Monthly Archives: January 2018

“The Radium Girls” by Kate Moore is a cautionary tale from the early days of industrialization. After the Curies discovered radium, jobs for working with the new substance were much coveted—until the workers began to fall mysteriously ill.   “The Great … Continue reading →

The private eyes code:  ‘down these mean streets a man must go who is not himself mean, who is neither tarnished nor afraid (Raymond Chandler). In “No Middle Name”, Lee Child tells jack Reacher’s backstory in twelve stories, starting as … Continue reading →

Three thrillers dealing in international intrigue.  In “Operator Down” by Brad Taylor,  Pike Logan learns that two members of his team, both former Mossad agents, are being targeted for assassination.  in “The Take” by Christopher Reich, a Saudi prince is … Continue reading →

Two thrillers that take historical events as their jumping off point.  In  “Munich” by Robert Harris, two diplomats, one British and one German, join forces to to derail Hitler’s plan to annex Czechoslovakia. In“Death at Nuremberg” by W.E.B. Griffin and … Continue reading →

“The Music Shop”  by Rachel Joyce is a “deceptively simple love story.” Frank is the eccentric owner of a hole-in-the-wall London music store that only sells vinyl records.  His quiet little life is upended when a stranger faints outside his … Continue reading →

Just in, suspense in all its varieties: creepy  (“City of Endless Night”  by Preston and Child), historical (“Munich” by Robert Harris),  scams (“The Take” by Christopher Reich),  special-ops (“Operator Down” by Brad Taylor), bite-sized (“The Complete Jack Reacher Stories” by Lee … Continue reading →

They call it stormy Wednesday…. so the Nichols Library will delay its opening until 1pm to give the plow guys a chance to do their magic.  We will be there.

The Nichols Memorial Library will be closed on Monday, January 15 in observance of Martin Luther King, Jr Day.  Readers interested in catching up with Dr King’s legacy might want to read The Third Reconstruction by William Barber or We Were … Continue reading →

In The Future Is History, Gessen traces the rise of Russia’s mafia state through the follows the lives of  people born at what promised to be the dawn of democracy.  The Soviet regime had fallen and they came of age … Continue reading →

For series TV fans, “The Crown” is a drama based on the life of Queen Elizabeth II.   “The Americans” (seasons 1-3) tells about two KGB officers posing as an American couple during the late years of the Cold War.   Their … Continue reading →