New at the library

Boise Public Library

“The House of Shattered Wings” by Aliette de Bodard.

Historical fantasy. In a city torn to shreds by the war of the angels, a new order has arisen. The fallen are grouped into houses, the greatest being the House Silverspires, founded by the Morningstar. But Morningstar is missing and the leaders of the other great houses are eager to rule. Three misfits must band together to stop chaos and anarchy from swallowing their war-torn city whole.

Eagle Public Library

“Surprise Attack: From Pearl Harbor to 9/11 to Benghazi” by Larry Hancock.

Adult nonfiction. “Surprise Attack” explores 60-plus years of military and terror threats against the United States, examining the intelligence tools and practices that provided warnings of those attacks. Through a detailed study of various threats, attacks related to the threats and the country’s response, a picture of what works to respond to the threats (and what doesn’t work) emerges.

Meridian Public Library

“The Song Machine: Inside the Hit Factory” by John Seabrook.

Nonfiction. Pop songs have always had a “hook,” but today’s songs bristle with them: a hook every seven seconds is the rule. Painstakingly crafted to tweak the brain’s delight in melody, rhythm and repetition, these songs are highly processed products. Going beyond music to discuss money, business, marketing and technology, “The Song Machine” explores what the new hits may be doing to our brains and listening habits.

Kuna Library

“The Magic Strings of Frankie Presto” by Mitch Albom.

Adult fiction. Frankie Presto, a Spanish orphan raised by a blind music teacher, sets off for America at 9 years old with his sole possession — an old guitar. But Frankie possesses unusual talent — and six magic strings that turn blue whenever his music alters someone’s life. Frankie’s journey takes him across America’s musical landscape throughout the 20th century, touching the lives of famous musicians such as Little Richard, Elvis Presley and Hank Williams in a “Forrest Gump”-like journey.

Garden City Library

“Date-onomics: How Dating Became a Lopsided Numbers Game” by Jon Birger.

Adult nonfiction. Why are so many great women single? Is it really harder to find love than it used to be? Financial analyst Jon Birger delves into the numbers to show how having more college-educated women than college-educated men has changed the dating culture significantly in the United States.

Ada Community Library

“Sweet” by Emmy Laybourne.

Young adult fiction. Laurel and her friend Vivika have scored tickets on the maiden voyage of the Extravagance, the cruise ship that will also serve as the launch for the new sweetener/weight loss product Solu. The ship is super fancy and full of celebrities, including TV star/Laurel childhood crush Tom Fiorelli. While the weight loss is dramatic, Solu seems to have a set of particularly nasty side effects, including intense addiction and violent outbursts. Soon the luxury cruise ship is being overwhelmed by crazed Solu-addicted passengers. Laurel, Tom and the few others who have not taken Solu are in a life-threatening situation they never dreamed of when the boarded the Extravagance a few short days before.

Nampa Public Library

“Trials of Passion: Crimes Committed in the Name of Love and Madness” by Lisa Appignanesi.

Adult nonfiction. When passion is in the picture, what is criminal, what is sane, what is mad or simply bad? Through court and asylum records, letters and newspaper accounts, this book brings to life some sensational trials between 1870 and 1914, a period when the psychiatric professions were consolidating their hold on our understanding of what is human. Outside fiction, individual emotions and the inner life had rarely been publicly discussed; then, in an increasingly popular press and its courtroom reports, people avidly consumed accounts of transgressive sexuality, savage jealousy and forbidden desires. These revealed traits not only of those labeled mad but, potentially, of everyone. With great storytelling flair and a wealth of historical detail, Lisa Appignanesi teases out the vagaries of passion and the clashes between the law and the clinic as they stumble toward a (sometimes reviled) collaboration. Sexual etiquette and class roles, attitudes to love, madness and gender, notions of respectability and honor, insanity and lunacy all are at play in that vital forum in which public opinion is shaped — the theater of the courtroom.

This story was originally published January 7, 2016 at 5:58 PM with the headline "New at the library."