"Many people look forward to the new year for a new start on old habits."
~Author Unknown
We at Southlake Public Library want to wish you a Happy New Year. May it be filled with happiness, friends, and lots of good reading!
FEATURED NEW RELEASE
UNBROKEN This extraordinary tale from the author of “Seabiscuit” tells the true story of Louis Zamperini, an Olympic runner who became a POW in a series of Japanese prison camps during WWII. Zamperini started out in Torrance, California as a bit of a hoodlum, stealing pies from kitchens and pulling pranks on teachers. He found focus in running, thanks to his brother’s encouragement, and soon became the high school track star to beat. He began training for the 1936 Olympics and was able to gain a spot on the team headed for Berlin. He did extremely well there, considering his age and experience, and vowed to return to the next Olympics and take gold. He also wanted to be the first man to run a four-minute mile (thought to be physiologically impossible by many at the time). Zamperini’s big plans were interrupted by WWII, and he was drafted into the Air Force. He and his crew completed several dangerous missions in the Pacific, narrowly avoiding disaster. However, on one mission, they were not so lucky, and he and two other crew members ended up in a life raft, with little provisions, surrounded by sharks. The rest of the story is filled with nail-biting moments. In fact, I found that I had to put the book down occasionally when I became too tense or upset. This book truly is a story about a man that manages to remain “unbroken,” even after all of the unimaginable horror he endures. I do not want to spoil the ending – suffice it to say it shows what an amazingly kind and good man Zamperini is and how he refused to give in to his inner demons. Call #: BIO ZAM
FICTION HARDCOVER
DEAD OR ALIVE, by Tom Clancy with Grant Blackwood. (Putnam, $28.95.) Many characters from Clancy’s previous novels make an appearance as an intelligence group tracks a vicious terrorist called the Emir.
Call #: F CLA
THE CONFESSION, by John Grisham. (Doubleday, $28.95.) A man who committed a crime but allowed another to be sent to death row in his place now wants to admit his guilt, but must convince the authorities he’s telling the truth.
Call #: F GRI
THE GIRL WHO KICKED THE HORNETS' NEST, by Stieg Larsson. (Knopf, $27.95.) The third volume of a trilogy about a Swedish hacker and a journalist.
Call #: F LAR
CROSS FIRE, by James Patterson. (Little, Brown, $27.99.) Alex Cross investigates a professional assassination in Washington, and gets a chilling call from his deadliest adversary.
Call #: F PAT
FREEDOM, by Jonathan Franzen. (Farrar, Straus & Giroux, $28.) A family of Midwestern liberals during the Bush years.
Call #: F FRA
FULL DARK, NO STARS, by Stephen King. (Scribner, $27.99.) Four long stories, light on the supernatural and dealing mostly with grisly human behavior.
Call #: F KIN
PORT MORTUARY, by Patricia Cornwell. (Putnam, $27.95.) In the 18th Kay Scarpetta novel, the forensic pathologist masters a sophisticated new autopsy technology at an Air Force base; meanwhile, a young man’s mysterious death causes trouble at her new forensic center in Cambridge, Mass.
Call #: F COR
FALL OF GIANTS, by Ken Follett. (Dutton, $36.) Five interrelated families from five countries are caught in the upheavals of World War I and the Russian Revolution. Book 1 of the Century trilogy.
Call #: F FOL
SQUIRREL SEEKS CHIPMUNK, by David Sedaris. (Little Brown, $21.99.) The humorist looks at human nature through stories with animals as characters.
Call #: F SED
THE HELP, by Kathryn Stockett. (Amy Einhorn/Putnam, $24.95.) A young white woman and two black maids in 1960s Mississippi.
Call #: F STO
SAFE HAVEN, by Nicholas Sparks. (Grand Central, $25.99.) The arrival of a mysterious young woman in a small North Carolina town raises questions about her past.
Call #: F SPA
HELL'S CORNER, by David Baldacci. (Grand Central, $27.99.) Recalled to duty, Oliver Stone hunts for those responsible for a bomb detonated near the White House.
Call #: F BAL
AN OBJECT OF BEAUTY, by Steve Martin. (Grand Central, $26.99.) A young, beautiful and ambitious woman ruthlessly ascends the heights of the Manhattan art world.
Call #: F MAR
CRESCENT DAWN, by Clive Cussler and Dirk Cussler. (Putnam, $27.95.) Dirk Pitt seeks a tie between a trove of ancient Roman artifacts and a series of mosque explosions.
Call #: F CUS
ROOM, by Emma Donoghue. (Little, Brown, $24.99.) A mother’s prison is her young son’s entire world. Call #: F DON
NONFICTION HARDCOVER
DECISION POINTS, by George W. Bush. (Crown, $35.) The former president’s memoir discusses his Christianity and the end of his drinking; his relationships with members of his family; and his decisions on 9/11, Iraq and Katrina.
Call#: 973.931 BUS
UNBROKEN, by Laura Hillenbrand. (Random House, $27.) An Olympic runner’s story of survival as a prisoner of the Japanese in World War II.
Call#: BIO ZAM
LIFE, by Keith Richards with James Fox. (Little, Brown, $29.99.) The Rolling Stones guitarist’s revealing autobiography is also a portrait of the era when rock ’n’ roll came of age, with the music itself as the book’s core.
Call#: BIO RIC
EARTH (THE BOOK), by Jon Stewart and others. (Grand Central, $27.99.) A visitor’s guide to the human race, presented by "The Daily Show."
Call#: 818.602 STE
BROKE, by Glenn Beck and Kevin Balfe. (Threshold/Mercury Radio Arts, $29.99.) The Fox News host’s plan for fixing the country financially seeks to unite Americans around the concept of shared sacrifice.
Call#: 973.932 BEC
SH** MY DAD SAYS, by Justin Halpern. (It Books/HarperCollins, $15.99.) A coming-of-age memoir organized around the musings, purveyed on Twitter, of the author’s father.
Call#: 818.602 HAL
AMERICA BY HEART, by Sarah Palin. (Harper/HarperCollins, $25.99.) The former vice-presidential candidate reflects on family, faith and patriotism.
Call#: 979.805 PAL
PINHEADS AND PATRIOTS, by Bill O'Reilly. (Morrow/HarperCollins, $27.99.) The Fox News commentator scrutinizes the meaning of change in the era of Obama. Call#: 973.932 ORE
I REMEMBER NOTHING, by Nora Ephron. (Knopf, $22.95.) Reflections on age and memory, from the author of “I Feel Bad About My Neck.”
Call#: 814.54 EPH
COLONEL ROOSEVELT, by Edmund Morris. (Random House, $35.) The third and concluding volume of Morris’s monumental biography of Theodore Roosevelt.
Call#: BIO ROO
IMMORTAL LIFE OF HENRIETTA LACKS, by Rebecca Skloot. (Crown, $26.) The story of a woman whose cancer cells were cultured without her permission in 1951. Call#: BIO LAC
CHILDRENS PICTURE BOOKS
LLAMA LLAMA HOLIDAY DRAMA, written and illustrated by Anna Dewdney. (Viking, $16.99.) The suspense is too much, so Llama Llama turns to you-know-who for comfort. (Ages 2 and up)
Call #: E DEW
SPLENDIFEROUS CHRISTMAS, by Jane O’Connor. Illustrated by Robin Preiss Glasser. (Harper/HarperCollins, $17.99.) When Fancy Nancy celebrates the holidays, there’s no such thing as too much tinsel. (Ages 4 to 8)
ART AND MAX, written and illustrated by David Wiesner. (Clarion, $17.99.) Two artists mix methods and media. (Ages 5 to 8)
Call #: E WIE
CHILDRENS CHAPTER BOOKS
THE LOST HERO, by Rick Riordan. (Disney-Hyperion, $18.99.) A return to Camp Half-Blood and semi-divine characters old and new. (Ages 10 and up)
Call #: J F RIO
THE GIFT, by James Patterson and Ned Rust. (Little, Brown, $17.99.) A sister and brother flex their new powers; a Witch and Wizard book. (Ages 10 and up) Call #: YA F PAT
THE RED PYRAMID, by Rick Riordan. (Disney-Hyperion, $17.99.) Ancient gods (this time from Egypt) and a mortal family meet. (Ages 10 and up)
Call #: J F RIO
JUSTIN BIEBER, FIRST STEP 2 FOREVER, by Justin Bieber. (HarperCollins, $21.99.) A musician reaches out to fans with short takes and photos. (Ages 6 to 12) Call #: J BIO BIE
TALES FROM A NOT-SO-POPULAR PARTY GIRL, by Rachel Renée Russell. (Aladdin, $12.99.) The further reflections of Nikki Maxwell on the agonies of middle school; a "Dork Diaries" book. (Ages 9 to 13)
Call #: YA F RUS
MATCHED, by Ally Condie. (Dutton, $17.99.) In this dystopian romance, a girl rebels against a deterministic future society. (Ages 12 and up)
Call #: YA F CON
CLOCKWORK ANGEL, by Cassandra Clare. (McElderry/Simon & Schuster, $19.99.) Victorian England proves a treacherous place. (Ages 14 and up) Call #: YA F CLA
"I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year.
~Charles Dickens
While you're out and about enjoying the lights at Town Square, stop in for a holiday read. And, if you're planning a holiday party, be sure to check out our holiday cookbook display. These books are full of recipes for mouth-watering entrees and desserts, sure to impress any guest!
FEATURED NEW RELEASE
THE CHARMING QUIRKS OF OTHERS Reading any of the books in the Alexander McCall Smith series set in Scotland always makes me want to think deep, philosophical thoughts like the main character, Isabel Dalhousie. She’s constantly pondering some new moral dilemma. This book has her thinking about issues such as cheating, revenge, and guilt. She is asked to investigate the three candidates for a headmaster position at a boys’ boarding school. Of course, one of the candidates turns out to be her niece’s newest boyfriend, which raises even more ethical issues. Isabel also has to deal with a dying woman’s pursuit of her live-in boyfriend, Jamie. She wades through these murky waters with grace and wisdom. I enjoy the series and the many Scottish references, and Isabel makes for such a pleasant, likable character. Though sometimes she seems to be a bit too high-brow and esoteric in her references. She also makes seemingly ridiculous assumptions, which makes it not very surprising when she is, occasionally, wrong. In sum, if you’re a fan of the series, you’ll be a fan of this book, too. By Alexander McCall Smith, Call #: F MCC
FICTION HARDCOVER
PORT MORTUARY, by Patricia Cornwell. (Putnam, $27.95.) In the 18th Kay Scarpetta novel, the forensic pathologist masters a sophisticated new autopsy technology at an Air Force base; meanwhile, a young man’s mysterious death causes trouble at her new forensic center in Cambridge, Mass.
Call #: F COR
THE CONFESSION, by John Grisham. (Doubleday, $28.95.) A man who committed a crime but allowed another to be sent to death row in his place now wants to admit his guilt, but must convince the authorities he’s telling the truth.
Call #: F GRI
CROSS FIRE, by James Patterson. (Little, Brown, $27.99.) Alex Cross investigates a professional assassination in Washington, and gets a chilling call from his deadliest adversary.
Call #: F PAT
FULL DARK, NO STARS, by Stephen King. (Scribner, $27.99.) Four long stories, light on the supernatural and dealing mostly with grisly human behavior.
Call #: F KIN
THE GIRL WHO KICKED THE HORNETS' NEST, by Stieg Larsson. (Knopf, $27.95.) The third volume of a trilogy about a Swedish hacker and a journalist.
Call #: F LAR
HELL'S CORNER, by David Baldacci. (Grand Central, $27.99.) Recalled to duty, Oliver Stone hunts for those responsible for a bomb detonated near the White House.
Call #: F BAL
FALL OF GIANTS, by Ken Follett. (Dutton, $36.) Five interrelated families from five countries are caught in the upheavals of World War I and the Russian Revolution. Book 1 of the Century trilogy.
Call #: F FOL
CRESCENT DAWN, by Clive Cussler and Dirk Cussler. (Putnam, $27.95.) Dirk Pitt seeks a tie between a trove of ancient Roman artifacts and a series of mosque explosions.
Call #: F CUS
SQUIRREL SEEKS CHIPMUNK, by David Sedaris. (Little Brown, $21.99.) The humorist looks at human nature through stories with animals as characters.
Call #: F SED
SAFE HAVEN, by Nicholas Sparks. (Grand Central, $25.99.) The arrival of a mysterious young woman in a small North Carolina town raises questions about her past.
Call #: F SPA
THE HELP, by Kathryn Stockett. (Amy Einhorn/Putnam, $24.95.) A young white woman and two black maids in 1960s Mississippi.
Call #: F STO
AN OBJECT OF BEAUTY, by Steve Martin. (Grand Central, $26.99.) A young, beautiful and ambitious woman ruthlessly ascends the heights of the Manhattan art world.
Call #: F MAR
FREEDOM, by Jonathan Franzen. (Farrar, Straus & Giroux, $28.) A family of Midwestern liberals during the Bush years.
Call #: F FRA
AMERICAN ASSASSIN, by Vince Flynn. (Atria, $27.99.) In the wake of the Lockerbie bombing, Mitch Rapp takes on his first antiterrorist assignment.
Call #: F FLY
NONFICTION HARDCOVER
DECISION POINTS, by George W. Bush. (Crown, $35.) The former president’s memoir discusses his Christianity and the end of his drinking; his relationships with members of his family; and his decisions on 9/11, Iraq and Katrina.
Call#: 973.931 BUS
UNBROKEN, by Laura Hillenbrand. (Random House, $27.) An Olympic runner’s story of survival as a prisoner of the Japanese in World War II.
Call#: BIO ZAM
LIFE, by Keith Richards with James Fox. (Little, Brown, $29.99.) The Rolling Stones guitarist’s revealing autobiography is also a portrait of the era when rock ’n’ roll came of age, with the music itself as the book’s core.
Call#: BIO RIC
AMERICA BY HEART, by Sarah Palin. (Harper/HarperCollins, $25.99.) The former vice-presidential candidate reflects on family, faith and patriotism.
Call#: 979.805 PAL
EARTH (THE BOOK), by Jon Stewart and others. (Grand Central, $27.99.) A visitor’s guide to the human race, presented by "The Daily Show."
Call#: 818.602 STE
BROKE, by Glenn Beck and Kevin Balfe. (Threshold/Mercury Radio Arts, $29.99.) The Fox News host’s plan for fixing the country financially seeks to unite Americans around the concept of shared sacrifice.
Call#: 973.932 BEC
I REMEMBER NOTHING, by Nora Ephron. (Knopf, $22.95.) Reflections on age and memory, from the author of “I Feel Bad About My Neck.”
Call#: 814.54 EPH
CHILDRENS PICTURE BOOKS
LLAMA LLAMA HOLIDAY DRAMA, written and illustrated by Anna Dewdney. (Viking, $16.99.) The suspense is too much, so Llama Llama turns to you-know-who for comfort. (Ages 2 and up)
Call #: E DEW
SPLENDIFEROUS CHRISTMAS, by Jane O’Connor. Illustrated by Robin Preiss Glasser. (Harper/HarperCollins, $17.99.) When Fancy Nancy celebrates the holidays, there’s no such thing as too much tinsel. (Ages 4 to 8)
KNUFFLE BUNNY FREE, written and illustrated by Mo Willems. (Balzer & Bray/HarperCollins, $17.99.) A little girl and her well-loved companion take a trip that leads to unexpected discoveries. (Ages 3 to 7)
Call #: E WIL
IT'S CHRISTMAS, DAVID, written and illustrated by David Shannon. (Blue Sky/Scholastic, $16.99.) A boy who won’t take no for an answer. (Ages 3 to 7)
Call #: E SHA
ART AND MAX, written and illustrated by David Wiesner. (Clarion, $17.99.) Two artists mix methods and media. (Ages 5 to 8)
Call #: E WIE
WHEREVER YOU ARE, MY LOVE WILL FIND YOU, written and illustrated by Nancy Tillman. (Feiwel & Friends, $16.99.) All about the tenderness a parent feels for a child. (Ages 4 to 8)
Call #: E TIL
CHILDRENS CHAPTER BOOKS
THE LOST HERO, by Rick Riordan. (Disney-Hyperion, $18.99.) A return to Camp Half-Blood and semi-divine characters old and new. (Ages 10 and up)
Call #: J F RIO
THE RED PYRAMID, by Rick Riordan. (Disney-Hyperion, $17.99.) Ancient gods (this time from Egypt) and a mortal family meet. (Ages 10 and up)
Call #: J F RIO
LUKA AND THE FIRE OF LIFE, by Salman Rushdie. (Random House, $25.) The Nobodaddy haunts the younger brother of Rushdie’s Haroun. (Ages 10 and up)
Call #: F RUS
TALES FROM A NOT-SO-POPULAR PARTY GIRL, by Rachel Renée Russell. (Aladdin, $12.99.) The further reflections of Nikki Maxwell on the agonies of middle school; a "Dork Diaries" book. (Ages 9 to 13)
Call #: YA F RUS
TORMENT, by Lauren Kate. (Delacorte, $17.99.) A novel about the nephilim, the children of humans and fallen angels. (Ages 12 and up)
Call #: YA F KAT
