Port Mortuary

Patricia Cornwell has recently published a new entry in her Kay Scarpetta series, titled Port Mortuary. Scarpetta had accepted a scholarship from the Air Force many years agao to pay off her medical school debt and those military ties have led her to a training fellowship at the port mortuary at Dover Air Force base when the book opens up. Scarpetta has been working at the air force base for several months longer than she has expected and is relieved when her niece Lucy, her husband Benton and her co-worker Marino call her back unexpectedly to the Cambridge Forensic Center, her "true job" that she has been neglecting as a result of the fellowship. The case that calls Scarpetta back concerns a young man who died but when his body is examined the next day it appears as if he was alive when he was locked inside the CFC's cooler. This is the case that could end Scarpetta's new job, almost before it begins! The plot of this book is typical Cornwell, but in my opinion, Scarpetta seems as if she is hanging on the outskirts of the action while Benton, Lucy and Marino do all the work. I believe Patricia Cornwell has used this book to "launch" the next stage of Scarpetta's career as the head of the CFC. There is a great amount of forensic detail spelled out here, which will please Cornwell's fans, but this book is not the best fit for a series' newcomer.

Simple but Stylish Storage Solutions

Every January I get the itch to clean something out and get organized. If you are like me, you enjoy the thought of "starting over" in January! The library has two books that were published in 2010 that can help you get a handle on organizing your storage spaces. The first book is Storage With Style published by Better Homes & Gardens. Most people know that storage and organization are universal problems for every household, whether you live in one room or six. Successful storage solutions are great ways to keep your home organized and tidy, and this book offers ides for every room, from kitchens and living rooms to bathrooms, bedrooms, home offices and (my favorite :) craft rooms. The book covers simple portable storage ideas, as well as built-in pieces, and shows how to incorporate the ideas into every home's decor. The second book is What's a Disorganized Person to Do? by Stacey Platt. This book offers hundres of solutions for you to gain control of clutter in the house and office, from quick-fixes to hour-long projects, including organizing e-mails to sorting through the area beneath the bathroom sink. This book is more focused towards the very "clutter-prone" person, as it does a great job of explaining how to complete the basic de-clutter process. These books are just two of the many, useful, storage and organizational solution books the library has available for check-out.

Mary Ann in Autumn

I remember voraciously reading Armistead Maupin's "Tales of the City" series when they were first published and I have remained a fan ever since. I especially enjoyed meeting him many years ago at a breakfast when I attended the American Library Association's Conference in San Francisco. Maupin has recently written a new installment in the Tales of the City series, starring Mary Ann Singleton, one of my favorite characters. In Mary Ann in Autumn, Maupin revisits the characters who used to live in the apartments on 28 Barbary Lane, cared for by the stately Anna Madrigal. In this book, Mary Ann has returned to San Francisco to receive a hysterectomy because she has cancer. She is staying with Michael "Mouse" as she recovers and it is wonderful to experience her return as she experiences it. This book is the eighth one in the series and it does a fabulous job of describing the city of San Francisco and its unique neighborhoods and people. The books read like a soap opera,and I always enjoy the twists and turns until Maupin tidies up the story at the end of the story. This is a truly delightful book! If you have never read the series, start with the first volume, Tales of the City---you MUST read them in order because a lot of things occur and build on each other and you'll be disappointed if you skip one!

Everyday Easy Recipes

The library recently ordered a wonderful series of books, the "Everyday Easy" series published by DK. This 6-cookbook set is based on content previously published in "The Illustrated Kitchen Bible" and "The Illustrated Quick Cook." The books are: Cakes and Cupcakes, One-pot, Freeze-Ahead Meals, Chicken, Cheap Eats, and 30-Minute Dinners. I love the format of these books--they have great illustrations and beautiful colored pictures of every recipe. There is even a technique section in every book--for example, in Cakes and Cupcakes there is a technique section that shows you step-by-step how to make a jelly roll and in the Freeze-Ahead Meals book, there is a section on "Instant Desserts." Each recipe has a convenient illustration on the bottom of the page stating how many servings the recipe makes along with preparation and cooking times. These books would be ideal for the beginning or advanced cook as they teach techniques as well as recipes. Look for these six new books on our "New Non-Fiction" shelves or reserve one of them today!