Author: nstewart

New Magical Reads for February

  By

Welcome winter with The Very Hungry Caterpillar and his friends in this sensory exploration of the season. Discover the very best of this time of year- snowy days full of play, the sounds of birds chirping atop a snowman, the smell of cookies fresh from the oven, and so much more!

One morning like any other, Deer starts his daily route, but someone seems to have already done it. Worried, Deer decides to go home, and what a surprise! The house is turned upside down and… someone has stolen his precious Secret Recipe Book! Do you dare to discover this great mystery?

Fox and Hare were born in the spring, but the seasons are changing and they hear snow is on the way. “What is snow like?” they ask all the forest animals, and each gives a different answer (“Snow is white, like your fur.”). But their questions are soon answered when thick, fluffy flakes start to fall. SNOW! 

Lady Tremaine, widowed and raising two headstrong girls alone, finds herself falling for a dashing knight from a far-off land who is looking for a stepmother for his own young daughter. But stepmothers in the Many Kingdoms never tend to fare well…and Lady Tremaine may be destined for a not-so-happily ever after.

The Nutcracker is one of the world’s most beloved and recognizable ballets. This wonderful book introduces children to the story of the ballet, its history, the music and choreography, as well as all of the characters from Clara and the Prince to the Mouse King and the Snow Queen.

Les the Leprechaun finds himself in the ultimate predicament when Calendar encounters a horrific wind that blows the months away! Les discovers St. Patrick’s Day is lost so he sets out to find it but instead stumbles upon holiday after holiday that is not St. Patrick’s Day!

Magic, a prized resource, is the only thing between peace and war. When magic runs out, four estranged royal siblings must find a new source before their country is swallowed by invading forces. Vira can barely protect her citizens from the looming threat of war. Vira’s and her siblings only hope is to find a mysterious object of legend: the Ivory Key, rumored to unlock a new source of magic.

A smash up of art and text that viscerally captures what it means to not be able to breathe, and how the people and things you love most are actually the oxygen you most need. And so for anyone who didn’t really know what it means to not be able to breathe, REALLY breathe, for generations, now you know. And those who already do, you’ll be nodding yep yep, that is exactly how it is.

Avery Grambs has a plan for a better future: survive high school, win a scholarship, and get out. But her fortunes change in an instant when billionaire Tobias Hawthorne dies and leaves Avery his entire fortune. The catch? Avery has no idea who Tobias Hawthorne is. To receive her inheritance, Avery must move into sprawling, secret passage-filled Hawthorne House, where every room bears the old man’s touch–and his love of puzzles, riddles, and codes.

New Nonfiction to Inspire You to Make Change

  By

With wit, heartwarming stories and a keen insight into new and exciting ways to see both the past and the future of the country, the actor, writer and woodworker takes a literary journey to America’s frontier to celebrate the people and landscape that have made it great.

A revelatory history of the transformational decade after World War II when Germany raised itself out of the ashes of defeat, turned away from fascism, and reckoned with the corruption of its soul, and the horrors of the Holocaust.

In this triumphant memoir, Carl Bernstein, the Pulitzer Prize-winner and pioneer of investigative journalism, recalls his beginnings as an audacious teenage newspaper reporter in the nation’s capital-a winning tale of scrapes, gumshoeing, and American bedlam.

How to Begin is for you if you’re ambitious, but feel you’ve never been given full permission to find and strive for what’s possible for you. You’ve achieved things in your career, and it’s now time to “climb the second mountain” and think about legacy. This is your practical guide to finding the focus and courage to set a Worthy Goal: one that lights you up, compels you to grow, and serves a bigger game by being thrilling, important, and daunting.

If you’re an anxious person and want to know what help crystals can offer, then keep reading…A few years ago, I stumbled into a crystal shop for the first time. I picked up a rock that looked interesting to me, and my whole life changed. I’ve been anxious my entire life, and I know it’s a problem I share with millions of other people. But finding the right crystals, and the right ways to use them has changed everything!

What really happened behind the scenes at the White House during the COVID pandemic? Numerous myths and distortions surround the Trump Administration’s handling of the crisis, and many questions remain unanswered. Dr. Atlas tells the truth about the science and documents the media’s relentless campaign to suffocate it, which included journalists’ off-camera hostility in White House briefings, and intentional distortion of facts.

Fuhrman’s Nutritarian Diet emphasizes high-nutrient, whole plant foods that supply abundant amounts of micronutrients. Most Americans are deficient in micronutrients and consume too many macronutrients. Natural foods contain the largest assortment of micronutrients, and when consumed every day, are proven to decrease cravings, and help you maintain your ideal weight.

Discover the art of macramé with 11 projects perfect for beginners. Projects and techniques have fully illustrated step-by-step instructions that make learning macramé quick and stress free! With projects ranging from making a simple wall hanging that’s great for a beginner to a useful market bag with T-shirt yarn for the more advanced crafter, this book will give the reader hours of creative fun and relaxation.

Valerie Bertinelli shares an inspiring blueprint that offers women in midlife support and hope. She shares personal stories that many women will relate to from her past decade: hitting her fifties, taking care of her dying mother, the evolving relationship with her husband, a career change, her relationship with food, and the battle to believe in herself as she is.

New Libby EBooks to Diversify your Reading List this February

  By

As a child in Spain, Puri always knew her passion for chocolate was inherited from her father. After his death that she learns of something else she’s inherited—a cocoa estate in Ecuador. Eager to claim her birthright, she and her husband Cristóbal set out across the Atlantic Ocean. Though freed from the rules that women are expected to follow, Puri confronts other challenges at the estate—newfound siblings, hidden affairs, and her father’s dark secrets.

Henry sails to America in 1848 to escape the famine in Ireland, only to face anti-immigrant prejudice. He heads to Virginia, seeking work as a traveling blacksmith on the prosperous plantations. Sold to Jubilee Plantation, Sarah must navigate its intricate hierarchy, but now an enigmatic blacksmith is promising her freedom. Enslaved at the same plantation, Maple is desperate to return home. With Sarah’s arrival, she sees her chance to be reunited at last with her family—but at what cost?

The Vietnam War is raging and the country is reeling from racial turmoil. So why does César enlist in the navy? He is on the run from a sociopathic gangster who has now turned on him. When he is deployed aboard the USS Kitty Hawk, racial tensions are moving quickly toward violence. César’s ever-growing sense of honor forces him to make moral decisions he never knew he was capable of. It’s a fortitude he will desperately need.

In the dense forests of North Carolina, Rae Lynn Cobb and her husband, Warren, run a small turpentine farm together. When Warren falls victim to his own negligence, Rae Lynn disguises herself as a man named “Ray” and heads to the only place she can think of that might offer anonymity—a turpentine camp in Georgia named Swallow Hill. But she will have to come to terms with her past before she can seize the chance to begin again.

Harmony is disrupted when Emmitt’s search for a more meaningful life in Japan leads him to quit an unsatisfying job at a local university. In the fallout, he finds himself helping his mother-in-law translate Kanazawa’s most famous author, Izumi Kyoka, into English. Emmitt becomes drawn into the mysterious death thirty years prior of a mutual friend of Mirai’s parents. When he climbs the mountain where the man died, he learns the somber truth, and discovers what the future holds for him.

Fifteen years after their brother, Jakob, vanished on a family camping trip, Evie Shao, and her sister, Kass, are no longer on speaking terms. Kass became the rock of the family. Evie traded academics to pursue alien conspiracy theories. When Evie’s UFO network uncovers a new event, she learns that her brother is back. If they want to help him, Kass and Evie are going to have to fix their issues, and fast. Because the FBI is after him, and possibly an entire space armada, too.

Violeta comes into the world on a stormy day in 1920, and from the start, her life is marked by extraordinary events. The ripples of the Great War are still being felt, and the Spanish flu arrives on the shores of her homeland almost at the moment of her birth. She tells her story in the form of a letter to someone she loves, recounting times of devastating heartbreak and passionate affairs, poverty and wealth, terrible loss and immense joy.

Lenore Bennett is heading to NYU in the fall with a scarlet U (for “undeclared”) written across her chest. Her parents always remind her that Black kids don’t have the luxury of figuring it out as they go, but it’s a lot of pressure when Lenore’s not even sure of her own dreams. But as she gets to know a hopeless romantic, golden boy on a post-graduation Mediterranean cruise, Lenore may find something else she’s been looking for: love.

A young girl named Jade is sold by her family to Miss Silver’s courtesan school. When she befriends an orphan boy named JungHo, who scrapes together a living begging on the streets of Seoul, they form a deep friendship. As they come of age, JungHo is swept up in the revolutionary fight for independence, and Jade becomes a sought-after performer. Soon Jade must decide whether she will risk everything for the one who would do the same for her.

Don’t want to brave the snow? Try these Libby App Read-Along eBooks and Audiobooks!

  By

What does it really mean to be green? The answers might surprise you! From turning off the water while you brush your teeth to walking to the park instead of driving, there are all kinds of things kids can do to help keep the earth clean and healthy! With lots of amazing facts and helpful tips, readers will learn all about how their small choices can make a big difference—kids can change the world!

Kikko sets out after her father with a forgotten pie for Grandma. When she arrives at a strange house in the wintry woods, a peek in the window reveals that the footprints Kikko had been following did not belong to her father at all, but to a bear in a long coat and hat!

There will be times when you walk into a room
and no one there is quite like you. There are many reasons to feel different. Maybe it’s how you look or talk, or where you’re from; maybe it’s what you eat, or something just as random. It’s not easy to take those first steps into a place where nobody really knows you yet, but somehow you do it.

(This book is also available in Spanish, as El Día En Que Descubres Quién Eres!)

Harvey Hill just wants other kids to think he’s normal. So he’s happy to start fresh as the newest kid at Strangeville Middle School. Except Strangeville is anything but normal. At least Harvey has his guide and sort-of new friend Stella Cho to show him the ropes. Stella shows Harvey that maybe “normal” is overrated. But when Stella goes missing, Harvey must embrace what makes him unique to save his new friend and his new school.

Eleven-year-old Willodeen adores creatures of all kinds, and believes the animals serve a vital role in the complicated web of nature. Lately, though, nature has seemed angry. Her home has been cursed with fires and mudslides, and this year, not a single hummingbear has returned and no one knows why. Willodeen and her new friend, Connor, are determined to speak up for the animals she loves, and perhaps even uncover the answer to the mystery of the missing hummingbears.

Sixth grader Betsy informs her best friend, Lizard, that thousands of the world’s languages are currently threatened by extinction. Lizard challenges Betsy, “What if you and I SAVED one?” As the girls embark on their quest to learn as much as possible of the near-extinct language of Guernesiais (spoken on the Isle of Guernsey, off the coast of France), their friendship faces unexpected strains. Maybe lost friendships, like lost languages, can never be completely saved.

Ivy, Mateo, and Cal used to be close. Now all they have in common is Carlton High and the beginning of a very bad day. So when the three unexpectedly run into each other, they decide to avoid their problems by ditching. Just the three of them, like old times. Except they’ve barely left the parking lot before they run out of things to say until they spot another student skipping school—and follow him to the scene of his own murder. It turns out Ivy, Mateo, and Cal still have some things in common like a connection to the dead kid. And they’re all hiding something.

Nina is a Lipan girl in our world. She’s always felt there was something more out there. She still believes in the old stories. Oli is a cottonmouth kid, from the land of spirits and monsters. Like all cottonmouths, he’s been cast from home. He’s found a new one on the banks of the bottomless lake. Nina and Oli have no idea the other exists. But a catastrophic event on Earth will drive their worlds together in ways they haven’t been in centuries.

Seventeen-year-old Julie Clarke has her future all planned out—move out of her small town with her boyfriend Sam, and attend college in the city. But then Sam dies. Heartbroken, Julie skips his funeral, throws out his belongings, and tries everything to forget him. But a message Sam left behind in her yearbook forces memories to return. Desperate to hear him one more time, Julie calls Sam’s cell phone just to listen to his voice mail recording. And Sam picks up the phone. The connection is temporary. But hearing Sam’s voice makes Julie fall for him all over again and with each call, it becomes harder to let him go.

Watched everything on Netflix? Check out these new DVDs

  By

Following the rise of Aretha Franklin’s career from a child singing in her father’s church’s choir to her international superstardom, ‘Respect’ is the remarkable true story of the music icon’s journey to find her voice.

Rating: PG-13

Time: 145 min

In a remote Oregon town, a middle-school teacher and her sheriff brother become entangled with her enigmatic student, whose dark secrets lead to horrifying encounters with a legendary ancestral creature who came before them.

Rating: R

Time: 99 min

In 1978, a one-time rodeo star and washed-up horse breeder takes a job from an ex-boss to bring the man’s young son home and away from his alcoholic mom. Crossing rural Mexico on their way back to Texas, the unlikely pair faces an unexpectedly challenging journey, during which the world-weary horseman may find his own sense of redemption through teaching the boy what it means to be a good man.

Rating: PG-13

Time: 104 min

A mythic hero’s journey that tells the story of Paul Atreides, a brilliant and gifted young man born into a great destiny beyond his understanding, must travel to the most dangerous planet in the universe to ensure the future of his family and his people. As malevolent forces explode into conflict over the planet’s exclusive supply of the most precious resource in existence, a commodity capable of unlocking humanity’s greatest potential, only those who can conquer their fear will survive.

Rating: PG-13

Time: 155 min

Minutes after Laurie Strode, her daughter Karen and granddaughter Allyson left masked monster Michael Myers caged and burning in Laurie’s basement, Laurie is rushed to the hospital with life-threatening injuries, believing she finally killed her lifelong tormentor. But when Michael manages to free himself from Laurie’s trap, his ritual bloodbath resumes. As Laurie prepares to defend herself against him, she inspires her town to rise up against their unstoppable monster. Evil dies tonight.

Rating: R

Time: 105 min

After the wife of Knight Jean de Carrouge accuses his squire of assaulting her virtue, King Charles VI declares that the men must fight to the death, leaving the truth to be revealed by God who will let the guilty man perish. This arrangement will leave the woman either berieved or besmirched, her life and position in society ruined no matter the result.

Rating: R

Time: 153 min

Bond has left active service and is enjoying a tranquil life in Jamaica. His peace is short-lived when his old friend Felix Leiter from the CIA turns up asking for help. The mission to rescue a kidnapped scientist turns out to be far more treacherous than expected, leading Bond onto the trail of a mysterious villain armed with dangerous new technology.

Rating: PG-13

Time: 163 min

Separated from his fiancée Ann and in a rocky relationship with his symbiote, Eddie Brock’s life appears to be in a downward spiral until renowned serial-killer Cletus Kasady insists he conduct an exclusive interview. Afterwards, Cletus is sharing his body with Carnage, an especially violent red symbiote that may be more powerful than Venom, who is searching for a new host while Cletus tears across the city looking to reunite with a lost love and continue his killing spree.

Rating: PG-13

Time: 97 min

When a killer plague wipes out 99% of the world’s population, the embattled survivors struggle to make their way in a post-apocalyptic reality. This 2020 adaptation of Stephen King’s The Stand frames the eternal battle between good and evil, as embodied by the peaceful prophet Mother Abagail and the menacing presence Randall Flagg, and closes with a new coda written by Stephen King himself.

Rating: TV-MA

Time: 8hrs 29 min

Snowed in? Try these New OverDrive Reads!

  By

Unable to cope with the death of her sister, Camila carries her pain to the supposed utopia of Memoria. But as Camila and different members of Memoria navigate around its troubled cult leader’s fiery rise, they will need to confront his violent authoritarian impulses in order to find a way to reclaim their home.

In the City of the Dead, a war is brewing against an enemy no one can see. Hawk and Maximum Ride never back down from a conflict, or from each other. But as the dead begin to outnumber the living, a mother’s experience and a daughter’s instinct can make one powerful arsenal.

Mahmood Mattan is accused of a crime he did not commit. At first, he believes he can ignore the fingers pointing his way. But as the trial draws closer, his prospect for freedom dwindles. Under the shadow of the hangman’s noose, Mahmood begins to realize that even the truth may not be enough to save him.

Lachlan Kite is a member of BOX 88, an elite transatlantic black ops outfit so covert that not even the CIA are certain of its existence — but even the best spy can’t anticipate every potential threat. At the funeral of his childhood best friend, Lachlan falls into a trap that drops him into the hands of a deadly interrogation, with his pregnant wife, also abducted, being held as collateral. In order to save his family, Lachlan will be forced to revisit some painful memories of his past.

At loose ends after the devastating death of her mother, Una Richardson responds to an advertisement for a ladies’ companion, leading her into the wealthy, secluded world of Mrs. Elspeth McKenzie. But Elspeth’s home isn’t the comforting haven it seems. Kathryn, her daughter, resents Una’s presence. More disturbing is evidence suggesting two girls lived here before her. What happened to them? Why won’t they talk about them and what are they hiding?

When a police detective is taken off life support after falling into a coma, only an autopsy reveals the murderous act that precipitated her death. Acting Detective Superintendent Thomas Lynley is assigned to the case. In his pursuit of a killer determined to remain hidden, he’s assisted by Detective Sergeants Barbara Havers and Winston Nkata. Together they must sort through the secret lives of those whose superficial cooperation masks the damage they do to one another.

The year is 1938, and Max Dornbach enlists the help of Annika Knopf to help his Jewish friends hide from the Nazis, smuggling them to his family’s summer estate. Eighty years later, Callie Randall is mostly content with her quiet life, until she finds an old edition of Bambi that connects her to Annika’s story. As she digs into the past, Callie must risk venturing outside the safe world she’s built for a chance at answers, adventure, and maybe even new love.

The murder of a university student and the arrest of a homeless man, set a college town on edge. As the prosecutor rushes to convict, the young public defender representing the accused, Sohni Silver, begins to doubt her client’s guilt. Sohni searches for answers and finds unexpected assistance from two unlikely allies. To free her client, Sohni must fight against powerful forces, and a killer who has set his sights on her, all while battling her own demons.

After an unexpected pregnancy, Abby West discarded her dream of becoming a physician in favor of being a wife to one. Years later, Abby discovers her husband has been keeping secrets. Devastated by the betrayal, she flees to her grandmother’s hometown, where she imagines a new life without her unfaithful husband. Empowered by a newfound sense of freedom, Abby returns home to settle things with her husband, but what awaits may very well destroy her.

New Nonfiction

  By

Learn how to use crystals to balance mind, body, and soul, harness energies, create everyday wellness, and establish a positive lifestyle. Explore how different stones resonate with your chakras, and how to use them with a range of meditations to heal yourself inside and out.

From White House intern to White House press secretary, God has guided her path through uncharted territory. McEnany chronicles her journey to the White House, offering never-before-told anecdotes about what really happened within the Trump administration.

The Sackler name adorns the walls of many storied institutions. The source of the family fortune was vague, however, until it emerged that the Sacklers were responsible for making and marketing OxyContin, a blockbuster painkiller that was a catalyst for the opioid crisis.

Bronx-native Bernard Slotnick’s mantra was that everyone deserved a good defense. And he was the best defender out there. Slotnick had a remarkable legal career capped by an extraordinary twelve-year winning streak. From negotiating Melania Trump’s pre-nup to representing the Dapper Don, Slotnick’s unparalleled acumen defined a profession, a city, and an era.

Exposing the hysteria and manipulation behind the worst failure of public policy since World War I, Alex Berenson has been a critical source of reason and truth. Dispassionate, factual, and untainted by any agenda other than telling the truth, this is the account that pandemic-weary Americans desperately need.

Although different cultures around the world are familiar with medicinal herbs, Native Americans are renowned for their knowledge of natural medicines. This book helps you to understand how to treat the plants or herbs, which part of the plant to use, how you should consume them, and all the benefits they give you.

From coffee to milkshakes and slushies to mocktails, this book features over 100 of your favorite beverages from the happiest place on Earth. Recipes are taken straight from your favorite restaurants and cafes throughout the Disney Parks and resorts. The Unofficial Disney Parks Drink Recipe Book has all the recipes you’ll need to make luscious libations worthy of the Mouse himself.

In Spectacular Spreads, Maegan Brown shares her tips and tricks for effortless, stress-free, and foolproof entertaining that will impress your guests and feed a hungry crowd, all while allowing you to relax and enjoy the occasion. Visually exciting and deliciously enticing, the spreads are comprised of easy-to-find fresh and prepared foods and are arranged in beautiful, artful, and whimsical ways.

Eddie Jaku always considered himself a German first, a Jew second. He was proud of his country. But all of that changed in November 1938, when he was beaten, arrested and taken to a concentration camp. Because he survived, Eddie made the vow to smile every day. He pays tribute to those who were lost by telling his story, and living his best possible life. He now believes he is the ‘happiest man on earth.’

New Fiction

  By

FBI agent Atlee Pine has been searching for her twin sister, Mercy, who was abducted at the age of six. Atlee has discovered proof that Mercy survived her abduction and then escaped her captors. When the truth is finally revealed, Atlee will face the greatest danger yet, and it may cost her everything.

Sheriff Winston Barnes knows something strange is happening. Nothing can prepare him for what he finds: an airplane has crash-landed on the runway, and there are no signs of a pilot. When the body of a local man is discovered, Winston begins a murder investigation that will change his life and the fate of the community.

Fallon meets Ben, an aspiring novelist, the day before her cross-country move. Their untimely attraction leads them to spend Fallon’s last day in L.A. together, and her eventful life becomes the creative inspiration for Ben’s novel. Can Ben’s relationship with Fallon and his novel be considered a love story if it ends in heartbreak?

Chief medical examiner Dr. Kay Scarpetta and her husband have relocated to Old Town Alexandria, where she’s working five miles from the Pentagon. With just weeks on the job, Scarpetta is summoned to the White House and tasked with hunting a killer who has mastered cutting-edge science for the most nefarious ends.

It is 1985 in a small Irish town. During the weeks leading up to Christmas, Bill Furlong, a coal merchant faces his busiest season. Early one morning, while delivering an order, Bill makes a discovery which forces him to confront both his past and the complicit silences of a town controlled by the church.

Ike Randolph has been out of jail for fifteen years. The last thing he expects to hear is that his son Isiah has been murdered, along with Isiah’s white husband, Derek. Ike and Buddy Lee, two ex-cons with little else in common other than a criminal past and a love for their dead sons, band together in their desperate desire for revenge.  

Sofia Colicchio is a free spirit, a loud, untamed thing. Antonia Russo is thoughtful, ever observing the world around her. Best friends from birth, their fathers are part of an unspoken community that connects them all: the Family. One fateful night their loyalty to each other and the Family will be tested. Only one of them can pull the trigger before it’s too late.

Alex Cross and Detective John Sampson venture into the rugged Montana wilderness–where they will be the prey. They’re not on the job, but on a personal mission. Until they’re attacked by two rival teams of assassins, controlled by the same mastermind who has stalked Alex and his family for years. Darkness falls. No backup. No way out.

When Sonny Dunes, a SoCal meteorologist, is replaced by a virtual meteorologist, the only station willing to give her another shot is in her northern Michigan hometown. To distract herself from the memories she’s been trying to outrun, Sonny throws herself headfirst into covering every small-town winter event to woo a new audience, made more bearable by a handsome widower with optimism to spare.

New Nonfiction

  By

A neuroscientist reveals that our attention system is a hidden superpower that enables us to function at maximum capacity despite anxiety and stress, achieve more, maintain healthier relationships, and be engaged for all the moments of our lives.

New York Times bestselling author and journalist Anderson Cooper teams with New York Times bestselling historian and novelist Katherine Howe to chronicle the rise and fall of a legendary American dynasty—his mother’s family, the Vanderbilts. 

Two longtime friends share an intimate and urgent conversation about life, music, and their enduring love of America, with all its challenges and contradictions, in this stunningly produced expansion of their groundbreaking Higher Ground podcast.

In the summer of 1942, the Rabinowitz family narrowly escaped the Nazi ghetto in their Polish town by fleeing to the forbidding Bialowieza Forest. From a little-known chapter of Holocaust history, this is one family’s inspiring true story of love, escape, and survival.

In times more uncertain than ever before, Dear William answers the call for increased attention to individual and family substance use and mental health. His is a message that students and parents throughout the world need to hear. 

Physician and former FDA commissioner Scott Gottlieb provides an inside account of how  American government crumbled as COVID-19  advanced and argues we must fix our systems and prepare for whatever else nature–or those wishing us harm–may threaten us with.

From award-winning actor and food obsessive Stanley Tucci comes an intimate and charming memoir of life in and out of the kitchen in a heartwarming read that will be irresistible for anyone who knows the power of a home-cooked meal.

Filled with funny anecdotes, delightful asides and notes from her family about their favorite dishes, this book will help you fall in love with cooking all over again with recipes that range from comfort classics to easy skillets to ready-in-minutes Tex Mex meals.

The legendary American musician, singer, songwriter and documentary filmmaker offers a collection of stories, written by his own hand, that focus on the memories of his life, from his childhood to today.