DSCL Shelf Talk Titles for July and August

Adult

“A Course Called America: Fifty States, Five Thousand Fairways, and the Search for the Great American Golf Course” by Tom Coyne – Coyne spent an unforgettable year traveling the US searching for the finest golf course experience his home country could offer. His journey began in Rhode Island and ended in the midnight sun of Fairbanks, Alaska. This book is “packed with fascinating tales from American golf history, comic road misadventures, illuminating insights into course design, and many a memorable round with local golfers and celebrity guests alike.” Both avid golfers and nongolfers alike will enjoy the journey. You can read a review of this title, available in print and on Overdrive, at kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/tom-coyne/a-course-called-america/

“Test gods: Virgin Galactic and the Making of a Modern Astronaut” by Nicholas Schmidle – This non-fiction title is all about Virgin Galactic’s campaign to build a space tourism company and shares the remarkable stories of the engineers, visionaries and test pilots who are making it possible. Virgin Galactic is just one of three private companies in this new space race, with SpaceX and Blue Origin being the other two in the race. This is a “candid and revealing portrayal of extraordinary people striving to breach one of humanity’s final frontiers.” You can read a review of this title, which is available in print, at amazon.com/Test-Gods-Virgin-Galactic-Astronaut/dp/1250229758

“Last Summer at the Golden Hotel” by Elyssa Friedland – The Golden Hotel, in its heyday, was the crown jewel of the hot vacation scene in the Catskills. Business partners and best friends, the Goldman and the Weingold families, presided over the Golden hotel which welcomed celebrity and other well-heeled guests. Now the Catskills as well as the family relationships are not what they used to be. Can the family come together to save their much loved Golden before it is too late? This title is available in print. You can read a review of this title at kirkusreviews.com/bookreviews/elyssa-friedland/last-summer-at-the-golden-hotel/

“The Things we Lost in the Water” by Eric Nguyen – This fiction title tells the story of Huong who arrives in New Orleans with her two young sons from Vietnam. She is jobless, homeless and worried about the husband she left behind. As she begins her life in America with her sons, she continues to write letters and send recorded tapes back to her husband in Vietnam, only to realize she will never see him again. As she works to cope with this loss, her two sons “grow up in their absent father’s shadow, haunted by a man and a country trapped in their memory and imagination.” This title is available in print and eBook on Overdrive. You can read a review of this title at kirkusreviews.com/bookreviews/eric-nguyen/things-we-lost-to-the-water/

Young Adult

“These Feathered Flames” by Alexandra Overy-When twin heirs are born in Tourin, their fates are decided at a young age. While Izaveta remained at court to learn the skills she'd need as the future queen, Asya was taken away to train with her aunt, the mysterious Firebird, who ensured magic remained balanced in the realm. But before Asya's training is completed, the ancient power blooms inside her, which can mean only one thing: the queen is dead, and a new ruler must be crowned. As the princesses come to understand everything their roles entail, they'll discover who they can trust, who they can love—and who killed their mother. publishersweekly.com/9781335147967

“Dustborn” by Erin Bowman-Delta of Dead River has always been told to hide her back, where a map is branded on her skin to a rumored paradise calle the Verdant. In a wasteland plagued by dust squalls, geomagnetic storms, and solar flares, many would kill for it--even if no one can read it. So when raiders sent by a man known as the General attack her village, Delta suspects he is searching for her. Delta sets out to rescue her family but quickly learns that in the Wastes no one can be trusted--perhaps not even her childhood friend, Asher who has been missing for nearly a decade. If Delta ca trust Asher, she just might decode the map and trade evidence of the Verdant to the General for her family. What Delta doesn't count on is what waits at the Verdant: a long-forgotten secret that will shake the foundation of her entire world. kirkusreviews.com/ book-reviews/erin-bowmman/dustborn/

“Instructions for Dancing” by Nicola Yoon-Evie Thomas doesn't believe in love anymore. Especially after the stranges thing occurs one otherwise ordinary afternoon: She witnesses a couple kiss and is overcome with a vision o how their romance began . . . and how it will end. After all, even the greatest love stories end with a broken heart, eventually. As Evie tries to understand why this is happening, she finds herself at La Brea Dance Studio, learning to waltz, fox-trot, and tango with a boy named X. X is everything that Evie is not: adventurous, passionate, daring. His philosophy is to say yes to everything--including entering a ballroom dance competition with a girl he's only just met. Falling for X is definitely not what Evie had in mind. If her visions of heartbreak have taught her anything, it's that no one escapes love unscathed. But as she and X dance around and toward each other, Evie is forced to question all she thought she knew about life and love. In the end, is love worth the risk? nytimes.com/2021/06/01/books/review/instructions-for-dancing-nicola-yoon.html

“Luck of the Titanic” by Stacey Lee-Valora Luck has two things: a ticket for the biggest and most luxurious ocean liner in the world, and a dream of leaving England behind and making a life for herself as a circus performer in New York. Much to her surprise though, she's turned away at the gangway; apparently, Chinese aren't allowed into America. But Val has to get on that ship. Her twin brother Jamie, who has spent two long years at sea, is there, as is an influential circus owner, whom Val hopes to audition for. Thankfully, there's not much a trained acrobat like Val can't overcome when she puts her mind to it. As a stowaway, Val should keep her head down and stay out of sight. But the clock is ticking and she has just seven days as the ship makes its way across the Atlantic to find Jamie, perform for the circus owner, and convince him to help get them both into America. Then one night the unthinkable happens, and suddenly Val's dreams of a new life are crushed under the weight of the only thing that matters: survival.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/stacey-lee/luck-of-the-titanic/