New and Noteworthy

We are excited to present the newest books added to the TBS digital collection this month. Check out the booklist below!


Cover of The Great Hippopotamus Hotel

The Great Hippopotamus Hotel

McCall Smith, Alexander

Precious Ramotswe takes on an interesting but sensitive case and learns valuable lessons along the way in this next installment of the beloved No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series.

Digital Book Number: DB125762

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Cover of My Darling Boy

My Darling Boy

Cooper, Helen

A deliciously vengeful and sinister suspense novel, about two older women whose friendship cracks after one son murders the other.

Digital Book Number: DB125765

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Cover of Defense Protocol

Defense Protocol

Andrews, Brian; Wilson, Jeff; Clancy, Tom

Every word a president utters is weighed and examined, but none more so than when he is talking about Taiwan. That's why it's shocking that President Jack Ryan seems to imply that the US has no appetite for a war to protect Taiwan from the communist Chinese on the mainland. President Ryan is determined to protect the independence of the island nation, but he is determined that one slip of the tongue should not cost thousands of young soldiers, sailors and Marines their lives. Jack Ryan returns in a blockbuster novel of action, thrills and intrigue in the world created by master storyteller Tom Clancy.

Digital Book Number: DB125767

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Cover of Time of the Child

Time of the Child

Williams, Niall

Doctor Jack Troy was born and raised in Faha, but his responsibilities for the sick and his care for the dying mean he has always been set apart from the town. His eldest daughter, Ronnie, has grown up in her father's shadow, and remains there, having missed one chance at love--and passed up another offer of marriage from an unsuitable man. But in the Advent season of 1962, as the town readies itself for Christmas, Ronnie and Doctor Troy's lives are turned upside down when a baby is left in their care. As the winter passes, father and daughter's lives, the understanding of their family, and their role in their community are changed forever. Set over the course of one December in the same village as Williams' beloved This Is Happiness, Time of the Child is a tender return to Faha for readers who know its charms, and a heartwarming welcome to new readers entering for the very first time.

Digital Book Number: DB125772

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Cover of Thorns, Lust and Glory: The Betrayal of Anne Boleyn

Thorns, Lust and Glory: The Betrayal of Anne Boleyn

Paranque, Estelle

Anne Boleyn has mesmerised the English public for centuries. Her tragic execution, orchestrated by her own husband, never ceases to intrigue. How did this courtier's daughter become the queen of England, and what was it that really tore apart this illustrious marriage, making her the whore of England, an abandoned woman executed on the scaffold? While many stories of Anne Boleyn's downfall have been told, few have truly traced the origins of her tragic fate. In Thorns, Lust and Glory, Estelle Paranque takes us back to where it all started--to France, where Anne learned the lessons that would set her on the path to becoming one of England's most infamous queens. At the court of the French king as a resourceful teenage girl, Anne's journey to infamy began, and this landmark biography explores the world that shaped her, and how these loyalties would leave her vulnerable, leading to her ruin at the court of Henry VIII. A fascinating new perspective on Tudor history's most enduring story, Thorns, Lust and Glory is an unmissable account of a queen on the edge.

Digital Book Number: DB125773

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Cover of Private Label

Private Label

Yang, Kelly

Serene dreams of making couture dresses even more stunning than her mom's, but for now she's an intern at her mom's fashion label. When her mom receives a sudden diagnosis of pancreatic cancer, all that changes. Serene has to take over her mother's business overnight, dealing with ruthless investors who do not think a seventeen-year-old can run a fashion empire, while trying to figure out what happened with her dad in Beijing. He left before she was born, and Serene wants to find him, even if it means going against her mom's one request--never look back. Lian Chen moved from China to Serene's mostly white Southern California beach town a year ago. He doesn't fit in at school, where kids mispronounce his name. His parents don't care about what he wants to do--comedy--and push him toward going to MIT engineering early. Lian thinks there's nothing to stick around for, until one day, he starts Chinese Club after school . . . and Serene walks in.

Digital Book Number: DB125866

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Cover of Chinese Mythology: Legendary Tales of Heaven, Earth, Humanity, and Beyond

Chinese Mythology: Legendary Tales of Heaven, Earth, Humanity, and Beyond

Hwang, Aaron and Li, Adela.

Step into the magical and rich world of Chinese mythology with tales of gods, goddesses, the Monkey King, the White Snake, and more in this gorgeous, fully illustrated collection of myths and fairy tales. Do you know how the world began? Or why there is wind and rain? Have you ever felt lucky and wondered where luck comes from? Are you curious about the unseen and unknown? People have been asking these questions for thousands of years, with different cultures coming up with different answers to explain the universe. The myths in Chinese Mythology date back to ancient China, where the Jade Emperor ruled from the Heavens alongside other deities, and when the world was filled with supernatural figures, including snake-women, animal tricksters, ghosts, demons, dragons, and more. Journey through the world's creation and the rule of heaven to the powerful shaping of earth and the rise of humanity in these stunning, exciting, and mystical tales from China, written by the author of A Kid's Guide to the Chinese Zodiac and illustrated in stunning, bright, magical pictures.

Digital Book Number: DB126245

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Cover of The Secret War of Julia Child: A Novel

The Secret War of Julia Child: A Novel

Chambers, Diana R.

Before she mastered the art of French cooking in midlife, Julia Child found herself working in the secrets trade in Asia during World War II, a journey that will delight both historical fiction fans and lovers of America's most beloved chef, revealing how the war made her into the icon we know now. Single, 6 foot 2, and thirty years old, Julia McWilliams took a job working for America's first espionage agency, years before cooking or Paris entered the picture. The Secret War of Julia Child traces Julia's transformation from ambitious Pasadena blue blood to Washington, DC file clerk, to head of General "Wild Bill" Donovan's secret File Registry as part of the Office of Strategic Services. The wartime journey takes her to the Far East, to Asia's remote front lines of then-Ceylon, India, and China, where she finds purpose, adventure, self-knowledge - and love with mapmaker Paul Child. The spotlight has rarely shone on this fascinating period of time in the life of ("I'm not a spy") Julia Child, and this lyrical story allows us to explore the unlikely world of a woman in a World War II spy station who has no idea of the impact she'll eventually impart.

Digital Book Number: DB126255

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Cover of Lost in Paris

Lost in Paris

Webb, Betty

Four years after being exiled to Paris for disgracing the family name, Alabama debutante Zoe Barlow is still reeling from the horror of her ejection. Still, she's managed to create a new family among fellow expats and artists, including Hadley and Ernest Hemingway. When a valise containing all of Ernest's writings goes missing, Zoe volunteers to help Hadley track it down. Unfortunately, the valise leads to two murders-- the train porter who stole the bag, and a young woman rumored to be Anastasia Romanov-- shot to death on the edge of a small village. With much more at stake than the missing manuscripts, Zoe risks everything she holds dear to find out who among her adopted family is a murderer.

Digital Book Number: DB126259

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Cover of The Voltage Effect

The Voltage Effect

List, John A.

Scale" has become a favored buzzword in the startup world. But scale isn't just about accumulating more users or capturing more market share. It's about whether an idea that takes hold in a small group can do the same in a much larger one--whether you're growing a small business, rolling out a diversity and inclusion program, or delivering billions of doses of a vaccine. Translating an idea into widespread impact, says University of Chicago economist John A. List, depends on one thing only: whether it can achieve "high voltage"--the ability to be replicated at scale. In The Voltage Effect, List explains that scalable ideas share a common set of attributes, while any number of attributes can doom an unscalable idea. Drawing on his original research, as well as fascinating examples from the realms of business, policymaking, education, and public health, he identifies five measurable vital signs that a scalable idea must possess, and offers proven strategies for avoiding voltage drops and engineering voltage gains.

Digital Book Number: DB126262

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Reading Lists

South Carolina Talking Book Services creates and manages suggested titles reading lists for our patrons. Check out some of our lists below.