Here's the "Skinny" on New Fiction at JCPL

It started with hot coffee at McDonald's, now we are a "warning weary'" society. Danger lurks where you would least expect, on products far and wide, and here is proof. A warning found on shampoo for dogs reads, "Caution: The contents of this bottle should not be fed to fish." Doing your hair may also be hazardous to your health when you consider these warnings: "Do not use while sleeping," found on a hairdryer, and "Warning: This product can burn eyes," found on a curling iron. Pretty much the scariest of these warns, "Do not use for drying pets," found in a microwave oven manual! While shopping recently, I discovered one consumer product that does not come with a warning label that actually should, and if you've ever tried on a pair of "skinny jeans," you'll identify with me here. I was just excited to find some jeans in my size, and didn't pay attention to whether they were boot cut, classic cut, flares, high rise, low rise, or any other style. Once I got them past my ankles in the dressing room, I knew I was in trouble, and thought I'd have to call out the National Guard to get the things off! A second set of skin couldn't have fit any tighter, and I seriously thought I'd either have to end up purchasing the things and wear them home or call "9-1-1, what's your emergency!"

That's the "skinny" on skinny jeans. Now here's the "skinny" on what's new in adult fiction at the Jasper County Public Library.

A loss that occurred fifteen years earlier has put a wedge between Emily and her physician husband, Simon. On his way to discovering a major breakthrough in the management of chronic pain, Simon is oblivious to the deep divide that is growing ever wider between he and Emily. When an old lover of Emily's resurfaces, the pair is faced with the realization that their marriage is on the brink in "Remedies" by Kate Ledger.

Not the typical English gentlewoman, Bess Crawford is independent and understands the importance of duty, responsibility and honor. The year is 1916, and as World War I begins, Bess volunteers in the nursing corps. There, she meets the young and severely wounded Lieutenant Arthur Graham, whose dying wish is for Bess to deliver a message to his brother. Fulfilling the duty of this last request, however, thrusts Bess into a maelstrom of mystery, endangering her very own life in "A Duty to the Dead" by Charles Todd.

The sudden disappearance of his daughter, Sydney, leads Tim Blake on a wild goose chase. Thinking that he knew his daughter as well as any parent could, Tim finds he must face the fact that his beloved daughter has not only disappeared without a trace, but that she led a double life as well. Retracing her steps, Tim tries to piece together the secrets of his daughter's darker side in "Fear the Worst" by Linwood Barclay.

Financially secure and living a luxurious life with his wife, Dana, and daughter, Marissa, Dr. Adam Bloom has it all. Everything changes in an instant, however, when Adam wakes up one night to discover two armed intruders have broken into his home. Able to gun down one of the intruders while the other one escapes, Adam and his family no longer feel secure in their own home. Recovering from the break-in takes time, and in the midst of healing from the violation of their property, Marissa meets young Xan, a talented artist with whom she quickly falls in love. As strange things begin to happen in the Bloom household, however, Adam knows his first instincts about Xan were right in "Panic Attack" b y Jason Starr.

Panic attacks come in all sizes and shapes, and for lots of different reasons. Try on a pair of skinny jeans for size, and you'll know what I mean.