north_shore_lib

Death in a Prairie House

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 23:50:22 GMT

There was scandal. There was fame. There was mystery. And it happened right here in Wisconsin. Death in a Prairie House; Frank Lloyd Wright and the Taliesin Murders by William R. Drennan (364.1523 D772 New) tackles the mystery of what happened in August of 1914 at Taliesin that resulted in the murder of seven and the firey destruction of Wright's home. With extensive research, the author describes Wright's personal life both leading up to the murders as well as following this horrific event that changed his life. Wright had left the wife and family who at one time had been so important to him for a new life with Mamah Borthwick, a feminist before there was such a thing. Taliesin was not only a workplace for Wright designers, but was sometimes called Wright's "Love Bungalow" by the community of Spring Green that did not condone Wright's new lifestyle. It is surprising that with a life so famous and so scrutinized, the mystery of what exactly happened and why it happened still remains. Different theories are proposed, but none seem to wrap everything up in a neat and final manner. One of the most interesting aspects of the book, however, is how the events of his personal life affected the architecture of this great visionary. His buildings changed as his personal attitudes changed. What once was open and light became massive and fortress-like. What had once been open to the natural world was then replaced with closed isolation. I found myself wanting to look at his building more carefully to get a sense of the man who built them. If you want to read more about Wright's life and architecture, the library also has the following books:

Frank Lloyd Wright Field Guide by Thomas A. Heinz (720.977 H472)
Frank Lloyd Wright Prairie Houses by Alan Hess (720.973 H586)
Understanding Frank Lloyd Wright's Architecture by Donald Hoffmann (720.92 W949H)
Frank LLoyd Wright by Ada Louise Huxtable (920 W949H)
Frank Lloyd Wright by Meryle Secrest (920 W949S)
Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesin and Taliesin West by Kathryn Smith (720.92 W949S)
Frank Lloyd Wright and the Prairie School in Wisconsin by Kristin Visser (720.9775 V834)

Cafe Wisconsin Cookbook

Mon, 14 Apr 2008 23:02:29 GMT

Cafe Wisconsin Cookbook by Joanne Raetz Stuttgen and Therese Allen (641.59775 S937 New) is a compilation of more than 100 recipes from Wisconsin cafes featuring such classic Wisconsin cuisine as German Apple Pancakes, Kolaches, Beer Cheese Soup, Possum Pie and Piggly Wiggly Salad. It is an extension of their Cafe Wisconsin (918.75 S937 2004), a guide to Wisconsin's best home-style cafes.

What makes the cookbook so much fun are the stories behind the recipes and the chatty way the recipes are presented. You feel like you are right there with the cook. June Klapper Otto from Wolf River Diner in Fremont, for example, tells a story which gives new meaning to the comfort of chicken dumpling soup. She noticed a man at the diner one day who had two bowls of the soup. When she joined him, he explained that he and his wife had shared eleven years of good times over a cup of this chicken soup. As he wept, he pulled out a container with her ashes and said he wanted to enjoy one more cup of soup with her before he scattered her ashes. Otto says, "It was impressed on me that day that we are not just a place serving food. We create memories and preserve traditions..." This book may stir memories and may even start a tradition or two!

Arthur C. Clarke

Thu, 20 Mar 2008 01:23:18 GMT

Arthur C. Clarke, the prolific science fiction author who co-wrote 2001: A Space Odyssey, passed away today (March 19, 2008) in Sri Lanka at the age of 90. The son of an English farmer, Clarke received a degree in physics and mathematics from King's College in London giving him a strong scientific base for his imagination. He imagined such things as communication satellites as early as 1945. Actually the orbit which keeps a satellite in a fixed position above the earth is named after Clarke. Although all the imagined details may not happen exactly as he scripted them in his books, his take on the future was always thoughtful. Want to read a sampling? Try The Collected Stories of Arthur C. Clarke (Science Fiction) and imagine the possibilities.

So You Think You're Irish

Thu, 06 Mar 2008 01:45:11 GMT

So You Think You're Irish by Margaret Kelleher (941.5 K29) includes a test of your "Celtic Qualifications". Try some of these:

1. Where did the potato blight of the 1840's, which led to famine in Ireland, originate?     a) Ireland   b) England   c) Turkey   d) United States

2. When should nettles be picked?   a) Never   b) May   c) December 25   d) In darkness

3. What are Smiling Murphies?   a) Pints of stout, brewed in Cork   b) Creamed potatoes   c) Pancakes   d) Potatoes that are floury when boiled

4. What is a true Dubliner's Saturday supper?   a) Lobster   b) Potatoes   c) Coddle   d) Fish and chips

5. How many men of Irish ancestry signed the Declaration of Independence? a) None   b) Twelve c) Nine d) Two

6. What is a pooka? a) A mischieveous, impish fairy who often takes the form of a horse   b) An Irish dance   c) A type of clothing   d) An Irish ballad

While you are pondering, enjoy some good Irish cooking.

The Best of Irish Breads and Baking by Georgina Campbell (641.59415 C1878)
The Irish Pub Cookbook by Margaret M. Johnson (641.59415 J681)
Irish Traditional Cooking by Darina Allen (641.59415 A425)
The New Irish Table by Margaret M. Johnson (641.59415 J681N)

Odd Wisconsin

Tue, 04 Mar 2008 01:51:31 GMT

Think Wisconsin history is boring? You won't after you have read Odd Wisconsin; Amusing, Perplexing, and Unlikely Stories from Wisconsin's Past by Erika Janik (977.5 J33 NEW). This book is packed full of quirky little stories from Wisconsin's past. Just a few of the stories included are as follows:

     * Arthur McArthur, a governor for a mere five days in 1856 ( Vote fraud even back then?)
     * The "cure" for long-winded politicians at the State Capitol Building (Look out below!)
     * Chicago, Wisconsin? (It could have been!)
     * John Muir's inventive alarm clock that tipped him onto the floor at the appointed time (College student special?)
     * Alexis St. Martin, the man with a hole in his stomach (Thanks to him we know all about those digestive juices.)
     * The Kaukauna Gold Rush of 1900 (or just a bunch of fool's gold?)

Some will surprise you. Some will make you laugh. This little book is just a lot of fun.

Alexander and the Wonderful, Marvelous, Excellent, Terrific Ninety Days

Wed, 27 Feb 2008 20:48:41 GMT

He-e-e-e's back!! That little boy from the children's book Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day has come home - with his wife, baby, toddler, and 5-year-old Olivia!. For real! Alexander is the youngest son of author Judith Viorst. While their home gets remodeled, the so-called Alexander Five (and all the stuff that accompanies a family with young children) come to stay for several months in the home where he grew up. In usual Viorst fashion, the experieince is described with humor, compassion and insight in Alexander and the Wonderful, Marvelous, Excellent, Terrific Ninety Days by Judith Viorst (306.87 V798 New). From toddler tantrums to Olivia's charming questions ("Are Louie Armstrong and Lance Armstrong brothers?"), life in the Viorst household is happily turned upside-down and inside-out for "ninety wonderful, marvelous, unforgettable days" - with the velvet on the chairs still intact. Grandmas and Grandpas will love this one.

Whistling in the Dark; a Novel

Tue, 26 Feb 2008 00:06:50 GMT

Whistling in the Dark by Lesley Kagen (Adult Fiction New) is a good, fast-paced murder mystery with a couple of interesting twists.

First of all, the author lives in Mequon and the story takes place in the summer of 1959 on Vliet Street in Milwaukee. From her writing style, Lesley Kagen seems like the kind of person you would like to meet in line at the grocery store. And you just might! Milwaukee residents will love the references to the gorilla named Sampson, Washington Park, Braves baseball, smells from the cookie factory and cream puffs at the State Fair.

Secondly, the story is written from the view point of Sally, an endearing, gutsy and very caring 10-year old with a big imagination. This is anything but a lazy carefree summer for Sally and Troo (short for Trooper), her nine-year-old sister. Their mother is at St. Joe's Hospital gravely ill; their older sister is distracted and in love with Eddie; their step-father is rarely home and when he is, he has had too much to drink. Add to that - it is a scary and dangerous time. Two other young girls have been molested and murdered. The neighborhood is all abuzz. Sally thinks she knows who is responsible AND she thinks she is going to be next! But everyone knows that Sally has a big imagination - so nobody will believe her.

American Born Chinese

Thu, 21 Feb 2008 00:56:16 GMT

Recently I have heard several accolades for a book called American Born Chinese (YA Graphic Novel) by Gene Luen Yang. I learned it had won the 2007 Michael L. Printz Award for Excellence in Young Adult Literature and was the first graphic novel to be recognized by the National Book Foundation. A graphic novel? Yes - that up-dated version of the comic book. But graphic novels have come a long way from Archie and Veronica!

At the beginning, I was not sure about it. There were three seemingly separate stories - the story of the legendary Monkey King, the story of the young son of Chinese immigrants and the story of a popular high-school boy whose Chinese cousin (an exaggerated negative stereotype) comes to visit. But I stuck with it and am glad I did. The stories all eventually weave together in a fascinating conclusion reaffirming the importance of accepting ourselves as we are. Yang at times seems to want to provoke us, wake us up and make us think. Meanwhile, the style of the illustrations makes us pause our reading to fully take in the details of each frame. And together - it all works!

Presidential Reading

Sun, 17 Feb 2008 22:12:39 GMT

Bill Moyers asked his television viewers what book, other than the Bible, they would recommend that the next President bring to the White House - and hopefully read!. There were lots of suggestions, but the current top titles are as follows:

The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism by Naomi Klein (330.122 K64)
A People's History of the United States by Howard Zinn
The Art of Non- War by Kim Michaels
Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed by Jared Diamond (304.28 D537)
Blowback: The Costs and Consequences of American Empire by Chalmers Johnson (327.73 J655)
Common Sense by Tom Paine (973.311 P14)
Assault on Reason by Al Gore (973.931 G666)
An Inconvenient Truth by Al Gore (363.73874 G666)
Free Lunch; How the Waelthiest Americans Enrich Themselves at Government Expense by David Cay Johnson (338.973 J72)
1984 by George Orwell (Adult SF Fantasy)
Animal Farm by George Orwell ( Adult Fiction)
The End of America; Letter of Warning to a Young Patriot by Naomi Wolff
Three Cups of Tea; One Man's Mission to Promote Peace One School at a Time by Greg Mortenson (371.82 M887)
Nickel and Dimed; On (Not) Getting By in America by Barbara Ehrenreich (305.569 E334)
March of Folly; From Troy to Vietnam by Barbara Tuchman (909.08 T888)
Team of Rivals; The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin (973.7092 G656)
The Great Turning; From Empire to Earth Community by David Korten
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck (Adult Fiction)
Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand (Adult Fiction)
Broken Government by John Dean
Confessions of an Economic Hit Man by John Perkins (332.042 P449)
House of War; The Pentagon and the Disastrous Rise of American Power by James Carroll (355.033 C319)
The World is Flat; A Brief History of the Twenty-First Century by Thomas Friedman (303.4833 F911)
Te Tao Ching by Lao Tzu (299.51 L298L)
Legacy of Ashes; The History of the CIA by Tim Weiner (327.1273 W423)
The Lorax by Dr. Seuss (Pic Seuss)
Horton Hears a Who by Dr, Seuss (Pic Seuss)
The Places You'll Go by Dr. Seuss (Pic Seuss)
If I Ran the Zoo by Dr. Seuss (Pic Seuss)

Now - it's your turn: What book would you suggest?

Oscar's Books

Wed, 13 Feb 2008 20:55:23 GMT

Oscar season is upon us and with the end of the writer’s strike imminent, it appears as if the show will go on. Most of us would enjoy seeing the nominated films, but with movie prices what they are and the DVDs always being out, this can prove difficult. So why not head to your local library and check out the books instead. A large number of this year’s nominated films have been adapted from books. And isn’t the book usually better than the movie anyways…

There Will Be Blood based on Oil! by Upton Sinclair

Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer (920 M122K)

No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy (Fiction)

Atonement by Ian McEwan (Fiction)

Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi (YA Graphic)

Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini (Fiction)

3:10 to Yuma: and other stories by Elmore Leonard

Away From Her (“The Bear Came Over the Mountain”) by Alice Munro

The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman (YA Pullman)

Charlie Wilson’s War by George Crile (958.1045 G858)

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford by Ron
Hansen

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly by Jean-Dominique Bauby (920 B337)

In addition to these books, there are countless other books and nominated DVDs from Oscar’s past that are available for check-out. If there are any books that are not available at the North Shore Library, they can always be requested.

Winter World by Bernd Heinrich

Tue, 05 Feb 2008 00:41:37 GMT

OK - we are all getting weary of winter! But here we are in Wisconsin, so we might as well learn to appreciate it. Need some help in that regard? Here's a book for you: Winter World: The Ingenuity of Animal Survival by Bernd Heinrich (591.54 H469).

The author, a biologist, takes you along as he explores his local woods in Maine and Vermont and shares his enthusiasm for all the wonders he finds there. From tiny little kinglets and winter caterpillars to torpid turtles and frozen frogs and even to the remarkable black bears, the animal kigdom has developed systems to adapt to winter that we can only dream of.

Heinrich feels we can learn from these special adaptations. Take that bear for example: "Hibernating bears accomplish metabolic feats that, if we knew their secrets, would likely lead to cures for many human ills. They have the secrets of how to survive lack of exercise, and then after five months of resting, of how to get up and walk up a mountain. In all of those months of what amounts to bed rest, they suffer no bed sores. They have marginal loss of muscle mass and no change in muscle fiber type. Despite their non-weigth-bearing position for months at a time, they do not suffer from bone loss or osteoporosis. After burning fat for fuel for months during which their cholesterol levels become double those of humans and those they have in summer, yet they still don't suffer from hardening of the arteries or gallstones..."

Yes - maybe we could appreciate winter more if we were bears...

The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett

Sun, 03 Feb 2008 21:33:21 GMT

What a charming little story! It all starts when the Queen's corgis get loose and end up in the mobile library parked near Buckingham Palace. Once inside, she feels that it is her proper royal duty to at least check out one book. But feeling a bit awkward and not knowing what to choose, she ask advice from Norman, a young servant from the royal kitchen. One book turns into two. Soon many books turn her into a "reader" - such a reader that she starts to prefer her books than her queenly duties. She finds comfort that to books all readers are equal, herself included. They don't care who reads them, even if you are a queen. There are no pretensions, no being intimidated because she is the Queen. They are open and honest to her. She learns through characters how others live and she finds that quite refreshing. Besides as she once tells her footman, "A book is a device to ignite the imagination." One would think these are all good things. But her reading causes problems in the Palace and at her Royal Teas. Lots of fun for the reader!
The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett is currently on the new adult fiction shelves. If that copy is unavailable, there might also be one on the Friend's Rental shelves. This one is worth every penny of the $1.00 charge (and besides that money all comes back to the Library) and the 120 pages are easily read in one week. Enjoy!

It's Easy Being Green

Sun, 20 Jan 2008 20:37:10 GMT

If reducing your "carbon footprint" was one of your New Year resolutions, we have some books for you!

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Green Living by Trish Riley (2007) 363.70525 R573 New

Green Clean; The Environmentally Sound Guide to Cleaning Your Home by Linda Mason Hunter and Mikki Halpin (2005) 648.5 H945 New

Green Living; The E Magazine Handbook for Living Lightly on the Earth by the editors of E/ The Environmental Magazine (2005) 640 G795

It's Easy Being Green; A Handbook for Earth-Friendly Living by Crissy Trask (2006) 333.7 T775

The Organic Suburbanite; An Environmentally Friendly Way to Live the American Dream by Warren Schultz (2001) 640 S387

Simple Green Parties; Simple and Resourceful Ideas for Throwing the Perfect Celebration, Event, or Get-Togethers by Danny Seo (2006) 642.4 S478

Simple Green Giving; Create Beautiful and Organic Wrappings, Tags, and Gifts from Everyday Materials by Danny Seo (2006) 745.5 S478

True Green; 100 Everyday Ways You Can Contribute to a Healthier Planet by Kim McKay and Jenny Bonnin (2006) 363.7 M153

Two Handy New Databases

Sun, 20 Jan 2008 20:03:08 GMT

You may have noticed that the North Shore Library website lists two new databases. Click on them and explore what information you can find! They are as follows:

Reference USA - a database of 14 million U.S. businesses, 3 million global companies and 220 million U.S. residents perfect for the following kinds of information gathering:
      *   conducting job searches
      *   searching for business opportunities and suppliers
      *   finding names and positions of key executives
      *   tracking down addresses and phone numbers
      *   locating out-of-town companies
      *   conducting market research
      *   locating hotels, attractions and restaurants for travel locations

Magill's Medical Guide (Salem Health) - provides up-to-date medical information on such topics as:
      *   anatomy and physiology
      *   diagnosis and testing
      *   diseases, disorders and symptoms
      *   mental health
      *   prevention and lifestype
      *   social issues
      *   specialties and health care providers
      *   treatment and therapy

Children's Book Awards Announced

Tue, 15 Jan 2008 01:07:31 GMT

The Midwinter Library Conference is always a special time for those who love children's books. It is when the winners of the Caldecott and Newbery Awards are announced. And the winners for 2008 are... (drum roll)

The CALDECOTT MEDAL is awarded annually to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children.
2008 Winner:
The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick (J Selznick) Usually Caldecott winners are not books of over 500 pages, but this one is different in many ways. There is text AND illustrations both telling the tale of an orphan boy in Paris in 1931 who is trying to complete an invention started by his father.
2008 Honor Winners:
Henry's Freedom Box: A True Story from the Underground Railroad by Ellen Levine and illustrated by Kadir Nelson (PIC Levine)
First the Egg written and illustrated by Laura Vaccaro Seeger ( PIC Seeger)
The Wall; Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain written and illustrated by Peter Sis (J920 S622 New)
Knuffle Bunny Too; A Case of Mistaken Identity written and illustrated by Mo Willems (PIC Willems)

The NEWBERY MEDAL is awarded annually to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children.
2008 Winner:
Good Master! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village by Laura Amy Schlitz (J812.6 S344 New) Through monologues and dialogues, this book introduces different characters from 13th century England.
2008 Honor Winners:
Elijah of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis (J Curtis)
The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt (YA Schmidt New)
Feathers by Jacqueline Woodson (J Woodson)

If you have read any of these, let us know what you think. (Click on "Post Comment")

The Child of the Jungle by Sabine Kuegler

Thu, 10 Jan 2008 00:07:07 GMT

The full title is The Child of the Jungle; The True Story of a Girl Caught Between Two Worlds (920 K95C New) and yes, it is true. Author Sabine Kuegler was five years old when her family moved to the rainforests of West Papua, Indonesia so her linguist father could study the language of the Fayu, a Stone Age civilization. She grew up playing with the Fayu children and exploring the rainforest jungle as others might explore their neighborhood. Her life seems so strange to us, and yet, it was all she knew. To her, this was paradise. When the time comes to leave and attend a boarding school in Switzerland, Sabine is faced with a civilization she does not understand. Money and grocery stores, buses and crossing streets, not having to shake dangerous bugs out of your shoes every morning - these all present a challenge to Sabine. As a reader, we get a new perspective on what "civilization" really means, as well as what is really important in our own lives.

New Year - New Policies

Sat, 05 Jan 2008 20:14:26 GMT

Some new library policies to be aware of are as follows:

1. New adult fiction books - You may now renew the adult fiction books on the "New" shelves one time as long as there are no holds on the item. The loan period is for 7 days for both the original check-out and the renewal.

2. Fine payments - For your convenience, you may now pay your library fines online using a Mastercard or Visa credit or check card. Go to the online catalog at http://countycat.mcfls.org, log onto your account and click on the link that shows the amount of fines or fees currently on your record.

3. Holds on media from Milwaukee Public Libraries - The Milwaukee Public Library has decided to no longer allow patrons to place holds on their feature films and television programs on DVD or VHS, as well as music CD's in the adult and YA collections. Holds may still be placed on non-fiction DVD's and videos classified as educational, informational and/or instructional. Holds may also still be placed on CD's in the children's collections. The North Shore Library and some of the other "suburban" libraries will continue to allow holds to be placed on our media. If you have questions or need assistance, please ask us.

New York Times Notable Books of 2007

Tue, 11 Dec 2007 02:01:20 GMT

It is always fun to go through the New York Times Notable Books and see how many one has read. The list of the 10 most notable just came out. It includes the following:

FICTION
Man Gone Down by Michael Thomas "This first novel explores the fragmented personal histories behind four desperate days in a black writer's life."
Out Stealing Horses by Per Petterson "In this short yet spacious Norwegian novel, an Oslo professional hopes to cure his loneliness with a plunge into solitude."
The Savage Detectives by Roberto Bolano "A craftily autobiographical novel about a band of literary guerrillas."
Then We Came to the End by Joshua Ferris "Layoff notices fly in Ferris's acidly funny first novel, set in a white-collar office in the wake of the dot-com debacle."
Tree of Smoke by Denis Johnson "The author of Jesus' Son offers a soulful novel about the travails of a large cast of characters during the Vietnam War."

NON-FICTION
Imperial Life in the Emerald City: Inside Iraq's Green Zone by Rajiv Chandrasekaran "The author, a Washington Post journalist, catalogs the arrogance and ineptitude that marked America's governance of Iraq."
Little Heathens: Hard Times and High Spirits on an Iowa Farm During the Great Depression (920 K14) by Mildred Armstrong Kalish "Kalish's soaring love for her childhood memories saturates this memoir, which coaxes the reader into joy, wonder and even envy."
The Nine: Inside the Secret World of the Supreme Court by Jeffrey Toobin "An erudite outsider's account fo the cloistered court's inner workings."
The Ordeal of Elizabeth Marsh: A Woman in World History by Linds Colley "Colley tracks the 'compulsively itinerant' Marsh across the 18th century and several continents."
The Rest is Noise: Listening to the Twentieth Century by Alex Ross "In his own feat of orchestration, The New Yorker's music critic presents a history of the last century as refracted through its classical music."

(Annotations are from the New York Times.)

Hannah Swensen Mysteries

Thu, 06 Dec 2007 21:49:15 GMT

The smell of cookies baking in the oven. Cookie exchanges. Cookie cutters in festive shapes. New cookie recipes everywhere you look. All these remind me of the Hannah Swensen Mysteries by Joanne Fluke. In this series of mystery books, the main character, Hannah Swensen, is not only the owner of the Cookie Jar bakery in Lake Eden, Minn. but also the town "super sleuth". She always seems to get caught up in situations that demand her detective work. And along the way, the author shares wonderful dessert recipes right in the books. Joanne Fluke has two new additions to the series:

Cherry Cheesecake Murder (#8) finds the quiet litte Minnesota town turned into a movie set. All is fun and exciting until the demanding director decides to demonstrate a suicide scene with a pop gun that turns out to be real. Was it an accident? Or not?

Key Lime Pie Murder (#9) takes place during the Tri-County Fair where Hannah is helping to judge the baking contest. It is another judge, a home economics teacher, who ends up being murdered. The list of suspects is long and the victim's past is somewhat myterious. Hannah is on the case!

Joanne Fluke also has a fun website at www.murdershebaked.com which includes lots of additional information, photographs and, of course, recipes.

Holiday Joy

Mon, 03 Dec 2007 23:40:47 GMT

Whether celebrating Christmas, Hanakkah or Kwanzaa, the bustle of the season has a way of just taking over. Here are some books to help you put more joy in your season:

Frugal Luxuries by the Seasons; Celebrate Holidays with Elegance and Simplicity on Any Income by Tracey McBride (394.28 M119)

Hundred Dollar Holiday; The Case for a More Joyful Christmas by Bill McKibben (394.268282 M158)

Simple Pleasures for the Holidays; A Treasury of Stories and Suggestions for Creating Meaningful Celebrations by Susannah Seton (394.26 S495)

Simple Steps for Every Holiday; An Easy Plan for More Joyful, Less Stressful Celebrations All Year Long by Lisa Lelas and others (394.26 L538)

Simplify Your Christmas; 100 Ways to Reduce the Stress and Recapture the Joy of the Holidays by Elaine St. James (394.2663 S143)

Unplug the Christmas Machine; A Complete Guide to Putting Love and Joy Back into the Season by Jo Robinson (394.268282 R662)

National Book Awards

Sun, 25 Nov 2007 22:32:51 GMT

The CIA plays a big role in the winners of the 2007 National Book Awards announced this month.

Tree of Smoke by Denis Johnson (Adult Fiction New), the winner for Fiction, introduces us to William "Skip" Sands, a CIA officer who goes to Vietnam in 1967 as part of a team operating against North Vietnam. The Library Journal describes this book as, "Ugly and fascinating, with many shattering scenes, this long work may seem familiar to fans of Apocalype Now, but is nevertheless gripping."

Legacy of Ashes: The History of the CIA by Tim Weiner (327.1273 W423 New) is the non-fiction winner. The jacket says, "...here is the hidden history of the CIA: why eleven presidents and three generations of CIA officers have been unable to understand the world, why nearly every CIA director has left the agency in worse shape than he found it and how these failures have profoundly jeopardized our national security."

The winner for Young Adult Literature, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie (YA Alexie New), however has nothing to do with the CIA. It is the story of a young boy who moves from the Spokane Indian Reservation to an all-white school where the only other Indian is the mascot and of the growth of this young Indian's understanding of his identity.

Cuddle Up with The Elm Creek Quilts Series

Tue, 20 Nov 2007 02:00:33 GMT

The Elm Creek Quilts series by Jennifer Chiaverini started in 1999 with The Quilter's Apprentice where we first meet Sylvia Compson as a rather bitter and unhappy widow in her 70's. Sylvia shines, however, when she shares her quilting skills and stories. We now have the 10th book in the series. The Quilter's Homecoming is a look back to the days of Sylvia's childhood when a cousin, Elizabeth, moves away with her new husband for more adventures than she expects in southern California. Just in time for the holidays, The New Year's Quilt has been recently published to tell the story of the first holiday season for Sylvia and her new husband.
Jennifer Chiaverini lives in Madison, Wisconsin and is herself a quilter. She has a beautiful website at www.elmcreek.net which includes some of her own quilt creations, as well as some of the fabrics inspired by her stories.

Earth Then and Now by Fred Pearce

Thu, 08 Nov 2007 00:44:18 GMT

I always find treasures on the New Book shelves ~ books I wasn't looking for, didn't know about, but that I find I really enjoy! Earth Then and Now: Amazing Images of Our Changing World (550 P359 New) is such a treasure. I started browsing the captivating images and was soon hooked by the captions as well. It is a visual look at how our earth has changed in the past one hundred years, pairing images of the same place at two different times. The images are powerful - sometimes beautiful, sometimes awe-inspiring, sometimes just plain scary. The book includes environmental changes (the snows of Mount Kilimanjaro to coral reefs of the Florida Keys), urbanization (Las Vegas to Nepal), land transformation (Ataturk Dam in Turkey to rainforests in Brazil), forces of nature (Mount Cook, New Zealand to New Orleans after Katrina), war and conflict (Nagasaki to the Twin Towers) and leisure and culture (Tibet Railroad to Woodstock). The photographs and satellite images have been carefully selected to make it easy for us to clearly understand the changes through time. After we let in all sink in, we are challenged to imagine the next 100 years.

The Samurai's Garden by Gail Tsukiyama

Tue, 06 Nov 2007 01:07:24 GMT

It is decided that the warm, healthy air of his grandfather's Japanese beach house would help Stephen, a young Chinese university student of the 1930's, recuperate from his tuberculosis. He isn't happy leaving his friends or his family in Hong Kong. The only person at the beach house is a quiet older man named Matsu who doesn't say much and spends most of his time in the garden. But Stephen learns that everybody has a story and here he has time to listen. He meets Sachi, a friend of Matsu, who is hidden away in the mountains so that the disfigurement of leprosy will not bring dishonor to her family. He meets Kenzo, also an old friend of Matsu who suffers from a past love. And he meets Keiko, a Japanese girl of interest more his own age. It is a turbulant time politically as Japan attacks China catching Stephen right in the middle. However close he feels to the people of this small Japanese village, he fears for his China and his Hong Kong. The Samurai's Garden (Adult Fiction) is the story of finding beauty in unexpected moments and of tending relationships as one tends a garden. (I just hope Stephen hasn't spread his TB!)

The author, Gail Tsukiyama, may sound familiar. She has a recently published book, The Street of a Thousand Blossoms, which has become a choice by some book club groups. It is the story of two young Japanese boys before, during and after World War II.

Check out this made in Milwaukee movie!

Mon, 05 Nov 2007 18:58:36 GMT

Milwaukee, WI is becoming more and more known for the movies made here. One of the latest, "Something for Stevie", was filmed and produced locally, using only local actors. It is a heartwarming story of Stevie, a young man with a Down syndrome, and his trials and tribulations. North Shore Library is the only library in Milwaukee County to have a copy of this movie - come and check it out!