British Library Crime Classics Series

The British Library Crime Classics This is a great series of previously published mystery novels and short stories from some of the UK's best mystery writers. The stories range from late 1800s to the mid-1900s, and the authors mostly from the "Golden Age" of mysteries. Think Agatha Christie, but not as famous.  I have read many of the novels and enjoyed them greatly. At last count, the Tipton library has 17 books in the series. John Rowland Calamity in Kent Request this item Martin Edwards, editor Resorting to Murder: Holiday Mysteries Request this item Freeman Wills Crofts Antidote to Venom Request this item If you want any more suggestions or ideas, please call or come in the library today!

He Will Be My Ruin

He Will Be My Ruin by K. A. Tucker Summary: A woman who almost had it all . . . On the surface, Celine Gonzalez had everything a twenty-eight-year-old woman could want: a one-bedroom apartment on Manhattan’s Lower East Side, a job that (mostly) paid the bills, and an acceptance letter to the prestigious Hollingsworth Institute of Art, where she would finally live out her dream of becoming an antiques appraiser for a major auction house. All she had worked so hard to achieve was finally within her reach. So why would she kill herself? A man who was supposed to be her salvation . . . Maggie Sparkes arrives in New York City to pack up what’s left of her best friend’s belongings after a suicide that has left everyone stunned. The police have deemed the evidence conclusive: Celine got into bed, downed a lethal cocktail of pills and vodka, and never woke up. But when Maggie discovers a scandalous photograph in a lock box hidden in Celine’s apartment, she begins asking questions. Questions about the man Celine fell in love with. The man she never told anyone about, not even Maggie. The man Celine believed would change her life. Until he became her ruin. On the hunt for evidence that will force the police to reopen the case, Maggie uncovers more than she bargained for about Celine’s private life—and inadvertently puts herself on the radar of a killer. A killer who will stop at nothing to keep his crimes undiscovered. Angie’s comments: Who is the killer? Everyone else has something to hide in this mystery. I kept changing my mind about who the killer was and what the motive was. Celine was an interesting character, although she died before the book began. Maggie is more formulaic and I found her character to be too goody-two-shoes. The mystery was good and kept me hooked throughout the entire book – there were always more surprises coming. Recommended for mystery readers. Request this item

Adventures in Human Being

Adventures in Human Being: A Grand Tour from the Cranium to the Calcaneum by Gavin Francis Summary: We assume we know our bodies intimately, but for many of us they remain uncharted territory, an enigma of bone and muscle, neurons and synapses. How many of us understand the way seizures affect the brain, how the heart is connected to well-being, or the why the foot holds the key to our humanity? In Adventures in Human Being, award-winning author Gavin Francis leads readers on a journey into the hidden pathways of the human body, offering a guide to its inner workings and a celebration of its marvels. Drawing on his experiences as a surgeon, ER specialist, and family physician, Francis blends stories from the clinic with episodes from medical history, philosophy, and literature to describe the body in sickness and in health, in life and in death. When assessing a young woman with paralysis of the face, Francis reflects on the age-old difficulty artists have had in capturing human expression. A veteran of the war in Iraq suffers a shoulder injury that Homer first described three millennia ago in the Iliad. And when a gardener pricks her finger on a dirty rose thorn, her case of bacterial blood poisoning brings to mind the comatose sleeping beauties in the fairy tales we learn as children. At its heart, Adventures in Human Being is a meditation on what it means to be human. Poetic, eloquent, and profoundly perceptive, this book will transform the way you view your body. Angie’s comments: Adventures in Human Being resembles a series of essays about Francis’s experiences with the human body. There is a lot of reflection about these experiences. I thoroughly enjoyed the book, learning some new information along the way. The book itself is not about the scientific facts, but more about the experience and meaning of the body and illnesses. Recommended for readers who like books about medicine and patients. Request this item

Capture

Capture: Unraveling the Mystery of Mental Suffering by David A. Kessler Summary: Why do we think, feel, and act in ways we wished we did not? For decades, New York Timesbestselling author Dr. David A Kessler has studied this question with regard to tobacco, food, and drugs. Over the course of these investigations, he identified one underlying mechanism common to a broad range of human suffering. This phenomenon—capture—is the process by which our attention is hijacked and our brains commandeered by forces outside our control. In Capture, Dr. Kessler considers some of the most profound questions we face as human beings: What are the origins of mental afflictions, from everyday unhappiness to addiction and depression—and how are they connected? Where does healing and transcendence fit into this realm of emotional experience? Analyzing an array of insights from psychology, medicine, neuroscience, literature, philosophy, and theology, Dr. Kessler deconstructs centuries of thinking, examining the central role of capture in mental illness and questioning traditional labels that have obscured our understanding of it. With a new basis for understanding the phenomenon of capture, he explores the concept through the emotionally resonant stories of both well-known and un-known people caught in its throes. The closer we can come to fully comprehending the nature of capture, Dr. Kessler argues, the better the chance to alleviate its deleterious effects and successfully change our thoughts and behavior Ultimately, Capture offers insight into how we form thoughts and emotions, manage trauma, and heal. For the first time, we can begin to understand the underpinnings of not only mental illness, but also our everyday worries and anxieties. Capture is an intimate and critical exploration of the most enduring human mystery of all: the mind. Angie’s comments: Kessler posits an interesting idea, and the first part of Capture is a well-written, fascinating explanation of his idea. It gives me a different view of mental suffering. Towards the end, the book seemed long and repetitive. The book doesn’t have much in the way of guidance for solving the mental suffering. However, Capture describes mental suffering using a slightly different idea than others, and for that insight, I found the book was good. It isn’t a handbook or guide to helping someone with mental suffering, but discusses some of the science and assumptions of what mental suffering can be caused by. Recommended for readers interested in a scientific perspective on mental illness and problems.  Request this item

Celebrate the HeArt of Tipton

Come join downtown Tipton and the library at the HeArt of Tipton on Saturday! Celebrate art and writing with these books: Indiana Plein Air Painter's Association Painting Indiana: Portraits of Indiana's 92 Counties Request this item Lynette Wrigley Stained Glass: Stylish Designs and Practical Projects to Make in a Weekend Request this item Stephen King On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft Request this item William Strunk, Jr. and E. B. White The Elements of Style Request this item If you want any more suggestions or ideas, please call or come in the library today!