I have a couple days off this week, so I’m probably lounging on the deck with the birds and wasps, sipping a summer beverage while you're slaving away at the workplace. Fear not, I would never forget you. Before I took today off, I cataloged my little heart out so you could check out some brand new books for the 4th of July weekend. First and foremost on the list is, "Second Chance" by Danielle Steel. As editor-in-chief of New York’s leading fashion magazine, Fiona Monaghan lived a life as hectic and high-toned as the fashion world itself, jetting back and forth between her stylish Manhattan brownstone and the couture shows of Europe. With closets stuffed with Fendi and a snoring bulldog named Sir Winston sharing her bed, Fiona was utterly content with her life. Until the sweltering June day John Anderson strolled into her office. After a dinner date left them both wanting more, Fiona impulsively invited John to the Paris couture shows. In the most romantic city in the world, Fiona let this man into her heart. A widower with two daughters, John Anderson was nearly Fiona’s opposite in every way. John was both amused and appalled by Fiona’s world of high-strung designers and anorexic models. But within weeks of their return to New York, John was making friends with Sir Winston and Fiona was making room in her closets. It didn’t take long for the dominoes to start falling. First, John introduced Fiona to his daughters, their bloodthirsty Pekingese, and a snarling housekeeper. It was hate at first sight. Fiona and John’s relationship began to unravel with alarming speed. What happens next will set Fiona on a journey filled with pain and revelation. When she returns to Paris alone and takes an amazing risk, an extraordinary series of events begins to unfold and Fiona is about to get the surprise of her life. Also new on the shelf is "Sam’s Letters to Jennifer," by James Patterson. Jennifer returns to the resort village where she grew up to help a beloved relative — and ends up experiencing not one, but two of the most amazing love stories she's ever known. The first is completely unexpected. In a series of letters that Jennifer finds, her relative reveals that she has concealed a huge secret for decades: Her great love is not the man she was married to for all those years. As Jennifer reads about this passionate partnership, she learns more about love's imperatives and secrets than she ever dreamed possible. And then comes the biggest surprise of all. At a time when she thought she could never love again, Jennifer lets her guard down for a moment — and is suddenly caught up in the greatest flight of exhilaration she's ever known. But, just as suddenly, she learns that this new love comes with an unbearable cost. Jennifer doesn't think she can survive the pain — but the letters she's been reading make her think that love may help her find a way. For those who prefer to listen to books, we have the unabridged version of "Ten Big Ones," by Janet Evanovich and "Hidden Prey," by John Sandford on cassette. Special Notice: The library will be closed on Monday, July 5, in observance of Independence Day.
