New Books for July

The Bucks County Library System has a nice variety of new titles.

Birdmen: The Wright Brothers, Glenn Curtiss, and the Battle to Control the Skies by Lawrence Goldstone - From acclaimed historian Goldstone comes a thrilling narrative of courage, determination, and competition: the story of the intense rivalry that fueled the rise of American aviation.
 
The feud between this nation’s great air pioneers, the Wright brothers and Glenn Curtiss, was a collision of unyielding and profoundly American personalities. On one side, we have a pair of tenacious siblings who together had solved the centuries-old riddle of powered, heavier-than-air flight. On the other side, we find an audacious motorcycle racer whose innovative aircraft became synonymous in the public mind with death-defying stunts. For more than a decade, they battled each other in court, at air shows, and in the newspapers. The outcome of this contest of wills would shape the course of aviation history and take a fearsome toll on the men involved.
 
Birdmen sets the engrossing story of the Wrights’ war with Curtiss against the thrilling backdrop of the early years of manned flight, and it is rich with period detail and larger-than-life personalities: Thomas Scott Baldwin, or “Cap’t Tom” as he styled himself, who invented the parachute and almost convinced the world that balloons were the future of aviation; John Moisant, the dapper daredevil who took to the skies after three failed attempts to overthrow the government of El Salvador, then quickly emerged as a celebrity flyer; and Harriet Quimby, the statuesque silent-film beauty who became the first woman to fly across the English Channel. And then there is Lincoln Beachey, perhaps the greatest aviator who ever lived, who dazzled crowds with an array of trademark twists and dives who best embodied the romance with death that fueled so many of aviation’s earliest heroes.
 
A dramatic story of unimaginable bravery in the air and brutal competition on the ground, Birdmen is at once a thrill ride through flight’s wild early years and a surprising look at the personal clash that fueled America’s race to the skies.

The Closer: My Story by Mariano Rivera with Wayne Coffey - It’s the middle of summer and what says America in the summer better than baseball? The greatest relief pitcher of all time shares his extraordinary story of survival, love, and baseball.

Mariano Rivera, the man who intimidated thousands of batters merely by opening a bullpen door, began his incredible journey as the son of a poor Panamanian fisherman. When first scouted by the Yankees, he didn't even own his own glove. He thought he might make a good mechanic. When discovered, he had never flown in an airplane, had never heard of Babe Ruth, spoke no English, and couldn't imagine Tampa, the city where he was headed to begin a career that would become one of baseball's most iconic. This is what he did know: he loved his family and his then girlfriend, Clara, he could trust in the Lord to guide him, and he could throw a baseball exactly where he wanted to, every time.

With astonishing candor, Rivera tells the story of the championships, the bosses, his teammates, the rivalries and the struggles of being a Latino baseball player in the United States and of maintaining Christian values in professional athletics. He discusses his drive to win (652 total saves, 13 all-star appearances, and five World Series rings with the New York Yankees over 18 seasons), the secrets behind his legendary composure, the story of how he discovered his cut fastball, the untold, pitch-by-pitch account of the ninth inning of Game 7 in the 2001 World Series and why the lowest moment of his career became one of his greatest blessings.

In The Closer, in addition to taking us inside the Yankee clubhouse, he also takes us on that jog from the bullpen to the mound, where the game -- or the season -- rests squarely on his shoulders. We come to understand the laser-like focus that is his hallmark, and how his faith and his family kept his feet firmly on the pitching rubber. Many of the tools he used so consistently and gracefully came from what was inside him for a very long time --- his deep passion for life; his enduring commitment to Clara, whom he met in kindergarten; and his innate sense for getting out of a jam. When Rivera retired, the whole world watched --- and cheered. In The Closer, we come to an even greater appreciation of a legend built from the ground up.

 I Love You More by Jennifer Murphy - Murphy’s debut, an absorbing coming of age story, revolves around the murder of unscrupulous lawyer Oliver Lane, shot dead at his beach house in the Outer Banks. His twelve year old daughter, Picasso knows something the police do not: he had three wives. The legal wife, Diana, a true southern lady, is of course, the immediate suspect. She’s mother to Picasso, who’s word-obsessed and reads the dictionary for fun. But soon we are introduced to Jewels, mother of twin boys, and his ‘other’ wife. Then comes ‘wife’ number three, Roberta, mother to a baby girl. What’s going on here?

Detective Kyle Kennedy investigates, viewing all the wives as suspects. As he travels from one part of the state to the other interviewing the wives, he notices that all sport similar coifs and all universally deny any knowledge of the other wives. Aside from their haircuts, the women are very, very different. Told from multiple points of view, but mostly from Picasso’s, Murphy examines what went on before and after the murder and provides tantalizing glimpses into the minds of a manipulative sociopath and his targets. Picasso knows more than she is telling and tries to make sense of the events and her emotions while worrying about her future. She evolves from an ostracized wallflower into a pretty and popular schemer. Kyle falls in love with one of the wives, and although he senses that she is involved in the murder, he pushes to find the truth. The women recognize that their safety depends on their keeping their secrets and protecting each other, at least for a time. Murphy’s fluid style, well-articulated characters and descriptive language make for a very readable story.

California by Edan Lepucki - You may think that you have heard of this title somewhere. It’s the book that’s front and center with Hachette’s feud with Amazon, and the book that earned a plug from Stephen Colbert. In this debut novel, the reasons to read it transcend all the publishing controversy and short term notoriety.

The end of America has come and gone and a young couple has fled Los Angeles to live in the wilderness. Cal and Frieda fend for themselves, but once Frieda becomes pregnant, it becomes urgent for them to find other refugees from civilization.

 Near their cabin is an encampment called the Land. It is surrounded by spikes, and they are invited to join the safe encampment. After some time, their membership will be voted on by the tribe. As time goes on, they begin to notice certain things, such as there are no children within the compound. They decide that they must keep Frida’s pregnancy a secret while they do what they can to ensure that they will be permitted to join the group. Frida bakes and Cal becomes a member of the governing counsel. What they ultimately discover is both surprising and unsettling.

 Though real-world parallels can be drawn regarding the circumstances of the world’s decline, Lepucki focuses on Frida and Cal’s evolving relationship and their diverging approaches to their predicament. As seen in chapters told in alternating voices, the less they come to trust each other the more the tension mounts, building to an explosive climax that few will see coming.

These are only a few of the new acquisitions available. Thanks to the staff at the library in Doylestown for supplying this list and the descriptions of the books.  We’re lucky to have these dedicated people in our community. Not only are they helpful, they're just plain nice to be around. Maybe you'd like to say thanks next time you're in the library. Everybody likes to be appreciated.

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