Check out these new books at the Astoria Public Library:

Anne Lamott illuminates family life again in her newest novel, “Blue Shoe.” Mattie Ryder has a host of problems, including an ailing mother, misbehaving children, a divorce in progress, a crush on a married man and an expanding waistline. While cleaning out her deceased father’s car, she finds a small blue shoe made of rubber and a few other articles that stir her memory.

Scott Turow deals with the death penalty in “Reversible Errors.” Rommy “Squirrel” Gandolph is on death row, awaiting his punishment for a triple murder. A reluctant, court-appointed representative believes he may have uncovered new evidence. But Muriel Wynn, the D.A. and Larry Starczek, the detective, believe they have their man and they want to see him punished.

“Print the Legend: Photography and the American West,” by Martha A. Sandweiss, features many 19th century images. The settlement of the west coincided with the birth and development of this new medium. The photographs were realistic and vivid. American consumers of the day preferred the imaginative and romantic paintings. Sandweiss is a professor of American studies and history at Amherst College.

Jerusha has alienated both her grown children in Patty Friedmann’s newest novel, “Secondhand Smoke.” Her daughter Zib is on the Florida panhandle managing a Piggly Wiggly store. Her son Wilson has made a life for himself in Chicago, but it is a life his mother scorns. The neighbor, a 10-year-old boy, is her last connection to the world.

Veteran author Calvin Trillin is back with a new novel, “Tepper Isn’t Going Out.” From his viewpoint, Tepper is merely reading the newspaper and he would like to do so in peace. The fact that he always chooses very desirable parking spots causes a series of interruptions as other New Yorkers ask if he is leaving. At first they are angered with his response that he still has time on his meter, but as the story progresses, many line up just to sit in his car with him.

Alan Macfarlane and Gerry Martin teamed up to tell readers about the world of glass in “Glass, A World History.” Glass was invented 10,000 years ago in the Near East. Since its invention, it has revolutionized the world. The first focus for glass was its beauty in the creation of jewelry. Bottles and other containers followed, with the ultimate use in precision opticals, mirrors, and windows defining the world anew.

When Robert Kincaid found himself alone, pining for something he couldn’t define, he took to the road again in an old truck named Harry. His dog, Highway, by his side, the former photographer made his way along a winding path to the Roseman Bridge. “A Thousand Country Roads,” by Robert James Waller, is the sequel to “Bridges of Madison County.”

Eckhart Tolle was born in Germany and educated in England. Now living in Vancouver, Canada, Tolle travels the world espousing his message of spiritual transformation. In “The Power of Now,” Tolle describes his own spiritual experiences and describes for readers how they too may access a state of inner peace.

James Autry, author of “The Servant Leader and Love and Profit: The Art of Caring Leadership,” takes on the subject of our post-work years in his newest book, “The Spirit of Retirement: Creating a Life of Meaning and Personal Growth.” Autry maintains that the retirement years are a significant opportunity for spiritual growth and personal development. Autry’s vision of retirement years includes deep meaning, beauty and purpose.

During a long career, Bob Schieffer covered four of Washington’s important beats – the White House, the Pentagon, the State Department and Capitol Hill. Most of what Schieffer learned was reported, but there are parts that never made it to television or print. “This Just In,” by Bob Schieffer, features the stories that were told off-air and after hours and the conditions of the various beats.

– Jane Tucker, librarian, Astoria Public Library