Welcome to the Monday Morning Book Buzz, a preview of notable books being released this week. Some of them will be added to the Academy Library collection; if you read about a title that you would like added to the collection, let me know by either commenting on this post or by contacting me directly at the Library.

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This week’s releases are listed by category: Young Adult Fiction, General Fiction and Nonfiction. On-sale dates are indicated in parentheses.

Notable New Releases for the week of February 6th:

Young Adult Fiction

• Born Wicked (The Cahill Witch Chronicles Series #1) by Jessica Spotswood (2/7/2012) — In an alternate New England of 1900, where the Brotherhood dominates and controls society, sixteen-year-old Cate Cahill has struggled since her mother’s death to keep secret that she and her younger sisters are witches, but when a governess arrives from the Sisterhood, everything changes.

• Dead to You by Lisa McMann (2/7/2012) — Ethan was abducted from his front yard when he was just seven years old. Now, at sixteen, he has returned to his family. But the reintroduction to his old life isn’t going smoothly, and his family is tearing apart all over again. If only Ethan could remember something, anything, about his life before, he’d be able to put the pieces back together. “A realistic but shocking ending makes this an excellent choice for book discussion.” — Booklist

• Island of Shadows (Seekers Return to the Wild Series #1) by Erin Hunter (2/7/2012) — As the three bears Toklo, Lusa, and Kallik begin their journey home, they encounter new friends and dangerous enemies and must decide which they can trust to help them on their quest. “Reflecting the realities of the natural world, this new adventure will be greeted with delight by fans of the series.” — Booklist

• The Miseducation of Cameron Post by Emily M. Danforth (2/7/2012) — In the early 1990s, when gay teenager Cameron Post rebels against her conservative Montana ranch town and her family decides she needs to change her ways, she is sent to a gay conversion therapy center. “Rich with detail and emotion, a sophisticated read for teens and adults alike.” — Kirkus Review (starred review)

• Two Truths and a Lie (The Lying Game Series #3) by Sara Shepard (2/7/2012) — Sutton Mercer watches as her long-lost twin, Emma Paxton, takes over her identity to solve the mystery of her murder, but when the potential killer — handsome Thayer Vega — returns to town, Emma must act quickly before it is too late.

General Fiction

• Catch Me (Detective D. D. Warren Series #6) by Lisa Gardner (2/7/2012) — Detective D. D. Warren is hard to surprise. But a lone woman outside D.D.’s latest crime scene shocks her with a remarkable proposition: Charlene Rosalind Carter Grant believes she will be murdered in four days. And she wants Boston’s top detective to handle the death investigation.

• City of Dragons (Rain Wilds Series #3) by Robin Hobb (2/7/2012) — Once, dragons ruled the Rain Wilds, tended by privileged human servants known as Elderlings. But a series of cataclysmic eruptions nearly drove these magnificent creatures to extinction. Born weak and deformed, the last of their kind had one hope for survival: to return to their ancient city of Kelsingra.

• Kill Shot (Mitch Rapp Series #12) by Vince Flynn (2/7/2012) — Vince Flynn delivers the young, hungry, and lethal Mitch Rapp at the onset of his career as a CIA  superagent. In the year since the CIA trained and then unleashed him, Mitch Rapp has been steadily working his way through a list of men, bullet by bullet. With each swift and untraceable kill, the tangled network of monsters responsible for the slaughter of 270 civilians in the Pan Am Lockerbie attack become increasingly aware that someone is hunting them.

• Left for Dead by J. A. Jance (2/7/2012) — Ali Reynolds investigates two shocking cases of victims brutally left for dead in New York Times bestselling J.A. Jance’s latest mystery-thriller. When Santa Cruz County deputy sheriff Jose Reyes, Ali’s classmate from the Arizona Police Academy, is gunned down and left to die, he is at first assumed to be an innocent victim of the drug wars escalating across the border. But the crime scene investigation shows there’s much more to it than that.

Nonfiction

• Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity by Katherine Boo (2/7/2012) — From Pulitzer Prize-winner Katherine Boo, a landmark work of narrative nonfiction that tells the dramatic and sometimes heartbreaking story of families striving toward a better life in one of the twenty-first century’s great, unequal cities.

• Connectome: How the Brain’s Wiring Makes Us Who We Are by Sebastian Seung (2/7/2012) — The bold and thrilling quest to finally understand the brain — and along with it our mental afflictions, from depression to autism. MIT professor Sebastian Seung is at the forefront of a revolution in neuroscience. He believes that our identity lies not in our genes, but in the connections between our brain cells—our own particular wiring.

• The Hunger Games: Official Illustrated Movie Companion by Kate Egan (2/7/2012) — Go behind the scenes of the making of The Hunger Games film with exclusive images and interviews. From the screenwriting process to the casting decisions to the elaborate sets and costumes to the actors’ performances and directors’ vision, this is the definitive companion to the much-anticipated film.

It’s Podcast Friday! Each week we’ll compile some of the more interesting podcasts from around the web and list them right here for your listening pleasure!

This page features the Yahoo! WebPlayer, an easy way to bring audio and video into a website. All the podcasts listed below will open and play in the WebPlayer automatically. Cool!

Bits: Tech Talk from The New York Times

Identity Theft and a Happy App (December 08, 2011) — Daniel Mohan of ID Watchdog explains how people’s identities can be stolen (and what to do about it) and Will Lucas discusses Thankyouaga.in, a new social app for positive posts.

Book Reviews from The New York Times

The Ten Best Books of 2011 (Friday, December 09, 2011) — This week, the Book Review’s 10 Best Books of 2011; Gerald Marzorati on “Love Goes to Buildings on Fire”, Will Hermes’ book about the New York music scene in the 1970s; Julie Bosman has notes from the field; the Times’s Susan Chira discusses “No Higher Honor”, the new memoir by Condoleeza Rice; and Gregory Cowles has best-seller news. Sam Tanenhaus is the host.

Brain Stuff

How does the oxygen sensor in a car work? (Wednesday, December 14, 2011) — All new cars sport oxygen sensors that are designed to cut down emissions and keep the engine running smoothly. Find out exactly how these sensors work in this podcast from HowStuffWorks.com.

How do motion sensors work? (Monday, December 12, 2011) — There are many kinds of motion sensors, from active to passive systems. Get the scoop on how myriad motion sensing systems work in this podcast from HowStuffWorks.com.

How does a speedometer in an airplane work? (Friday, December 09, 2011) — Most people are familiar with speedometers in cars, but do you know how air speed is determined? In this episode, Marshall explains how devices called pitot tubes gauge the speed of moving aircraft.

Culturetopia from NPR

Culturetopia: Minor Key Edition (Wednesday, December 14, 2011) — This Week in Culturetopia: “Redneck” sterotypes on TV; new stories by author Anita Desai; the band Miracles of Modern Science; what the movies “Young Adult” and “We Need To Talk About Kevin” have in common; remembering Colonel Potter.

Pop Culture Happy Hour: The Guilty Pleasure Problem And The Holiday Tune (Friday, December 09, 2011) — This week on Pop Culture Happy Hour, NPR Monkey See’s Linda Holmes and the PCHH gang take a look at the “guilty pleasure” — whether they believe in guilty pleasures, and then explore the notion with songs. Then it’s time for a discussion of holiday music and, as always, What’s Making Us Happy this week.

Music Popcast from The New York Times

The Best Albums of 2011 (Thursday, December 15, 2011) — Jon Pareles, Nate Chinen and Ben Ratliff, pop music critics for The Times, discuss their favorite albums of 2011.

NOVA on PBS

In Defense of Pluto (Tuesday, December 13, 2011) — After Pluto was discovered in 1930, it enjoyed the title of planet for more than 75 years. But in 2006, that all changed. At a meeting in Prague, the International Astronomical Union adopted a new definition for planethood, leaving the solar system with only eight planets. But not everyone agrees with its decision. In this podcast, planetary scientist Alan Stern talks to us about Pluto’s demotion, and why he thinks it should be back on list of planets.

PopStuff

December Movie Deluge (Wednesday, December 14, 2011) — As the Oscar hopefuls and family movies are opening en masse, the box office choices can be overwhelming. Don’t sweat it. Tracy and Holly are sharing their lists of films they’re looking forward to this holiday season to help you sort it all out.

Why do we watch what’s hard to watch? (Monday, December 12, 2011) — It’s the entertainment equivalent of rubbernecking as you pass by a car accident. Sometimes, something is incredibly difficult to watch, but we seek it out just the same. Tracy and Holly have some theories about painful entertainment.

Stuff To Blow Your Mind

The Santa Claus Machine (Thursday, December 15, 2011) — How does Santa Claus make so many gifts? Clearly his elves have harnessed the power of nanomanufacturing. But what does this mean for the planet? In this episode, Robert and Julie consider the possibilities of limitless custom manufacturing.

Give the Gift of a Mystery Box (Tuesday, December 13, 2011) — Why are mystery packages so appealing? How do they improve our mental faculties and fuel our creativity? In this episode, Julie and Robert share tales of sealed envelopes, quantum thought experiments, virginity boxes and things Pandora should never have opened. You might even score a gift idea or two.

Stuff You Missed in History Class

Rosalind Franklin: DNA’s Dark Lady (Wednesday, December 14, 2011) — The men who usually credited with discerning DNA’s structure won the Nobel Prize in 1962, but they used Rosalind Franklin’s research. In 1952, she captured the best DNA image available at the time, and the Nobel winners accessed it without her knowledge.

The Kaiser’s Chemist: Fritz Haber (Monday, December 12, 2011) — Fritz Haber has a mixed legacy.  The Nobel-Prize-winning Father of Chemical Warfare was responsible for fertilizers that fed billions, as well as poisonous gasses used during World War I. Tune in to learn more about Fritz’s complicated life and work.

Stuff You Should Know

How Earthworms Work (Thursday, December 15, 2011) — Earthworms come in a wide range of sizes: The average U.S. earthworm is 6 to 11 inches long, and the giant worms of Australia and South America can grow to a length of 11 feet. Join Josh and Chuck as they burrow into the weird world of earthworms.

How McCarthyism Works (Tuesday, December 13, 2011) — If you’re accusing someone of disloyalty or subversion without decent evidence, then you may be guilty of McCarthyism. In this episode, Josh and Chuck explore the origin of the term, starting with the infamous Communist-hunting Senator Joseph McCarthy.

Welcome to the Monday Morning Book Buzz. Every week we take a look at some notable new books being released in the coming days.

If you would like to subscribe to the CA Library Blog, click the Entries (RSS) button at the top of the menu on the right and add the link to your favorite news aggregator. You can also follow us on Facebook by visiting http://www.facebook.com/calibrary and hitting the ‘Like’ button.

This week’s releases are listed by category: Young Adult Fiction, Graphic Novels, General Fiction and Nonfiction. On-sale dates are indicated in parentheses.

Notable New Releases for the week of December 12th:

Young Adult Fiction

• The Crazy Things Girls Do for Love by Dyan Sheldon (12/13/2011) — Fashion-crazy Sicilee is a poster child for over-consumption. Her archrival, Maya, wears arty vintage clothes but hasn’t a clue what’s in the food she eats. So when drop-dead gorgeous new student Cody Lightfoot sets out to spread his eco-ways—and spur the Environmental Club toward an all-out Earth Day bash—Sicilee and Maya have their work cut out to attract his attention. “Despite the breezy tone, the story ends up with a hint of depth and an emphasis on going green. Plenty of witty merriment for all high-school social sets.” — Kirkus Reviews

Graphic Novels

• The Betrayal Knows My Name, Volume 2 by Hotaru Odagiri (12/13/2011) — Welcomed into the arms of the Giou clan and the Zweilt, Yuki reaches out to his comrades even as he is drawn into their war with the darkness.

• DC Comics: The New 52 by Various (12/13/2011) — Hitting stores just in time for the holiday season, this 1,216-page compilation includes all 52 debut issues of DC’s September relaunch of the “world’s greatest superheroes”.

• K-on! Volume 4 by Kakifly (12/13/2011) — It’s been almost a year since the girls of the pop-music club started jamming together, but the start of the new year is no time to look back on their journey-it’s time to recruit new members!

• Kobato., Vol. 5 by Clamp (12/13/2011) — As the seeds of love begin to bloom in her heart, Kobato’s attentions are diverted from giving solace to strangers and filling up her magic bottle in order to finally earn her mysterious wish.

• Maximum Ride Manga, Volume 5 by James Patterson (12/13/2011) — The time has come for Max and her winged “Flock” to face their ultimate enemy and discover their original purpose: to defeat the takeover of “Re-evolution,” a sinister experiment to re-engineer a select population into a scientifically superior master race…and to terminate the rest.

• Shark Wars #2: The Battle of Riptide by E. J. Altbacker (12/13/2011) — Ever since Gray, Barkley, and their friends defeated Goblin, an infamous great white, at Tuna Run, life in the Big Blue has become murkier than ever for this young shiver of sharks.

• Spice and Wolf, Volume 5 by Isuna Hasekura (12/13/2011) — The life of a traveling merchant is a lonely one, a fact with which Kraft Lawrence is well acquainted. Wandering from town to town with just his horse, cart, and whatever wares have come his way, the peddler has pretty well settled into his routine-that is, until the night Lawrence finds a wolf goddess asleep in his cart.

• Star Wars: Darth Vader and the Lost Command by Haden Blackman and Rick Leonardi (12/13/2011) — Still haunted by the death of Anakin Skywalker’s beloved Padme in Revenge of the Sith, Darth Vader is tasked with a mission to locate a lost Imperial expeditionary force-led by the son of Vader”s rising nemesis, Moff Tarkin.

• xxxHolic, Volume 18 by Clamp (12/13/2011) — Watanuki’s vow to the witch Yûko, who has disappeared, leaves him in charge of the shop where wishes must be granted to those who meet the price.

General Fiction

• Diablo III: Book of Cain by Blizzard Entertainment (12/13/2011) — Designed as an “in-world” artifact from the Diablo universe, Diablo III: Book of Cain includes Cain’s revealing meditations, as well as dozens of sketches and color artworks depicting the angelic and demonic beings who wage constant war with one another.

• The Leopard by Jo Nesbo (12/13/2011) — Harry Hole is back and this time he’s back from very, very far away in another gripping installment in this acclaimed series by the internationally #1 bestselling crime writer in Norway. Two women are found murdered in Oslo, and Kaja Solness from homicide is sent to Hong Kong to track down the man who is the department’s only specialist on serial killings.

• Locked On by Tom Clancy (12/13/2011) — Although his father had been reluctant to become a field operative, Jack Ryan Jr. wants nothing more. Privately training with a seasoned Special Forces drill instructor, he’s honing his skills to transition his work within The Campus from intelligence analysis to hunting down and eliminating terrorists wherever he can—even as Jack Ryan Sr. campaigns for re-election as President of the United States.

• Rise of Empire (The Riyria Revelations, Volume 2) by Michael J. Sullivan (12/14/2011) — The adventure continues as Royce and Hadrian aid the struggling kingdom of Melengar as it alone stands in defiance against the newly formed empire. War approaches and a desperate gamble behind enemy lines is their only chance at forming an alliance with the Nationalists to the south.

Nonfiction

• Create Your Own Free-Form Quilts: A Stress-Free Journey to Original Design by Rayna Gillman (12/16/2011) — In this follow-up to Create Your Own Hand-Printed Cloth, Rayna shares her “can’t make a mistake” approach to designing quilts. Learn how to how to trust your instincts so you can work more intuitively, and develop a new appreciation for the therapy of sewing without a plan.

• The Gardens of Democracy: A New American Story of Citizenship, the Economy, and the Role of Government by Eric Liu and Nick Hanauer (12/13/2011) — American democracy is informed by the 18th century’s most cutting edge thinking on society, economics, and government. We’ve learned some things in the intervening 230 years about self interest, social behaviors, and how the world works. Now, authors Eric Liu and Nick Hanauer argue that some fundamental assumptions about citizenship, society, economics, and government need updating.

• Girl Hunter: Revolutionizing the Way We Eat, One Hunt at a Time by Georgia Pellegrini (12/13/2011) — What happens when a classically-trained New York chef and fearless omnivore heads out of the city and into the wild to track down the ingredients for her meals? From honoring that first turkey to realizing that the only way we truly know where our meat comes from is if we hunt it ourselves, Pellegrini embarks on a wild ride into the real world of local, organic, and sustainable food.

• The Only Astrology Book You’ll Ever Need: Twenty-First Century Edition by Joanna Martine Woolfolk (12/16/2011) — This updated edition still includes detailed information about how to cast your own chart the old-fashioned way and, more importantly, how to interpret it once you’re finished. And the included CD allows the reader to cast his or her chart in just a few minutes by inputing the date, time, and place of birth into the computer, producing a personalized astrological chart.

• Sergeant Rex: The Unbreakable Bond Between a Marine and His Military Working Dog by Mike Dowling (12/13/2011) — Deployed to Iraq’s infamous Triangle of Death in 2004, Sergeant Mike Dowling and his military working dog Rex were part of the first Marine Corps military K9 teams sent to the front lines of combat since Vietnam. It was Rex’s job to sniff out weapons caches, suicide bombers, and IEDs, the devastating explosives that wreaked havoc on troops and civilians alike. It was Mike’s job to lead Rex into the heart of danger time and time again, always trusting Rex to bring them both back alive.

• Time Travel and Warp Drives: A Scientific Guide to Shortcuts through Time and Space by Allen Everett (12/15/2011) — Sci-fi makes it look so easy. Receive a distress call from Alpha Centauri? No problem: punch the warp drive and you’re there in minutes. Facing a catastrophe that can’t be averted? Just pop back in the timestream and stop it before it starts. But for those of us not lucky enough to live in a science-fictional universe, are these ideas merely flights of fancy—or could it really be possible to travel through time or take shortcuts between stars?

• The Twilight Saga Breaking Dawn Part 1: The Official Illustrated Movie Companion by Mark Cotta Vaz (12/13/2011) — A companion to the film, illustrated with full color photos.