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No, this isn’t a book about food! Scott Huler’s title comes from a 1709 book by English explorer John Lawson which described Lawson’s year-long journey from Charleston, SC through the interior of both Carolinas to what is today Bath, NC. Lawson kept notebooks of his journey that included observations on the land, plants (some of which he sent back to London), people, and the customs of the Indian tribes that he interacted with along the way. In 2014, Huler set out on a journey to follow Lawson’s trail, in as much as he possibly could, to see how the landscape and people had changed. Like Lawson, Huler carefully recorded what he saw, the people he met, the landscape through which he walked, and his interactions with the remnants of those original Indian nations that Lawson had met. Huler’s travelogue brims with clarity, wit, and keen insight as he incorporates Lawson’s personal accounts into his own observations. He’s exactly the type of informed, energetic travelling companion you’d enjoy talking with over a cup of coffee. Here’s a new voyage of discovery for twentieth-century explorers to savor. 251 pages. 975.6 HUL
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You’ve got to be in awe when you consider the accomplishments of Frederick Law Olmstead. Most of us know him as the landscape architect of Asheville’s Biltmore estate. But, that’s only one of his accomplishments. Consider the following, Olmstead: wrote a series of articles detailing slavery in the ante-bellum South, literally built New York City’s Central Park, headed up a Civil War battlefield medical support group, advocated for the creation of Yosemite National Park, worked on the landscaping for Chicago’s 1893 Columbian Exposition, and helped design the US Capitol grounds. His legacy included the realization that outdoor, green spaces could help people live healthier and happier lives. Justin Martin’s biography of this amazing man does an especially good job of putting Olmstead into his times as he describes the fight to build Central Park, Olmstead’s Civil War service, and the myriad other projects that received his time and attention. If you’ve ever been to Biltmore (or, if you plan to go), read this biography to understand a man whose grand vision saw far into the future. 452 pages. B Olmstead
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Weather a little too warm? Laura Purcell’s The Silent Companions will definitely cool you down. Elsie Bainbridge finds herself in a London asylum, bandaged, crippled, and unable to speak. Her journey there began when she inherited her late husband’s family estate, The Bridge. Newly widowed and pregnant, Elsie is in no way prepared to tackle The Bridge, a rundown house with a hostile staff, located near a small town which still has unwelcomed memories of bad things that happened there over two centuries earlier. Elsie, accompanied by her sister-in-law, settles in, but, soon, Elsie begins to hear things and find strange piles of sawdust on the floors. Then, she discovers in an upstairs garret a strange, painted wooden figure, a silent companion, that looks remarkably like her. Elsie’s sister-in-law finds an old diary that describes a grisly incident that occurred during the visit of King Charles in 1635. Soon, more companions appear and people in the house begin to die under mysterious circumstances. Elsie’s brother decides that she is going mad and plans to commits her. But, is she the one that’s truly mad, or is it her…? Purcell has plotted a terrific mystery/horror story that has a new twist at every page turn. Be afraid…be very afraid…! 304 pages. FIC PUR
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Hollywood, 1938 - Do they put it in or leave it out? After all it’s just a little ditty “Somewhere Over the Rainbow?” The seventy-seven-year-old woman who’s watching young Judy Garland learn that song is none other than Maud Gage Baum, the widow of the author of The Wizard of Oz. Elizabeth Letts’ historical fiction novel alternates between the 1938 filming of the book and Maud Gage’s earlier life. Maud wasn’t just any little girl! Her mother worked with Elizabeth Stanton on the 1876 Declaration of the Rights of Women, and Maud herself would be among the first women to attend Cornell University. But, it’s her marriage to L. Frank Baum, who, though he sells axle grease for a living, is in reality a dreamer and a writer that dramatically changes her life. And, it’s on the set of The Wizard of Oz that Maud comes to finally understand what the Tin Man knows- “people with hearts have something to guide them…”. Letts’ based her novel on extensive research which she describes in the book’s very interesting afterword. If this is/was your favorite book/movie, you’ll want to go over the rainbow one more time with this satisfying story. 352 pages. FIC LET
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