Books @ Noon--September 2022 Picks

1) Shadow divers: the true adventure of two Americans who risked everything to solve one of the last mysteries of World War II

Author

Kurson, Robert

Notes

Mike enjoyed this nonfiction books about divers who corrected the historical record through exploring sunken ships from WWII, notably a German U-Boat off the coast of New Jersey

Formats:

Book, eAudiobook

Description

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New York Times Bestseller
In the tradition of Jon Krakauer’s Into Thin Air and Sebastian Junger’s The Perfect Storm comes a true tale of riveting adventure in which two weekend scuba divers risk everything to solve a great historical mystery–and make history themselves.
For John Chatterton and Richie Kohler, deep wreck diving was more than a sport. Testing themselves against treacherous currents,...

2) Lost in Shangri-la: a true story of survival, adventure, and the most incredible rescue mission of World War II

Author

Zuckoff, Mitchell

Notes

Mary M. shared this true story of personal survival and heroism after a plane crash into an idyllic, secluded valley in New Guinea in 1945.

Formats:

Book, eAudiobook, eBook

Description

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Award-winning former Boston Globe reporter Mitchell Zuckoff unleashes the exhilarating, untold story of an extraordinary World War II rescue mission, where a plane crash in the South Pacific plunged a trio of U.S. military personnel into the jungle-clad land of New Guinea

3) The piano tuner

Author

Mason, Daniel

Notes

Mary C. said this novel set in Burma in the 1880s was beautifully written and explored the tensions between the British military and Burmese groups at the time.

Formats:

Book - Paperback, eAudiobook, eBook, Kindle

Description

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A New York Times Notable Book
A San Francisco Chronicle, San Jose Mercury News, and Los Angeles Times Best Book of the Year
“A gripping and resonant novel. . . . It immerses the reader in a distant world with startling immediacy and ardor. . . . Riveting.” —Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times
In 1886 a shy, middle-aged piano tuner...

4) The four winds

Author

Hannah, Kristin

Notes

Wendy said that she thought this book about the Oakies and the dust bowl was interesting enough to keep reading but not Kristin Hannah's best work.

Formats:

Book, Audiobook CD, Book - Hardback, eAudiobook, eBook, Kindle, Large Print - Hardback

Description

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"From Kristin Hannah, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Nightingale and The Great Alone, comes an epic novel of love and heroism and hope, set against the backdrop of one of America's most defining eras-the Great Depression. Texas, 1934. Millions are out of work and a drought has broken the Great Plains. Farmers are fighting to keep their land and their livelihoods as the crops are failing, the water is drying up, and dust threatens...

5) Invisible child: poverty, survival, & hope in an American city

Author

Elliott, Andrea

Notes

Claudia shared that this nonfiction book which followed a family for eight years through housing and food insecurity, parental drug addiction, and other challenges. The book focuses on the story of one daughter who is given the opportunity to attend a boarding school and struggles to live between two worlds. Claudia says it made her examine her preconceptions and is a worthwhile read.

Formats:

Book, Book - Hardback, eAudiobook, Large Print - Paperback, RCC New - Book

Description

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"Invisible Child follows eight dramatic years in the life of Dasani Coates, a child with an imagination as soaring as the skyscrapers near her Brooklyn homeless shelter. Born at the turn of a new century, Dasani is named for the bottled water that comes to symbolize Brooklyn's gentrification and the shared aspirations of a divided city. As Dasani grows up, moving with her tightknit family from shelter to shelter, her story reaches back to trace the...

6) World of wonders: in praise of fireflies, whale sharks, and other astonishments

Author

Nezhukumatathil, Aimee

Notes

Ellie recommends this collection of short essays that interweave information about natural wonders (animals, plans, ecosystems) and the author's own life experience.

Formats:

Book, Book - Hardback, eBook, Kindle

Description

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"From beloved, award-winning poet Aimee Nezhukumatathil comes a debut work of nonfiction-a collection of essays about the natural world, and the way its inhabitants can teach, support, and inspire us"--