On Our Shelves: Cozy Mysteries

November 13, 2015October 21, 2015 / Linda / Leave a comment

Grab your hot chocolate or hot tea, a blanket and curl up in your favorite chair with the latest cozy mysteries.

A Gala Event ( An Orchard Mystery) – Sheila Connolly
The Fall harvest may be over, but orchard owner Meg Corey is busier than ever planning her wedding to Seth Chapin. And even though the happy couple has invited most of Granford, Massachusetts, to the ceremony, they might have to make room for one more guest…Ex-con Aaron Eastman has unexpectedly reappeared, searching for answers to the tragic fire in his family’s past that put him behind bars twenty-five years ago. Moved by his sincerity, Meg vows to do everything she can to help him solve the cold case.

Floral Depravity ( A Bridal Bouquet Shop Mystery) – Beverly Allen
The daughter of a local historian is getting married in a medieval-themed, hand-fasting ceremony, and Audrey, co-owner of the Rose in Bloom Flower Shop, is responsible for providing period-accurate blooms. But making sure she gets her roses right turns out to be the least of Audrey’s problems. Shortly after the vows are exchanged, the father of the groom suddenly drops dead. When Audrey discovers the man’s death stems from monkshood poisoning, it’s a clear-cut case of murder.

Bread of the Dead ( A Santa Fe Cafe Mystery) – Ann Myers
Life couldn’t be sweeter for Tres Amigas Cafe chef Rita Lafitte, decorating sugar skulls and taste-testing rich, buttery pan de muerto in anticipation of Santa Fe’s Day of the Dead bread-baking contest. That is, until her friendly landlord, Victor, is found dead next door. Although the police deem Victor’s death a suicide, Rita knows something is amiss. To uncover the truth, she teams up with her octogenarian boss, Flori, the town’s most celebrated snoop.

Ghost of a Potion ( A Magic Potion Mystery) – Heather Blake
When her boyfriend’s mother is accused of killing architect Haywood Dodd during a costume ball, shop owner Carly Beth Hartwell employs her keen skills of detection to clear her name while dealing with a group of ghosts who need her help, including the deceased.

Death, Taxes and Chocolate Cannoli (A Tara Holloway Novel) – Diane Kelly
True crime doesn’t pay… taxes. IRS Special Agent Tara Holloway has risked her life to take down drug cartels and other dangerous tax frauds. But going after the mob is one offer she can’t refuse.

Faux Paw (A Magical Cats Mystery) – Sofie Kelly
Painted into a corner after stumbling upon the body of a visiting curator, librarian Kathleen Paulson, her detective boyfriend, Marcus, and her magical cats, Owen and Hercules, must track down a murderous art thief before someone else has a brush with death.

Flipped for Murder (A Country Store Mystery) – Maddie Day
Robbie Jordan is trading in her life on the West Coast for the rolling hills of southern Indiana. After paying a visit to her Aunt Adele, she fell in love with the tiny town of South Lick. And when she spots a For Sale sign on a rundown country store, she decides to snap it up and put her skills as a cook and a carpenter to use. Everyone in town shows up for the grand re-opening of Pans ‘n Pancakes, but when the mayor’s disagreeable assistant is found dead, Robbie realizes that not all press is good press.

Florist Grump (A Flower Shop Mystery) – Kate Collins
Stopping to smell the roses should be a must for flower shop owner Abby Knight, but stress has turned her into a major grump. While their house is under construction, Abby and her new husband, Marco, are living with her parents, who are driving her nuts. Not to mention that everyone has babies on the brain, and Marco’s mother is dropping hints that she expects a new sprout from Abby and her son—as soon as possible! But things get even thornier after a flashy former banker pushes up daisies.

The Silence of the Chihuahuas (A Barking Detective Mystery) – Waverly Curtis
Pepe, aspiring P.I. Geri Sullivan’s muy clever Chihuahua, has stopped talking. But why now, with Geri’s best friend Brad missing and her ditzy sister in grave danger? Geri’s lost without Pepe’s dogged detective work, especially when a client of Brad’s expires under very murky circumstances. Luckily, Pepe turns out to be an excelente blogger, and his nose for clues soon has the detective duo chasing down leads.

Happy Birthday to Neil Gaiman! (November 10)

November 9, 2015September 28, 2015 / Sharon Tyler / 1 Comment

As of November 10, 2015 Neil Gaiman is 55 years old. He is a supporter of libraries, the arts, and is everything that this librarian could want in an author. Neil is the author of books from a wide range of genre’s, and for every age group. His body of work is extensive, and includes many groundbreaking volumes. He is also the father of three children from his first marriage, now grown adults, and a new baby just born on September 16 with his wife Amanda Palmer who is a singer, song writer, performance artist, and author. To make him even cooler in my eyes, he is also good friends with singer/songwriter Tori Amos and godfather of her daughter. I am admittedly a bit of a fangirl.

Gaiman began his writing career in England as a journalist. His first book was a Duran Duran biography that took him three months to write, and his second was a biography of Douglas Adams, Don’t Panic: The Official Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy Companion. Soon afterward he collaborated or creating in graphic novels such as Violent Cases, Black Orchid, and Sandman. Over the years he has added picturebooks, children’s fiction, adult fiction, television, film, and theater to his body of work. This includes writing for one of my favorite shows, Doctor Who. He also does the narration for most, if not all, of the audiobook versions of his work.

Neil and his works have won many nominations and awards over the year. A few of the awards include: Kurt Vonnegut Jr Award For Literature, Boston Public Library Literary Lights For Children, CBLDF Defender of Liberty, The “Galaxy” Award (China) for Most Popular Foreign Author, Horn Book Honors, Kirkus Reviews Best Children’s Books, ALA Booklist Editors’ Choice: Books for Youth, Hugo Award, IndieBound Award, and many, many more.

Here is a sampling of his works, though far from comprehensive. They are in no particular order.
Picturebooks:
Chu’s Day
Chu’s First Day of School
Chu’s Day at the Beach
The Wolves in the Walls
Blueberry Girl
Crazy Hair
Instructions: Everything you’ll Need to Know on your Journey

Children’s and Young Adult Books:
Fortunately, the Milk
M is for Magic
The Graveyard Book
Coraline
Hansel & Gretel: a Toon Graphic
Odd and the Frost Giants
Interworld
The Truth is a Cave in the Black Mountains
The Books of Magic
Marvel 1602

Adult Books:
The Ocean at the End of the Lane
The Make Good Art Speech
Trigger Warning: Short Fictions and Disturbances
Anansi Boys
American Gods
Stardust
Good Omens
Smoke and Mirrors: Short Fictions and Illusions
Neil Gaiman’s Lady Justice. Vol. 1

November is Aviation History Month

November 6, 2015October 13, 2015 / Linda / Leave a comment

Connecticut is rich in history when it comes to aviation. Some of the biggest aviation manufacturers are located in Connecticut including: Sikorsky, United Technologies, Lockheed Martin, and Pratt & Whitney. There are dozens of smaller companies that supply all sorts of parts and support to the aviation industry. Connecticut is not only home to Bradley International Airport, but to many small local air fields as well. There is Candlelight Farms Airport in New Milford, Groton-New London Airport, Markham Municipal Airport in Meriden, Ripley Field Airport in Litchfield to name a few, along with many heliports throughout the state. Most of the larger hospitals have heliports, and many companies also have their own heliports.

Connecticut is fortunate to have a wonderful air musuem – The New England Air Museum in Windsor Locks. And the Cheshire Library is fortunate to offer a pass for reduced admission to this museum, courtesy of the Friends of the Cheshire Public Library. For more information on this pass, click here.

The library also offers an extensive collection of materials about aviation. For a list of titles, click here. Below is a tiny sampling:

Chasing Icarus

Area 51 Black Jets

Fly By Wire: the geese, the glide, the miracle on the Hudson

Birdmen: the Wright Brothers, Glenn Curtiss and the right to control the skies

The Aviator’s Wife – Melanie Benjamin (Fiction)

Fly By Night – Ward Larson (Fiction)

Against Wind and Tide – Anne Morrow Lindbergh (Biography)

The Aviator (DVD)

If you are interested in building paper airplanes, the library offers these titles.

Mindfulness, Meditation, and More

November 2, 2015November 2, 2015 / Sharon Tyler / 1 Comment

Looking into ourselves using meditation and mindfulness is the big new trend. However, I know many people that use other things to center themselves and meditate. I know people who use yoga, running, cooking, painting, photography, gardening, knitting, or other endeavors. Anything can be meditation, if done in a way that makes you more aware of yourself and soothes you.

I crochet to meditate. There is something about the rhythm, the textures of the yarn, counting, and so on that help me center myself and slow my mind down after a busy day, or to get me ready to face a busy day. The simple act of using a hook to shape yarn to create something soothes me in a way that can only be matched with how lost I can get in a fantastic book or singing a song that I know so well I do not need to actually think about the notes or words anymore.

I have also tried traditional meditation and guided mindfulness exercises. While some have served to soothe and calm my mind, I much prefer using a tactile focus rather than sound or breathing based techniques. I think it is important for everyone to find a way to meditate; whether it with with the expected breathing and mental focus of meditation and mindfulness exercises, the rhythm of running or working with yarn, or the process of sifting flour and kneading dough for the perfect bread. There have been recent studies about how coloring is a wonderful form of meditation.

Here are some of the best books that have come my way that might come in handy if you are looking to learn about meditation, or to turn one of your favorite activities into a form of mediation or mindfulness.

How to Train a Wild Elephant: and Other Adventures in Mindfulness by Jan Chozen Bays

One Zentangle a Day: a 6-Week Course in Creative Drawing for Relaxation, Inspiration, and Fun by Beckah Krahula

Moving into Meditation: a 12-Week Mindfulness Program for Yoga Practitioners by Anne Cushman

The Mindful Mandala Coloring Book: Inspiring Designs for Contemplation, Meditation and Healing by Lisa Tenzin-Dolma

Crochet Master Class: Lessons and Projects from Today’s Top Crocheters by Jean Leinhauser and Rita Weiss

In Search of the Perfect Loaf: a Home Baker’s Odyssey by Samuel Fromartz

Turning the Mind into an Ally by Sakyong Mipham

Wherever you Go, There You are: Mindfulness Meditation in Everyday Life by Jon Kabat-Zinn

Take a Deep Breath: the Haiku Way to Inner Peace by Sylvia Forges-Ryan, Edward Ryan

Meditation for Dummies by Stephen Bodian

If you would like a free class in mindfulness come to our Hypnosis Works! Hypnosis for Stress Reduction & Relaxation program on November 5th at 6:30pm.

Taking Care of Your Houseplants

October 21, 2015October 13, 2015 / Linda / Leave a comment

I am probably not the right person to write a post about houseplants – I mentioned in a previous post that even though I love flowering houseplants, I just don’t have much luck with them. A few months ago, a co-worker presented me with a beautiful begonia plant for my new home. I was thrilled, but apprehensive, and asked my co-worker not to get upset should the plant not survive. Much to my amazement, the plant flourished and grew so many new, big, luscious leaves, it needed to be repotted into a bigger pot.

“Ok”, I said to myself, “I can do this.”

I bought a beautiful new pot and some potting soil, spread out some newspaper on my kitchen counter, tipped the plant over to gently remove it from its pot and…..nothing! It wouldn’t budge. I ended up taking a dinner knife and gently running it around the inside of the pot and was able to loosen the soil enough to pull the plant out. (Later I found out using a knife in this manner is quite common). I put the plant into its new pot, added soil and water, stepped back to look at it only to see what was once a proud, erect plant, was now drooping, its leaves touching the counter.

I consulted my co-worker, who told me the drooping was expected and the plant should perk up on its own. And she was right! The plant eventually began standing up tall and was producing many new leaves. Success! Or so I thought. Not having much experience, I did one of the worst things you can do to a houseplant – I over watered it. Old stems started to rot and the new growth was very puny.

Once again, I consulted with my co-worker who patiently explained the best way to water my plant and suggested a wonderful book that the library had on houseplants. After reading this book and several others I checked out, I realized I should have handled the repotting and watering differently.

Here is the moral of this story – if you’re not experienced in a particular area, it’s a really good idea to read up on the subject before you plow ahead! The library is a great place to gather the information you need on almost any subject. When I looked at our library’s selection of books on houseplants, I was able to check out some wonderful books that helped me learn how to care for my plant. I am keeping my fingers crossed that I will be able to revive my plant, but in case it doesn’t bounce back, I got some great ideas on what types of houseplants would work best for my home and experience. By taking advantage of the library’s resources, I’ve gained some confidence in my endeavor to have houseplants in my new home.

Now that winter is approaching, would you like to have some houseplants to brighten up your indoor living space? Here’s a sampling of books the library has to offer.