Paris, Birdwatching, and Heart Defects

The Most Beautiful Walk in the World: A Pedestrian in Paris by John Baxter
In this enchanting memoir, acclaimed author and long-time Paris resident John Baxter remember his yearlong experience of giving "literary walking tours" through the city. Baxter sets off with unsuspecting tourists in tow on the trail of Paris's legendary artists and writers of the past. Along the way, he tells the history of Paris through a brilliant cast of characters: the favorite cafes of Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and James Joyce; Pablo Picasso's underground Montmartre haunts; the bustling boulevards of the late-nineteenth century fianeurs; the secluded "Little Luxembourg" gardens beloved by Gertrude Stein; the alleys where revolutionaries plotted; and finally Baxter's own favorite walk near his home in Saint-Germain-des-Pres.

The Big Year: A Tale of Man, Nature, and Fowl Obsession by Mark Obmascik
Every January 1, a quirky crowd storms out across North America for a spectacularly competitive event called a Big Year--a grand, expensive, and occasionally vicious 365-day marathon of birdwatching. For three men in particular, 1998 would become a grueling battle for a new North American birding record. Bouncing from coast to coast on frenetic pilgrimages for once-in-a-lifettime rarities, they brave broiling deserts, bug-infested swamps, and some of the lumpiest motel mattresses known to man.

Immortal Bird: A Family Memoir by Doron Weber
A family's love lies at the heart of this gifted boy's fight to survive. Born with a congenital heart defect that required surgery when he was a baby, Damon Weber lives a big life with spirit and independence that have always been a source of pride to his parents, Doron and Shealagh. But when Damon is diagnosed with a new illness as a teenager, his triumphant coming-of-age tale turns into a darker and more dramatic quest: his family's race against time and a flawed health care system.

Teen Pick of the Week: Delirium

Delirium by Lauren Oliver
They say that the cure for love will make me happy and safe forever. And I've always believed them. Until now. Now everything has changed. Now, I'd rather be infected with love for the tiniest sliver of a second than live a hundred years smothered by a lie.

Read more of hers: Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver. Samantha Kingston has it all: looks, popularity, the perfect boyfriend. Friday, February 12th, should be just another day in her charmed life. Instead, it turns out to be her last. The catch: Samantha still wakes up the next morning. Living the last day of her life seven times during one miraculous week, she will untangle the mystery surround her death and discover the true value of everything she is in danger of losing.

Click on the title to place it on hold at the Ventress Memorial Library!

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Paranormal investigators and video games

Third Grave Dead Ahead by Darynda Jones
Charley Davidson is back! And she's drinking copious amounts of caffeine to stay awake because every time she closes her eyes she sees him: Reyes Farrow, the part-human, part-supermodel son of Satan. Yes, she did imprison him for all eternity but come on. How is she supposed to solve a missing-persons case, deal with an ego-driven doctor, calm her curmudgeonly dad, and take on a motorcycle gang hell-bent on murder when the devil's son just won't give up on his plan of seduction...and revenge?

Reamde by Neal Stephenson
In 1972, Richard Forthrast, the black sheep of an Iowa farming clan, fled to the mountains of British Columbia to avoid the draft. A skilled hunting guide, he eventually amassed a fortune by smuggling marijuana across the border between Canada and Idaho. As the years passed, Richard went straight and returned to the States after the U.S. government granted amnesty to draft dodgers. He parlayed his wealth into an empire and developed a remote resort in which he lives. He also created T'Rain, a multibillion-dollar, massively multiplayer online role-playing game with millions of fans around the world. But T'Rain's success has also made a target. Hackers have struck gold by unleashing REAMDE, a virus that encrypts all of a player's electronic files and holds them for ransom. They have also unwittingly triggered a deadly war beyond the boundaries of the game's virtual universe--and Richard is at ground zero.

Teen Pick of the Week: The Son of Neptune

The Son of Neptune by Rick Riordan
Percy is confused. When he awoke from his long sleep, he didn't know much more than his name. His brain fuzz is lingering, even after the wolf Lupa told him he is a demigod trained to fight with the pen/sword in his pocket. Somehow Percy manages to make it to a camp for half-bloods, despite the fact that he has to keep killing monsters along the way. But the camp doesn't ring any bells with hm. The only thing he can recall from his past is another name: Annabeth.

Click on the title to place it on hold at the Ventress Memorial Library!

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Girl Scouts, Kidnapping, and Romney

First Girl Scout: The Life of Juliette Gordon Low by Ginger Wadsworth
When Juliette Gordon was growing up in the late 1800s, she climbed trees, swam in rivers, and hiked on tall cliffs. With her cousins and friends, she sewed costumes and put on plays, sketched and painted, and reached out to help other kids who were less fortunate. Juliette, or Daisy, as her friends and family called her--knew that most girls her age weren't so lucky; they didn't have the opportunities to play, create, and enjoy outdoor activities the way she did. And when Daisy became an adult, she out to do something to change that.

We Is Got Him: The Kidnapping that Changed America by Carrie Hagen
in 1874, a little boy named Charley Ross was snatched from his family's front yard in Philadelphia. A ransom note arrived the next day, demanding $20,000 for Charley's return. The city was about to host America's centennial celebration, and the mass panic surrounding the Charley Ross case jeopardized city politics and plunged the nation into hysteria. The desperate search led the Philadelphia and New York police departments to inspect every building in Philadelphia, set up saloon surveillance in New York's notorious Five Points neighborhood, and elicit citizens' participation in a national manhunt.

The Real Romney by Michael Kranish and Scott Helman
Mitt Romney has masterfully positioned himself as front-runner for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination. Even though he's become a household name, the former Massachusetts governor remains an enigma to many in America, his character and core convictions elusive, his record little known. Who is the man behind the sweep of dark hair, distinguished white sideburns, and high-wattage smile? He often seems to be two people at once: a savvy politician, and someone who will simply say anything to win. A business visionary, and a calculating dealmaker. A man comfortable in his faith and with family, and one who can have trouble connecting with average voters.

Teen Pick of the Week: The Hunger Games

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Could you survive on your own, in the wild, with everyone out to make sure you don't live to see the morning?

In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV. Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister, regards it as a death sentence when she is forced to represent her district in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before-and survival, for her, is second nature. Without really meaning to she becomes a contender. But if she is to win she will have to start making choices that weigh survival against humanity and life against love.

Click on the title to place it on hold at the Ventress Memorial Library!

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New Romance

The Black Hawk by Joanna Bourne
Someone is stalking agent Justine DeCabrillac through London's gray streets. Under cover of the rain, the assassin strikes--and Justine staggers to the door of the one man who can save her. The man she once loved. The man she hated. Adrian Hawkhurst. Adrian wanted the treacherous beauty known as "Owl" back in his bed, but not wounded and clinging to life. Now, as he helps her heal, the two must learn to trust each other and to confront the hidden menace that's trying to kill them--and survive long enough to explore the passion simmering between them once again.

With No Remorse by Cindy Gerard
For Luke Colter, downtime is an illusion. He should know better than to ever leave his gun behind, especially since now he's risking his life to save world-famous supermodel Valentina. Val thought traveling incognito through the mountains would be the perfect cure for her bruised heart...until someone tries to kill her. Without knowing who is after her--and why--does she dare trust her irresistible protector?

Where Demons Fear to Tread by Stephanie Chong
Fledging guardian angel and yoga teacher Serena St. Clair dares to enter Devil's Paradise nightclub on a mission--to retrieve the wayward Hollywood "It Boy" she's assigned to protect. But she's ambushed by the club's owner, arch demon Julian Ascher. The most powerful demonic entity in Los Angeles, Julian is handsome as sin, a master of temptation who loves nothing more than corrupting pleasure-seeking humans. He won't release the lost soul Serena is supposed to guard. Unless she accepts his dangerous wager.