"A mother is a person who seeing there are only four pieces of pie for five people, promptly announces she never did care for pie.
~Tenneva Jordan
Happy Mother's Day! If you need an idea for a good book for Mom, we're here to help.
FEATURED NEW RELEASE
THE IMMORTAL LIFE OF HENRIETTA LACKS As someone who hated science in high school and dreaded having to take it in college, I was a little wary of reading this book. I was surprised, then, by how much I actually enjoyed it. The author, Rebecca Skloot, does a stellar job of explaining complex scientific ideas in layman’s terms. Skloot tells the story of Henrietta Lacks, a name that has become notorious in the medical community. Lacks was an African-American woman in the 1950’s who had a particularly advanced form of cervical cancer. Without her knowledge or consent, one of the doctors treating her took some of her cancerous cells to see if they would live and reproduce outside of her body. This practice of attempting to culture cells was revolutionary for the times, and doctors had been previously unsuccessful in growing human cells outside the body. However, Lacks’ cells took off and haven’t stopped growing since. It is said that if you placed her cells beside each other, there would be enough cells to wrap around the Earth three times. Her cells helped make it possible for doctors to create the polio vaccine and make advances in gene mapping, chemotherapy, and in vitro fertilization. They’ve even been to outer space. It is a shame, then, that not much was known about the woman responsible for saving so many lives. In fact, journalists and scientists often got her name wrong. But Skloot’s book clears up the story, giving many rich details about Henrietta’s life and the lives of her ancestors. And most importantly, Skloot finally gives Henrietta the recognition she deserves. Call #: BIO LAC
FICTION HARDCOVER
THE SIXTH MAN, by David Baldacci. (Grand Central, $27.99.) The lawyer for an alleged serial killer is murdered, and two former Secret Service agents are on the case. Call #: F BAL
THE LAND OF PAINTED CAVES, by Jean M. Auel. (Crown, $30.) The latest volume in a series that began with “The Clan of the Cave Bear,” set during the ice age. Call #: F AUE
THE FIFTH WITNESS, by Michael Connelly. (Little, Brown, $27.99.) The defense lawyer Mickey Haller represents a woman facing home foreclosure who is accused of killing a banker. Call #: F CON
CHASING FIRE, by Nora Roberts. (Putnam, $27.95.) A smoke jumper faces a new season of firefighting in Montana after the loss of her partner. Call #: F ROB
I'LL WALK ALONE, by Mary Higgins Clark. (Simon & Schuster, $25.99.) A woman haunted by the disappearance of her young son discovers that someone has stolen her identity. Call #: F CLA
QUICKSILVER, by Amanda Quick. (Putnam, $25.95.) In this Arcane Society novel set in Victorian London, two paranormal talents must find a murderer before they become the next victims. Call #: F QUI
EVE, by Iris Johansen. (St. Martin's, $27.99.) The forensic sculptor Eve Duncan searches for answers to the mystery of her daughter’s disappearance. Call #: F JOH
SAVE ME, by Lisa Scottoline. (St. Martin's, $27.99.) A mother’s action during a school emergency causes an uproar in a Philadelphia suburb. Call #: F SCO
THE PRIEST'S GRAVEYARD, by Ted Dekker. (Center Street, $24.99.) A priest and a young woman cross paths as they seek to bring a powerful man to justice. Call #: F DEK
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
44 CHARLES STREET, by Danielle Steel. (Delacorte, $28.) The owner of a Greenwich Village town house takes in boarders and bonds with her tenants. Call #: F STE
THE PALE KING, by David Foster Wallace. (Little, Brown, $27.99.) In this unfinished novel, Wallace explores the innards of the Internal Revenue Service, the value of work and the meaning of heroism. Call #: F WAL
SING YOU HOME, by Jodi Picoult. (Atria, $28.) Picoult takes on the issue of gay rights in this novel about a music therapist who desperately wants a child; CD of songs included.
Call #: F PIC
THE PARIS WIFE, by Paula McLain. (Ballantine, $25.) Ernest Hemingway’s first wife, Hadley, narrates this novel set in Paris. Call #: F MCL
TOYS, by James Patterson and Neil McMahon. (Little, Brown, $27.99.) Hays Baker, a top operative for the Agency of Change and a national hero, suddenly finds himself a hunted fugitive who must fight to save humans from extinction. Call #: F PAT
NONFICTION HARDCOVER
BOSSYPANTS, by Tina Fey. (Reagan Arthur/Little, Brown, $26.99.) A memoir from the creator of "30 Rock."
Call#: BIO FEY
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
SHE WALKS IN BEAUTY, selected and introduced by Caroline Kennedy. (Voice/Hyperion, $24.99.) Poems that inspired the former first daughter. Call#: 808.81 SHE
I'M ALL OVER THAT, by Shirley MacLaine. (Atria, $22.) The actress offers observations on what remains important to her. Call#: BIO MAC
ALL THAT IS BITTER AND SWEET, by Ashley Judd with Maryanne Vollers. (Ballantine, $26.) A memoir by the actress and humanitarian. Call#: BIO JUD
ONWARD, by Howard Schultz with Joanne Gordon. (Rodale, $25.99.) Schultz tells of his second stint as the C.E.O. of Starbucks and how he helped return the company to profitability. Call#: MCN 647.957 SCH
THE EMPEROR OF ALL MALADIES, by Siddhartha Mukherjee. (Scribner, $30.) An oncologist's history of cancer. Call#: 616.994 MUK
BLOOD, BONES, AND BUTTER, by Gabrielle Hamilton. (Random House, $26.) A memoir by the chef and owner of the Manhattan restaurant Prune. Call#: BIO HAM
MOONWALKING WITH EINSTEIN, by Joshua Foer. (Penguin Press, $26.95.) A journalist who covered a mnemonics championship tries competing himself. Call#: 153.14 FOE
CHILDRENS PICTURE BOOKS
THE EASTER EGG, written and illustrated by Jan Brett. (Putnam, $17.99.) A story of caring and the hatching of spring. (Ages 4 to 8) Call #: E BRE
SILVERLICIOUS, written and illustrated by Victoria Kann. (Harper/HarperCollins, $17.99.) Pinkalicious has a loose tooth, and it’s her sweet tooth. (Ages 4 to 8)
Call #: E KAN
A SICK DAY FOR AMOS MCGEE, by Philip C. Stead. Illustrated by Erin E. Stead. (Roaring Brook, $16.99.) After a zookeeper falls ill, his animals take care of him for a change. (Ages 2 to 6) Call #: E STE
OF THEE I SING, by Barack Obama. Illustrated by Loren Long. (Knopf, $17.99.) In a letter to his daughters, the president has a message about heroes. (Ages 5 to 8) Call #: J 973.9 OBA
LADYBUG GIRL AND THE BUG SQUAD, by David Soman and Jacky Davis. (Dial, $16.99.) Lulu, a k a Ladybug Girl, is having a playdate. (Ages 3 to 5) Call #: E SOM
LITTLE WHITE RABBIT, written and illustrated by Kevin Henkes. (Greenwillow/HarperCollins, $16.99.) An imaginative rabbit hops through the day. (Ages 4 to 8) Call #: E HEN
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
EONA, by Alison Goodman. (Viking, $19.99.) Eona and her fellow rebels are on the run from High Lord Sethon’s army. (Ages 12 and up) Call #: YA F GOO
A WORLD WITHOUT HEROES, by Brandon Mull. (Aladdin, $19.99.) A young boy is transported to a world ruled by an evil wizard. (Ages 8 to 12)
Call #: J F MUL
I AM NUMBER FOUR, by Pittacus Lore. (HarperCollins, $17.99.) Members of another civilization live secretly among Earth-dwellers. (Ages 14 and up)
Call #: YA F LOR
INVINCIBLE (THE CHRONICLES OF NICK), by Sherrilyn Kenyon. (St. Martin's Griffin, $17.99.) Next assignment: raise the dead. (Ages 12 and up)
Call #: YA F KEN
"April is the cruelest month, breeding lilacs out of the dead land, mixing memory and desire, stirring dull roots with spring rain.”
~T.S. EliotAnd April also seems to be one of the busiest months - Tax Day, Passover, Easter, and Art on the Square. Southlake Public Library also has its book club coming up. Join us for a discussion of the American classic, "True Grit," by Charles Portis on April 21st at 6:00.
FEATURED NEW RELEASE
SWEET VALLEY CONFIDENTIAL: TEN YEARS LATER I used to read Sweet Valley High as a young girl and remember it as a series with characters I grew to love who always suffered the appropriate consequences when they did wrong. I was slightly sheepish picking up the new book, feeling silly and too old to read a “Sweet Valley” book. But I enjoyed it as a fun, light read. In this new novel for adults, the twins are 27 years old and living adult lives. Jessica is back, but this time she’s in love with Elizabeth’s ex-boyfriend, Todd. Elizabeth is working in New York and feeling betrayed by the two most important people in her life. Todd and Jessica are living together back in Sweet Valley, where many of the original characters still reside. Lila Fowler, Ken Matthews, and Enid Rollins , all familiar names from the high school series, play a part in the new book. While the cast of characters may not have changed, the intended audience definitely has. This is written for adults with mature themes. I may not have liked where some of the characters ended up, and it seems that Jessica never will change, but a certain twist involving bad boy Bruce Patman redeems the ending. And, I enjoyed getting inside the characters’ heads, especially Jessica and Todd’s. Jessica’s insecurities go a long way in helping readers understand her selfish behavior, and while they do not justify her, they at least help remind us she is human. Call #: F PAS
FICTION HARDCOVER
THE FIFTH WITNESS, by Michael Connelly. (Little, Brown, $27.99.) The defense lawyer Mickey Haller represents a woman facing home foreclosure who is accused of killing a banker. Call #: F CON
THE LAND OF PAINTED CAVES, by Jean M. Auel. (Crown, $30.) The latest volume in a series that began with “The Clan of the Cave Bear,” set during the ice age. Call #: F AUE
I'LL WALK ALONE, by Mary Higgins Clark. (Simon & Schuster, $25.99.) A woman haunted by the disappearance of her young son discovers that someone has stolen her identity. Call #: F CLA
44 CHARLES STREET, by Danielle Steel. (Delacorte, $28.) The owner of a Greenwich Village town house takes in boarders and bonds with her tenants. Call #: F STE
MILES TO GO, by Richard Paul Evans. (Simon & Schuster, $22.) After losing his wife and business, a man sets off on a cross-country journey on foot, but a violent encounter robs him of the ability to walk. Call #: F EVA
LOVER UNLEASHED, by J. R. Ward. (New American Library, $27.95.) Book 9 of the Black Dagger Brotherhood series. Call #: F WAR
CRUNCH TIME, by Diane Mott Davidson. (William Morrow/HarperCollins, $26.99.) The caterer and sleuth Goldy Schulz tries to help a friend whose rental house has been destroyed by arson. Call #: F MOT
TOYS, by James Patterson and Neil McMahon. (Little, Brown, $27.99.) Hays Baker, a top operative for the Agency of Change and a national hero, suddenly finds himself a hunted fugitive who must fight to save humans from extinction. Call #: F PAT
LIVE WIRE, by Harlan Coben. (Dutton, $27.95.) Myron Bolitar’s search for a missing rock star leads to questions about his own missing brother. Call #: F COB
SING YOU HOME, by Jodi Picoult. (Atria, $28.) Picoult takes on the issue of gay rights in this novel about a music therapist who desperately wants a child; CD of songs included.
Call #: F PIC
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
MYSTERY, by Jonathan Kellerman. (Ballantine, $28.) The Los Angeles psychologist-detective Alex Delaware and the detective Milo Sturgis work on a grisly homicide case. Call #: F KEL
THE SATURDAY BIG TENT WEDDING PARTY, by Alexander McCall Smith. (Pantheon, $24.95.) The 12th novel in the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series. Call #: F MCC
NONFICTION HARDCOVER
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
ALL THAT IS BITTER AND SWEET, by Ashley Judd with Maryanne Vollers. (Ballantine, $26.) A memoir by the actress and humanitarian. Call#: BIO JUD
ONWARD, by Howard Schultz with Joanne Gordon. (Rodale, $25.99.) Schultz tells of his second stint as the C.E.O. of Starbucks and how he helped return the company to profitability. Call#: MCN 647.957 SCH
UNFAMILIAR FISHES, by Sarah Vowell. (Riverhead, $25.95.) A wry look at the odd and exceptional history of Hawaii. Call#: 996.9 VOW
JEANNIE OUT OF THE BOTTLE, by Barbara Eden with Wendy Leigh. (Crown Archetype, $25.) The star of the television series “I Dream of Jeannie” tells of her five decades in Hollywood. Call#: BIO EDE
ALL MY LIFE, by Susan Lucci with Laura Morton. (It Books/HarperCollins, $25.99.) A memoir by the woman known as the “leading lady of daytime” for her role on the soap opera “All My Children.” Call#: BIO LUC
CHILDRENS PICTURE BOOKS
SILVERLICIOUS, written and illustrated by Victoria Kann. (Harper/HarperCollins, $17.99.) Pinkalicious has a loose tooth, and it’s her sweet tooth. (Ages 4 to 8)
Call #: E KAN
THE EASTER EGG, written and illustrated by Jan Brett. (Putnam, $17.99.) A story of caring and the hatching of spring. (Ages 4 to 8) Call #: E BRE
A SICK DAY FOR AMOS MCGEE, by Philip C. Stead. Illustrated by Erin E. Stead. (Roaring Brook, $16.99.) After a zookeeper falls ill, his animals take care of him for a change. (Ages 2 to 6) Call #: E STE
ARTHUR TURNS GREEN, by Marc Brown. (Little, Brown, $16.99.) Arthur explores ways to save energy at home. (Ages 4 to 8) Call #: E ART
LADYBUG GIRL AND THE BUG SQUAD, by David Soman and Jacky Davis. (Dial, $16.99.) Lulu, a k a Ladybug Girl, is having a playdate. (Ages 3 to 5) Call #: E SOM
INTERRUPTING CHICKEN, written and illustrated by David Ezra Stein. (Candlewick, $16.99.) A rooster struggles to tell a bedtime story. (Ages 4 to 8) Call #: E STE
LITTLE WHITE RABBIT, written and illustrated by Kevin Henkes. (Greenwillow/HarperCollins, $16.99.) An imaginative rabbit hops through the day. (Ages 4 to 8) Call #: E HEN
OF THEE I SING, by Barack Obama. Illustrated by Loren Long. (Knopf, $17.99.) In a letter to his daughters, the president has a message about heroes. (Ages 5 to 8) Call #: J 973.9 OBA
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
A WORLD WITHOUT HEROES, by Brandon Mull. (Aladdin, $19.99.) A young boy is transported to a world ruled by an evil wizard. (Ages 8 to 12)
Call #: J F MUL
INVINCIBLE (THE CHRONICLES OF NICK), by Sherrilyn Kenyon. (St. Martin's Griffin, $17.99.) Next assignment: raise the dead. (Ages 12 and up)
Call #: YA F KEN
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
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
MOON OVER MANIFEST, Clare Vanderpool. (Delacorte, $16.99.) In this Newbery winner, 12-year-old Abilene solves a mystery in Depression-era Kansas. (Ages 9 to 12) Call #: J F VAN
I AM NUMBER FOUR, by Pittacus Lore. (HarperCollins, $17.99.) Members of another civilization live secretly among Earth-dwellers. (Ages 14 and up)
Call #: YA F LOR
