What’s new at Jacksonville Public Library:
“The Firefall: A Murder in Yosemite” by Mark Thielman: When a graffiti artist defaces part of Yosemite National Park, special agents Clarence Johnson and Alison Nance expect a straightforward case. But when the suspect falls to her death from Glacier Point — just as another member of her synagogue did years earlier — the investigation takes on a far more ominous meaning. The eerie coincidence hints at a deeper, darker truth behind the artist’s final work. As Johnson and Nance unravel the layers, their search points to a historical puzzle stretching back to 1938, when a Jewish violinist, fleeing the shadows of Nazi Germany, disappeared into the park’s vast wilderness, carrying a secret that could alter the course of history. Decades later, the past refuses to remain hidden. The agents begin to link the contemporary murder to the long-unsolved disappearance and a mysterious legacy hidden in Yosemite’s rugged terrain. But as they close in on the truth, they realize they are not the only ones searching. A relentless adversary also is on the trail, willing to kill to claim the secret and reignite a dark chapter of history. Now, Johnson and Nance must outwit a ruthless enemy before history’s darkest forces rise again.
“You are Not Alone: A New Way to Grieve” by Cariad Lloyd: Grief eases and changes and returns; it never disappears. But you will be OK. Somehow, you will be. Cariad Lloyd was just 15 when her dad died. She became the person-whose-dad-had-died, a mess of emotions and questions, and a grief-mess. Years later, she began trying to unravel her grief. What had happened? What effect had it all had on who she was? She started Griefcast, a podcast that talks openly, honestly and at times cheerfully about life’s most difficult moment: its end. Inspired by her own grief mistakes, lessons learned, and guests’ insights, Lloyd provides a road map for all of us. This book is for anybody who has felt lost in grief, who wants to help someone struggling, or just wants to understand life a little better.
“Marty Supreme”: Marty Mauser is a silver-tongued hustler with a dream that no one respects — to become a world champion table tennis player. Hopping from one scheme to the next, Marty single-mindedly pursues greatness, journeying from New York’s Lower East Side to London, Paris, Tokyo, the Great Pyramids, and back with scorned lovers, business moguls and mobsters hot on his tail.
“Hide and Seek” by Polly Noakes: A meadow is the perfect place to play hide and seek — there are bridges to creep under and masses of wildflowers to use for cover. In grass high enough to conceal a bear, the protagonist must use all of her senses to track her animal companions! She can smell them, and hear them, but she can’t quite find them. Can you spot the stealthy wolf on each spread? Will the girl find her friends, or will the wolf find her first?
The theme for the library’s Summer Reading Program for kids is “Plant a Seed, Read!” Just as a farm grows food that nourishes our bodies, libraries grow ideas that nourish our minds. Along with reading, the library has several special activities planned, starting with an opening party — and children’s first chance to register for the program — at 10 a.m. June 9.
The library’s Adult Summer Reading Program will begin June 1. Adults can stop by the circulation desk any time after May 30 to pick up a reading log for a chance to earn prizes for reading. Log five books read this summer and be entered in a grand-prize drawing on Aug. 2. Participants also will earn a small prize simply for turning in a completed reading log. The program is open to all adults, with no library card required. It runs through July 31.