Environment

For the past several years, International Paper has graciously given us grant funds to purchase items to add to our collection. In the past these grants have enabled us to buy materials in areas such as Spanish Language books for children and Emergent Reader books for beginning readers.

This year, the $1,000 IP grant was used to purchase materials for children concerning the environment. We purchased some great multi-volume set, including DVD’s for parents and caregivers to watch with their children. Some of the best new multi-volume sets are:

“Action for the Environment” which covers the topics Food for All, Clean Air, Energy Supplies, Garbage Disposal, Water Supplies. Protecting Habitats, and Saving Wildlife

“Recycling and Reusing” which covers Paper, Plastic, Rubber, Glass, Metal, and Clothes

“Sustainable Futures” covers Sustainable Homes, Conserving Fresh Water, Energy, Food for Life, Waste & Recycling, Healthy Seas

“Global Issues” covers Overpopulation, Climate Change, Clean Air & Water

“Your Environment” is great in that the text is on two levels, which allows students of mixed reading abilities to enjoy reading and talking about the same topic. This set covers Animal Rights, Food & the World, Genetically Modified Food, Wildlife in Danger.

All of these series have great photos and crisp text, and I can see heavy use of these resources during Science Fair Projects and report time.

A Tale of a Boy and his Dog

I just finished reading the most amazing book! It was The Story of Edgar Sawtelle, by David Wroblewski, and it has just been named the next "book" on Oprah's Book Club. If you have not read it yet, you are in for a treat! Being a dog lover, I was intrigued by the cover, which has a picture of a boy and his dog. At first glance, the book seems to be a story about a boy and his "growing up years" but it is so much more than that. The story is wrapped around a mystery, the intricacies of dog breeding, familial relationships and the sometimes painful way that boys grow up. The prose is beautiful and the descriptions of Wisconsin, the story's setting, are wonderful. If you think that the large number of pages of the book is daunting, do not fear. The book reads quickly and I bet that you become so entraced with the book you'll forget all about how long it is and will be sad when it's over. The Oprah show will have David Wroblewski on one of their shows in the next few weeks, so I encourage you to read the book before the author interview. I am sure, like me, you will have a few questions that need answering! If you enjoy books about dogs, try also reading Cormac by Sunny Brewer or Pawprints of Katrina: Pets Saved and Lessons Learned by Cathy Scott.

Something to Tickle Your Funnybone

The following is Evangeline’s review of the second book she read this past weekend…

The second book I read, Are you there, Vodka? It’s me Chelsea by Chelsea Handler is a book of humorous essays looking back at various points in her life. From her days in elementary school, making up outrageous stories about being a movie star to her DUI and overnight stay in the Los Angeles Women’s Prison, Chelsea Handler keeps you laughing from cover to cover. This book is not for the faint of heart, however. She uses strong language and openly talks about using alcohol and drugs; hence the title. She also doesn’t hold anything back when talking about her family and the men that she dates. For instance, she talks about how cheap she thinks her father (the used car salesman) is, but she does so in an endearing manner. One of the funniest stories takes place after she has decided she needs to eat better and get into shape. She gets a boxing trainer and starts working out several times a week. She becomes more confident and cocky. So cocky, in fact, that she decides to confront these three girls who call her names in front of her home. Only, she’s on the losing end of a fight with three Los Angeles teenagers and winds up cowering in the bushes a couple of blocks from her house after she ran away from the girls. All the while, she’s wondering if they stole her car and contemplates how to get to the police station on her roller blades. Chelsea Handler is a stand-up comic and actress, who was one of the stars of "Girls Behaving Badly" and has starred in her own Comedy Central special. Her first book, My Horizontal Life was a bestseller.

A Supernatural Slice of Life

I was walking by the Circulation Desk yesterday morning when Evangeline, the library’s Assistant Circulation Librarian stated that she had “seized the opportunity over my long weekend to catch up on a little reading and wound up finishing two books!” I was intrigued and asked her if she would mind writing about the books on the library’s blog. She graciously agreed to write about them and presto, here they are! Evangeline will write about the fiction book she recently read, in today’s entry, and will write about the nonfiction book of essays on Thursday’s blog. Take it away, Evangeline…

In Grave Justice by Glen Ebisch, Amanda Vickers and Marcie Ducasse are editors for a small New England magazine researching folklore and legend for a regular feature called “Weird Happenings”. Amanda is attending a séance and Marcie is looking for eyewitness accounts of the local lake monster in the same little town in Maine.
At the séance, the medium gives an eerily specific prediction concerning the murdered wife of the millionaire who is sponsoring the gathering. The medium says that a clue to the murderer of his wife can be found in the coffin with her body. This prediction sparks a break in at the family mausoleum and a young man is attacked when he stumbles upon the would-be grave robber. Amanda and Marcie must sort through the clues and misdirection before the murderer kills again; and Marcie still has to get photos of the lake monster!
This is the second Avalon Mystery featuring Amanda and Marcie working together to bust some ghosts and to solve a murder. The first book is The Crying Girl also by Glen Ebisch.

A Recipe for Business Failure

The Library recently purchased a book that has been popular with our patrons, Donald R. Keough’s The Ten Commandents for Business Failure. Mr. Keough is the former President of the Coca-Cola Company, and if any of you enjoy drinking Coke products, then you know how enormously successful the company is. Mr. Keough spent almost sixty years pursuing his career path, and he maintains that he does not know a “proven path to success” that any company can follow that can guarantee its growth and existence. However, Mr. Keough believes that there are “ten serious blunders” that companies and individual people make in their lives that almost always lead to failure. Keough presents each one of these “commandments” in well-written chapters and includes specific examples from his Coca-Cola experience as well as from other companies (such as Xerox). This is a great book for any business owner who is starting a business or experiencing stagnation. If you want to read another book about business failures, try also Lynne Jeter’s Disconnected: Deceit and Betrayal at WorldCom. Jeter was the primary WorldCom reporter for “The Mississippi Business Journal” and a native Mississippian, and gives a unique spin on the events that caused the company’s demise.

Technophobe Trauma?

Computers came along late in my career, and while I have learned the basics, I tend to consider myself sort of a dinosaur where the digital age is concerned. We recently acquired a title I am considering purchasing for myself and really this would make a great gift for anyone just starting to join the computer age.

“Is This Thing On?” by Abby Stokes has a great subtitle: A Computer Handbook for Late Bloomers, Technophobes, and the Kicking & Screaming. (That last part would be me.) This great book explains the whys & hows of computers and how to more effectively use the computer you have. There are chapters on what to look for when purchasing a computer and well as chapters on usage. The two sections I enjoyed most were “Welcome to the Neighborhood” and “Exploration and Discovery.” “Neighborhood” covered email and security precautions, digital photography, creating a filing system and as they termed it, conversation. Conversation involves instant messages, blogs, chat rooms, and online dating. When I mentioned to my husband we had started blogging he said, “What is that and should I be worried?” I had him read that section and now he gets it.

“Exploration & Discovery” examines how to get the best from your internet searches. We have all keyed in a search for a specific something and been confronted with thousands or millions of hits, some of which do not pertain to what we need. The Exploration chapter shows you how to use delimiters to refine your searches. The Discovery section also covers online shopping, auctions, airline travel, prescriptions, online banking, and entertainment such as movie sites, Youtube, and gaming.

HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL RIVALRY

A new book is out titled, Y’all vs. Us: Thrilling Tales of Mississippi’s Hottest High School Football Rivalries, published by the Mississippi Sports Council of Jackson, MS

This book gives the history of fifteen Mississippi football rivalries. As we know Warren Central vs. Vicksburg is one of the greatest football rivalries in Mississippi. My main interest in this book was to read the chapter on our local teams, titled River Rats and Rednecks. The chapter gives a brief history of Vicksburg and the Civil War, integration of the high schools, history and traditions of the teams and coaches, as well as a listing of the games in series.
It was an enjoyable read.

In high school I was caught in the consolidation and redistricting of the schools. After attending Warren Central High School for two years and being a Viking, I was forced to go to Vicksburg High School and become a Gator. I’ll never forget the game I witnessed in 1990 being a senior at Vicksburg High School. The final score was Vicksburg 10, Warren Central 9. Before the game the Vikings taunted the Gators with saying, “Vicksburg can talk the talk, but they can’t walk the walk.” With the Gators win I’d say the Vikings ate those words. The Gators reply was “We can talk the talk and walk the walk!”

Having two teenagers that attend Warren Central High School, they remind me that the rivalry is still alive and well. Their anticipation of the game this past Friday night was at an all time high. The final score was Vicksburg 7, Warren Central 0. I anticipate there being a second volume to this book on Mississippi football rivalries.

What's Your Poison?

In the mood for an intense, thrilling crime novel? Try Karin Slaughter’s Blindsighted, the first in her series about Sara Linton, a pediatrician and coroner. She and her ex-husband, Police Chief Jeffrey Tolliver, work together to catch a serial killer who uses the poison belladonna to control his victims as he rapes and tortures them before he kills them. The story’s atmosphere is eerie and the writing draws you in to the story. The killer is creepy and there is a lot of gore—this novel is not for the squeamish. I think Slaughter’s books get better as the series progresses (there are currently six novels in the series). If you like Karin Slaughter’s books, try also reading Patricia Cornwell’s "Scarpetta" series or Thomas Harris’ books.

Take a Hawaiian Vacation

I have been reading “out of my comfort zone” for our next Mystery Book Club Meeting, which is scheduled for Monday, September 15 at 6:00 p.m. I am not a huge fan of cozies, so I decided to try reading some Christian Mystery stories. I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed reading these books! One of my favorites was Distant Echoes by Colleen Coble. This is the first book in the Aloha Reef Series (there are three) and (big surprise) it is set in Hawaii! The main character is Kaia Oana, a Hawaiian woman employed as a researcher at Seaworthy Labs, who is trying to bridge the language barrier between humans and sea mammals. She has a close relationship with Nani, a dolphin that she raised from birth and then released into the wild. Nani swims free, with two other “pod-mates,” but visits Kaia often and comes to her when she is called. When I started reading the book, I thought that the religious message might detract from the book’s action—thankfully, I was wrong! The book is filled with Kaia’s interactions with her brothers and grandfather, a cute Navy officer, and Nani and her pod-mates. The religious message fits in beautifully with the book’s characters and Nani’s antics are a pure delight. A bonus is the Hawaiian language pronunciation guide included in the back of the book as well as a glossary and pronunciation guide to words used in the series.

Southern Cooking With Family Recipes

The September 2008 cover of Redbook magazine caught my eye.

“Country Music Singer, Trisha Yearwood dishes up some NEW family recipes with down-home heart.”

I read the magazine article where Trisha talks of putting a cookbook together with her mother and sister. She speaks of asking her mother for measurements of ingredients to which she would reply with, “Oh, just sprinkle in the salt.” I laughed when I thought of my own experience of asking my grandmother for her recipe of Sour Cream Coconut Cake and my mother of how to make homemade biscuits. Not following a recipe, they would try to explain how to make these. For myself, I need a recipe. My grandmother took the time to measure out the ingredients for the Sour Cream Coconut Cake. She wrote the recipe down for me and signed it with Love, Nannie. I thought it very sweet of her. I now can make the delicious cake but no such luck with the homemade biscuits. I just buy them frozen.

After reading the magazine article I thought, I’ll check the library catalog to see if we have a copy of this cookbook. Sure enough, there it was. My wait on the reserve list was well worth it. I found the family stories entertaining and couldn’t help but reminisce over some of my own family times cooking. I love southern food and I can’t wait to try some of the new recipes.

The title of the cookbook is, Georgia Cooking in an Oklahoma Kitchen.