March New Releases, Top Titles From County Library

Parkville-Overlea Patch is served by three branches of the Baltimore County Public Library system and in this monthly column we'll take a look at some of the top titles and new releases for those of you looking to curl up with a good book.

During February, the following books were loaned out the most by library branches, according to a news release from BCPL:

Top 10 Fiction Titles during February 2013 (with number of loans)

1. The Casual Vacancy (Rowling, J. K.) — 799
2. Gone Girl: A Novel (Flynn, Gillian) — 564
3. Merry Christmas, Alex (Cross Patterson, James) — 523
4. Private London (Patterson, James) — 518
5. NYPD Red (Patterson, James) — 499
6. Notorious Nineteen: A Stephanie Plum Novel (Evanovich, Janet) — 498
7. The Forgotten (Baldacci, David) — 497
8. The Racketeer (Grisham, John) — 475
9. Zoo (Patterson, James) — 470
10. Low Pressure (Brown, Sandra) — 461

Top 10 Nonfiction Titles at BCPL in February 2013 (with number of loans)

1. Killing Kennedy: The End of Camelot (O’Reilly, Bill) — 203
2. No Easy Day: The Autobiography of a Navy SEAL (Owen, Mark) — 129
3. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks (Skloot, Rebecca) — 110
4. Proof of Heaven: A Neurosurgeon’s Journey into the Afterlife (Alexander, Eben) — 106
5. In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler’s Berlin (Larson, Erik) — 101
6. Killing Lincoln: The Shocking Assassination That Changed America Forever (O’Reilly, Bill) — 94
7. Unorthodox: The Scandalous Rejection of My Hasidic Roots (Feldman, Deborah) — 92
8. Behind The Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity (Boo, Katherine) — 91
9. Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail (Strayed, Cheryl) — 77
10. Eat This, Not That! 2013: The No-Diet Weight Loss Solution (Zinczenko, David) — 76

The library also provided reviews of a few books new to the system in March.

Hip Check by Deirdre Martin: "Hockey season has returned – and with it, a hockey-themed romance. Single bad-boy, New York Blade Esa Saari takes over custody of his 8-year-old niece when his sister dies, but he also gets the girl’s nanny as a part of his life."

Nigellissima: Easy Italian-Inspired Recipes by Nigella Lawson: "TV star and foodie Lawson uses ingredients easily found in every kitchen to make spectacular dishes."

Unknown Pleasures: Inside Joy Division by Peter Hook: "Hook was the bass player for late-'70s band Joy Division and continued with them as they morphed into New Order. Some great behind-the-scenes insights can be found about a band that was gone too soon after their lead singer’s suicide."

American Elsewhere by Robert Jackson Bennett: "When Mona’s father dies, she discovers the family had a house in Wink, New Mexico. Wink is a former government town that is full of secrets in this supernatural urban fantasy novel."

To read more book reviews from the Baltimore County Public Library's librarian bloggers, check out Between the Covers — the library's blog.

If you're looking for something interesting to do, check out these free events at our area branches. For a full listing of events visit the library's website.

Loch Raven
1046 Taylor Avenue, 410-887-4444

Mar. 5, 2 p.m. "Friends of the Loch Raven Library Guest Speaker Series," photographer Denny Lynch shares photographs of Paris and Ireland.

Parkville
9509 Harford Road, 410-887-5353

Mar. 16, 2 p.m. "Paws to Read," register your child to read with a trained Pets on Wheels dog, for school age, registration required.

Mar. 19, 10 a.m. "Readers of the Roundtable," discussing The Walnut Tree by Charles Todd.

Mar. 23, 12 p.m. "Val Smalkin Presents: Gettin' Loose with Silly Goose," join Val and Silly Goose for songs and stories, for all ages – children under 8 with an adult.

Rosedale
6105 Kenwood Avenue, 410-887-0512

Mar. 11, 6 p.m. "Résumé Writing Workshop," learn tips and tricks for creating a successful résumé, or bring in your résumé for a free critique.

Mar. 16, 11 a.m. "Karma Dogs," read with a Karma Dog from the H.E.A.R.T.S. Program, for school age – children under 8 with an adult, registration required.

What are you reading this month? Have a great book to recommend? Leave a comment for your fellow readers.