On the shelves — Oct. 30

The following books are available for checkout at:

Clovis-Carver Public Library

Foreign Agent by Brad Thor crackles with suspense when a clandestine American operations team readies to launch a dramatic raid, targeting the director of social media for ISIS. When the raid turns into a bloody failure, half spy, half covert counterterrorism operative Scot Harvath searches for what went wrong and how top-secret intel might have been leaked that opened up the political and public relations nightmare.

Everything We Keep by Kerry Lonsdale explores the devastation of loss, euphoria of finding love again, and the sometimes pulse-racing repercussions of discovering the truth about the ones we love and the lengths they will go to protect us. Unexpected twists result as Aimee Tierney struggles to reconstruct her life after her fiancé's disappearance in a boating accident, uncovering an ocean of secrets that make her question everything about the life they built together.

Another Brooklyn by Jacqueline Woodson breathes life into memories, portraying an indelible friendship that unites the lives of four young girls growing up in 1970s Brooklyn, amid neighborhood streets where they share confidences, and believe they are beautiful, talented, and the future belongs to them. But beneath the hopeful promise exists another Brooklyn, a dangerous place for innocent girls, where precious innocence meets the all-too-real perils of growing up.

Home: How Habitat Made Us Human by John S. Allen addresses the very basic question: “How did a place to sleep become a home?” examining how we think of home and came to create a space not only for shelter, but also for nurturing creativity, innovation, and culture — why "feeling at home" is a fundamental aspect of the human condition.

Beyond Canning by Autumn Giles is the perfect book for the next step in your preserving journey, featuring techniques and ingredients sure to open your mind - an invaluable resource for those who know the basics but want to expand their skill-set. Using unexpected flavors, a wide variety of smart techniques, and root-to-stalk recipes you will find practical ways to eat better and reduce waste while experiencing new tastes and textures in the foods you love.

The Boy Who Runs by John Brant chronicles the inspirational true story of Julius Achon, captured at the age of twelve and turned into a boy soldier, then later finding a career as one of the world's foremost middle-distance runners. When tragedy prevents Julius from pursuing the gold at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, he is once again set adrift and forced to forge a new path for himself, finally finding his true calling as an internationally recognized humanitarian.

Portales Public Library

Woman of God by James Patterson

Brigid Fitzgerald is a true woman of God: from growing up as the child of two heroin addicts to graduating from Harvard and medical school on her own merits and becoming a doctor in Sudan with Caring Hands, she has always relied on her faith and relationship with God to guide her way through every trial and opportunity that presents itself. Although facing the threat of persecution and death, surviving being wounded multiple times during her field work, Brigid has dedicated to her life to her cause and the church itself, but when she later decides to come to legal aid of a clergyman wrongfully accused of abusing a child, she is thrust into the spotlight of the Catholic church and becomes the target of many who believe the church has lost its way-and that change is in order. As the position for the next pope becomes available and the world waits with bated breath, the burning question becomes not only who will take over the papacy, but whether or not it can be a woman.

Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard: The Hammer of Thor by Rick Riordan

In the sequel to The Sword of Summer, Magus's next task as one of the einharjar-honorable dead-of Valhala is to recover Thor's hammer, which is not only missing yet again, as the Norse god of thunder is constantly misplacing it, but has also fallen into the hands of an enemy giant named Thrym. Magnus and his friends Blitz, Heath, Samirah, TJ, Mallory and Halborn Gunderson are tasked with retrieving the hammer as quickly as possible, because if they don't, the hammer will be used to start Ragnarok and all of the Nine Worlds will be destroyed. Unfortunately for them, and for Thor, the only person who can help them get the hammer back is Thor's archenemy himself, Loki, who would love nothing more than to cause mischief and make their quest as difficult as possible. Joined by one of Loki's own children, Alex Fierro, they must work together to broker a deal with Thrym to get the hammer back-including setting up an arranged marriage between the giant and Samirah.

The Whistler by John Grisham

Lacy Stoltz is a lawyer whose job is to investigate and address complaints dealing with judicial misconduct, and although most of the case that make it to her desk have to do with sheer incompetence, occasionally they involve actual intent and corruption. One such as case it brought to her by a disbarred lawyer who now goes by the name Greg Myers, whose client claims to know of a Florida judge who is taking a cut from the monthly cash from a casino built on Native American land and is turning a blind eye to the Coast Mafia also helping itself to the money. According to Greg, the corrupt judge has stolen more money than any other judge in the entire United States, throughout all of its history, and is determined to put an end to it. Now the case has come to Lacy however, she knows that it will not only be extremely difficult to bring the judge to justice, but also possibly deadly.

— Summaries by library staff