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The SEKnFind Newsletter
November 2025
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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!
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Miss Winter in the Library with a Knife
by Martin Edwards
YOU ARE CORDIALLY INVITED to an all-expenses-paid Christmas holiday at Midwinter, a remote hamlet in the North Pennines in Yorkshire, England, to play a murder mystery game. Joining you are a has-been mystery author infamous for copycatting the classics, an out of work publicist, a disgraced influencer whose off-the-record remarks have come back to bite her, a true crime podcaster who’s been sued for every penny, a former hotshot literary agent who’s been sued for sexual harassment, and a publisher who used AI to plagiarize bestsellers–and was sued by Netflix. Oddly, the contestants also share a lack of any next-of-kin who might notice or care if they disappear. But no matter! There are cash prizes for all who see the game through to the end, and of course a high-stakes Grand Prize for the winner that no one is allowed to discuss. But it’s promised to be life-altering. And then one by one, people start dying…–
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The Fix
by Mia Sheridan
Eleven years ago, Cami Cortlandt’s mother and sister died cruelly in a violent home invasion. The trauma and notoriety still linger, but Cami has managed to build a life in her hometown despite everything she’s lost.Then one day it all comes rushing back.A distorted voice on the phone: Would you like a do-over? A disturbing video of a room with bars on the window, trapping a young boy inside who looks achingly, impossibly familiar. Four days to find him.With the help of Rex Lowe, an old classmate whose past is inextricably tied to her own, Cami races to uncover everything she can about the boy–where he is, who he is, and why she’s the only one who can save him.But as Cami and Rex unravel one clue after another, the past and present converge in an explosion of secrets they never saw coming…and a truth they never could have imagined.
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The Tortoise’s Tale
by Kendra Coulter
Snatched from her ancestral lands, a giant tortoise finds herself in an exclusive estate in southern California where she becomes an astute observer of societal change. Her journey is one of discovery, as she learns to embrace the music of jazz and the warmth of human connection. The tortoise’s story is enriched by her bond with Takeo, the estate’s gardener, who sees her as a being with thoughts and feelings, not just a creature to be observed. The tortoise’s mind and heart are further expanded by Lucy, a young girl who names the tortoise Magic and shares a friendship that transcends species. Together they witness the estate’s transformation into a haven for industry titans, politicians, and rock stars, each leaving their mark on the world and on Magic’s heart–
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Soyangri Book Kitchen
by Kim Jee Hye
With good books, good food and companionship, the Book Kitchen fills people’s tired souls. Yoojin, who grew up in Seoul, opened the Book Kitchen by chance in Soyangri, a village two hours from Seoul by car. The Book Kitchen functions as a bookshop and cafe. The second function of the Book Kitchen is a Book Stay, where one can stay overnight in one of the building’s four complexes. Over the course of one year, multiple characters each find comfort and hope at Yoojin’s Book Kitchen. From a music idol facing an identity crisis, to a promising lawyer beset by an unsettling medical diagnosis, to a young, failed music director who has had to rein in his dreams, they happen upon Soyangri at pivotal moments in their lives–
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Revolve
by Bal Khabra
“The road to redemption is far from smooth as ice in this sweeping romance between a figure skater and a hockey player. Sierra Romanova was an Olympic figure skater before a life-altering accident on the ice left her with panic attacks every time she enters the rink. Now, back for her final year at Dalton University, she’s ready to reclaim the spotlight with all eyes on her . . . including those of hockey player Dylan Donovan, whose audacious words goad her back into her skates to prove him wrong. After getting kicked off his hockey team for his reckless behavior, Dylan is left with slim chances of making it to the NHL draft. But Dylan’s whole world revolves around the ice, and if hockey is forbidden, well, at least there’s figure skating. Even better, it means more time at the rink with Sierra. Sure, he’s helping her rebuild her confidence, but pushing her buttons along the way? That’s a bonus. As the figure skating world awaits Sierra’s comeback, she finds herself in need of a new pairs partner. The only person she knows who can match her skill on the ice is none other than the cocky hockey player who refuses to cut her any slack. Dylan’s a wild card, Sierra’s a seasoned pro, but together, they might just be the perfect match on the ice”
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The Hong Kong Widow
by Kristen Loesch
Hong Kong, 1953: In a remote mansion, witnesses insist a massacre took place. The police see nothing but pristine rooms and declare it a collective hallucination. Until decades later, when one witness returns…from the Edgar(R)-nominated author of The Last Russian Doll. In 1950s Hong Kong, Mei is a young refugee of the Chinese Communist revolution struggling to put her past in Shanghai behind her. When she receives a shocking invitation–to take part in a competition in one of the city’s most notorious haunted houses, pitting six spirit mediums against one another in a series of six séances over six nights, until a single winner emerges–she has every reason to refuse. Except that the hostess, a former Shanghainese silent film star, is none other than the wife of the man who once destroyed Mei’s entire life. It is promised the winner will receive a fortune, but there is only one prize Mei wants: revenge. Decades later, the final night of that competition has become an infamous urban legend: The police were called to the scene of a brutal massacre but found no evidence, dismissing it as a collective hallucination. Mei knows what she saw, but now someone else is convinced they know what she did. She must uncover the truth about the last night she ever spent in that house–even if the ghosts of her past are waiting for her there. . .
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The Second Death of Locke
by V. L. Bovalino
Grey Flynn has dedicated her life to her mage, Kier. She will be his blade on the battlefield, his healer and protector. The deep well of raw power inside her is Kier’s to wield. They are bound together by blood and magic, but there is one truth Grey dare not reveal . . . not even to Kier. When a quest to protect the child of an enemy kingdom pulls them into a dangerous mission, Grey will need to decide what she’s willing to sacrifice to protect her secret. For Grey is no ordinary magical well, and if she dies, all magic dies with her–
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Sunward
by William Alexander
Captain Tova Lir chose a life as a courier rather than get involved in her family’s illustrious business in politics. Set in humanity’s far future, hiring a planetary courier is essential for delivering private messages across the stars. Encouraged by friends, Tova begins mentoring baby bots, juvenile AI who are developmentally in their teens, and trains them how to interact within society essentially becoming their foster mom. Her latest charge, Agatha Panza von Sparkles, named herself on their first run from Luna to Phoebe station. But on their return, they encounter a derelict spaceship and a lurking assassin, igniting a thrilling chase across the solar system. Tova and Agatha’s daring actions leave Agatha’s mind vulnerable, relying on Tova’s former AI pupils for help. As Tova starts gathering her scattered family around her, she is chased through the solar system by forces who want her captured and her family erased.–
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Midnight black
by Mark Greaney
The Gray Man, aka assassin Court Gentry, must face miles of frozen wasteland and the Russian police state to free his lover, ex-spy Zoya Zakharova, from Penal Colony IK22.
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The Hitchhikers
by Chevy Stevens
On the remote Canadian highways in 1976, Tom and Alice set out to heal their fractured marriage. An RV, a new beginning, and the hope of recovery after a devastating tragedy. Then they meet two young hitchhikers, Ocean and Blue-a seemingly innocent couple who aren’t who they seem. They are Jenny and Simon. And they have left a trail of blood, destruction, and madness behind them. Now Tom and Alice are trapped-prisoners in a deadly game, with nowhere to turn. But as the tension builds and the lines blur, the question becomes: in whose heart does evil truly lie?–Provided by publisher.
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The Unkillable Frank Lightning
by Josh Rountree
Catherine Coldbridge is a complicated woman: A doctor, an occultist, and, briefly, a widow. In 1879, Private Frank Humble, Catherine’s husband, was killed in a Sioux attack. Consumed by grief, she used her formidable skills to resurrect him. But Frank lost his soul after the reanimation, and disappeared after a killing spree. Unable to face her failure and its murderous consequences, Catherine fled to grieve. Twenty-five years later, Catherine has decided she must make things right. She travels back to Texas with a pair of hired killers ready to destroy Frank. But Frank has remade himself as the Unkillable Frank Lightning, traveling with the Wild West Show. Reaching for a last chance at redemption, Frank and Catherine are at an impasse. As time runs out, their final choices may result in considerable bloodshed–
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Cry Havoc: A Tom Reece Thriller
by Jack Carr
1968. A time of division. A time of civil unrest. A time of war. Just before the Tet Offensive changes the dynamic in Vietnam, before President Johnson announces he will not run for reelection, before the assassinations of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Bobby Kennedy, as riots and protests rage across the nation, a spy ship, the USS Pueblo, is captured by communist forces off the coast of North Korea. The crew thought they had destroyed everything of intelligence value. They were wrong. As a KGB ‘illegal’ elicits information from a high-ranking CIA official, and teams of special operators infiltrating into Laos, Cambodia, and North Vietnam disappear without a trace, an ambitious Soviet advisor launches an ingenious plan with consequences that reach far beyond the battlefields of Southeast Asia, one that will forever alter the world balance of power. Tom Reece, a SEAL operator attached to the highly classified and shadowy MACV-SOG is about to be thrust into a bloody battle to discover the truth. From the Kremlin to the White House, from the streets of Saigon to the rugged A Shau Valley, along the paths of Ho Chi Minh Trail and into the secret war in Laos, Navy SEAL Tom Reece has an official mission assigned by Military Assistance Command, Vietnam-Studies and Observations Group, but it’s his unofficial mission that might get him killed.
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The King’s Ransom
by Janet Evanovich
Gabriela Rose, recovery agent extraordinaire, can find just about anything. Too bad she can’t seem to lose her gorgeous-but-infuriating ex-husband Rafer Jones. And now he needs her help. His cousin Harley is in trouble — big trouble. As the president of a too-big-to-fail bank, he invested an astronomical amount of money in insuring some of the world’s most priceless artifacts at the urging of his board. It seemed like a low-risk, high-reward business move, so he jumped in with both feet. But recently, these insured pieces started going missing — and worse, there’s no paper trail of Harley being directed to make these risky investments. Unless the artwork can be recovered soon, it looks like Harley is going to be heading to jail as the fall guy for an ingenious crime. Gabriela knows what she must do: travel around the world with Rafer to find the missing works of art, keep Harley out of jail, and save both his skin and his bank. Along the way, she’ll encounter corruption, threats, murder, mysterious dark forces behind a global conspiracy to destroy the world’s wealth, and a nefarious villain who will stop at nothing to bring the world to the brink of ruin.
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King Sorrow
by Joe Hill
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Joe Hill comes a chilling tale of modern-world dangers, dark academia, and the unexpected consequences of revenge as six friends dabble in the occult and are tragically, horrifyingly successful… calling forth an evil entity that demands regular human sacrifice.Arthur Oakes is a reader, a dreamer, and a student at Rackham College, Maine, renowned for its frosty winters, exceptional library, and beautiful buildings. But his idyll–and burgeoning romance with Gwen Underfoot–is shattered when a local drug dealer and her partner corner him into one of the worst crimes he can imagine: stealing rare books from the college library.Trapped and desperate, Arthur turns to his closest friends for comfort and help. Together they dream up a wild, fantastical scheme to free Arthur from the cruel trap in which he finds himself. Wealthy, irrepressible Colin Wren suggests using the unnerving Crane journal (bound in the skin of its author) to summon a dragon to do their bidding. The others–brave, beautiful Alison Shiner; the battling twins Donna and Donovan McBride; and brainy, bold Gwen–don’t hesitate to join Colin in an effort to smash reality and bring a creature of the impossible into our world.But there’s nothing simple about dealing with dragons, and their pact to save Arthur becomes a terrifying bargain in which the six must choose a new sacrifice for King Sorrow every year–or become his next meal.
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In Defense of Dabbling: The Brilliance of Being a Total Amateur
by Karen Walrond
From Karen Walrond, author of The Lightmaker’s Manifesto and Radiant Rebellion, comes a joyful jaunt into doing the things you love even if you’re not any good at them. Learn the Seven Attributes of Intentional Amateurism: curiosity, mindfulness, self-compassion, play, zone-stretching, connection, and awe. Resist grind culture and learn to dabble.
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The Breath of the Gods: The History and Future of the Wind
by Simon Winchester
“The Breath of the Gods is an urgently-needed portrait across time of that unseen force–unseen but not unfelt–that respects no national borders and no vessel or structure in its path. Wind, the movement of the air, is seen by so many as a heavenly creation and generally a thing of essential goodness. But when it flexes its invisible muscles, all should take care and be very afraid.”–Provided by publisher.
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The Science of Pets
by Jay Ingram
In the tradition of The Inside of a Dog, top science writer and TV personality Jay Ingram shares new insights into the hearts, minds, and bodies of the animals who love us (or do they?). More than one billion pets live in homes around the world, sleeping on dog beds, clawing at cat trees, swimming in bowls, crawling around in aquariums. Canada, the United States, Brazil, the EU, and China make up half of those households, with half of the world’s population owning a pet of some sort. Yet despite the ubiquitous animals that lick our faces and steal food off the counter, we really don’t know a lot about the scientific side of their existence: why do dogs spin around when excited, do our cats really love us, do lizards make good pets, can single-celled organisms be considered pets (you can cut the hydra in two and have two pets!), what are parrots thinking, and can a horse be considered a pet? Or pigs (even those sent to market)? Or praying mantises? Or how about robot pets in Japan, caring for the elderly? Veteran science broadcaster and journalist Jay Ingram, author of twenty popular science titles, including the bestselling Science of Why series, has researched the latest science behind our beloved furry, and not-so-furry, creatures that sleep on our sofas and eat our pizza crusts. Along the way, he discusses the myths and misconceptions about our companions: do dogs always do their business facing north? Why are we seeing a rise in exotic pets such as tigers and bears? Are the deer and foxes we see rescued on Instagram considered pets and could they be domesticated? Did dogs entirely evolve from wolves, and why? Can you communicate with a turtle? Do highly intelligent octopi make good pets? And why are baby animals, like baby humans, so darned cute: have they evolved to be born cute as a survival mechanism, and would that cuteness matter to others of their own kind who might consider them their next lunch? Full of fabulous insights, humorous asides, and the wisdom of decades in science reporting, The Science of Pets will elucidate as it entertains. You will never look at your pets the same way again (but be sure they’re watching you closely).
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Turtle Island: Foods and Traditions of the Indigenous Peoples of North America
by Sean Sherman
Discover the multifaceted story of the foods that have linked the environment, traditions, and legacy of Native American tribes for millennia through over 150 ancestral and modern Indigenous recipes from three-time James Beard Award-winning Sioux chef Sean Sherman. Sean … is a leading figure in the Indigenous food movement–serving as the go-to source for stories on Indigenous food, Indigenous food issues, and recipes. In Turtle Island, he explores the diverse Native foodways of this continent, spotlighting the foods that have nourished, both physically and spiritually, the North American peoples for generations. Organized by regions, this book highlights the unique culinary traditions of Turtle Island–the name for this land across multiple Indigenous cultures–that are as varied and rich as the landscapes from which they arise–
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The Singing Word: 168 Years of Atlantic Poetry
by Walt Hunter
An ode to America’s people, land, and spirit, this stunning collection features a breadth of contemporary and historical poetry from the Atlantic magazine’s 168-year archive. The poetry of The Atlantic has, from the magazine’s first issue in 1857, called attention to the unfinished project of the nation. The magazine’s verse has featured odes to American leaders and landscapes, laments for the dead, and calls for change, appealing to the enduring ideals of Atlantic readers. This one-of-a-kind collection selects poems of rousing optimism, clear-eyed realism, and moving lyricism–poems infused with the language of America’s songs, myths, and history, from the Civil War up through the present in three rich parts: National Anthems, Natural Lines, and Personal Mythologies.
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Declaring Independence: Why 1776 Matters
by Edward J. Larson
On the 250th anniversary of American independence, with the history of our founding a political battleground, this study of the ideas and battlefield sacrifices of 1776 by a Pulitzer Prize-winning scholar could not be more timely.
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