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Historical Fiction April 2017
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New and Recently Released |
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The Hollywood Daughterby Kate AlcottJessica "Jesse" Malloy's father is a PR executive for Selznick International Pictures; her mother is a devout Catholic homemaker who disapproves of the film industry. These worldviews clash when Jesse's idol, glamorous starlet Ingrid Bergman, begins an affair with married Italian director Roberto Rossellini -- a scandal that places her father's career, her parents' marriage, and the family's livelihood in jeopardy. Although it's set in the 1950s instead of the 1930s, this coming-of-age story may appeal to fans of Adriana Trigiani's All the Stars in the Heavens, which also features a young Catholic woman who observes a Hollywood scandal and the moral hypocrisy that accompanies it.
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| In the Name of the Familyby Sarah DunantThis sequel to Blood and Beauty finds Rodrigo Borgia comfortably ensconced in the Vatican as Pope Alexander VI. His illegitimate children continue to increase their wealth and power through any means available: brilliant but volatile Cesare undertakes an ambitious military campaign, while daughter Lucrezia embarks on her third marriage to secure a political alliance with the prominent Este family. Observing (and learning from) their exploits is diplomat and spy Niccolò Machiavelli. |
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A Piece of the World by Christina Baker Kline To Christina Olson, the entire world was her family’s remote farm in the small coastal town of Cushing, Maine. Born in the home her family had lived in for generations, and increasingly incapacitated by illness, Christina seemed destined for a small life. Instead, for more than twenty years, she was host and inspiration for the artist Andrew Wyeth, and became the subject of one of the best known American paintings of the twentieth century. Christina Baker Kline interweaves fact and fiction in a powerful novel that illuminates a little-known part of America’s history. She vividly imagines the life of a woman with a complicated relationship to her family and her past, and a special bond with one of our greatest modern artists. Told in evocative and lucid prose, A Piece of the World is a story about the burdens and blessings of family history, and how artist and muse can come together to forge a new and timeless legacy.
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The Lost Book of the Grailby Charles C LovettProfessor Arthur Prescott's one respite is his time spent nestled in the library, nurturing his secret obsession with the Holy Grail and researching his perennially unfinished guidebook to the medieval cathedral. But when a beautiful young American named Bethany Davis arrives in Barchester charged with the task of digitizing the library’s manuscripts, Arthur’s tranquility is broken. Appalled by the threat modern technology poses to the library he loves, he sets out to thwart Bethany, only to find in her a kindred spirit with a similar love for knowledge and books—and a fellow Grail fanatic. Bethany soon joins Arthur in a quest to find the lost Book of Ewolda, the ancient manuscript telling the story of the cathedral’s founder. And when the future of the cathedral itself is threatened, Arthur and Bethany’s search takes on grave importance, leading the pair to discover secrets about the cathedral, about the Grail, and about themselves.
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The Lonely Hearts Hotel by Heather O'NeillTwo babies are abandoned in a Montreal orphanage in the winter of 1914. Pierrot is a piano prodigy; Rose lights up even the dreariest room with her dancing and comedy. As they travel around the city performing clown routines, the children fall in love with each other and dream up a plan for the most extraordinary and seductive circus show the world has ever seen. Separated as teenagers, both descend into the city’s underworld, dabbling in sex, drugs and theft in order to survive. But when Rose and Pierrot finally reunite, the possibilities of their childhood dreams are renewed, and they’ll go to extreme lengths to make them come true. Soon, Rose, Pierrot and their troupe of clowns and chorus girls have hit New York, commanding the stage as well as the alleys, and neither the theater nor the underworld will ever look the same.
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The River of Kingsby Taylor Brown The Altamaha River, Georgia’s “Little Amazon,” is one of the last truly wild places in America. Crossed by roads only five times in its 137 miles, the black-water river is home to thousand-year-old virgin cypress, direct descendants of eighteenth-century Highland warriors, and a staggering array of rare and endangered species. Brothers Hunter and Lawton Loggins set off to kayak the river, bearing their father’s ashes toward the sea. Hunter is a college student, Lawton a Navy SEAL on leave; they were raised by an angry, enigmatic shrimper who loved the river, and whose death remains a mystery that his sons are determined to solve. As the brothers proceed downriver, their story alternates with that of Jacques le Moyne, the first European artist in North America, who accompanied a 1564 French expedition that began as a search for riches and ended in a bloody confrontation with Spanish conquistadors and native tribes.
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On a June morning in 1900, Rosie Killeen crosses the road that divides her family's County Mayo farm from the estate of Lord and Lady Ennis. Barely eight years old, Rosie joins the throng of servants preparing for the arrival of Queen Victoria. But while the royal visit is a coup for Ennismore, Rosie is invited by Lord and Lady Ennis to join their desperately lonely daughter Victoria in her school lessons. As they near womanhood, the girls' friendship is interrupted. Victoria is bound for a coming out season in Dublin, and Rosie must find a way to support her family. But Ireland is changing too. The country's struggle for Home Rule, the outbreak of the Great War, and a looming Easter rebellion in Dublin all herald a new era. Not even Ennismore can escape unscathed. And for Rosie, family loyalty, love, friendship and patriotism will collide in life-changing ways, leading her through heartbreak and loss in search of her own triumphant independence.
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The Night Ocean by Paul LaFargeA tour-de-force of storytelling, The Night Ocean follows the lives of some extraordinary people: Lovecraft, the most influential American horror writer of the 20th century, whose stories continue to win new acolytes, even as his racist views provoke new critics; Robert Barlow, a seminal scholar of Mexican culture who killed himself after being blackmailed for his homosexuality (and who collaborated with Lovecraft on the beautiful story "The Night Ocean"); his student, future Beat writer William S. Burroughs; and L.C. Spinks, a kindly Canadian appliance salesman and science-fiction fan -- the only person who knows the origins of The Erotonomicon, purported to be the intimate diary of Lovecraft himself. The Night Ocean is about love and deception -- about the way that stories earn our trust, and betray it.
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Wednesday, April 26 Healthy Living for Your Brain and Body: Tips for Optimizing Physical and Cognitive Health 6:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. This workshop will cover research in the areas of diet and nutrition, exercise, cognitive activity and social engagement, as well as hands-on tools to incorporate these recommendations into a plan for healthy aging - at any age. Friday, April 28 Additions and Alterations to Historic Homes 7:00 p.m. Local architect Eric Holterman will discuss applying the Secretary of the Interior's standards for rehabilitation to residential properties. The program will look at historic patterns of residential additions and will include images of additions which meet the standards, as well as some that do not. Saturday, April 29 Stamp Roadshow 10:30 a.m. The Hamilton Township Philatelic Society will be on hand to evaluate the worth of your stamp collection! They'll also give pointers to the novice collector. Saturday, May 6 Used Book Collection 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Donate your gently used books. Saturday, May 6 Ask the Real Estate Lady 10:00 a.m. Susan Patterson leads a conversation with buyers and sellers about mortgage and inspection contingencies in the contract process. Thursday, May 11 Using the Cloud 1:00 p.m. What is the Cloud and what does it have to do with me? We'll teach you ways to upload files, documents, and photos to the Cloud so you can access them from any device.
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Friday, May 12 On a Roll: Sushi Making with Sofia Milner 7:00 p.m. Come learn the basics of sushi making along with expert tips from local resident Sophia Milner. Samples of California Roll will be served! Friday, June 2 The Vinyl Dialogues with Mike Morsch 6:30 p.m. Mike Morsch will discuss his three-volume set The Vinyl Dialogs. The books include interviews with Steven Van Zandt, Hall & Oates, The Doobie Bros., David Knopfler, Billy Joel, and Art Garfunkel. Thursday, June 8 Photo Editing with Your Tablet 1:00 p.m. Learn how to edit and enhance your photos using available apps on your tablet. Wednesday, June 14 Bald Eagles in Cranbury 6:30 p.m. Local resident Bob Kane will explain how he uses a unique recycling process to entice bald eagles onto his property for photographs. Thursday, July 6 Google Apps - Drive and Beyond 1:00 p.m. BYOD (Bring Your Own Device). Wednesday, July 19 Tiny Desserts with Pam Parseghian 6:30 p.m. Pam will demonstrate different methods of creating small desserts with big impact!
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Cranbury Public Library
23 North Main Street ~
Cranbury, NJ 08512 ~ Phone: 609-655-0555 ~ Contact Us
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