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By Mary Ann McGrath

Abington Community Library patrons busy shopping for the holidays can put driving time to good use with an audio book selected from the year-end bonanza of titles just added to the “Talking Book” adult collection. The following half-dozen are just samples of the more than 100 new titles on the shelf:

“Sacred Hearts,” by Sarah Dunant –The year is 1570 and in the convent of Santa Caterina, Serafina, the 16-year-old daughter of a noble family from Milan, willful, emotional, sharp and defiant, fights against her incarceration. Meanwhile, outside the convent walls, the Counter Reformation begins to purge the Catholic Church and impose on the nunneries a regime of oppression.

“Running from the Devil,” by Jamie Freveletti — Thrown, unhurt, from the wreckage of a hijacked plane in the mountains near the Venezuelan border, Emma Caldridge can do nothing but watch as guerillas take the other passengers hostage. Using her prowess as a marathon runner and her scientific knowledge as a chemist to stay alive, she discovers an injured passenger, secret government agent Cameron Sumner, separated from the group. Finding Emma and Sumner depends on the Department of Defense, whose officials turn to a former military officer, Edward Banner, for help.

“The Paris Vendetta,” by Steve Berry — Only by matching wits with a terrorist-for-hire, foiling a catastrophic attack and plunging into a desperate hunt for a lost treasure secreted by Napoleon Bonaparte can Copenhagen bookshop owner Cotton Malone hope to avert an international financial anarchy.

“Fatal Secrets” by Allison Brennan — FBI agent Dean Hooper has been chasing Xavier Jones for years on money-laundering and tax-evasion charges and doesn’t need or want an Immigration and Customs Enforcement senior agent, Sonia Knight, second-guessing his every move. The Bureau is ordered to join forces with ICE, implementing a team effort by Hooper and Sonia.

“My Name is Memory,” by Ann Brashares — Daniel Grey has “the memory,” the ability to recall past lives and he has spent centuries falling in love with the same girl. Life after life, he and Lucy Broward have been drawn together only to be torn apart. From 552 Asia Minor to 1918 England and 1972 Virginia, the two souls share a long path of seeking each other.

“The Gift,” by Cecelia Ahern — Lou Suffern is immune to the holiday spirit that delights everyone around him, but one frigid morning, he uncharacteristically buys a cup of coffee for Gabe, a homeless man huddled outside his office building, and then prolongs his charitable streak by getting Gabe a job in the mailroom. Disturbingly, Gabe always seems to be in two places at once, resorting to unorthodox methods to show his patron what truly matters and how precious is the gift of time.

Library Sock Tree

Donations of socks for infants, toddlers and young children (to age six) can be made at the library during December. The socks can be hung on the tree in the Children’s Room as decorations. After the holidays, they will be sent to St. Joseph’s Center, Dunmore, for distribution through the Mother/Infant Pantry.