FICTION
In the Upper Country by Kai Thomas
In the 1800s in Dunmore, a Canadian town settled by people fleeing enslavement in the American south, young Lensinda Martin works for a crusading Black journalist. One night, a neighboring farmer summons Lensinda after a slave hunter is shot dead on his land by an old woman who recently arrived via the Underground Railroad. When the old woman refuses to flee before the authorities arrive, the farmer urges Lensinda to gather testimony from her before she can be condemned for the crime.
Varina Palladino’s Jersey Italian Love Story by Terri-Lynne DeFino
Lively widow Varina Palladino has lived in the same house in Wyldale, New Jersey, her entire life. The town might be slightly stuck in the 1960s, when small businesses thrived and most residents were Italian, but its population is getting younger and the Palladinos are embracing the change. What Varina’s not embracing, much to her ninety-two-year-old mother’s dismay, is dating.
Never Name the Dead by D. M. Rowell
No one called her Mud in Silicon Valley. There, she was Mae, a high-powered professional who had left her Kiowa roots behind a decade ago. But a cryptic voice message from her grandfather, James Sawpole, telling her to come home sounds so wrong that she catches the next plane to Oklahoma. She never expected to be plunged into a web of theft, betrayal, and murder.
Scorched Grace by Margot Douaihy
When Saint Sebastian’s School becomes the target of a shocking arson spree, the Sisters of the Sublime Blood and their surrounding New Orleans community are thrust into chaos. Patience is a virtue, but punk rocker turned nun Sister Holiday isn’t satisfied to just wait around for officials to return her home and sanctuary to its former peace, instead deciding to unveil the mysterious attacker herself. Her investigation leads her down a twisty path of suspicion and secrets, turning her against colleagues, students, and even fellow Sisters along the way.
NON-FICTION
The Story of NFTs: Artists, Technology, and Democracy by Amy Whitaker
Since the NFT phenomenon took over the art world, useful information that isn’t too reductive is in short supply. Artists, collectors, arts professionals, art lovers, and museum-goers are still trying to understand what NFTs are, how to benefit from or engage with them, and what they mean for the art world in the future. This book is precisely for this audience.
Cobalt Red: How the Blood of the Congo Powers Our Lives by Siddharth Kara
Cobalt is an essential component to every lithium-ion rechargeable battery made today, the batteries that power our smartphones, tablets, laptops, and electric vehicles. Roughly 75 percent of the world’s supply of cobalt is mined in the Congo, often by peasants and children in sub-human conditions. Billions of people in the world cannot conduct their daily lives without participating in a human rights and environmental catastrophe in the Congo.
The Read Aloud Factor: How to Create the Habit That Boosts Your Baby’s Brain by Rekha S. Rajan
We have always known that reading aloud is an important way to bond with your baby and develop language skills. Now neuroscience research is showing us the long-term benefit that reading aloud has for children—all the way into adulthood. Author Rekha S. Rajan was part of current research that shows individuals who were read to more frequently as children had a measurably healthier brain in old age.
The Milky Way Smells of Rum and Raspberries: …And Other Amazing Cosmic Facts by Jillian Scudder
Did you know: the galaxy is flatter than a sheet of paper; supermassive black holes can sing a super-low B flat; it rains iron on a brown dwarf, and diamonds on Neptune; you could grow turnips on Mars if its soil weren’t full of rocket fuel; the Universe is beige, on average; Jupiter’s magnetic field will short-circuit your spacecraft – and, of course, the Milky Way smells of rum and raspberries.
CHILDREN’S
Honeybee: The Busy Life of Apis Mellifera by Candace Fleming
One summer morning, deep in the nest, a brand-new honeybee is born, after 21 days as a pupa. And so begins the story of Apis mellifera. This award-winning nonfiction picture book follows the life cycle of this devoted and extraordinary worker as she prepares for her life’s work: collecting nectar from flowers. Before she’s ready to fly, she has to do many other jobs: cleaning the hive, tending the nursery, building comb and guarding the hive from invaders. Finally on her 25th day, she takes her first flight. In 10 days, she will fly 500 miles and visit 30,000 flowers to bring back nectar for her hive. It takes 12 bees just like her to make one teaspoon of honey. After 35 days, Apis’s work is done, and she makes her very last flight. Next time you enjoy some honey, take a moment to appreciate how many bees worked their whole lives to bring it to you.
Ages: 6 – 12
LIBRARY OPEN
• Lima Public Library is open to the public six days a week. Hours for the Main Library in Lima are 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. Our Cairo, Elida and Spencerville branch libraries are open 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Our Lafayette branch is open from 12 noon to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday and 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Friday.
• Curbside pickup is available at the Main Library from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays, and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday. Arrangements can be made by calling 567-712-5239, contacting the library through Facebook Messenger, or putting a hold on a book through the online catalog. 24 hour notice is required. Call us when you arrive (park near the main entrance) and your items will be brought to you.
