The Gods of Tango by Carolina De Robertis

The Gods of Tango

February 1913: seventeen-year-old Leda, clutching a suitcase and her father’s cherished violin, leaves her small Italian village for a new home (and husband) halfway across the world in Argentina. Upon her arrival in Buenos Aires, Leda is shocked to find that her bridegroom has been killed. Unable to fathom the idea of returning home, she remains in this unfamiliar city, living in a commune, without friends or family, on the brink of destitution. She finally acts on a passion she has kept secret for years: mastering the violin. Leda is seduced by the music that underscores life in the city: tango, born from lower-class immigrant voices, now the illicit, scandalous dance of brothels and cabarets. Leda knows, however, that she can never play in public as a woman, so she cuts off her hair, binds her breasts, and, as a young man, joins a troupe of musicians bent on bringing tango into the salons of high society. As time progresses, the lines between Leda and her disguise will begin to blur, and feelings that she has long kept suppressed will reveal themselves, jeopardizing not only her music career but her life itself. (Publisher Summary)

Summer Lovin'

One Summer by Elin Hiderbrand

One Summer collects two beloved Elin Hilderbrand classics, filled with double the sun, sand, drama and romance that fans love. The Blue Bistro and The Love Season. (Publisher Summary)

Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter

In 1962, a young Italian innkeeper meets an American starlet in a little drama engineered by her conniving publicist. Fifty years later, the innkeeper follows his heart to Hollywood to find her. (Library Journal Reviews)

The Summer Wind by Mary Alice Monroe

Raising her autistic child alone after being abandoned by her husband, Dora, who for years played the role of a perfect wife in a loveless marriage, spends a stormy summer of healing and self-discovery with her half-sisters and grandmother. (Publisher Summary)

On the Island by Tracey Garvis Graves

Stranded on an uninhabited island after their private plane crashes, thirty-year-old Anna Emerson and sixteen-year-old T.J. Callahan, her tutee, struggle to survive and, as the months pass, slowly fall in love. (Publisher Summary)

The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks

Her teenage life turned upside-down by her parents' divorce and her father's relocation out of state, Ronnie Miller remains bitter three years later when her mother urges her to spend a summer with her father. (Publisher Summary)

The Reef by Nora Roberts

Tate Beaumont, a beautiful student of marine archaeology, finds adventure, danger, and passion when she reluctantly joins forces with diver Matthew Lassiter and his uncle to find a legendary jeweled amulet said to be lost at the bottom of the sea. (Publisher Summary)

Try something new this summer!

From Vines to Wines by Jeff Cox

Now in its fifth edition, this work continues to be an indispensable resource for anyone interested in small-scale winemaking in North America. Equally divided between descriptions of growing grapes and making wine, the book is packed with details, strategies, and tips. Growing information includes site selection and preparation, choosing grape varieties, planting, training, pest control, and harvesting. Among the making-related topics are grape processing, sanitation, preparing containers, fermentation, racking, bottling, storing, and serving. The multiple appendixes offer sources for wine equipment and information, supplies, and grapevines, as well as information on grape pests and diseases. There are also many useful tables: e.g., recommendations for wine grapes by region, pruning guidelines, soil types, and trellising options. Updates to this edition consist of new techniques and varieties for growers in colder regions. (Library Journal Reviews)

Staycation

There are so many great places to explore and things to do right here on Long Island. Borrow one of our Free Museum Passes at Your Community Library Website, or check out one of the following books for some fun ideas.

Landmarks & Historical Sites of Long Island by Ralph Brady

Brady, a resident of Long Island and retired executive in the transportation industry, takes readers on a tour of historic sites and landmarks in Nassau and Suffolk Counties in the towns of Hempstead, North Hempstead, Oyster Bay, Huntington, Babylon, Islip, Smithtown, Brookhaven, Riverhead, Southold, East Hampton, and Southampton. Sites include St. Paul's School, the Vanderbilt Motor Parkway, Roosevelt Field, Saddle Rock Grist Mill, the John Philip Sousa House, the US Merchant Marine Academy, Fort Massapeag, Sagamore Hill, Grumman Aircraft Corporation, Walt Whitman's birthplace, Cold Spring Harbor Fish Hatchery and Laboratory, Vanderbilt Mansion, Fire Island Lighthouse, the Nike missile site, Port Jefferson, the Nikola Tesla Laboratory, Hallockville Museum and Farm, and the first US Navy submarine base, with details on their history and some b&w photos. (Publisher Summary)

Paddling Long Island and New York City by Kevin Stiegelmaier

A guide with 55 maps showcases the 50 best sea-kayaking routes and destinations around Long Island--from New York City to Montauk Point--in a book that covers every kind of paddling experience--from open, fast water to a quiet, leisurely route. The book’s guidance and language are geared to wide-ranging skill levels: the novice will be enlightened and encouraged, and the seasoned kayaker or canoeist will be engaged and engrossed. That is because the author’s intimate, lifelong knowledge of the area’s waterways shines in his descriptions of natural and social histories, humorous stories, personal anecdotes, and beautiful black-and-white photographs. In addition, the author provides contact information on local paddling clubs, outfitters, and Internet links. And a final extensive section on personal safety, boat and equipment preparedness, and related topics makes this book an invaluable tool. (Publisher Summary)

Great Escapes by Steven Howell

From the old “Gold Coast” of Long Island’s NorthShore, made famous by F. Scott Fitzgerald, to thesparkling waters of Jones Beach, the Hamptonsand Montauk, Great Escapes: Long Island providesa series of itineraries for packing in all there is todo and see on Long Island. There’s something foreveryone—from fishing to family fun to wine toursand food tours to visits to little-known historic sites.Each itinerary offers an in-depth narrative about thedestination along with pertinent recommendationsfor lodging, dining, shopping, and sightseeing. (Publisher Summary)

Long Island Wine Country by Jane Taylor Starwood

Well over 3,000 acres on Long Island’s beautiful East End have been planted with European wine grape varieties over the last three decades, and the vineyards are widely credited with keeping this beautiful landscape—officially designated one of the “Last Great Places” by The Nature Conservancy—green and growing. Add to that the recent praise for wine producers like Bedell Cellars, The Lenz Winery, and Wölffer Estate Vineyards (among numerous others) from sources like theNew York Times, Wine Spectator, and Wine Advocate, and it’s not difficult to see why theNew York Times, in an article on Long Island wines, captioned a photo with the words, “Who needs Bordeaux? A tasting of wines from the East End.”

Batter Up!

   

Billy Martin: Baseball's Flawed Genius by Bill Pennington

Second baseman for the Yankees during the 1950s, then a major league manager for 16 seasons, Billy Martin was known for his incredible baseball smarts and his fiery temper—he was fired by Yankees owner George Steinbrenner five times. Pennington once served as the Yankees beat writer at the Bergen County Record and knew Martin well: "I was threatened by him. I was almost beaten up by him. I was also so charmed by him and enjoyed being in his charismatic presence for countless hours on the baseball trails. (Library Journal Reviews)

Pedro by Pedro Martinez

In Pedro we relive it all in Technicolor brightness, from his hardscrabble days in the minor leagues clawing for respect; to his early days in lonely Montreal, where he first struggled with the reputation of being a headhunter; to his legendary run with the Red Sox when start after start he dazzled with his pitching genius; to his twilight years on the mound as he put the finishing touches on a body of work that made him an icon. (Publisher Summary)

The Rivals by the Baseball Writers of the New York Times and the Boston Globe

This collection of original essays is a natural: not only does the same parent corporation own both newspapers, it also has a significant stake in the Red Sox. But the anthology isn't just hype; the New Yorkers in particular gladly point out that this is "a Potemkin Village of a rivalry," and that whether Babe Ruth cursed the Sox or not, the Yankees have been able to win 26 World Series in the 84 years since Babe arrived in the Bronx because they consistently fielded a better team. Dreamy-eyed paeans to the "religion of baseball" are thankfully kept to a minimum, as the writers focus on major Sox-Yankees confrontations through the decades (including last year's championship series brawl) and anecdotes starring players from both teams many of whom may go unrecognized by baseball fans in other cities. If the book does have a fault, it's that its writers often wind up repeating the same stories, though the differing perspectives can be illuminating. Globe writers fess up to the Sox's sorry legacy as the last Major League team to hire an African-American player, for example, while Times columnists use the fact as one more opportunity to hammer home their team's superiority. (Publisher Weekly Reviews)