Penguin Power

In the early part of the year my granddaughter developed a passion for anything penguin. I started collecting penguin items for her birthday in June. In the spring amongst the non-fiction offerings comes this incredible book called “Hello, Cupcake!” by Alan Richardson. On the back cover they had a cupcake penguin. Not just one that was drawn on, but a three dimensional honest-to-goodness penguin! I read the directions and it didn’t seem hard and even better according to the directions, it would only take me an hour and a half to make 8 penguins. Cool! So starting on the Thursday before my granddaughter’s Saturday birthday I made the cupcakes. The book explained that due to the weight of some of the projects, they required a denser cupcake and that’s the recipe I followed. Then on Friday night shortly before 7 pm, I started on the penguin production. And finally a little after 10 pm, I finished.

While the book was really clear on instructions, there were some things they did not fully explain. For example, the penguin was made from half a mini-doughnut and a doughnut hole on top of that, which of course, was on a cupcake. You were to put frosting between these elements to hold them together and then dunk them in icing that had been heated to make it more liquid. I had difficulty getting the icing to the correct liquid state to easily accomplish this. As a matter of fact, on my first attempt everything fell apart and I had to fish the mini-doughnut and the doughnut hole out of the icing because they fell off. I discovered toothpicks were required to hold it together or as my husband and later in the book suggested, pretzel sticks are the answer to that problem.

However, it was all worth it to see the expression on my granddaughter’s face when she saw the penguins in all their black and white glory. And in looking at the photos, you’ll notice one is a little melted. It just slid apart and so we said that was a Chernobyl penguin..

Librarians as Mystery Authors

I am a native “Louisianaian” and really enjoy reading books about my home state. I recently read Prey for Me: A New Orleans Mystery, written by Ronald M. Gauthier. The book stars Jeannette Plaisance who, after working at the FBI Behavioral Science Unit, uses her skills to search for a serial killer nicknamed the “Garbage Man.” The killer’s victims are young black males and Plaisance must wade through the tough streets of New Orleans to search for clues and find the killer. Ronald Gauthier has his MLIS in Library Sciences and currently works as a Library Branch Manager in New Orleans. Since I am a great fan of a book’s setting, I believe Gauthier does a great job with describing the culture and atmosphere of New Orleans. Are you interested in other mysteries written by librarians? Try Seneca Falls Inheritance, the first Glynis Tryon historical mystery, written by Miriam Grace Monfredo. A former librarian, Monfredo’s character encounters many library problems in this novel set during the Women’s Rights Convention of 1848 in Seneca Falls, New York. This cozy makes history come alive and is a great read for feminist’s and history buffs.

Women as Criminals?

When I was shelving our new non-fiction books recently, a title caught my eye. The book’s cover was bright yellow and very attractive, but what really intrigued me was the title, Dangerous Women: Why Mothers, Daughters, and Sisters become Molesters and Murderers by Larry A. Morris. I immediately thought about the fact that more serial killers are men rather than women, and that Dr. Morris must have really researched his topic to discover what makes women “become dangerous.” The premise of the book is that (this is from the book jacket) “criminologists have noted a disturbing trend in the last few decades - although men are still most often the perpetrators of murder, violent assault, and child molestation, more and more girls and women are becoming dangerous criminals, filling courtrooms and jails.” Dr. Morris is a forensic psychologist and he uses thirty years of personal clinical experience with perpetrators and victims of interpersonal violence to reveal why girls and women have begun to choose violence as a way to solve their problems. This is a very sobering book, but it gives a great insight into the minds of “female killers” and gives the reader a lot of information to think about. A plus—the book also gives some practical tips on how to recognize and stop this behavior in the women you know! For other stories about psychological crimes, try Twisted Triangle: A Famous Crime Writer, a Lesbian Love Affair, and the FBI Husband's Violent Revenge by Caitlin Rother with John Hess, or The Phantom Prince: My Life with Ted Bundy by Elizabeth Kendall.

A Book for Food Lovers

I don’t know if you are as big a fan of the “food network” television channel as I am, but it is one of my favorites. The chefs on most of the food networks shows are wildly popular with our library’s patrons, and in response to their popularity we have purchased many recipe books authored by Paula Deen, Rachael Ray, Giada De Laurentiis and Sandra Lee. One of my new favorites is Alton Brown’s Feasting on Asphalt: The River Run. The book itself is a visual feast! It is chock full of colored photographs, recipes, portraits, and notes that Brown wrote while traveling up the Mississippi River from Louisiana to Minnesota on Buttercup, his motorcycle. Along the way, he stops in river cities and towns to sample (in my opinion) some of the best food in the United States. Brown does not just visit restaurants, however—he takes time to visit many culturally significant museums and other places in these towns, while giving a brief history of each place. Most of the recipes in the book came straight from the mouth of the chef, but if the chef was unwilling to give up the recipe, Brown does his best to write down what he thinks is in the dish, as well as a “who inspired the dish” notation. I might be partial to this book simply because it includes a description of Alton Brown’s visit to the Beidenharn Candy Co. and Coca-Cola museum in Vicksburg, but I do know one thing. Don’t read this book while you are hungry- it will only make you want to go whip up a batch of your grandma’s best fried chicken!

Check-Out This Supernatural Suspense!

Denise, our ILL Librarian, read a book several months ago that she loved so much, she encouraged me to read it. The book was Witchling, written by Yasmine Galenorn , and I enjoyed it so much that I am now “hooked” on the series! I am not much of a fan of the romance genre, so it was a surprise to me that I enjoyed reading books that in our library have a “romance” genre sticker on their spines. Described by author Mary Jo Putney as “Laurell K. Hamilton with a lighter touch,” the rest of the books in the Otherworld series are: Changeling, Darkling, and Dragon Wytch. These books are technically one of those cross-over genre books that should be more accurately classified as supernatural suspense. Basically, the stories are about the three D’Artigo sisters who are half-human, half-Fae, who have moved through a portal between Earth and Otherworld because they were outsiders in magical Otherworld. The sisters work for the Otherworld Intelligence Agency, tracking down rogue demons, goblins and other sinister beings who have crept through portals to wreak havoc on Earth. The most interesting aspect of the D’Artigo’s is that each is a different magical being: Camille is a witch (with varying degrees of magic-spell success), Delilah is a changeling (she changes into a cat, sometimes at inopportune moments), and Menolly ( a vampire, who was a super-spy until she was changed by a rather nasty vampire). The sisters have a great repertoire with each other, and each of the books focuses mainly on the adventures of one sister. Galenorn is also the author of the Chintz ‘N China mystery series (set in a tea room), but she has stopped writing that series due to the popularity of the Otherworld series. The magic is so integrated and believable in these stories, that I almost expect to stumble across Camille or Delilah one afternoon while shopping in downtown Vicksburg! I also suggest you check out Yasmine’s website at www.galenorn.com to see what she is up to next.

Going for the Gold

If you are like me, you have probably been spending the past few nights “glued to your television screen” watching amazing athletes from all over the world perform stunning athletic feats during the 29th Summer Olympics in Beijing, China. I am especially proud of the American teams, but it is also very rewarding to see other teams win, especially since I know they have worked as hard as the American teams to accomplish their dreams. When I watched the American men’s swim team capture the gold in the 4 X 100 relay, and the American men’s gymnastics team earn the bronze medal in the team competition, it did not matter that it was midnight and I had to work the next day—I felt like a part of history in the making! Triumph: The Untold Story of Jesse Owens and Hitler’s Olympics by Jeremy Schaap, is a book that will help you keep that Olympic spirit alive. The book details the accomplishments of Jesse Owens at the 1936 Olympic Games, by using interviews, family sources and archival research to create a portrait of this remarkable man. The story is set amidst the intrigues, controversies and political manipulations of the Olympics, which serves to make Owen’s accomplishments more spectacular. If you just want to “re-live” some of the history-making moments of past games, try checking out the eight-videocassette series, The Olympiad Greatest Moments. I promise you won’t be disappointed! I will continue to spend my nights watching the Olympic games and invite you to join me in experiencing some of the United States’ greatest moments.

Serial Killers in the Soviet Union

This summer I decided to broaden my reading horizons and read out of my comfort zone. My usual forte is cozy mysteries and romances. In reading the blurb I became intrigued for a couple of reasons, one it sounded so interesting and the second I had been to Russia while it was still under Communist rule. So “Child 44” by Tom Robb Smith came home with me.

This book is set in Russia in the early 1950s. World War II is over, Stalin has died, and Khrushchev has just come into power. In the Socialist doctrine because the State provides for everything there should be no reason to murder. However, a high ranking official, Leo Demidov, is assigned to investigate the murder of a child and after a fall from grace comes to realize a serial killer is on the loose. The State cannot admit this and Leo puts his life and that of his wife at risk to locate the killer before more children die.

This book was very entertaining but, took me a long time to read. Usually I can figure out a “who-done-it”, but I never saw this one coming. The ending was a surprise. The author did an incredible job of recreating the gloomy paranoia of Russia at that time. I might read about serial killers again, but find I am now ready to return to my comfort zone. Can anybody recommend a nice vampire romance?

Mystery Abounds in an African Adventure

I recently stumbled across a really wonderful mystery set in Africa and truly enjoyed reading it. Titled A Carrion Death and written by Michael Stanley, the book is set in Botswana, and introduces Assistant Superintendent, David Bengu, affectionately nicknamed Detective Kubu (Botswana for “hippopotamus”) due to his convivial passions and determination to solve crimes. In this book, Kubu is pursing the murderer of an anonymous victim, a pursuit that takes him across several towns and villages in Botswana. My favorite part of this book is not the mystery (although it is good), but the people Kubu meets, and his interactions with them and their cultures amidst the setting of Botswana. I first became interested in Botswana as a result of Alexander McCall-Smith’s No. 1 Ladies’ Detective series featuring Mma Ramatswe and have become an avid reader of stories set in Africa since then. I enjoy reading stories with great descriptions of settings and I believe when you read A Carrion Death you will feel the hot, dusty, air and magic of Africa!