On the shelves - Aug. 20

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.

“This Thy Brother” by Rod Miller. The new life they find in New Mexico is not what the Pate and Lewis families hoped for. Driven by disagreements with their father, eldest sons Richard and Melvin abandon the Pate family to join eastbound freighters on the Santa Fe Trail. Younger brother Abel works with his father to build a ranching empire atop the Pajarito Plateau, while the Lewis family establishes a thriving mercantile network in Santa Fe and outlying communities. The families you met in “Father unto Many Sons” return in “This Thy Brother” as they face the challenges of life in the desert Southwest. Together, the families work for prosperity while the departed sons turn toward a different future.

“The Abduction of Pretty Penny” by Leonard Goldberg. Joanna and the Watsons are called in by the Whitechapel Playhouse to find Pretty Penny, a lovely, young actress who has gone missing without reason or notice. While on their search, the trio is asked by Scotland Yard to join in the hunt for a vicious murderer whose method resembles that of Jack the Ripper. It soon becomes clear that the Ripper has reemerged after a 28-year absence. Following a line of subtle clues, Joanna quickly reasons that Pretty Penny has been taken capture by the killer. But as Joanna moves closer to learning his true identity, the killer sends her a letter indicating her young son, Johnny, will be the next victim to die. Time is running out, and Joanna has no choice but to devise a most dangerous plan that will bring her face-to-face with the killer. It is the only chance to protect her son and rescue Pretty Penny and save both from an agonizing death.

“The Wonder State” by Sara Flannery Murphy. Five friends arrive back in Eternal Springs, the small town they all fled after high-school graduation. Each of them is drawn home by a cryptic, scrawled two-word letter: You promised. It has been fifteen years since that life-changing summer, and they’re anxious to find out why Brandi called them back, especially when they vowed never to return. But Brandi is missing. She’d been acting erratically for months, in and out of rehab, railing at whoever might listen about magic all around them. About a power they can’t see. And strange houses that appear only when you need them.

“Twice as Hard” by Jasmine Brown. No real account of Black women physicians in the US exists, and what little mention is made of these women in existing histories is often insubstantial or altogether incorrect. In this work of extensive research, Jasmine Brown offers a rich new perspective, penning the long-erased stories of nine pioneering Black women physicians beginning in 1860, when a Black woman first entered medical school.

“Born Extraordinary” by Mag Zucker. Zuckerd was born with one finger on each hand, shortened forearms, and one toe on each misshapen foot, caused by a genetic condition called ectrodactyly. She would eventually pass this condition on to her two sons, and, along with her husband, raise them and their adopted daughter, who has her own invisible differences. Born of the family’s hard-won experiences, this book offers invaluable advice on raising confident, empathetic, and resilient children who succeed, not despite but because of their differences. “Born Extraordinary” helps parents of children with differences and disabilities to relinquish their instinctive anxieties, embrace their new normal, and ultimately find joy in watching their children thrive.

“The History of Gangster Rap” by Soren Baker and Xzibit. “The History of Gangster Rap” is a deep dive into one of the most fascinating subgenres of any music category to date. Sixteen detailed chapters, organized chronologically, examine the evolution of gangster rap, its main players, and the culture that created this revolutionary music.

— Summaries provided by library staff