HPL's New Books

Below is a partial list of our new books. To see the full list, download the Excel file for: 2011 . To see new books from other years try: 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007, or 2006.

The Book of Tomorrow By Ahern, Cecelia 2011-01 - Harper 9780061706301 Check Our Catalog From the author of "P.S. I Love You" comes her latest mesmerizing novel hailed by "Marie Claire (UK)" as [A] sweet, life-affirming tale . . . …More

Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang By Ashley Author Jaquavis 2010-11 - Urban Books 9781601622778 Check Our Catalog …More

The Prada Plan 2 By Antoinette, Ashley 2011-01 - Urban Books 9781601622853 Check Our Catalog Street fiction's most infamous bad girl, Leah Richards, holds the fate of an entire family in her hands, in "New York Times"-bestselling author Antoinette's heart-pounding sequel to "The Prada Plan." …More

Surface Detail By Banks, Iain M. 2010-10 - Orbit 9780316123402 Check Our Catalog It begins in the realm of the Real, where matter still matters. It begins with a murder. And it will not end until the Culture has gone to war with death itself, in Banks' newest Culture novel. …More

The Penultimate Chance Saloon By Brett, Simon 2006-03 - Toby Press 9781592641628 Check Our Catalog Soul searching was an unfamiliar exercise to Bill Stratton, and he found it intriguing as well as painful. He hadn?t had much occasion for it in his life, given that he was fairly shallow, but then, on the verge of his 60th birthday, his wife told him she was leaving him for another man. He?d been under the impression they had a happy marriage. She assured him that for nearly forty years, in fact since the second week of their honeymoon, she?d known she was married to the wrong person. Bill had not had much experience of dating (or sex, for that matter) before he met and married Andrea. Post-menopausal dating might be very different to dating in your twenties or thirties, but then he didn?t know much about either scene. Still, as a mildly famous television newsreader who?d managed to hold on to (most of) his looks, it seemed he was about to have plenty of opportunities to find out... …More

The Tenant of Wildfell Hall By Bronte, Anne Editor Rosengarten, Herbert Introduction by McDonagh, Josephine 2008-06 - Oxford University Press, USA 9780199207558 Check Our Catalog Published in June 1848, less than a year before her death, Anne Bronte's second (and last) novel, The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, is the somber account of the breakdown of a marriage in the face of alcoholism and infidelity. The novel enjoyed a modest success that led its publisher, the unscrupulous T.C. Newby, to issue a "Second Edition" less than two months later. The present edition, which completes the Clarendon Edition of the Novels of the Brontes, offers a text based on the collation of the first edition with the second. The introduction details the work's composition and early printing history, including its first publication in America; and the text is fully annotated. Appendices record the substantive variants in the first English and American editions, and discuss the author's belief in the doctrine of universal salvation. …More

To Have and to Kill: A Wedding Cake Mystery By Clark, Mary Jane 2010-12 - William Morrow & Company 9780061995545 Check Our Catalog "New York Times"-bestselling author Clark's brand-new Wedding Cake Mystery series gets off to delicious start with this first installment. …More

Full Circle By Cooper, Susan Rogers 2011-01 - Severn House Publishers 9780727869555 Check Our Catalog The new E.J. Pugh murder mystery - Someone is stalking romance novelist E.J. Pugh's fourteen-year-old adopted daughter, Bessie. The whole Pugh clan rallies round her to keep her safe - but Bessie has more problems than an average teenager. When she was a child, her entire family were murdered . . . so who is this person claiming to be her dead brother Aldon? And who seems to be willing to take out her entire new family to get to her? The Pugh family is taken back, full circle, to where the horror all began. …More

The Sentry By Crais, Robert 2011-01 - Putnam Adult 9780399157073 Check Our Catalog BookPage Notable Title Dru Rayne and her uncle fled to L.A. after Hurricane Katrina; now they face a different danger. When Joe Pike witnesses Dru's uncle beaten by a protection gang, he offers his help, but neither of them wants it. Pike and Elvis Cole soon learn that Dru and her uncle are not who they seem. …More

Other Eyes By D'Amato, Barbara 2011-01 - Forge 9780765326065 Check Our Catalog Forensic archaeologist Blue Eriksen is convinced that a hallucinogen derived from mushrooms can prevent or cure drug addiction. But a secret international organization that facilitates the production, delivery, and sale of illegal drugs considers Blue a threat and sends one of their enforcers to kill her. …More

Candy By Davies, Luke 2006-10 - Ballantine Books 9780345423870 Check Our Catalog He met Candy during a lush Sydney summer. Gorgeous, sexy, free-spirited Candy. They fell in love fast, lots of laughter and lust, the days melting warmly into each other. He never planned to give her a habit. But she wanted a taste. And wasn't love, after all, about sharing lives? But when the money ran out, the craving remained, and the days ceased their luxurious stretch. But there was still love. Only now, it was a threesome. Heroin had its own demands, its own timetable, and thoughts of nabbing the next fix hurled them into each day. Then, when desperation set in, Candy would stop at nothing to secure a blast, as she and her love became hostage to the nightmarish world of addiction. …More

The Lake of Dreams By Edwards, Kim 2011-01 - Viking Books 9780670022175 Check Our Catalog BookPage Notable Title With revelations that prove as captivating as the deceptions at the heart of her #1 "New York Times"-bestselling phenomenon "The Memory Keeper's Daughter," Edwards now presents the story of a woman's homecoming, a family secret, and the old house that holds the key to the true legacy of a family. …More

Left-Handed Dollar By Estleman, Loren D. 2010-12 - Forge 9780765319548 Check Our Catalog In his exciting twentieth mystery, hardboiled detective Amos Walker is hired to help free a mobster who once tried to kill Barry Stackpole, Walker's only true friend. …More

Dark Secret By Feehan, Christine 2005-02 - Jove Books 9780515138856 Check Our Catalog In her latest Carpathian novel, the "New York Times" bestselling author reveals the enthralling story of Rafael, a savage hunter from the darkest jungles, and the beautiful prey he will never let escape. Original. …More

Love Letters By Fforde, Katie 2011-01 - St. Martin's Press 9780312674533 Check Our Catalog Wedding planner Sarah doesn't believe in love. However, she agrees to organize two weddings on the same day. Luckily, Sarah is aided by two best friends. As the big day draws near, the three women certainly haven't got time to even think about love--or have they? …More

The Memory of Love By Forna, Aminatta 2011-01 - Atlantic Monthly Press 9780802119650 Check Our Catalog BookPage Notable Title Adrian Lockheart is a psychologist escaping his life in England. Arriving in Freetown in the wake of civil war, he struggles with the intensity of the heat, dirt and secrets this country hides. A story unfolds about ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances and the indelible effects of the past. …More

Left Neglected By Genova, Lisa 2011-01 - Gallery Press 9781439164631 Check Our Catalog BookPage Notable Title Genova delivers a poignant novel about a busy, vibrant woman in her 30s who has a car accident, leaving her to deal with a crippling disorder called left neglect. …More

Lord of Misrule By Gordon, Jaimy 2010-11 - McPherson 9780929701837 Check Our Catalog 2010 National Book Award Winner-Fiction "Lord of Misrule" is a darkly realistic novel about a young woman living through a year of horse racing at a half-mile track in West Virginia, while everyone's best laid schemes keep going brutally wrong. With her first novel since her acclaimed "Bogeywoman" (1999), Jaimy Gordon bears comparison to other great writers of the American demimonde, such as Nathanael West, Damon Runyon, and Eudora Welty. …More

The Outlaws: A Presidential Agent Novel By Griffin, W. E. B. Author Butterworth, William E., IV 2010-12 - Putnam Adult 9780399156830 Check Our Catalog Charlie Castillo's secret unit has been disbanded, but that doesn't mean he's out of business. A FedEx package arrives, bearing photos of barrels containing some of the most dangerous biohazard materials on Earth, all of which were supposed to have been destroyed during a raid on a secret Russian factory in the Congo. Who has them, and what do they want? Castillo has a feeling he's not going to like the answers. (Men's Adventure) …More

The Hanging Tree By Gruley, Bryan 2010-12 - Thorndike Press 9781410432421 Check Our Catalog A shocking discovery once again sparks fear in the small Michigan town of Starvation Lake. …More

Not a Day Goes by By Harris, E. Lynn 2004-02 - Anchor Books 9781400075782 Check Our Catalog John "Basil" Henderson has always played the field, both as a professional football player and as an equal opportunity lover. After retiring his jersey for a career as a sports agent, the dashing playboy is surprising everyone--including himself--by deciding to settle down and commit to his new love, Yancey Harrington Braxton. A fiercely driven Broadway star on the rise, blessed with beauty, charm, and a fondness for the finer things in life, she appears to be his ideal mate. A lavish wedding is planned, but just before the nuptials, fate and a little comeuppance threaten the happy couple's future. Charged with narrative exuberance and sumptuous detail, Not a Day Goes By" proves that nobody spins a sexy urban love story like E. Lynn Harris. …More

Love and Rockets, No. 3: New Stories By Hernandez, Gilbert Author Hernandez, Jaime 2010-10 - Fantagraphics Books 9781606993798 Check Our Catalog All-new stories featuring Jaime's Maggie and Ray, plus Gilbert's Fritz and the "Sad Girl." …More

The Judas Gate By Higgins, Jack 2011-01 - Putnam Adult 9780399156847 Check Our Catalog A disturbing tape has made its way to British intelligence: battlefield chatter from an ambush in Afghanistan, in which 12 U.S. Army Rangers and a British medical team died. Most of the Taliban voices are Afghan, but the voice of the commander bears an Irish accent. Sean Dillon is put in charge of hunting down the traitor. …More

Secrets to the Grave By Hoag, Tami 2010-12 - Dutton Books 9780525951926 Check Our Catalog A #1 "New York Times"-bestselling author returns with her second thriller in the Deeper Than the Dead microseries, exploring the early days of forensic investigation, the characteristics of innocence--and the nature of evil. …More

World's Greatest Sleuth! By Hockensmith, Steve 2011-01 - Minotaur Books 9780312379438 Check Our Catalog In 1893, the Amlingmeyer boys venture forth from the West in response to a summons from Otto's ("Big Red") publisher--they are to come to Chicago immediately, to the World's Columbian Exposition, and compete with some of the most famous detectives in the world. …More

Book Review-Man from Beijing

When I saw the NookColor, I realized it was the ebook reader I was waiting for. I bought it in time to take it on vacation, and immediately checked our Overdrive collection for a book to borrow. Almost all our ebooks were checked out, so I put a hold on The Man from Beijing by Henning Mankell. I checked my email daily for the notice that it was ready. I got to my destination, checked my email and there it was! I downloaded it right in the hotel room and was able to start reading it immediately. I was very pleased with the reading experience. It is easy to use, lightweight, and has a nice clear screen.

So, on with the book reveiw! I really enjoyed the book. It had me hooked from the very beginning. I enjoyed the character development and the settings. The book takes place in contemporary Sweden and China, and the American West of the early 1800's. The main plot is a murder mystery, but there is also a subplot about the building of the railroad and the poor treatment of the people who were doing the hard labor. Mankell is mostly known for his Kurt Wallender series, this book is not in that series. I would certainly recommend this book to mystery fans.

Tax help available for Muskegon-area low-income residents

Tax help available for Muskegon-area low-income residents:
The following resources in West Michigan are offering free tax assistance through April 15, unless otherwise noted:
• Call 2-1-1 screens applicants and refers them to a location for help.
• Orchard View Community Education, 1990 E. Apple, 760-1350. For people 60 and older.

• Muskegon-Oceana Community Action Partnership, 1170 W. Southern, 725-9499. Through June 30.
• Muskegon Department of Human Services, 2700 Baker, Muskegon Heights, 733-3657, or contact your DHS caseworker. For DHS clients only. Tuesday appointments only.
• White Lake Senior Center, 8741 Ferry, Montague, 894-9493. Wednesday appointments only.
• Community United Methodist Church, 1614 Ruddiman, North Muskegon, 744-3314. Wednesday appointments only.
• Holton Community Center, 8872 Duck Lake, Holton, 821-0000. Appointments from 1-3 p.m. Feb. 15, Feb. 22 and March 1.
• Fremont Area District Library, 104 E. Main, Fremont, 689-2100. Thursday appointments only.
• Ottawa County Michigan Works!, 1830 172nd, Grand Haven, 616-393-5610. Thursday appointments only. Help with itemized forms and tax returns for small businesses available.
• North Ottawa Senior Center, 422 Fulton, Grand Haven, 616-842-9210. Tuesday and Thursday appointments only, through April 7.
Be sure to bring your Social Security card, a photo ID, your W-2 and records of Social Security or Department of Human Services benefits.
--From the Muskegon Chronicle's Blog, Feb 9, 2011

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Review: Cruz Reader by Velocity Micro is a versatile device

Review: Cruz Reader by Velocity Micro is a versatile device: From Overdrive:
"I’ve been getting a lot of requests for news about the Cruz Reader by Velocity Micro. I can confidently say that the Cruz Reader and Cruz Tablet are both considered compatible and are now listed on the OverDrive Device Resource Center. For this review though, I’m going to focus on the Cruz Reader.

Just like the PanDigital Novel, the Cruz Reader is more of a multifunctional device, not quite a tablet. I think I’m now going to start calling these types of devices ‘crossovers’, because they aren’t a dedicated eBook reader or a tablet (and mostly because multimedia device just seems like a mouthful). Besides being able to download EPUB eBooks and MP3 audiobooks from the library, you can enjoy media you’ve accessed from other websites. Just as with the Galaxy Tab and various smartphones, you have to install the OverDrive app to the device before you download a book.

Velocity Micro, mostly known for their high-end (not to mention expensive) computers, did a pretty decent job designing the Cruz Reader. One thing that makes the Cruz similar to other gadgets like the PanDigital Novel is that it is running an Android OS, 2.0 to be exact. After further investigation it looks to be a version of Android allowing you access to apps through ‘CruzMarket’ not Android Marketplace. What’s nice though is that you can connect to the Internet using Wi-Fi, no 3G network required.

The device feels substantial in your hands and the rubber backing makes it feel pricier than it is. Weighing just under a pound, it is one of the heavier devices I’ve reviewed. After reading a few chapters of Beautiful Darkness by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl, I needed to set it in my lap.

The Cruz uses a resistive touch screen which is different from what you have seen on the iPad or iPhone. I have noticed the screen is more responsive when using a stylus instead of the tip of a finger. For the most part it was quick to scroll through the pages of ‘Beautiful Darkness’. The color isn’t quite as sharp as I experienced with the NOOKcolor in December but it is acceptable for browsing the web or watching videos on YouTube. As for reading purposes, keep in mind the screen is backlit just like a tablet. If you prefer traditional E-Ink, this probably isn’t the device for you.

My main beef with the Cruz is that it takes a long time to boot up – almost an obnoxious amount of time. Now to me, an obnoxious amount of time for a gadget to boot up is about a minute. What can I say? I’m impatient and part of the ‘immediate gratification’ generation. Once it’s on, it’s not bad. The OverDrive app loads quickly and the response time of a page turn, as I mentioned before, is pretty good if you remember to use a stylus or your nail. The last negative point is that the storage space is fairly limited at 256 MB but it does come with a 4 GB micro SD card.

The bottom line is that for only $118 the Cruz Reader is an excellent deal. Not only can you enjoy EPUB eBooks and MP3 audiobooks but you can check email, surf the web, listen to music, and watch videos. It’ll give you a lot of bang for your buck if you are interested in a ‘crossover’. Now that I think about it, that word brings cars to mind…

Megan Greer is a retail project manager for OverDrive.

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How to Opt Out of Pre-Approval Offers

How to Opt Out of Pre-Approval Offers: From Gov Gab:

"How often do you receive offers in the mail for a credit card or insurance that you've been pre-approved for?
If you just end up throwing the envelopes into the trash unopened, you might be interested in learning you can opt out of receiving mail like this.

You have two opt-out options: A five-year opt-out period or permanent opt-out.

If you aren't currently in the market for a new credit card or insurance policy, but know you might be in the future, the five-year opt-out period would probably work for you. If you don't want to see offers like this in your mailbox at all, you could consider the permanent option.

To opt out you can call 1-888-5-OPTOUT or visit optoutprescreen.com. The phone number and website are operated by the major credit reporting companies and will stop all pre-approval solicitations based on lists organizations receive from the credit reporting companies. Opting out will not prevent you from receiving solicitations from local merchants, membership organizations and and other groups that don't get their mailing lists from the major credit reporting companies.

Have you ever opted out of pre-approval offers or do you like getting the offers in the mail so you can learn about what options you have?
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American Heart Month

American Heart Month: From GovGab: "
About every 25 seconds, an American will have a coronary event, and about one every minute will die from one. Is it going to be you? I hope not.
February is American Heart Month, to raise awareness of heart disease, and to remind us that it’s never too early, or too late to take steps to improve our heart health.
I have a healthy heart now, but my father endured surgeries for an aneurysm, heart bypass, and a valve replacement. These were life saving procedures that extended his life and gave him good quality of life, but there were some really hard times getting through it. None of that was any fun at all.
I would like to do what I can to avoid having heart disease in the future. Being physically active can help lower your risk of heart disease. I try to stay active with my kids, and right now I’m recovering from a back injury I got while sledding. While I recuperate, I look forward to some moderate physical activity in the garden, and getting some real exercise by getting back on the road on my bike.

Exercise reduces some risk factors for heart disease. It can lower fat and cholesterol levels that increase heart disease risk. It also can lower blood pressure and increase production of a cholesterol, called HDL, that protects against heart disease.
So pick an exercise routine that’s right for you, combine it with a heart healthy diet, keep your weight under control and you’ll be doing what you can to prevent heart disease.
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E-file Your Taxes This Year

E-file Your Taxes This Year: From GovGab: "Do you file your federal taxes electronically, or are you still using the paper forms? The IRS (Internal Revenue Service) says that almost 100 million taxpayers e-filed their taxes last year. Even I’m surprised that many of us e-file.

There are three ways to e-file:

• Free File – You can go to IRS.gov and use the Free File program if your income was $58,000 or less. If you’re the type of person that prefers to fill in the forms yourself, you can do that online too with the Free File Fillable Forms program. With fillable forms, you choose the forms you need, fill them in, sign electronically and e-file your return.
  
• e-file – You can do it yourself and buy tax preparation software, prepare your own return, and press "send to e-file."
  
• Find a tax preparer that is an authorized IRS e-file provider and have your tax preparer e-file for you. Nearly all tax preparers use e-file, and many are now required by law to e-file.
  

E-filing can even help you avoid the processing delay caused by the tax legislation enacted late last year. If you’re somebody who claims itemized deductions on Schedule A, the higher education tuition and fees deduction on Form 8917, or the educator expenses deduction, you can e-file and get a head start because many major software providers have announced they will accept these impacted returns immediately. The software providers will hold onto the returns and then electronically submit them after the IRS systems open on Feb. 14.
This year you can even track your refund with your smartphone! The free IRS2Go app is available in the Apple App Store and the Android Marketplace.
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