Category Archives: Books

Time to fire up the grill

Posted on May 9, 2013 | Leave a comment

It’s time to get out of the kitchen and start cooking on the backyard grill. If you need ideas for what to grill or how to do it, try one of the Library’s many cookbooks and DVDs devoted to grilling. Here are a few:

s barbeque addictionBobby Flay’s Barbecue Addiction (641.5784 FLA) is written by the celebrity chef and Food Network host.

Fire It Up: More than 400 Recipes for Grilling Everything (641.76 SCH), by Andrew Schloss and David Joachim, answers the question “What can we grill?” Answer is “Everything!”

fire it upBarbeque Makes Everything Better (641.76 CHR), by Aaron Chronister and Jason Day, is a collection of easy-to-follow recipes for any occasion.

BBQ makes everything better

 

 

Zinio, your resource for full digital copies of favorite magazines, has cooking magazines, and you will find some tasty recipes. Questions? Ask Us!

KT

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Posted in Books, Food & Drink, Home and Family

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Your Piece of the World

Posted on April 22, 2013 | Leave a comment

Now that the weather is finally warming up and Earth Day is here, it’s time to think about sprucing up our own piece of the world. It’s time for clean-up now, and soon it will be time to start planting flowers and vegetables. The Library has a huge collection of gardening books to inspire and assist you. Here are a few new titles to get you started:

Beautiful Edible GardenThe Beautiful Edible Garden: Design a Stylish Outdoor Space Using Vegetables, Fruits, and Herbs (635 BEN)

Everyday rosesEveryday Roses: How to Grow Knock Out and Other Easy-care Garden Roses (635.933734 ZIM)

Straw Bale Gardens: the Breakthrough Method for Growing Vegetables Anywhere, Earlier and with no Weeding (635 KAR)

Annuals, Perennials & Bulbs for Your Home (635.9 HAL)

Straw bale gardensAnnuals, Perennials & Bulbs

 

 

 

 

Online, StCPL cardholders have access to Hobbies & Crafts, which has books and magazines about gardening. Zinio also has gardening magazines that you can download. Questions? Ask us!

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Posted in Books, Hobbies & Crafts

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Anglophilia

Posted on March 5, 2013 | Leave a comment
Photo: AP/Leicester University

Richard III’s recently unearthed skull
Photo: AP/Leicester University

The recent discovery of the remains of Richard III and the unabated love of all things Downton Abbey has us answering lots of questions from Anglophiles lately. So, if you’re a lover of all things English, or even if you just like their TV shows, we can help.

Learn more about Richard III from Biography in Context, or check our online catalog for items on the Wars of the Roses. Have your library card handy in case you see something you want to put on hold!

Richard III

Richard III

Although not historically accurate, many people’s beliefs about Richard III come from Shakespeare’s history plays depicting the Wars of the Roses (“My kingdom for a horse!”). Of course we have lots of resources for and about the Bard. Here’s a little library trivia: Shakespeare is the only author to have his very own Dewey Decimal Classification number (822.33). We also have access to the wonderful Cambridge Shakespeare Survey Online. All you need is your library card.

Call the MidwifeLooking for something a little more trendy and suitably English while you’re waiting for Downton Abbey? Try the charmingly touching and funny true-to-life memoirs of Jennifer Worth about being a midwife in London’s East End. Call the Midwife is on DVD, CD, or in print. It’s got it all–a true story, a gritty and interesting setting, quirky and loveable characters–and, of course, the babies.

Whether your tastes run more to Shakespeare or modern memoir, we can help you Anglophiles find exactly what you want. Just ask us!

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Posted in Biographies, Books, History, Reference & Research

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FLOTUS–From Martha to Michelle

Posted on February 4, 2013 | Leave a comment

When did the term “First Lady” come into popular use when referring to the president’s wife?  In the early days of the U.S. there was not a generally accepted title for the president’s wife. When Lucy Hayes, wife of the 19th president, Rutherford B. Hayes, accompanied her husband to San Francisco in 1877, the press referred to her as “The First Lady of the Land” and the title stuck.

Some First Lady trivia: Which First Lady was once the national president of the Girls Scouts? (Answer: Lou Hoover) Which First Lady was the first to earn a graduate degree? (Answer: Pat Nixon) Which First Ladies were divorcees when they married their husbands? (Answer: Florence Harding and Betty Ford)

FLOTUSTo learn more about our First Ladies, check out the First Ladies’ National Library in Canton, Ohio, which was established when Hillary Clinton was our First Lady. The library is open for tours and workshops. It organizes events and exhibits. Michelle Obama is the library’s honorary chairwoman.

Our Library has many books on our First Ladies. More first lady biographies are available in our online resources, too. Check our online catalog or Ask Us!

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Posted in Biographies, Books, History, Reference & Research

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President Lincoln, Movie Star

Posted on December 12, 2012 | Leave a comment

Have you seen the new Spielberg movie Lincoln and want to know more about the events depicted in the movie?  Are you trying to remember what you learned in American History way back when? We have lots of books about Lincoln, Mary Todd Lincoln, the Civil War, etc.

Team of Rivals: the Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln  by Doris Kearns  Goodwin is one of the sources used by the creators of the movie.  973.7 GOO)

A. Lincoln: a Biography by Ronald C. White Jr. is a comprehensive biography of the president. (B Lincoln)

Giant in the Shadows: the Life of Robert T. Lincoln is a biography of the Lincoln’s oldest  and last surviving son.   (B Lincoln)

Mary Todd Lincoln: a Biography by Jean H. Baker is a definitive account of the troubled former First Lady.  (B Lincoln)

Tried by War: Abraham Lincoln as Commander in Chief by noted historian James McPherson is a study in how Lincoln worked with his military to defeat the Confederacy. (973.7 MCP)

Questions?  Ask us!

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Posted in Biographies, History, Reference & Research

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e-Reader Holiday Buying Guide 2012

Posted on November 26, 2012 | Leave a comment

overdrive button.jpg

Yes, it’s that happy time–our annual eReader purchasing advice. With more and more eReaders and tablet computers flooding the market, please take time before you buy to be sure that your gizmo will download library materials. Get a complete list of more than 100 library compatible reading and listening devices.

Whether you want a Nook, iPad, Kindle or an “off brand” tablet, CNET has reviewed the major players in the field for you. They even talk about library borrowing! Read the review, or stop in to see reviews from Consumer Reports. (Ask us how to use our Lexis Nexis online subscription to read Consumer Reports reviews from home.) If you’re only interested in the newest gadgets, MediaBistro has their top five.

Once you have your reader, smartphone or tablet, connect to our eBooks & Media page to get started. Want in-person support? Stop by any time (well, maybe not five minutes before we close), and staff will help you download your first item. We also regularly hold drop-in help sessions. Just check your current issue of Discover, our website, or give us a call for more information.

Finally, if you’re feeling an overload of technostress, we once again recommend turning to the Medieval Help Desk for a laugh. I know we post it every year, but it’s still funny!

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Posted in Books, Databases, Technology

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The War of 1812 Revisited

Posted on November 7, 2012 | Leave a comment

We all studied about the War of 1812 in history class, but many of us know very little about this conflict. The 200th anniversary of the start of the war occurs this year, so perhaps this is a good time to remember what happened.

Did you know that  Francis Scott Key was inspired to write “The Star-Spangled Banner” after soldiers at Fort McHenry in Baltimore raised an American flag to mark their victory over the British on September 14, 1814?

The British burned down the White House on August 24, 1814, and first lady Dolley Madison refused to leave the building until the Gilbert Stuart painting of George Washington had been saved. That painting hangs in the White House today.

The most famous American warship was the USS Constitution.  You can visit this ship in Charleston, Massachusetts, near Boston.

Many important battles were fought in the midwest as the British sought to take control of the Great Lakes. Fort Dearborn, located where Chicago is now, was destroyed in the war.

If you’d like to read more about this conflict, we have a new reference set titled The Encyclopedia of the War of 1812 (REF 973.5203 ENC). For other books check our catalog, our History Research Guide, or Ask Us!

Check out the War of 1812 official website.

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Posted in Books, Government & Politics, History, Reference & Research

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Rock On! Or at least read about it…

Posted on October 24, 2012 | Leave a comment

Wonder what the rock ‘n’ roll life is really like?  Read all about it in one of these new rock tell-alls.

My Cross to Bear by Gregg Allman  (B Allman)

Waging Heavy Peace: a Hippie Dream by Neil Young (781.66 YOU)

The John Lennon Letters by John Lennon (781.66 LEN)

Who I Am: a Memoir by Pete Townshend (781.66 TOW)

Rod: the Autobiography by Rod Stewart (B Stewart)

Cyndi Lauper: a Memoir by Cyndi Lauper (781.64 LAU)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For other titles or biographical works, check our online catalog,  biography subject guide, or Ask Us!

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Posted in Arts, Biographies, Books, Music

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Music Hath Charms…

Posted on October 10, 2012 | Leave a comment

Singer/Songwriter Emilia Dahlin
CC Photo by: Ctd 2005 via Flickr

If you’re a crooner, a diva or a wedding singer, we’ll make you want to sing about our resources.

Like what?

Photo: Chance Agrella

Sheet music: We’ve got hundreds and hundreds of books of sheet music (classical, rock, pop, historical, patriotic, and Christmas carols, to name a few). Don’t see the song you need for your instrument? Music can be a little tricky to search, so just ask!

Instruction: We have books, CDs and DVDs on mastering everything from piano to ukelele. You can even take music appreciation online (see Universal Class).

Shopping: If you need a new cello, piano, or guitar, we have books to help you buy the right instrument, or even build your own.

Online:  Check out our Naxos sheet music database to download sheet music–legally! While best for classical pieces, it has a great feature for singers–transpose (change the key) online before you print most pieces. Hobbies & Crafts database features thousands of articles (with pictures) on everything from mixing your music in a studio to violin restoration.

Listening: Of course we have thousands and thousands of CDs, plus streaming and downloadable music. There are books to help you choose your next great listen or to learn about music styles and history. Don’t forget DVDs of musical performances, and all of the concerts at the library, too!

Seeking inspiration? Check out print or online biographies of musicians.

Whether you like to dabble or are trying to make it as a musician, let’s make beautiful music together.

   

hk

 

 

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Posted in Biographies, Databases, Education, Hobbies & Crafts, Music

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What do these books have in common?

Posted on October 3, 2012 | Leave a comment

The American Library Association released a list of books in April that included these titles:  The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Gossip Girl by Cecily von Ziegesar, Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, and Alice by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor.

What do these books have in common?  They were included in the ALA’s list of the 10 most frequently challenged books of 2011.

Banned Books Week extends from September 30 – October 6.  This will be the 30th anniversary for this event.  The American Library Association promotes everyone’s freedom to read.  Choose a book and celebrate your freedom to read.

 

 

 

kt

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Posted in Books, Education, Government & Politics

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