book talk for september 03 2024

Book Talk

Book Talk for September 3 2024

Failure to appear
by Judith A Jance

Seattle police detective J. P. Beaumont follows his 18-year-old daughter Kelly when she runs away to Ashland, Oregon. He finds her pregnant and about to marry an actor in the midst of the town's Shakespeare festival. When one of Kelly's actress friends is accused of murder, Beau investigates. Some strong language and some violence.
DBC00510

Cook County ICU 30 years of unforgettable Patients and Odd Cases
by Cory M Franklin

"An inside look at one of the nation's most famous public hospitals, Cook County, as seen through the eyes of its longtime Director of Intensive Care, Dr. Cory Franklin. Readers will be riveted by stories of strange medical cases and unforgettable patients culled from his 30-year career in medicine that spanned the 1970s through the 1990s, including some major moments in medical history like the AIDS epidemic and the deadly Chicago heatwave of 1995. We follow Dr. Franklin as he unravels a host of strange cases including the nurse with rare Munchausen syndrome, the only surviving ricin victim, and the professor with Alzheimer's hiding the effects of the wrong medication. Each chapter features stories centered on a medical topic like body temperature, medications, detecting poisons, and the art of "taking a history" Readers will come away learning how the practice of medicine has changed over the years, which will be insightful for patients, doctors, and medical students alike."-- From publisher. Unrated. Commercial audiobook.
DB122356

Freefall
by kristen Heitzmann

When an injured stranger staggers down a Hawaiian mountainside and into Monica's backyard, she believes God has directed this mysterious young lady to her. But Monica's brother isn't so sure. Commercial audiobook. Adult. Unrated.
DBC26511

Still Life
by Louise Penny

Shortly after elderly Jane Neal finally agrees to participate in the art show to be held in her small village outside of Montreal, she is killed by an arrow through the heart. As Chief Inspector Gamache investigates, he wonders if her unusual artwork provides a clue to her murder. 2006.
BR20557 DB66731

The Language of flowers
by Vanessa Diffenbaugh

Eighteen-year-old Victoria Jones, abandoned as an infant, ages out of California's foster-home system. Victoria's only decent home was with Elizabeth, who taught Victoria to care for flowers. Victoria eventually finds work with a florist and meets Elizabeth's nephew Grant, who also speaks through flowers. Some strong language. 2011.
DB74148

The first Cut
by Dianne Emley

Pasadena police detective and single mom Nan Vining has just recovered from a brutal attack when she's assigned the rape-murder case of LAPD vice cop Frankie Lynde. Nan begins to hear the dead, which helps in searching for Frankie's killer. Explicit descriptions of sex, violence, and strong language. 2006.
DB65381

For the Love of Summer
by Susan Mallery

"Erica is terrified that she's losing her teen daughter, Summer, to her 'other' family. Summer disdains Erica's career and she's growing closer to her stepmom, Allison. All it takes to blow up Allison's happy life is collect one call. From prison. Her husband, Peter, has been arrested, leaving Allison pregnant, scared and alone with a toddler and no money. Erica would do anything for Summer, even take in the woman her daughter loves like a second mom. The more time they spend together, the more Allison realizes what Erica truly needs is a friend. Can two women who married the same man move beyond their complicated past and rethink what it means to be family?-- Back cover. Unrated. Commercial audiobook.
DB122118

Hedy's folly: the life and breakthrough inventions of Hedy Lamarr, the most beautiful woman in the world
by Richard Rhodes

Chronicles the 1940s collaboration of Vienna-born movie star Hedy Lamarr (1914-2000) and avant-garde composer George Antheil to invent spread-spectrum radio, the technology behind wireless phones, GPS devices, Bluetooth networks, and many other communication systems. Relates Lamarr's early life, marriage to a Nazi-sympathizing Austrian munitions manufacturer, and career in Hollywood. 2011.
DB75958

Early Dawn
by Catherine Anderson

1890. Matthew Coulter tracks the Sebastian Gang across the West after they murder his wife. When the outlaws kidnap Eden Paxton, half sister of Ace Keegan, from Keegan's Lady (BR 16705), Matthew rescues her and falls in love. Some violence, some strong language, and some explicit descriptions of sex. 2010.
BR19860 DB70270

James
by Percival Everett

"From Percival Everett a recipient of the NBCC Lifetime Achievement Award and finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, Booker Prize, and numerous PEN awards comes James, a retelling of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, both harrowing and ferociously funny, told from the enslaved Jim's point of view. When the enslaved Jim overhears that he is about to be sold to a man in New Orleans, separated from his wife and daughter forever, he decides to hide on nearby Jackson Island until he can formulate a plan. Meanwhile, Huck Finn has faked his own death to escape his violent father, recently returned to town. As all readers of American literature know, thus begins the dangerous and transcendent journey by raft down the Mississippi River toward the elusive and too-often-unreliable promise of the Free States and beyond. While many narrative set pieces of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn remain in place (floods and storms, stumbling across both unexpected death and unexpected treasure in the myriad stopping points along the river's banks, encountering the scam artists posing as the Duke and Dauphin...), Jim's agency, intelligence and compassion are shown in a radically new light. Brimming with the electrifying humor and lacerating observations that have made Everett a "cult literary icon" (Oprah Daily), and one of the most decorated writers of our lifetime, James is destined to be a major publishing event and a cornerstone of twenty-first century American literature"-- Provided by publisher. Unrated. Commercial audiobook.
DB120063

The Shirley Temple Story
by Lester David and Irene David

Affectionate biography of the dimpled moppet who made the country smile during the depths of the Depression. Although her audience wanted her to remain a child, Shirley Temple matured, married early, remarried, raised a family, and entered politics. This account includes a personal interview with Ronald Reagan, the first man to propose to the starlet on screen.
DB20425

The McCone Files
by Marcia Muller

Fifteen investigative case files of San Francisco private detective Sharon McCone trace her two decades at the All Souls Legal Cooperative, from the beginning of her career there to her eventual relocation of the business to a swanky new office. Some violence and some strong language. 1995.
DB57496