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Fans of stories featuring American Indian lore and mysticism may be interested in a book we have for checkout here at Rhoads Memorial Library titled, “The Vanished Series.” Written by B.B. Griffith, the book looks daunting at 632 pages, but It contains all three books of the series: “Follow the Crow”, “Beyond the Veil”, and “The Coyote Way.”

The stories focus on Ben Dejooli, a Navajo cop at a reservation in the Southwestern U.S. The tale begins in book one, “Follow the Crow,” as Ben mourns the loss of his little sister, Ana, who vanished without a trace. Ben’s best friend, who saw what happened, is banished from the tribe when he refuses to tell what he witnessed. It is that day that crows begin to follow Ben, believed to be a sign that the thin veil separating our world from the great beyond is poised to open.

Without a barrier between life and death, things pass between both worlds. Some are good, most are not. Based on information that Ben and his friend, Caroline, learn from the crows, they must race against time to find out what happened to Ana before they, too, vanish.

“Beyond the Veil” continues the saga as Ben and Caroline search for a lost bell which holds power over life and death. A young boy finds it in the Texas Plains, making him a target of a showdown between the lands of the living and the dead.

In the final book of the trilogy, “The Coyote Way,” they pursue a dark rogue spirit that has broken into the land of the living and has taken the form of a coyote, determined to foment chaos. Unbeknownst to them, Ben and the others are being led back to Chaco Navajo Reservation, just as the coyote wants...

A newlyreleased book ready for checkout is “The Personal Librarian” by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray. This work of historical fiction follows Belle da Costa Greene, hired by wealthy railroad magnate and financier J.P. Morgan to curate a collection of rare manuscripts, books, and artwork for his newlybuilt library.

Belle becomes a fixture in New York City society and one of the most powerful people in the art and book world. Her story, however, illustrates the lengths she had to conceal the fact she is Black. In an effort to pass as white, she explains her dark skin is due to her alleged Portuguese heritage. Her real name is Belle Marion Greener, daughter of Richard Greener, the first Black graduate of Harvard and a well-known advocate for equality.

Closer to home, 2021’s version of the Castro County Summer Reading Club for Youngsters is in its final week. Grand prizes will be awarded, and the chapter closed on the annual reading event. The ninth and final Take-and-Make kit is being offered, courtesy of Felice Acker, local agent with Texas A&M Agrilife Extension Service. That kit focuses on cows.

Until next week, Happy Reading!