow in its variety. The new titles below--and others not listed!--reflect our patrons' diverse interests. Mysteries, thrillers, inspirational fiction, romance, non-fiction, and biographies: there is something for everyone.

Also available in: print | e-book | audiobook | e-audiobook

In ancient texts, there are stories about men who struck from the shadows, seemingly beyond the reach of death itself. These men were considered part angel, part demon. Their loyalty was to their families, their friends, and their kings. You crossed these men at your peril. And once crossed, there was no crossing back. They were fearless; men of honor who have been known throughout history by different names: Spartan, Viking, Samurai. Today, men like these still strike from the shadows. They are highly prized intelligence agents, military operatives, and assassins. One man is all three. Two days ago, that man was crossed--badly. Now, far from home and surrounded by his enemy, Scot Harvath must battle his way out. With no support, no cavalry coming, and no one even aware of where he is, it will take everything he has ever learned to survive. But survival isn't enough. Harvath wants revenge. In the most explosive novel Brad Thor has ever written, page after captivating page of action, intrigue, loyalty, and betrayal will keep you hooked until the very last sentence and a revelation that will take your breath away.

Auntie Poldi and the Vineyards of ETNA by John (TRN) Mario/ Brownjohn Giordano
Also available in: print | e-book

When prosecco-loving Auntie Poldi retired to Sicily from Germany, she never dreamt her tranquil days would be interrupted by murder. But Sicily had other plans, and Poldi found herself honor-bound to solve the disappearance of her beloved (and cute) handyman. Now, she's finally ready for some peace and quiet--interrupted by romantic encounters with handsome Chief Inspector Montana, of course--when the water supply to her neighborhood is cut off and a dear friend's dog is poisoned, tell-tale signs that a certain familial organization is flexing their muscle. Poldi knows there will be no resolution without her help. She soon finds a body in a vineyard, tangles with the Mafia, and yet again makes herself unpopular in the pursuit of justice. But once wine and murder mix, how could she possibly stay away? A sexy and thrilling follow up to Giordano's debut novel, Auntie Poldi and the Sicilian Lions, hailed by Adriana Trigiani as 'an explosion of color and a celebration of the palatte of Italian life and the Silian experience in its specificity, warm and drama.

This month's offerings in large print include a gritty detective who's experiencing a break-up, two wildly different sisters brought together over beer, a sewing shop that heals hearts and bolsters spirits, and violence jeopardizing a remote African village and the forensic sculptor sent there to help.

Knife [large print] by 1960- Jo Nesbø
Also available in: print

Harry Hole is not in a good place. Rakel--the only woman he's ever loved--has ended it with him, permanently. He's been given a chance for a new start with the Oslo Police but it's in the cold case office, when what he really wants is to be investigating cases he suspects have ties to Svein Finne, the serial rapist and murderer who Harry helped put behind bars. And now, Finne is free after a decade-plus in prison--free, and Harry is certain, unreformed and ready to take up where he left off. But things will get worse. When Harry wakes up the morning after a blackout, drunken night with blood that's clearly not his own on his hands, it's only the very beginning of what will be a waking nightmare the likes of which even he could never have imagined. 

Also available in: print | audiobook

Two sisters, one farm. A family is split when their father leaves their shared inheritance entirely to Helen, his younger daughter. Despite baking award-winning pies at the local nursing home, her older sister, Edith, struggles to make what most people would call a living. So she can't help wondering what her life would have been like with even a portion of the farm money her sister kept for herself.

With the proceeds from the farm, Helen builds one of the most successful light breweries in the country, and makes their company motto ubiquitous: "Drink lots. It's Blotz." Where Edith has a heart as big as Minnesota, Helen's is as rigid as a steel keg. Yet one day, Helen will find she needs some help herself, and she could find a potential savior close to home. . . if it's not too late.

Meanwhile, Edith's granddaughter, Diana, grows up knowing that the real world requires a tougher constitution than her grandmother possesses. She earns a shot at learning the IPA business from the ground up--will that change their fortunes forever, and perhaps reunite her splintered family?

Ah, summer. It's hot with a capital "H." Your grass has dried out. And you have to rush home from the grocery store before your ice cream melts. But summer also brings with it...the beach read! Beach reads are the perfect reason to slow down, grab a book, and sit in the sun (or shade) (or inside).

Best selling author Elin Hilderbrand has written a number of books that focus on summertime on Nantucket Island and enjoying its beauty. Her newest title, which is also Hilderbrand's first historical novel, follows a family through the changing times of the 1960s. 

 

Summer of '69 by Elin Hilderbrand
Also available in: e-book | audiobook | large print

Welcome to the most tumultuous summer of the twentieth century. It's 1969, and for the Levin family, the times they are a-changing. Every year the children have looked forward to spending the summer at their grandmother's historic home in downtown Nantucket. But like so much else in America, nothing is the same: Blair, the oldest sister, is marooned in Boston, pregnant with twins and unable to travel. Middle sister Kirby, caught up in the thrilling vortex of civil rights protests and determined to be independent, takes a summer job on Martha's Vineyard. Only-son Tiger is an infantry soldier, recently deployed to Vietnam. Thirteen-year-old Jessie suddenly feels like an only child, marooned in the house with her out-of-touch grandmother and her worried mother, each of them hiding a troubling secret. As the summer heats up, Ted Kennedy sinks a car in Chappaquiddick, man flies to the moon, and Jessie and her family experience their own dramatic upheavals along with the rest of the country.

If you like Elin Hilderbrand and her summer reads, then try...

It can be fascinating to read about what individuals will try to steal--perhaps less amusing if you are the bank teller who receives the note slipped under the glass. 

Look below for titles on bank heists, shoot-outs, the resulting grisly deaths, and dreams of riches gone awry.

 

Norco '80 tells the story of how five heavily armed young men--led by an apocalyptic born-again Christian--attempted a bank robbery that turned into one of the most violent criminal events in U.S. history, forever changing the face of American law enforcement. Part action thriller and part courtroom drama,Norco '80 transports the reader back to the Southern California of the 1970s, an era of predatory evangelical gurus, doomsday predictions, megachurches, and soaring crime rates, with the threat of nuclear obliteration looming over it all.

In this riveting true story, a group of landscapers transformed into a murderous gang of bank robbers armed to the teeth with military-grade weapons. Their desperate getaway turned the surrounding towns into war zones. When it was over, three were dead and close to twenty wounded; a police helicopter was forced down from the sky, and thirty-two police vehicles were destroyed by thousands of rounds of ammo. The resulting trial shook the community to the core, raising many issues that continue to plague society today: from the epidemic of post-traumatic stress disorder within law enforcement to religious extremism and the militarization of local police forces. 

On Aug. 14, 1975, eight daring thieves ransacked 148 massive safe-deposit boxes at a secret bank used by organized crime, La Cosa Nostra, and its associates in Providence, R.I. The crooks fled with duffle bags crammed full of cash, gold, silver, stamps, coins, jewels and high-end jewelry. The true value of the loot has always been kept secret, partly because it was ill-gotten to begin with, and partly because there was plenty of incentive to keep its true worth out of the limelight. It's one thing for authorities to admit they didn't find a trace of goods worth from $3 million to $4 million, and entirely another when what was at stake was more accurately valued at about $30 million, the equivalent of $120 million today. It was the biggest single payday in the criminal history of the Northeast. Nobody came close, not the infamous James "Whitey" Bulger, not John "The Dapper Don" Gotti, not even the Brinks or Wells Fargo robbers. The heist was bold enough and big enough to rock the underworld to its core, and it left La Cosa Nostra in the region awash in turmoil that still reverberates more than forty years later. Last Good Heist is the inside story of the robbery and its aftermath.

June brings with it a number of new fiction and non-fiction titles available in the Library's Large Print collection. Below are a sampling of titles arriving each week. 

If you have a title that you would like to suggest for purchase in large print, we would love to hear about it! From the Catalog page on the Library website, you will find a "Suggest Materials" link. Fill it out and let us know what you would like to see available.

Also available in: print

Poet Ocean Vuong's debut novel is a sweeping and shattering portrait of a family, and a testament to the redemptive power of storytelling. On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous is a letter from a son to a mother who cannot read. Written when the speaker, Little Dog, is in his late twenties, the letter unearths a family's history that began before he was born--a history whose epicenter is rooted in Vietnam--and serves as a doorway into parts of his life his mother has never known, all of it leading to an unforgettable revelation. At once a witness to the fraught yet undeniable love between a single mother and her son, it is also a brutally honest exploration of race, class, and masculinity.

Cari Mora by 1940- Thomas Harris
Also available in: print | e-book | e-audiobook

Twenty-five million dollars in cartel gold lies hidden beneath a mansion on the Miami Beach waterfront. Ruthless men have tracked it for years. Leading the pack is Hans-Peter Schneider. Driven by unspeakable appetites, he makes a living fleshing out the violent fantasies of other, richer men. Cari Mora, caretaker of the house, has escaped from the violence in her native country. She stays in Miami on a wobbly Temporary Protected Status, subject to the iron whim of ICE. She works at many jobs to survive. Beautiful, marked by war, Cari catches the eye of Hans-Peter as he closes in on the treasure. But Cari Mora has surprising skills, and her will to survive has been tested before. Monsters lurk in the crevices between male desire and female survival. No other writer in the last century has conjured those monsters with more terrifying brilliance than Thomas Harris.

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