Friday, April 5, 2013

Check these books out from the comfort of your own home

This week we're spotlighting a few titles available as eBooks through Carnegie-Stout's OverDrive collection. Some of these titles are only available as eBooks, and if you'd like some help downloading one give us a call (563-589-4225) or stop in! We offer drop in tech help on Wednesday nights starting at 6:30 p.m. In order to checkout an eBook from Carnegie-Stout, you need to live within Dubuque city limits, but most other Dubuque County libraries provide access to eBooks for residents of their communities.

We've pulled together a selection of titles from various genres, so hopefully there's something here for every reader! Print aficionados, never fear, some of these titles will be added to our print collection, or we may be able to borrow a copy from another library (another service only available to city residents).

Destiny's Embrace by Beverly Jenkins
Beverly Jenkins is one of the foremost authors of African-American romance writing today. Over the course of her career she’s written historicals, romantic suspense, and even Westerns. Her heroines are sassy, her writing is engaging, and the romance is steamy. Her most recent title, Destiny's Embrace, follows Mariah Cooper as she starts a new life as a housekeeper on a ranch in California, and the sparks fly between Mariah and rancher Logan Yates. This is an engaging start to a new series with sharp characters and interesting historical detail.

Prophet by R.J. Larson
R.J. Laron’s first novel is a fast-paced and engaging fantasy novel that draws on the stories of the Old Testament for inspiration. Prophet tells the story of Ela, a teenage girl who never expected to be called on by the Infinite as a prophet, but she rises to the challenge and sets off to serve His will in distant lands. Currently, Carnegie-Stout only owns this title as an eBook as part of our OverDrive collection. If you don’t own an eReader, this book would be a great excuse to try out one of the Sony eReaders we have available for checkout!

Split Second by David Baldacci 
Baldacci is known for his fast-paced political suspense novels and pulse pounding plot twists, though there's never any question that his heroes are the good guys. The first book in his Sean King and Michelle Maxwell series, Split Second introduce two Secret Service agents who turn to a second career as Private Investigators. The series is ongoing, with the latest book, The Sixth Man, coming out this April.


Wyrd Sisters by Terry Pratchett
Our collection includes dozens of titles by prolific fantasy author Terry Pratchett, but we are missing one or two print copies out of the 39 from his Discworld series. Pratchett is known for his humor, world-building skills, and memorable characters. Wyrd Sisters puts a new spin on Shakespeare's Macbeth, with allusions to several of his other plays, and has, in turn, been adapted as a play itself. Granny Weatherwax, Nanny Ogg, and Magrat Garlick become embroiled in politics when they suddenly become the guardians of a murdered king's only child.


The Feast Nearby: how I lost my job, buried a marriage, and found my way by keeping chickens, foraging, preserving, bartering, and eating locally (all on $40 a week) by Robin Mather
If you're interested in the local food movement or tales of frugal living, you should check this book out. The story of her exploration of the local food options of her Michigan community are interspersed with delicious and straightforward recipes. This is an upbeat book and Mather's writing has a warm humor, rather than dwelling on her personal upheaval.


Please stop by the Recommendations Desk on the first floor, check out NoveList Plus on the library's website, or visit W. 11th & Bluff next week for more reading suggestions. Or submit a Personal Recommendations request, and we'll create a reading list just for you!

Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Fine Gardening is April's Magazine of the Month

It's been a long, cold winter, but we're finally seeing signs of spring, at least in the gardening section of local stores! It's time to start plotting your garden, and making sure your tools are in working order.

To get you in the spirit, we've selected Fine Gardening as our April magazine of the month!

Fine Gardening provides tips and information for yard care, landscaping, and ornamental plants. The magazine has been in publication since 1988, and you can browse through additional information on their webpage: finegardening.com

Be sure to check out last year's Gardening Spotlight blog post, or stop in to browse the shelves for new titles available here at Carnegie-Stout. Whether you kill houseplants or grow all your own food, we've got a gardening book for you!

Or if you'd rather read about someone else doing the gardening (and solving a murder to boot!) check out our list of Cozy Gardening Mysteries.

Monday, April 1, 2013

New Books for a New Month!

Today marks the start of a brand new month, and the long awaited arrival of spring weather! To celebrate, Andrew gives us a sneak peak at some fresh titles.


Lawn Gone
Landscaper and caterer Vivian "Kentucky" Bluegrass, Tuck to her friends, is in the weeds when she shows up for what should be a gala opening for a wealthy client's new yard but instead finds a plot of bare earth. Things really get dirty when the pinched peat shows up across town -- on top of the dead body of Zoysia Green, Tuck's biggest competition! With the help of hunky handyman Randy Bulb, psychic canine Digger, and a mysterious dryad named Sprout, Tuck's in a race against time to clear her name before the first frost!

Includes recipes and gardening tips.


Proof of Heaven
Having had his fill of tasteless communion wafers, Italian master baker Sacco Cerevisi set out to re-discover the liturgical loaves that inspired over 100 Bible verses. Cerevisi's first foray into the unfamiliar grains of the ancient Middle-East may have produced a staff of death, but through tireless experimentation he develops his seven core ingredients into a multitude of recipes easy enough to make daily, quick enough to throw together in a hurry, and hearty enough to strengtheneth man's heart.



Alex Cross, Run
 "Three dead bodies. One, Two, Three. Alex Cross, Run!"
With these three sentences, the James Patterson biblio-empire stakes its claim in the early readers market. With colorful illustrations and an appropriately simple vocabulary, Patterson spins a tale of murder and intrigue that will keep even the littlest tot flipping pages through the bitter end! 



This Is Not My Hat
The eagerly-awaited tell-all memoir from the first Pope Emeritus of modern times! The mitre is an enduring symbol of the papacy, but, for Benedict XVI, it never sat comfortably upon the papal brow. This title is heavily embargoed, with a street date enforced by the Swiss Guard, but the promise of rare glimpse of the man behind the vestments has readers lining up! 


Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons
A grisly true crime story that has reviewers locking their doors and calling their loved ones! In the love-drenched streets of 1960s San Francisco, death walks on padded feet. Pete the cuddly tabby prowls the night with lethal doses of LSD hidden in the buttons on his collar. What demented killer pours this kitty's kibble? How will the FBI declaw this vicious mouser?*


A Week in Winter
When a jotun magus opens a portal to Niflheim and unleashes a supernatural blizzard, Mathghamhain, Druid of the Iron Grove, must leave his sacred copse and travel north, into the frozen fury of the storm. The greatest Irish fantasist of our age broadens hir range as hir fan-favorite Celtic hero leaves the Emerald Isle to battle the villians of Norse mythology.  


Vampires in the Lemon Grove 
Something something fruit bats. 









*Blood spatter image used in creation of Pete the Cat cover from a photo by Emily Raw: http://www.flickr.com/photos/emilyrawlings/5427257683