Margaret recommends "The Hamilton Affair"

When you think of Alexander Hamilton only a few things probably come to mind.  He is pictured on our $10 bill, was our first Secretary of Treasury, and he died from a duel. But there is more to the story than those facts.  The Hamilton Affair by Elizabeth Cobbs highlights Alexander Hamilton’s many contributions and love of America, the man he was, the true love story with his wife Eliza that survived infidelity, his political friends and foes, and about that fateful duel.  The author also gives insight about the contributions and character of his wife Eliza (Elizabeth Schuyler).  Elizabeth Cobbs, a Texas A&M University history professor, inspires you to learn more about Alexander Hamilton.  You can also check out Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Broadway musical “Hamilton” on CD and Ron Chernow’s book Alexander Hamilton that inspired the musical and you too will soon become a "Hamilfan."

This book is suitable for adults.

Kathy Recommends "Woman in Window"

Main Library:  February Book of the Month

Child psychologist Anna Fox … lives out one of the classic films that she loves so well—Alfred Hitchcock’s Rear Window. In this modern update, the agoraphobic Anna hasn't left her Manhattan townhouse in more than 11 months. When she's not observing the neighbors and photographing them with her digital camera, she's watching movies, playing chess, and counseling other agoraphobics via an online forum. Then her obsession with the new family across the park begins to take over. When Anna witnesses a stabbing in their house, no one believes what she saw is real—and it's entirely possible that Anna shouldn't believe it herself. The secrets of Anna's past and the uncertain present are revealed slowly in genuinely surprising twists. (Publisher’s Weekly)

For those who enjoy psychological thrillers like Girl on a Train, Gone Girl or the Couple Next Door.  This book is creating quite a buzz and is in development at Fox Films.

This title is recommended for adults.

Michelle recommends "The Wife Between Us"

The Wife Between Us by Greer Hendrick & Sarah Pekkanen

This novel of suspense covers falling in love, getting lost in a marriage and recovering from heartache. The difference between the days before a wedding and the aftermath of a failed marriage start the story. It is not a love story, but a story of how love can change your life or a person. This is a very tough one to write about without giving away the twists and turns these characters send the reader through. And while the surprises were stronger in the early part of the book, right until the end it will take you in directions you do not expect.

If you enjoyed Behind Her Eyes by Sarah Pinborough last summer (here is our take on that title, Podcast), this title will also keep you wondering who you pity, who you like, who you hate, who is good and who is bad.

Recommended for Adults.

Kira recommends 'Your Name'

Imagine one day you wake up from a fuzzy dream you can't quite recall, and realize you're not in your own body. This is what happens to small-town shrine maiden Mitsuha and Tokyo part-timer Taki, two high-schoolers with nothing in common and no reason to swap bodies. After a few switches, they begin to write each other notes in their phones, notebooks, and even their bodies to find out who the other is. As they live each other's lives, they learn more about each other, and through this, about themselves. When a meteor passes by Mistuha's rural town and the body switching suddenly stops, Taki must find out what happened to her, and together they discover why they began to switch bodies.

'Your Name' is an animated feature that has received critical acclaim across the globe. It's the second-highest grossing domestic film in Japan, and its success spread across Asia , then Europe, and eventually to the United States. It has a 97% on Rotten Tomatoes, where critics say "It's both gorgeous enough and emotionally engaging enough to be worth seeking out.​" The New York Times calls it "a wistfully lovely Japanese tale", while the Atlantic says it's "a dazzling new work of anime".

Recommended for adults and teens.​

Kathy recommends "Playback" by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

Even though we lost him much too soon, Tom Petty’s music is timeless and still lives on.  Several customers have told me this is one of the finest box sets they have ever listened to.  Very comprehensive from Petty’s early career with Mudcrutch to more recent works plus great live tracks.  Highly recommended. The first three discs are devoted to the must-have tracks from all of Tom's albums up through 1993, and then come the real goodies: a disc of rare B-sides and then two discs of unreleased tracks (27 in all!), including Elvis covers, curiosities like a pre-Stevie Nicks version of Stop Draggin' My Heart Around , demos, live takes and more, plus an 84-page color booklet.

Kathy recommends the Book of the Month "Artemis" by Andrew Weir

CMPL BOOK OF THE MONTH FOR JANUARY

Jazz Bashara, the heroine of this superior near-future thriller, grew up in Artemis, the moon's only city, where she dreams of becoming rich. For now, she works as a porter, supplementing her legal income by smuggling contraband. She hopes that her situation can improve drastically after she's offered an impossible-to-refuse payday by wealthy entrepreneur Trond Landvik, who has used her in the past to get cigars from Earth. Trond asks Jazz to come up with a way to sabotage a competitor so that he can take over the moon's aluminum industry. She develops an elaborate and clever plan that showcases her resourcefulness and intelligence, even as she continues to have misgivings about her client's true agenda, suspicions borne out by subsequent complications. The sophisticated world building incorporates politics and economics, as well as scientifically plausible ways for a small city to function on the lunar surface. 

It's one of the best science fiction novels of the year—but to make it clear, Artemis is not The Martian (2011) redux. Tone, characters, structure are all very different. It's more traditional sf and lacks the cheery novelty that characterized Weir's famous first novel. The setting is just as detailed and scientifically realistic, but science isn't the focus this time. Weir's sarcastic humor is on full display.

This book is recommended for adults.  Not only for science fiction fans, but those who enjoy crime capers in a unique setting as well.

Lisa recommends Making and Tinkering Books

Do you need to keep the kids, tweens and teens occupied over the holiday break? Check out one of our books on making or tinkering:

Lisa recommends Making and Tinkering Books (various authors)

•       The Art of Tinkering 
•        Invent to Learn: Making, Tinkering, and Engineering in the Classroom  
•        The Kids Book of Simple Machines: Cool Projects and Activities that Make Science Fun
•        The Maker Cookbook: Recipes for Children’s and Tween Library Programs  
•        Making Makers: Kids, Tools, and the Future of Innovation
•        Tinkering: Kids Learn by Making Stuff
•        Tinkerlab: A Hands-On Guide for Little Inventors