Fabulous Slow Cooker Meals

I have been using my slow cooker a lot lately, because it's an easy way to cook great meals while being away at work and it does not heat up the house as much as using the oven.  The library has many wonderful slow cooker recipe books, and one of the latest ones we've received is wonderful!  The Everything Healthy Slow Cooker Cookbook by Rachel Rappaport contains 300 recipes fit for any cooking occasion.  I really enjoy this cookbook because it has a lot of "foundation" recipes that can be used as the basis for other recipes (such as roasted vegetable stock, poached chicken, roasted garlic and carmelized onions.)  The recipe book opens with a great chapter on how to cook healthy meals in the slow cooker, and includes a section on how to adapt your favorite meals for the challenges of the slow cooker.  The recipes in this book are diverse---from appetizers and snacks, dips, chili, meat and vegetable main dishes, to desserts and recipes for a couple or a crowd.  The book ends with two appendices discussing slow-cooking tips and how to make your favorite recipes lower in fat. This book is great for anyone who is an "old hand" at using their slow cooker or a beginner.   If you like this book, try alos Dana Carpender's 300 Low-Carb Slow Cooker Recipes. 

Red Mist

Red Mist is the latest book by Patricia Cornwell in the series featuring Chief Medical Examiner Kay Scarpetta.  Kay Scarpetta is a tough, no-nonsense, brilliant forensic doctor who is the director of the new Cambridge Forensic Center in Massachusettes.  With her connection to the Department of Defense, Scarpetta has urgent reasons to learn more about a string of grisly killings that she feels are somehow linked to her former deputy chief, Jack Fielding's, murder six months ago.  Most of the stories' action takes place in Savannah, GA, where Scarpetta visits in order to meet with a convicted sex offender at the Georgia Prison for Women.  Kay Scarpetta senses there is a connection to Fielding's death, the murder of a Savannah family years ago and several deaths at the GPFW.  The action is tense and the book is filled with cutting-edge technology.  Fans of Patricia Cornwell will especially love this book as it's an excellent installment in the Kay Scarpetta series of novels. 

St. Patrick's Day Murder

This Saturday, March 17, 2012, the United States will be celebrating St. Patrick's Day, which

began as a Catholic feast day to celebrate the life of St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland.  Observed by the Irish for 1000 years, it is now a holiday celebrated around the world.  If you are wondering how to celebrate your own St. Patrick's day, try reading a St. Patrick's Day mystery! Leslie Meier's St. Patrick's Day Murder takes place in the town of Tinker's Cove, Maine, when the body of barkeep Old Dan Malone is found floating in the town's icy harbor.  This forces Lucy Stone, the Pennysaver newspaper's intrepid reporter, to solve this murder before the town's St. Patrick's Day celebrations begin.  Isis Crawford's A Catered St. Patrick's Day  is centered around Bernie and Libby Simmons, the owners of "A Little Taste of Heaven."  When Mike Sweeney is found floating in a vat of green beer, and the nephew of of one of their best customers is accused of the crime, the Simmons' set out to find the real killer.  Both of these mysteries are cozies, and are centered around food.  They are both great books to curl up with and celebrate the joy of St. Patrick's Day!


    

Real-Life CSI

You might be as big a fan of the show, CSI, as I am.  If you are, I know how you feel on certain weekday evenings when you settle down in front of your television, anticipating solving the mystery along with your favorite CSI characters!  If you enjoy the show, you might also enjoy reading the biography of Anthony E. Zuiker, Mr. CSI, the mastermind behind the most popular televsion show in history, CSI:  Crime Scene Investigation and its spin-offs, CSI:  Miami and  CSI:  NY.  Zuiker was a balding, overweight guy driving a tram in Las Vegas in 1990, dreaming of fame and fortune while telling all his friends about the screenplay he was writing.  Zuiker grew up in Las Vegas, the son of parents who were actively employed in the casino life and seedy underbelly of the city.  Zuiker's rise to fame is chronicled in this book, which begins with an honest examination of his dad's suicide, which occurred in 2005 when he was writing a script for CSI:  NY.  The book is a deeply personal story which shows how Zuiker became interested in writing about crime, and shows what he gained through his experience.  This is a great book for fans of any of the CSI shows or crime fiction!        

Inheritance

Christopher Paolini's fourth installment in the series that began with Eragon, is another example of wonderful writing.  Inheritance continues the story that evolved through Eldest and Brisingr , and is full of action-packed battles, tense moments and the evolving relationships between Eragon, Arya, Saphira the dragon and Eragon's many family and friends.  The book is a big time investment (it's 850 pages) but it is well worth it for the reader.  The reader learns a few huge secrets that change the action of the story and will definitely surprise any person who is invested in the plot.  The end of the story leaves enough tendrils hanging that there could be a fifth novel written in the series.  Christopher Paolini is a young adult author who has improved his writing as he has written each book.  Paolini draws inspiration for the world of Eragon and Saphira from the natural beauty that surrounds his home in Montana--the tumultuous weather, the Yellowstone River and the great Beartooth Mountains.  You can discover more information about Christopher Paolini and the Inheritance cyle of books at www.Alagaesia.com.  Inheritance is a great fantasy novel that will leave the reader entranced with the world of elves, dwarves, urgals and dragons. 

Attend the WCVPL's African-American Quiz Bowl!

     Bring your friends to the library Saturday for the second annual African American Quiz Bowl! The event begins at 10:00 am on Saturday, February 25 in the library auditorium.  Local high school teams of five members and one alternate will complete against each other in their race to answer correctly as many questions as possible about African American history.  The event organizers have invited high schools in Vicksburg and surrounding counties and parishes to participate in the event.  Teams will compete against each other in heats and the final two teams will compete to be 2012's winner.
     The first quiz bowl was held last year, and was such a success that it has become an annual event at the library.  The inspiration for the first quiz bowl was the Black History Quiz Bowl hosted by the Library of Hattiesburg, Petal and Forrest County that is held every February at the library.  Hattiesburg's Quiz Bowl averages eleven teams per year and the event is held on two consecutive Saturdays.  
     The library's reference staff has been busily creating questions for the teams to answer.  The subjects covered range from contemporary and past African American historical figures, sports heroes, military history, legislation and court cases, historical African Americans from Mississippi and important African Americans from Vicksburg and Warren County.  Staff are hoping some of their questions will "stump" a few team members.
     The best part of the quiz bowl for attendees will be the ability to "see" the questions that are asked to each team member, as they will be flashed on the projection screen during the event.  Audience members will be encouraged to answer a question if both teams answer the same question incorrectly.  The day will be full of fun, so please join us for refreshments and a great time!

An Interesting Way to Lose Weight

Are your skinny jeans starting to feel a little snug? You don’t have the right clothes for the gym. You don’t do protein powders, wonderberries, or green tea. The idea of going without beer makes you weak in the knees. But there’s no denying you are one, fat hipster. Lucky for you, Martin Cizmar has come up with the least awful diet plan of all time, which he details in his book, Chubster: A Hispster's Guide to Losing Weight. His plan revolves around calorie counting (deal with it) and enjoyable undercover exercise (urban hiking). Martin gives you the tools to become a self-sufficient weight-loss machine capable of functioning in any environment. From frozen dinners to drive-through menus, from ethnic eating to microbrews, he’ll point you to the responsible choice, steer you clear of the real diet killers, and dispel some of the myths giving you the tire around your waist. Like, that Stella you’re holding? It has more calories than Guinness.

Get Involved in a Secret Obsession

Kimberla Lawson Roby is the African-Amercan author of many novels involving family drama and strained relationships.  Her latest, Secret Obsession is another example of a family in turmoil.  The story revolves around two sisters, Paige and Camille.  Paige has always lived in the shadow of her sister, Camille--when they were young, it was Camille who had high grades, lots of friends and success and was their parents' favorite child.  Paige was left with her sister's hand-me-downs and no matter how hard she tried, was never able to live up to her sister's high standards, or gain her parents' love..  The story opens with a desciption of the adult lives of Paige and Camille--Camille is married to Pierce, a wealthy, loving man, and has two beautiful and successful children.  Paige owns her own PR firm, but is living beyond her means, and finding it more and more difficult to support her lavish habits.  Fed up, Paige decides to finally "get what she is owed" and embarks upon a plan to shake the foundations of Camille and Pierce's marriage and steal her brother-in-law.  Paige's jealousy pushes their family to the edge even as Camille's faith demonstrates the beauty and power of forgiveness.  This novel is very entertaining and each character has an authentic voice.  If you enjoy family drama and secrets, this book is one you will want to check out.  Roby is the award-winning and New York Times bestselling author of the Reverend Curtis Black series as well as many other novels and novellas.  Please visit Kimberla at her webiste www.kimroby.com, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/kimberlalawsonroby or follower her on Twitter  @KimberlaLRoby

The First Grader

The library frequently receives new DVD's from many different genres and on many different subjects.  I have watched several great films lately but the one that has stuck in my mind is The First Grader.   The film is based on a true story about Meruge,a Kenyan man who starts school when he is 84 years old, after the Kenyan government guarantees free education for everyone.  Meruge is an old Mau Mau veteran who fought for the liberation of his country and now feels he must have the chance for an education that was so long denied to him, even if it means sitting in a classroom next to many six year olds.  Jane, the classroom teacher, supports his struggle to gain admission into a "school for children" because she is moved by his passion to learn how to read.  Maruge and Teacher Jane face fierce opposition from both parents and school officials who don't feel that the preciousness of school should be wasted on an old man.  The film is beautifully made and through Meruge's musings, the viewer gets to see the shocking story of British colonial rule fifty years earlier when Maruge fought for the freedom of his country, eventually ending up in the extreme and harsh conditions of the British detention camps.  The film was produced by National Geographic Entertainment and was an official selection at the 2010 Tulluride Film Festival, the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival and the 2010 London Film Festival.  It is truly a heart-warming and inspiring story of a man and his fight to overcome the burden of his past.

Check out the new John Grisham Novel!

The Litigators by John Grisham is the latest book by this celebrated Mississippi author.  The book details the shenanigans of two shady lawyers (aka, "ambulance chasers") who stumble upon a mass tort case involving the drug Krayoxx.  The two lawyers are barely making ends meet when David, a lawyer fed up with his boring, day-to-day existence at a huge law firm downtown quits his job, gets drunk and stumbles into the law firm of Finley and Figg and convinces them to give him a job.  The three lawyers become involved in digging up Krayoxx clients at the same time David stumbles across a group of illegal residents who are getting cheated out of work hours at their jobs.  Through his successful fight to win their pay back for them, David discovers a case of a little boy with severe lead poisoning he received from playing with extremely toxic "nasty teeth" covered in a lead-based paint, manufactured in China and distributed by an American toy company.  David's life suddently changes when he is thrown into the first-chair defense of the Krayoxx case...a case that is doomed to fail.  Meanwhile, David feels like he can win the lead paint case, if only he can figure out which American company manufactured the nasty teeth!  This book is an entertaining story about the day-to-day lives of three litigators, trying to make a living.  If you love other John Grisham books such as The Client, you will also like this book.