"The books were the background of my little world, and seeing them carted away by friends and relatives was like watching someone dismantle the sky." ~ from Lev Golinkin's A Backpack, a Bear, and Eight Crates of Vodka
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New and Recently Released!
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| You're Not Lost if You Can Still See the Truck: The Further Adventures of... by Bill HeaveyIf you need a good laugh, pick up Bill Heavey's latest witty essay collection; pick it up even sooner if you love fishing and hunting. Not only is this book entertaining, but it's well-written: The Wall Street Journal calls Heavey, who writes for Field & Stream, "one of the best magazine writers in America." Vividly detailing events from his life and his incredible outdoor adventures hither and yon, Heavey includes experiences that are both difficult (the death of his daughter) and fun (occasionally things go his way), and all are told with the warmth of an old friend, which fans of Bill Bryson should appreciate. |
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| Lives in Ruins: Archaeologists and the Seductive Lure of Human Rubble by Marilyn JohnsonIf Indiana Jones is the only archaeologist you know, prepare to be enlightened -- and to have a good time. Like bestselling author Mary Roach, Marilyn Johnson writes astute, entertaining books about intriguing subcultures. In Lives in Ruins, she takes on archaeology, a field many of us have just a surface understanding of. Traveling to diverse locales, including the Pine Barrens of New Jersey, Peru's Machu Picchu, and the Mediterranean, Johnson attends field-training school, goes to numerous field sites (including an underwater one), talks with dozens of people (including many contemporary archaeologists), and shares what she's unearthed in this "delectable" (Salon) book. |
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Books You May Have Missed
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| Wish You Happy Forever: What China's Orphans Taught Me About... by Jenny BowenWhat could a Hollywood screenwriter/independent filmmaker who spoke no Mandarin possibly do to help China's thousands of orphans? Plenty, as it turned out. In 1997, Jenny Bowen and her husband had adopted a two-year-old Chinese daughter; sick and emotionally distant at first, the girl was the picture of health and happiness a year later. Seeing what love and attention did for her own child, Bowen immediately set out to transform China's entire orphanage system by starting the Half the Sky Foundation -- and she's succeeded. Detailing her perseverance and unwavering commitment to her cause, this emotional book, like Conor Grennan's Little Princes, shows that one person can make a difference in the lives of children, even if they live halfway around the world. |
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| The Nile: A Journey Downriver Through Egypt's Past and Present by Toby WilkinsonRenowned Egyptologist Toby Wilkinson uses his travels in and around the Nile River to vividly describe Egypt's long history. The river has played a central and necessary role in Egyptian life for millennia, creating land fit for agriculture as well as moving goods and people. In following its path from Aswan to Cairo, Wilkinson shares fascinating histories and details about ancient life, historical peoples and their gods, and much more. And in addition to illuminating the past, he discusses contemporary Egypt, including the start of the Arab Spring in Cairo. This rich, engaging narrative will captivate anyone interested in the Nile or in understanding Egypt. |
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| A Window on Eternity: A Biologist's Walk Through Gorongosa National Park by Edward O. Wilson; photographs by Piotr NaskreckiJoining forces with nature photographer Piotr Naskrecki, biologist and Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Edward O. Wilson takes readers on a lavishly illustrated tour of Mozambique's 1,500 square mile Gorongosa National Park, documenting the region's natural history as well as the devastation wrought by a 16-year civil war that destroyed much of the park's biodiversity -- including 90 percent of its megafauna. Wilson also describes Gorongosa's gradual rebirth, a collaborative effort between scientists and philanthropists whose goal to restore the area to its former glory proceeds at a slow but steady pace. For a moving, yet ultimately hopeful story of conservation against the backdrop of one of the world's most beautiful and valuable ecological treasures, don't miss A Window on Eternity. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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