Two New Biographies on the New Adult Nonfiction Rack

We have recently added two biographies to our library collection about two very different men.

The first is Leonard : My Fifty-year Friendship with a Remarkable Man by William Shatner with David Fisher.

In this memoir about his Star Trek costar, William Shatner shares his memories and interesting tidbits of other information about the late Leonard Nimoy.

This book is a touching tribute to the well-loved actor/director/singer/author that we lost last year.







When Breath Becomes Air ia about and by Paul Kalanithi, a neurosurgeon who found out at the age of thirty-six that he had stage IV lung cancer.  This book is a chronicle of how life changed for he and his wife as he went overnight from doctor to patient, facing mortality while also facing becoming a new father.

Published posthumously, with a foreword by Abraham Verghese and an epilogue by Lucy Kalanithi, the story of Doctor Kalanithi is a touching affirmation of life.

Refresh Your Home for Spring!

     Spring is in the air and it's time to dust off those flower pots and clean out the cobwebs. We have a number of resources here at the library to help you with your spring cleaning and sprucing up. One resource that you may not have considered is our magazine collection. We have magazines available for check-out and digital magazines that can be viewed anywhere you have an internet connection.

     Thinking of starting a garden for the spring or want new ideas for your existing garden space? We have Mississippi Gardener, Southern Living, and Garden & Gun. Thinking of repainting and redecorating a room or two in your home? Why not check out House Beautiful, Traditional Home, or Country Living? Want to learn some new recipes to for that spring cocktail party. Why not check out Food Network Magazine, Rachael Ray Everyday, or Good Housekeeping?

     While the library offers a wide array of home decorating and improvement books, sometimes you want the latest styles and ideas to help you refresh your home. Magazines are a great way to do that. If you don't feel like coming into the library to check one of these out, then why not check out our online magazines? You can find them by following this link:
https://www.rbdigital.com/warrenms/service/zinio/landing?

New Picture Books for the Easy Reader Section

We have added quite a few new books to our Children's Department including some new picture books for the reading and viewing pleasure of our youngest patrons.

Abracadabra, It's Spring! celebrates the magic of the season.  Written by Anne Sibley O'Brien and illustrated by Susan Gal, the book contains eleven foldout pages with illustrations in full color.

In Buddy and Earl Go Exploring, Buddy the dog and his buddy, Earl the hedgehog, go exploring without even leaving home thanks to Earl's over-active imagination.  Written by Maureen Fergus with pictures by Carey Sookocheff.

Finally, in Strictly No Elephants, a boy is barred from the meeting of the neighborhood Pet Club for having an unusual pet.  They don’t understand that pets come in all shapes and sizes, just like friends. The boy and his tiny pet elephant to show them what it really means to be a true friend.  Written by Lisa Mantchev and illustrated by Taeeun Yoo.





Enjoy these and many other selections from our Easy Reader section in the Children's Department.

A Few New Additions to the Local History and Mississippi Collections

     We have two new additions to our Local History Collection and one to the Mississippi Collection that may be of interest to our patrons.

     The two books for Local History are biographies entitled "Invocation to Death: The Final Hours of Col. Alexander Keith McClung" by H. Grady Howell, Jr. and "Bond of Friendship: Legacy of Grand Chancellor, Sir William H. 'Tillmon' Jones and the Knights of Pythias North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia" by Patricia Hureston Lee. The first of these discusses the last days of a disgraced colonel prone to drunkenness who ultimately chose to take his own life after being turned down for a position that would have greatly improved his circumstances both financially and socially. The second book tells the story of how a group of friends--and leaders of their communities--sought prosperity for persons of color during the period of reconstruction by adhering to the Pythian Code of benevolence and charity.

     The final book, located in the Mississippi Collection, is called "Weapons of Mississippi" by Kevin Dougherty. This comprehensive tome discusses the "arsenal of interesting, lethal, and imaginative weapons" wielded by Native Americans, frontier outlaws, duelists, lawmen, protestors, and hunters from pre-history through the present day in Mississippi. The author informs us of the importance weapons have played in war time and times of peace--how they did and didn't help people's causes.

     For history buffs these books will surely enlighten and inform. While these books cannot be checked-out of the library, you are more than welcome to come to the Local History room and take a look!

Only Three More Sessions Remain For Tax Assistance!

AARP is back again this year to offer tax assistance for senior and low income taxpayers.

The remaining Wednesday dates are as follows:

March 30

April 6 & 13

On each of the scheduled days, the doors will open to begin tax assistance at 9 am. First come, first served - no appointments. Once they have reached 25 seeking assistance, the doors will shut and no further taxpayers can be helped that day. AARP membership is not required for this assistance.

Documents and Helpful Information that you will need to provide:

• A copy of your 2014 Income Tax Return
• All income documents for 2015 (W2 - 1099 - Retirement - Pensions - Social Security - Unemployment - etc). NEW FOR THIS TAX YEAR - forms 1095-A, -B or -C on Health Coverage
• 2015 Mortgage statement showing interest and property taxes paid
• All Social Security Cards (Taxpayers & Dependents)
• Driver’s license or other valid picture ID.

New Cozy Mysteries from M.C. Beaton and Miranda James

     We love cozy mysteries here at the library (and I love them in particular). They usually don't have a lot of violence and they tend to be quick, easy reads. Two of our newest are: Death of a Nurse: a Hamish MacBeth mystery by M. C. Beaton and No Cats Allowed: a Cat in the Stacks mystery by Miranda James.

     In Death of a Nurse, tall, lanky, ginger-haired police sergeant Hamish MacBeth is in a bit of a funk. His constable, Dick Fraser, has left him to open a bakery with his girlfriend. This has left Hamish all alone to patrol his highland district. Hamish goes to Sutherland to welcome the owner of a recently restored hunting lodge, James Harrison. The old man, however, treats the policeman quite rudely and Hamish has a mind to tell him off. Harrison's beautiful private nurse, Gloria Dainty, steps in before Hamish can open his mouth and apologizes for her employer's behavior. Hamish decides to ask her out on a whim and she says agrees to have dinner with him. On the evening they are supposed to meet, Hamish waits at the restaurant...and waits. Gloria never shows up and Hamish is left sullen and wondering why. He gets his answer four days later when Gloria's body washes ashore on a beach near Braikie. It is going to take all of his charm, wit, and wisdom to find out who killed the pretty nurse, but Hamish will have to move fast or the killer may decide to strike again.

     It is springtime in Athena, Mississippi, but the employees of the university's library can't seem to enjoy the beauty that is in bloom. Their new interim director, Oscar Reilly, has decided that they need to cut some fat; so he sets his sights on cutting the archive and rare book collection. Reilly's unfriendly and caustic behavior has raised the hackles of Charlie Harris' friend and co-worker, Melba--whom Reilly wants to replace with someone younger. Not even Diesel--Charlie's lovable feline companion--is immune from the new director's ire. Reilly claims he is allergic to cats and is determined that Diesel not come with Charlie to the archives anymore. This is the last straw for Charlie, who decides to look into taking a leave of absence. Before he can get the paperwork together, Oscar Reilly's body is discovered in the library and a threatening e-mail settles suspicion squarely on Melba. Charlie knows for certain that Melba is no murderer, so he and Diesel set about trying to solve the case. They begin with the shady stranger that has been lurking around the library ever since Reilly took over. Will they catch the killer before poor Melba is found guilty of something she didn't do?

Figuratively Speaking - A New Series in the Children's Department

In 'Figuratively Speaking, a new series of books for our Children's Department, children can explore different figures of speech and how to tell one kind from another.
Each of the four books gives a definition of the different styles plus numerous examples from different sources such as poems, fables, speeches, and other works.  They also encourage readers to try their hand at making their own.

Geared for the interest of third to sixth graders, this set of four books breaks down and explains these sometimes difficult to understand parts of the English language.

Relationships and Other Life Advice

     Two new books in our dating and self-improvement sections may appeal to the fans of self-help books.

     First is 121 First Dates: How to Succeed at Online Dating, Falling in Love, and Live Happily Ever After (Really!) written by Wendy Newman. Professional dating and relationship educator Newman says there are three things she has learned for sure: There is one special someone for each of us. You will probably meet a lot of "nos" before you find your "yes." And you can't let this fact scare you off, because you could miss out on some amazing experiences! Newman chronicles her often hilarious, always heartfelt, and occasionally mortifying 121 first dates she went on before finding her perfect match. She made every imaginable dating mistake out there--so you don't have to. She busts dating myths, answers some long-sought-after questions, and examines the pitfalls that could make you lose your mind and swear-off dating altogether. She also offers a plethora of the best tips for navigating the online dating scene. Newman's dating pitfalls and triumphs serve to illustrate her advice and will certainly inspire anyone ready to step-out and find just the right person for a happily-ever-after.

     Kelsey Miller had done it all: crash dieting, healthy dieting, and expensive nutritionist-prescribed "eating plans," but nothing was working. In Big Girl: How I Gave Up Dieting & Got a Life, she chronicles how she realized, at the age of 29, that no diet was going to transform her body or her life. Armed with this knowledge as well as the help of an intuitive eating coach and fitness professionals, she learned how to eat based on her body's natural instincts and how to exercise for her health without obsessing over the number of calories burned. With each healthy step, Miller had to learn to contend with the painful memories from her past. For anyone who has wrestled with a distorted body image, food issues, or family traumas, this book is definitely for you. It is also for anyone who has tried and failed and "felt like a big, fat loser." So, basically, all of us...
     While both of these books tend to be geared toward women, I think guys could pick up some good advice as well. We all feel the jitters of a first date and we all feel less than perfect about our bodies and eating habits every now and then.

200 Suggestions for Reading

Ever want a suggestion on something good to read?  Author and librarian Gina Sheridan offers you 200 titles to choose from in her new book, Check These Out.

The book is divided into fifteen chapters that break down the types of books.  There are even chapters on audio books and young adult fiction.  Each chapter gives you a selection of books with the author, when it was written and a brief description along with why the author enjoyed it.  The audio book chapter even tells you whose voice is reading the book.

So next time you feel stumped on what you'd like to read next, pick up this book for some great ideas.

Tax Assistance for Senior and Low Income Taxpayers Available from AARP

AARP will be back again beginning in February this year to offer tax assistance for senior and low income taxpayers.

The schedule is every Wednesday as follows:

February 3, 10, 17 & 24

March 2, 9, 16, 23 & 30

April 6 & 13

On each of the scheduled days, the doors will open to begin tax assistance at 9 am. First come, first served - no appointments. Once the number of people that can be helped by the end of preparation time is reached, the doors will shut. AARP membership is not required for this assistance.

Documents and Helpful Information that you will need to provide:

• A copy of your 2014 Income Tax Return
• All income documents for 2015 (W2 - 1099 - Retirement - Pensions - Social Security - Unemployment - etc). NEW FOR THIS TAX YEAR - forms 1095-A, -B or -C on Health Coverage
• 2015 Mortgage statement showing interest and property taxes paid
• All Social Security Cards (Taxpayers & Dependents)
• Driver’s license or other valid picture ID.