LIBRARY NEWS

What new book traces the fallout of two world wars, the rise of an educated middle class, and the emergence of America as the undisputed leader of the free world, while being described as entertaining and erudite on its book jacket? Surprisingly, the answer is The Story of Ain't, by David Skinner, in which he chronicles the creation and publication of Webster's Third New International Dictionary of the English Language. The book is a new addition at the Abington Community Library. Skinner traces the dictionary's evolution, its break with tradition, the addition of thousands of new words , and the elimination of many more, as well as its permissive handling of ain't. He set out to show that never before or since has a dictionary so embodied the cultural transformation of the United States.

We Killed, by Yael Kohen, is an oral history of the life and times of female comedians, from the 1950s to the present day. She pieces together the revolution that happened to (and by) women in American comedy, gathering interviews with the country's most prominent comediennes and the writers, producers, nightclub owners, and colleagues who revolved around them. Each generation of women, from Joan Rivers and Phyllis Diller, through Elaine May, Lily Tomlin and Mary Tyler Moore to today's Chelsea Handler and Tina Fey, has developed its own style of comedy. Not only a cultural and social history, the book is also a collection of entertaining storytelling.

New Adult Mysteries

Island of Bones, by Imogen Robertson. Gabriel Crowther, accompanied by Mrs. Harriet Westerman, travels to the Lake District of England when an extra body is discovered in an ancient crypt. Crowther discovers that his own haunting past will not stay buried and the lure of a broken heritage brings him home at last.

Death on Telegraph Hill, by Shirley Tallman. In 1882 San Francisco, Sarah Woolson is a rare find --- a female attorney with her own law practice. When her brother Samuel is struck down by a bullet, Sarah sets out on an investigation. Was he even the intended target? What she finds are even more questions, multiple murders, and the most difficult case of her career.

A Fatal Winter, by G. M. Malliet. Former spy turned cleric, Max Tudor, must turn his attention away from his flock and focus on solving a baffling case of murder at Chedrow Castle where each and every one of a group of long-lost relatives has a motive.

The Abington Community Library is located at 1200 W. Grove St., Clarks Summit. Visit our website, www.lclshome.org/abington to register online for events or call the library at 570. 587.3440. Don't have a library card? Register for one at http://www.lclshome.org/libraryinfo/library_card_reg.asp.