On the shelves - Nov. 14

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 cloviscarverpl.booksys.net/opac/ccpl or call 575-769-7840 to request a specific item for curbside pickup.

“Viral” by Robin Cook. Brian Murphy and his family are in Cape Cod when his wife, Emma, comes down with flu-like symptoms. But their leisurely return home to New York City becomes a race to the hospital as she begins seizing in the car. She is diagnosed with a rare and lethal mosquito-borne disease. Complicating the situation further, Brian and Emma’s daughter begins to exhibit alarming symptoms, too. Furious at a shockingly indifferent healthcare system, Brian vows to seek justice. But to get to the bottom of the predatory practices targeting his loved ones, he must bring down the executives preying on the sick before the virus can claim even more people.

“Child of Light” by Terry Brooks. At nineteen, Auris Afton Grieg has led an unusual life. Since the age of fifteen, she has been trapped in a sinister prison. Why? She does not know. She has no memories of her past beyond the vaguest of impressions. All she knows is that she is about to age out of the children’s prison, and rumors say that the adult version is far, far worse. So, she and some friends stage a desperate escape. And it is here that Auris’s journey of discovery begins, for she is rescued by an unusual stranger who claims to be Fae. Odder still, he seems to think that she is one as well, although the two look nothing alike. But strangest of all, when he brings her to his wondrous homeland, she begins to suspect that he is right. Yet how could a woman who looks entirely human be a magical being herself?

“Everyone Knows Your Mother is a Witch” by Rivka Galchen. The story begins in 1618, in the German duchy of Württemberg. The Thirty Years’ War has begun, and fear and suspicion are in the air throughout the Holy Roman Empire. In the small town of Leonberg, Katharina Kepler is accused of being a witch. Katharina is an illiterate widow, known by her neighbors for her herbal remedies and the success of her children, including her eldest, Johannes, who is the Imperial Mathematician and renowned author of the laws of planetary motion. So, when the deranged and insipid Ursula Reinbold accuses Katharina of offering her a bitter, witchy drink that has made her ill, Katharina is in trouble. Her scientist son must turn his attention from the music of the spheres to the job of defending his mother.

“Paradise: One Town’s Struggle to Survive an American Wildfire” by Lizzie Johnson. On November 8, 2018, the people of Paradise, California, awoke to a mottled gray sky and gusty winds. Soon the Camp Fire was upon them, gobbling an acre a second. Less than two hours after the fire ignited, the town was engulfed in flames. By the next morning, eighty-five people were dead. As a reporter for the “San Francisco Chronicle,” Lizzie Johnson was there as the town of Paradise burned. She saw the smoldering rubble of a historic covered bridge and the beloved Black Bear Diner, and she stayed long afterward, visiting shelters, and makeshift camps. Drawing on years of on-the-ground reporting and reams of public records, Johnson provides a minute-by-minute account of the Camp Fire, following residents and first responders as they fight to save themselves and their town.

“The Ecological Gardener” by Matt Rees-Warren. “The Ecological Gardener” will give you the tools to create an abundant, healthy garden from the soil up — a garden that welcomes birds and bees and allows native planting and wild flowers to flourish, with minimal carbon impact or need for fresh water.

“Tin Can Magic” by Jessica Elliott Dennison. Tin Can Magic is full of easy, delicious recipes using pantry staples. Working in a tiny cafe kitchen with limited shelf and fridge space, Jessica understands the importance of having a capsule-wardrobe style pantry of cheap, familiar canned items that can be tweaked every week to create an interesting, seasonal menu.

— Summaries provided by library staff