History
By Hampton Sides
Seeking a nonfiction thriller about survival in the harshest place on earth? With colder weather approaching, this late 19th-century American adventure story will place you in the heart of brutal Arctic storms, stranded thousands of miles from civilization. Researched and written by a brilliant historian, this account of the pursuit of adventure and glory in hopes of becoming the first to reach the North Pole, turns into a story of survival, by sheer grit and determination, in the face of certain death.
Biography
By Joyce Tyldesley
Everyone thinks they know the story of Cleopatra. The image is almost inevitably Shakespeare’s romantic heroine or the recent Afrocentric “black” Cleopatra. Behind the myths lies a real person and real events. This book uses ancient sources and modern archeology to create a new image of Cleopatra’s tale—one that is no less fascinating for having myth, ancient and modern, stripped away. It adds welcome clarity to Cleopatra’s story, in a short, well-documented and highly-readable history.
Fiction
By William W. Johnstone
Want an escape from the present? Head out to 1873 Wyoming and ride along with U.S. Marshal Tim Colter and his sidekick, veteran mountain man Jed Reno, as they set out to foil a die-hard Confederate plot to assassinate President Ulysses Grant. A brawling Southern sympathizer Patsy Palmer, the orphaned Kip Jansen, and a female Pinkerton detective join them as they face Native Americans, outlaws, and assassins. Johnstone keeps the action rolling while introducing readers to life in the Old West.
Science Fiction
By David Weber and Richard Fox
Gov. Terrance Murphy was doing his job when he chose to protect the Fringe World inhabitants of his outlying Terran Federation province. But the Heart World leaders of Terran Federation sent him there to keep those in the Fringe World province subservient, not protect them from Alliance raids. They declare Murphy a rebel and try to arrest him. But Murphy has a fleet and Fringe World support. He resists in a fast-paced space opera with desperate planetary stands and sprawling space battles.
Classics
By William Bradford
With Thanksgiving just around the corner, now might just be the time to pay a visit to William Bradford and the Pilgrim men and women seeking religious freedom, first in Holland and then in the new world of America. Recast here into modern English, Bradford’s account reminds us of the hardships suffered—starvation, sickness, and the trials of surviving in an unfamiliar wilderness— by this band of settlers and how they eventually prevailed with the help of Squanto and other Native Americans.
For Kids
By Julie Vosburgh Agnone and Kerry Hyndman
This nonfiction selection will dazzle young readers, featuring the truly “amazing” rivers of our world, their impact on history and humanity, and the various characteristics of each. Few children’s books center on this fascinating topic, but no study of our world would be complete without it. An educational addition to a young person’s library.
