An Interesting Way to Lose Weight

Are your skinny jeans starting to feel a little snug? You don’t have the right clothes for the gym. You don’t do protein powders, wonderberries, or green tea. The idea of going without beer makes you weak in the knees. But there’s no denying you are one, fat hipster. Lucky for you, Martin Cizmar has come up with the least awful diet plan of all time, which he details in his book, Chubster: A Hispster's Guide to Losing Weight. His plan revolves around calorie counting (deal with it) and enjoyable undercover exercise (urban hiking). Martin gives you the tools to become a self-sufficient weight-loss machine capable of functioning in any environment. From frozen dinners to drive-through menus, from ethnic eating to microbrews, he’ll point you to the responsible choice, steer you clear of the real diet killers, and dispel some of the myths giving you the tire around your waist. Like, that Stella you’re holding? It has more calories than Guinness.

Get Involved in a Secret Obsession

Kimberla Lawson Roby is the African-Amercan author of many novels involving family drama and strained relationships.  Her latest, Secret Obsession is another example of a family in turmoil.  The story revolves around two sisters, Paige and Camille.  Paige has always lived in the shadow of her sister, Camille--when they were young, it was Camille who had high grades, lots of friends and success and was their parents' favorite child.  Paige was left with her sister's hand-me-downs and no matter how hard she tried, was never able to live up to her sister's high standards, or gain her parents' love..  The story opens with a desciption of the adult lives of Paige and Camille--Camille is married to Pierce, a wealthy, loving man, and has two beautiful and successful children.  Paige owns her own PR firm, but is living beyond her means, and finding it more and more difficult to support her lavish habits.  Fed up, Paige decides to finally "get what she is owed" and embarks upon a plan to shake the foundations of Camille and Pierce's marriage and steal her brother-in-law.  Paige's jealousy pushes their family to the edge even as Camille's faith demonstrates the beauty and power of forgiveness.  This novel is very entertaining and each character has an authentic voice.  If you enjoy family drama and secrets, this book is one you will want to check out.  Roby is the award-winning and New York Times bestselling author of the Reverend Curtis Black series as well as many other novels and novellas.  Please visit Kimberla at her webiste www.kimroby.com, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/kimberlalawsonroby or follower her on Twitter  @KimberlaLRoby

The First Grader

The library frequently receives new DVD's from many different genres and on many different subjects.  I have watched several great films lately but the one that has stuck in my mind is The First Grader.   The film is based on a true story about Meruge,a Kenyan man who starts school when he is 84 years old, after the Kenyan government guarantees free education for everyone.  Meruge is an old Mau Mau veteran who fought for the liberation of his country and now feels he must have the chance for an education that was so long denied to him, even if it means sitting in a classroom next to many six year olds.  Jane, the classroom teacher, supports his struggle to gain admission into a "school for children" because she is moved by his passion to learn how to read.  Maruge and Teacher Jane face fierce opposition from both parents and school officials who don't feel that the preciousness of school should be wasted on an old man.  The film is beautifully made and through Meruge's musings, the viewer gets to see the shocking story of British colonial rule fifty years earlier when Maruge fought for the freedom of his country, eventually ending up in the extreme and harsh conditions of the British detention camps.  The film was produced by National Geographic Entertainment and was an official selection at the 2010 Tulluride Film Festival, the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival and the 2010 London Film Festival.  It is truly a heart-warming and inspiring story of a man and his fight to overcome the burden of his past.

Check out the new John Grisham Novel!

The Litigators by John Grisham is the latest book by this celebrated Mississippi author.  The book details the shenanigans of two shady lawyers (aka, "ambulance chasers") who stumble upon a mass tort case involving the drug Krayoxx.  The two lawyers are barely making ends meet when David, a lawyer fed up with his boring, day-to-day existence at a huge law firm downtown quits his job, gets drunk and stumbles into the law firm of Finley and Figg and convinces them to give him a job.  The three lawyers become involved in digging up Krayoxx clients at the same time David stumbles across a group of illegal residents who are getting cheated out of work hours at their jobs.  Through his successful fight to win their pay back for them, David discovers a case of a little boy with severe lead poisoning he received from playing with extremely toxic "nasty teeth" covered in a lead-based paint, manufactured in China and distributed by an American toy company.  David's life suddently changes when he is thrown into the first-chair defense of the Krayoxx case...a case that is doomed to fail.  Meanwhile, David feels like he can win the lead paint case, if only he can figure out which American company manufactured the nasty teeth!  This book is an entertaining story about the day-to-day lives of three litigators, trying to make a living.  If you love other John Grisham books such as The Client, you will also like this book.

Fabric-by-Fabric: One-Yard Wonders

It's January, so what better time to begin a new hobby!  Rebecca Yaker and Patricia Hoskins have published a nifty new book full of 101 sewing projects that you can complete using one yard of fabric.  The list of fabrics that can be used include cottons, knits, voiles, corduroy, fleece, flannel, home decors, oilcloth, wool and many others.  Titled Fabric-by-Fabric:  One-Yard Wonders, the book has pattern pieces included and each project contains step-by-step instructions with a list of materials and a description of each project.  I especially enjoy the diagrams which show how each piece should be cut from each yard of cloth.  My favorite project (of course) is the Hanging Book Display on page 135.  The project is a great way to show off both your favorite fabric and your favorite children's picture books.  The display hangs on a wall and has small pockets that allow most of the book covers to be on display.  There are also clothes, scarves and game projects included in this handy book.  If you are crafty or love to sew, make sure you check this item out! 

Fresh and Fun Diabetic Meals

The library has received two new diabetes cookbooks that are sure to please the most discriminating palate, whether you are a diabetic or not. The first book is Fast and Flavorful: Great Diabetes Meals from Market to Table by Linda Gassenheimer. Both titles have been approved by the American Diabetes Association, so you can be assured that the recipes are healthy and can fit into your lifestyle. The recipes in this book are packed with flavor and can be made in minutes simply because the author lets the supermarket do most of the preparation. The cookbook is packed with ethnic and comfort food recipes Each recipe includes a shopping list with the ingredients listed by department and can be purchased at your local supermarket. Gassenheimer also includes a section of cooking staples that you should keep in your pantry and fridge so that you only have to pick up a few things at the store when you decided to cook. I especially like the jerk shrimp with rice and peas recipe or the spaghetti bolognese with herbed zucchini.

The second cookbook is The Diabetes Comfort Food Cookbook: Foods to Fill You Up, Not Out! by Robyn Webb, MS. The cookbook begins with a chapter on comfort food starters (my favorite) and even includes a section on one pot and skillet meals and desserts.  My favorite recipe in this book is the Chinese Five-Spice Steak with Chinese Noodles.  Each recipes include easy-to-follow directions, and a list of exchange choices along with the nutritional values.  Both of these books will give you great ideas to spice up your boring meals and eat diabetic-friendly meals that are healthy, interesting and delicious!

A Unique Love Story

Christmas is around the corner and for some of our library patrons, this is the perfect time to settle in and catch up on some reading! I am not a big fan of "love stories," so I was amused at myself when I picked up Jacquelyn Mitchard's newest book, Second Nature. I enjoyed reading Mitchard's Deep End of the Ocean and I exprected to like this book as much as that one. I was not wrong! Second Nature is a very unique book. The heroine of the story is Sicily, a young woman who was badly burned in a fire when she was young, and was saved by her firefighter dad, who was killed in the fire, as were most of her classmates. Sicily lives her life disfigured, until a surgeon searches her out for a face transplant. The rest of the story details her life after the transplant and discusses how she experiences many things for the first time. The story is beautiful and the writing is exquisite. Sicily is a brave heroine who exemplifiies the meaning of grace under pressure and every character in this book is richly complicated. The book's action covers many seasons, and the description of the Christmas one is especially beautiful. If you love family and relationship drama, mixed in with the bittersweetness of love, you will enjoy every minute of this book.

Holiday Crafting and Baking--with Kids or Adults!

If you want to spend some quality holiday time with your kids, you should check out this new library book! Holiday Crafting and Baking with Kids: Gifts, Sweets and Treats for the Whole Family by Jessica Strand is a wonderful addition to our craft collection. The book contains recipes and craft ideas that are easy and fun and are varying degrees of complexity. The projects cover a spectrum of fall holidays, from Thanksgiving to Kwanzaa and can be enjoyed by families with members of all ages. I especially like the "Incredible Edible Ornaments" and the "Special Place for Kwanzaa Goodies" paper basket. With great pictures, easy-to-follow steps and a comprehensive list of materials needed, this is a must-read for crafty families!

The second craft book the library has received recently is Susan Waggoner's Have Yourself a Very Vintage Christmas: Crafts, Decorating Tips, and Recipes, 1920's-1960's. The book is full of crats, decorating ideas and recipes that date from the 1920's to the 1960's. You can pick a specific decade and use the chapter to create ornaments for your tree, wrapping paper for your presents, and recipes for your party. There is a great section at the end of each chapter that gives "quick crafts" for the time-challenged decorator! The recipes are contained in a separate chapter and each one is introduced with a history of the candy and/or a tip on how to make it. This book ends with an "art portfolio" chapter with reproductions of old postcards and other pictures as well as a section on online sources for crafting materials. This is a beautiful book and will help you plan a vintage Christmas of your own.

Double Dexter

If you have read any of these blog posts, I am sure you have discovered that I am a big fan of the Dexter novels written by Jeff Lindsay. This book series stars Dexter Morgan, a forensics blood spatter expert for the Miami-Dade Police Department who is also a serial killer. What??? No, really, he is a good guy because he only kills bad people (murderers, pedophiles, etc.) and mainly ones who have somehow escaped the "letter of the law." I have reccommended this series to many patrons and I have to admit, the responses I get from them are usually either: "I can't believe you like this book, because this guy is really sick," or "I have to read all of the books in this series because Dexter is one of those people you hate and love at the same time!" I absolutely adore Dexter because even though he is a brutal killer, he has a set of standards that he adheres to for his own "killings." The writing and tone of these books is masterful and think you'll enjoy every minute of them. The series is the inspiration for the Showtime television series, Dexter and even though the series followed the books pretty closely in season one, it has since diverged greatly from the books. The new series entry, Double Dexter, details a case that has not been covered in the television series. In this book, a brutal cop killer is targeting MDPD's police detectives, beating bodies so completely that they are completely bloodless and almost battered beyond recognition. This killer seems to be taunting Dexter, trying to drag him out and involve him in his own psychotic game. Has Dexter met his match this time? Jeff Lindsay lives in South Florida with his wife and three children and may be contacted on facebook.com/jefflindsayauthor, at http://www.doubleday.com/ or Dexter-Books.com.

Make the Best Burger in Town...

I am a big fan of hamburgers. To me, there is nothing more American than a big, juicy burger, crunchy french fries and a Coke. I know that burgers are not something you should eat every day, but the library has received a book that can enable you to eat burgers more often but in a healthy way. Joni Marie Newman's The Best Veggie Burgers on the Planet contains 101 globally inspired vegan creations that showcase fresh flavors and exciting exotic tastes. The book contains twelve chapters of burger recipes, each from different regions of the world. The book also contains chapters on condiments and sauces, buns and breads, sides and salads and a few desserts. The burger substitutes include tofu, split peas, couscous, wheat gluten flour, and a variety of vegetables. This recipe book is a great inspiration for all cooks and the photographs make every recipe look tasty and may inspire you to invent a few culinary geniuses of your own!