Preview Shelf -- July 31

The Crawfordsville District Public Library's board of trustees has just completed a service year, with three members retiring after the very long period of invaluable work that brought us our new building. Bob Burgess, John Culley, and Susie Hildebrand never paused in their quest for our beautiful and useful new library that continues to offer more services and meeting spaces to an ever wider variety of groups. The board that began its work this month is led by fourth term member and President Isobel Arvin appointed by the City Council. The remaining members filling out their first terms on the board are Vice-President Pat Stull and Secretary and Assistant Treasurer Linda Petrie, both appointed by the Crawfordsville Schools. Treasurer Dwayne Rater was appointed by the County Commissioners, and new members Cindy Smith were appointed by North Montgomery Schools. Ron Astin received his appointment from the Union Township Board, and Brian Keim was appointed by the County Council. James Ayers continues as Counsel. Larry Hathaway is Library Director. Here are new ideas for summer reading, beginning with mysteries. "Buffalo Nickel" by Pat Johnston uses that coin as a vital clue in his novel set in Outcrop, Arizona where a LA homicide detective delves into the past for the puzzle's solution. Anne Perry's "Buckingham Palace Gardens" is another of her Charlotte and Thomas Pitt mysteries so popular as they lure the reader into the multi-layered richness of London. On to novels. A special annotated "Secret Garden" by Frances Burnett is one of the series from W. W. Norton & Company that includes notes and an introduction by Gretchen Gerzina, widening the pleasure of the classic novel of 1911. Syrie James' "The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen" imitates her writing style and consider secrets of her life which might have just been found in some attic. "The Secret Life of Josephine" by Carolly Erickson fastens on Emperor Napoleon's ambitious first wife. "Windy City" by Scott Simon is both laugh-out-loud funny and heart-piercing clever, capturing politics in the multi-ethnic tumult of today's big city. Marcus Sakey's "At The City's Edge" also takes place in Chicago, as the first woman to make the prestigious Gang Intelligence Unit must unravel a conspiracy encompassing the city's power brokers as well as the "alley cats" of the ghetto. Mariah Stewart's "Last Breath" delivers suspense as priceless artifacts vanish after being collected in the Middle East, revealing a century-old mystery. In New York City "The Finder" by Colin Harrison begins when a young Chinese woman agrees to take a car ride with two illegal Mexican women. Here are informational aids. Tony Rodd and Geoff Bryant's "The Plant Finder" identifies and pictures over 5,000 plants appropriate in different kinds of gardens. "The Writer Within You" by Charles Jacobs is a step-by-step guide to writing and publishing in your retirement years. "Sailing the Inland Sea" by Susan Neville, English professor at Butler University, invites us to explore "the possibilities the Midwestern landscape offers to writers - its sacred spaces, its rivers, even its weather". "Your First Triathlon" by Joe Friel ("America's top tri coach"), offers information to train, prepare, and psyche yourself up for your first race, from that sport's most respected expert on the art and science of the unique combination of swimming, bicycling, and distance running.