On the shelves - Sept. 18

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.

“Death By Bubble Tea” by Jennifer J. Chow. When Yale Yee discovers her cousin Celine is visiting from Hong Kong, she is obliged to play tour guide to a relative she hasn’t seen in 20 years. Not only that, but her father thinks it’s a wonderful idea for them to bond by running a food stall together at the Eastwood Village Night Market. They’re quite shocked that their bubble tea, in particular, is a hit—literally—when one of their customers turns up dead. Yale and Celine are prime suspects due to the gold flakes that Celine added to the sweet drink as a garnish. Though the two cousins are polar opposites in every way, they must work together to find out what really happened to the victim or the only thing they’ll be serving is time.

“Twice a Quinceañera” by Yamile Saied Méndez. One month short of her wedding day—and her 30th birthday—Nadia Palacio finds herself standing up to her infuriating, cheating fiancé for the first time in . . . well, ever. She’s hyperventilating before facing her Argentinian family when she glimpses a magazine piece about a Latina woman celebrating herself—with a second quinceañera, aka Sweet 15! And that gives Nadia a brilliant idea. With a wedding venue already paid for, and family from all over the world with plane tickets, Nadia is determined to create her own happily-ever-after. Until she discovers that the man in charge of the venue is none other than her college fling that became far more than a fling. And he looks even more delicious than a three-tiered cake.

“Babysitter” by Joyce Carol Oates. In the waning days of the turbulent 1970s, in the wake of unsolved child-killings that have shocked Detroit, the lives of several residents are drawn together with tragic consequences. There is Hannah, wife of a prominent local businessman, who has begun an affair with a darkly charismatic stranger whose identity remains elusive; Mikey, a canny street hustler who finds himself on a chilling mission to rectify injustice; and the serial killer known as Babysitter, an enigmatic and terrifying figure at the periphery of elite Detroit. As Babysitter continues his rampage of abductions and killings, these individuals intersect with one another in startling and unexpected ways.

“Eat It! The Most Sustainable Diet and Workout Ever Made” by Jordan Syatt & Michael Vacanti. Some “experts” say, “Don’t eat carbs because insulin makes you fat.” Other “experts” say, “Don’t eat fat because fat makes you fat.” Others say, “Don’t eat protein because protein makes you fat”. Some even say, “Don’t eat fruit because sugar makes you fat.” So the logical conclusion would be not to eat anything at all . . . except for the other “experts” who say that makes you fat because it’s “starvation mode.” Who should you believe? Who is right? Who is an ignoramus? And who is just trying to make a quick buck?

“Gun Barons: The Weapons That Transformed America and the Men Who Invented Them” by John Bainbridge Jr. Love them or hate them, guns are woven deeply into the American soul. Names like Colt, Smith & Wesson, Winchester, and Remington are legendary. Yet few people are aware of the roles these men played at a crucial time in United States history, from westward expansion in the 1840s, through the Civil War, and into the dawn of the Gilded Age.

“Earth Now” by Katherine Ware. Since its invention, photography has been used to document and interpret the landscape. Survey photographers in the 1860s were the first environmental advocates, arguing for the U.S. national park system. This book traces the development of environmental photographers whose works confronted the issues of landscape and the environment in less idealized terms.

— Summaries provided by library staff