FICTION
Ninetails: Nine Tales by Sally Wen Mao
A fox spirit avenges a teen girl by seducing her abuser. A shapeshifting woman finds herself chased through the woods by fox hunters; meanwhile, an assassination plot called Operation Fox Hunt unfolds against the last Queen of Korea. Chinese migrants hoping to make new lives as “paper children” in America find their pasts — and their hopes for the future — embodied in the foxes that haunt the harbor in 1900s Angel Island. In the nine tales of Ninetails, acclaimed poet Sally Wen Mao reimagines the fox spirit from Asian folklore — a shapeshifter, shaman, and seductress—as an icon of vengeance, solidarity and liberation.
Village Politics can be Murder by Jeanne M. Dams
Dorothy Martin and her husband, retired chief constable Alan Nesbitt, jump at the chance to holiday in the beautiful Lake District when Alan’s old friend, Christopher Prideaux, invites them to visit him in Grasmere. A party at Christopher’s cottage is the perfect way to meet the locals, but one stands out — accountant Donald Atkinson, an egoist hoping to become a politician, clearly isn’t popular among his fellow villagers. When he’s found mysteriously dead during the Fell Race, could his demise be due to a sudden, fatal medical emergency, or was it murder? Dorothy and Alan find themselves catapulted into a disturbing case that will lead them back in time, and to a terrible, scandalous secret that someone is determined to keep hidden.
Foul Days by Genoveva Dimova
As a witch in the walled city of Chernograd, Kosara has plenty of practice treating lycanthrope bites, bargaining with kikimoras, and slaying bloodsucking upirs. There’s only one monster she can’t defeat: her ex, the Zmey, known as the Tsar of Monsters. She’s defied him one too many times and now he’s hunting her. Betrayed by someone close to her, Kosara’s only choice is to trade her shadow for a quick escape. Unfortunately, Kosara soon develops the deadly sickness that plagues shadowless witches. To find it, she’s forced to team up with a suspiciously honorable detective. Even worse, all the clues point in a single direction: To get her shadow back, Kosara will have to face the Foul Days’ biggest threats without it. And she’s only got 12 days.
The Dark Side of the Sky by Francesco Dimitri
It’s been labelled a doomsday cult, but the Bastion might be humanity’s last hope. On the rural coast of Puglia, Italy, Becca and Ric run the Bastion, offering solace and a home for lost souls. Each year they welcome new members to join the Open Feast, where they teach them to release their burdens and create a better world, in a journey of self-discovery and spiritual teachings. Deep in the Inner Pinewood, a place of real magic and beauty, they are all that stands against the dark forces that would tear the sky wide open. And what of those who call Becca and Ric liars? Cult leaders and con artists? As it becomes increasingly difficult to tell truth from fiction, who can you trust to save us all?
NONFICTION
The Secret History of Sharks: The Rise of the Ocean’s Most Fearsome Predators by John A. Long
Sharks have been fighting for their lives for 500 million years and today are under dire threat. They are the longest-surviving vertebrate on Earth, outlasting multiple mass extinction events that decimated life on the planet. But how did they thrive for so long? By developing superpower-like abilities that allowed them to ascend to the top of the oceanic food chain. John Long, who for decades has been on the cutting edge of shark research, weaves a thrilling story of sharks’ unparalleled reign. The Secret History of Sharks showcases the global search to discover sharks’ largely unknown evolution, led by Long and dozens of other extraordinary scientists.
Nuclear War: A Scenario by Annie Jacobsen
Every generation, a journalist has looked deep into the heart of the nuclear military establishment: the technologies, the safeguards, the plans, and the risks. These investigations are vital to how we understand the world we really live in — where one nuclear missile will beget one in return, and where the choreography of the world’s end requires massive decisions made on seconds’ notice with information that is only as good as the intelligence we have. Pulitzer Prize finalist Annie Jacobsen’s Nuclear War: A Scenario explores this ticking-clock scenario, based on dozens of exclusive new interviews with military and civilian experts who have built the weapons, have been privy to the response plans, and have been responsible for those decisions should they have needed to be made.
The Country of the Blind by Andrew Leland
We meet Andrew Leland as he’s suspended in the liminal state of the soon-to-be blind: he’s midway through his life with retinitis pigmentosa. He grew up with full vision, but starting in his teenage years, his sight began to degrade from the outside in. Soon, he will likely have no vision left. Full of apprehension but also dogged curiosity, Leland embarks on a sweeping exploration of the state of being that awaits him: not only the physical experience of blindness but also its language, politics, and customs. He negotiates his changing relationships with his wife and son, and with his own sense of self, as he moves from his mainstream, “typical” life to one with a disability.
Ageless Aging: A Woman’s Guide to Increasing Healthspan, Brainspan and Lifespan by Maddy Dychtwald
Ageless Aging presents a pioneering new way for women to age — an ascent that includes feeling youthful and vital while gaining wisdom, resilience, and experience. It provides a holistic, actionable plan that will help women make use of all the tools available to them as they grow older. Women need a trusted resource to help them thrive as they age. Internationally acclaimed author and thought leader Maddy Dychtwald is the perfect guide. Maddy has her finger on the pulse of all the latest research, science, and information about longevity and aging, as well as the specific issues facing women.
CHILDREN’S
Look by Gabi Snyder, illustrated by Samantha Cotterill
With bright illustrations, this picture book introduces young kids to all the colors, shapes, and sizes in the world, and the patterns that they come in. The narration is simple, leaving ample time for readers to examine and explore the highly detailed illustrations. It is a beautiful book for anyone intrigued by colors, shapes, and patterns.
Ages 4-8
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.
