On the shelves - Feb. 21

The books listed below are now available for checkout at the Clovis-Carver Public Library. The library is open to the public, but patrons can still visit the online catalog at clovis.polarislibrary.com or call 575-769-7840 to request a specific item for curbside pickup.

“Leave the World Behind” by Rumaan Alam. When Amanda and Clay head out to a remote corner of Long Island, they're expecting a vacation: a quiet reprieve from life in New York City, quality time with their teenagers, and a taste of the good life in the luxurious home they've rented. A knock on the door breaks the spell when the panicked house owners bring news that a blackout has swept the city. In this rural area-with the TV and internet now down, and no cell phone service-it's hard to know what to believe. Is the isolated vacation home a truly safe place for their families? Are they safe from one other?

“When No One Is Watching” by Alyssa Cole. Sydney Green is Brooklyn born and raised, but her beloved neighborhood seems to change every time she blinks. Condos are sprouting like weeds, FOR SALE signs are popping up overnight, and the neighbors she's known all her life are disappearing. To channel her frustration, she begins a walking tour and finds an unlikely and unwanted assistant, her new neighbor Theo. But Sydney and Theo's deep dive into history quickly becomes a dizzying descent into paranoia and fear, where they must learn to trust each other before they too disappear.

“20th Century Ghosts” by Joe Hill shares a compilation of short spine-tingling stories. Young, beautiful… and dead Imogene, waits in the Rosebud Theater for Alec. Francis was human once, but now he's an eight-foot-tall locust, and everyone in Calliphora will tremble when they hear him sing. And there's Nolan, who knows, but can never tell what really happened in the summer of '77, when his idiot savant younger brother built a vast cardboard fort with secret doors leading into other worlds. The past isn't dead. It isn't even past.

“The Dead are Arising: The Life of Malcolm X” by Les Payne presents the culmination of a thirty-year quest to interview anyone Payne could find who had known Malcolm X, whether family, friend, or foe. This unprecedented portrait of Malcolm X separates fact from fiction, delivering extraordinary revelations, and setting Malcolm's life not only within the Nation of Islam but against the larger backdrop of American history.

“Dreams: Unlock Inner Wisdom, Discover Meaning, and Refocus Your Life” by Rosie March-Smith. Have you ever dreamt you were being chased? Or that your teeth were falling out? Does fire, water or lost love recur in your dreams? Explore psychotherapeutic interpretations of key dream images and themes, and discover how to work with your dreams to address issues and imbalances in your life. Use your dreams to identify and overcome obstacles, realize latent talent, get to the root of how you really feel about the people in your life and much more.

“Cookie Love” by Jean Hwang Carrant reveals the secrets of how to make the ultimate cookies. Owner of a cookie shop in Paris, Jean is an expert cookie-maker and has all the best flavors up her sleeves. Try classics such as Snickerdoodle or Chocolate Chip, as well as creative alternatives like Beer, White Matcha, or Choc Pecan Cranberry.

“Optical Illusions in Graphic Design” by Wang Shaoqiang showcases projects that create extraordinary effects to make us doubt and fall for their magic. Waves and mazes, overlapping images, and stereoscopic vision tricks of graphic or space designs are all wonderful examples of what optical illusions are and how they tickle the mind.

— Summaries provided by library staff