The Times - Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley

Weller Public Library

212 Main Street, Waitsburg

Hours: Mon. and Thurs. 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.

Storytime: Mon., 10:30 a. m.

“Harry Potter and the Cursed Child,” by J.K. Rowling, John Tiffany, and Jack Thorne (Fiction): The eighth story. Nineteen years later. “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” is the eighth story in the Harry Potter series and the first official Harry Potter story to be presented on stage. It was always difficult being Harry Potter and it isn’t much easier now that he is an overworked employee of the Ministry of Magic, a husband and father of three school-age children. While Harry grapples with a past that refuses to stay where it belongs, his youngest son Albus must struggle with the weight of a family legacy he never wanted. AS past and present fuse ominously, both father and son learn the uncomfortable truth: sometimes, darkness comes from unexpected places.

“Truly Madly Guilty,” by Lianne Moriarty (Adult Fiction): The lastest novel by this bestselling author is about how sometimes we don’t appreciate how extraordinary our ordinary lives are until it’s too late. Six responsible adults. Three cute kids. One small dog. It’s just a normal weekend. What could possibly go wrong? In “Truly Madly Guilty,” Moriary turns her unique, razor-sharp eye toward three seemingly happy families. She takes on the foundations of our lives: marriage, sex, parenthood, and friendship. She shows how quilt can expose the fault lines in the most seemingly strong relationships, how what we don’t say can be more powerful than what we do, and how sometimes it is the most innocent of moments that can do the greatest harm.

“Mean Streak,” by Sandra Brown (Adult Fiction): Dr. Emory Charbonneay, a pediatrician and marathon runner, disappears on a mountain road in North Carolina. By the time her husband Jeff, miffed over a recent argument, reports her missing, the trail has grown cold. While police suspect Jeff of “instant divorce,” Emory, suffering from an unexplained head injury, regains consciousness and finds herself the captive of a man whose violent past is so dark that he won’t even tell her his name. She’s determined to escape him and willing to take any risks necessary to survive. But as her husband’s deception is revealed, and the FBI closes in on her captor, Emory begins to wonder if the man with no name is, in fact, her rescuer from those who wish her dead – and from heartbreak.

Dayton Memorial Library

111 S. 3rd Street, Dayton

Hours: Mon., Wed., Fri., 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.; Tues. & Thurs., 12-8 p.m.; Sat., 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Storytime: Wed., 10:00 a.m.

“Burning Midnight,” by Will McIntosh (Science Fiction): No one knows where the brilliant-colored spheres came from. One day they were just there. Burn a pair and they make you alittle better: an inch taller, skilled at math, better looking. The rarer the sphere, the greater the improvement – and the more expensive the sphere. One day Sully, a sphere dealer, and Hunter, a girl with a natural talent for finding spheres, find a gold sphere that no one has seen before. They aren’t aware of it yet, but the fate of the world rests on the little golden orb. All the world fights over the spheres but no one knows where they come from, what their powers are, or why they’re here.

“Into the Lion’s Mouth: The True Story of Dusko Popov: World War II Spy, Patriot, and the Real-Life Inspiration for James Bond,” by Larry Loftis (Biography): James Bond has nothing on British double agent Dusko Popov. As an operative for the Abwehr, SD, MI5, MI6, and FBI during World War II, Popov seduced countless women – including agents on both sides – spoke five languages, and was a crack shot, all while maintaining his cover as a Yugoslav diplomat. “Into the Lion’s Mouth” is a globe-trotting account of a man’s entanglement with espionage, murder, assassins, and lovers – including enemy spies and a Hollywood starlet. It is a story of subterfuge and seduction, patriotism, and cold-blooded courage. It is the story of Dusko Popov – the inspiration for James Bond.

“Daredevils,” by Shawn Vestal (Young Adult): An unforgettable debut novel about Loretta, a teenager married off as a “sister wife,” who makes a break for freedom. Fifteen-year-old Loretta slips out of her bedroom every evening to meet her gentile boyfriend. Her strict Mormon parents catch her returning one night and promptly marry her off to Dean Harder, a devout yet materialistic fundamentalist who already has a wife and a brood of kids. The Harders relocate to his native Idaho, where Dean’s teenage nephew Jason falls hard for Loretta. He and Loretta make a break for it. They drive all night, stay in hotels, and relish their dizzying burst of teenage freedom as they seek to recover Dean’s cache of “Mormon gold.” But someone Loretta left behind is on their trail…