The Island of Lost Maps by Miles Harvey The Island of Lost Maps is a story of the apprehension of a map thief skillfully interwoven with the history of mapmaking. The prints which accompany the text are well-selected and are themselves mute testament to stories of an age gone by. This wonderful story also introduces the reader to the world of map collecting and map librarianship. --Doug McAllister, Government Documents Librarian Library copy Library copy In the Land of White Death by Valerian Ivanovich Albanov This is a little known narrative of an amazing survival tale. Valerian Albanov's account of his 18-month-long survival in the Siberian Arctic remained unknown until a group of polar-literature enthusiasts rediscovered it in 1997. The reader follows the trail of Valerian and a handful of other sailors as they try to make their way back to the Russian coast after their ship becomes locked in the arctic ice pack. Albanov's experience is a brief, gripping account of a story that rivals the greatest survival tales in history. --Doug McAllister, Government Documents Librarian The Girlfriends' Guide to Pregnancy by Vicki Iovine When I was pregnant with my son, I looked at several pregnancy books for advice. Iovine's book caught my attention from the first with its title, and certainly lived up to its claims. Iovine polled her girlfriends for advice and anecdotes, and covered details you won't find anywhere else. Now I recommend it to all my pregnant friends. In the second title, Iovine uses a lot of humor to illustrate situations that you know are culled from real life. No one could make these things up. And no matter how tough the journey or how tired you may be, you know you aren't alone. --Nancy Clark, Fiction Librarian Library copy Library copy A Darkness More Than Night by Michael Connelly Enigmatic police investigator Harry Bosch is the chief witness against a movie director charged with a lurid killing of an actress in celebrity-mad LA. Retired profiler Terry McCaleb is recovering from surgery when he's called in to help with an investigation of a particularly gruesome murder. Do these cases intertwine? Of course they do, but the getting there is the fascinating part in this latest Michael Connelly thriller - a dark contemporary mystery with complex characters, fast-paced action, and top-notch police investigation combined with courtroom drama. Put up your feet and forget the dishes, because once you begin this page-turner you will not want to put it down. --Chris Bristah, Adult Services Coordinator The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams Space...the ultimate trip. Especially if your planet has been wiped out by an interstellar bypass and you suddenly finding yourself hitching a ride on a Vogon Constructor ship, as does our befuddled hero, Earthling Arthur Dent, in the first chapter of this hysterically irreverent romp through intergalactic space. Complete with all-too personal robots, infinite improbability drive, and the philosophic musings of a sperm whale and a bowl of petunias, this book not only dares to ask the big questions about life, the universe, and everything, it's not afraid to answer them. If you like your humor British with a Pythonesque twist, then this is your cup of tea - or rather, your cup of Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster. --Chris Bristah, Adult Services Coordinator Library copy Library copy Ocean's End: Travels Through Endangered Seas by Colin Woodard Colin Woodard, a journalist specializing in global affairs, gives an eyewitness account of the world's endangered oceans. His compelling observations are eerily reminiscent of Rachel Carson's Silent Spring. He discusses many possible reasons for the rapidly escalating crisis in our oceans and offers suggestions for remedying some of the critical situations. This disturbing book leaves little doubt about the gravity of the water world's ecological crisis. I highly recommend it to all dwellers of this planet. --Denise Halliday, Gerrish Branch Librarian Scotch Irish: A Social History by James G Leyburn Leyburn's history dispels the traditional myths surrounding the Scotch Irish and delves into the nitty-gritty of everyday life from their beginnings in Scotland, removal to Northern Ireland, and their migrations to America. Their development into a distinct people perfectly suited for the harsh realities of colonial America is a fascinating, absorbing story--history at its best. --Bev Sadoski, Reference Librarian Library copy Library copy Stowaway by Karen Hesse Stowaway Nicholas Young, age 11, sneaks aboard Captain Cook's first voyage on the HMS Endeavor and manages to stay hidden until the journey is well underway. In Nicholas' fictional journal, readers follow the 1768 adventure to discover a new continent at the bottom of globe. Hesse, a Newbery award winning author, was inspired by the story of a real stowaway of the same name and age on the voyage and, through superb research, makes the journey come alive through the eyes of a fictional Nicholas. -- Kay Meyers, Youth Service Subject Specialist Excellent Women by Barbara Pym It is imperative that one choose wisely when it comes to reading material, especially when traveling light. I brought only one book with me in my pack on a walking tour of the Cottswolds. Much to my dismay, I soon realized that Jane Austen's Emma was not my cup of tea. Being of the school that I must give a classic a fair shake, I struggled through, but was much relieved when my walking partner handed over her completed copy of Excellent Women by Barbara Pym. In Shrewsbury, where Pym lived for some time, I delighted over the delectable descriptions of the life of a witty, single woman living in London in the 1950's. Pym's narrator, Mildred, has the knack of getting involved in her neighbor's lives, including the vicar next door. Plenty of dry humor and insights, not to mention tea and spirits, are served up within Pym's books for a satisfying and enjoyable read. -- Sherri Douglas, Youth Services Coordinator Library copy Library copy The Nature of Alaska edited by James Kavanagh Not a new title but a great one, this title lists 275 species in an easy to use format. The small size makes it perfect for carrying in a backpack, and the color-coded pages make looking up different sections easy and quick. This handy guide is out of print but copies are still available at your public library. --Pat Pauley, Alaska Collection Librarian The Demon Princes by Jack Vance This series of five books (The Star King, The Palace of Love, The Killing Machine, The Face, and the Book of Dreams) published in the early 1960's has long been out-of-print, but thanks to the Tor publishing house is now available in a two-volume paperback set. Vance writes plots and characters that are simplistic and cartoonish, but his writing style is elegant and one-of-a-kind, with lush descriptions of alien locales and some of the driest, wittiest dialogue available anywhere. --Dan Fleming, Municipal Reference Librarian Library copy Library copy Our Man in Havana by Graham Greene Greene's books are set in exotic locales and are well-written. "Our Man in Havana" is a novel of suspense with comic overtones. The protagonist, Wormold, is a vacuum cleaner dealer recruited as a spy for the British in pre-Castro Cuba. He invents his information to keep the goverment money coming in for his daughter, who has very expensive tastes. Wormold turns in drawings of vacuum cleaner parts as part of an imaginary secret installation in Cuba and invents sub-agents that all have to be paid. Greene's books make great traveling companions. --Michael Catoggio, Humanities Selector Phantom Islands of the Atlantic by Donald S. Johnson Reading Island of Lost Maps lead me to this wonderful book by Donald S. Johnson. Johnson traces the development of maps through the centuries, as increased geographic knowledge produced more accurate, though less colorful, maps. He describes how the combination of various weather phenomena, animal sounds and imprecise calculations lead ancient explorers to create myths that supported their beliefs in nonexistent lands. I found this to be a fascinating look into the history of cartography and exploration. --Dorothy Arab, Reference Librarian Library copy Library copy Catfish and Mandala by Andrew X. Pham The author was ten years old when his family fled Vietnam by boat, evading pirates and the Viet Cong and finally coming to America. There Pham gained an education and grew up to be an engineer and an American. Or did he? Wrestling with a crisis of identity, Pham quit his job and took his bicycle to Vietnam where he sought answers to many questions. Alternating between Pham's Hanoi-to-Saigon travelogue (with some of the most vivid gustatory descriptions in all travel literature) and the story of his dysfunctional family's attempted assimilation in California, first-time author Pham makes the reader care deeply about it all. --Bruce Merrell, Alaska Collection Bibliographer The Hotel Honolulu by Paul Theroux The Hotel Honolulu by Paul Theroux is full of my favorite things: memorable characters with interesting stories. This is a work of fiction, but the narrator is suspiciously like the author himself. He's a writer in retreat from writing and to the imaginary in search of the real world. He escapes to Hawaii where he becomes the manager of a down-at-the-heels hotel, the Hotel Honolulu in Waikiki. Each chapter is a different story of the strange and wonderful characters who are in some way associated with the hotel, as owners, guests, and staff. Ultimately he can't escape the writing life because these characters' stories demand to be told. And for anyone who has ever lived in Hawaii, these are absolutely real people. --Marcia Colson, Science and Technology Librarian Library copy Library copy The Ice Child by Elizabeth McGregor The Ice Child, by British author Elizabeth McGregor, is about London journalist Jo Harper who is given an assignment by her editor she does not want. Archeologist Doug Marshall was missing in the Arctic, researching the historical John Franklin Expedition, which went in search of the Northwest Passage and disappeared in 1845 with 120 men and two ships. Jo becomes fascinated with Marshall and his quest. The book moves back and forth between Jo's present day story and the Franklin Expedition narrated by a young sailor named Gus. An interesting read, the author cleverly mixes romance, adventure, historical facts, medical information about a rare blood disease, and descriptions of a female polar bear with her offspring in a clever way. --Charlotte Pendleton, Samson-Dimond Librarian 50 Hikes in Alaska's Chugach Park by Shane Shepard and Owen Wozniak 50 Hikes in Alaska's Chugach State Park by Shane Shepard and Owen Wozniak is a handy summer resource for those into hiking. The guidebook includes some information about the land, history and habitats of Chugach State Park. One chapter has a few tips on hike preparation. The book includes trails for all ages and abilities, directions to the trails, hiking difficulty levels, hiking times, distances, types of terrain, highest points, and maps. There's a brief, well-written overview of each hike also. Happy trails! --Charlotte Pendleton, Samson-Dimond Librarian Library copy Library copy In a Sunburned Country by Bill Bryson If you're looking for light summer reading, Bill Bryson has found a light-soaked continent he'd like to share with you. But it's summertime. Why go all the way to Australia when reading Bryson's book is just like being there? His detailed descriptions of the land, animals, people and history will not only leave you with the feeling you've been there, it will convince you that you don't want to go back. He writes that Australia "has more things that can kill you in extremely nasty ways than anywhere else -- sharks, crocodiles, the ten most deadly poisonous snakes on the planet, fluffy but toxic caterpillars, seashells that attack you, and the unbelievable box jellyfish." Besides the animals, there's the dangerous riptides and the sun-baked outback. Ready to go??? --Kim Pendleton, Muldoon Librarian