There are only 365 days in a year, but it seems as if there are a million “holidays” assigned to them, some of them bordering on ludicrous (National Ask Your Cat a Question day?). 

January 20 is National Cheese Lovers Day. January 2 was also National Swiss Cheese Day, which, all things considered, must make it a truly Holey Day.  (Yes, that was cheesy).

Swiss Cheese is actually a misnomer. Any cheese made in Switzerland is considered a Swiss Cheese. What Americans refer to as a “Swiss Cheese” is actually an Emmental cheese that contains “eyes” – trademark holes caused by gasses created during manufacture. The more holes, the more taste, with a curing time of 6-18 months to achieve its creamy flavor. An Emmental cheese without holes is sometimes called a “blind” cheese. Over the years, the holes in Swiss Cheese (as we know it) have gotten smaller, making manufacturers wonder if the holes aren’t caused by particulate matter getting in the cheese – tiny bits of hay or detritus that get in the milk, aiding in the production of gas. Modern sterile manufacturing eliminates those contaminants, not giving the gasses something to bond with. Emmental, Emmenthal, and Emmenthaler are all correct names for the cheese.

Many foreign foods are trademarked – Champagne is only Champagne if it comes from the Champagne region of France, otherwise it’s a sparkling wine. Roquefort Cheese can only come from Roquefort (or it’s a Blue Cheese). Bourbon can only come from Bourbon County, Tennessee, otherwise it’s just whiskey. Gruyere lost its trademark name in the US, with the courts deciding that Americans don’t know the location of the cheese, only the taste of that style, no matter the manufacturer. Thus, Swiss Cheese – er, Emmental – can be made anywhere, including Wisconsin. A good Swiss doesn’t have to come from Europe, which makes the price more palatable.

Have you ever thought of making your own cheese? Many of them are rather simple to make  (cottage cheese takes just three ingredients – milk, salt, and vinegar, which replaces the old-fashioned rennet from the cow’s stomach), and all of them will be fresh without chemical preservatives. It’s easier than you think! Unlike canning, mistakes aren’t likely to kill you. Try it as a winter project – you might just discover a new (and tasty!) hobby!

And just to prove that cheese makers aren’t as uptight as you might think, check out this study, where Swiss researchers exposed ageing cheeses to different forms of music (Hip Hop, Stairway to Heaven, and Mozart’s Magic Flute opera). They used mini transmitters to conduct the energy of the music directly into the cheese, so that no energy was lost. (No, I’m not making this up) The cheese was eventually blind-taste tested twice, with similar results each time. The hip-hop exposed cheese was decided to be markedly fruitier and with a stronger taste. The question arises, then, what happens to cheese if you use Swedish Death Metal, or perhaps Raffi?

Check out these instruction books for doing your own experiments with cheese. Your choice of music is up to you!

Grilled Cheese Please!

American Cheese

Artisan Cheese Making at Home

Home Cheese Making

The Whole Fromage

One Hour Cheese

Tasting Wine And Cheese

The Telling Room

Kick off the new year with a Winter Reading Challenge! Kids and adults of all ages are invited to join this online reading program with chances to win prizes! 

From now until February 28, you’ll earn points for reading and completing special missions. Once you reach a certain number of points, you’ll get a completion prize and be entered into your age group’s grand prize raffle. 

Want to sign up? Visit our ReadSquared reading challenge website athttps://cheshirelibrary.readsquared.com, download the ReadSquared app, or visit the Library in-person. Grab your signup prize next time you’re in the Library, then log in to track your progress any time until the program ends on Tuesday, February 28. 

The Winter Reading Challenge is sponsored by the Friends of the Cheshire Public Library.

Teens: did you know that you can earn community service credit for writing a book review and submitting it to us? Today, we’ll hear from two teens who did just that. Find out more about how to earn community service hours from home at cheshirelibrary.org/teens/.

This is Our Story by Ashley Elston. Reviewed by Kathleen H.

If you like murder mysteries with some romance, this one’s for you. The book opens with five best friends who are on a hunting trip, yet only four of them are still alive. When the four alive boys look at their group’s leader, Grant Perkins, sprawled out dead with a rifle’s bullet hole in his chest, they are all in complete shock and panic, not sure which of their friends shot him, or if it was even an accident. With each boy about to turn on each other, all in fear of going to jail, our mystery narrator assures his three friends that they’ll all be fine if they stick together. He then tells them “their story”–what they’ll say to the police, lawyers, judges, the media, and even their families–in order to not accidentally rat out the killer or make themselves look guilty with inconsistent accounts of what happened.

The book then flashes to the main character’s perspective, Kate, who has a senior internship at the District Attorney’s office, and who’s boss has been handed the murder case. The more and more she digs into the evidence in the case file, the more is revealed about each boy’s personal stakes in Grant’s murder. Throughout her investigation, we also learn more about her personal ties to Grant’s murder, and the resulting guilt she holds. This novel is fast paced and easy to read in big chunks, with readers wanting to learn more about the case, and even the romance that arises. Plus, it deals with relevant issues such as how much the wealthy can get away with, and the sway that privileged people have on the justice system. Most importantly, the novel is one that genuinely keeps readers wondering “who did it?” until the bitter end, while still maintaining a sense of realism in its plot twists.

5 stars.

The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes. Reviewed by Ella K.

The Inheritance Games is a mystery book written by Jennifer Lynn Barnes. The book begins by introducing the reader to Avery Grambs, a witty and compassionate student who lives with her sister, Libby, and her sister’s abusive boyfriend. While Avery works to get out of that situation and go to college, she unexpectedly finds herself thrown into a familial battle after the passing of famous billionaire Tobias Hawthorne. Despite not knowing him or having anything to do with him, Avery has been left as almost the sole inheritor of his fortune. The catch? She has to live at the Hawthorne mansion for a year.

Tobias’s relatives, including his four grandsons, upset that a stranger robbed them of their inheritance, treat Avery with contempt throughout the duration of her stay, until one of them, Jameson Hawthorne approaches Avery with a proposition. He thinks that Tobias had something up his sleeve and enlists Avery to help him solve the puzzle. The book follows Avery as she deals with her newfound fame and wealth, while also avoiding the not so pure intentions of the other Hawthornes.

This book brought me back to the puzzle books of my childhood, reminding me specifically of The Mysterious Benedict Society. The book was much more complex than that series, but the riddles and puzzles that the author writes were just as enticing. The newfound fame aspect was also an interesting concept to read about. My problem with this book is its ending. All of the major twists of the plot felt like they were shoved into the end of the book. It was a little bit confusing at times and that confusion almost undermined the twist that the author was going for. Despite this, the book is well written and well worth the read for anyone who enjoys puzzles and mystery books.

4 stars.