New eBook titles

Good books come in all sizes and media types.  The Overdrive app and the Great Lakes Digital Library open the door for PWPL patrons, allowing readers to enjoy reading with their readers, tablets, and smart phones.  While I still love the feel of holding a real book, eBooks allow me to read anywhere or anytime.

Carr, Nicholas.  The Shallows: What the Internet is doing to our Brains.    Scientific research indicates that we are a distracted society. Carr detects the loss of muscle memory with the need to constantly be stimulated as part of an ongoing brain changing effect and reading.  This title explores neurological science and fascinating experiments that contrast the neural pathways built by reading books versus those forged by surfing the internet.  Just the conceptual meaning of the title “Shallows” can make one think about all of the distraction with ads and side bar readings flashing while trying to stay focused on the intended reading.  Readers who want to learn and expand on the scientific psychology of technology will find this title interesting.

Gyasi, Yaa.  Homegoing.    Sweeping across 250 years, the novel follows the descendants of 2 half-sisters, one family in Ghana and the other in America by devoting a chapter to a member of each generation.  The book has structured with thematic similarities to the Pulitzer Prize winning book “Roots” written by Alex Haley in 1976.  Readers will enjoy the culture and history contained within this story.  The author does a great job in weaving the different generations together to develop a well descriptive story.

Dittrich, Luke. Patient H.M: The Story of Memory, Madness, and Family Secrets.     Known as Patient H.M., the story of Henry Molaison is a sad one because he lost the ability to create memories after he underwent a lobotomy to treat his seizures.  His case taught scientists a lot about how the brain creates and stores memories.  At the age of 8 Henry was knocked over by a bicyclist and hit his head.  Shortly after that incident he began experiencing seizures which increased in intensity and number as he grew older.  Henry would undergo an operation that would take away his epilepsy however the outcome was not as joyous as the surgeon planned.  The surgery had some effect of alleviating the seizures but it also rendered Henry completely and profoundly amnesiac.  The aftermath of this story triggered profound legal and medical debates on the ethics of experiments.

Stewart, Amy. Lady cop makes trouble. The second Kopp Sisters #2.   Lady Copy Makes Trouble is the second title of the Kopp Sisters series continuing the sage of the Constance, Norma and Fleurette Kopp and takes place in 1915. Taken from a true story, the county sheriff has appointed the first female deputy, the 6 foot 180 pound Constance Kopp who was given an extraordinary first assignment to carryout. This story takes the reader on a journey into the romping, riveting story of a woman who defied expectations, forged her own path, and tackled crime — and nefarious criminals.

 --Diana L. Menhennick, Reference Department Staff