On the shelves —

The following books are available at:

Clovis-Carver Public Library

“The Eighty-Dollar Champion: Snowman, the Horse That Inspired a Nation” by Elizabeth Letts brings to life a forgotten slice of American racing history in the moving story of an indomitable immigrant farmer, his drab, former plow horse named Snowman, and their against-the-odds journey all the way to the winner’s circle.

“Black Swan’ by Chris Knopf finds Sam Acquillo and Amanda Anselma sailing their damaged boat into the nearest harbor -- an island that is an exclusive preserve for the oldest old money in America -- where they are soon swept into intrigue, conspiracy, and the machinations of high-tech millionaires who will not stop at murder to protect their interests.

“Blue Revolution: Unmaking America’s Water Crisis” by Cynthia Barnett shows why our freshwater sources are in deep trouble and maintains that the best, simplest, and least expensive solution is a water ethic that will help us avoid past mistakes, live within our water means, and conserve our most life-giving resource.

“Back of Beyond” by C.J. Box embroils Cody Holt in a fatal, cat-and-mouse game after someone murders his friend Hank and tries to make it look like suicide, while the clues point to an outfitter who is leading tourists on a horseback trip into the wilderness where the killer may strike again.

“Your Medical Mind: How to Decide What is Right For You” by Jerome Groopman shows us how to chart a clear path through the sea of confusion caused by conflicting information from the health care system, pharmaceutical advertising, the media, and gaps in our own reasoning that can wrongly influence our choices.

“South by Southwest” by Johnny Boggs brings together Zebulon Hogan, an escaped prisoner in Civil-War Arizona, and Ebenezer Chase, a runaway slave, who must join forces to survive the desert and find traitorous Sergeant Ben DeVere who traded blue for gray and is now a Confederate in Vicksburg.

“Rin Tin Tin: The Life and the Legend” by Susan Orlean recounts the true story of an orphaned German shepherd puppy found on the battlefields of France during World War I who saved Warner Brothers from bankruptcy and became Hollywood’s number one box office star and the most famous dog in the world.

Portales Public Library

“Impulse” by Ellen Hopkins

Aspen Springs is a psychiatric hospital for those who have attempted the ultimate act of suicide and is the same destination for three different lives taking three different paths to get there. Vanessa is smart and beautiful, but secrets keep the blade answering her call. Tony can only find peace through pills after suffering a painful childhood. Outwardly, Conner has the perfect life, but dig a little deeper and find a boy who is in constant battle with his life, his parents, and himself. These young people decided that enough was enough in one instant. They grabbed the bottle, the blade, the gun and tried to end it all. Now, they have a second chance and with each other's help they just might be able to find their way to a better life, but only if they're strong and can fight the demons that brought them to Aspen Springs in the first place.

“A Grown-Up Kind of Pretty” by Joshilyn Jackson

Trouble comes after the three Slocumb women every fifteen years. As the youngest, Mosey, turns fifteen, she's desperate to know who used their yard as a makeshift cemetery, and why. Forty-five-year-old Ginny, the unlikely matriarch, doesn't know the truth-she only knows she must do everything in her power to keep it hidden. Silenced by a stroke, Liza is between them and haunted by the choices she made as a teenager, with the answers trapped inside her. To survive Mosey's insistent adventures and Liza's secrets, Ginny must learn to trust the love that braids the strands of their past-and stop at nothing to defend their future. A Grown-Up Kind of Pretty introduces three generations of Slocumbs: a lost soul rediscovering her voice, a child on the cusp of womanhood searching for her true family, and a woman whose fight to protect her daughter will toss her headlong into a second chance at first love.

“Barn Boot Blues” by Catherine Friend

Taylor McNamara is a twelve-year-old city girl, but her parents have just moved her onto a sheep farm in the middle of nowhere. Things aren't going very well, even though she's trying to get into the spirit of farming. The farm animals include 40 chickens, 20 sheep, 10 ducks, and 4 goats. Taylor's job is to collect the eggs every morning and the only way to keep the poop out of her hair is to use an umbrella. At her new school, Taylor inadvertently breaks a dress code rule and the kids tease her about her ugly barn boots and the chicken poop in her hair, yet they admire her pluck. Taylor finds it hard to adjust to the farm's daily surprises, especially those that prove to be embarrassing at school and struggles to adapt to her new life. With help from her friend Megan, Taylor embarks on a near disastrous plan to move her family back to the city, but one lonely night in the barn Taylor discovers that farming isn't all bad.