On the shelves - Oct. 30

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.

“Woodcraft” by Barn the Spoon. This book was given in memorial of Doug Corley. With green woodworking there’s no need for costly materials and machinery. All you need to begin crafting is a log, an ax, and a hand knife. Starting with selecting and splitting your very first log, let Woodcraft show you all the techniques of green woodworking and guide you step by step through a series of rewarding projects. “Woodcraft” brings up-to-date a newly resurgent folk craft and makes it truly accessible to all--no workshop required. So, what are you waiting for? Get in touch with nature and find harmony working with your hands.

“Shackleton: The Biography” by Ranulph Fiennes. To write about Hell, it helps if you have been there. In 1915, Sir Ernest Shackleton’s attempt to traverse the Antarctic was cut short when his ship, Endurance, became trapped in ice. The disaster left Shackleton and his men alone at the frozen South Pole, fighting for their lives. Their survival and escape is the most famous adventure in history. “Shackleton” is a captivating new account of the adventurer, his life and his incredible leadership under the most extreme of circumstances.

“Santa Fe’s Fonda” by Allen R. Steele. For the first two centuries of Santa Fe’s history, weary wayfarers were out of luck. Not only did the Spanish authorities enforce a strict travel ban on foreign visitors, but there was also no place to stay in the territorial capital. That all changed in the 1820s. When Mexico gained independence, a flood of traffic cascaded down the Santa Fe Trail, and the Plaza became a hub of hospitality and trade. From the Exchange Hotel to La Fonda, the inn on the corner of San Francisco Street represented one of the most welcome landmarks in the West.

“Alice’s Trading Post” by Kerry Dean Feldman. Alice never met her Army of the West officer father; she was raised by her Canadian trapper stepfather and feisty Indian mother. Alice can shoot a beaver eye at a hundred paces, doesn’t know how to cook or sew, can fight blade up with knives, hunt bear on her own, and never wears a dress. This idyllic life in the Willamette Valley ends when circumstances force her mother to trade Alice to an old fur trader. Young Alice longs for family, love, and knowing where she fits in a violent Plains era. Years later, Alice’s stories are found under her burnt-out trading post in South Dakota, then transcribed by the Buffalo Gap Historical Society.

“Peril in the Parish” by Dorothy Cannell. March 1933, Dovecote Hatch, England: Florence Norris knows she has found a good man in George ‘Birdie’ Bird, the landlord of the local pub, The Dog & Whistle. They are set to marry in a low-key service at the parish church in their beloved village Dovecote Hatch. But when a mysterious stranger seeks out George, sharing family secrets and talks of an illegal burial years ago, an ominous dread falls over the happy couple. Will Florence and George have the beautiful church wedding with they so long for, or will this mystery stand in the way of them walking down the aisle?

“Mother Daughter Traitor Spy” by Susan Elia MacNeal. June 1940. France has fallen to the Nazis, and Britain may be next—but to many Americans, the war is something happening “over there.” Veronica Grace has just graduated from college; she and her mother, Violet, are looking for a fresh start in sunny Los Angeles. After a blunder cost her a prestigious career opportunity in New York, Veronica is relieved to take a typing job in L.A.—only to realize that she’s working for one of the area’s most vicious propagandists. Overnight, Veronica is exposed to the dark underbelly of her new home, where German Nazis are recruiting Americans for their devastating campaign. After the FBI dismisses the Graces’ concerns, Veronica and Violet decide to call on an old friend, who introduces them to L.A.’s anti-Nazi spymaster.

— Summaries provided by library staff