THREE BRAVE WOMEN

I like a good biography once in a while. I have learned about other cultures and life outside of my own country this way. I checked out and read three biographies of brave women recently. One was set in Afghanistan, one in Iran, and one in Iraq. All three gave me a …

She's Baaaaaaaaaaaack! And She's Wired!

Hi guys. I've been away and now I'm back. And that's enough about that.

So, let me just plunge directly into my topic by saying that I don't watch TV. I watch DVDs of TV programs or movies almost exclusively. Ok, sometimes while turning on the set in order to load a DVD …

RECESSION

Recession - "a period of reduced economic activity" I do not know enough to talk about bull and bear markets. I do know that my lifestyle has fallen victim to the recession. I buy less, eat out less, travel less and look for cheap theatres. I also buy fewer books and …

Keepin' it real

I love non-fiction. When I was a kid I loved reading about earthquakes and superstitions and ghosts. So is it really any wonder that I would turn out to be the person who gets to pick out all the new Adult Non-fiction books for the library? Is it also any wonder that my …

NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS

Some of us do resolutions. I only did one for the New Year. I tend to be a couch potato - not in front of the television or DVD player but in front of a good book. Yes, all books are good unless proven otherwise. My resolution was to get off the couch, put down the …

Spring a Time When Young Boys' Thoughts Turn to...

....Soccer?

Well, that is how it is in my house. Spring soccer starts in February so we are already gearing up for it. The high schools in the area are already playing too. My son has always loved watching sports. Even before he could talk he would take the remote …

FEAST

"an elaborate and usual abundant meal often accompanied by a ceremony or entertainment" or "something that gives unusual or abundant enjoyment". Here are two books that do both:

The Feast of Santa Fe

Feast: Food That Celebrates Life

Why Stop?

Everytime we drive to or from Houston my son marvels at the larger than life statue of Sam Houston. Old Sam stands 67 feet tall and is the largest statue of an American hero in the world. This last trip we were heading home on my son's birthday and I figured what better …

MARTIN LUTHER KING

With Martin Luther King Day on Jan.19th, everyone should be aware of some available biographies on the civil rights leader:

"The Autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr," by Martin Luther King, Jr.
"Martin Luther King, Jr. spirit-led prophet: a biography" by Richard Deats

A Voice from the Past

When Clay comes home from school and finds a package for him sitting on the doorstep, he is curious and thrilled. I mean, who wouldn't be excited about an unexpected package with no return address. Clay begins to wonder if he has a secret admirer and most of all, who …

A whole new meaning to "by the light of the Christmas fire"

Okay so I am a little late with this blog entry about Christmas but I still have my lights up so it is still the holiday season!


Christmas isn't the same around the world. Many practicitioners who belong to the Eastern Orthodox religions celebrate Christmas in January. …

HOLIDAY TRAVELING

I spent one week on a river cruise on the Danube between Vienna, Austria and Nuremberg, Germany over Christmas. I took one optional day long bus tour to Salzburg, Austria. I always feel that my country is so young after traveling in Europe. I get such a sense of …

Library Cats

Few people know that library cats were very common at one time.

Dewey Readmore Books was found on a freezing cold morning stuffed into the book drop at the Spencer Public Library. After he was rescued and warmed up, Dewey became the library's cat. For more than 18 years, …

Books for Baby

I have always loved children's literature. It is one of the reasons I became a librarian. But children's lit has taken on a new meaning for me since becoming a mom. It is fascinating for me to see my son react to books. Sure he likes to do cute things to them - chew on …

So Long, Farewell, Auf Wiedersehn, Adieu

2008 was not a good year for the literary world. We lost many great talents. So here is a list of some of the writers who left us this past year.


George MacDonald Fraser Died January 2, 2008. Born April 2, 1925. He wrote the Flashman series and screenplays for the '70s …

Would your family chose to unwind you?

In order to end the second U.S. civil war, known as the Heartland War, a new set of constitutional amendments, The Bill of Life, was passed. "The Bill of Life states that human life may not be touched from the moment of conception until a child reaches the age of …

Holiday Buzzes Killed Here

If you are looking for a cheery, warm-the-cockles-of-your-soul holiday story--just keep going because this isn't one of those. My co-workers seem to think that I am a professional buzz killer and well maybe I am.


Last night after eating my dinner, I was channel surfing …

Joys of Home Ownership

I have a really neat old house. This is the kind of house I have always dreamed of living in. It has great architecture, lots of character and a wonderfully cozy feel. Unfortunately, my house does not have really neat old plumbing. In fact, just yesterday the plumbing …

HISTORICAL FICTION

I grew up reading historical fiction all through school and my college years. One of my favorite authors was Rosemary Sutcliff who wrote about Roman Britain. Some of the titles that I read by her were "Frontier Wolf", "Outcast", and "The Silver Branch". Another …

Sounds of the Ho Ho Holidays

I am from the pre-digital age. We had mix tapes--not playlists. In fact, I used to make tons of mix tapes for myself and my boyfriend. At the end there would always be that little bit of extra tape--not enough for another song but too much to just leave, so I would …