Southeast Kansas Library System June Newsletter

The SEKnFind Newsletter
June 2025

We hope you enjoy this newsletter sent as a courtesy to adult patrons of a southeast Kansas library using the SEKnFind catalog.
This selection of titles are NEW at a SEKnFind library and available for a hold.
Need assistance? Your local librarian can show you how!
Happy Reading!

New Fiction

Before Dorothy
by Hazel Gaynor

“Chicago, 1924: Emily Gale and her new husband, Henry, yearn to leave the bustle of Chicago behind for the promise of their own American dream. But leaving the city means leaving Emily’s beloved sister, Annie, who was once closer to her than anyone in the world. Kansas, 1932: Emily and Henry have made a life in the warmth of the community of Liberal, Kansas, and among the harsh beauty of the prairie. Their lives hold a precarious and hopeful purpose, until tragedy strikes and their orphaned niece, Dorothy, lands on their doorstep. The wide-eyed child isn’t the only thing to disrupt Emily’s world. Drought and devastating dust storms threaten to destroy everything, and their much-loved home becomes a place of uncertainty and danger. When the past catches up with the present and old secrets are exposed, Emily fears she will lose the most cherished thing of all: Dorothy.”

Beach reads and deadly deeds
by Allison Brennan

A risk-averse bibliophile gets in over her head when strange notes in a book draw her into a real-life investigation.

The Surf House : a thriller
by Lucy Clarke

In an expat community of surfers in Morocco, deadly secrets threaten to breach the surface.

Our last wild days : a novel
by Anna Bailey

A young woman searches for answers after her estranged friend is found dead in the bayou of their rural Louisiana hometown.

What kind of paradise : a novel
by Janelle Brown

Raised in isolation in a Montana cabin by her enigmatic father, Jane’s world shatters when she discovers her unwitting role in a terrible crime, forcing her to flee to 1990s San Francisco, where she uncovers long-buried family secrets and confronts the dangers of the digital age.

Atmosphere : a love story
by Taylor Jenkins Reid

“From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and Daisy Jones & The Six comes an epic new novel set against the backdrop of the 1980s Space Shuttle program about the extraordinary lengths we go to live and love beyond our limits”

The night birds
by Christopher Golden

An atmospheric horror novel by a New York Times best-selling author is set in a deteriorated, half-sunken freighter ship off the coast of Galveston, Texas.

Of monsters and mainframes
by Barbara Truelove

“Demeter, an interstellar ship that shuttles humans between Earth and Alpha Centauri, keeps having her passengers murdered. It all started when an ancient and nasty vampire decided to come along for the ride. To keep from getting decommissioned, Demeter must stop this vampire and she joins forces with her own team of monsters: a werewolf, an engineer built from the dead, a pharaoh with otherworldly powers, and more. But will they be enough to defeat Dracula?”

Everybody wants to rule the world except me
by Django Wexler

“Davi has left the horde behind her, hoping to find a peaceful solution to keep the Kingdom from being destroyed this time. But her plan to guide the Kingdom is thwarted when her usual love interest, Prince Johann, is already married and the bloodthirstyDuke Aster is running the government. Johann’s new husband is everything Davi is not, but he holds a key to the one mystery she can’t solve – the origins of the time loop that has entrapped her. She must gain his trust, and swiftly. With restless armies at her doorstep, Duke Aster reaching for power, and an ancient magician hounding her every turn, Davi must scheme her way to peace and uncover the truth behind her curse if she is to break the spell that binds her once and for all”

The river is waiting : a novel
by Wally Lamb

Corby Ledbetter, grappling with addiction, prison life, and the tragedy that shattered his family, finds unexpected kindness and connection behind bars, as he seeks redemption and hopes for forgiveness from those he’s hurt the most.

The Medusa protocol
by Rob Hart

Former assassin Astrid wakes in a secret prison where a sinister doctor probes her memories for a crucial secret, while her sponsor Mark and their Assassins Anonymous group decipher her cryptic plea for help, setting the stage for a daring escape.

The Man from Blood Gulch
by William W. Johnstone

A hard man with a hard past, Garret ‘Ghost’ McCoy will never forget the day his family was brutally attacked by vicious marauders. It forced him to grow up fast, get tough even faster, and sharpen every skill to survive–by gun, by knife, or by fist. A true loner and silent stalker, Ghost is the kind of no-nonsense bounty hunter who always gets his man. … But it’s only a matter of time before his reputation catches up with him in a dusty dead-end town called Coyote Flats

New Audiobooks

Beach house rules : a novel
by Kristy Woodson Harvey

A mother-daughter duo learn to lean on their community of women–and each other–after their world is turned upside down

The love haters
by Katherine Center

“It’s a thin line between love and love-hating in the newest laugh out loud, all the feels rom-com by New York Times bestselling author Katherine Center. Katie Vaughn has been burned by love in the past-now she may be lighting her career on fire. She hastwo choices: wait to get laid off from her job as a video producer or, at her coworker Cole’s request, take a career-making gig profiling Tom “Hutch” Hutcheson, a Coast Guard rescue swimmer in Key West. The catch? Katie’s not exactly qualified. She can’tswim-but fakes it that she can. Plus: Cole is Hutch’s brother. And they don’t get along. Next stop paradise! But paradise is messier than it seems. As Katie gets entangled with Hutch (the most scientifically good looking man she has ever seen . . . but also a bit of a love hater), along with his colorful Aunt Rue and his rescue Great Dane, she gets trapped in a lie. Or two. Swim lessons, helicopter flights, conga lines, drinking contests, hurricanes, and stolen kisses ensue-along with chances to tell thetruth, to face old fears, and to be truly brave at last”

Don’t forget me, little Bessie : a novel
by James Lee Burke

“James Lee Burke tells his most thrilling and insightful story yet through the eyes of fourteen-year-old Bessie Holland. At the beginning of the twentieth century, as America grapples with forces of human and natural violence more powerful than humanity has ever seen, Bessie Holland yearns for the love that she has never known. She finds a soulmate and mentor in a brilliant but tormented suffragette English teacher, who inspires Bessie to fight the forces of evil that permeate her world. Watching the vast Texas countryside being destroyed by an oil company and a menacing figure with a violent past, Bessie is prepared to defend her home and her family. But when she accidentally kills an unarmed man to defend her father Hackberry, she must flee to New York. There, her older brother introduces her to boys who will grow into gangsters, but as children admire and respect Bessie’s spirit and fortitude as she is cast into a gangland that yearns for justice and mercy. A welcome return to the beloved Holland series and populated with characters both radiant and despicable, Don’t Forget Me, Little Bessie is an epic story of a remarkable young girl who fights against potentially overwhelming forces”

New Nonfiction

Sea of grass / : The Conquest, Ruin, and Redemption of Nature on the American Prairie
by Dave Hage

“The North American prairie is an ecological marvel. One cubic yard of prairie sod contains so many organisms that it rivals the tropical rainforest for biological diversity. And like the rainforest, it showcases nature’s prodigious talent for symbiosis.The lush carpet of grasses feeds a huge population of grazing animals and is home to some of the nation’s most iconic creatures–bison, elk, wolves, pronghorn, prairie dogs, and bald eagles. These creatures return the favor by spreading nitrogen and seeds across the prairie in their manure, and the grazers in turn feed prairie predators, and when they die, they return their store of organic matter to the living soil. When European settlers encountered the prairie nearly 200 years ago, rather than recognizing a natural wonder they saw a daunting landscape of root-tangled soil. But with the development of the steel plow, artificial drainage, and nitrogen fertilizers, in mere decades they converted the prairie into some of the richest farmland on Earth-a transformation unprecedented in human history. American farmers fed the industrial revolution and made North America a breadbasket for the world, but their progress came at a terrible cost: the forced dislocation of indigenous peoples, pollution of the continent’s rivers, and the catastrophic loss of wildlife. Today, as these trends build toward an environmental crisis, industrial agriculture has resumed its assault on the prairie, plowing up the remaining grasslands at the rate of one million acres a year.Farmers have an opportunity to protect this extraordinary landscape, but trying new ideas can mean ruin in a business with razor-thin margins and will require help from Washington, D.C., and from consumers who care about the land that feeds them. Veteranjournalists and Midwesterners Dave Hage and Josephine Marcotty follow the history of humanity’s relationship with this incredible land, offering a deep, compassionate analysis of the difficult decisions as well as opportunities facing agricultural and Indigenous communities. Sea of Grass is a vivid portrait of one of the world’s most miraculous and significant ecosystems, making clear why the future of this region is of essential concern far beyond the heartland”

Canva for dummies
by Jesse Stay

The essential guide to the popular, beginner-friendly graphic design platform Canva For Dummies is a beautiful full-color reference, covering everything you need to create dazzling visual materials in Canva Free and Pro versions

Agents of change : the women who transformed the CIA
by Christina Hillsberg

A former intelligence operative takes readers inside the Agency in a way that’s never been done before, paying long overdue tribute to the survivors and thrivers, the indispensable groundbreakers, and defiant rabble-rousers who made the choice to change their lives and in turn, changed history

Ocean : Earth’s last wilderness
by David Attenborough

“Through personal stories, history and cutting-edge science, Ocean uncovers the mystery, the wonder, and the frailty of the most unexplored habitat on our planet–the one which shapes the land we live on, regulates our climate, and creates the air we breathe. This book showcase the oceans’ remarkable resilience: they can, and in some cases have, recovered the fastest, if we only give them the chance. Drawing a course across David Attenborough’s own lifetime, Ocean takes readers on an adventure-laden voyage through eight unique ocean habitats, countless intriguing species, and the most astounding discoveries of the last 100 years, to a future vision of a fully restored marine world–one even more spectacular than we could possibly hope for. Ocean reveals the past, present and potential future of our blue planet. It is a book almost a century in the making, but one that has never been more urgently needed”

This dog will change your life
by Elias Weiss Friedman

“This book weaves together stories of the many dogs Elias has been lucky enough to know, both in his personal life and while doing his Dogist work. Told in a light tone that does not shy away from more serious issues (Elias is not above the occasional sentimental moment or dog pun), this book charmingly explores the ways that dogs are not just our family and our friends but also irreplaceable beings capable of generating boundless love and restoring balance to our lives. In an increasingly alienating anddivisive world, there is one clear remedy: the one with four legs that rolls over for belly rubs. Dogs can change our lives, and this book might just change yours”–Provided by publisher

The how not to age cookbook
by Michael Greger

“New from Michael Greger M.D., FACLM, whose books have sold more than one million copies worldwide, comes a fully-illustrated cookbook filled with recipes to make you healthier as you age. In his instant New York Times bestseller, How Not To Age, Dr. Michael Greger revealed that diet can regulate every one of the most promising strategies for combating the effects of aging. His Anti-Aging Eight streamlined evidence-based research into simple, accessible steps for ensuring physical and mental longevity. Now, in How Not To Age Cookbook, decades of scientific research are put to use in over a hundred recipes that will leave readers feeling nourished for years to come. Each of these simple, nutrition-packed dishes uses ingredients that have been proven to promote a healthy lifespan and inspiration from the places around the world where people traditionally live the longest. Grounded in the latest nutrition science, How Not to Age Cookbook is chock-full of delicious meals, snacks, and beverages that will keepthe body both nourished and youthful”

Creative zigzag rope sewing projects : 16 projects and a dozen techniques for making bowls, totes, and more
by Denise Haar

“Creative Zigzag Rope Sewing Projects will help you level-up your favorite zigzag rope projects with patterns for unique bowls, baskets, and even a wine caddy! Inside, author Denise Haar shares the lessons that have filled her rope sewing classes with eager students, teaching you 16 distinct projects taking you from learning rope sewing basics to advanced shaping techniques”

The river’s daughter : a memoir
by Bridget Crocker

“After Bridget Crocker’s parents’ volatile divorce, she moved with her mother from Southern California to Wyoming. Her life was idyllic, growing up in a trailer park on the banks of the Snake River with a stepfather she loved, a new baby brother, and theriver as her companion–until her mother suddenly took up a radical new lifestyle, becoming someone Bridget barely recognized. The one constant in her life–the place Bridget felt whole and fully herself–was the river. When she discovered the world of whitewater rafting, she knew she’d found her calling. On the river, Bridget learned to read the natural world around her and came to know the language of rivers. One of the few female guides on the Snake River, she then traveled to the Zambezi River in Africa, some of the most dangerous whitewater in the world, where she faced death and learned to conquer her fears–both on the water and off. The river taught her how to overcome years of betrayals and abuse, to trust herself, and, finally, how to help heal her family from generational cycles of trauma and poverty”

Madame Queen : the life and crimes of Harlem’s underground racketeer, Stephanie St. Clair
by Mary Kay McBrayer

“In her heyday, Stephanie St. Clair went by many names, but one was best known by all: Madame Queen. The undeniable queen of the Harlem numbers game, St. Clair redefined what it meant to be a woman of means. After immigrating to America from the West Indies, St. Clair would go on to manage one of the largest policy banks in all of Harlem by 1923. She knew the power of reputation, and even though her business was illegal gambling, she ran it like any other respectable entrepreneur. Because first and foremost, Madame Queen was a lady. But that didn’t stop her from doing what needed to be done to survive. St. Clair learned how to navigate the complex male-dominated world of crime syndicates, all at a time when Tammany Hall and mafia groups like the Combination were trying to rule New York. With her tenacity and intellectual prowess, she never backed down. Madame Queen was a complicated figure, but she prioritized the people of Harlem above all else, investing her wealth back into the neighborhood and speaking out against police corruption and racial discrimination. St. Clair was a trailblazer, unafraid to challenge societal norms. But for far too long she’s been a footnote in more infamous characters’ stories, like Bumpy Johnson, Dutch Schultz and Lucky Luciano. Now, in this masterful portrayal of a woman who defied the odds at all costs, she finally gets her due”

The gunfighters : how Texas made the West wild
by Bryan Burrough

Examining the historical reality behind the myth of the Wild West, this account explores how post-Civil War Texas became a breeding ground for widespread violence, shaping the gunfighter culture that spread across the American frontier and later became enshrined in popular imagination. Illustrations. Map(s).

Even more reading suggestions

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