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The Good Stuff From the Staff of Driftwood Public Library July 2023 |
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The priory of the orange tree
by Samantha Shannon
Queen Sabran fights off assassination attempts to continue her ruling line and is protected with forbidden magic by a court outsider, while a secret society works to prevent a dragon war
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The Raven tower
by Ann Leckie
"Following her record-breaking run in science fiction, Ann Leckie, winner of the Hugo, Nebula, Arthur C. Clarke and Locus Awards, brings her immense talent to an epic fantasy novel about the hidden forces that guide our fates. Having helped win a war at great cost in human lives and to its own power, the god known as the Raven of Iraden was forced to continue to fulfill its commitment to its followers and slowly regain its strength through the steady flow of prayers and sacrifices which are the source ofall the gods' powers. Centuries into that toil, a usurper to the throne of Iraden has discovered the Raven's weakened state and sets in motion a plot to gain the favor of younger, stronger gods in a bid to consolidate his power. But the Raven of Iraden is more resilient than its enemies have accounted for, and with the help of some unlikely allies it may still return to glory"
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Witch king
by Martha Wells
"After being murdered, his consciousness dormant and unaware of the passing of time while confined in an elaborate water trap, Kai wakes to find a lesser mage attempting to harness Kai's magic to his own advantage. That was never going to go well. But why was Kai imprisoned in the first place? What has changed in the world since his assassination? And why does the Rising World Coalition appear to be growing in influence? Kai will need to pull his allies close and draw on all his pain magic if he is to answer even the least of these questions. He's not going to like the answers."
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One summer : America, 1927 by Bill Bryson The summer of 1927 began with one of the signature events of the twentieth century: on May 21, 1927, Charles Lindbergh became the first man to cross the Atlantic by plane nonstop, and when he landed in Le Bourget airfield near Paris, he ignited an explosion of worldwide rapture and instantly became the most famous person on the planet. Meanwhile, the titanically talented Babe Ruth was beginning his assault on the home run record, which would culminate on September 30 with his sixtieth blast. In between those dates a Queens housewife named Ruth Snyder and her corset-salesman lover garroted her husband, leading to a murder trial that became a huge tabloid sensation. Alvin “Shipwreck” Kelly sat atop a flagpole in Newark, New Jersey, for twelve days—a new record. The American South was clobbered by unprecedented rain and by flooding of the Mississippi basin, a great human disaster, the relief efforts for which were guided by the uncannily able and insufferably pompous Herbert Hoover. Calvin Coolidge interrupted an already leisurely presidency for an even more relaxing three-month vacation in the Black Hills of South Dakota. The gangster Al Capone tightened his grip on the illegal booze business through a gaudy and murderous reign of terror and municipal corruption. The first true “talking picture,” Al Jolson’s "The Jazz Singer," was filmed and forever changed the motion picture industry. The four most powerful central bankers on earth met in secret session on a Long Island estate and made a fateful decision that virtually guaranteed a future crash and depression. |
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Featured Book Recommendations: |
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Woman, captain, rebel : the extraordinary true story of a daring Icelandic sea captainby Margaret Willson"A daring and magnificent account of Iceland's most famous female sea captain who constantly fought for women's rights and equality-and who also solved one of the country's most notorious robberies. Many people may have heard the old sailing superstitionthat having women onboard a ship was bad luck. When we think of examples of daring sea captains, swashbuckling pirates, or wise fishermen, many men come to mind. Cultural anthropologist Margaret Willson would like to introduce a fearless woman into our imagination of the sea: Thurâidur Einarsdâottir. Captain Thurâidur was a controversial woman constantly contesting social norms while simultaneously becoming a respected captain fighting for dignity and equality for underrepresented Icelanders." |
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Thinning blood : a memoir of family, myth, and identity by Leah Myers"Leah Myers may be the last member of the Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe in her family line, due to her tribe's strict blood quantum laws. Beginning with her great-grandmother, the last full-blooded Native member in their lineage, she connects each succeeding female ancestor with their totem to construct her family's totem pole: protective Bear, defiant Salmon, compassionate Hummingbird, and perched on top, Raven. As she pieces together their stories, Myers weaves in tribal folktales, the history of the Native genocide, and Native mythology. Throughout, she tells the larger story of how, as she puts it, her "culture is being bleached out," offering sharp vignettes of her own life between White and Native worlds" |
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Planta sapiens : the new science of plant intelligence by Paco Calvo"Decades of research document plants' impressive abilities: they communicate with one another, manipulate other species, and move in sophisticated ways. Lesser known, however, is the new evidence that plants may actually be sentient. Although plants may not have brains, their microscopic commerce exposes a system not unlike the neuronal networks running through our own bodies. They can learn and remember, possessing an intelligence that allows them to behave in adaptive, flexible, anticipatory, and goal-directed ways" |
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Mud ride : a messy trip through the grunge explosionby Steve Turner"A down-and-dirty chronicle of the birth of the Seattle grunge scene--from amateur skate parks and underground hardcore clubs to worldwide phenomenon--as told by one of its founding fathers and lead guitarist of legendary alternative rock band, Mudhoney"
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"What does Muhammad Ali, the greatest boxer of all time, have in common with Megan Rapinoe, the badass pink-haired female soccer player? They achieved perfection, won medals, and lived the glory. But it is above all their raised fists when they dared to sacrifice their privileges to defend a cause greater than their status of adulated champion. Rich in authentic anecdotes, this book tells the fate of those who paved the way. That of women and men who have written the political, social or cultural history of sport by taking a stand.
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Mindfulness and meditation : handling life with a calm and focused mind by Whitney StewartFrom hormones to homework, parents to peers, health issues to bad habits, life can be a pressure cooker leading to anxiety and even thoughts of suicide. How can we find relief? Author Whitney Stewart introduces teen readers to the practice of mindfulness. With its roots in ancient Buddhist teachings, mindfulness--the practice of purposefully focusing attention on the present moment--can change a person's approach to stress, develop skills to handle anxiety and depression, and provide a sense of awareness and belonging. Stewart guides readers through how to get started with meditation as well as provides specific exercises for examining emotions, managing stress, checking social media habits and wellness routines, and setting intentions to increase happiness
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Horror
A night watchman in a quiet coastal town, Dave Torres, plagued by twisted, unnerving dreams, discovers people all over the world are dying in their sleep and he, along with his ex-girlfriend, best friend and a nurse he just met, struggles to unravel the mystery before sleep overtakes them all.
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Historical novel
When Shek Yeung sees a Portuguese sailor slay her husband, a feared pirate, she knows she must act swiftly or die. Instead of mourning, she launches a new plan: immediately marrying her husband's second-in-command, and agreeing to bear him a son and heir, in order to retain power over her half of the fleet. But as Shek Yeung vies for control over the army she knows she was born to lead, larger threats loom. The Chinese Emperor has charged a brutal, crafty nobleman with ridding the South China Seas of pirates. Even worse, Shek Yeung's cutthroat retributions create problems all their own. As Shek Yeung navigates new motherhood and the crises of leadership, she must decide how long she is willing to fight, and at what price, or risk losing her fleet, her new family, and even her life |
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by Sofia Lundberg
Historical Novel
While men have long been credited with producing the first abstract paintings, the true creator was actually a woman - Swedish artist Hilma af Klint, who was inspired by her mystic visions. Early 1900s: The world belongs to men, and the art world in Stockholm, Sweden, is no different, until Hilma af Klint brings together a mysterious group of female painters and writers-Anna, Cornelia, Sigrid, and Mathilda-to form their own emotional and artistic support system. The members of the Friday Night Club find themselves thrust into uncharted territory when Hilma and her best friend, Anna, begin dabbling in the occult, believing that through sâeances they can channel unseen spirits to help them achieve their potential as artists. The Friday Night Club is an illuminating historical novel that explores destiny, passion, and the threads that connect five women as they challenge artistic and societal traditions. |
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"Perpetually unattached Lady Cassia McQuoid has accepted her fate as a spinster. But how can she be expected to lead a life confined to drawing rooms and royal balls when there's a vast, exciting world to explore? Cassia can find but one solution: she masquerades as a thrill-seeking lad and stows away on a ship bound for open waters. Adventure awaits. So does notorious privateer Nathaniel Ellsby"
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The Metropolitan affairby Jocelyn Green"With a notorious forger preying on New York's high society, Metropolitan Museum of Art curator Lauren Westlake is just the expert needed to track down the criminal. As she and Detective Joe Caravello search for the truth, the closer they get to discovering the forger's identity, the more entangled they become in a web of deception and crime" |
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by Julia Heaberlin
Vivvy Bouchet, daughter of a known psychic, was ten when she saved a boy's life by making an impossible prediction. Now she's an astrophysicist in Texas, devoted to science, but the boy she saved has become a cop who continues to believe she can see things no one else can. When he begs for help on the high-profile cold case of a kidnapped girl, Vivvy steps back into the ocean of voices that once nearly drowned her. She is forced to team up with detective Jesse Sharp, a skeptic of anything but fact. When Vivvy becomes the target of a conspiracy theorist podcaster, she fights back with both her scientific mind and her inexplicable gifts, hoping to lure a kidnapper, find a child who haunts her, and lay some of her own ghosts to rest. |
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The shadow cabinet : a novelby Juno DawsonFantasy Niamh Kelly is dead. Her troubled twin, Ciara, now masquerades as the benevolent witch as Her Majesty's Royal Coven prepares to crown her High Preistess. Suffering from amnesia, Ciara can't remember what she's done--but if she wants to survive, she must fool Niamh's adopted family and friends; the coven; and the murky Shadow Cabinet. While she tries to rebuild her past, she realizes none of her past has forgotten her, including her former lover, renegade warlock Dabney Hale. On the other end of the continent, Leonie Jackman is in search of Hale, If the witches can't figure out Hale's machinations, and fast, all of witchkind will be in grave danger--along with the fate of all (wo)mankind. Sharp, funny, provocative, and joyous, Juno Dawson's sequel reimagines everything you think you knew about her coven and her witches in a story that spans continents and dives deep into the roots of England and its witchcraft.
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We can be heroes by Kyrie McCauleyUnited by vengeance for their friend Cassie after their town moves on too quickly after her murder, frenemies Beck and Vivian race against time to deliver justice to those responsible for her death.
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Today tonight tomorrow
by Rachel Lynn Solomon
"Throughout the years both Rowan and Neil have been at competition with one another on everything from who has the best ideas for school functions to which one will be their graduating class's valedictorian. However, in the twenty-four hours left they have as high school students, the two learn they share something much deeper than a rivalry"
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Steph Littlebird, Illustrator.
After generations of short hair in her family, a little girl celebrates growing her hair long to connect to her culture and honor the strength and resilience of those who came before her |
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Bryan Collier, Illustrator.
Lyrical, affirmational, and bursting with love, We Are Here is a poignant story about Black and brown heritage and community. This much-anticipated follow-up to the New York Times best-selling picture book All Because You Matter offers an equally inspirational and arresting ode to all of the Black women and men throughout history who have made significant contributions from the beginning of time. |
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Dress-up dayby Blanca GómezSick at home, a young girl misses the costume party at school, so she decides to wear her rabbit costume the next day, but when the other children laugh at her, she feels sad—until a boy turns up in his carrot costume, and soon the other children join in their play. |
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A Nico di Angelo adventure by Rick RiordanNico, the son of Hades, and his boyfriend Will, the son of Apollo, travel to Tartarus, the deepest, darkest part of the Underworld, as they attempt to rescue an old friend. Together the two demigods can overcome any obstacle or foe. At least, that's been the case so far.... |
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The dog knightby Jeremy Whitley ; art by Bre IndigoGraphic novel
Meet Frankie, whose biggest challenge is finding the perfect outfit for the upcoming band concert. But then they save a friendly golden retriever from bullies--and suddenly finds themself in a giant magical doghouse, with a funny-looking helmet, talking about a job offer with a group of dog superheroes called the Pawtheon. If Frankie can prove that they possess the six dog virtues of loyalty, kindness, honesty, justice, stubbornness, and smell, they will be named the Dog Knight and given the power to fight alongside they Pawtheon and save the world from the forces of chaos. Maybe there is more to Frankie than they thought.
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Graphic novel
Staying behind to catch up on some reading while his inept boss, Sir Kelton, rides off to slay a demonic dragon, Squire soon notices something isn't quite right about this cursed village and seeks to uncover its secrets. |
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Driftwood Public Library 801 SW Hwy 101, Second Floor Lincoln City, OR 97367 Phone: 541-996-2277 Email: librarian@lincolncity.org | | |
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Hours: Monday-Saturday: 10:00 AM until 6:00 PM Sunday: 1:00 PM until 5:00 PM |
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