The Gates of Evangeline

The Gates of Evangeline by Hester Young Summary: When New York journalist and recently bereaved mother Charlotte “Charlie” Cates begins to experience vivid dreams about children she’s sure that she’s lost her mind. Yet these are not the nightmares of a grieving parent, she soon realizes. They are messages and warnings that will help Charlie and the children she sees, if only she can make sense of them. After a little boy in a boat appears in Charlie’s dreams asking for her help, Charlie finds herself entangled in a thirty-year-old missing-child case that has never ceased to haunt Louisiana’s prestigious Deveau family. Armed with an invitation to Evangeline, the family’s sprawling estate, Charlie heads south, where new friendships and an unlikely romance bring healing. But as she uncovers long-buried secrets of love, money, betrayal, and murder, the facts begin to implicate those she most wants to trust—and her visions reveal an evil closer than she could’ve imagined. A Southern Gothic mystery debut that combines literary suspense and romance with a mystical twist, THE GATES OF EVANGELINE is a story that readers of Gillian Flynn, Kate Atkinson, and Alice Sebold won't be able to put down. Angie's Comments: I never realized that “Southern Gothic mystery” was a genre, but that description fits The Gates of Evangeline. I enjoyed the plot, which had its share of delightful twists. This is one mystery book in which I can identify with the characters. Author Young dealt with the paranormal element well, using it to advance the plot without overwhelming the characters. Recommended for mystery readers. Request this item

From Stuffed to Sorted

From Stuffed to Sorted: Your Essential Guide to Organising, Room by Room by MaryAnne Bennie Summary: Follow organisational expert MaryAnne Bennie's in8steps system and organise your entire home without turning it into total chaos in the process. In eight simple steps the system helps you to decide what stays and what goes, and how to store what remains efficiently. Learn how to: ·         reorganise your whole house in a series of eight-minute blitzes ·         bust your excuses and find the motivation to start ·         develop techniques to set yourself up for success ·         focus on one area of your house at a time—from kickstarting your kitchen to boosting your bedroom ·         make the finishing touches to create the home you have always wanted. So, what are you waiting for? Work at a pace your lifestyle allows and use this tried-and-tested system to completely overhaul your relationship with your stuff. Take control of your clutter and enjoy living in your home once again. Angie's Comments: This is a handy guide to organization from Australian organizer MaryAnne Bennie. Bennie devotes a chapter to each room of the house, which emphasizes the problems and solutions specific to each room. The book is easy to read and I got some great tips form it. Recommended for anyone who wants to re-organize their space and get rid of clutter. Request this item

Rethinking Thin

Rethinking Thin: The New Science of Weight Loss and the Myths and Realities of Dieting by Gina Kolata Summary: In this eye-opening report, New York Times science writer Gina Kolata shows that our society's obsession with dieting is less about keeping trim and staying healthy than about money, power, trends, and impossible ideals. Kolata's account of four determined dieters in a study comparing the Atkins diet to a low-calorie one becomes a broad tale of science and society, of social mores and social sanctions, and of the place of diets in American society. Brimming with anecdote, scientific data, and common sense, Rethinking Thin offers a challenge to the conventional wisdom about diets and weight loss. Angie's Comments: This was a great book, challenging my assumptions and beliefs about obesity and fatness. Kolata gives great descriptions of the science behind weight loss, while incorporating the personal views of people who are trying to lose weight. The history of diets in the US was also illuminating, proving that all diets are just recycled decade after decade. Even if you do not want to lose weight, read this book to help with prejudices against people who are larger. Recommended for all adults. Request this item

Say You're One of Them

Say You're One of Them by Uwem Akpan Summary: Each story in this jubilantly acclaimed collection pays testament to the wisdom and resilience of children, even in the face of the most agonizing circumstances. A family living in a makeshift shanty in urban Kenya scurries to find gifts of any kind for the impending Christmas holiday. A Rwandan girl relates her family’s struggles to maintain a facade of normalcy amid unspeakable acts. A young brother and sister cope with their uncle’s attempt to sell them into slavery. Aboard a bus filled with refugees—a microcosm of today’s Africa—a Muslim boy summons his faith to bear a treacherous ride across Nigeria. Through the eyes of childhood friends the emotional toll of religious conflict in Ethiopia becomes viscerally clear. Uwem Akpan’s debut signals the arrival of a breathtakingly talented writer who gives a matter-of-fact reality to the most extreme circumstances in stories that are nothing short of transcendent. Angie's Comments: This was an emotional read. Each child faces different circumstances that are difficult. It is sad to realize that children and adults are facing similar issues in the U.S. and around the world. Honestly, the author could change a few details and place the stories in any country in the world. Recommended for readers who like emotionally challenging books about difficult decisions. Request this item

Agatha Christie

Who died in the library? Only Agatha Christie knows... Celebrate Agatha Christie's birthday today! The famous mystery writer was born on September 14, 1890. The Tipton library has a display of Agatha Christie's books and films, including the following: Books And Then There Were None Black Coffee The Body in the Library Elephants Can Remember The Hollow Mrs. McGinty's Dead Murder on the Orient Express The Mystery of the Blue Train Sleeping Murder Spider's Web Three Blind Mice and Other Stories Towards Zero Film Adaptations The ABC Murders DVD Death in the Clouds DVD The Mysterious Affair One, Two, Buckle My Shoe DVD Books and Documentaries about Agatha Christie Heroes for My Daughter by Brad Meltzer Mystery of Agatha Christie DVD And we have even more items! Click below for more Agatha Christie items. Agatha Christie search in Tipton County Public Library

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing by Marie Kondo Summary: This #1 New York Times best-selling guide to decluttering your home from Japanese cleaning consultant Marie Kondo takes readers step-by-step through her revolutionary KonMari Method for simplifying, organizing, and storing. Despite constant efforts to declutter your home, do papers still accumulate like snowdrifts and clothes pile up like a tangled mess of noodles? Japanese cleaning consultant Marie Kondo takes tidying to a whole new level, promising that if you properly simplify and organize your home once, you’ll never have to do it again. Most methods advocate a room-by-room or little-by-little approach, which doom you to pick away at your piles of stuff forever. The KonMari Method, with its revolutionary category-by-category system, leads to lasting results. In fact, none of Kondo’s clients have lapsed (and she still has a three-month waiting list). With detailed guidance for determining which items in your house “spark joy” (and which don’t), this international bestseller featuring Tokyo’s newest lifestyle phenomenon will help you clear your clutter and enjoy the unique magic of a tidy home—and the calm, motivated mindset it can inspire. Angie's Comments: This was an inspirational book. If you have a hard time getting rid of things, this book is for you! I love some of Kondo’s advice. Some of her advice I don’t think I will follow, but her book did give me energy to do some cleaning. Although the book becomes slightly repetitive, her main message is great. I can see myself checking out this book again to remind myself of Kondo’s message. Recommended for readers who want a cleaner house with less stuff. Request this item

No Other Darkness

No Other Darkness by Sarah Hilary Summary: The gripping follow-up to Sarah Hilary’s acclaimed debut Someone Else’s Skin, No Other Darkness finds mystery’s “impressive new cop-heroine” (The Times, London) on a case that hauntingly echoes her own family tragedy. Detective Inspector Marnie Rome and her partner Detective Sergeant Noah Jake are investigating the recent discovery of two dead boys in a bunker beneath a London garden. Terry and Beth, under whose garden the bodies were discovered, have two children of their own, and are also fostering a difficult boy named Clancy. Clancy reminds Marnie of her foster brother Stephen, who murdered her parents. Is Marnie’s past blinding her to the truth? Only one thing is certain: when Terry and Beth’s biological children vanish, Marnie can’t waste a moment finding them. Angie's Comments:  I felt spooked through this book. It doesn’t have gore, but it has something even scarier – something that anyone can suffer from. And the prologue remains haunting. The action really gets going in the second half, when Terry’s and Beth’s children disappear. This is the second book in the series, but you can read this as a stand-alone. Recommended for readers who enjoy psychological mysteries. Request this item