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Furious Hours: Murder, Fraud, and the Last Trial of Harper Lee

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Furious Hours: Murder, Fraud, and the Last Trial of Harper Lee by Casey Cep
Format: Book
Who it’s for: Adults

Furious Hours is many things: a historical account of the actions of the “voodoo priest” Reverend Willie J. Maxwell of Coosa County, Alabama; a gripping retelling of the trial of Maxwell’s vigilante murderer Robert Burns; an ode to the lawyer that defended them both, Thomas “Big Tom” Radney; and the novel that Harper Lee never finished.

Cep takes readers back to 1970s Alabama to explore a story that made headlines and captivated news audiences across the country. In a span of a few short years, several of Reverend Maxwell’s family members and acquaintances died under suspicious circumstances, and Maxwell was left to collect the life insurance payments. Lacking sufficient evidence to explain the deaths, the town suspected Reverend Maxwell was using voodoo to kill his victims. Fed up with living in fear and frustrated by the inability of law enforcement to stop the carnage, Burns shoots Maxwell at the funeral of one of his victims.

After reading about these peculiar events, Harper Lee traveled back to her home state on a quest to write a best-selling, true-crime novel that was rooted in old-fashioned journalism and that steered clear of the “fact-bending” that was popular in non-fiction at the time. But, this novel never made it to press.

In Furious Hours, Cep pieces together the facts that still remain and offers an inside look at Lee during the years following the success of To Kill a Mockingbird.  Cep’s novel is informative and well-researched, and she gracefully recaptures the drama of the courtroom. Furious Hours is the debut novel of the Maryland native. Find it in the catalog.

Humanimal: How Homo sapiens Became Nature’s Most Paradoxical Creature

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Humanimal: How Homo sapiens Became Nature’s Most Paradoxical Creature by Adam Rutherford
Format: Book
Who it’s for: Adults

Many of us humans like to believe that we’re somehow more, or better, or at least fundamentally different from other sorts of animals. Others contend that no, there’s nothing that elevates us above any other creature (other than possibly our egos). Humanimal doesn’t campaign for either camp, but explores the evidence on both sides.

The book begins with a comparison of humans’ and other animals’ practices relating to tool use and to sexual behaviors. It then wends its way through the evolution and current manifestations of several characteristically human features, from our DNA to our languages. Presented in short, topical chapters, Humanimal is a celebration of both our animal nature and our human uniqueness. Find it in the catalog.

The Good Egg

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The Good Egg by Jory John, illustrated by Pete Oswald
Publication Date: February 12, 2019
Format: Book
Who it’s for: Kids

This is one good egg! Literally. The main character is an egg, and he’s very good- the one good egg in a dozen, while the other eggs’ behavior is often kind of rotten. The good egg rescues kittens, helps the elderly, cleans up messes, and tries to convince his siblings to be good too. But the pressure of trying so hard to be perfectly good, and trying to change others’ behavior, eventually makes the little egg start to crack. It’s time for the good egg to take some time for himself. Spending time to relax and try a few new things helps the good egg to learn some important lessons: not to be so hard on others or himself, and that he doesn’t have to be perfect to be a good egg.

Find it in the catalog!

Sorcery of Thorns

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Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson
Publication Date: June 4, 2019
Format: Book
Who it’s for:  Teens, Adults

Elisabeth has grown up in one of the Great Libraries.  As a child she would play amongst the books and listen to them speak to her.  The Great Libraries are the home of many grimoires which are a sort of living book that will turn into monsters if they are provoked.  There is lots of magic in the Great Libraries and Elisabeth hopes to one day be a Warden, a protector of the libraries and magic contained within.

Elisabeth has been told that sorcery is evil and sorcerers are not to be trusted.  But, when she finally meets a sorcerer, Nathaniel Thorn, he doesn’t seem so bad.  Shortly after the sorcerer visits, a grimoire monster is unleashed and Elisabeth is wrongfully blamed for the death and destruction it caused.  So, she turns to her enemy, the sorcerer, for help.

Libraries, magic, books that are almost living things, a strong heroine and a little romance.  What more could you ask for??!!

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The Candle and the Flame

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The Candle and the Flame, by Nafiza Azad
May 14, 2019
Format: Book
Who it’s for: Teens

Fatima is a young woman living with her adopted family in the beautiful city of Noor.  In Noor, languages, cultures, religions, humans, and djinn blend together to create a unique and diverse city. Harmony is momentary, however, as humans clash with the evil djinn called Shayateen, and the city’s djinn protectors, the Ifrit. Timid Fatima finds her strength and independence in a new name as this story of magic and feminine strength unfolds.

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This is Motherhood: A Motherly Collection of Reflections and Practices

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This is Motherhood: A Motherly Collection of Reflections and Practices by Jill Koziol and Liz Tenety
Publication Date: March 2019
Format: Book
Who’s it for: Mamas everywhere

Published by the co-founders of “Motherly,” an online community, This is Motherhood is a collection of essays and practices written by mothers from all walks of life. Each woman’s voice helps to address the complexity of motherhood and gently reminds us that there is no one right way to be a mother. To further the reader’s introspection of a particular topic, each chapter also concludes with a journaling or meditative exercise. As a reader makes their way through the book, one central message remains loud and clear: motherhood can be hard and ultimately, mamas have to do what is best for them and their children–unsolicited parenting advice, be gone!

My first thoughts after reading this book were: “Oh my goodness, why couldn’t this book have been published before my oldest child was born?!” As any new mother might experience, our inner voices can sometimes be overwhelming and our thoughts can be nonsensical:
“Am I feeding my baby enough?”
“Is my baby happy?”
“My baby hates me! I can’t make him stop crying!”
“Wow…I really need a shower…but taking a moment for myself is so selfish!”
“If I go out with my friends, will my baby think that I left her?”

Concerned with the many worries and doubts that motherhood brings, mothers can often feel alone in their struggle to understand it all. This book hides nothing in addressing both those great highs of motherhood (My baby smiled at me!!) and those low-lows (When was the last time I got a restful night’s sleep?). I found so much comfort in these women’s words and stories. Reading about other mother’s perspectives has shown me that women everywhere are experiencing and thinking similar things while navigating through motherhood, which is so wonderfully reassuring. Mamas, we are not alone and we’ve got this!

Bonus: This book is now my go-to baby shower gift! Babies are adorable and new and exciting…but let’s not forget about supporting those mamas too!

Find it in our catalog.