On the shelves - Nov. 27

The following books are available for checkout at:

Clovis-Carver Library

Harmony by Carolyn Parkhurst plunges into the story of how one daughter's mix of off-the-charts genius and social incompetence trigger a seemingly normal suburban family's desperation, compelling them to leave everything behind and move to a “family camp”. What they discover in the woods pushes them to the very limit, altering them forever.

Sorrow Road by Julia Keller clashes past and present, good and evil, and revenge and forgiveness, creating a poignant tale of two eras. When a West Virginian district attorney probes into the death of an old man in an Appalachian nursing home, the case leads back seventy-two years to one defining moment aboard a WWII Navy ship barreling toward the Normandy shore.

Twelve Dogs of Christmas by David Rosenfelt buzzes with suspense and humor when Andy Carpenter, along with his family and friends try to help an elderly dog rescuer who's been set up for murdering a neighbor that complained about her animals. Pups is not the most affable woman but Andy doesn't believe she could be guilty, and even with Christmas just around the corner, knows he will work to the end to get her released.

To the Bright Edge of the World by Eowyn Ivey begins with a contemporary relative donating to a small museum the journals and other artifacts from an 1885 expedition. The journals were written by the donor's great-uncle, Colonel Alan Forrester, and his great-aunt, Sophie. Through Alan's accounts of his full-on Alaskan adventure, and Sophie's struggles back in Vancouver, each experiences a shift in the prism through which they see reality-Sophie takes up photography, and Alan begins to develop a more wild view of the world around him.

Ansel Adams: Knowing Where to Stand by Green Media combines a short biography of this beloved artist with over 250 of his photographs. Providing lovely examples of Adams' skills not only as a landscape photographer, but also a skilled practitioner of his art capable of providing masterpieces of portraiture and architectural photography, this beautiful volume is for anyone who loves photographs or the outdoors.

How Far Can You Go? by John Maclean shares the amazing story of the author who suffered a catastrophic spinal injury yet was encouraged to embrace his new reality. Challenged with the question, “How far can you go?”, Maclean endured years of intense physical therapy to become an elite wheelchair athlete and finally, 25 years after his accident, walk again.

Jacksonland by Steve Inskeep is a moving tale of leadership, betrayal and (violated) minority rights, culminating in the tragedies we know as Indian removal and the Trail of Tears. Successfully transporting readers to an era when travel was slow and dangerous, racial and sectional divisions were growing, and America was very much a work in progress, Inskeep writes with the urgency of a thriller, a cinematic eye and with an awareness that even history's apparent losers won occasional important battles.

Portales Public Library

Ruler of the Night by David Morrell

In 1855, twenty-five years after railway operations were opened in England for the first time-and twenty-five years after the first death by train occurred on the exact same day-the first murder on a train in England is reported, when a gentleman is found stabbed to death in the safety of his first-class compartment, with the door still locked. He is discovered by none other than the brilliant sleuth Thomas De Quincey and his equally intelligent daughter Emily, whose compartment just happened to be right next to the dead man's. As they are not only detectives themselves but also key witnesses to the investigation, Thomas and Emily lend their minds and sources to their friends at Scotland Yard, Detective Ryan and his partner Becker, as they try to solve the murder and find the killer, who has escaped onto the streets of London, leaving even more corpses in his wake.

Holding Up the Universe by Jennifer Niven

Sixteen-year-old Libby Strout is nervous, yet excited, about her first day in public school in three years, after earning the nickname of “America's Fastest Teen” at age thirteen when she had to be cut out her house during a panic attack because she was so large-which was unfortunately televised. Despite shedding much of her weight since then, Libby is immediately made the target of a cruel game on her first day of high school by popular senior Jack Masselin, who himself is dealing with his own feelings of isolation and anxiety, as he cannot recognize faces, not even those of his family. When Jack and Libby are both given group therapy-together-they find that they have more in common than they thought and form a surprising bond that quickly moves past mere friendship. As Jack struggles with his feelings for Libby in the face of peer pressure and fear that he won't be able to recognize her, Libby encourages Jack to get diagnosed for his disorder while combating bullying at school.

Faithful by Alice Hoffman

Shelby Richmond and her best friend, Helene, grew up together on Long Island and were as close as sisters, until one winter night when they get in a car accident that leaves Helene in a coma and Shelby damaged with guilt and an inability to move on. While Shelby lives alone in her basement and distances herself in order to not ever hurt anyone else again, the comatose Helene has become seen as a giver of miracles for other people, who come to pray at her bedside, hoping for healing and blessing. When Shelby finds a stray dog and decides to take it in, she finally finds something to start caring for again, while she starts receiving mysterious postcards from an unknown person, urging her to “say something.” As the postcards continue to arrive, she begins to suspect that they might just be from an angel-the same angel that has been watching over her since the accident.

— Summaries by library staff