The Goddess of Fried Okra

I have to admit, the first time I read this book's title, it made me very hungry! If you like the book, Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe' by Fannie Flagg, you will also enjoy The Goddess of Fried Okra by Jean Brashear. The story's heroine is six-foot redhead Eudora "Pea" O'Brien, a convenience store employee who leaves Austin, TX with everything she owns packed in the back of her beat-up car. She is searching for the reincarnated soul of the sister who raised her after her parents died, based on the advice of a psychic. For Pea, everything that was right in her world took a nosedive when her sister died, and she believes that if she can see her again, and make peace with her, her world will vastly improve. Pea travels along the backroads of Texas, reading historical markers and listening for signs from her sister to point her along the right path. On her journey she picks up some strays--a terrified kitten, a pregnant teen she rescues from her abusive boyfriend and a con man trying to reform. When the car finally dies in Jewel, TX, she meets an unlikely group of folks and the whole menagerie stays for a spell while the car gets fixed, Pea works at the local cafe' to help pay for the car repairs and she meets an unlikely pair of sisters. This book is a wistful, humorous story of a woman who sets out to find her reincarnated sister but ends up finding herself. It is truly a delightful read. I also enjoyed the format of this book, as easy chapter opens with an explanation of a "historical" marker about a person or place that has something to do with the story. The library only owns the Large Print format of this book, so make sure you search for it in the Large Print section when you want to check it out!

Smokin' Seventeen

If you love humor, entertaining characters and situations that are a whole lot of fun, you will LOVE Janet Evanovich's "Stephanie Plum" series of books. Her latest, Smokin' Seventeen is another enjoyable romp with her usual characters through the streets of Trenton, NJ. Stephanie is a former lingerie seller turned bounty hunter who works for her sleazy cousin Vinnie. Stephanie has the enviable problem of being in serious "like" with two men--Joseph Morelli (handsome police officer and owner of a lovable dog) and Ranger (dark, mysterious, sometimes bounty hunter who owns his own security firm). Stephanie can't figure out which man she should date, especially since her mom and grandmother are breathing down her neck for her to get married and settle down. The action of this novel begins when a body is found buried on the vacant lot where the former bail bonds office was located (it burned up in a fire at the end of the last book). Vinnie and his crew are working temporarily in an RV located on the former site, when a body turns up...and then they keep turning up! All is fine until the killer starts dedicating the bodies to Stephanie---and why does the killer's image that is caught on a camera seem so familiar to her? Stephanie's friend and Vinnie's file clerk Lula (a plus-size former prostitute) is at her raucous best in this novel, whether she and Stephanie are fighting off FTA's who believe they are vampires or buying sandwiches and eluding Morelli's Grandma Bella at Giovichinni's deli. I love these zany mysteries and I know you will love them too! I suggest starting with the first book in the series, One for the Money, so that you don't miss out on one second of the action!

Except the Queen

I recently read the oddest, most wonderful book! I was caught first by the title, Except the Queen, and the intriguing cover art which depicts a young woman with an intricate tattoo on her neck and a tortured expression on her face, with a huge moon and a murder of crows. This seemed like a book I would like! Jane Yolen and Midori Snyder have writtern an incredible fantasy novel about faeries, a mean-spirited fairy queen, and the differences between the mortal and fairy world. The basic plot of the story is this: Meteora and Serana are fairies (and sisters) who like nothing more than being with each other, playing tricks on mortals and prancing around the fairy world of Greenwood. Their lives take a turn for the worse when they witness the Fairy Queen committing an unspeakable act and in return, she banishes them to the mortal world. In fairy land they were young, beautiful, nimble and blessed with magical powers; in the mortal world they are dumpy old women who live apart from each other, have no powers, and must figure out how to survive in this harsh place. Mysterious things begin happening to the sisters--are they more than mere coincidences?--and Meteora and Serana must figure out what they must do in order to return to life in fairy land. This book is a strange and wondorous piece of writing---I especially enjoyed the sisters figuring out how things work that we take for granted (i.e., snail mail--they call it "eagle mail" because the man with the eagle on his pouch picks it up from their houses every day). The sisters also meet several equally mysterious beings while on their journeys of discovery. This book is a fast read as once you begin it you will find it hard to leave! This book is a perfect read for both young adults and adults and while there are enough "battle scenes" to make it interesting for boys, I believe teen girls will like the story the best. I hope this author collaboration will result in other book of this type, very soon.

Christmas in August???

You might have read this blog title and been a bit confused---but trust me it does make sense!!! We have all been complaining about the heat, so what's a better way to "beat it" than sitting inside your nice air-conditioned home and completing a craft project? I thought you'd see it my way :) Need some inspiration on what new creation to start? Try looking at these books:

Donna Kooler's Ecyclopedia of Quilting (746.46 K82eq)--This updated and revised book has a pattern gallery with 19 projects, basic techniques and hand and machine quilting instructions. It also includes a nifty history of quilting section. This book is perfect for the beginning quilter to dive in and have a quilt completed in a few short weeks.


Sew with Sara: PJs, Pillows, Bags & More by Sara Trail (646.2 T766s)--I absolutely love this accessible, easy, teen and tween-friendly book that teaches you how to sew! The projects are nine beginner-friendly ones and are perfect for the beginner sewer. This book can create some great "family time" with your kids, especially teen girls who think their summer is "boring-" and mom will have a great time teaching (or learning) right along with them.

Handcrafted Ornaments edited by Creative Publishing International (745.594 H236o)--I love creating handmade Christmas ornaments, but always feel so rushed during the holidays that I end up not being able to make as many as I want to, or that the finished products aren't as good as they could be. I have a solution you and I can both use---start your Christmas ornaments in the summer! This book gives you some great ideas on traditional Christmas ornaments you can make and the stories of each ornament's origin. With full color photos and illustrated steps, this book is sure to make you think about the cold air of Christmas.

If your creative juices have started following, don't stop making projects when you are done with these books. The library has many more craft books available for you to check out. The library would love to see your finished projects so stop by and give us a sneek peek when you are done!

Dive into the Night Season

Chelsea Cain's novels have to be some of the creepiest stories I have ever read. She writes a series starring Portland Police Detective Archie Sheridan, who pursued Gretchen Lowell (a.k.a., The Beauty Killer) through her first three books. The NIght Season stars Archie Sheridan (and a few other characters from the first three books) but covers a whole new subject matter and killer who is just as disturbingly psychotic as Gretchen Lowell. The subject matter of the book is relevant---the action of the story is centered around a huge flood of the Willamette river, that runs through Portland, and the havoc it is wreaking on the town at the same time a crazed killer is murdering random people. Archie Sheridan is working overtime to catch the killer and figure out what all of his/her victims have in common. Archie Sheridan is a wonderful flawed hero---he has beaten his vicodin addiction but is still tempted, and his tempation makes him more believable. This book is great for fans of crime fiction, and even though The Night Season does not draw on events from Chelsea Cain's first three novels, you will miss out on a lot of character back story if you do not read this books in order by starting with Heartsick.