On the shelves - Dec. 25

The following books are available for checkout at:

Clovis-Carver Public Library

Family Tree by Susan Wiggs voices the story of Annie Rush, living a charmed life that ends up shattered in an instant. Awakening from a yearlong coma, Annie learns that time isn't the only thing she's lost. Grieving and wounded, she retreats to her old family home, a maple farm generations old, and slowly emerges into a world she left behind years ago. When she discovers a cookbook her grandmother wrote in the distant past, Annie unearths an age-old mystery that might prove the salvation of the family farm.

The Bones of Paradise by Jonis Agee picks up ten years after the Seventh Cavalry massacre of more than two hundred Lakota men, women, and children at Wounded Knee. When rancher J.B. Bennett and Star, a young Native American woman, are murdered, scattered family members are reunited. One yearns for redemption and hopes to reclaim the land that is rightfully hers. Another, scarred by the terrible slaughters, refuses to rest until Star is avenged.

Daisy in Chains by Sharon Bolton delivers a clever, intriguing, and complicated mystery portraying convicted murderer Hamish Wolfe, who like many incarcerated, alleges his innocence. Eager to be able to lodge a decent appeal, he turns to Maggie Rose, successful barrister and true crime writer who has already freed several "wrongly" convicted men. Problem is, she only takes on cases she knows she will win. Has Wolfe got enough evidence to pitch his case or will he have to rely on his charm and looks to swing things in his favor?

Temple Grandin: Voice for the Voiceless by Annette Wood is a fascinating biography of the most accomplished and well-known adult with autism in the world, revealing the trials and tribulations Dr. Grandin faced, and how she's become a hero for the autistic community. For the 22 million people worldwide afflicted by autism and the countless friends and family members who support them, this brilliant portrait presents an up-close look at the disorder and renewed hope for what the future could bring for those on all levels of the spectrum.

Big and Bright by Gray Levy is a must-read for any high-school football fan, capturing the true essence of the Texas high school football experience, not only of the players and coaches, but entire communities. While pulling back the curtain to show how serious and intense the sport can be, Levy simply tells the stories of the people involved in a way that makes you feel like you experienced the highs and lows of that week's game right along beside them.

Rustic Homes by Country Living offers an abundance of inspiring ideas and gorgeous photographs to help you find your design style, whether it's Classic Down-Home Charm, Eclectic Country, Reclaimed Rustic, or something else, revealing touches borrowed from barns, cabins, cottages, and farmhouses that make even modern homes feel warm and snug.

Portales Public Library

The Mistletoe Secret by Richard Paul Evans

Feeling as though no one will read it and thinking that she is safe and anonymous on the internet, a blogger who goes by the name of “LBH” online writes about her most intimate, private feelings, including her extreme loneliness. Although in real life she puts on a brave front for those around her, inside she longs for companionship and how it would feel to be truly loved, using her blog as an outlet. Little does LBH know she does in fact have a reader: Alex Bartlett, who has been reading her posts all the way down in Daytona Beach, Florida, lonely and heartbroken himself and finding himself falling for this unknown woman through her writing. When he starts tracking clues about her personal life that LBH has unwittingly revealed, Alex tracks her down to a small town named Midway in Utah, arriving just before Thanksgiving. As he searches for more clues to her identity, he winds up at the Mistletoe Diner and meets a woman named Aria-who can't possibly be LBH, but encourages him in his mission to find her. When he does finally find LBH however, he suddenly isn't sure where his heart belongs-with the blogger, or with Aria.

The Twelve Days of Dash and Lily by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan

High school seniors Dash and Lily have been together for almost a year, after meeting and falling in love in Dash and Lily's Book of Dares, but their relationship hasn't been as easy as they thought it would be. After helping her beloved grandfather through a health scare several months before, happy, optimistic, Christmas-loving Lily isn't feeling the Christmas spirit-or anything else, for that matter-leaving her brooding, pessimistic, book-loving boyfriend Dash lost as to how to help get her out of her funk or to close the distance that has grown between them. With the help of Lily's older brother Langston, and their respective friends and family, Dash sets off on a mission to make this Christmas the best one ever for Lily, starting twelve days before Christmas Day with a countdown of gifts, scavenger hunts and surprises around New York City. When Lily proves more difficult to cheer than expected, disappearing without her cellphone for two whole days, Dash wonders if he will be able to save his girlfriend's faith in both the season and their relationship.

— Summaries by library staff