It's Never Too Early to Plan for Halloween!

Some of our library's patrons may know that Halloween is my favorite holiday. I truly enjoy dressing up, trick-or-treating with the kids, watching scary movies, visiting haunted houses and throwing a great Halloween party! If you feel the same way I do (or just enjoy decorating your house for Halloween) check out Susan Cousineau's Spooky Halloween Crafts: 35 Hauntingly Easy Projects and Decorating Tips. Cousineau's projects are both unique and fun and range from "Monster Quick Crafts" and "Frightfully Fun Quick Crafts" to my favorite project, "Severed Fingers" created out of air-dry modeling clay that have been painted and scoured to make knuckle ridges. There are sections on Decorations, Favors and Gifts, Halloween Party Games and even Quick and Eerie Edibles. The book is packed with full-color pictures of the finished projects and a great index. I really like the fact that the book begins with a section on Tools & Materials and Painting Terms and Techniques. All of the patterns for the projects are included in the back of the book with instructions on how much the pattern should be enlarged (i. e., 120%). This is a great craft book for someone who wants to explore their "creepy" side for Halloween!

Cool Projects for Crafty Brides

The DIY Bride Crafty Countdown by Khris Cochran has 40 fabulous projects to make in the months, weeks, and even hours before your special day. This book is full of chic and offbeat crafts for every bliss-filled moment from bended knee to "I do." The instructions are clear, the book is filled with great color pictures, and I especially like the sidebar that tells you the project cost, and most especially, the time involved. While the invitation and thank you note ideas were clever, the project that struck me the most was a "Memorial Candle." The author stated that brides often asked for an unobtrusive way to honor deceased relatives and this was her solution. A great book for brides who really want to be involved in every aspect of their wedding!

See Through the Glass Rainbow

I absolutely love James Lee Burke's series starring Detective Dave Robicheaux. Burkes' latest, The Glass Rainbow, delivers on every aspect of the series that I find so wonderful. This latest novel is again set in hot, humid New Iberia, Louisiana. Being a Louisiana native, I especially enjoy the descriptions of the wonderful fried shrimp poboys, gumbo and pecan pie. James Lee Burke truly knows what it is like growing up in Louisiana, with his descriptions of the Giacano families control over New Orleans, the "privilege" of the old white aristocracy and their influence over the poor African-Americans in New Iberia and the politics involved in every aspect of life in Louisiana. Dave Robicheaux is a recovering alcoholic who works for the New Iberia Parish Sheriff's Office. His good friend, and former co-worker at the New Orleans Police Department is Clete Purcel, who currently works as a Private Investigator. Clete is the "bad boy" of the series as he uses alcohol, tobacco, food and hard living to mask the pain and suffering he sees every day while working his cases. Clete is the tool of his own destruction and his slow slide to death is clearly explored in this novel. The novel begins with Robicheaux interviewing a prison guard in Mississippi as he investigates the murders of two young girls that seem to be unrelated. Trouble begins as the murder trail leads to the Abelards, an aristocratic white family in New Iberia that has many secrets. Alafair, Robicheaux's daughter in the book as well as his daughter in real life who is also an author, plays a large role in this book. The mystery is gritty, but if you want to read about a realistic slice of life in Louisiana, you'll enjoy reading this book.

Get Handy With Instructables.com

I enjoy the fact that many of my friends and the library's patrons share websites with me that they find useful. One of these I recently explored is called Instructables. Located at http://www.instructables.com/ the website uses videos and pictures to show you how to make just about anything! According to the website, an instructable is a "step-by-step guide showing how you made or did something." The site is user driven, and the people who use it are encouraged to submit their own "instructables" to the site. If you are trying to figure out how to do a certain task, you simply submit the question to the community and then pick the best answer from the ones given. It's amazing what stuff you can find! With categories such as: Food, Living, Outside, Play, Technology and Workshop, there are plenty of projects here to keep you browsing for hours. I was particularly tempted by the "5 Minute Chocolate Cake" recipe that you cook in a mug in the microwave. I tried the recipe this weekend and it was delicious! I did "cheat" however and added some pre-made cream cheese icing to my finished cake. Check out the picture of my finished project, on the right. I really enjoy the fact that there are practical as well as whimsical Instructables on the site, and the projects range from easy to difficult. I think this site would be great to explore with kids. Check out the site and let us know which project tempted you!