Westerns

New Books Tuesday @ RRPL

semanurLeave a comment

Take a look at some of the exciting new releases coming to our shelves in this week…

THE TEXAS MURDERS

Texas Ranger Rory Yates, a quick-draw champion, teams up with Tigua Tribal police archer Ava Cruz to investigate the disappearance of a native woman, pursuing a suspect in a long-cold case across Texas’s harshest landscapes.

PRESUMED GUILTY

Rusty is a retired judge asked by his fiancée, Bea, to defend her adult son Aaron, who is accused of murdering his girlfriend Mae, and Rusty agrees to help but questions whether the system can provide true justice for those who are presumed guilty.

THE BIG EMPTY

When Elvis Cole finds himself shadowed by a gang of vicious criminals, a missing-persons cold case becomes far more sinister, and soon he must call his ex-Marine friend Joe Pike for help.

BEAUTIFUL UGLY

A year after his wife Abby mysteriously disappeared, author Grady Green, still consumed by grief, retreats to a remote Scottish island only to encounter a woman who looks exactly like the wife he lost.

WITCHCRAFT FOR WAYWARD GIRLS

Four teenage girls trapped in a secretive maternity home for unwed mothers in 1960 St. Augustine, Florida, find an unexpected source of power through witchcraft.

GRAVE DANGER

Jack Swyteck must defend a woman accused of kidnapping her niece while uncovering deadly secrets about the parents as political forces and international law complicate the case in the latest addition to the series following Goodbye Girl. Simultaneous.

MORE OR LESS MADDY

Maddy Banks, an NYU student recently diagnosed with bipolar disorder after experiencing a wild and terrifying mania, rejects the stability of a “normal” life for a career in stand-up comedy, in a novel from a Harvard-trained neuroscientist and New York Times bestselling author.

SAVE OUR SOULS

In this true story, on December 10, 1887, the Walker family’s shark fishing boat was split in two by a storm, and they awoke in the morning on an island inhabited by a ragged man named Hans who seemed helpful but had a dark secret.

CROSS MY HEART

A year after her heart transplant, Rosie becomes convinced that her donor was Daphne, the late wife of author Morgan Thorne, and believes she’s destined to be with him until disturbing rumors about Daphne’s death make her question everything.

~Semanur

New Books Tuesday @ RRPL

semanurLeave a comment

There are many exciting new book releases coming and you don’t want to miss it…

LAWBREAKER

Tony Garza has been Odalie Everett’s nemesis since the day they met. Once a New Jersey crime boss, Tony now owns an art gallery in New York, where he spends most of his time delegating his shadier business to subordinates. Odalie is a professional singer whose lifelong dream is to perform at the Met. She never expected to run into the heartbreaker from her past when she rents a small house near Tony’s Manhattan apartment while taking voice lessons.

DEFINITELY BETTER NOW

A touching and deeply funny debut about starting over sober only to discover life’s biggest messes are still waiting right where you left them.

The very last person anyone should worry about is Emma. Yes, hi, she’s an alcoholic. But she’s officially been sober for one entire year. That’s twelve months of better health. Fifty-two whole weeks of focusing on nothing but her nine-to-five office job, group meetings, and avoiding the kind of bad decisions that previously left her awash in shame and regret. It’s also been 365 days of not dating. And with her new dating profile, Emma, 26, of New York is ready to put herself back out there.

NORTH IS THE NIGHT

In the Finnish wilderness, more than wolves roam the dark forests. For Siiri and Aina, summer’s fading light is a harbinger of unwelcome change. Land-hungry Swedes venture north, threatening the peace; a zealous Christian priest denounces the old ways; and young women have begun to disappear.

BLACK GIRLS BREATHING

As a Black woman, Jasmine Marie knows the impact that intergenerational trauma and systemic racism have had—and continue to have—on her community. Those experiences, along with her own journey through chronic stress, are why she created black girls breathing®, a movement dedicated to helping Black women understand the power of the mind‑body connection and its impact on their holistic health, one breath at a time.

FODOR’S ESSENTIAL SPAIN 2025

Whether you want to explore the Alhambra, marvel at La Sagrada Familia, or enjoy tapas, wine, and flamenco, the local Fodor’s travel experts in Spain are here to help! Fodor’s Essential Spain guidebook is packed with maps, carefully curated recommendations, and everything else you need to simplify your trip-planning process and make the most of your time.

INVISIBLE HELIX 

Detective Galileo, Keigo Higashino’s best loved character from The Devotion of Suspect X, returns in a case where hidden history, an impossible crime, are linked by nearly invisible threads in surprising ways. The body of a young man is found floating in Tokyo Bay. But his death was no accident – Ryota Uetsuji was shot.

~Semanur

New Books Tuesday @ RRPL

semanurLeave a comment

There’s an abundance of exciting new book releases on the horizon, and you won’t want to miss them…

CALDER COUNTRY

Making a deal to keep her smuggler father out of prison, Ruby Weaver agrees to help the Feds break up a bootlegging ring in 1920s Blue Moon, Montana, in the third novel of the series following A Calder at Heart.

THE HAUNTING OF HECATE CAVENDISH

In 1881 England, assistant librarian for the Hereford cathedral, Hecate Cavendish, who can see ghosts, guards an ancient chained library where some lost souls become her dearest friends, others seek her helping in finding peace and others threaten the lives of everyone she loves.

A HUNGER TO KILL

Describes the true story of Ashland, Ohio detective Kim Mager who used psychological expertise to unravel the crimes of serial killer Shawn Grate, known as “The Ladykiller,” through a series of high-stakes interviews during which he confessed.

THE WRONG HANDS

While dealing with his dead wife’s yet-to-be-solved murder and a briefcase containing a pair of severed hands, unconventional Detective Declan Miller finally has leverage against Wayne Cutler, whom he suspects killed his wife, which lands him in a mess he might not be able to dance his way out of.

THE BOOK OF ELSEWHERE

A warrior who cannot be killed, known simply as “B,” wants to die and a U.S. black-ops group has promised they can help with that if he helps them in return, but when an all-too-mortal soldier comes back to life, the impossible event points to a force even more mysterious than B himself.

THE BEST LIES

Diagnosed a pathological liar with unimaginable skeletons in his family’s closet, crusading attorney Leo Balanoff, when his fingerprints show up on the murder weapon used to kill a ruthless drug dealer, is forced to go undercover for the FBI, finding himself backed into a corner, but has a few more cards left to play.

BAD RIVER

While investigating his brother’s mysterious death in South Dakota, Arliss Cutter returns to Alaska after the discovery of a woman’s body in the permafrost indicates the two have things in common in the sixth novel of the series following Breakneck.

WHAT WE’LL BURN LAST

Sixteen years after the disappearance of her sister, Grace, and Grace’s boyfriend Adam, Leyna, when something strange happens, returns home to find answers, and as a wildfire sparks, tempers flare and intentions turn deadly because someone knows what really happened that night?—?and how good the forest is at keeping its secrets.

~Semanur

New Books Tuesday @ RRPL

semanurLeave a comment

Take a look at some of the exciting new releases coming to our shelves in this week…

RANDOM IN DEATH

When a 16-year-old girl is murdered during a show at a New York club, Lieutenant Eve Dallas, with the lab results showing a toxic mix of substances and infectious agents in the victim’s body, must find a madman consumed by hatred who’s just another face in the crowd.

HARBOR LIGHTS

Eight short stories and a never-before-published novella, from the best-selling author of Cadillac Jukebox include the tale of a father and son who watch evil forces disguised as federal agents try to ruin their family.

THE FRIENDSHIP CLUB

After a series of terrible dates, Marni McGuire, the host of a popular TV cooking show, forms an unbreakable bond with her best friend Ellen as well as a young intern on the show and her pregnant daughter Bella as they navigate the challenges and celebrate the joys of life.

DEAD MAN’S HAND

Brad Taylor and Pike Logan face off against Putin’s agents and a group of rogue Ukrainian partisans plotting to assassinate a Swedish deputy minister in the latest novel, in the series following The Devil’s Ransom.

DIVA

Describes the scandalous love affaire between the legendary opera singer, Maria Callas, and the fabulously rich Greek shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis, whose relationship ended suddenly with the shocking news that he was to marry Jacqueline Kennedy.

NO ONE CAN KNOW

Returning to the house where her parents were murdered, mother-to-be Emma Palmer who has never told anyone what she saw the night her parents died, even when she became the prime suspect, is reunited with her estranged sisters who will do anything to keep the past buried.

ONE IN A MILLION

When Frank Culhane, the wealthy patriarch of one of Texas’s most prestigious families, is murdered, Detective Sam Rafferty, a city outsider, is propelled into a tangle of simmering rivalries and forbidden attractions as Frank’s second wife and his scorned first wife hold the future of his ranching dynasty in their hands.

THE MISSING WITNESS

Framed for the murder of an FBI agent after testifying against David Chen and his illegal businesses, Kara Quinn goes on the run, determined to clear her name without putting her partner, Matt Costa, in danger.

EASTER BASKET MURDER

A collection of Easter-themed mysteries set in coastal Maine features sleuths from three best-selling cozy mystery series: Lucy Stone, Hayley Powell and Julia Snowden, who investigate a deadly art theft and a body that mysteriously vanishes after being discovered.

~Semanur

My Year of Book Abundance – Top 10 of ’23

DoriLeave a comment

After a couple of years of feeling distracted and disengaged from reading, this year delivered a bounty of titles that monopolized my imagination and stretched some brain cells in the process. I’m sad to only get to share 10 (so I added a few more – don’t tell). Also, if you notice an Irish theme, it’s been that kind of year.

Age of Vice by Deepti Kapoor: This is the first of a trilogy about history and power and greed in India. It’s an amazingly thrilling ride.

Goodbye Eastern Europe: An Intimate History of a Divided Land by Jacob Mikanowski: I loved the way it was written through themes, like myth and religion, peoples and cultures, and politics.

Old God’s Time by Sebastian Barry: A devastating portrait of the effect of trauma through generations set in Ireland. Crazy beautiful writing.

Lucky Red by Claudia Cravens: An old-fashioned western that’s not so old-fashioned. A scrappy young girl finds work in a brothel and finds friendship and romance in the process. The Wild West through a new lens.

Kairos by Jenny Erpenbeck: Erpenbeck’s a contemporary German author – this novel is set in East Germany right before the fall of the Berlin Wall and centers on the relationship between a young woman and an older man – the disintegration of their relationship mirrors the ruin of East Germany. So good.

Foster by Claire Keegan: a moving novella that captures a young girl’s summer spent as a foster at her aunt and uncle’s. Coming from a poor Irish family with siblings galore, it was a special time where she was doted on and made to feel special.

The Bee Sting by Paul Murray: This was my favorite of all I think. Another Irish author, Murray dissects the fall of a family through the voices of all the members – we get to know their histories, motivations, and desires. Each voice is unique and the writing is incredible. It’s long, but it’s worth it.

The Fraud by Zadie Smith: Smith’s first work of historical fiction tells the story of a trial in 19th Century Britain. Told through the eyes of a housekeeper and cousin of a famous writer, we also travel to the sugar plantations of Jamaica and learn about the lives of the people living as slaves there. It’s worth it for that alone.

North Woods by Daniel Mason: This one is about a house in New England, as told by various residents over the years. There’s an apple farm, a catamount, a seer, and an artist, among others.

The Maniac by Benjamin Labatut: A novel about the life of a Hungarian scientist, a genius who worked on the atomic bomb and computers, and whose insight led to AI. Told from the perspectives of his friends, wives, and co-workers, it’s a frightening look at the responsibilities of science.

Land of Milk and Honey by C Pam Zhang: I listened to this audiobook and it was weird, and sensual, and made me slightly more hopeful for life after climate crises.

The Rachel Incident by Caroline O’Donoghue: Yes, another Irish title, this one a little less literary, but no less moving. It really captured early 20s friendship and it made me laugh out loud!

Bonus with no image: Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Suntanto: I listened to this one – and it was funny and clever, and I enjoyed it thoroughly.

~ Dori

Honoring Cormac McCarthy

LinneaLeave a comment

Cormac McCarthy passed away on June 13, 2023, at 89 years old. He is known for changing the landscape of American literature, eschewing conventional usage of punctuation, and having a generally bleak outlook on American life. He won numerous awards for his works, including the Pulitzer Prize for his novel, The Road; the National Book Award for All the Pretty Horses; and the film adaptation of his novel No Country for Old Men won four Academy Awards. McCarthy wrote twelve novels, multiple short stories, a few screenplays (some never published), and a couple plays.  

Maybe you haven’t read any of McCarthy’s work, maybe you’re interested in one of his works you haven’t read, or you’re ready to watch a film adaptation; whichever you choose, we’ve got the materials to help you honor him. 

The Orchard Keeper 1965 

“A young boy, an old man, and the outlaw who has unknowingly killed the boy’s father, all try to resist the changes brought about during the period between the wars.” 

Blood Meridian 1985 

“Based on incidents that took place in the southwestern United States and Mexico around 1850, this novel chronicles the crimes of a band of desperados, with a particular focus on one, “the kid,” a boy of fourteen.” 

All the Pretty Horses 1992 

“Cut off from the life of ranching he has come to love by his grandfather’s death, John Grady Cole flees to Mexico, where he and his two companions embark on a rugged and cruelly idyllic adventure.” 

No Country for Old Men 2005 

“Stumbling upon a bloody massacre, a cache of heroin, and more than $2 million in cash during a hunting trip, Llewelyn Moss removes the money, a decision that draws him and his young wife into the middle of a violent confrontation.” 

No Country for Old Men 

This film adaptation was released in 2007, directed by the Coen Brothers. It stars Tommy Lee Jones, Josh Brolin, and Javier Bardem, who won the Academy Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role. The film was nominated for eight Academy Awards and won four. 

The Road 2006 

“Apocalypse grips the earth; wildlife has disappeared; and starvation prevails. Amidst this bleak backdrop, a man and his young son slowly make their way toward the coast. Avoiding roves of marauding cannibals and fighting off starvation, they gain hope and stamina in knowing they are some of the remaining few virtuous people.” 

The Road 

Viggo Mortensen, Robert Duvall, and Charlize Theron star in this 2009 film adaptation. While it wasn’t nominated for any Academy Awards, it did win a couple film critics awards: Best Cinematography and Best Actor for Viggo Mortensen.  

The Passenger 2022 

“In 1980 Pass Christian, Mississippi, salvage diver Bobby Western, after a plane crash, discovers the pilot’s flight bag, the plane’s black box and the tenth passenger are missing, submerging him in a conspiracy beyond his understanding as he is shadowed in body and spirit by the past and present.” 

Stella Maris 2022 

“1972, Black River Falls, Wisconsin: Alicia Western, twenty years old, with forty thousand dollars in a plastic bag, admits herself to the hospital. A doctoral candidate in mathematics at the University of Chicago, Alicia has been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, and she does not want to talk about her brother, Bobby. Instead, she contemplates the nature of madness; she surveys the intersection of physics and philosophy; and she introduces her cohorts, her chimeras, the hallucinations that only she can see. Told entirely through the transcripts of Alicia’s psychiatric sessions, Stella Maris is a philosophical inquiry that questions our notions of God, truth, and existence.” 

-Linnea 

New Books Tuesday @ RRPL

semanurLeave a comment

There are many exciting new book releases coming and you don’t want to miss it…

The Last Kingdom

When his protégé infiltrates a renegade group intent on winning Bavarian independence from Germany, with everything hinging on a lost 19th-century deed that is the legal title to lands that Germany, China and US want, Cotton Malone battles an ever-growing list of deadly adversaries, all intent on finding the last kingdom.

I Have Some Questions for You

A successful film professor returns to teach at her alma mater and becomes determined to investigate a closed murder case, in the new novel from the author of the Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award finalist The Great Believers.

Burner

Court Gentry and his lover, Zoya Zakharova, discover they both want to capture Alex Velesky, who stole records from his Swiss bank employer, but for very different reasons, in the 12th novel of the series following Sierra Six.

A Calder at Heart

After losing his whole family to Spanish Flu, a former US Army Major heads to Blue Moon where the Calders welcome him and offer him a piece of ranching property in the third novel of the series following Calder Grit.

Every Man a King

NYPD investigator Joe King Oliver is tested when asked by his billionaire friend to defend a White nationalist who has been accused of murder, in the sequel to the Edgar Award-winning Down the River Unto the Sea.

It’s One of Us

A successful interior designer who keeps failing in her quest to conceive is shocked when she learns that a suspect in a recent murder investigation is her husband’s son from a long-ago donation to a sperm bank.

The Librarian of Burned Books

Set against the backdrop of World War II, this unforgettable novel, inspired by the true story of the Council of Books in Wartime, follows three women whose fates become intertwined by their belief in the power and goodness in the written word to triumph over the very darkest moments of war.

~Semanur

New Books Tuesday @ RRPL

semanurLeave a comment

Here are some of the new books coming to our shelves this week for you to add to your book list!

Wyoming Homecoming

Returning to Catelow, Wyoming, for her great-uncle’s funeral, Abbie Brennan, raising her young niece and keeping her own family legacy alive, tries to avoid Sheriff Cody Banks, who had once blamed her for his wife’s death, until circumstances throw them together, giving them a second chance. 

Jujutsu Kaisen. 18, Fever

In a world where cursed spirits feed on unsuspecting humans, fragments of the legendary and feared demon Ryomen Sukuna have been lost and scattered about. Should any demon consume Sukuna’s body parts, the power they gain could destroy the world as we know it. Fortunately, there exists a mysterious school of jujutsu sorcerers who exist to protect the precarious existence of the living from the supernatural!

Queen of Myth and Monsters

Uncertain who her allies are in the vampire stronghold of Revekka, Isolde, the newly coronated queen, contends with courtly intrigue while a deadly blood mist threatens all of Cordova and her trust in Adrian when troubling information about his complicated past comes to light.

100 Plants to Feed the Birds

An award-winning birder and science editor offers an easy-reference guide profiling the planting and care of the 100 best native plants for providing food and homes to local and migrating birds.

Fodor’s Essential Italy

An updated guide to Italy includes maps, suggested itineraries, excursions and recommendations from locals to fit every budget and see it all, from designer shopping in Milan to visiting the Colosseum in Rome or hiking the Cinque Terre.

Rick Steves Germany

From fairy tale castles and alpine forests to quaint villages and modern cities, this exciting passport to Germany provides strategic advice, vital trip-planning tools, detailed maps and a wealth of information on what to see and do.

Moon Alaska

Provides the inspiration for planning an unforgettable Alaskan adventure with the help of strategic itineraries, which include unique experiences, honest advice and background information on culture, weather, wildlife, local laws and history.

~Semanur

New Books Tuesday @ RRPL

semanurLeave a comment

Here we have some new exciting releases for you to take a look at this week!

AN HONEST LIE by Tarryn Fisher – A girls’ weekend in Las Vegas takes a violent, desperate turn when one of the group is kidnapped by a killer, leaving the rest to piece together the diabolical clues he leaves behind for them.

I’LL BE YOU by Janelle Brown – An identical twin and former child TV star reassesses the complicated bond with her estranged sister after their panicked father says she stopped answering her phone and has checked into a mysterious spa in Ojai that might be a cult.

THE BAXTERS: A Prequel by Karen Kingsbury – On Kari Baxter’s wedding day, a building storm brings conflict and doubt to the family until a moment of danger reveals important truths, which could bring them back together or tear them apart.

CITY ON FIRE by Don Winslow – A mid-1980s longshoreman who does occasional stints for the Irish crime syndicate becomes embroiled in a conflict between rival factions in the first book of a new series from the New York Times best-selling author of The Force.

THE GOOD LEFT UNDONE by Adriana Trigiani – This richly woven tapestry of three generations of women faced with impossible choices follows Matelda, the family’s matriarch, as she, facing the end of her life, must decide what is worth fighting for and when to let go.

THE PALACE PAPERS: Inside the House of Windsor – The Truth and the Turmoil by Tina Brown – The #1 New York Times best-selling author of The Diana Chronicles takes readers inside the British royal family since the death of Princess Diana, showing the Queen’s stoic resolve as family drama raged around her.

COUNTRY BORN  by Linda Lael Miller – Discovering that he’s falling for his best friend’s sister, J.P. McCall decides to do whatever it takes to protect her after someone from her past returns to Painted Pony Creek in the third novel of the series following Country Proud.

UNMASKED: My Life Solving America’s Cold Cases by Paul Holes – An icon in the true crime world, the cold case investigator who finally caught the Golden State Killer provides an insider account of some the most notorious cases in contemporary American history and opens up to the most intimate scenes of his life.

THE WRONG VICTIM by Allison Brennan – When a charter boat holding nine people explodes near the San Juan Islands, FBI Special Agent in Charge Matt Costa and his Mobile Response Team must discover which one of the dead was the target—and who committed the largest act of murder in San Juan Islands history.

LITTLE SOULS by Sandra Dallas – In 1918 Colorado, as the Spanish Influenza runs rampant, sisters Helen and Lutie, after their tenant dies, must care for her daughter, which leads to murder, placing them both in danger from the ensuing investigation and the flu.

~Semanur

New Books Tuesday @ RRPL

semanurLeave a comment

Here we have some new exciting releases for you to take a look at this week!

The Swimmers by Julie Otsuka – When a crack appears in the pool, a fellowship of swimmers who take comfort in their laps are cast out, including Alice, who, slowly losing her memory, is reunited too late with her estranged daughter, in this intimate story of mothers and daughters, and the sorrows of implacable loss.

Think of Me by Frances Liardet – In 1974, 10 years after his wife’s death, James, needing a change of scenery, moves into a new house in the beautiful English village of Upton where the discovery of scarf is the catalyst for unlocking new revelations about his past, which gives him purpose and a second chance at love.

Caramel Pecan Roll Murder by Joanne Fluke – Baker Hannah Swensen agrees to help bake pastries at a local inn during a flashy fishing competition but investigates when the event’s celebrity spokesperson is found dead, in the latest addition to the series following Chocolate Cream Pie Murder.

The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley – Arriving in Paris to stay with her brother, Ben, Jess learns that he has gone missing, and to find him, starts digging into his life, realizing, even though she has come to the City of Lights to escape her past, it’s his future hanging in the balance.

Calder Grit by Janet Dailey – Trying to calm tensions, an ambitious, young mill owner agrees to marry the daughter of a homesteading family in 1909 Montana after his spoiled half-brother took advantage of her, in the second novel of the series following The Calder Range.

The Berlin Exchange by Joseph Kanon – In 1963 Berlin, Martin Keller, a captured physicist and American who spied for the KGB, is swapped by the British and returns to East Berlin where he needs to know who arranged for his release and why.

Nothing to Lose by J. A. Jance – Twenty years after he lost his partner Susan to her husband’s murderous rage, Beau, when Susan’s son needs his help, is drawn into a missing persons case, becoming tangled in a web of family secrets where a killer with nothing left to lose waits to take another life.

This Might Hurt by Stephanie Wrobel – When she receives an email from Wisewood, an off-the-grid facility where her sister is learning to become her Maximized Self, threatening to expose her darkest secret, Natalie heads North to come clean and soon discovers that Wisewood won’t let either of them go without a fight.

~Semanur