Crafts come and go in popularity, and the current hot craft seems to be knitting. We have two great new titles on this subject! The Knitter's Year by Debbie Bliss offers 52 make-in-a-week projects that revolve around the seasons. Knitters seeking instant gratification will quickly be able to view the results of their handiwork with these projects. Designed to be made in less than a week at a time, these items are ideal for small amounts of yarn left over from previous projects. From springtime fingerless gloves and a floral corsage to a beach bag and lacy scarf, and including a back-to-school iPod cover, chair covers, and ideas for Christmas gifts and tree decorations, knitters will find ideas to occupy themselves throught the year.Sock Yarn One-Skein Wonders, edited by Judith Durant has 101 patterns that go way beyond 
socks. Affordable, sturdy and available in endless colorful variations, sock yarn inspires creativity and passion among knitters. Judith Durant has chosen not simply inventive sock patterns but also more than five dozen inspired patterns for other items that can be created from a single skein of yard--in addition to the usual baby clothes, mittens and scarves there are patterns for jewelry, cozies, doll clothes and even a dog sweater and a lamp shade! Contributed by yarn shops and designers throughout North America, the patterns are as fetching as they are fun to knit. Knitters of every skill level will find tantalizing challenges; snome knit up in fewer than three hours, others make creative use of sock yarn leftovers and several make heirloom-worthy gifts.
Wicked Bugs: The Louse that Conquered Napoleon's Army & Other Diabolical Insects by Amy Stewart is a captivating look at the sinister side of the natural world. Stewart uncovers more than one hundred of our worst insect enemies--creatures that infest, infect, and generally wreak havoc on human affairs. From the world's most painful hornets to the millipedes that stop traffic, from "bookworms" that devour libraries to Japanese beetles that munch on our roses, this book tells the stories of bugs gone wild. This is a great story for all bug and "animal" enthusiasts.
Alexander McCall Smith is one of my favorite cozy authors! His writing is luxurious, and his details about Botswana make the reader feel as if he/she has stepped out of his/her world and into Africa from the moment you open the book. The Saturday Big Tent Wedding Party is the latest book in McCall Smith's No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series centered around Mma Ramotswe, Private Detective and her husband, the mechanic Mr. J. L. B. Matekoni. They live on Zebra Drive in Gabarone and they both love Botswana, appreciating the new changes as well as the old traditions. Mma Ramotswe is the owner of the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency and works alongside her Assistant Detective Mma Makutsi. This book is centered around the planning of Mma Makutsi's upcoming wedding to Phuti Radiphuti, the reappearance of Mma Ramotswe's tiny white van and a mystery involving the murder of several of Rra Moeti's cattle. Mma Ramotswe solves the case in her usual fashion, following the clues as well as her heart and the conclusion is satisfactory for all parties involved. This series of books makes me want to visit Botswana--Alexander McCall Smith is Professor Emeritus of Medical Law at the University of Edinburgh, was born in what is now known as Zimbabwe and taught law at the University of Botswana. He currently lives in Edinburgh, Scotland and makes several trips to Botswana each year. If you want to delve into this series, you'll have to start at the beginning with the first book in the series, the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency, because even though the mysteries do not build on each other, the life of each character is developed throughout each book.
Due to the hectic times of today, I know most of us try to pack as many things as we can into every minute of every day. Unfortunately, the more we do this, the less "brilliant sleep" we have and the more irritable we become. As a result, our world is full of exhausted, fatigued people. If this is you, don't despair, the author of Tired But Wired, Dr. Nerina Ramlakhan, has some great solutions for you! Dr. Ramlakhan is a sleep and energy coach, who works with corporate clients as well as being a sleep therapist at Capio Nightingale Hospital. She has created a "Sleep Toolkit" that can help you get the wonderful sleep you deserve. This book is filled with practical suggestions to help you sleep, such as limiting the amount of caffeine you have and not watching violent television shows before you get into bed. Dr. Ramlakhan believes that because of all of the technology that we use every day, we, as a nation, do not get enough relaxation (or non-stimulation) time during the day. This lack of relaxation during the day contributes to us not having restful, deep sleep during the night. This book is very accessible and the solutions Dr. Ramlakhan suggests can be easily performed by anyone. If you suffer from unsatisfactory sleep, you owe it to yourself to try out the ideas in this book.
The library currently has several "Fix-It and Forget-It" Slow Cooker Cookbooks in its collection. Each one showcases a different type of meal such as entertaining, diabetic cooking, Christmas recipes or feasting with your slow cooker. I am very excited to be able to tell you about the latest entry in the slow cooker series, Fix-It and Forget-It Kids' Cookbook: 50 Recipes to Make in a Slow Cooker by Phyllis Pellman Good. The cookbook contains a series of recipes divided into the categories of breakfasts, lunches, snacks, dinner and dessert. There is a great beginning section introducing kids to the characteristics of slow cookers and encouraging parents to let their kids cook with them by giving tips on how they can help. There are tips on how to measure, how to follow a recipe, safety tips and descriptions of the equpment you'll need to create these fabulous recipes. I especially enjoyed the lip-smacking lasagna and gooey chocolate pudding cake recipes and plan on preparing them with some favorite children in my life! The recipes are straight-forward, easy to use and the print on the page is big enough for a child to to read comfortably. I encourage you to don your apron and use this book to help your kids have some fun cooking time with you. If you enjoy this cookbook, I suggest you try out some recipes in one or more of the other books in this series.
I always enjoy reading new installments in Rita Mae Brown's "Mrs. Murphy" mysteries and her latest, Hiss of Death is another great entry in the series! Hiss of Death solves a mystery as well as furthers the story of Mary Minor Harristeen (Harry) and her husband Fair, her pet cats Mrs. Murphy and Pewter, her corgi Tee Tucker and her horses Shortro and Tomahawk. Harry and her family live in Crozet, Virginia where she farms and enjoys life outdoors and with her friends. Animals are very important to Harry and her trusty sidekicks (Mrs. Murphy, Pewter and Tucker) are by her side every minute of the day. Harry has this uncanny knack of stumbling over dead bodies , and the murders she keeps finding in this book are all associated with Central Virginia Hospital. I admire Rita Mae Brown's tackling cancer in this book---Harry and her friends help host a 5K run to raise funds for breast cancer research and Harry has her own, deeply personal brush with breast cancer. This book is a wonderful cozy mystery with plenty of humor, exploration of the newest cancer treatments and lots of descriptions of beautiful Virginia landscapes. A great choice for fans of the series as well as any cozy mystery lover.
I read the most entertaining book yesterday, Somebody Stole the Cornbread from My Dressing by Elizabeth Gourlay Heiskell and Susanne Young Reed. This book is a very humorous look at the comparisons and differences between the northern and southern parts of the United States by comparing each regions take on foods, social events and etiquette issues. The book is a series of essays followed by recipes (i. e., weddings) and each essay is a delight to read! Elizabeth and Susanne grew up in Rosedale, MS where Elizabeth met Luke Heiskell, married him and settled in Cleveland, MS where they raise three girls and she is an instructor at the Viking Cooking School in Greenwood, MS. Susanne (unfortunately) took a different route and after atteding Ole Miss and receiving her Ph. D. in Education, she fell in love with a Yankee named Charlie Reed, married him and moved to south-central Pennsylvania for his career and to raise their son Carter. This move gave Mrs. Reed a unique view on the differences between the North and South---she lives these differences everyday! My favorite story is about Susanne's first Thanksgiving in Pennsylvania, where she "saved up" her carbohydrate calories for her first taste of Thanksgiving dressing. She eyed the savory dish and closed her eyes for the first bite, but was stunned to find nothing but bread--where was the savory grittiness of the cornbread that she had been longing for? The story of the meal is hilarious and though Susanne has grudgingly come to appreciate bread dressing, her heart still belongs to the southern dressing she grew up loving. This is a cookbook as well as a story of southern culture, and something that should not be missed. If you like this book, try also reading Gayden Metcalfe's Being Dead is No Excuse: The Official Southern Ladies Guide to Hosting the Perfect Funeral and Jill Conner Browne's The Sweet Potato Queens' Book of Love.
One of my favorite characters in the book world today has to be Sookie Stackhouse. I have been a fan of Charlaine Harris' Sookie Stackhouse series of books since before the HBO series "True Blood" began production. The latest book in this series is Dead Reckoning, and it stars, once again, all of Sookie's interesting boyfriends, ex-boyfriends, friends, family members and enemies. I adore all of the supernatural creatures that find their way into Sookie's world and how she takes it all in stride. Sookie is a telepath and a waitress at Merlotte's, a bar and restaurant owned by her shape-shifting friend Sam, located in a small town in Renard Parish, LA. In this installment of the series, Sookie has an enemy who keeps trying to kill her, and the Vampire King of Louisiana has a big bone to pick with Sookie's vampire husband, Eric Northman. A lot of action occurs in this book as well as some very interesting twists with Sookie and Eric, Eric's "second-in-command" vampire Pam, and Sookie's fairy cousins. You definitely have to have read the other books in the series before you read this one or you will be hopelessly lost with the novel's plot. A special treat is a surprise appearance by Bubba (Sookie fans will know exactly who he is :)) I truly enjoy reading about the food and atmosphere of Louisiana and the believable characters, supernatural or not that are in this book. Charlaine Harris is truly a talented author. Be sure to also check out Harris' Aurora Teagarten and Connerly siblings series.
Summer is close at hand--although you can't really say that according to the cool weather we've been experiencing lately! I can think of no better way to celebrate the relaxation of summer time than by reading a vacation-themed book. Death's Excellent Vacation, edited by Charlaine Harris and Toni L. P. Kelner, is a collection of thirteen short stories that center around the theme of vacation. The book is great entertainment for those folks who enjoy reading about tales of paranormal R & R. Trust me, there is a little bit of everything for everyone in these tales--from vampires, to werewolves and even leprechauns. I especially enjoyed being able to "taste" a little writing from some authors that I had heard of but never read. This collection is a great introduction to many current, popular supernatural writers such as Charlaine Harris, Toni L. P. Kelner, Jeff Abbott, Lilith Saintcrow and many more. The book is a quick read, so you'll have the chance to whet your appetite before delving into another, longer book by these authors.
I truly enjoyed reading Dancing Lessons: How I Found Passion and Potential On the Dance Floor and in Life by Cheryl Burke! I am a big fan of the television show, "Dancing with the Stars," and enjoy watching the celebrity as well as the professional dancers each week as they hit the ballroom floor and perform Latin and Classical ballroom dances. This book was written by Cheryl Burke, one of my favorite professional dancers, who has been with the show since Season Two. During that season, she won the coveted "mirror ball trophy" when her celebrity partner Drew Lachey (formerly a singer with 98 degrees) won the season. The book is very approachable and is arranged by the types of dance that mirror a specific time in her life. I always had the perception that Cheryl was this wonderfully talented, confident dance, but this book shows how she overcame numerous insecurities (she used to be shy :) ) to have a successful dance career and win the mirror ball trophy twice, so far. My favorite part of the book was learning about all of the struggles that Cheryl's mom went through (as a divorced single mom) to start and maintain her own business and how Cheryl overcame some really harsh personal incidences to become the star she is today. The book ends with a section on each of her celebrity partners and a discussion of the lessons she learned from each of them. This is a truly inspiring read, if you are a fan of the show or not. It is a great story of finding your dream and living life to the fullest. I think this would be a great book to give to a teen who is entering college and embarking on her own quest to find herself.
Crafts come and go in popularity, and the current hot craft seems to be knitting. We have two great new titles on this subject! The Knitter's Year by Debbie Bliss offers 52 make-in-a-week projects that revolve around the seasons. Knitters seeking instant gratification will quickly be able to view the results of their handiwork with these projects. Designed to be made in less than a week at a time, these items are ideal for small amounts of yarn left over from previous projects. From springtime fingerless gloves and a floral corsage to a beach bag and lacy scarf, and including a back-to-school iPod cover, chair covers, and ideas for Christmas gifts and tree decorations, knitters will find ideas to occupy themselves throught the year.