On the shelves - Sept. 15

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 Protector” by Wanda E. Brunstetter. Rosa Petersheim has disappeared from the Big Valley without a trace. Norman always considered himself his sister’s protector and can’t believe she would have left home of her own accord—so he must have failed her. He throws all he has into helping the authorities search for Rosa, while trying to support his parents and siblings who are struggling both mentally and physically. Salina Swarey loves Norman and hopes they are headed towards marriage, but his obsession with Rosa’s whereabouts is driving them apart. Can Norman find a place of peace and contentment if he never learns where Rosa is?

“The Bookshop of Hidden Dreams” by Karen Hawkins. When an antique tin of love letters is found hidden in her family home, noted historian Tay Dove rushes home to Dove Pond to investigate. Tay is still reeling from a romantic betrayal, so she’s relieved to refocus her energies on her latest project: a biography of her great-great-grandmother Sarafina, a star reporter who began her career in Dove Pond in the late 19th century. Tay believes the letters could be the key in solving what happened, but they only add to her questions—especially when they reveal a forbidden love affair with William Day, a wild youth who took part in a notorious train robbery. Some answers might be found in eighty-year-old Rose Day’s bookshop, which doubles as a town archive, but Rose is curiously resistant to give Tay access. Just when Tay thinks she’s reached a dead end, she finds an unlikely ally in Rose’s grandson, Luke, a fellow puzzle lover. Together, they set out to uncover what really happened all those years ago.

“A Great Marriage” by Frances Mayes. Dara Willcox, in New York for a weekend, meets Austin Clarke at an art gallery. If love at first sight can happen, it happens to them. These two vivid, ambitious people are on different courses. They don’t care. They will make their lives together happen. At their April engagement dinner at Dara’s family home, her mother, Lee, sets a beautiful table, and the family and close friends gather to celebrate. Days later, Austin hears unsettling news from London that wrecks their plans. Dara abruptly cancels the wedding and refuses to reveal the reason, not even to her best friends or her parents or grandmother. While Dara escapes to California and later to Indigo Island, South Carolina, Austin faces a major tragedy back in London, the consequences of which are life-altering. But it’s Lee, Dara’s mother, whose impulsive visit to London alters their fate.

“Saladology: Fresh Ideas for Delicious Salads” by Theo Kirwan. The first cookbook from the acclaimed Dublin-based food brand, the Sprout & Co Salad Cookbook includes more than 100 flavor-packed recipes. Ranging from show-stopping sides to satisfying noodle dishes, the Sprout & Co Salad Cookbook shows us how much more there is to salads.

“Alpenglow: Outdoor Celebrations for Every Season” by Hillary Munro. A jewel of a book celebrates creative outdoor entertaining in the high Mountain West. Alpenglow is filled with creative parties and fun country activities throughout the four seasons. Hillary Munro knows how to turn routine activities and yearly rituals into unique events, with delicious meals and take-home favors prepared with foods she grows and materials she forages in the woods.

“A Wilder Shore: The Romantic Odyssey of Fanny and Robert Louis Stevenson” by Camille Peri. A portrait of two extraordinary people and a testament to the power of love to foster the human spirit, A Wilder Shore unfolds with all the richness and complexity of a timeless epic, capturing the resilience, courage, and devotion that sparked some of our most celebrated and enduring literary masterpieces.

— Summaries provided by library staff