On the shelves - Sept. 15

The following books are available for checkout at:

Clovis-Carver Public Library

“Blood Oath” by Linda Fairstein: Assistant DA Alexandra Cooper of the Manhattan Sex Crimes Unit is finally back at work following a leave of absence. With more women feeling empowered to name their abusers, Alex is eager to return to the courtroom to do what she does best. But even she can't anticipate the complexity of her first case when she meets Lucy, a young woman who testified years earlier, who now reveals that she was sexually assaulted by a prominent official during that time. Unless she can uncover the truth, the life-saving facility just may become her grave.

“The Second-Worst Restaurant in France” by Alexander McCalll Smith: Renowned Scottish cookbook writer Paul Stuart is hard at work on his new book, The Philosophy of Food, but complicated domestic circumstances are making that difficult. So when Paul's eccentric cousin Chloe suggests that he join her at the house she's rented in the French countryside, he jumps at the chance. The two quickly befriend the locals, including their twin-sister landladies, who also own the infamous local restaurant known to be the second-worst eatery in all of France.

“The Sentence is Death” by Anthony Horowitz: “You shouldn’t be here. It’s too late.” These were the last recorded words of successful celebrity-divorce lawyer Richard Pryce, found bludgeoned to death in his bachelor pad with a bottle of wine. Odd, considering he didn’t drink. Why this bottle? And why those words? And why was a three-digit number painted on the wall by the killer? And, most importantly, which of the man’s many, many enemies did the deed?

“I’m Writing you from Tehran” by Delphine Minoui shares the author’s true story of when, in the wake of losing her beloved grandfather, she decided to visit Iran for the first time since the revolution. Quickly absorbed into the everyday life of the city, she befriends veteran journalists battling government censorship, imprisoned student poets, and her own grandmother. Minoui joins street protests and is interrogated by the secret police. She sees a mirrored rise in the love of country. Friends disappear; others may be tracking her movements.

“The Last Elephants” by Don Pinnocks and Colin Bell: African savanna elephants are an extraordinary, social, and intelligent species. Giving homage to these animals, the authors sound a clarion call for their preservation based upon a shocking finding: savanna elephant populations across Africa are being decimated, with two to three murdered every hour for their ivory. Without action, these elephants soon will vanish from our world.

“Ed Stafford’s Ultimate Adventure Guide: The Bucket List for the Brave” by Ed Stafford presents an inspirational and practical book for experiencing the wild wonder of our amazing planet. Ed's hand-picked selection of exciting challenges is for those who don't mind a bit of discomfort. Life's great adventures are theirs for the taking.

Portales Public Library

“Crazy Rich Asians” by Kevin Kwan: American and native New Yorker Rachel Chu is head over heels for her boyfriend Nicholas Young, a fellow professor at NYU, and is thrilled at the prospect of spending summer vacation with him at his family home in Singapore, having never met any of his relatives before. Although Rachel imagines that Nick, who is humble and down-to-earth, comes from an ordinary, modest home, she is shocked to discover that not only is Nick’s family incredibly wealthy, but also one of the most influential families in Asia, and Nick is one of the most sought-after bachelors on the continent. Hoping that his family comes from the same mindset as Nick, Rachel tries her best to impress his family, particularly his mother, Eleanor Young, but Eleanor is intent on her son marrying someone from one of the other families in her rich circle of socialites, and has no desire to get to know Nick’s “poor” American girlfriend. Planning on sabotaging their relationship, Eleanor hires a private investigator to dig up any information on Rachel’s family that she can use to drive a wedge between Nick and Rachel, and the young couple is tasked with Nick ultimately having to choose between the legacy of his family and the woman whom he loves.

“The Outsider” by Stephen King: When the body of an eleven-year-old boy is found violated and murdered in the town park of Flint City, Oklahoma, both eyewitnesses and the fingerprints on the corpse point to none other than Terry Maitland, one of the town’s most beloved citizens. Maitland is not only an English teacher, a husband, and the father of two girls, but he is also a Little League coach, and because Maitland was once the coach of Detective Ralph Anderson’s own son, Anderson orders a public arrest. Maitland does have an alibi, however, but when DNA evidence that further links Maitland to the crime is found, the case seems impossible to dispute, but as the investigation continues, more and more questions begin to arise. Is Terry Maitland the nice guy and trustworthy citizen that he has always appeared to be and innocent of such evil, or is he something far more sinister that anyone suspected? Only time will tell, and the ending will be revealed through shocking measures as only Stephen King can dream up.

“To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before” by Jenny Han: Right at the beginning of her junior year, Lara Jean Song Covey, sixteen, half-Korean and never the center of attention, is horrified to discover that the love letters that she wrote—but had never intended to send—to five of her former crushes have been mailed out by accident. The recipients of the letters include both Peter Kavinsky, the boy who just broke up with Lara Jean’s ex-best friend Genevieve, and Josh, her next-door-neighbor who is not only one of her best friends, but also her sister Margo’s ex-boyfriend. Although Lara Jean only wrote the letters after she had moved on from each of her five crushes, she realizes that she still has feelings for Josh, and when Peter confronts her with his letter, the two of them agree to pretend to date in order for Lara Jean to avoid Josh—who has also received his letter—and for Peter to fully move on from Genevieve, who dumped him for another guy. Lara Jean and Peter write and sign a contract of how to navigate their fake relationship, but as they start to spend all of their time together and become real friends, Lara Jean begins to question which guy she actually has feelings for—Josh, or Peter.

— Summaries provided by library staff