On the shelves — May 15

The following books are available for checkout at:

Clovis-Carver Public Library

Those Who Hold Bastogne by Peter Schrijvers, donated in memory of William Toliver, is a dramatic account of the biggest Battle of the Bulge encounter between Germans and Americans in the strategically located town of Bastogne. Emerging from the German assault that ultimately hastened the end of World War II are the true stories of the soldiers and civilians who perished and of those who survived to find the world forever changed.

Pope Frances and the New Vatican by the National Geographic has been donated in memory of Frances Chavez. This spectacular portrait of the beloved pontiff and the awe-inspiring institution he represents, portrays striking, never before seen images, combined with exclusive reporting in an elegant and uplifting showcase of history, faith, and a changing world.

The Sleep Revolution : Transforming Your Life, One Night at a Time by Arianna Huffington shows how our cultural dismissal of sleep as time wasted compromises our health and our decision-making and undermines our work, personal, and even our sex lives. She explores all the latest science on what exactly is going on while we sleep and dream, taking on the sleeping pill industry, and all the ways our addiction to technology disrupts our sleep. She also offers a range of recommendations and tips from leading scientists on how we can get better and more restorative sleep, and harness its incredible power.

What She Knew by Gilly Macmillan plumbs the depths of every parent's nightmare when eight-year-old Ben vanishes during a normal Sunday walk in the park. When days pass with no sign of him, suspicions turn to his mother Rachel, who find the greatest dangers may lie not in anonymous strangers, but behind the familiar smiles of those she trusts the most.

The Secret Chord by Geraldine Brooks fills in the blank spaces in the history of Israel's King David, the man who rose from obscurity to fame, known as a great soldier, traitor, poet, and musician. Inspired by biblical references, well-known events of David's life are reinterpreted, plus what may have occurred in those episodes largely untold is vividly imagined, seen through the eyes of the courtier who both counseled and castigated David.

The Newsmakers by Lis Wiehl masterfully takes Erica Sparks across the line from reporter to subject after she saves the life of a presidential candidate during an interview. This in the wake of her covering a Staten Island ferry disaster that may or may not have been an accident. Sparks pursues the nagging feeling these two events may be somehow connected, and uncovers a conspiracy of giant proportions at the expense of hers and her daughter's safety.

Portales Public Library

Robert B. Parker's Slow Burn by Ace Atkins

In the latest installment of Robert B. Parker's bestselling Spenser series, Boston's South End is plagued by a deadly fire within a boarded-up Catholic church that ends up killing three firefighters unable to get out. A year after their sacrifice in the line of duty, the fire department still has no idea what caused the inferno, although most of the men believe that it was an accident due to bad wiring. But one of the firefighters, Jack McGee, thinks that it may have been arson and takes his case to Spenser. When Spenser starts looking into the case, he realizes that not only may McGee's suspicions be right, but that the church fire might also be linked to a series of arsons that have sprung up all over the city. Following the trail of recent fires, Spenser finds himself within Boston's seedy underworld, bringing him, his ally Hawk, and his apprentice Sixkill face to face with a new enemy as dangerous as he is determined to see Spenser dead.

The Trials of Apollo: The Hidden Oracle by Rick Riordan

Apollo, immortal god of music, poetry and prophecy, has angered his father Zeus for possibly the last, and worst time, bearing the brunt of the blame for his descendant Octavian's actions during the events of the Roman and Greek struggle with Gaea. In punishment, Zeus throws Apollo out of Olympus and turns him into a mortal sixteen-year-old boy, with no powers and nowhere to go…except Camp Half-Blood. Hoping to regain his father's trust and to hide from the many enemies he's made over the past four thousand years, Apollo seeks refuge in the camp as a regular teen, befriending thirteen-year-old demi-god Meg and trying to figure out why his own oracle in Delphi has stopped prophesying. As Apollo learns what it is like to be young and “human”, he starts to become a little more likable and humble, learning valuable lessons while confronting his past and his present problems.

Wilde Lake by Laura Lippman

Luisa “Lu” Brant's mother died after she was born, leaving her father, Andrew Jackson Brant, the state attorney of Howard County, Maryland, to raise her and her older brother, A.J. When A.J ends up killing a man in order to save his best friend, Andrew uses his influence to sweep the case under the rug and A.J. is cleared of all charges. Years later, Lu is now the newest state attorney for Howard County and the first female to get elected to the position, after her husband dies and Lu moves back to her childhood hometown with her children. Her first case is a murder case, with a mentally unstable drifter accused of beating a local woman to death in her own house, and Lu believes that a homicide is the perfect case to help her assert her brand new authority. As Lu prepares for the trial, however, the case starts to remind her all too much of her brother's case, and she begins to wonder if what happened that day so many years ago was really as simple and innocent as she was led to believe.

— Summaries by library staff