By DONNA HINE
The large-type publications area of the Middlebury Public Library is expanding. We have increased the monthly delivery and hope to offer a greater variety of items in large print for our patrons. Is it because baby boomers have become older and need larger print? We’re not sure if the demand has increased, but it is true that as soon as we put out new large-print books, they fly off the shelf!
We were receiving the most popular best-sellers, but now we should be seeing even more books over a greater area of interest. These may include more adventure, romance, fiction, horror and non-fiction – pretty much the same books you find in our regular new book area. The following is just a sampling of books you may find in large type now.
Brad Thor, a very popular author, has given us another thriller, “Act of War” (THO). Two specific covert operations, code-named “Gold Dust” and “Blackbird,” each very easily could spill over and become an act of war if uncovered. From North Korea to China, we follow the CIA team led by Scot Harvath as he tries to stop the world from exploding and the U.S. from being attacked. Fast-paced and a quick read, this book is vintage Thor; current events blend with fiction to create a plausible plot and engaging characters.
It wouldn’t be summer without a new, fun book from Janet Evanovich. Continuing the trials of Stephanie Plum, “Top Secret Twenty-One” (EVA) brings back some favorite old characters. Remember Randy Briggs? Ranger is the target of an assassination plot, and Joe Morelli also is still in the picture. Gramma Mazur now has a bucket list – but Morelli’s list is all about Stephanie … This book doesn’t have the best reviews, but if you are a diehard fan, you will be sure to read it anyway! Summer is the time for light reading, but this may be too much fluff.
Dorothea Benton Frank returns to South Carolina low country with “The Hurricane Sisters” (FRA). We meet 80-year-young Maisie, still getting in trouble with the law by walking a llama along Main Street – a llama belonging to her 65-year-old boy-friend! Liz, her daughter, is battling middle-age, and grand-daughter Ashley is over-her-head involved with an older politician. It’s hurricane season, in fact, and hurricane season within this family of strong women can bring only change and growth.
Catherine Coulter returns with a new, much-anticipated FBI thriller, “Power Play” (COU). Dillon Savich and Lacey Sherlock return in secondary roles and introduce Natalie Black (returning to the U.S. under a suspicious cloud when her fiancé is killed in a car accident). Now someone is after Natalie, but no one believes her except FBI Special Agent Davis Sullivan. Old adversary Blessed Backman has escaped from a mental hospital and wants to wreak revenge on Sherlock. Well-defined characters flesh out these dual story lines, and Coulter scores another best-seller.
“Little Mercies” (GUD) by Heather Gudenkauf is another parallel story novel. In one, we read as child advocate and social worker Ellen Moore sees the worst of the worst in parents – as does Jenny from the other side at the age of 10. In a moment of distraction, Ellen leaves her own child in a steamy car and faces the consequences usually faced only by parents of the children she tries to protect. Could this book be any more relevant? Ellen’s mother takes Jenny into her home, creating a link between the two story lines. You could read this book in one day – perfect for a summer read.
Mrs. Murphy, Pewter and Tee Tucker are back with “Harry” Harristeen in another light murder mystery, “Nine Lives to Die” (BRO) by Rita Mae Brown. If you have read former books featuring these characters, you will recognize the two cats and corgi who “help” Harry solve murders in the little town of Crozet. Winter in Crozet brings a coyote dragging an arm – from which drops a golden bracelet the trio decide is the perfect Christmas gift for “Mom”. Other grisly finds appear, and the basic mystery revolves around a 20-year-old cold case.
The Women’s Murder Club returns in James Patterson’s and Maxine Paetro’s newest novel, “Unlucky 13” (PAT). Lindsay Boxer is a happy stay-at-home mom until the FBI sends her a photo of Mackie Morales: a killer who must be found by the Women’s Murder Club before she finds them. Another storyline involves a single car accident – but was it a car accident? The two people inside appear to have died from bombs exploding in their abdomens. The third story follows Yuki as she gets ready for her wedding. We will follow these three story lines to their conclusions – critics say one resolution is better than the other two.
Our final large-type book is the thriller by Linda Fairstein, “Terminal City” (FAI). Alex Cooper is back, investigating a murderer whose victims are marked by what appear to be train tracks. When a second body is found in an alley next to Grand Central Station, the race is on to make the area secure and safe for a presidential visit. The book contains lots of Manhattan history and suspense, and Fairstein always is an exciting read.
Adult Services Librarian Donna Hine writes Library Lines once a month. If you have a topic you’d like her to cover, contact her at the library at 203-758-2634.
