Crafts come and go in popularity, and the current hot craft seems to be knitting. We have two great new titles on this subject! The Knitter's Year by Debbie Bliss offers 52 make-in-a-week projects that revolve around the seasons. Knitters seeking instant gratification will quickly be able to view the results of their handiwork with these projects. Designed to be made in less than a week at a time, these items are ideal for small amounts of yarn left over from previous projects. From springtime fingerless gloves and a floral corsage to a beach bag and lacy scarf, and including a back-to-school iPod cover, chair covers, and ideas for Christmas gifts and tree decorations, knitters will find ideas to occupy themselves throught the year.Sock Yarn One-Skein Wonders, edited by Judith Durant has 101 patterns that go way beyond 
socks. Affordable, sturdy and available in endless colorful variations, sock yarn inspires creativity and passion among knitters. Judith Durant has chosen not simply inventive sock patterns but also more than five dozen inspired patterns for other items that can be created from a single skein of yard--in addition to the usual baby clothes, mittens and scarves there are patterns for jewelry, cozies, doll clothes and even a dog sweater and a lamp shade! Contributed by yarn shops and designers throughout North America, the patterns are as fetching as they are fun to knit. Knitters of every skill level will find tantalizing challenges; snome knit up in fewer than three hours, others make creative use of sock yarn leftovers and several make heirloom-worthy gifts.
Wicked Bugs: The Louse that Conquered Napoleon's Army & Other Diabolical Insects by Amy Stewart is a captivating look at the sinister side of the natural world. Stewart uncovers more than one hundred of our worst insect enemies--creatures that infest, infect, and generally wreak havoc on human affairs. From the world's most painful hornets to the millipedes that stop traffic, from "bookworms" that devour libraries to Japanese beetles that munch on our roses, this book tells the stories of bugs gone wild. This is a great story for all bug and "animal" enthusiasts.
Alexander McCall Smith is one of my favorite cozy authors! His writing is luxurious, and his details about Botswana make the reader feel as if he/she has stepped out of his/her world and into Africa from the moment you open the book. The Saturday Big Tent Wedding Party is the latest book in McCall Smith's No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series centered around Mma Ramotswe, Private Detective and her husband, the mechanic Mr. J. L. B. Matekoni. They live on Zebra Drive in Gabarone and they both love Botswana, appreciating the new changes as well as the old traditions. Mma Ramotswe is the owner of the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency and works alongside her Assistant Detective Mma Makutsi. This book is centered around the planning of Mma Makutsi's upcoming wedding to Phuti Radiphuti, the reappearance of Mma Ramotswe's tiny white van and a mystery involving the murder of several of Rra Moeti's cattle. Mma Ramotswe solves the case in her usual fashion, following the clues as well as her heart and the conclusion is satisfactory for all parties involved. This series of books makes me want to visit Botswana--Alexander McCall Smith is Professor Emeritus of Medical Law at the University of Edinburgh, was born in what is now known as Zimbabwe and taught law at the University of Botswana. He currently lives in Edinburgh, Scotland and makes several trips to Botswana each year. If you want to delve into this series, you'll have to start at the beginning with the first book in the series, the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency, because even though the mysteries do not build on each other, the life of each character is developed throughout each book.
Due to the hectic times of today, I know most of us try to pack as many things as we can into every minute of every day. Unfortunately, the more we do this, the less "brilliant sleep" we have and the more irritable we become. As a result, our world is full of exhausted, fatigued people. If this is you, don't despair, the author of Tired But Wired, Dr. Nerina Ramlakhan, has some great solutions for you! Dr. Ramlakhan is a sleep and energy coach, who works with corporate clients as well as being a sleep therapist at Capio Nightingale Hospital. She has created a "Sleep Toolkit" that can help you get the wonderful sleep you deserve. This book is filled with practical suggestions to help you sleep, such as limiting the amount of caffeine you have and not watching violent television shows before you get into bed. Dr. Ramlakhan believes that because of all of the technology that we use every day, we, as a nation, do not get enough relaxation (or non-stimulation) time during the day. This lack of relaxation during the day contributes to us not having restful, deep sleep during the night. This book is very accessible and the solutions Dr. Ramlakhan suggests can be easily performed by anyone. If you suffer from unsatisfactory sleep, you owe it to yourself to try out the ideas in this book.
Crafts come and go in popularity, and the current hot craft seems to be knitting. We have two great new titles on this subject! The Knitter's Year by Debbie Bliss offers 52 make-in-a-week projects that revolve around the seasons. Knitters seeking instant gratification will quickly be able to view the results of their handiwork with these projects. Designed to be made in less than a week at a time, these items are ideal for small amounts of yarn left over from previous projects. From springtime fingerless gloves and a floral corsage to a beach bag and lacy scarf, and including a back-to-school iPod cover, chair covers, and ideas for Christmas gifts and tree decorations, knitters will find ideas to occupy themselves throught the year.