History of Morristown

Want to read about the early history of nearby Morristown? Check out our new book in Special Collections:

Tennessee Historical Records Survey. History of Morristown, 1787-1936. Morristown, Tenn.: Morristown Cemetery Restoration and Preservation Committee, 2009. Rpt. of 1940 ed.

 Call no.: T976.8923 H629t

Mountain Boys to Admirals

You might not think a college in the heart of Appalachia would be a likely location for a Navy V-12 program during World War II, but Berea College in Kentucky had such a program.

Shipp, Robert H. Mountain Boys to Admirals: The Berea College Navy V-12 Program in World War II. Berea, Ky.: Berea College Printing Services, 2007.

Call no.: T 359.007 Sh64m

Daddy's Gone A Hunting

Clark, Mary Higgins. Daddy's Gone A Hunting. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2013.

Call No.: F CLA

Publisher's Description: In her latest novel Mary Higgins Clark, the beloved, bestselling “Queen of Suspense,” exposes a dark secret from a family’s past that threatens the lives of two sisters, Kate and Hannah Connelly, when the family-owned furniture firm in Long Island City, founded by their grandfather and famous for its fine reproductions of antiques, explodes into flames in the middle of the night, leveling the buildings to the ground, including the museum where priceless antiques have been on permanent display for years.


The ashes reveal a startling and grisly discovery, and provoke a host of suspicions and questions. Was the explosion deliberately set? What was Kate—tall, gorgeous, blond, a CPA for one of the biggest accounting firms in the country, and sister of a rising fashion designer—doing in the museum when it burst into flames? Why was Gus, a retired and disgruntled craftsman, with her at that time of night? What if someone isn’t who he claims to be?

Now Gus is dead, and Kate lies in the hospital badly injured and in a coma, so neither can tell what drew them there, or what the tragedy may have to do with the hunt for a young woman missing for many years, nor can they warn that somebody may be covering his tracks, willing to kill to save himself . . .

Step by step, in a novel of dazzling suspense and excitement, Mary Higgins Clark once again demonstrates the mastery of her craft that has made her books international bestsellers for years. She presents the reader with a perplexing mystery, a puzzling question of identity, and a fascinating cast of characters—one of whom may just be a ruthless killer . . .

Heirs to Misfortune

In a gift collection, the library received a book about an East Tennessee family that migrated to Texas. Written in a novel style, the book contains the history of one of the longest-lasting land disputes in American history. The book contains numerous photographs and reproductions of documents.

Bradshaw, Steve and Duncan, Joyce. Heirs to Misfortune : The Pelham Humphries Legacy. Johnson City, Tenn.: Overmountain Press, 1987.

Call no.: 929.2 H889br

East Tennessee State University

Interested in learning about the history of East Tennessee State University. Check out the recent gift book we received. It is located in special collections.

Williams, Frank B. East Tennessee State University : A University's Story, 1911-1980. Johnson City, Tenn.: East Tennessee State University Press, 1991.

Call no.: T 378.76897 W671e

Ordinary Grace

Krueger, William Kent. Ordinary Grace. New York: Atria, 2013.

Call No.: F KRU

Publisher's Description: “That was it. That was all of it. A grace so ordinary there was no reason at all to remember it. Yet I have never across the forty years since it was spoken forgotten a single word.”
 

New Bremen, Minnesota, 1961. The Twins were playing their debut season, ice-cold root beers were selling out at the soda counter of Halderson’s Drugstore, and Hot Stuff comic books were a mainstay on every barbershop magazine rack. It was a time of innocence and hope for a country with a new, young president. But for thirteen-year-old Frank Drum it was a grim summer in which death visited frequently and assumed many forms. Accident. Nature. Suicide. Murder.

Frank begins the season preoccupied with the concerns of any teenage boy, but when tragedy unexpectedly strikes his family— which includes his Methodist minister father; his passionate, artistic mother; Juilliard-bound older sister; and wise-beyond-his-years kid brother— he finds himself thrust into an adult world full of secrets, lies, adultery, and betrayal, suddenly called upon to demonstrate a maturity and gumption beyond his years.

Told from Frank’s perspective forty years after that fateful summer, Ordinary Grace is a brilliantly moving account of a boy standing at the door of his young manhood, trying to understand a world that seems to be falling apart around him. It is an unforgettable novel about discovering the terrible price of wisdom and the enduring grace of God.

Women Saints

Compton, Madonna Sophia, et al. Women Saints: 365 Daily Readings. New York: Crossroad Publishing, 2006.

Call no.: FDC 270.092 C739w

Publisher's Description: Daily inspiration from women of great spirit. Madonna Sophia Compton recounts the mysterious and faith-filled lives of women saints—from St. Germaine Cousin, the humble, French shepherd with a withered hand, to the world-renown Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico.

Mountaineers and Rangers

The library has received a book about forest management in the Southern Appalachian region.

Mastran, Shelley Smith and Lowerre, Nan. Mountaineers and Rangers : A History of Federal Forest Management in the Southern Appalachians, 1900-81. Washington, D.C.: United States Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, 1983.

Call no.: T 333.75 M395m

Chapters include:

• Conservation movement comes to the Southern mountains
• National forests organized in Southern Appalachians
• The Depression and the New Deal
• The Civilian Conservation Corps
• Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the Blue Ridge Parkway
• World War II through the fifties: from FDR to JFK
• Federal development of the Southern Appalachians, 1960-81
• Recreational development of the Southern Appalachians, 1960-81

Upper Laurel and Her People

The library has received as a gift a book about the Madison County, North Carolina community of Upper Laurel.  It contains sketches of families in the community, including the English, Tipton, Willis, Porche, Phillips, and Putnam families as well as information on the community itself.  It is located in our Special Collections.

Brittain, Delia Tipton. Upper Laurel and Her People. Ill. by Gerry Girard. Mars Hill, N.C.: Southern Appalachian Center, Mars Hill College, 1987.

Call no.: T 975.6875 B777u

Starting Now

Macomber, Debbie. Starting Now. New York: Ballantine Books, 2013.

Call No.: F MAC

Publisher's Description: Debbie Macomber returns to Seattle’s beloved Blossom Street in this heartfelt tale of friendship, renewal, and discovering what’s truly important in life.

For years Libby Morgan dreamed only of making partner in her competitive, high-pressure law firm. She sacrificed everything for her career—her friends, her marriage, her chance at creating a family. When her boss calls Libby into his office, she assumes it will finally be good news, but nothing can prepare her for the shocking reality: She’s been let go and must rebuild her entire life . . . starting now.

With no job prospects in sight, Libby reaches out to old friends and spends her afternoons at A Good Yarn, the local knitting store. There she forms a close bond with Lydia, the sweet-natured shop owner; Lydia’s spirited teenage daughter, Casey; and Casey’s best friend, Ava, a shy yet troubled girl who will shape Libby’s future in surprising and profound ways.

As A Good Yarn becomes a second home—and the women a new kind of family—Libby relishes the different person she’s become. She even finds time for romance with a charming and handsome doctor who seems to be her perfect match. But just as everything is coming together, Libby must make a choice that could forever change the life she holds so dear.

Warmly told and richly textured, Starting Now is filled with the promise of new beginnings and the unending delights of companionship and love.