At the library: quantum computer revolution; growing up Asian

The following books are available from the Transylvania County Library. The book synopses are from Goodreads.

FICTION

Ausubel, Romona. “The Last Animal.” Jane is a scientist on the cutting-edge team of a project looking to “de-extinct” the woolly mammoth. She’s privileged to have been sent to Siberia to hunt for ancient DNA, but there’s a catch: Jane’s two “tagalong” teen daughters are there with her in the Arctic and they’re bored enough to cause trouble. Eve is 15 and willing to talk back to the male scientists in a way her mother is not. Thirteen-year-old Vera, who seems to absorb all the emotional burdens of her small family, just wants to be home in Berkeley baking cakes and watching bad TV. When Eve and Vera stumble upon a 4,000-year-old baby mammoth that has been perfectly preserved, their discovery sets off a chain of events that pits Jane against her colleagues, and soon her status at the lab is tenuous at best. (FIC AUS)

Bauermeister, Erica. “No Two Persons.” Alice has always wanted to be a writer. Her talent is innate, but her stories remain safe and detached until a devastating event breaks her heart open and she creates a stunning debut novel. Her words, in turn, find their way to readers, from a teenager hiding her homelessness, to a free diver pushing himself beyond endurance, an artist furious at the world around her, a bookseller in search of love, and a grieving widower. Each one is drawn into Alice’s novel; each one discovers something different that alters their perspective and presents new pathways forward for their lives. (FIC BAU)

Kingfisher, T. “A House with Good Bones.” “Mom seems off.” Her brother’s words echo in Sam’s ear as she turns onto the quiet street where their mother lives alone. She brushes her thoughts away as she climbs the steps. Sam’s excited for this rare extended visit, but stepping inside, she realizes home isn’t what it used to be. Gone is the warm, cluttered charm her mom is known for; now the walls are painted a sterile white. Her mom jumps at the smallest noises and looks over her shoulder even when she’s the only person in the room. And when Sam steps out back to clear her head, she finds a jar of teeth hidden beneath the rose bushes, and vultures are circling the garden from above. To find out what’s got her mom so frightened in her own home, Sam will go digging for the truth. But some secrets are better left buried. (FIC KIN)

McCarten, Anthony. “Going Zero.” The CIA in partnership with wunderkind Cy Baxter have created the ultimate surveillance program known as FUSION. Ahead of its roll out, 10 Americans have been selected to Beta test the system and each will have two hours to “Go Zero”— to turn their cellphones off, cut ties with friends and family, and use any means possible to disappear. They will then have 30 days to elude the highly sophisticated Capture Teams tasked to find them using cutting-edge technology. The goal is to successfully go “off the grid” and escape detection. If FUSION is a success, Baxter will secure a $100 billion dollar government contract and access to intelligence resources he truly believes will save lives. For any participant who beats the massive surveillance, it means a $3 million cash prize. (FIC MCC)

Sternbergh, Adam. “The Eden Test.” Daisy and Craig’s marriage is in serious trouble. That’s why Daisy has signed up for The Eden Test, a week-long getaway for couples in need of a fresh start. Yet even as she’s struggling to salvage her marriage, it seems Craig has plans to leave her for another woman. In fact, his bags are already packed—long before he arrives to meet Daisy in this remote cabin in the woods of upstate New York. At first, their week away is marked by solitude, connection, and natural beauty—and only a few hostile locals. But what Craig doesn’t know is that Daisy has her own secrets, including a burner phone she’s been using for mysterious texts. Their marriage was never perfect, but now the lies and revelations are piling up, as the week becomes much more than either expected. (FIC STE)

NONFICTION

Attia, Peter. “Outlive: The Science & Art of Longevity.” In this guide for longevity, Dr. Peter Attia draws on the latest science to deliver innovative nutritional interventions, techniques for optimizing exercise and sleep, and tools for addressing emotional and mental health. For all its successes, mainstream medicine has failed to make much progress against the diseases of aging that kill most people: heart disease, cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, and type 2 diabetes. Too often, it intervenes with treatments too late to help, prolonging lifespan at the expense of health span or quality of life. Dr. Attia believes we must replace this outdated framework with a personalized, proactive strategy for longevity, one where we act now, rather than waiting. This is not “biohacking,” it’s science: a well-founded strategic and tactical approach to extending lifespan while also improving our physical, cognitive, and emotional health. (612.68 ATT)

Boyle, Sherianna. “Energy in Action: The Power of Emotions and Intuition to Cultivate Peace and Freedom.” The universe responds to our feelings. This idea is crucial in manifestation―but when we try to put it into practice, things fall flat and we feel stuck. We can become afraid of what our fear is manifesting or defeated when our feelings aren’t positive enough. If your emotions aren’t flowing and your manifestation practice just isn’t working, Boyle believes you can achieve a loving mastery of your emotions that will help you create the life you want. By applying her signature system, Boyle helps you get to know the spiritual laws of the universe as a guidance system for energetic alignment. (152.4 BOY)

Kakn, Michio. “Quantum Supremacy: How the Quantum Computer Revolution Will Change Everything.” Running up against the constraints of smaller and smaller sizes, traditional silicon chips are not likely to prove useful in solving humanity’s greatest challenges from climate change, to global starvation, to incurable diseases. But the quantum computer which harnesses the power of the atomic realm promises to be every bit as revolutionary as the transistor and microchip once were. They could allow us to finally create nuclear fusion reactors that deliver clean, renewable energy without radioactive waste or threats of meltdown. They could help us crack the biological processes that enable us to feed the world’s growing populations. And they could unravel the difficult protein folding that lies at the heart of previously incurable diseases like Alzheimer’s, ALS, and Parkinson’s, helping us to live longer. (006.384 KAK)

Kundera, Milan. “A Kidnapped West: The Tragedy of Central Europe.” In these essays, Kundera pleads the case of the “small nations” of Europe who, by culture, are Western with deep roots in Europe, despite Russia imposing its own Communist political regimes in Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Ukraine and elsewhere. Kundera warns that the real tragedy here is not Russia but Europe, whose own identity and culture are directly challenged and threatened in a way that could lead to their destruction. He is sounding the alarm, which chimes loud and clear in our own twenty-first century. (320.12 KUN)

Lee, Julia. “Biting the Hand: Growing Up Asian in Black and White America.” When Julia Lee was 15, her hometown went up in smoke during the 1992 Los Angeles riots. The daughter of Korean immigrant store owners in a predominantly Black neighborhood, Julia was taught to be grateful for the privilege afforded to her. However, the acquittal of four white police officers in the beating of Rodney King, following the murder of Latasha Harlins by a Korean shopkeeper, forced Julia to question her racial identity and complicity. This question would follow Julia for years to come, resurfacing as she traded in her tumultuous childhood for the white upper echelon of elite academia. It was only when she began a doctorate in English that she found answers―not through studying Victorian literature as Julia had planned, but rather in the brilliant prose of writers like James Baldwin and Toni Morrison. Their works gave Julia the vocabulary and, more importantly, the permission to critically examine her own tortured position as an Asian American, setting off a powerful journey of racial reckoning, atonement, and self-discovery. (B Lee)