Give Thanks on Thanksgiving

Tomorrow, many of us will be caught up in the hustle and bustle of cooking, baking and being with friends and family. The Warren County-Vicksburg Public Library wishes you a "Happy Thanksgiving" and asks you to take a little time out of your day tomorrow to reflect upon what you are thankful for. The library is thankful for your continued use and support of the library and wishes you a safe and happy holiday.

Get to Know Some Lost Dogs

The Lost Dogs: Michael Vick's Pit Bulls and their Tale of Rescue and Redemption by Jim Gorant is a book that made me weep and laugh! This non-fiction book details the story of the 49 pit bull and pit bull mixed dogs that were rescued from NFL player Michael Vick's dog-fighting ring in Virginia. The first part of the book details Michael Vick's trial and punishment and the rescue of the dogs from their horrifiying existence. The next part of the book discusses how the dogs were evaluated for their temperament and aggressive behavior and placed in foster homes and sanctuaries so that they would hopefully progress to foster homes and eventual adoption. The last part of the book is an epilogue that shows where each dog is today. Perhaps the most telling part of the book is that when the dogs were first rescued, the evaluation team assessing their behavior had high hopes of rescuing and "making adoptable" five of the dogs. At the end of the book, all but five of the dogs were deemed adoptable, or worthy of living their lives out at a sanctuary. I really enjoyed the fact that Mr. Gorant picks many of the dogs and tells their individual stories--through their struggles with learning how to not fear humans and learning how to be just dogs and not fighting machines. My favorite story was about Sweet Jasmine, a pit bull who was catatonic whenever she was approached by humans, but after four months of intensive love and hard work was able to enjoy walking with humans and other dogs on a leash. This book truly dispels the myth that pit bulls are aggressive dogs that can not be rehabilitated and is something that every dog lover should read.

A Nose for Justice

I really enjoy it when one of my favorite authors begins a new series :) I enjoy Rita Mae Brown's "Jane Arnold" and "Mrs. Murphy" series (this is co-written by her cat Sneaky Pie Brown and stars postmistress Mary Minor Haristeen and her cat Mrs. Murphy). Brown's latest is similar to the "Mrs. Murphy" series in that the animals have starring roles in this cozy mystery. A Nose for Justice is the debut mystery in this series. The main characters are Magdalene "Jeep" Reed, a ranch owner in Nevada who piloted planes in World War II and is very well off because she discovered a large quantity of gold deposits and purchased the land and its rights. She owns a German Shepherd named King who discovers skeletal remains buried underground in her barn. The other main character is Magdalene "Mags" Rogers, Jeep's great-niece, who had a high-powered Wall Street job and moved in with her great-aunt to start her life over when the economy tanked. Mags owns a dachshund named Baxter who has had to discover how to get along with King and adjust to life in the great open spaces of Nevada. Another important character is Pete Meadows, a deputy investigating the sabotage of several water pumps around the ranch and a series of local murders. The writing is typical Rita Mae Brown--full of lush descriptions of the scenery and well-developed characters. My only complaint with the book is that there was a lot of involved information about the fight for water rights in Nevada. I believe the information was useful in setting up the scene for future books in the series, but the abundance of water rights history and information did make the first third of the book drag. I am looking forward to reading the second book in the series and watching these characters develop.

Roast Mortem

When the weather finally turns cooler, put on a pot of coffee and grab the latest coffeehouse mystery, Roast Mortem by Cleo Coyle. Clare Cosi, manager and head barista of the landmark Village Blend coffeehouse in New York, has perfected the pulling of steaming hot espresso. But can she keep New York's bravest from getting burned? When the firefighters of Ladder Company 189 pull Clare and her friends out of a blazing cafe', she happily comes to their resue. As a favor to the men, she visits their firehouse to teach them the finer points of operating their newly donated espresso machine. But more than their coffee turns out to be hot! Somebody's torching cafe's around the city, and the firefighters are beginning to die in suspicious ways. Believing the two events are related, Clare investigates, staking out a five-borough bake sale and sniffing out clues. When her detective boyfriend, Mike Quinn, is pulled in to the fire of a false accusation, Clare is desperate to put out the flames. Could his firefighter cousin be setting Mike up for payback from a long family feud? And will she be able to come to Mike's rescue before someone tries to extinguish her?