Hansen Community Library

NO PLAN B by Lee Child & Andrew Child

THE BOYS FROM BILOXI by John Grisham.

For most of the last hundred years, Biloxi was known for its beaches, resorts, and seafood industry. But it had a darker side. It was also notorious for corruption and vice, everything from gambling, prostitution, bootleg liquor, and drugs to contract killings. The vice was controlled by small cabal of mobsters, many of them rumored to be members of the Dixie Mafia.

Keith Rudy and Hugh Malco grew up in Biloxi in the sixties and were childhood friends, as well as Little League all-stars. But as teenagers, their lives took them in different directions. Keith’s father became a legendary prosecutor, determined to “clean up the Coast.” Hugh’s father became the “Boss” of Biloxi’s criminal underground. Keith went to law school and followed in his father’s footsteps. Hugh preferred the nightlife and worked in his father’s clubs. The two families were headed for a showdown, one that would happen in a courtroom.

Life itself hangs in the balance in The Boys from Biloxi, a sweeping saga rich with history and with a large cast of unforgettable characters.

LESSONS IN CHEMISTRY  by Bonnie Garmus

Chemist Elizabeth Zott is not your average woman. In fact, Elizabeth Zott would be the first to point out that there is no such thing as an average woman. But it’s the early 1960s and her all-male team at Hastings Research Institute takes a very unscientific view of equality. Except for one: Calvin Evans; the lonely, brilliant, Nobel–prize nominated grudge-holder who falls in love with—of all things—her mind. True chemistry results.

But like science, life is unpredictable. Which is why a few years later Elizabeth Zott finds herself not only a single mother, but the reluctant star of America’s most beloved cooking show Supper at Six. Elizabeth’s unusual approach to cooking (“combine one tablespoon acetic acid with a pinch of sodium chloride”) proves revolutionary. But as her following grows, not everyone is happy. Because as it turns out, Elizabeth Zott isn’t just teaching women to cook. She’s daring them to change the status quo.

Laugh-out-loud funny, shrewdly observant, and studded with a dazzling cast of supporting characters, Lessons in Chemistry is as original and vibrant as its protagonist.

DAISY DARKER by Alice Feeney

Daisy Darker was born with a broken heart. Now after years of avoiding each other, Daisy Darker’s entire family is assembling for Nana’s 80th birthday party in her crumbling gothic house on a tiny tidal island. The family arrives, each of them harboring secrets. When the tide comes in, they will be cut off from the rest of the world for eight hours. But at the stroke of midnight, as a storm rages, Nana is found dead. And an hour later, the next family member follows… Trapped on an island where someone is killing them one by one, the Darkers must reckon with their present mystery as well as their past secrets, before the tide goes out and all is revealed.

SPRINKLES AND SKELTONS by Leena Clover

When an unexpected guest turns up at Jenny King’s housewarming party, the turbulent history of Seaview is finally revealed. As more and more truths about the house surface, everyone except Jenny believes her house is jinxed. Jenny’s ownership of Seaview is questioned when the prodigal heir comes knocking.

Jenny is a suspect in murder!

Meanwhile, the town of Pelican Cove comes together to save the ailing library. Jenny’s friends are embroiled in unexpected rivalry. As death past and present rears its head, will Jenny be able to overcome the chaos?

If you like clean cozy mysteries with twists and turns, quirky characters, small town life and a dash of romance, you will love Sprinkles and Skeletons.

EDGE OF DUSK by Colleen Coble

Even though secrets lie off the coast of Rock Harbor, the truth will set Annie Pederson free—if it doesn’t kill her first. Return to the beloved town of Rock Harbor in the first installment of a new series by bestselling suspense author Colleen Coble.

Nine-year-old Annie Pederson’s life changed the night her sister was kidnapped. The two had been outside playing on a dock, and Annie never forgave herself for her role in her sister’s disappearance. Twenty-four years later and now a law enforcement ranger, Annie is still searching for answers as she grieves a new loss: the death of her husband and parents in a boating accident.

But Annie and her eight-year-old daughter, Kylie, aren’t the only people in the town of Rock Harbor whose lives have been marred by tragedy. While managing the property around the Tremolo Resort and Marina she inherited, Annie discovers a dead body floating in the cold Superior surf and begins to work with the sheriff’s office to tie the death to a series of other mysterious reports in the area.

At the same time, her first love, Jon Dustan, returns after nine years away, reigniting the town’s memory of a cold case he’d been suspiciously linked to before he left to pursue his orthopedic residency. For the sake of her investigation and her heart, Annie tries to stay away. But avoiding Jon becomes impossible once Annie realizes she is being targeted by someone desperate to keep secrets from the past hidden.

In this new series, bestselling romantic-suspense author Colleen Coble returns to one of her most beloved towns, where familiar faces—and unsolved cases—await.

LEAGUE OF SUPER-PETS  — Krypto the Super-Dog and Superman are inseparable best friends, sharing the same superpowers and fighting crime side by side in Metropolis.

TOP GUN MAVERICK — After thirty years, Maverick is still pushing the envelope as a top naval aviator, but must confront ghosts of his past when he leads TOP GUN’s elite graduates on a mission that demands the ultimate sacrifice from those chosen to fly it.

EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE  –  When an interdimensional rupture unravels reality, an unlikely hero must channel her newfound powers to fight bizarre and bewildering dangers from the multiverse as the fate of the world hangs in the balance.

WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING — A woman who raised herself in the marshes of the Deep South becomes a suspect in the murder of a man with whom she was once involved.

1883 –– A prequel to “Yellowstone,” “1883” follows the Dutton family as they flee poverty in Texas and embark on a journey through the Great Plains to seek a better future in Montana. Real-life couple Tim McGraw and Faith Hill star as James and Margaret Dutton, while Sam Elliott portrays Shea Brennan, a tough cowboy who has sadness in his past. Other cast members include Isabel May, LaMonica Garrett and Dawn Olivieri. Billy Bob Thornton will guest star and Tom Hanks makes a cameo in a Civil War flashback scene.

IDAHO INSIDE AND OUT by R.G. Robertson

From Porthill to Franklin―from Weiser to Driggs,IDAHO INSIDE and OUT recounts the geology and the people who make the Gem State unique.

BEAUTIFUL BOARDS by Maegan Brown

Make mealtimes, special occasions, and holidays extra memorable with these 50 delicious, inspiring, family-friendly, and easy-to-recreate snack boards. Visually exciting and deliciously enticing, these snack boards by Maegan Brown (aka The BakerMama) move beyond (and include) classic cheese and charcuterie and are comprised of easy-to-find fresh and prepared foods, arranged in beautiful, artful, and whimsical ways (think orange- and black-colored snacks arranged into a smiling jack-o’-lantern shape for celebrating Halloween and a fruit-and-veggie rainbow with cracker clouds to brighten any day). The variety of foods on each board will delight everyone, and the stunning presentation will encourage kids to try foods they might normally refuse. Plus, you can make the boards ahead of time, so you can actually sit down and spend time with your loved ones. In this book, you will find boards for anytime family meals and snacks, seasons and holidays, breakfast and brunch, desserts, and entertaining and special occasions. Impress your family and friends with artful masterpieces, including: Pancake Board After School Board Fall Feast Board Pumpkin Board Turkey Board Build-Your-Own Taco Board Football Board Dim Sum Board Birthday Dessert Board Along with The BakerMama’s tips to get you into the board mindset, every board is accompanied by a gorgeous, large photo and step-by-step instructions to make each one easy to recreate. Beautiful Boards is an entertaining game changer that will have you spending less time in the kitchen and more time having fun. Discover even more inspiring food presentation ideas from The BakerMama in her Beautiful Boards follow-up, Spectacular Spreads.

STRANGER CARE: A Memoir of Loving What Isn’t Ours by Sarah Sentilles

After their decision not to have a biological child, Sarah Sentilles and her husband, Eric, decide to adopt via the foster care system. Despite knowing that the system’s goal is reunification with the birth family, Sarah opens their home to a flurry of social workers who question, evaluate, and ultimately prepare them to welcome a child into their family–even if it means most likely having to give them back. After years of starts and stops, and endless navigation of the complexities and injustices of the foster care system, a phone call finally comes: a three-day old baby girl, named Coco, in immediate need of a foster family. Sarah and Eric bring this newborn stranger home.

“You were never ours,” Sarah tells Coco, “yet we belong to each other.”

A love letter to Coco, and to the countless children like her, Stranger Care chronicles Sarah’s discovery of what it means to mother–in this case, not just a vulnerable infant, but the birth mother who loves her, too. Ultimately, Coco’s story reminds us that we depend on family, and that family can take different forms. With “fearless, stirring, rhythmic” (Nick Flynn) prose, Sentilles lays bare an intimate, powerful story, with universal concerns: How can we care for and protect each other? How do we ensure a more hopeful future for life on this planet? And if we’re all related–tree, bird, star, person–how might we better live?

This book was chosen by the Idaho Library Association as the 2021 Nonfiction Book of the Year.

WHERE’S MY COW by Susan Blackaby.

In a pasture near the sea, a flock of egrets lives in peaceful companionship with a herd of cows. Each day the flock flies out to explore the nearby marsh and seashore. Well, the flock minus one. One young egret always stays behind, longing to go but afraid to venture out. He fears to leave his dear friend Cow. Egret imagines the worst. What if I get lost and can’t find Cow again? But Cow is worldly; she’s been places and knows there are wonderful sights to be seen and enjoyed. She is determined that her feathered friend will visit the seashore like the others. So together bird and bovine scheme up ways to make sure Egret gets safely back to Cow. But what happens if every egret looks like Egret and every cow looks like Cow? This warm and witty story about adventure and friendship is the perfect book for any young reader facing separation anxiety or new-experience jitters.

MISUNDERSTOOD SHARK by Ame Dyckman

From bestselling author Ame Dyckman and illustrator Scott Magoon comes the laugh-out-loud story about a Misunderstood Shark who just wants to show the world who he really is…Every beachgoer knows that there’s nothing more terrifying than a… SHARRRK But this shark is just misunderstood, or is he? In a wholly original, sidesplittingly funny story, New York Times bestselling author Ame Dyckman and illustrator Scott Magoon take this perennial theme and turn it on its (hammer)head with a brand-new cheeky character. The filming of an underwater TV show goes awry when the crew gets interrupted by a… SHARRRK Poor Shark, he wasn’t trying to scare them, he’s just misunderstood Then he’s accused of trying to eat a fish. Will Shark ever catch a break? After all, he wasn’t going to eat the fish, he was just showing it his new tooth Or was he? Explosively funny, extraordinarily clever, and even full of fun shark facts, this surprisingly endearing story gets to the heart of what it feels like to be misunderstood by the people around you. With a surprise twist ending, our Misunderstood Shark will have kids rolling with laughter.

RIDE ON by Faith Erin Hicks.

THE BAD GUYS IN THE OTHERS?!? by Aaron Blabey

OK. A lot of the stuff we said on the back of the last book was NOT TRUE. We now admit that The Bad Guys is WEIRD. We also admit that it features ALL the weird stuff we said it didn’t. PLUS there’s now a whole bunch of even weirder stuff involving an over-sharing bat, a really scary new character who lives in the woods, and a strangely confident little guy with a mullet. So, uh, don’t relax, maybe FREAK OUT a little and have your MIND BLOWN by the BAD GUYS!

THE STORIES BEHIND THE STORIES by Stephanie Miles and Danille Blenken

Did you know that the Very Hungry Caterpillar was originally just a fat worm named Willi? Or that the author of Charlotte’s Web hatched real spiders on top of his dresser? In The Stories Behind the Stories, you’ll hear the incredible behind-the-scenes tales of twenty-nine beloved children’s classics. Discover the childhood inspiration behind Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, the original name of Curious George, the mysterious origin of Mother Goose, and what happened when Maurice Sendak told his editor he couldn’t draw wild horses (spoiler alert: he drew wild things instead). It’s a celebration of children’s literature, and you’re invited!

From the Author’s Note: In my research of these authors, I began to see that our most treasured children’s books weren’t just built on creativity and imagination–many were born from extraordinary persistence and grit. Considering Benjamin Franklin’s quote, that a person should either write something great or do something great, it’s clear to me that the authors we admire most have done both. And perhaps it’s this secret ingredient that’s made their writing so genuine, so engaging, and so enduring.