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Martha overload!

Martha Stewart's Healthy Quick CookI was just discussing my fear of Martha Stewart cookbooks with my friend Kathy.  I love to look at the lovely desserts, main dishes, and sweeties.  But, there's a catch - I'm terrifed to actually make any of the things that Martha suggests.  She's just too ... Martha!

So, I'm challenging myself to attempt some Martha recipes.  From now until the end of the year, I'll tackle Martha Stewart, Dorie Greenspan, and my nemesis, Julia Child.   It's ON!

Until then, here are some lovely books that I hope you'll try out from Ms. Martha as well:

Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook
The Martha Stewart Cookbook: Collected Recipes for Everyday
Martha Stewart's Hors D'oeuvres Handbook

or just search under Author for her by name!

Posted on December 30, 2007 by Anne at 08:41 AM | | Comments (1)

Latkes? That scream?

The Latke Who Couldn't Stop ScreamingSeeing as this is the first Christmas with my son, I've been dusting off my old storybooks and trying to remember the lyrics to my favorite carols. Our fellow library bloggers in Cincinnati had a cute entry awhile ago featuring new titles for all ages. Of course, The Latke Who Couldn't Stop Screaming: a Christmas Story stuck out like a sore thumb and I had to get my hands on it.

A latke is born into this world screaming, like everything born tends to do. He jumps out of a frying pan and runs through the streets screaming his potato-head off as he tries to explain that Hanukah and Christmas are not the same thing. Simple and hilarious, this little book should make its way into your home this holiday season.

Posted on December 21, 2007 by Meghan at 09:30 AM | | Comments (0)

Happy Mother's Day!

Hatched!

Whether you’re a new mom, a mom-to-be, have a brood of 12 or just one child, you know that today is your special day! While being a mom is a 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year full-time never-ending job, take some time for yourself today and get treated like the queen you know you are!

Newly on the shelf, Hatched! is another humorous collection from the author of Bitter with Baggage Seeks Same and Going for the Bronze: Still Bitter, More Baggage. With cute pictures of chicks displaying the not-so-glorious side of pregnancy and childbirth, some moms will nod their heads knowingly at the “Goodnight, Moon. Hello, Martini!” mentality. Definitely worth the five minutes it takes to read and the chuckles that follow.

Other Mom reads:

I Don’t Know How She Does It by Allison Pearson
Operating Instructions by Anne Lamott
Waiting for Birdy by Catherine Newman
Dating Big Bird by Laura Zigman
Why Moms Are Weird by Pamela Ribon
Little Earthquakes by Jennifer Weiner
Mother Knows: 24 Tales of Motherhood

Happy Mother's Day!

Posted on May 13, 2007 by Meghan at 10:00 AM | | Comments (1)

Best Lenten Fiction Ever!

Church crossIn a predominantly Catholic town, who would be so bold as to open a chocolate shop during the fasting days of Lent?

Greeted as "an amazement of riches ... few readers will be able to resist" by The New York Times, Chocolat by Joanne Harris is an enchanting novel about a small French town turned upside down by the arrival of a bewitching chocolate confectioner, Vianne Rocher, and her spirited young daughter. Chocolat by Joanne HarrisChocolat is a delicious story. It's one of my favorites for book discussion groups, because it sparks conversation about organized religion, outsiders, forgiveness and change. Of course, any discussion of Chocolat should include as much chocolate as possible.

Have you seen the movie version? Plus, you can read more about Lenten traditions online or in other library books. This year, Lent begins on February 21 and ends on April 7. 

Posted on February 21, 2007 by Lissa at 06:04 AM | | Comments (2)

Reading: A Holiday Tradition

There's a Christmas book for everybodyWhen I was younger and still living at home, one of my favorite Christmas traditions was to choose a book of holiday stories to read with my sisters.  Every night we would read aloud a poem and a story (or part of a story) with a Christmas theme. 
If reading is one of your holiday traditions, there is a lot to choose from, from perennial classics like A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens to the contemporary tale of A Christmas Pig by Kinky Friedman.  The nice thing is most of these tales are short and sweet, such as this list featured in USA Today.  
And don't forget that listening to an audiobook of an old favorite can be a great way to put yourself in the Christmas spirit.  Nothing is better than popping in a favorite Christmas tale, sipping on a warm, fragrant beverage, and driving around looking at Christmas decorations.  Try Jim Dale's performance of A Christmas Carol or Dylan Thomas reading  A Child's Christmas in Wales (which is included in Dylan Thomas: A Caedmon Collection).  

Happy reading and merry Christmas everbody!!!

Posted on December 23, 2006 by Deb at 10:56 AM | | Comments (0)

Chanukah Begins Next Friday

A Hanukkah MinoraChanukah (or Hanukkah)--no matter which way you spell it this eight day Jewish holiday begins December 15th at sunset.  So now is the time to get ready for the Festival of Lights. Those that celebrate this holiday or that want to learn more about it may wish to visit this virtual Chanukah site from chabad.org.  I also like the Chanukah information and activities on holidays.net.   And of course, the library has plenty of books on Hannukah, covering the holiday's recipes and traditions as well as storybooks for children.

Posted on December 09, 2006 by Deb at 10:56 AM | | Comments (1)

You've got to ask yourself a question: Do I feel lucky? Well, do ya, punk?

13: the Story of the World's Most Popular Superstition

Chances are, if you’re reading this, you have thus far escaped the dreaded curse of Friday the 13th. Congrats! If you haven’t been so fortunate today, my deepest sympathies. Perhaps you could hang scissors from a hook or carry an acorn in your pocket. Try putting a dress on inside-out (but not a shirt) or sleep facing south. Sound silly? Apparently, these are all signs of good luck. Avoid spilling salt, cutting your nails and wearing opal (unless you were born in October). Read more about superstitions here! Don't forget to check out our collection for similar titles.

Suffer from Triskaidekaphobia or Paraskavedekatriaphobia? According to Wikipedia:

Thirteen may be considered a "bad" number simply because it is one more than 12, which is a popularly used number in many cultures (due to it being a highly composite number).

When a group of 13 objects is divided into two, three, four or six equal groups, there is always one leftover object.

The number 13 also retains biblical meanings. At the Last Supper, Judas, the disciple who betrayed Jesus, was the 13th to sit at the table (also spilling the salt).

Continue reading "You've got to ask yourself a question: Do I feel lucky? Well, do ya, punk?" »

Posted on October 13, 2006 by Meghan at 08:30 AM | | Comments (0)

A good read for the Fourth

4th july

Murders, a car chase, shootouts, and fireworks make 4th of July by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro an intriguing holiday mystery. After a police shooting, Detective Lindsay Boxer is waiting for the trial to begin that could end her career with the San Francisco Police Department. The city is embroiled in the controversy with Lindsay in the middle, so she decides to stay at her sister’s house in Half Moon Bay-an idyllic yet deceptive name for this beach community. Lindsay reads in the newspaper about a horrible murder and possible torture of a husband and wife on her first night there. The killings don’t stop there, and Lindsay is drawn to the investigation. One of her first cases went unsolved and now it appears there maybe a link. With her life on hold waiting for the trial that could destroy much her life, she must find the answers to murders with no witnesses in a town where she is the stranger. This is the fourth book in the series The Women’s Murder Club.

Posted on July 04, 2006 by Christina at 08:29 AM | | Comments (0)

Do you have your Ticket to Read?

Ticket to ReadStarting on Monday, May 1st 2006, Ticket to Read (the Adult Summer Reading program) officially starts! We will be running the program all the way through August 31st. Here’s how to participate:
 
-         Tickets (or reading logs) require the patron to read or listen to FIVE books/audiobooks. Tickets should be completed with titles, authors and the patron’s contact info.
-         Patrons may fill out as many tickets as they like. The more tickets they fill out and return, the better the chance of winning a prize in our weekly drawings or having a chance at one of three grand prizes to be awarded at the end of the summer.
-         Patrons may turn in tickets to the following locations: Periodicals Reference, New Books desk, Red Carpet desk or any Bookmobile.
-         Tickets will be collected at 4pm every Friday for the weekly drawings. Drawings will start on May 19th.
-         We will have several programs featured in conjunction with Ticket to Read. Check the web calendar and stay tuned to PaperCuts for more details!


Why bother filling out tickets? Did we not mention FABULOUS PRIZES? Yes! We will be giving away MP3 players in our grand prize drawing, perfect for downloading e-audio titles from Netlibrary and music from OverDrive. Get your ticket today!

Posted on May 01, 2006 by Meghan at 10:51 AM | | Comments (0)

Today is sponsored by the letter V.

Vagina MonologuesV-Day is a global movement to stop violence against women and girls. V-Day was born in 1998 as an outgrowth of Eve Ensler's Obie-Award winning play, "The Vagina Monologues." As Eve performed the piece in small towns and large cities all around the world, she saw and heard first hand the destructive personal, social, political and economic consequences violence against women has for many nations.
Continue reading this article here.

Find a local performance of Eve Ensler’s play here.

Check out The Vagina Monologues and other works by Eve Ensler.

Thanks to staffer Lissa for the heads up!

Posted on February 14, 2006 by Meghan at 11:00 AM | | Comments (0)

Looking for love this Valentine's Day?

Hot on His HeelsDo you like sweet Cinderella stories in the Silhouette Romance line, or the sexy stories from Harlequin Temptation? Would you like to escape into the past with a medieval or regency romance? Time-travel to the future with a Loveswept adventure?

Our library has hundreds of paperback romance novels available for checkout. The spinner racks in the Adult East Wing hold the key to great romance stories this Valentine’s Day!

Thanks to Lissa for the tip!

Continue reading "Looking for love this Valentine's Day?" »

Posted on February 14, 2006 by Meghan at 09:00 AM | | Comments (0)

Valentine’s Day and chocolate are a perfect match.

chocolate senasations

Want to know what to do when the Ganache breaks or the chocolate has seized? Bittersweet: recipes and tales from a life in chocolate by Alice Medrich explores the intricacies of chocolate with a multitude of recipes and expert advice.

The new taste of chocolate: a cultural and natural history of cacao with recipes by Maricel E. Presilla is a detailed account of the cacao bean from the history to the identification of the different types of cacao. There are also chapters on tasting chocolate and recipes.

Two newer books filled with delicious photographs and recipes are Chocolate Sensations: over 200 easy-to-make recipes by the Reader’s Digest Association and Chocolate Obsession: confections and treats to create and savor by Michael Recchiuti and Fran Gage.

For even more books about chocolate click here.
 

 

Posted on February 14, 2006 by Christina at 08:29 AM | | Comments (0)

It's Groundhog Day!

Groundhog DayGroundhog DayToday is Groundhog Day and  legend has it that Punxsutawney Phil comes out of his burrow on Gobbler's Knob to predict the weather for the rest of winter. If Phil sees his shadow, there will be six more weeks of winter. If he does not see his shadow, there will be an early spring. So cross your fingers and hope for the best. (According the Groundhog.org site, we're in for 6 more weeks of winter!)

Look here for books about Groundhog Day.

Check out the official sit of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club.

And don't forget everyone's favorite Groundhog Day movie!

Posted on February 02, 2006 by Shari at 12:00 PM | | Comments (1)

Ah, the Holidays. Time to Reflect and Cry, and Cry, and then Seek Therapy

And you thought your Uncle Bob getting drunk and hitting on you this year was bad...
Get rid of those post-holiday blues by feasting on the hilarity of someone else's pain.

An Idiot Girl's Christmas : True Tales from the Top of the Naughty List by Laurie Notaro

From Publishers Weekly
Humorist Notaro (Autobiography of a Fat Bride; We Thought You'd be Prettier) takes on the standard fare of holiday horrors in this slim volume of essays, rejuvenating well-worn territory with gonzo humor and a few touches of sentiment. Notaro proffers up an ironic gift list ("Of course, I would enjoy more than anything getting some really cheap bath crystals, so I could use them when I take a shower since I don't have a bathtub") and skewers the horrors of December shopping. Fans of David Sedaris's Holidays on Ice will find this worth a look.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Continue reading the article here.

Bon Appétit

Check for other books by Laurie Notaro in the Library's Catalog.

Posted on January 04, 2006 by at 08:30 AM | | Comments (1)

While the weather outside is frightful...

Holiday titles to keep the cold winter weather at bay:

FestivusFestivus: the Holiday for the Rest of Us by Allen Salkin

Looking to add a little bitterness to your holiday season? Then FESTIVUS is the book you cannot do without!

Take Frosty out behind the woodshed and hide your menorahs, kinaras, diyas and whatevahs…the time has come for Festivus! The event celebrated by Frank Costanza (Jerry Stiller) on Seinfeld, in which a bare aluminum pole replaces all holiday and religious symbols, where participants compete in "feats of strength" and undertake the "airing of grievances," has transcended television to become a worldwide phenomenon. In this side-splitting romp through the Festivus landscape, Allen Salkin meets Miss Festivus, tastes Festivus beer, and ponders the Festivus snail (along with Festy the cat), showing how anyone with a little creativity-and a dash of Costanza-can celebrate a Happy Festivus!

Continue reading "While the weather outside is frightful..." »

Posted on December 16, 2005 by Meghan at 10:15 AM | | Comments (0)