On the shelves - Feb. 2

These books are available at the Clovis-Carver Public Library:

“Collateral Damage” by Lynette Eason: Honorably discharged from the Army after an explosion nearly killed her, former military psychiatrist Brooke Adams has set up shop to help others — but her days of helping military personnel are over. Former Army Special Ops Sergeant Asher James could handle anything war sent his way, now the only thing that scares him is sleep. Asher makes an appointment with a counselor, and Brooke is pressed by her boss to take him on. When he arrives at her office she isn't there — but a dead body is. When it becomes clear that Brooke was the real target of the attack, Asher vows to protect her no matter what.

“Christmas Shopaholic” by Sophie Kinsella: Becky Brandon still adores the traditions of Christmas, and things are looking cheerier than ever, until Becky's parents announce they're moving to ultra-trendy Shoreditch. They ask Becky if she'll host this year's get-together, where her sister demands a vegan turkey, her husband insists that he just wants aftershave (again), and little Minnie needs a very specific picnic hamper. Becky wonders if chaos will ensue, or if she'll manage to bring comfort and joy to Christmas after all.

“Forever Hidden” by Tracie Peterson: As dairy farmer Chuck Bondrant's health declines, his granddaughter Havyn is determined to find a way to keep her family together. Then John Roselli arrives in Nome and is quickly offered a job on the dairy. Havyn uses her beautiful singing voice and her sisters' musical talent at a local roadhouse, but the spotlight brings with it dangerous eyes that covet Havyn and are jealous as she and John grow ever closer.

“Charles Manson's Creepy Crawl” by Jeffrey Melnick: Melnick reveals how the Manson Family secretly “creepy crawled” into homes without harming anyone, leaving only trace evidence the home had been breached. Emblematic of the Los Angeles counterculture freak scene at that time, Manson and the Family worked to connect themselves to the mainstream, until the infamous Tate-LaBianca murders. They have rarely slipped from the American radar since.

“Less Stuff” by Lindsay Miles: Miles shares a guide for people who find it difficult to declutter and who don't want to see things go to waste. Step by step, you'll explore finding your “enough,” learn how to let go of your old possessions without sending them to landfill, and eventually break the cycle of stuff. The end result is a planet with less strain, a home with more peace, and a life with more meaning.

“Mountain Man” by James Forrest: Nicknamed 'Mountain Man' by the Sunday Telegraph, James Forrest is the record-breaking adventurer who climbed every mountain in England and Wales in just six months — the fastest ever time. And he did it all on his days off from work, proving it is possible to integrate an epic adventure into your everyday life. What did he learn along the way? That life is more fulfilling when you switch off your phone and climb a mountain.

These books are available at the Portales Public Library:

“Thin Ice” by Paige Shelton: Beth Rivers, known to the rest of the world as famous thriller author Elizabeth Fairchild, fled to a remote town in Alaska after escaping from Levi Brooks, an obsessive fan who kidnapped her and kept her in a van for three days. Although she managed to get away from Levi and disappear for now, she's tempted to stay on the run, despite feeling temporarily safe at a halfway house in her new hometown. However, she suspects that many of the people in town are similar to her, either running from or hiding from something, and her feeling of security starts to diminish once she is told of a death in town that is thought to have been a murder. Still haunted by her ordeal with Levi and terrified that he will find her again, Beth begins to wonder if the death of the local woman, Linda Rafferty, has anything to do with her own trauma, as her repressed memories of her time in the van begin to resurface, making it impossible for her to heal. The only thing Beth can do to keep her mind off of her own fear is to throw herself into the mystery of Linda's murder, vowing to solve it no matter what.

“The Vanishing” by Jayne Ann Krentz: Decades have gone by since what the residents of Fogg Lake refer to as “The Incident” occurred, when an explosion in the town's cave system released unknown gases into the atmosphere and put the entire town to sleep. When the townspeople awoke, they found that they had changed, with some having visions and some hearing voices, and news of The Incident brought a secret government agency to town to investigate. Fearing that they would be subjected to experiments or worse, the residents of Fogg Lake all claim that their “hallucinations” were caused by mass food poisoning, and although their story was believed and Fogg Lake was left alone, side effects from The Incident remained, popping up in the townspeople's descendants through the years. Two such descendants, Catalina Lark and Olivia LeClair, best friends and co-owners of their own investigative firm in Seattle, use their special “gifts” to help solve their cases, but when Olivia suddenly vanishes, Cat fears that Olivia's disappearance is linked to a murder years ago in Fogg Lake that she and Olivia witnessed. When Slater Arganbright, an agent from an organization called the Foundation, shows up with information at Olivia and Cat's firm, Cat is determined to find her friend using her other “sight” before she too vanishes.

“Big Lies in a Small Town” by Diane Chamberlain: In 2018, Morgan Christopher is convicted of a crime she didn't commit and winds up in the North Carolina Women's Correctional Center, faced with serving a three-year sentence. Her life now ruined, she loses hope of ever having a career in art, until a stranger comes to see her and offers to have her released immediately in exchange for restoring an old mural in the post office of Edenton, North Carolina. Morgan doubts that she has the skills to accomplish such a task, knowing nothing about art restoration, but she agrees, wanting nothing more than to be released from prison and restart her life. Once she arrives in Edenton and begins to chip away at the grime covering the mural, she uncovers a painting that tells a visual story of violence, madness, and what appears to be a conspiracy involving the entire town. Morgan's questions lead her to the mystery of the mural's painter, Anna Dale, an artist from New Jersey who won a national contest to paint the mural back in 1940. Anna, like Morgan decades later, had nowhere else to go, and began work on the mural, only to find that Edenton was full of secrets, prejudice, and hatred that may end in murder. Now, it is up to Morgan to learn exactly what happened to Anna 78 years before in order to put to rest her own demons.

— Summaries provided by library staff