Much Anticipated and In-Demand

Week of November 15th's Hot Picks

A long-awaited biography by a popular politician and works by popular fiction authors will in all likelihood dominate this week's list of in-demand new books. Here's a few quick picks:

Going Rogue : An American Life by Sarah Palin

The former governor of Alaska and and 2008 candidate for Vice President describes her life and political career.

The Wrecker by Clive Cussler and Justin Scott

Set in 1907, this thriller features detective Isaac Bell, last seen in 2007's The Chase. The authors pit Bell against "the Wrecker," who's been destroying trains and railroad facilities for no apparent reason.

I, Alex Cross by James Patterson

The prolific Patterson (slow down, wontcha?) offers his latest Alex Cross novel. In this one, Alex vows to find the killer who murdered his niece.

Too Much Happiness by Alice Munro

Munro won this year's Man Booker International Prize and we have many Booker Prize readers in our community. This latest collection delivers eleven short stories about ordinary men and women looking to overcome challenges and live a whole life.

Book News: Another Way to Find Your Next Good Book

Online Newsletters
The library offers a series of online newsletters through which we let you know about great books you might like to read or those you may have missed along the way. Newsletters are updated by the 15th of each month.

What's In It for You?
You can review online newsletters by genre you prefer: bestsellers, new fiction, new non-fiction, mystery, classics, business books, home and garden books, and books for children or teens, among others. The newsletters include book descriptions and reviews and if available, author commentaries. As you browse, your can check our online catalog for availability. You can also subscribe to any newsletter and receive an email copy in line with each monthly update.

Give BookNews a try.

Off the Beat and Track: History Reads

New and Different Takes

If you're a fan of history -- or are looking for at least one book that will finally prove to you that history isn't boring -- give up a little time for any one of the following.

K Blows Top: A Cold War Comic Interlude, Starring Nikita Khrushev, America’s Most Unlikely Tourist -- Peter Carlson. Going back to the summer of 1959 when the Soviet leader toured America (he never made it to Disneyland) the author takes the reader on a hilarious, wild ride.

The Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves, & the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History -- Robert Edsel. Edsel uncovers the story of the allied division whose task it was to locate art works stolen by the Nazis -- everything from great art, to church bells and insect collections. A very compelling story about saving culture from war.

Dancing in the Dark: A Cultural History of the Great Depression -- Morris Dickstein. Noted as an era of collective failures, poverty, and community response, the Great Depression was also a time for escapism. This well written history offers an inside look at cultural attempts to buck up and cheer up and may have a familiar feel, given our own contemporary tough times.

The Poison King: The Life & legend of Mithradates, Rome’s Deadliest Enemy -- Adrienne Mayor. Readable biography at its best, this one offers an inside look at the controversial, fearsome, shrewd, and legendary King of Pontus, (132-63 B.C). Little known in the Western world, he's a supposed relation of Alexander the Great and still a national hero in Kurdistan and Armenia.

Sultana: Surviving the Civil War, Prison, & The Worst Maritime Disaster in American History -- Alan Huffman. The riverboat, Sultana, was wrecked in 1865 and left dead 1,700 Union soldiers. This POW story, and its back story, comes alive through diaries, action reports, and impressions of survivors.

The Sisters Who Would be Queen: Mary, Katherine, & Lady Jane Grey -- Leanda de Lisle. Politics and family come together in this grim tragedy about power in Tudor England. This story of the Grey sisters, all heirs to the throne and all victims of extended family infighting, reads like historical fiction.

Post by Bev Simmons

Who Killed King Tut?

The Search for Suspects

Thriller author extraordinaire, James Patterson, ventures into non-fiction writing by offering his take on the death of one of history's most famous figures: King Tut. Truth can be stranger than fiction, as the story of King Tut testifies. The classic questions of who did what, when, why, and how are examined. Patterson fans and readers of histories or mysteries are likely to enjoy The Murder of King Tut.

Further Reading

For other slants on the same story, try The Murder of Tutankhamen : a True Story by Bob Brier, Ph.D. or Who Killed King Tut? Using Modern Forensics to Solve a 3,300 Year-old Mystery by Michael R. King & Gregory M. Cooper with Don DeNivi.

Also of Interest

Mountains of the Pharaohs by Zahi A. Hawass (Audio CD)

The Search for Ancient Egypt by Jean Vercoutter

Mummies : A Voyage Through Eternity by Francoise Dunand

Nefertiti Resurrected (Discovery Channel DVD)

Post by Bev Simmons

Super-Sizing Economics

Freakonomics
Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner hit it big with Freakonomics (2006), a still wildly popular book about looking at everyday issues through the lens of an economist.

The book has been published in 34 different languages and has sold more than 4 million copies. Who knew such a snooze-o-riffic social science could be made interesting with provocative questions such as What do Schoolteachers and Sumo Wrestlers Have in Common?

The author team is back with Superfreakonomics, asking and answering a new series of provocative questions. Levitt is a University of Chicago economics professor and Dubner, a writer for the NYT and The New Yorker, among others.

Books to Film

Hollywood and the Bestseller

Many a book has been made into a movie. This year's book-to-film titles, already available or soon to arrive on DVD, include Coraline, The Talking of Pelham 123 (remake), Angels and Demons, Confessions of a Shopaholic, My Sister's Keeper, Twilight and Inkheart, among many others.

Now playing on the big screen or coming soon to the big screen or DVD, are film versions of the following books. We're sure you'll be part of the great debate about which was better : book or film.

Push by Sapphire

Filmmakers adapted Sapphire's 1996 book and titled the film Precious, in reference to the novel's main character, Claireece 'Precious' Jones. The film opened November 6 in limited release and has since generated early Oscar buzz for its stars.

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs by Judi Barrett

Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are proved once and for all that picture books (few words, simple but compelling plots) can make for great films. Though this film came eariler, it also proved its point about picture books on film. A "delicious" book with DVD release scheduled for next January.

The Blind Side : Evolution of a Game by Michael Lewis

Based on Lewis's analysis of college football mania at the University of Mississippi, this one opens Friday and stars Sandra Bullock and Tim McGraw.

The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

Peter Jackson's adaptation of Selbold's novel hits the big screen next January. The story is about a brutally murdered girl who watches the effects of her death on her family from Heaven.

The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

This non-traditional love story has been read, re-read, and re-attracted new buzz since its 2003 debut. What's to argue about love that endures across time? Don't miss the book but if you missed the big screen version, the DVD release is scheduled for next February.

The Box, based on a short story by Richard Matheson

Matheson's story is called Button, Button and is one in collection of "uncanny" stories. Greed and temptation collide in this one, written by the author who also penned I Am Legend.

The Men Who Stare at Goats by Jon Ronson

Based on Ronson's book, this latest film featuring George Clooney relates the story of the U.S. Army's First Earth Battalion's reputed experimentation with paranormal activities and psychological warfare.

New Moon by Stephenie Meyer

The film debuts this Friday. It'll be huge.

Surf's Up

You can check big screen movie selections, times and locations using a number of online movie time searches, including those offered by Yahoo, Google, Flixster.

Great Graphics

The Marvel-ous Stephen King

Dark Tower graphic novels, a series published by Marvel Comics and based on Stephen King's earlier Dark Tower novels (1982-2004) have caught a local wave. The series provides yet another example of graphic novel format at its best.

The series offers a chance for adult readers/King fans to reconsider the graphic novel as much more than a comic book and to explore why so many young people enjoy the format and enjoy reading because of it...

King purists of any age beware: the story of Roland is chronological in the graphics; not in the order presented in King's novels.

Graphics is Order:
The Gunslinger Born -- The Long Road Home -- Treachery -- Fall of Gilead (March 2010)

2009 National Book Award Finalists

Fiction Category

This year's National Book Award Finalists were announced on October 14. The winner will be announced at the 60th National Book Awards Dinner and Ceremony on Wednesday, November 18. For fiction readers, here's a list of the finalists, plot synopsis included. Visit the NBA website to read author interviews and to find links to author web sites.

American Salvage by Bonnie Jo Campbell

Fourteen gutsy short stories about life in rural Michigan, the author's home ground.

Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann

In 1974 Manhattan, a radical young Irish monk struggles with personal demons while making his home among Bronx prostitutes, a group of mothers shares grief over their lost Vietnam soldier sons, and a young grandmother attempts to prove her worth.

In Other Rooms, Other Wonders by Daniyal Mueenuddin

A volume of linked stories describes the intertwined lives of landowners and their retainers on the Gurmani family farm in Pakistan, in a collection that explores such themes as culture, class power, and desire.

Lark and Termite by Jayne Ann Phillips

Set during the 1950s in West Virginia and Korea, this is the story of two children --Lark, on the verge of adulthood, and her brother, Termite, a child unable to walk and talk but filled with radiance --who grow up with their mother and aunt while their soldier-father fights for his life during the chaotic early months of the Korean War.

Far North by Marcel Theroux

Out on the far northern border of a failed state, Makepeace -- sheriff and perhaps the last citizen -- patrols the city ruins, salvaging books but keeping the guns in good repair.

Early Literacy Fun for Little People

November's Fingerplay of the Month

This month's fingerplay has many variations; we offer one variant here. Your hand motions demonstrate the words and with repetition, you can help your little one develop hand-eye coordination, manual dexterity, rhythm, sequence, memory, and an appreciation for following directions. Of course, there is a little tickling involved so have fun!

Open Them, Shut Them (Follow-along Video plus Script)

Open them, shut them
Open them, shut them
Give a little clap, clap, clap
Open them, shut them
Open them, shut them
Put them in your lap, lap, lap
Creep them, crawl them
Creep them, crawl them
Right up to your chin, chin, chin
Creep them, crawl them
Creep them, crawl them
Do not let them in!

Further Reading
Here's a short list of books that feature a range of follow along activities to share with your child as he or she develops pre-reader and early reader skills. As always, please feel free to ask for other suggestions and recommendations.

Toddlerobics by Zita Newcome

Can You Make a Scary Face by Jan Thomas

Mr. Brown Can Moo! Can You? by Dr. Seuss

Can You Guess by Margaret Miller

Zoo Parade by Harriet Ziefert

Post by Kathleen Sands

Poet of the Month

November's Featured Poet
Maya Angelou (1928-) grew up in St. Louis and Stamps, Arkansas. Highlights of her career: At 14 she won a scholarship in dance & drama and subsequently toured Europe in Porgy and Bess. She studied under Martha Graham and danced with Alvin Ailey. She’s authored over 30 strongly selling works of fiction, non-fiction, and verse. She wrote the screenplay and composed the score of the 1972 film Georgia, Georgia, and directed the feature film, Down in the Delta in 2008. She’s probably best known for “On the Pulse of the Morning,” her inaugural poem for President Clinton.

Conceit
Give me your hand
Make room for me to lead and follow

you
beyond this rage of poetry.

Let others have
the privacy of
touching words
and love of loss
of love.

For me
Give me your hand.

Further Reading: The Complete Collected Poems of Maya Angelou

Next Month: Lewis Carroll

Content developed by local resident and poet Leland Jamieson, author of:

21st Century Bread (2007)

In Vitro : New Short Rhyming Poems Post-9/11 (2009)

2009 National Book Award Finalists

Young People's Literature Category

This year's National Book Award Finalists were announced on October 14. The winner will be announced at the 60th National Book Awards Dinner and Ceremony on Wednesday, November 18. If you are a teen reader who has enjoyed reading Nutmeg Book nominees and winners, why not branch out an give a NBA Young People's Finalist a try?

Click on the title to find out more about each book, 'meet' the author, watch a book trailer, and read an excerpt! Click on the author's name to find the book in our catalog.

Charles and Emma : The Darwins’ Leap of Faith by Deborah Heiligman

Claudette Colvin : Twice Toward Justice by Phillip Hoose

Stitches by David Small

Lips Touch: Three Times by Laini Taylor

Jumped by Rita Williams-Garcia

Veterans Day

Thank a Soldier
Next Wednesday, November 11, is Veterans Day. November 11 is much more than a day off from school or work. Originally known as Armistice Day, November 11 was at first a marker date in history, in recognition of the end of World War I fighting at 11 a.m., November 11, 1918. Click here to read more about the origins and history of Veterans Day.

Locally, our VFW Post 5095 will hold its annual Veteran's Day Ceremony on Sunday, November 8, at 11 a.m., at the Post home on 20 North Maple Street. Paul Rioux, current Post Commander, who served in the Army during the U.S. invasion of Grenada, will be the main speaker. The East Hampton 3rd CT Regiment of Fifes and Drum Corps are also slated to perform a medley of patriotic songs.

Please make a concerted effort to honor our local veterans, neighbors and friends, by attending the ceremony. Later in the day, the CT Veterans Day Parade will start up in Hartford.

In the mean time, please take a moment to view a very good video about expressing your gratitude to our soldiers. If you'd like to help our active service men and women now serving around the world, visit the web site at video's end or more directly, visit Operation Gratitude.

Another Great Week for Popular Fiction

Week of November 1st's Hot Picks

Several of America's finest writers' latest works will be released next week. Looking forward to Tuesday. Hope you are, too.

Rainwater by Sandra Brown

An historical novel from bestselling, award-winning author Brown, "Rainwater" follows an independent woman who runs a boarding house in Texas.

Merry Merry Ghost by Carolyn Hart

Introduced in Agatha-winner Hart's Ghost at Work (2008), the late Bailey Ruth Raeburn returns to earth on a heavenly mission to help a four-year-old orphan. Hart is also the author of the mysteries in the Death on Demand series.

The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver

In her first novel in nine years, bestselling author Kingsolver, who penned perennial favorites The Bean Trees (1988) and The Poisonwood Bible (1998), tells the story of Harrison William Shepherd, a man whose search for identity takes readers to the heart of the 20th century's most tumultuous events.

The Christmas Blizzard by Garrison Keillor

In Keillor's comic novella, a wealthy and depressed man bound for Christmas in Hawaii is abruptly summoned home to North Dakota. He arrives just in time to be trapped there by a blizzard. During his stay, he reaches an epiphany worthy of the season and resolves to simplify his life.

Ford County Stories by John Grisham

In this short story collection, Grisham takes us back Ford County, Mississippi, the setting of his first novel, A Time to Kill. Plenty of advance buzz about this one and the cast of characters Grisham introduces.

No Less Than Victory : a WWII Novel by Jeff Shaara

This is the third and final book in Shaara's WWII trilogy, preceded by The Rising Tide (2006) and The Steel Wave (2008). The third novel covers the last five months of the war, from the Battle of the Bulge to the liberation of concentration camps and is a sure pick for fans of military/historical fiction and non-fiction books by Stephen Ambrose.

Decisions, Decisions...

Week of October 25th's Hot Picks

This week's latest fiction, sure to be next week's bestsellers, all by your favorite authors. Enjoy!

Angel Time by Anne Rice

This one kicks off Rice's new Songs of the Seraphim religious romance/suspense series. The main character is hired assassin Toby O'Dare, a one-time aspirant to the priesthood, who's offered a chance at redemption via a trip back to the 13th century.

Christmas Promise by Anne Perry

When a younger fellow orphan is imperiled by her uncle's murder and the disappearance of a family donkey, Gracie, Charlotte Pitt's maid, aids the child's search for both the killer and the donkey. This is Perry's seventh Christmas-themed Victorian historical, after 2008's A Christmas Grace.

Grave Secret by Charlaine Harris

The forth in the Harper Connelly mystery series, after 2007's An Ice Cold Grave. Harris already has two novels on the NYT bestseller list, A Touch of Dead and Dead and Gone, both of which feature telepathic waitress, Sookie Stackhouse.

Last Night in Twisted River by John Irving

Veteran novelist John Irving (The Hotel New Hampshire, A Prayer for Owen Meany, The World According to Garp) turns in yet another off-beat tale. The story, spanning five decades, is set in 1954 New Hampshire, where an anxious 12-year-old boy mistakes the local constable's girlfriend for a bear...

True Blue by David Baldacci

Fresh out of prison, disgraced ex-cop Mason "Mace" Perry, along with the help of her police chief sister Beth, aids Roy Kingman, a lawyer trying to track down the killer of one of his law partners, all while a U.S. attorney looks for any reason to put Mace back behind bars. The first book in a proposed series featuring the Perry sisters.

Kitchen Delights

Early Fall's Cookbooks

Fall is no doubt a very busy season for all of you. First, we're in the middle of "all sports" season and if you are enjoying local youth athletic events, we bet you're also enjoying more than a few college and national games on TV. Either way, if you're looking for delicious recipes to help you plan menus for your busy family, guests, or potluck events, here's a few among other newbies that may be helpful.

2, 4, 6, 8 : Great Meals for Couple or Crowds by Rachael Ray makes cooking fun and easy here with a batch of 30 minute menus.

Lidia Cooks from the Heart of Italy by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich and Tanya Bastianich Manuali presents a taste of Italy and also an education about and culinary tour of Italy's 12 regions. Most of the recipes are reported to be simple enough for novice cooks.

Anne Byrn offers The Cake Mix Doctor Returns, another in her "the doctor is in" series for cake bakers. Here find 160 new recipes guaranteed to tempt, many of them contributed by fans.

75 Smoothies : How to Make Fabulous Fresh Fruit Drinks, Shakes and Floats with 290 Step-by-step Photographs by Suzannah Oliver gives your blender a workout with main concentration on creating nutritious drinks.

Post by Bev Simmons

Be Ready for Dancing Cheek to Cheek!

November : National Healthy Skin Month
As the temperatures get colder, don't let your skin become out of sight, out of mind. Learn about how to maintain healthy skin by consulting skin care books, the web, or by trying out some homemade skin remedies.

Books and Reading
The Beautiful Skin Workout by Michelle Copeland
Total Skin by David Leffell
Naturally Healthy Skin by Stephanie Tourles
The Skin Type Solution by Leslie Baumann
The New Science of Perfect Skin by Daniel Yarosh

Surf's Up
American Academy of Dermatology
Mayo Clinic's Top 5 Habits for Healthy Skin
WebMD: A Guy's Guide to Skin Care

Breakfast for Your Skin (Oatmeal & Sugar Scrub)
Here's our favorite recipe for a natural facial scrub featuring ingredients found in your kitchen cupboards. Sugar has clarifying capabilities as well as gentle exfoliating properties. Oatmeal is hypoallergenic and full of amino acids. Olive oil is natural and won't clog your pores.

Ingredients:
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup oatmeal (not instant)
1/4 cup pure honey
3/4 to 1 cup (or to total saturation) Olive Oil
1/4 tsp Essential or Fragrance oil of choice (Optional; we used vanilla)

Mix the sugar & oatmeal together in a large bowl. Now add the honey. Drizzle the oil over the mix. Mix well. When all your mix is saturated and sinks to the bottom of the bowl and you have oil on top you're done. Add your essential oil or fragrance oil. Find a six or eight ounce wide-mouthed jar and spoon mixture in.

Post by Kathleen Sands

Costs $.28 to Tell a Secret

PostSecret
In 2004, author Frank Warren undertook a community art project, asking people to anonymously send him a secret on a decorated postcard.

Since then, Warren has received well over 400,000 postcards and published four PostSecret books, each of which revealed some aspect of the senders' inner lives. The secrets range from fearful to hopeful; shocking to heart-wrenching; cute to TMI; funny to provocative.

Warren's fifth book in this popular, often challenging confessional series, PostSecret : Confessions on Life, Death, and God, is due to arrive shortly. As always, choose for yourself or for your family.

Attention-Getting Reads

Hot Picks, Sleeper Hits

Here's a few books that have been peppering bestseller and recommended book lists and which have attracted a fair share of local attention, if not more than a few patron purchase requests.

Healing and Preventing Autism : a Complete Guide by Jenny McCarthy

The latest from McCarthy, who also penned Louder Than Words and Mother Warriors.

The Case for God by Karen Armstrong

Armstrong, a former nun, writes widely about religion and religious history. Her latest makes a case for the importance of religion and faith in modern life.

American on Purpose : the Improbable Adventures of an Unlikely Patriot by Craig Ferguson

This Scottish-born comedian, now late night TV host, describes his journey to American citizenship.

Half Broke Horses by Jeannette Walls

The author of the still popular Glass Castle recreates the life of her maternal grandmother, Lily Casy Smith, in the first half of the 20th century.

Have a Little Faith by Mitch Albom

Acclaimed author of Tuesdays With Morrie, among others, offers another story about the power of friendship and faith.

A Bomb in Every Issue : How the Short, Unruly Life of Ramparts Magazine Changed America by Peter Richardson

The story of a magazine that started out as a literary quarterly and moved on to be influential and a ruffler of more than a few political feathers from 1962-1975.

The Good Soldiers by David Finkel

The author recounts the details of the eight months he spent with an Army battalion in Iraq.

End the Fed by Ron Paul

The Texas congressman, author of The Revolution : a Manifesto (2008) offers his take on U.S. economic policy and where the Federal Reserve Bank fits in, or doesn't.

Attention on Invention

What Would We Do Without Them?
The following books examine the work of some individuals, well and no so well known, whose inventions changed lives, if not the course of history.

The Spirit of Invention : The Story of the Thinkers, Creators, & Dreamers Who Formed Our Nation by Julie M. Fenster with the Smithsonian’s Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention & Invention offers a fascinating look at the work of notable inventors you've no doubt heard of (Eli Whitney, Thomas Edison, Robert Goddard) as well as those about whom you may know little: Gertrude Forbes (ironing board cover); John Dove (concepts behind the compact disc) or Luther Burbank (revolutionized plant breeding). This easy format book is a winner for browsers and deep readers alike.

Also Recommended
They Made America : From the Steam Engine to the Search Engine : Two Centuries of Innovators by Harold Evans

Feminine Ingenuity: Women & Invention in America by Anne Macdonald covers some of the inventions women have contributed over the last two hundred years.

Made to Break : Technology & Obsolescence in America by Giles Slade discusses the dangers and implications of planned obsolescence.

For those interested in Connecticut's early innovators, Yankee Dreamers and Doers : the Story of Connecticut Manufacturing by Ellsworth S. Grant provides a great overview.

Post by Bev Simmons

Thinking Thriller? Think Tuesday!

Week of October 18th's Hot Picks

Several of next Tuesday's additions to our collection have something in common : crime, mystery, suspense and plot-twisting. Enjoy your favorite detectives, forensic specialists, or a little romance for good measure.

The Scarpetta Factor by Patricia Cornwell

Kay Scarpetta, now a senior forensic analyst for CNN, becomes embroiled in a surreal plot that includes a famous actor accused of an unthinkable crime and the disappearance of a beautiful millionairess with whom her niece Lucy seems to have shared a secret past.

Locked In by Marcia Muller

After being shot, PI Sharon McCone, last seen in 2008's Burn Out, suffers from locked-in syndrome, which involves almost total paralysis but an alert conscious mind. As Sharon lies in a hospital bed, she and members of her agency work to figure out 'who dunnit'.

Blood Game by Iris Johansen

This forensics thriller finds Johansen favorite, Eve Duncan, fresh off her investigation in 2008's Quicksand, matching a surprise found in her refrigerator to a U.S. Senator's murdered daughter. Expect paranormal twists and a stronger romance line with Joe Quinn, Eve's FBI guy.

Southern Lights by Danielle Steel

Assistant D.A. Alexa Hamilton, assigned to prosecute accused serial killer Luke Quentin, is confronted with difficult career and personal choices. Set in Manhattan's gritty courts and in the antebellum South, this part family saga/part thriller is reported to be much more than usual Steel fare.

Vintage Caper by Peter Mayle

Peter Mayle, arguably most famous for his non-fiction works about Provence (France), here delivers a caper mystery featuring Sam Levitt, a jack of all trades lawyer with a love for fine food and wine and a definite flair for investigation.

October : National Arts & Humanities Month

Read Big This Month
Why not celebrate National Arts & Humanities Month by checking out one of the following titles from the National Endowment for the Arts Big Read series? The collection features CDs containing excerpts from the original work (all owned by the library) and supported by critical analysis. The goal of this outstanding series is to focus on the importance of reading, emphasizing popular culture.

For patrons who enjoy book discussions, this series offers a wonderful way to experience great books. For commuters, it's ideal.

Visit the NEA's Big Read website for more information about Big Read titles, including radio programs, video profiles, and brief essays about the authors.

Post by Bev Simmons

Storage Solutions

Conventional Looks at Storing Your Stuff

More than a few of us are looking for better storage space in our closets, cabinets, or on the shelves within. “Make-overs” are not only practical, they can be fashionable. All in all, matching what you have with what you need can be a lot easier, if you see how others have approached remodeling.

The following titles offer some great suggestions -- especially if you're handy -- for solving your storage problems and giving your home more useful space and a brand new look:

Store It! Where to Put All the Things You Need to Keep by Mervyn Kaufman

Easy to Build Bookcases & Clutter Control Projects: 18 Practical Solutions to Organize Your Home by the Editors of Weekend Woodcrafts Magazine; Rob Joseph & Linda Hendry

Wordworking for the Home: Storage Projects for all Around the House by Paul Anthony, Niall Barrett, & Jeff Miller

Popular Mechanics Garage Makeovers: Adding Space without Adding On by Rick Peters

Also checkout general works, for both kids and adults, about the age-old and not always easy challenge of trying be orderly yourself, while still maintaining a busy household.

Post by Bev Simmons

Expecting or Expected?

A View From Outside... and In
What to Expect When You're Expecting, now in its 4th edition, is a perennial self-help bestseller. Arguably a must-read book for pregnant women, especially first-timers, the book's content is defended or debated with equal intensity. We'll leave it up to you, either way.

Alas, every 'standard' text at some point ends up being spoofed and David Javerbaum's What to Expect When You're Expected : a Fetus's Guide to the First Three Trimesters does just that. As the title suggests, the book is written from an in utero point of view...

Javerbaum is an Emmy Award-winning executive producer for Jon Stewart's The Daily Show and a coauthor of America: The Book. This should give you an idea of what kind of humor to expect -- from crude, to mildly entertaining, to hilarious. As always, we invite you to pick and choose according to your interests and tastes.

Hot Pick Fiction : Week of October 11

Mix and Match

Next week's hot picks include mysteries, thrillers, fantasies, literary fiction and the latest in what is likely to be a bumper crop of holiday stories. Mix and match!

Breaking the Rules by Barbara Taylor Bradford

Bradford delivers her 25th romantic suspense story just in time to celebrate the 30th anniversary of her first, now classic romance novel, A Woman of Substance.

Pursuit of Honor by Vince Flynn

Ace counterintelligence (and invincible) agent, Mitch Rapp, takes on al Qaeda in this 10th book in a stellar series.

The Humbling by Philip Roth

A once famous and aging actor confronts his waning confidence and reputation in this sorrowful novella reported to be similar to Everyman and Exit Ghost.

Golden Shrine by Harry Turtledove

Alternate history writer Turtledove sets this novel in a parallel Bronze Age; picking up where he left off in 2008's The Breath of God.

Home for Christmas by Andrew M. Greeley

Father Greeley offers his second Christmas tale, following 2004's Star Bright! Sure to be schmaltzy but that's what holiday stories are for.

Stained Glass by Ralph McInerny

Father Dowling is up against the possible closing of St. Hillary's, a murderer, and a powerful family of church patrons. The 28th in the Father Dowling mystery series.

The Monster in the Box by Ruth Rendell

British police detective, Inspector Wexford, confronts a man from his past, who he suspects is responsible for multiple murders. This is Rendell's 22nd mystery in the Wexford series; next after 2007's Not in the Flesh.

House of Reckoning by John Saul

A haunted house horror/suspense tale featuring unloved foster child, Sarah Crane, and classmate Nick Dunnigan, a former mental patient plagued by visions. Saul's a good horror fiction choice if you need a respite from the vampire genre.

Where the Wild Things Will Be Soon

Books to Film
Maurice Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are is coming to the big screen on October 16th. This famous children's book is about a boy who, after getting in trouble, is sent to his room and begins imagining a forest in which he becomes king of all of the animals.

First published back in 1963, the book has remained a hit so if you're new to being a kid, don't forget to read the book before you go see the movie! The library also has a number of other great titles written, illustrated, or inspired by the always inventive Mr. Sendak.

More Children's Books to Film
For those interested in pairing other great books with media, enjoy anew or again:
Harry Potter (Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince due on DVD Dec. 7)
A Series of Unfortunate Events
Matilda
The Tale of Despereaux
City of Ember
Kit (Kit Kittredge of the American Girl Series)
Nancy Drew
Chronicles of Narnia
Inkheart

Surf's Up
For a more complete listing of children's books to film, visit Kidsreads.

Upcoming Film : Watch the Trailer

Post by Kathleen Sands

Amelia Earhart

Coming to a Theater Near You
While we're waiting for the release of Amelia, a biopic starring two-time Oscar winner Hillary Swank, now may be the time to bone up on the facts of Earhart's life.

Two books, used as a basis for the film, are The Sound of Wings : the Life of Amelia Earhart by Mary S. Lovell and Amelia Earhart : the Mystery Solved by Elgen M. Long. Also try American Heroes : Amelia Earhart : the Sky's No Limit by Lori Van Pelt. Several other biographies are also available.

For kids, try Sky Pioneer : a Photobiography of Amelia Earhart by Corinne Szabo or A Picture Book of Amelia Earhart by David A. Adler.

Surf's Up
Amelia Earhart Birthplace Museum
George Palmer Putnam Collection of Amelia Earhart Papers (Purdue University)
National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution
Amazing Americans, Library of Congress

Upcoming Film : Watch the Trailer