On the shelves - April 2

The following are available for checkout at:

Clovis-Carver Public Library

“The Children's Garden” by Matthew Appleby inspires parents and their children to play and learn in the garden with activities that include nature trails, cooking, crafting and growing plants and vegetables. While teaching creativity and fun, the garden becomes a place of discovery, encouraging children to enjoy and engage with the natural world around them.

“1,000 Butterflies” by Adrian Hoskins is an exquisitely illustrated photographic guide to the diverse butterfly families of the world, encompassing species from every corner of the globe. Covering all key families and including the likes of monarchs, birdwings, swordtails, morphos and glasswings, the stunning images and informative text will delight butterfly enthusiasts and anyone who enjoys these delicate creatures.

“Jungle of Stone” by William Carlsen documents the true story of the nineteenth-century rediscovery of the Mayan civilization by American ambassador John Lloyd Stephens and British architect Frederick Catherwood, illuminating how their findings profoundly changed Western understandings about human history.

“Food Anatomy” by Julia Rothman serves up a hilarious primer on short order egg lingo and a mouthwatering menu of how people around the planet serve fried potatoes - and what we dip them in. This recommended daily allowance of facts and fun delves in to the curious parts and pieces of our edible world, exploring topics like food for thought - eat your fruits and veggies - the meat of the matter - dairy queens - street food - sweet tooth - and more.

“The Secret Sister” by Brenda Novak shares the story of Maisey Lazarow, returning after a painful divorce to the small island off the North Carolina coast where she grew up. Upon finding a box of old photographs, Maisey and her brother Keith begin to uncover distant memories of a little girl who they believe was their sister. Although their mother claims there was no sister, Maisey is convinced there was. So where is she now?

“That Darkness” by Lisa Black challenges forensic investigator Maggie Gardiner to piece together clues to identify a killer who doesn't murder because for enjoyment, but to make the world a safer place. When Maggie notices a connection between the battered body of a young girl left in a cemetery and a career criminal shot in an alley, she must follow a trail no one else wants to see, picking up crumbs of evidence that no one else notices.

“The Swan Thieves” by Elizabeth Kostova moves from American museums to the coast of Normandy, from the late nineteenth century to the late twentieth, from young love to last love. When psychiatrist Andrew Marlowe takes on a new patient who refuses to talk or cooperate, Marlow finds himself going beyond his own legal and ethical boundaries to understand the secret that torments the silent genius, a journey that will lead him into the lives of the women closest to his renowned patient and toward a tragedy at the heart of French Impressionism.

Portales Public Library

“If Not for You” by Debbie Macomber

In order to get away from her loving yet controlling parents, Beth Prudhomme moves from Chicago to Portland, Oregon, reconnecting with her aunt, Sunshine, and getting a job as a high school music teacher. There in Portland she meets a new friend named Nichole, who in turn introduces her to Sam Carney, her exact opposite in looks, tastes and profession, and possibly her parents' worst fear as a man in Beth's life. Sam is an auto mechanic who is not only rough around the edges but also tattooed and normally attracted to women that are nothing like Beth. Beth isn't sure that Sam is the sort of the man she should consider dating, but when she is injured in a car accident which is witnessed by Sam, he not only runs to help her and stays with her until an ambulance arrives, but also visits her routinely during her time in the hospital, turning their tentative friendship closer into something much closer to mutual attraction. When Beth's mother Ellie suddenly comes to town, however, she exposes secrets about Sam that threaten Beth's carefully won opinions of him.

“Man Overboard” by J.A. Jance

When cybersecurity expert Roger McGeary falls to his death from the balcony of an expensive cruise ship, his aunt Julia Miller is determined to find both answers and closure, believing that his death is neither an accident nor a suicide. As Roger had finally gotten his life together after battling depression for years, Julia turns to Roger's childhood friend Stuart Ramey to solve the mysteries surrounding his fall, and together with his sidekick Cami Lee, and journalist and investigator Ali Reynolds, Stuart puts all his resources from his online security firm High Noon Enterprises to finding the truth behind his friend's unfortunate fate. While Cami investigates the cruise ship, Stuart and Ali look into the case through cyberspace, Stuart glued to his computer when he finds himself battling the technological genius of an unknown enemy that may or may not be a serial killer. Little does Stuart know, the killer has been using his own created artificial intelligence, called Frigg, to target emotionally unstable victims who had lost their parents to suicide in order to drive them to want to kill themselves in the same way.

“Forever a Hero” by Linda Lael Miller

When Mace Carson was in college, he happened to be in the right place at the right time to save a young woman from being attacked one night, and although he was lauded as a hero, he has never thought of himself that way, even years later as a Wyoming cowboy turned successful businessman and vintner who owns his own winery. The woman he rescued, Kelly Wright, has never forgotten the incident either, or the strong cowboy who stopped her attacker, and when Kelly, now a corporate executive, is sent on business to try to buy a profitable winery in Mustang Creek, Wyoming, she is surprised to find that Mace is the owner. Mace, too, is shocked to be reunited with Kelly, and while he is determined not to sell his winery, Kelly is determined to keep their relationship strictly professional despite her secret excitement on seeing Mace again. However, when the very man who attacked her all those years ago is released from prison and is intent on revenge against both of them for landing him in jail, both Mace and Kelly realize that they may be better off together after all.

— Summaries by library staff