Library News

A graphic of an orange cookbook with a measuring cup and a wooden spoon.
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Recipe Club and Potluck: March 2026

Get recipes from this month's Recipe Club & Potluck program-- including pasta salad, homemade crackers, and lots of cookies-- and register for April's Recipe Club program taking place on Friday, April 10 @ 1:00 pm!
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Michelle and her Mom at Ale Together Now
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Ale Together Now: NA Beers!

If a beer doesn't contain alcohol, does it still offer the same flavor and complexity as a regular beer? Our most recent Ale Together Now program evaluates the many flavors and styles of non-alcoholic beer, and dives into the interesting process of brewing an NA beer, too!
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A child posing next to the new sensory/manipulative toys in the Youth department.
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Learn about the Friends of Cromaine, and the Incredible Impact They Make on Our Library and In Our Community!

The Friends of Cromaine formed in 1976 to serve the Library and the Hartland community through fundraising and volunteerism. Learn about the many projects that the Friends have taken on over the years, the tremendous impact they've had on our Library, and how easy it is to get involved!
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New at Cromaine

Book cover for "Son of Nobody"

Son of Nobody

"The most famous stories of the Trojan War and its aftermath are Homer's Iliad and Odyssey. But these were not the only tales of the war sung to ancient audiences by bards-there were others, now vanished but for echoes and fragments, collected in what has come to be known as the Epic Cycle. In SON OF NOBODY, one such tale is the Psoad: an epic that follows the son of a goatherd, Psoas of Midea, who leaves his wife and family to fight on the beaches of Troy. Psoas meets his doom, and the epic poem of his life is lost to time-until another man on a foreign shore, a Canadian academic studying at Oxford, discovers its relics thirty centuries later. A truly daring feat of imagination, SON OF NOBODY is a novel composed in two voices: the first, a series of fragments from antiquity that tell the story of Troy from a lost, alt-Homeric tradition; the second, the voice of a modern-day scholar, Harlow Donne, who assembles and comments on these fragments while navigating a conflict of his own. Obsessed with his discovery, Donne still can't seem to let go of his family's past-he weaves together the tale of uncovering ancient papyri, faded codices, and broken cuneiform tablets with memories of his daughter as a child and his wife before their separation. Donne translates and writes in the heartfelt modes of Aphrodite, goddess of love, and Ares, god of war, as the paralell stories offer a poignant glimpse into both the follies of failed relationships and of battle. SON OF NOBODY upends the regal perspective of traditional epics, and by grappling with questions of ambition, family, and responsibility in both the ancient and the modern worlds, it shows "that the past is never done with, that always there are parallels and returns and repetitions, always the song continues.""-- Provided by publisher.

Book cover for "Five Bullets"

Five Bullets

"Read this book to understand human nature." (Preet Bharara) • "An amazing story, well told.” (Anderson Cooper) • "A masterful telling." (Dahlia Lithwick)

From CNN legal analyst Elliot Williams, a revelatory account of how one man, four teenagers, and a struggling city collided over race, vigilantism, and public safety . . . exposing the fault lines of a nation

On a dirty New York subway car on December 22, 1984, Bernhard Goetz shot Barry Allen, Darrell Cabey, Troy Canty, and James Ramseur, four teenagers from the Bronx, at point blank range. Goetz claimed they were going to mug him; the teens claim that one of them had simply asked for five dollars.

Crime was at an all-time high. So was racial tension. Was Goetz, who was white, a hero who finally fought back? Or a bigot whose itchy trigger finger seriously wounded three unarmed black kids and condemned a fourth to irreversible brain damage? By the time Goetz went on trial for quadruple attempted murder, the “Subway Vigilante” saga had become a global sensation, and New Yorkers across race and class were split over whether he deserved decades in prison…or a medal.

In Five Bullets, Elliot Williams vaults back to gritty 1980s Manhattan and reexamines the first major true-crime story of the cable news era. Drawing on archives and interviews with many main characters, including Goetz, Williams presents a masterful and vivid tale that also tells the origin stories of larger-than-life figures: Al Sharpton, a polarizing young local activist rocketing to national prominence; Rudy Giuliani, a rising-star prosecutor with an important decision to make; the NRA, which needed a poster boy for its transition from hunting club to political juggernaut; and Rupert Murdoch, whose new purchase, the New York Post, grew his empire by keeping a scary story in the headlines.

A shocking account of a pivotal moment in our history, Five Bullets demonstrates why, in order to understand today’s debates about race, crime, safety, and the media, it’s imperative to reflect on what went down in the subway four decades ago. As Williams’s powerful narrative reveals, it was not just Goetz on trial, but the conscience of a nation.

Book cover for "Tranquility by Tuesday"

Tranquility by Tuesday

“An indispensable manual...Tranquility by Tuesday offers plenty of inspiration for a more serene life, and down-to-earth and evidence-backed advice for actually making it happen."
--Oliver Burkeman, New York Times bestselling author of Four Thousand Weeks

For anyone who’s sick of letting to-do lists dictate their time, Laura Vanderkam, the bestselling author of What the Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast, shares nine strategies for reclaiming your hours

Do you find yourself hoping that someday, life will be less hectic? One day, you say, you’ll finally have time for the activities that you love – writing that book, completing that triathlon, traveling with friends. But if the COVID-19 pandemic has taught us anything, it’s that life is unpredictable. If we’re not careful, dull, unfulfilling tasks can quickly occupy our precious hours, derail our best-laid plans, and make life feel like a slog.

In Tranquility by Tuesday, Laura Vanderkam explains that if you want something to happen, you need to design your life to make it happen. Work crises, childcare emergencies, and home repairs are inevitable, and the mundane tasks of life – cooking, cleaning, laundry – aren’t going anywhere. To make time for what matters, you need a resilient schedule, not a perfect schedule. Based on a time diary study of over 150 people, Vanderkam shares nine strategies for building opportunities for joy, nourishment, and fulfillment into your week, such as:
 

  • Three times a week is a habit
  • One big adventure, one little adventure
  • Effortful before effortless


This is more than a time management book about “how to do it all.” It’s a look at how real people changed their lives using Vanderkam’s nine rules, and how you can do the same. It’s about intentionally living the life that you want to live, and becoming an autonomous steward of life’s possibilities.

Book cover for "Seven Sisters"

Seven Sisters

A spirited, poignant history of the seven daughters of the great Empress Maria Theresia—among them, Queen Marie Antoinette of France—tracing their lives as they balanced dynastic duty with personal ambition in a time of revolutionary cataclysm

“Others make war; you, happy Austria, marry.”

For three centuries, the astute positioning of their many princesses and princes had kept the Habsburgs at the peak of European power. By 1764, after a generation of costly war, confronted by shaken alliances, immense debts, and restive subjects, the Empress Maria Theresia was seeking once again to assert the dynasty’s power through strategic marriages. Her arsenal was full: her seven daughters were to serve as her pawns in the ruthless game of eighteenth-century dynastic politicking. 

Delivered to the grandest or dingiest courts in Europe, they made their difficult and even dangerous ways: Marianna the seeker; the grande dame Marie Christine; Elisabeth, the malicious, disfigured beauty; fractious and wayward Amalie of Parma; the tragic bride Josepha; Carolina of Naples, Napoleon’s relentless enemy; and Antonia, youngest of the seven, sacrificial offering to the gods of revolution, better known to history as Marie Antoinette.

Meticulously researched and animated by the sisters’ own diaries and the almost daily letters traversing the continent, Seven Sisters reveals the drama, tragedy and comedy of these exceptional yet all too human lives. It is a vivid portrait of a brilliant world collapsing in a fearful time.

Book cover for "Ruby Falls"

Ruby Falls

One body. Five suspects. Total darkness.

A tense, claustrophobic historical mystery set almost entirely underground at the onset of the Great Depression about the discovery of a 150-foot waterfall in the middle of a mountain, the unthinkable crime that happens in its caves, and a woman who's never felt more alive.

In 1928, a Chattanooga man disappears down a hole in the ground and discovers a 150-foot waterfall in the middle of a mountain that he names after his wife: Ruby Falls. Within months, visitors can buy tickets to see the falls for themselves. Ada Smith has been sneaking into the caves at night, entranced by the natural wonders around her and the freedom granted by this new underground world.

But it's tough timing for a natural wonder. As the country flounders in the Great Depression, a shrewd public relations ploy seems like the only way to save Ruby Falls. A famous mind reader and mystic agrees to launch himself into the Ruby Falls caverns where he will attempt to locate a hidden hatpin using only his psychic abilities. He'll be joined by five others: his manager, his wife, a guide, a Chattanooga businessman, and a reporter from the Chicago Times. But they're not alone in the caverns. Ada and another guide, Quinton, have been asked to follow the mind reader's party at a distance, staying out of sight. They are a safety net, in case of a broken leg or busted flashlights.

One of them will be dead before the end of the day.

Faced with a corpse and the stark reality that one of the people in her midst is a killer, Ada needs to get everyone--the murderer and the innocents--back aboveground before their light runs out.

Ruby Falls is both a unique twist on the locked-room mystery and an exploration of loss and what it means to start over. It's a heart-racing story of survival and a testament to the threads that bind strangers together. Set against the true story of the discovery of Ruby Falls, the novel also draws on the memoirs of Katie Stabler, a female guide at Wind Caves in South Dakota.

Book cover for "Too Blessed to Stress"

Too Blessed to Stress

For fans of Bad Summer People and The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, four influencers begin to suspect their mega-church's new pastor isn't as devoted as he seems, and must decide if exposing him is worth revealing their own secrets.

"A delightful satire full of tenderness and heart. Alli has the ears of a journalist and the gentle touch of a friend." --Kiley Reid, New York Times bestselling author

"Alli Hoff Kosik's debut is a triumph." --Meg Cabot, #1 New York Times bestselling author

Camryn, Savannah, Trishy, and Kristin are #blessed. As influencers at the hottest megachurch in town, Moving Word, the quartet is committed to sharing everything from modest (but on-trend!) style tips to advice on finding the godliest man possible. Across platforms (#synergy), they show just how easy it is to be a modern, Christian woman--especially if you use their discount codes. 

But behind their veneer (and veneers), the truth isn't quite so picture perfect. Despite her popular lifestyle videos, Camryn is barely making ends meet. Savannah struggles to break free of her reality TV upbringing and start a family of her own, while Trishy attempts to leave her less-than-holy past behind. And Kristin, the group's youngest member, isn't finding it as easy to fit in as their color-coordinated outfits make it seem. 

When Moving Word's charming leader, Pastor Kyle, and his ridiculously perfect wife, Cassidy, decide to host a lavish fundraiser to put the megachurch further on the map, Camryn, Savannah, Trishy, and Kristin find themselves knee deep in the most important event since the Last Supper. But the brighter the spotlight, the darker the shadows--and when the women discover an incendiary secret at the heart of Moving Word, they are forced to confront questions of hypocrisy, exposure, and how to wield one's power for good.

Book cover for "The Invincible Brain"

The Invincible Brain

A USA TODAY Bestseller

In just 12 weeks, you can take major steps to prevent and reverse cognitive decline, boost memory, and enhance mental sharpness at any age. A leading neuroscientist at Johns Hopkins University unveils a groundbreaking glimpse into the remarkable, resilient brain, and offers a science-backed plan to unlock its true potential.

Dr. Majid Fotuhi, MD, PhD, world-renowned neurologist and adjunct professor at Johns Hopkins, is leading the charge in revolutionizing how we understand human intelligence, brain health, and age-related cognitive decline. In this pioneering book, he reveals the true wonder of how the brain works and its infinite potential for growth and change. Supported by over 35 years of original research, The Invincible Brain demonstrates how targeted lifestyle changes can prevent, treat, and even reverse mild cognitive impairment, early Alzheimer's disease, dementia, ADHD, and concussion symptoms.

Dr. Fotuhi's 12-week program is backed by extraordinary clinical results, published in peer-reviewed scientific journals, showing that more than 80% of patients achieve exceptional improvements in memory, focus, and other cognitive functions. In elderly patients with mild cognitive impairment, MRIs show a 3% increase in the volume of the hippocampus, the key brain region for learning and memory.

This actionable guide provides a step-by-step formula for unlocking your brain's hidden potential, building resilience, and maximizing mental acuity at any age. In this book, you'll discover:

  • The Five Pillars of Brain Health: The most essential strategies to optimize fitness, sleep, nutrition, mindset, and brain training for lifelong cognitive vitality.
  • A New Understanding of Alzheimer's: The truth about dementia and Alzheimer's, including the latest in testing and treatment.
  • Customizable Brain Exercises: Fun, scalable techniques to enhance memory, problem-solving, and focus.
  • A Brain-Boosting Diet Plan: A nutrient-rich plan that can reduce markers of Alzheimer's disease and keep your brain up to 18 years younger.
  • Stress Management Tools: DIY biofeedback and mindfulness practices that can boost heart rate variability to build a calmer and more resilient brain.
  • Sleep Optimization Techniques: Proven methods to boost deep sleep for overnight brain detoxification and renewal.

The Invincible Brain delivers everything you need to empower your brain to thrive--in as little as 12 weeks. Your smarter, sharper future begins now.