On the shelves - Dec. 3

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.

“Off the Record” by Susan Page Davis. Wynne is new at the newspaper, and she deals with some challenging assignments. Sent to report on a farm accident, she learns a little girl has been injured in a fall. The father, Andrew Cook, has cause to hate reporters. His farming grandparents want Wynne in the family, and she adores Andrew’s four-year-old twins, but she isn’t comfortable around him. When her assignments get tougher and troubles surface at the farm, the two need to seek God’s guidance but can they overcome their differences?

“Sister of Starlit Seas” by Terry Brooks. Char has always been the baby of the family—a position that grates on Char, especially when everyone insists on telling her exactly what to do and how to do it. But Char is certain that her headstrong, impulsive behavior, the quality her family sees as her greatest weakness, is actually her greatest strength. Char knows she will never grow into the woman she was meant to be under her family’s loving but repressive eye, so she runs away and joins a Human pirate crew. Then, three years into her pirate career, her captain is captured by the leaders of the slave trade he has been fighting. When Char leaps in to rescue him, she finds herself thrust into an adventure that will uncover secrets she never suspected about herself.

“Betrayal” by Phillip Margolin. Robin Lockwood is now a prominent defense attorney but a decade ago, she was a ranked MMA fighter. Her career came to a quick end when she was knocked out in the first round by Mandy Kerrigan. Now the situation couldn’t be more different, with Kerrigan on her last legs, and arrested for the quadruple murder of the entire Finch family. For Robin, it’s no simple case: Margaret Finch was a lawyer for vicious Russian mobsters; Nathan Finch was deeply in debt to a bookie who threatened his life; her son Ryan was the one who sold Kerrigan illegal performance enhancing drugs. To complicate matters further, the DA that Robin is facing is the man she’s just started dating. In a case where the stakes are high, there is seemingly no way to win or direction to turn that will leave Robin Lockwood unscathed.

“The Curious World of Seahorses” by Till Hein. Of all the creatures in the ocean, there are none more charming and magical than the seahorses. Masters of disguise, graceful dancers, and romantic lovers, seahorses are found not only in the seagrass meadows and mangroves of the world, but also throughout the annals of human history and culture. In this entertaining and informative book, science writer Till Hein shares the most tantalizing findings from the world of seahorses, and the role they have played in human culture.

“Shabbat: Recipes and Rituals from My Table to Yours” by Adeena Sussman. As a child, Adeena Sussman looked forward to the magic of Shabbat—the traditional Jewish day of rest—all week. A treasured time when family and friends come together to relax, unwind, and revel in one another’s company during open-ended, tantalizing meals. In Sussman’s home, then and now, the Shabbat table is a centering force. Nostalgic, cozy mains like Fig & Pomegranate Brisket and Bubbe’s Extra-Crispy Potato Kugel are crowd-pleasers and require little hands-on attention. Deeply personal and brimming with life, Shabbat inspires us all to embrace the delights of Shabbat.

“Create Naturally: Go Outside and Rediscover Nature with 15 Artists” by Marcia Young. Meet 15 makers who present their personal stories of how nature inspires and enhances their creativity. They will walk readers through the importance of creating work that taps into a mind, body, and spirit connection.

— Summaries provided by library staff