What Happened to Reading for Fun?

October 24, 2016September 28, 2016 / Mary / Leave a comment

Whatever happened to reading for pleasure?

You know, the good old days when we could pick up a book with anticipation, intending to savor it at a later time. Or the excitement of grabbing a book and devouring it in one sitting. A time when we wandered through bookstores and libraries, scanning the shelves, seeking new authors and undiscovered titles.

Reading today seems to be so goal-focused. Must learn to… (fill in the blank). Need to know…(fill in the blank). Are required to… (you know the drill).

When did it become wrong to read for pleasure? When did reading, one of the greatest enjoyments in life, become a chore? I’m not even talking about kids, although I cringe when I see required–not recommended, mind you–reading lists for kids. They have no choice. They read what they are told. There is nothing that kills the joy of reading faster than being told you HAVE to. Adults also fall into this trap.

As adults we seem to have so little time for pleasures such as reading. We now read in spurts to glean a fact or learn something quickly. For it must be quick or we simply believe we don’t have time to do it.

Nowadays, we make book lists with a purpose. How To lists, Learn More About lists, What You Need to Know lists. I have a friend who has a list that is divided into sub-lists. I asked her which one is her pleasure reading list. I got a blank look.

I could post links to articles that tell you how reading is good for your physical and mental health. I could cite studies that detail the benefits of reading for pleasure and how important reading is to your emotional well-being. However, I think there are only a few things we all really need to know.

Read what you love because you love it.

Read without justification or explanation.

Read without guilt.

There are no recommended lists in this post, just a link to the library’s catalog. Browse for your favorite author or search by subject. Find something you want to read and then read it. Simple as that.

(If you really are at a loss for what to read, check out our Reading Resources page on our website. Platforms like our Online Book Club and NoveList can give you some great suggestions!)

A New Batch Of Cozy Mysteries

October 22, 2016October 19, 2016 / Linda / 1 Comment

autumn reading

Finally! The cool weather is here! If you like it hot and humid, this was the perfect summer for you. Hope you were able to enjoy some cozy mysteries by the beach, pool, or in some air conditioning! Now Fall is here and we have a bunch of new titles for you to snuggle up with. Enjoy!

Digging Up The Dirt (A Southern Ladies Mystery) – Miranda James – When eligible bachelor Hadley Partridge returns to Athena to restore his family mansion, he finds a dead body and he must weed through the clues to discover the killer.

Cancelled by Murder (A Postmistress Mystery) – Jean Flowers – When the dead body of fabric-shop owner Daisy Harmon is found after a massive storm, postmistress Cassie Miller is asked by Daisy’s widowed husband to find the truth before someone else is swept away by a killer.

Murder of a Cranky Catnapper (A Scumble River Mystery) – Denise Swanson – When her pet-therapy project ends in murder, Scumble River School psychologist Skye Denison Boyd must find out who killed a curmudgeonly school board member before she meets the same fate.

No Farm, No Foul (A Farmer’s Daughter Mystery) – Peg Cochran – When the minister’s wife is murdered on her property during a fundraiser for a local church, Shelby McDonald, the owner of the Love Blossom Farm in the small Western Michigan town of Lovett, must dig in her heels and find the killer herself.

Behind Chocolate Bars (A Chocolate Covered Mystery) – Kathy Aarons – While preparing for the annual West Riverdale Halloween Fair, business partners Michelle and Erica find themselves trick-or-treating for the truth as they try to prove the innocence of one of Erica’s comic-book club members when he is accused of murder. Includes chocolate-making recipes.

The Hammett Hex (A Book Collector Mystery) – Victoria Abbott – While on a romantic trip to San Francisco with Officer Tyler Smiley Dekker, Jordan Bingham, in the process of returning a rare copy of Dashiell Hammett’s Red Harvest for her employer, discovers that someone is trying to kill them.

High Kicks, Hot Chocolate, and Homicides (A Happy Hoofers Mystery) – Mary McHugh – When the Happy Hoofers score a gig at New York City’s Radio City Music Hall with the legendary Rockettes during the Christmas Spectacular, the toe-tapping troupe must solve a murder in between rehearsals and sightseeing before someone else dances to their death.

It’s Your Party, Die If You Want To (A Liv and Di In Dixie Mystery) – Vickie Fee – While planning a riverboat gambler-themed engagement party, a murder mystery dinner for charity, and a businesswoman’s’ retreat, party planner Liv McKay must solve the murder of a party girl with a penchant for married men, but her efforts are thwarted by a killer with one seriously haunting vendetta.

Killing Thyme (A Spice Shop Mystery) – Leslie Budewitz – When she encounters an old friend who disappeared years ago, and who then is murdered only days later, spice shop owner Pepper Reece digs up the dirt on Seattle’s Pike Place Market to catch a killer only to place her own life in danger.

Masking for Trouble (A Costume Shop Mystery) – Diane Vallere – When the venture capitalist who was trying to push out local businesses, including hers, is found dead during a Halloween party, costume-shop owner Margo Tamblyn is the top suspect and must unmask the real killer before she is forced to wear prison stripes.

The Semi-sweet Hereafter (A Chocolate Whisperer Mystery) – Colette London – While in London to lend her expertise on all things chocolate to a posh chocolaterie-patisserie, detective constable Hayden Mundy Moore stumbles upon the dead body of a sexy celebrity chef who just happens to be the ex-husband of Hayden’s client and must unwrap the clues to catch a killer with a sweet tooth.

The Witch and the Dead (A Wishcraft Mystery) – Heather Blake – When she discovers a pile of old bones in her Aunt Ve’s garage under a mess of memories and forgotten possessions, wish-granting witch Darcy Merriweather must solve a cold case to keep her aunt from doing a spell in prison

By Familiar Means (A Witch’s Cat Mystery) – Delia James -While painting murals in a new coffee house, witch and artist Annabelle Britton is asked by the owners to evict a restless spirit before the grand opening, which leads to the discovery of hidden smugglers tunnels beneath the shop, a dead body and a killer with a score to settle.

Paws and Effect (A Magical Cats Mystery) – Sofie Kelly – When her old beau, Detective Marcus Gordon, is accused of murder, resourceful librarian Kathleen and her magical felines must paw through the clues to discover who is trying to frame him for murder.

Seeds of Deception (An Orchard Mystery) – Sheila Connolly – While honeymooning at Monticello and enjoying Thomas Jefferson’s orchards, newlyweds Meg and Seth discover that something rotten is going on at home and must cut their vacation short when the police pick Meg’s father as the killer of a handyman.

The Cover Was Blue.

October 19, 2016October 13, 2016 / Sharon Tyler / Leave a comment

How many times has someone recommend a book, or you saw a book on the shelf and did not have time to read it, and you thought you would remember the author or title when it came time to find it and read it yourself? It happens to us too. We know exactly who wrote that book or series, at least until someone asks us. When that happens, we use our skills and look it up, even though we feel like we should already know the answer.

Sometimes no one can remember enough of the author or title to do the necessary searching to figure out the answer. Often times at this point all any of us can remember is the color or image on the cover. For some reason, the cover in these cases is almost always blue. So, here are some of the most popular books that might fit the bill if you are looking for a popular read and all you can remember is that the cover was blue. I have noted any books shelves in or children’s room with a J, and any books shelved in our young adult or teen area with a YA.

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green (YA)
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne
Lone Wolf by Jodi Picoult
The Selection by Kiera Cass (YA)
All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black (YA)
The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein
Dairy Queen by Catherine Gilbert Murdock (YA)
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman (J)
Wonder by R.J. Palacio (J)

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The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Eragon by Christopher Paolini (YA)
Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness
Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins (YA)
The Wind is Not a River by Brian Payton
The Whole Enchilada by Diane Mott Davidson
Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah
The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

This is only a small portion of possibilities, as blue seems to be a very popular color for book covers. Are you still searching or need a different cover color? Comment with the information you do have and I will do my best to find the book for which you are searching!

Cookbooks that Caught My Eye, But I Know I Will Never Try

October 13, 2016September 6, 2016 / Sharon Tyler / Leave a comment

Sometimes when we catalog or check in or out library materials a book catches our eye and requires some serious perusal. More often than not this means setting it aside to check out and bring home.

Cookbooks with insanely creative or intricate recipes and decorating ideas regularly catch me. I love to bake and cook but do not have the time or energy to necessarily get fancy. I tend to worry first about taste and if I can get my family to eat it.

However, looking at the wonderful ideas and execution in these books sometimes inspires me to get more creative, and sometimes just makes me wonder how anyone can eat something that obviously took some serious time and effort to make look so good. Here are some of the more recent cookbooks that have made me stop and look at their deliciously beautiful covers.

Cake My Day by Karen Tack & Alan Richardson

The New England Soup Factory Cookbook by Marjorie Druker and Clara Silverstein

What’s New, Cupcake?: Ingeniously Simple Designs for Every Occasion by Karen Tack

The Hot Bread Kitchen Cookbook: Artisanal Baking from Around the World by Jessamyn Waldman Rodriguez and the Bakers of Hot Bread Kitchen with Julia Turshen

Cupcakes, Cookies, and Pie, Oh, My! by Karen Tack & Alan Richardson

Seriously Delish: 150 Recipes for People Who Totally Love Food by Jessica Merchant

Great Balls of Cheese by Michelle Buffardi

The Confetti Cakes Cookbook: Cookies, Cakes, and Cupcakes from New York City’s Famed Bakery by Elisa Strauss with Christie Matheson

For some of us more realistic, or pessimistic, chefs I offer:
The Can’t Cook Book : 100+ Recipes for the Absolutely Terrified! by Jessica Seinfeld

October is National Seafood Month

October 6, 2016August 16, 2016 / Linda / Leave a comment

sea

October is National Seafood Month. Integrating seafood into your regular diet is something you can start in October and continue all year. By adding fish and other types of seafood to your palate, you can enjoy health benefits that are hard to find on land. Here are some great seafood cookbooks for you to explore.

Seafood: how to buy, prepare, and cook the best sustainable fish and seafood from around the world – Featuring more than 300 recipes inspired by world cooking traditions, this fully illustrated cookbook provides information on seafood, shellfish and freshwater fish, and explains how to prepare them and the best way to cook them to bring out their flavor.

Mystic seafood: great recipes, history, and seafaring lore from Mystic Seaport – A delectable seafood cookbook from the eighteenth-century New England coastal village of Mystic brings together more than one hundred great seafood recipes, along with archival photographs and informational sidebars on such topics as the role of fishing in colonial America, how to prepare a classic clambake, and the culinary history of the lobster.

The New York Times Seafood Cookbook: 250 recipes for more than 70 kinds of fish and shellfish – A foremost food reviewer collects recipes for more than 100 kinds of fish and shellfish, in a volume that has options for every course and contributions by veteran food writers and top chefs including Mario Batali, Dave Pasternack, and Nobuyuki Matsuhisa.

The New England Seafood Markets Cookbook: recipes from the best lobster pounds, clam shacks, and fish mongers – Accompanied by profiles of more than 30 of the top seafood markets–their histories, owners and specialties–and profiles of some of the more colorful fishing operations along the New England seaboard, this cookbook offers recipes from the best seafood markets in the six-state New England region.

Seafood Lover’s New England: restaurants, markets, recipes & traditions – Perfect for the local enthusiast and the traveling visitor alike, this book includes: restaurants and shacks, local fishmongers and markets, regional recipes from New England chefs and restaurants, a New England seafood primer, seafood-related festivals and culinary events and regional maps.

Williams-Sonoma Seafood – A collection of oven and outdoor-grill Williams-Sonoma seafood recipes provides for dinners, parties, and casual entertaining, sharing the preparation instructions for dozens of options from Grilled Salmon and Garlic Shrimp to Lobster Risotto and Clams Oreganata.

Fresh Fish: a fearless guide to grilling, shucking, searing, poaching and roasting seafood – Collects recipes that showcase the versatility of seafood, including such options as curried lobster roll and New-Haven style white clam pizza, and offers tips on everything from shucking oysters and roasting whole fish to organizing a clambake.

Two If By Sea: delicious sustainable seafood – Boiling over with more than 150 new recipes for entrees, salads, soups, appetizers, pastas, stews, sides and sauces, a cookbook by the author of For Cod and Country features seafood that hasn’t been overfished or caught in an environmentally destructive way and provides advice on buying, choosing and making the most of your ingredients.