On the shelves - Jan. 2

The books listed below are now available for checkout at the Clovis-Carver Public Library. The library is open to the public, but patrons can still visit the online catalog at cloviscarverpl.booksys.net/opac/ccpl or call 575-769-7840 to request a specific item for curbside pickup.

“Bluebeard’s First Wife” by Seong-nan Ha. Disasters, accidents, and deaths abound in “Bluebeard’s First Wife.” A woman spends a night with her fiancé and his friends, and overhears a terrible secret that has bound them together since high school. A man grows increasingly agitated by the noise made by a young family living in the apartment upstairs and arouses the suspicion of his own wife when the neighbors meet a string of unlucky incidents. A couple moves into a picture-perfect country house, but when their new dog is stolen, they become obsessed with finding the thief, and in the process, neglect their child.

“A Line to Kill” by Anthony Horowitz. When Ex-Detective Inspector Daniel Hawthorne and his sidekick, author Anthony Horowitz, are invited to an exclusive literary festival on Alderney, they don’t expect to find themselves in the middle of murder investigation. Arriving on Alderney, Hawthorne and Horowitz soon meet the festival’s other guests, along with a group of ornery locals embroiled in an escalating feud over a disruptive power line. When a local grandee is found dead under mysterious circumstances, Hawthorne and Horowitz become embroiled in the case. The island is locked down, no one is allowed on or off, and it soon becomes horribly clear that a murderer lurks in their midst. But who?

“Tacos for Two” by Betsy St. Amant. Rory Perez, a food truck owner who can’t cook, is struggling to keep the business she inherited from her aunt out of the red — and an upcoming contest during Modest’s annual food truck festival seems the best way to do it. The prize money could finally give her a solid financial footing. Then maybe Rory will have enough time to meet the man she’s been talking to via an anonymous online dating site. Jude Strong is tired of being a puppet at his manipulative father’s law firm, and the food truck festival seems like the perfect opportunity to dive into his passion for cooking and finally call his life his own. But if her loses the contest, he’s back at the law firm for good. Complications arise when Rory’s chef gets mono and she realizes she has to cook after all. Then Jude discovers that his stiffest competition is the same woman he’s been falling for online the past month. Will these unlikely chefs sacrifice it all for the sake of love? Or will there only ever be tacos for one?

“The Last Lions of Africa” by Anthony Ham. This is the riveting and illuminating story of Australian writer Anthony Ham’s extraordinary journey into the world of lions. Haunted by the idea that they might disappear from the planet in our lifetime, he ventured deep into the African wilderness, speaking to local tribespeople and activists as well as to rangers, scientists and conservationists about why lions are close to extinction and what can be done to save them.

“Garden Allies” by Frédérique Lavoipierre. The birds, mammals, reptiles, and insects that inhabit our yards and gardens are overwhelmingly on our side-they are not our enemies, but instead our allies. They pollinate our flowers and vegetable crops, and they keep pests in check. In “Garden Allies,” Frédérique Lavoipierre shares fascinating portraits of these creatures, describing their life cycles and showing how they keep the garden’s ecology in balance. Also included is helpful information on how to nurture and welcome these valuable creatures into your garden.

“Cool is Everywhere” by Michel Arnaud. “Cool Is Everywhere” is a photographic survey of the adaptive reuse design movement in America’s coolest cities. Michel Arnaud has been studying the spread of urban life into smaller towns for years now, looking at how today’s architects are blending the past with the present in exciting ways. These cities’ and towns’ residents are rethinking the usage of available architecture and repurposing it.

— Summaries provided by library staff