Book List
Cozy Mysteries for December 2014
It’s a great time to curl up with the latest cozy mysteries.
Meow If It’s Murder (A Nick & Nora Mystery) by T.C. LoTempio
Aground on St. Thomas (A Mystery In the Islands) by Rebecca M. Hale
Inspector Specter (A Haunted Guesthouse Mystery) by E.J. Copperman
Death With All The Trimmings (A Key West Food Critic Mystery) by Lucy Burdette
Keeper of the Castle (A Haunted Home Renovation Mystery) by Juliet Blackwell
The Ghost and Mrs. Mewer (A Paws & Claws Mystery) by Krista Davis
The Chihuahua Always Sniffs Twice (A Barking Detective Mystery) by Waverly Curtis
Parenting Books for New and Experienced Families
About to become a parent, or just looking to read what all the experts and fellow parents have to say on the subject? Here are some useful collection or books to consider for reassurance, advice, and inspiration. Parenthood is not easy, no matter what ‘they’ say. Every child and every family is different, but it always helps to learn about the theories and recommendations that just might help you in the coming years. I have given three small lists here, one for parents to share, one that is particularly helpful to my fellow moms, and a list fabulous resources for fathers.
Parenting Books for All:
1. All Joy and No Fun: The Paradox of Modern Parenthood by Jennifer Senior
2. Good Kids, Tough Choices: How Parents Can Help Their Children Do the Right Thing by Rushworth M. Kidder
3. You Might as Well Laugh: Surviving the Joys of Parenthood by Sandi Kahn Shelton
4. Nurture the Nature: Understanding and Supporting Your Child’s Unique Core Personality by Michael Gurian
5. Parenting Experts: Their Advice, the Research, and Getting it Right by Jane L. Rankin
6. The Business of Baby: What Doctors Don’t Tell You by Jennifer Margulis
7. Selfish Reasons to Have More Kids by Bryan Caplan
8. Babyproofing your Marriage by Stacie Cockrell, Cathy O’Neill, and Julia Stone ; illustrated by Larry Martin
Especially for Mothers:
1. Why Have Kids?: a New Mom
Explores the Truth about Parenting and Happiness by Jessica Valenti
2. The Hidden Feelings of Motherhood:
Coping with Stress, Depression, and Burnout by Kathleen A. Kendall-Tackett
3. The Girlfriends’ Guide to Toddlers by Vicki Iovine
4. I Was a Really Good Mom Before I Had Kids by Trisha Ashworth and Amy Nobile
5. Because I’m the Mother, That’s Why by Stephanie Pierson ; illustrations by Mary Lynn Blasutta
6. The 7 Stages of Motherhood by Ann Pleshette Murphy
Especially for Fathers:
1. The Book of Fathers’ Wisdom: Paternal Advice from Moses to Bob Dylan by Edward Hoffman
2. The Playskool Guide for Expectant Fathers by Brian Lipps
3. Father Knows Less, or, Can I Cook my Sister? by Wendell Jamieson
4. The Expectant Father by Armin Brott
5. Rookie Dad Tackles the Toddler by Susan Fox
6. Dad Handbook by Peter Baylies
This is of course far from a comprehensive list, and we would be more than happy to help you find a book that best fits your needs. We do have a Parent’s section in the children’s room full of helpful books as well as a variety of books in the nonfiction section. If you are look
for specific information please stop by the Children’s Desk or Reference Desk and we will gladly help.
December 16th is Chocolate Covered Anything Day!
Did you know that there is a day to celebrate covering foods with chocolate? This year December 16th is
Chocolate Covered Anything Day! Now, with whispers of a chocolate shortage have been present in the news lately it is even more important to celebrate this day with some fantastic treats. Chocolate covered fruit such as strawberries, banana, and pineapple are well known and loves and less obvious treats like chocolate covered pretzels and more savory treats have become more popular in recent years, a day like today is just the inspiration you might need to explore other less obvious pairings, like chocolate and bacon.
So, in honor of today cover your food in chocolate or simply make something tasty with it. Like all good things chocolate is better when shared so, in spirit of the holiday season, share some of your chocolate treats with your friends and family. Here are some books to give you chocolate related inspiration:
1. Chocolate: From Simple Cookies to Extravagant Showstoppers by Nick Malgieri
2. Chocolate: 90 Sinful and Sumptuous Indulgences by Elisabeth Johansson
3. The Complete Step-by-Step Guide to Making Sweets, Candy & Chocolates by Claire Ptak
4. The Essence of Chocolate: Recipes for Baking and Cooking with Fine Chocolate by John Scharffenberger and Robert Steinberg with Ann Krueger Spivack and Susie Heller
5. Chocolate and the Art of Low-Fat Desserts by Alice Medrich
6. Maida Heatter’s Book of Great Chocolate desserts by Maida Heatter
7. The Ghirardelli Chocolate Cookbook: Recipes and History from America’s Premier Chocolate Maker photography by Leigh Beisch
8. Chocolate Lover’s: From Hot Fudge Soufflé to Chilled Biscuit Cake by Chris and James Tanner
9. Bittersweet: Recipes and Tales from a Life in Chocolate by Alice Medrich
10. Seriously Bitter Sweet: The Ultimate Dessert Maker’s Guide to Chocolate by Alice Medrich
For even more chocolatey goodness and inspiration check out: Chocolate from the Cake Mix Doctor by Anne Byrn,
Chocolate: A Sweet History by Sandra Markle, Chocolate: a Love Story: 65 Chocolate Dessert Recipes from Max Brenner’s Private Collection by Max Brenner, Pure Chocolate: Divine Desserts and Sweets from the Creator of Fran’s Chocolates by Fran Bigelow with Helene Siegel, Chocolate & Zucchini: Daily adventures in a Parisian Kitchen by Clotilde Dusoulier, 1000 Chocolate Baking & Dessert Recipes produced by the
Bridgewater Book Company, Ltd, or Sweet Christmas: Homemade Peppermints, Sugar Cake, Chocolate-Almond Toffee, Eggnog Fudge, and other Sweet Treats and Decorations by Sharon Bowers.
Librarians Pick Their Favorite Books of 2014
The top ten titles that public library staff most enjoyed recommending in 2014 have been announced. As part of LibraryReads first-year celebration, library staff members across the country voted on their favorite LibraryReads’s picks from the monthly lists beginning with the first one in September, 2013.
The resulting list, in order of most votes received, is:
1. The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin. A middle-aged bookseller mourning his lost wife, a feisty publisher’s rep, and a charmingly precocious abandoned child come together on a small island off the New England coast in this utterly delightful novel of love and second chances.
2. The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion. Don Tillman, a brilliant geneticist, thinks that having women fill out a six-page, double-sided questionnaire before a date is logical and reasonable. Rosie Jarman, an impetuous barmaid, thinks Don should loosen up and learn to live a little. Follow the unlikely pair in this laugh-out-loud, feel-good story of unexpected joys, discovery and love.
3. All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr. Set during World War II Europe, this novel is sobering without being sentimental. The tension builds as the alternating, parallel stories of Werner and Marie-Laure unfold, and their paths cross.
4. Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell. At turns funny, sweet, smart, and sad, Fangirl traces Cath’s journey to independence as she begins college, struggles to have an identity separate from her twin sister, find her voice and passion as a writer, and fall in love for the first time.
5. The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt. Readers who love the novelist for her richly developed, dark, multi-layered characters and thoroughly researched topics will not be disappointed. Tartt pulls together many threads of a story across a long span of pages and into a complete masterpiece.
6. We Were Liars by E. Lockhart. This brilliant and heartbreaking novel tells the story of a prestigious family living on a private island off the coast of Massachusetts. Full of love, lies, secrets, no shortage of family dysfunction, and a shocking twist that you won’t see coming.
7. Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel. An actor playing King Lear dies onstage just before a cataclysmic event changes the future of everyone on Earth. What will be valued and what will be discarded? Will art have a place in a world that has lost so much? What will make life worth living?
8. One Plus One by Jojo Moyes. A single mom, her math genius daughter, her eye-shadow-wearing stepson, a wealthy computer geek and a smelly dog all get into a car…it sounds like the start of a bad joke, but it’s actually another charming novel from Jojo Moyes.
9. Landline by Rainbow Rowell. Landline explores the delicate balance women make between work and family, considering the tradeoffs and pain. Rowell has a special gift for offering incredible insights into ordinary life. Never heavy-handed, Rowell’s writing is delivered with humor and grace.
10. Longbourn by Jo Baker. Using Pride and Prejudice’s familiar setting and characters, Baker tells a very different story of family, love and self-discovery.beautiful, uplifting novel full of mystery, hope and romance. Highly recommended for Austen fans and historical fiction readers.





