New parenting books

Like most parents, I spend a lot of time worrying.  Sometimes it helps to gain a bit of perspective from the experts, be they doctors, psychologists, or simply other parents who have learned a few things along the way. 

Raising Human Beings: Creating a Collaborative Partnership with Your Child by Ross W. Greene

Greene, known to many for his book The Explosive Child, offers a detailed and practical guide for raising kids in a way that enhances relationships, improves communication, and helps kids learn how to resolve disagreements without conflict. Through his well-known model of solving problems collaboratively, parents can forgo time-out and sticker charts, stop badgering, berating, threatening, and punishing, and allow their kids to feel heard and validated, and have influence. From homework to hygiene, curfews, to screen time, Raising Human Beings arms parents with the tools they need to raise kids in ways that are non-punitive and non-adversarial and that bring out the best in both parent and child.

The Gardener and the Carpenter: What the new science of child development tells us about the relationship between parents and children by Alison Gopnik

Drawing on the study of human evolution and her own cutting-edge scientific research into how children learn, Gopnik shows that although caring for children is profoundly important, it is not a matter of shaping them to turn out a particular way. Children are designed to be messy and unpredictable, playful and imaginative, and to be very different both from their parents and from each other. The variability and flexibility of childhood lets them innovate, create, and survive in an unpredictable world. "Parenting" won't make children learn--but caring parents let children learn by creating a secure, loving environment.

Love That Boy by Ron Fournier

Love that Boy is a uniquely personal story about the causes and costs of outsized parental expectations. What we want for our children—popularity, normalcy, achievement, genius—and what they truly need—grit, empathy, character—are explored by National Journal’s Ron Fournier, who weaves his extraordinary journey to acceptance around the latest research on childhood development and stories of other loving-but-struggling parents.

The Awakened Family by Shefali Tsabary   

Tsabary believes we all have the capacity to raise children who are highly resilient and emotionally connected. However, modern misconceptions of parenting and our own self-doubt can limit our effectiveness. In The Awakened Family, Tsabary shows how to cultivate a relationship with your children so they can thrive, and you can reach a state of greater calm, compassion and wisdom.  The goal of this book is to help you transcend your fears and illusions around parenting and help you become the parent you always wanted to be: fully present and conscious.

Ebb and Flow: Celebrating Mom and Life at the Cove by Helen Haskell Remien

In this beautiful book full of family photographs, poetry, prose, recipes, and her mother’s artwork, local author and Joy Center founder Helen Haskell shares her experiences of being raised by a free spirit.  Written after her own children left the nest, her work offers readers a glimpse of the parent/child circle wholly rendered.

--Ellen Moore, Website Developer

Large Print Fiction

Here are some large print fiction books just sitting on our shelves waiting for you to come and check them out. These particular selections will definitely keep your interest and satisfy your need for suspense, mystery, and espionage; even some heart strings might get tugged.

At the Edge of Summer, by Jessica Brockmole, author of Letters from Skye, returns with this super fantastic story of a friendship between Luc and a 15-year old Scottish girl named Clare who is grieving over her parent’s fate. The setting starts off in the French countryside. She inspires Luc as he has never felt before. Then all of a sudden she was gone. Luc, so devastated by her departure starts writing her letters. Years later they meet but under very different circumstances, during war.

I Am No One, by Patrick Flanery, once again takes his readers on a scary and mysterious journey. A middle-aged college professor, having taught at Oxford for 10 years returns to his home in the U.S. Soon after his return mysterious boxes begin showing up. The boxes contain his whole digital life for the past 10 years--Internet data, phone records, and photos. Obviously he is under surveillance, but why? Come check out this book to find out the answer.

Do you like stories about missing persons, private investigators and love affairs? Then come on down to the library and check out the book entitled, When All The Girls Are Gone, by Jayne Ann Krentz, New York Times bestselling author. When Charlotte tries to contact her step sister Jocelyn, to tell her the terrible news that one of her closest friends was found dead, Jocelyn is no where to be found. She’s gone off before, but never like this. Charlotte hires a detective, Max and then all hell breaks loose. Want to know more, then come down and check out this well written who-did-it.

Another New York Times bestselling author, Bernard Cornwell, has written The Flame Bearer. Do you enjoy books about Kings, Queens, Vikings, warriors, knights in shining armor, and conquering lands? If so, then this novel about England's greatest warrior, Uhtred of Bebbanburg, who has the chance to take back the home his traitorous uncle stole from him so many years ago and which his conniving cousin still occupies, may strike your fancy and fill your mind with images of horses, men and soldiers fighting and scheming to get back what was once theirs.

A well known author, Danielle Steel, has another great book out called, The Award.  This story takes place in 1940 when the German army is occupying France. Gaelle finds herself in the most terrible situations where her closest friend and her family are sent to a detention camp awaiting deportation. She ends up on a perilous journey, joining the French Resistance. This is a fast moving story, full of horrors and mystery. It will take you back to a time most would much rather try and forget.

--Nicki Malave, Network Coordinator

Young Adult Fiction

Turn left as you walk into the library to find some of the most thought-provoking stories of the year.  They feature moral dilemmas, the unfairness of life, and characters who take control of their own destiny.  These Young Adult selections are page-turners and will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very end.

The Serpent King by Jeff Zentner features Dill Early, descended from a long line of Pentecostal preachers who believe that their faith in the Lord will keep them safe from the poisonous serpents they handle during church services.  Dill's not so sure.  He tries his best to be a good son, but his fanatically religious parents expect him to take care of them without a thought to his own future.  Luckily, Dill has two good friends in Travis and Lydia.  Travis navigates the unpredictable actions of a drunkard father by retreating into the world of fantasy books.  Lydia has great parents who are genuine role models for the group, allowing her to achieve more in the academic and extra-curricular realm than the boys.  The three friends reveal their last year of high school to readers through conversation and glimpses into their home lives.  Told by each of the friends in their own chapters, Zentner's first teen novel is a well-written study of life's unfairness, the differences in the families we grow up in, and the hopefulness of youth.

Wink, Poppy, Midnight by April Genevieve Tucholke introduces Midnight, a loner living with his dad while trying to avoid the bullies at school, except for Poppy.  Poppy is the most popular (and feared) girl in school who tries to manipulate the boys by seducing them and the girls by making fun of them.  The only person she can't control is Lief Bell because he sees right through her false charms.  When family circumstances take Midnight and his dad to live on a farm across from the Bell home, he begins to spend more time with Wink, Leif's red-haired, freckled, unconventional sister who believes in heroes, villains, and the power of a good story.  Tucholke tells this story in three separate voices through the differing perspectives of Wink, Poppy, and Midnight. It’s difficult to tell who’s telling the truth and who’s telling their own twisted version of events with each retelling.  The truth doesn’t come out until a heart-stopping incident that takes place in a haunted house.

Exit, Pursued by a Bear by E.  K. Johnston takes place the summer before senior year.  Hermoine is the captain of her cheerleading team, and this is her last summer at cheerleading camp.  She wants it to be perfect, and it is.....until the Friday night party when she's drugged and raped.  As her friends grapple with academics, college applications, relationships, and their own emerging sexuality, Hermoine has the additional responsibility of seeing a psychiatrist to try to remember the sexual attack.  Her life is now full of decisions.  What if she's pregnant?  What if she remembers?  Should she prosecute the attacker and relive the whole incident?  There's a lot to think about for high school readers.

Learning to Swear in America by Katie Kennedy incorporates science fiction into teen adventure.  Yuri Strelnikov, a doctor of physics at age 17, is flown to Los Angeles at a moment's notice to work with American scientists scrambling to prevent a huge asteroid from reaching Earth.  He's on loan from Russia where his work on antimatter has put him in line for a Nobel Prize.  In light of his own bright future, Yuri has good reason to save the world.  However, in America, he finds himself under close supervision of U.S. government officials.  There's tension between Yuri and NASA's Director of Near Earth Objects Program about the safest way to deflect the asteroid. Yuri is young, but he knows physics better than almost anyone and doesn’t like being marginalized because of his age.  By chance, he meets Dovie, the janitor's daughter, who helps him sneak away from his hotel and experience a bit of American life.  She introduces Yuri to her brother, Lennon, who is wheelchair-bound and has an edgy sense of humor.  The suspense continues on from one predicament to the next, until the story ends on the Ambassador Bridge in Detroit.  The uncrushable attitudes of Yuri, Dovie, and Lennon leave readers with hope for the future and, perhaps, future stories about these characters.

Girl in Pieces by Kathleen Glasgow begins as 17-year-old Charlie wakes up in a treatment facility wrapped in bandages - so traumatized, she can’t speak to anyone.  Readers soon find out that when she was young, Charlie’s father experienced depression and drowned himself; her mother beat her; her best friend overdosed and was moved to a recovery facility across the country; and she’s been living on the streets of Minneapolis with addicts and criminals.  Unable to cope with emotions she doesn’t know how to express, Charlie cuts her arms, and legs.  After a rocky start, Charlie follows a friend to Arizona, finds work at a café, and returns to her love of art, drawing portraits of people as she observes them.  Just when her life is becoming stable, she falls in love with a junkie musician who inevitably drags her back down into emotional chaos. Charlie finally gets assistance from a co-worker recovering from drug addiction and from an artist who recognizes her talent.  This story has several recovery stories going at the same time – drugs, alcohol, self-harm – whose victims take each day as it comes and count each one a victory. 

--Lynette Suckow, Reference Department.

Refresh

January is a perfect time to make resolutions that not only refresh your spirit but also your surroundings. Whether you’re interested in refining your culinary skills or getting the most out of your smart devices, this list of new adult nonfiction books will help inspire you to make small enhancements to your everyday life. Gain the confidence you need to tackle simple DIY projects around the home or office with one of these helpful new titles available at Peter White Public Library.

Home Automation for Dummies (2015) by Dwight Spivey

You can buy just about any home appliance today and control it from your smartphone or tablet. Most of these smart devices are easy to set up and use but some may be tricky to navigate, especially if you’re new to the idea of home automation. Home Automation for Dummies is a great reference book for those just beginning to explore the possible applications of this new phenomenon. With this book you’ll learn how to control your home security devices while out of the house, adjust your thermostat remotely, and even how to automate your lawn care duties all from one platform.

New Adult Nonfiction 643.6 SP

Home Decor Cheat Sheets (2016) by Jessica Probus

If you need a crash course in Design 101, this is the book for you. Home Decor Cheat Sheets provides over 300 tips and tricks to help make your living spaces more livable. Learn the rules of interior design with this easy to follow guidebook. Vital concepts in design are made assessable with the aid of simple illustrations and brief descriptions. Seriously, this book explains all of the need-to-know stuff for stylish living. Looking to add a new piece of furniture to a room? This book will help you identify different styles of furniture and then help you pair them! Not sure how best to arrange art work or picture frames on a wall? Don’t worry, Home Decor Cheat Sheets has that covered too.

New Adult Nonfiction 645 PR

The Useful Book (2016) by David & Sharon Bowers

Divided into two sections, Home Ec and Shop, The Useful Book will help you become a master of all trades. This encyclopedia of DIY has over 200 easy to learn life skills, from how to brew a cup of tea to how to plaster a wall! It’s like a survival guide for real life. The pages are filled with step-by-step instructions, practical advice for DIY projects, and solutions to common problems.

New Adult Nonfiction 640 BO

Taste & Technique (2016) by Naomi Pomeroy

Taste and Technique is more than just a cookbook which lists ingredients and instructions; it’s a culinary manual that focuses on technique so that you can prepare dazzling meals that feed the body and spirit, again and again. This is a cookbook for the home cook who is looking to dramatically enhance their kitchen prowess. Each recipe and technique is plainly explained and feels as though you are receiving private in-home instruction from a world-class chef.  Taste and Technique will inspire your confidence and have you creating 5-star meals from the very first recipe.

New Adult Nonfiction 641.5 PO

Table Manners (2016) by Jeremiah Tower

In Table Manners, Jeremiah Tower has created a witty and unstuffy book on a rather stuffy subject; how to behave at the dining table and why it matters. Tower’s book is a sensible back-to-basics guide that is chock-full of practical advice for any dining experience, whether you are the host or a guest. Bone up on how to set a table, serve a meal, or simply gain confidence in navigating dinner conversations. Because Tower also addresses topics such as using social media and technology at the table, Table Manners is a wonderful book on etiquette for a modern world.

New Adult Nonfiction 395.54 TO

--Dominic M. Davis, Administrative Assistant