On the shelves - Feb. 27

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.

“The Christmas Bookshop” by Jenny Colgan. Laid off from her department store job, Carmen has perilously little cash and few options. The prospect of spending Christmas with her perfect sister Sofia does not appeal. Frankly, Frankly, Sofia doesn’t exactly want her prickly sister Carmen there either. But Sofia has yet another baby on the way, and a client who needs help revitalizing his shabby old bookshop. So Carmen moves in and takes the job. Thrown rather suddenly into the inner workings of Mr. McCredie’s ancient bookshop on the picturesque streets of historic Edinburgh, Carmen is intrigued despite herself. The store is dusty and disorganized but undeniably charming. Can she breathe some new life into it in time for Christmas shopping?

“The Magnolia Palace” by Fiona Davis. Eight months since losing her mother in the Spanish flu outbreak of 1919, twenty-one-year-old Lillian Carter’s life has completely fallen apart. For the past six years, under the moniker Angelica, Lillian was one of the most sought-after artists’ models in New York City. But with her mother gone, a grieving Lillian is rudderless and desperate. So when she stumbles upon an employment opportunity at the Frick mansion, Lillian jumps at the chance. But the longer she works as a private secretary to the imperious and demanding Helen Frick, the more deeply her life gets intertwined with that of the family—pulling her into a tangled web of romantic trysts, stolen jewels, and family drama that runs so deep, the stakes just may be life or death.

“The Lady’s Mine” by Francine Rivers. 1875. Banished from Boston by her wealthy stepfather, she has come to claim an inheritance from the uncle she never knew: a defunct newspaper office, and a seemingly worthless mine in tiny Calvada. Moved by the oppression of the local miners and their families, Kathryn decides to relaunch her uncle’s newspaper―and then finds herself in the middle of a maelstrom. But Kathryn intends to continue to say whatever she pleases, especially when she knows she’s right. Matthias Beck, owner of a local saloon and hotel, has a special interest in the new lady in town. While Kathryn may be right about Calvada’s problems, her righteousness could also get her killed. But when the handsome hotelier keeps finding himself on the same side of the issues as the opinionated Miss Walsh, Matthias’s restless search for purpose becomes all about answering the call of his heart.

“London’s Number One Dog-Walking Agency” by Kate MacDougall. n 2006, Kate MacDougall was working a safe job at the venerable auction house Sotheby’s in London. After a clumsy accident, she quits and set up her own dog-walking company. Kate knew little about dogs and nothing about business. Nevertheless, Kate embarked upon an entirely new and very much improvised career walking some of the city’s many pampered pooches. With sharp wit, delightful observations, and plenty of canine affection, Kate reveals her unique and unconventional coming-of-age story, as told through the dogs, and the London homes and neighborhoods they inhabit.

“My Job Isn’t Working!” by Michael Brown. If you’re a typical mid-career worker in a typical enterprise, the chances are you are being squeezed. Hard. You’re under pressure like never before, coming at you from all directions. In this book, Michael Brown reveals the 10 techniques he has used to help thousands of mid-career workers boost their career mojo. Discover the simple changes you can make to transform your work life.

“Apparently There Were Complaints” by Sharon Gless. Anyone who has seen Sharon Gless act in Cagney & Lacey, Queer as Folk, Burn Notice, and countless other shows and movies, knows that she’s someone who gives every role her all. She holds nothing back in Apparently There Were Complaints, a hilarious, deeply personal memoir that spills all about Gless’s five decades in Hollywood.

— Summaries provided by library staff