Book Club Picks – Action/Adventure

book clubIs your book club looking for a little excitement?  Here are some action/adventure books they may be interested in.

Suspect by Robert Crais – LAPD cop Scott James is not doing so well. Nine months ago, a shocking assault by unidentified men killed his partner, Stephanie, nearly killed him, and left him enraged, ashamed, and ready to explode. He is unfit for duty—until he meets his new partner.

Into That Forest by Louis Nowra – Two girls survive a terrible flood in the Tasmanian bush and are rescued by a pair of Tasmanian tigers who raise them in the wild. Their story of survival is remarkable, as they adapt to the life of the tiger, learning to hunt and to communicate without the use of human language. When they are discovered and returned to civilization, neither can adapt to being fully human after their extraordinary experience. Totally believable, their story will both shock and captivate readers as it explores the animal instincts that lie beneath our civilized veneer.

timeTime and Again by Jack Finney – When advertising artist Si Morley is recruited to join a covert government operation exploring the possibility of time travel, he jumps at the chance to leave his twentieth-century existence and step into New York City in January 1882. Aside from his thirst for experience, he has good reason to return to the past—his friend Kate has a curious, half-burned letter dated from that year, and he wants to trace the mystery.

The Pale Horseman by Bernard Cornwell – The last unvanquished piece of England, Wessex is eyed hungrily by the fearsome Viking conquerors. A dispossessed young nobleman, Uhtred is tied to the imperiled land by birth and marriage but was raised by the Danish invaders—and he questions where his allegiance must lie. But blood is his destiny, and when the overwhelming Viking horde attacks out of a wintry darkness, Uhtred must put aside all hatred and distrust and stand beside his embattled country’s staunch defender—the fugitive King Alfred.

First to Kill by Andrew Peterson – Ten years ago, a botched mission in Nicaragua ended covert ops specialist Nathan McBride’s CIA career. Now he utilizes his unique skill set in the private sector—until the night Frank Ortega, former director of the FBI, calls in a favor. A deep-cover federal agent has vanished, along with a ton of Semtex explosives, and Ortega needs them found—fast. Because for him, this mission is personal: the missing agent is his grandson. And Nathan McBride is the only man he trusts to save him.

The Broken Places by Ace Atkins – A year after becoming Tibbehah County sheriff, Quinn Colson is faced with a pardoned killer’s return to Jericho. Jamey Dixon now preaches redemption and forgiveness, but the family of the woman he was convicted of killing isn’t buying it. They warn Quinn that his sister’s relationship with Dixon could be fatal. Others don’t think the new preacher is a changed man, either—a couple of dangerous convicts who confided in Dixon about an armored car robbery believe he’s after the money they hid. So they do the only thing they can: break out and head straight to Jericho, leaving a trail of bodies in their wake.

The Body Departed by J.R. Rain – When a killer broke into James Blakely’s apartment and fired twelve bullets into his body, it was the end of James’s life—but just the beginning of his journey to redemption. Sentenced to burn in hell for a crime he cannot remember, James is given the choice to proceed immediately to the afterlife or haunt the world of the living in search of his killer. Electing to return to Earth as a ghost, he attempts to solve the mystery of his own murder, visits the living—starting with his daughter and ex-wife—and confronts the sins in his past that put him on the fast track to eternal damnation.

It’s Star Wars Day – May the Fourth be With You!

May 4 is unofficially “Star Wars Day.” It’s the one day a year when Star Wars fans are encouraged to REALLY let their devotion to all things Star Wars out to play. Cheshire Library has got you covered, young Jedis – we have Star Wars items in just about every section of our collection. Here’s a very small taste of what you can find in our corner of the galaxy:

ADULT SCIENCE FICTION:

TEENS:

CHILDREN’S FICTION:

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EASY READERS:

NON-FICTION:

DVD:

 

Nominees for the 2015 Nutmeg Awards Announced!

The Nutmeg Children’s Book Award is the “Children’s Choice” Award for Connecticut.  The goal of the committee is to NUTMEG-LOGOencourage children in grades two through twelve to read quality literature. This Year there is a new category for the Nutmeg Awards, bring the total of categories to four, all grouped by age. The categories are now for Grades 2-4, Grades 4-6, Grades 7-8, and Grades 9-12. Here is a listing of the nominees. the library has purchased and cataloged multiple copies of each book. There might be a waiting list for the book(s) you are interested in most, but if you place a hold on the item we will contact you when it is your turn.

Grades 2-4

1. Frankie Pickle and the Pine Run 3000 by Eric Wight
2. Zita the Space Girl: Far from Home by Ben Hatke
3. Balloons Over Broadway: the True Story of the Puppeteer of Macy’s Parade by Melissa Sweet
4. The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwamba
5. Stay: the True Story of Ten Dogs by Michaela Muntean
6. Happy Like Soccer by Maribeth Boelt
7. Chloe and the Lion by Mac Barnett
8. The Secret of the Stone Frog: a Toon Graphic Novel by David Nytra
9. Lulu and the Dog from the Sea by Hilary McKay
10. Sidney and Sydney Book One: Third Grade Mix-Up by Michele Jakubowski
11. The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt
12. Odd Duck by Cecil Castellucci
13. Miracle Mud: Lena Blackburne and the Secret Mud that Changed Baseball by David Kelly
14. Locomotive by Brian Floca
15. The Trouble with Chickens: a J.J. Tully Mystery by Doreen Cronin

Grades 4-6

1. Walls Within Walls by Maureen Sherry
2. The Unwanteds by Lisa McMann
3. Tuesdays at the Castle by Jessica Day George
4. Saint Louis Armstrong Beach by Brenda Woods
5. King of the Mound: My Summer with Satchel Paige by Wes Tooke
6. Joshua Dread by Lee Bacon
7. Spy School by Stuart Gibbs
8. White Fur Flying by Patricia Maclachlan
9. Shadow by Michael Morpurgo
10. Liar and Spy by Rebecca Stead

Grades 7-8

1. Don’t Turn Around by Michelle Gagnon
2. The Eye of the Storm by Kate Messner
3. The False Prince by Jennifer Nielsen
4. The Final Four by Paul Volponi
5. Guitar Notes by Mary Amato
6. Insignia by S.J. Kincaid
7. The Last Dragonslayer by Jasper Fforde
8. One for the Murphys by Lynda Mullaly Hunt
9. The Raft by S.A. Bodeen
10. See You at Harry’s by Jo Knowles

Grades 9-12

1. Boy21 by Matthew Quick
2. Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein
3. The Diviners by Libba Bray
4. Every Day by David Levithan
5. Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley
6. My Book of Life by Angel by Martine Leavitt
7. Never Fall Down by Patricia McCormick
8. Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys
9. The Reapers are the Angels by Alden Bell
10. The Round House by Louise Erdrich

Spring Has Sprung! Thinking About Gardening?

pruning 2If you enjoy working in your yard, one of the first things to do in Spring is pruning.  But it can be confusing just which plants should be pruned at what time of year.  The  books listed below can help you make the right choices.

Pruning Made Easy

How To Prune

The Pruning Answer Book

gardeningNow is the time to also start planning your garden.  The Cheshire Library has a whole shelving section downstairs in the Reference Department just for Gardening Books.  For those of you who may be new to gardening, here is a selection of titles that will help you get started.  Additional titles can be found in the 635 area of Reference.

Gardening Made Simple

The New Low Maintenance Garden

The New Gardener

Trowel & Error

1001 Ingenious Gardening Ideas

Reader’s Digest Guide To Gardening

Quell the Science Fair Fear with Books for Inspiration!

Is it Science Fair season or do you have a child in the house that simply loves science and conducting experiments? Regardless of whether the science project is assigned or done for fun, it can be scary supervising a science experiment! It can be even worse if you never enjoyed science. However, it is important to help encourage the curiosity and interest of our children in all sorts of subjects, so we all keep trying to quell the fear and support their work. Here are some great books to help pick a project and that offer instructions that make the whole process much more enjoyable, and less stressful, for everyone involved.

1. Last-Minute Science Fair Projects: When your Bunsen’s not Burning but the Clock’s Really Ticking by Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen

2. Weather Projects for Young Scientists: Experiments and Science Fair Ideas by Mary Kay Carson

3. The Kid’s Book of Simple Everyday Science by Kelly Doudna

4. First Place Science Fair Projects for Inquisitive Kids by Elizabeth Snoke Harris

5. Water: Green Science Projects for a Sustainable Planet by Robert Gardner

6. Electricity and Magnetism Science Fair Projects: Using Batteries, Balloons, and other Hair-Raising Stuff by Robert Gardner

7. MythBusters Science Fair Book by Samantha Margles

8. Championship Science Fair Projects: 100 Sure-to-Win Experiments by Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen

9. Goal!: Science Projects with Soccer by Madeline Goodstein

10. Super Sensational Science Fair Projects by Michael A. Dispezio; illustrated by Derek Toye

Did you think I could really stop there? There are plenty of great books to help students, parents, and everyone involved, pick a science experiment or project and get started. Here are some more of the best books on the topic in our collection.

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You might want to check out: Star Wars: Science Fair Book by Samantha Margles, Energy: Green Science Projects About Solar, Wind, and Water Power by Robert Gardner, Science Fair Winners: Crime Scene Science: 20 Projects and Experiments about Clues, Crimes, Criminals, and other Mysterious Things by Karen Romano Young; illustrations by David Goldin, Janice VanCleave’s Machines: Mind-Boggling Experiments You Can Turn into Science Fair Projects, The Complete Handbook of Science Fair Projects by Julianne Blair Bochinski; illustrations by Judy J. Bochinski-DiBiase, Super Science Projects about Earth’s Soil and Water by Robert Gardner; illustrations by Tom Labaff, Bug Science: 20 Projects and Experiments about Arthropods: Insects, Arachnids, Algae, Worms, and Other Small Creatures by Karen Romano Young, Far-Out Science Projects about Earth’s Sun and Moon by Robert Gardner; illustrations by Tom LaBaff, Ace Your Ecology and Environmental Science Project: Great Science Fair Ideas by Robert Gardner, Phyllis J. Perry, and Salvatore Tocci, Yikes! Wow! Yuck!: Fun Experiments for your First Science Fair by Elizabeth Snoke Harris; illustrated by Nora Thompson, Sure-to-Win Science Fair Projects by Joe Rhatigan with Heather Smith, The Everything Kids’ Science Experiments Book: Boil Ice, Float Water, Measure Gravity- Challenge the World Around You! by Tom Robinson, and 100 First-Prize Make-it-Yourself Science Fair Projects by Glen Vecchione.