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The housekeeper : a novel / by Wallace, Melanie,1949-;
After her mother dies, 17-year-old Jamie leaves home with her dog, "the only thing she had left in the world to love," and heads toward an isolated valley, several long hitchhikes away, that she visited as a child. Her sudden presence in what is left of that dying, desolate outpost sets off a bizarre chain of events that irrevocably changes her young life. Grimly determined to make it alone, Jamie assumes the role of housekeeper for Margaret, a photographer who gives her a place to stay. Jamie unwittingly sets free a mute and wild-eyed boy--the product of generations of inbreeding--whom she finds tied to their neighbor's tree. This small act opens old wounds of guilt and revenge between Galen, an ex-con who is smitten with Jamie, and Harlan, a bitter, sadistic loner and Galen's longtime nemesis.
Subjects: Psychological fiction.; Runaway children;
Available copies: 3 / Total copies: 3
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When men become gods : Mormon polygamist Warren Jeffs, his cult of fear, and the women who fought back / by Singular, Stephen.(CARDINAL)748050;
As the self-proclaimed prophet of the Fundamentalist Latter Day Saints, a sect of Mormonism based in southern Utah, Warren Jeffs held sway over thousands of followers for nearly a decade. In addition to coercing young girls into polygamous marriages with older men, Jeffs reputedly took scores of wives himself. The media were shunned, creating a hidden community where polygamy was prized above all else. But in 2007, after a two-year FBI manhunt, Jeffs was convicted as an accomplice to rape. Journalist Singular traces Jeffs's rise to power and the concerted effort that led to his downfall. It was a movement championed by law enforcement, but more vocally by a group of former wives seeking to liberate young women from the arranged marriages they'd once endured. The book offers new revelations into a nearly impenetrable enclave--a place of inbreeding and eerie seclusion, and a tradition almost a century old.--From publisher description.
Subjects: Biographies.; Jeffs, Warren, 1955-; Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.; Polygamy; Latter Day Saints; Forced marriage; Latter Day Saint fundamentalism; Polygamy.;
Available copies: 12 / Total copies: 13
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España : a brief history of Spain / by Tremlett, Giles,author.(CARDINAL)550152;
Includes bibliographical references and index.Machine generated contents note:"Bestselling author Giles Tremlett traverses the rich and varied history of Spain, from prehistoric times to today, in a brief, accessible primer for visitors, curious readers and hispanophiles. Spain's position on Europe's south-western corner has exposed it to cultural, political and actual winds blowing from all quadrants. Africa lies a mere nine miles to the south. The Mediterranean connects it to the civilizational currents of Phoenicians, Romans, Carthaginians, and Byzantines as well as the Arabic lands of the near east. Bronze Age migrants from the Russian steppe were amongst the first to arrive. They would be followed by Visigoths, Arabs, Napoleonic armies and many more invaders and immigrants. Circular winds and currents linked it to the American continent, allowing Spain to conquer and colonize much of it. As a result, Spain has developed a sort of hybrid vigour. Whenever it has tried to deny this inevitable heterogeneity, it has required superhuman effort to fashion a 'pure' national identity which has proved impossible to maintain. In Espana, Giles Tremlett argues that, in fact, that lack of a homogenous identity is Spain's defining trait."--Publisher's description.
Available copies: 2 / Total copies: 3
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Eleven percent : a novel / by Uthaug, Maren,1972-author.; Waight, Caroline,translator.(CARDINAL)417167;
"An inverse The Handmaid's Tale that asks: What if women took over the world? It is the New Time, a time not so different from our own except that the men are gone. All but eleven percent of them, that is, the minimum required to avoid inbreeding. But they are safely under lock and key in "spa" centers for women's pleasure (trained by Amazons to fulfill all desires) and procreation. A few women protest that the males should be treated better -- more space, better food, but all agree that testosterone cannot be allowed to roam free. The old patriarchal cities are crumbling, becoming overgrown; people now live in "round communities." But if you prefer the slum, that's okay too. Religion has survived, sort of: women priestesses speak in tongues, inspired by snake venom, as apples are passed around to the congregation. But all social engineering has its costs ... Four different lives intersect: Medea, a tiny, long-haired witch and snake whisperer; Wicca, a young priestess who excelled at the "self-pleasuring" curriculum in school and has lost her pregnant lover; Eva, a doctor working in a spa center, and Silence, who lives in an almost abandoned convent. Each will discover the cracks in this women's paradise. Provocative, irreverent, and completely riveting, Eleven Percent -- a #1 bestseller in Denmark -- is the first novel to appear in English by celebrated Danish author Maren Uthaug." --
Subjects: Dystopian fiction.; Novels.; Man-woman relationships; Misandry; Women;
Available copies: 6 / Total copies: 8
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Designer dogs : an exposé : inside the criminal underworld of crossbreeding / by Bernstein, Madeline,author.(CARDINAL)795756; McGraw, Phillip C.,1950-writer of foreword.(CARDINAL)653658;
Foreword / by Dr. Phil McGraw -- Preface: it started here -- The designer dog: name-brand purebreds and custom-designed dogs -- Dawn of the Frankendog -- Where babies come from: poorly bred versus purley bred -- The perfect storm: it's pouring designer cats and dogs -- How much is the lemon in the window? -- Welcome to the US of A -- How much is that doggie in the 747? -- Subprime puppy mortgage to the rescue -- Breeders gone wild, to go where none have gone before -- Myths and magical thinking -- Where, oh, where, has my designer dog gone? -- There ought to be a law -- Give genes a chance -- A winter's tale."Ever heard of a labradoodle, a goldendoodle, or a puggle? How about a cockapoo, a pomsky, or a spoodle? You or a friend have certainly been enticed by a "hypoallergenic dog" or smiled at a "teacup." These are not dog breeds that nature created; these are the results of the forced mating or genetic engineering of different breeds, or inbreeding, and popularized by social media and celebrities. In Designer Dogs, Madeline Bernstein, one of the country's most respected animal welfare crusaders, reveals our culture's obsession with new types of dogs--engineering puppies that keep getting smaller or sillier looking--and the horrifying health consequences of this on those we claim as our best friends. She also provides extraordinary revelations on how this has led to a world of "disposable pets"--puppies and adult dogs abandoned when their medical expenses become too costly and added to the 6.5 million animals entering shelters each year, or put on the street--and informed insight into what's ahead: made-to-order puppies; hybrid animals; shorter life spans for dogs; and even the extinction of breeds like French bulldogs, pit bulls, King Charles spaniels, mastiffs, Skye terriers, bloodhounds, and more. And Bernstein calls out those responsible for the savagery, both domestic puppy mills and backyard breeders, and also an international dog trafficking ring that she's been on the front line exposing."--
Subjects: Animal experimentation.; Dog breeds.; Dogs.;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Captive paradise : a history of Hawaii / by Haley, James L.(CARDINAL)155504;
Includes bibliographical references (pages 353-384) and index.The loneliness of a God -- "Disobey, and die" -- The suicide of Kapu -- Abhorring a vacuum -- The new morality -- Becoming little Americans -- A sweet taste -- Captains and cannons -- A nation among nations -- The Great Mahele -- The Anglican attraction -- Useful marriages -- Mountains of sugar -- Taffy triumphant -- A voice like distant thunder -- Queen at last -- The coup -- The inscrutable Mr. Blount -- Countercoup and annexation -- Angry Luaus.A narrative history of Hawaii profiles its former existence as a royal kingdom, recounting the wars fought by European powers for control of its position, its adoption of Christianity, and its annexation by the United States.The most recent state to join the union, Hawaii is the only one to have once been a royal kingdom. After its "discovery" by Captain Cook in the late 18th Century, Hawaii was fought over by European powers determined to take advantage of its position as the crossroads of the Pacific. The arrival of the first missionaries marked the beginning of the struggle between a native culture with its ancient gods, sexual libertinism and rites of human sacrifice, and the rigid values of the Calvinists. While Hawaii's royal rulers adopted Christianity, they also fought to preserve their ancient ways. But the success of the ruthless American sugar barons sealed their fate and in 1893, the American Marines overthrew Lili'uokalani, the last queen of Hawaii. James L. Haley's Captive Paradise is the story of King Kamehameha I, The Conqueror, who unified the islands through terror and bloodshed, but whose dynasty succumbed to inbreeding; of Gilded Age tycoons like Claus Spreckels, who brilliantly outmaneuvered his competitors; of firebrand Lorrin Thurston, who was determined that Hawaii be ruled by whites; and of President McKinley, who presided over the eventual annexation of the islands. Not since James Michener's classic novel Hawaii has there been such a vibrant and compelling portrait of an extraordinary place and its people.--From publisher description.
Available copies: 2 / Total copies: 2
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Chasing eternity : a novel / by Ducharme, Diann,author.(CARDINAL)497398;
Genetics doctoral student and longevity researcher Ryan Abernathy restricts his calories and his social life; he is terrified of death, but his life, governed by study and exercise, is hollow. The longevity study that he works for receives a tip from an Irish doctor regarding two elderly twin sisters, Cleona and Catherine Owen, who live on a remote island off the western coast of Ireland. Ryan volunteers to investigate, hoping to get DNA samples from the women in his ambitious effort to increase lifespan and fight age-related diseases and just possibly, cure death itself. On the island, Ryan meets Cleona's beautiful yet child-like great-granddaughter, Aisling, who cares for the elderly women but is able to offer Ryan no official age documentation for them. Aisling, lonely for companionship and exhausted from the care-taking of the sick women, draws Ryan into her world by telling him a story that she learned when she was young: that she and her relatives are the final known descendants of an old island clan that, through thousands of years of inbreeding and isolation, managed to achieve remarkable longevity. Ryan doesn't believe Aisling, but by asking questions of the bar man at the local pub and by stumbling across a time-worn gravestone in the old cemetery, he becomes more curious about the unusual family. As his curiosity increases, so does that of a sick Irish nun, Sister Ignatius, who believes that she recognizes Catherine as a nun who disappeared from her convent sixty years ago. Both scientist and nun must grapple with their own deep-seated beliefs in order to determine the truth about the people, both past and present, of the Celtic island.
Subjects: Novels.; Longevity; Immortalism;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Fire, ice, and physics : the science of Game of thrones / by Thompson, Rebecca C.,author.(CARDINAL)814428; Carroll, Sean,1966-writer of foreword.(CARDINAL)544558;
Includes bibliographical references and index.Game of Thrones is a fantasy that features a lot of made-up science-fabricated climatology (when is winter coming?), astronomy, metallurgy, chemistry, and biology. Most fans of George R. R. Martin's fantastical world accept it all as part of the magic. A trained scientist, watching the fake science in Game of Thrones, might think, "But how would it work?" In Fire, Ice, and Physics, Rebecca Thompson turns a scientist's eye on Game of Thrones, exploring, among other things, the science of an ice wall, the genetics of the Targaryen and Lannister families, and the biology of beheading. Thompson, a PhD in physics and an enthusiastic Game of Thrones fan, uses the fantasy science of the show as a gateway to some interesting real science, introducing GOT fandom to a new dimension of appreciation. Thompson starts at the beginning, with winter, explaining seasons and the very elliptical orbit of the Earth that might cause winter to come (or not come). She tells us that ice can behave like ketchup, compares regular steel to Valyrian steel, explains that dragons are "bats, but with fire," and considers Targaryen inbreeding. Finally she offers scientific explanations of the various types of fatal justice meted out, including beheading, hanging, poisoning (reporting that the effects of "the Strangler," administered to Joffrey at the Purple Wedding, resemble the effects of strychnine), skull crushing, and burning at the stake. Even the most faithful Game of Thrones fans will learn new and interesting things about the show from Thompson's entertaining and engaging account. Fire, Ice, and Physics is an essential companion for all future bingeing.
Subjects: Game of thrones (Television program); Martin, George R. R.; Science; Science in popular culture.;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Sugar gliders : everything about purchase, nutrition, behavior, and breeding / by Wightman, Caroline.(CARDINAL)329751;
Includes bibliographical references (pages 90-91) and index.
Subjects: Sugar gliders as pets.;
Available copies: 2 / Total copies: 2
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Biology by numbers : an encouragement to quantitative thinking / by Burton, R. F.(Richard F.)(CARDINAL)325730;
Includes bibliographical references (pages 217-223) and index.An introduction to quantitative biology. The fundamental importance and usefulness of mathematical principles in biology. Putting two and two together. Darwin's earthworms. An inordinate fondness for beetles. The extinction of birds on Hawaiian islands. Pollen and honeybees. Estimating the sizes of redwoods and whales. Plant productivity and use of solar energy. The number of cells in the human body. William Harvey and the circulation of the blood. How our kidneys work. Calcium, and the small litter sizes of bats. Conclusions concerning biological arithmetic. Units, formulae and the use of old envelopes: confronting some obstacles to quantitative thinking. Units of measurement. Checking formulae for consistency of units; avoiding errors in calculation. Identifying appropriate units for unfamiliar quantities. Dimensional analysis. Approximate arithmetic. Cultivating a feeling for magnitudes. Looking at an equation. Aspects of energy metabolism. Energy from food. Basal metabolic rate. Fat storage and the control of appetite. Birds' eggs and respiratory quotients. Getting things in proportion. Aspects of human heat and energy balance. Fat as an acid to buoyancy in water. Buoyancy in fish. Temperature, metabolism and buoyancy -- a general formula. Blood volumes of snails. Blood volumes and animal populations -- another general approach. Perilous percentages, dangerous ratios. Dangers in treating losses of body heat in terms of percentages. Organ mass as a percentage of body mass -- the gonosomatic index. An organ of variable composition -- the snail's albumen gland. The composition of milk. Building a trophic pyramid. The smaller mass of predators than of prey. Populations of grazers on grassland. The base of the pyramid. Sodium in animals and plants. Sodium in herbivorous insects. The puddling behaviour of moths. The importance of sodium in the diet of moose. The distribution of sodium in the human body. Exchanges of water and carbon dioxide. Transpiration and photosynthesis. The dependence of plant productivity on rainfall. Solar energy used in transpiration and photosynthesis. The role of breathing in mammalian water balance. Water balance in foraging bumblebees. A geometric series. More approximate arithmetic. Darwin, Linnaeus and Malthus. Ancestors and inbreeding. The penetration of sunlight through water. Fish and probabilities. The genetic code. Introduction to logarithms. Natural logarithms. Bringing logarithms to life. How do logarithms come into biology? How else do logarithms come into biology? The growth of insects. The sizes of New Guinea fruit pigeons. Logaritms and sensation. Exponential relationships. Basic mathematics. Exponential increase: pollen grains in a sequence of sediments. Exponential decrease: dung flies and the attractiveness of dung. Exponential decline: viability of seeds in soil. Other ways of viewing an exponential decrease. Aspects of allometry. Relative growth: the claw of the fiddler crab. Relative growth of gourds. Macrotritopus -- a problem of taxonomy. Stag beetles -- failure of the relationship. Graphical estimation of scaling exponents and scaling coefficients. Antlers. Eye size in mammals. More on allometry, and on quantitative patterns in nature. Surface area/ volume relationships. Body size and metabolic rate in mammals: the importance of surface area. Body size and metabolic rate: Kleiber's rule. Birds' eggs: metabolism and water loss. The mammalian skeleton. Tree height and trunk diameter. Wind-borne seeds and fruit. The energetic equivalence rule. The self-thinning rule -- and a general caution. Numbers of bird species on Pacific islands. How the abundance of food affects rates of feeding. Rates of predation and the abundance of prey. Food availability and the grazing rates of herbivores. The characterization of trees and other branching systems.
Subjects: Biomathematics.;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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