For Downton Abbey Lovers

With the huge popularity of the PBS Golden Globe award-winning series, Downtown Abbey, you may be interested in reading some books set in World War 1.  Here are just a few:

The Ghost Road by Pat Barker
It is the third volume of a trilogy that follows the fortunes of shell-shocked British army officers towards the end of the First World War.

Among the Mad by Jacqueline Winspeare The sixth book in the Maisie Dobbs series and set between the wars in England, has Maisie working as a special advisor to Scotland Yard, attempting to find the identity of a crazed man who is threatening to inflict damage on innocent people.

Elsie and Mairi Go to War by Diane Atkinson
(Non-fiction) The author details the realities of the sacrifices  of two courageous British women who set up a hospital for soldiers during WW1.

                         

Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway
A young  American soldier ambulance driver for the Italian army falls in love with a British nurse in this classic Hemingway novel.

2012 Michigan Notable Books

The Library of Michigan recently announced its list of 20 books  during the past year that feature people, places, events or authors related to Michigan or the Great Lakes region. The list began 22 years ago with selections made by a panel under the auspices of the  state library.  Below are some of the selected titles available at our library.

In a follow-up to “The Detroit Electric Scheme” is a thrilling novel, “Motor City Shakedown”  by D. E. Johnson,  set in 1911 Detroit.  Will Anderson tries to find justice for the death of his best friend while battling the Detroit criminal underworld,  a corrupt police department and his own personal demons.

In “Once Upon a River”  by Bonnie Jo Campbell , the author  creates an unforgettable heroine reminiscient of Huck Finn in 16-year-old Margo Crane. After the violent death of her father, Margo takes to the Stark River in her boat, with only a few supplies and a biography of Annie Oakley, in search of her vanished mother. Her river adventure  through rural Michigan forces her to decide just how much she is willing to pay for her personal choices in life.

The heroine in “South of Superior” by Ellen Airgood  finds herself uprooted from Chicago to care  for an aged family friend in the Upper Pennisula.  As she begins to experience the ways of the small, tight-knit town, she is drawn into the lives and dramas of its residents.

Uncluttering Your Life

Photo credit: victoriabernal on flickr

Winter seems to be the time of year where we focus more on the insides of our homes, and become more anxious to take care of the clutter and reorganize. If you need some ideas for how tackle your project, give these books from our shelves a look:

• The Clutter Clinic by Romaine Lowery
• Cut the Clutter and Stow the Stuff: The Q.U.I.C.K. Way to Bring Lasting Order to Household Chaos by Lori Baird
• Does This Clutter Make My Butt Look Fat? by Peter Walsh
• How to Cheat at Organizing: Quick, Clutter-Clobbering Ways to Simplify Your Life by Jeff Bredenberg
• Organize Your Digital Life: How to Store Your Photographs, Music, Videos, & Personal Documents In A Digital World by Aimee Baldridge
• The Power of Less: The Fine Art of Limiting Yourself To the Essentials — In Business & In Life by Leo Babauta
• Unstuff Your Life! Kick The Clutter Habit and Completely Organize Your Life For Good by Andrew J. Mellen

Just How Bad Are Bananas?

Walking by this book, How Bad Are Bananas?: The Carbon Footprint of Everything by Mike Berners-Lee the title grabbed my attention. In this slim book, the author uses the energy required to produce a banana as a unit of measure of the energy consumed in many other items encountered in daily life i.e. 1 banana=8 plastic bags to help the reader gain some perspective on how much carbon they are using in the world. Its an excellent introduction for those of us uneducated about the carbon implications of choices we make in everyday living. You’re sure to find some surprises in the carbon footprints of a wide variety of products and services from cherry tomatoes to e-mail, swimming pools to  nylon pants.

Help With Those New Year’s Resolutions

Like so many people, you may have resolved on January 1 to lose weight, get in shape and improve your health. We can help support you in turning your resolutions into reality. We have many books, DVDs and electronic resources on getting in shape, getting healthy and losing weight. Here are a few to get you started. Or stop in and browse through the Dewey 613.2s. (Park in the back of the lot and get in a little extra walking!)

Why We Get Fat and What to Do About it by  Gary Taubes

Healthy Eating [electronic resource] : Smart Food Choices for Life! by Penny Steward

Change your Brain, Change Your Body : Use Your Brain to Get and Keep the Body You Have Always Wanted by Daniel G. Amen

The Life You Want! : Get Motivated, Lose Weight, and Be Happy by  Bob Greene

Eat to Live : the Amazing Nutrient-Rich Program for Fast and Sustained Weight Loss by Joel Fuhrman

Just Tell Me What to Eat! : the Delicious 6-Week Weight Loss Plan for the Real World by Timothy S. Harlan

Adventure Is Out There: Books About Risk Takers & Thrill Seekers

Wish you could book a seat on the next flight to Mt. Everest, but don’t want to miss your favorite shows on TV? We’ve got tons of adventure books at the Library that might satisfy your wanderlust without ever leaving your couch. Here’s just a few:

	In Patagonia by Bruce Chatwin 918.27 CHA Bruce Chatwin’s account of his journey through “the uttermost part of the earth,” that stretch of land at the southern tip of South America, where bandits were once made welcome and Charles Darwin formed part of his “survival of the fittest” theory.
	Amazon Extreme by Colin Angus 918.11 ANG The true story of three enthusiastic (but inexperienced) adventurers who attempt to become the first team to raft all 4,007 miles of the Amazon River and (barely) live to tell about it.
	The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon by David Grann 918.1 GRA After stumbling upon a hidden trove of diaries, acclaimed New Yorker writer Grann set out to solve “the greatest exploration mystery of the 20th century”: what happened to the British explorer Percy Fawcett and his quest for the Lost City of Z?

You May Have Missed…

The Eloquence of Blood by Judith Rock

If you’re looking for another historical fiction series to delve into, take a look at Judith Rock’s latest, The Eloquence of Blood. Set in 17th century Paris, a young woman named Martine is murdered when she tries to prove that she is the rightful heir to a fortune that would otherwise bolster the coffers of the financially-strapped Louis de Grand school. Library Journal says it’s “a necessary read for all who enjoy historical mysteries.”

2011 Book Picks

With the end of the year drawing near, the  ”Best Books” lists from various media are popping up everywhere with opinions on what to read from the 2011 offerings. Here are just a few lists to help you sort through the best of the 300,000 some traditionally-published books this year:

New York Times 10 Best Books

NPR

Publishers Weekly

Amazon

Washington Post

Kirkus Reviews for Best Fiction and Non-Fiction

Barnes and Noble

Library Journal

Book Page

New Genealogy Class: Searching the Census to Find Your Ancestors

Monday, October 3, 6:00PM-8:00PM
Sign up here
Exploring census records is a great way to learn out more about your family history. Join us for a fun 2-hour workshop that is great for beginners or experienced researchers. Learn techniques for searching census records in Ancestry Library Edition & FamilySearch.org, and get help if you need it. This is a hands-on class using laptops provided by the library. Hurry, because space is limited!

Creating Online Photo books & Digital Scrapbooking

Join us on Saturday, September 24th; 10:30 A.M.-12:00 P.M.

Do you want take your photo albums, traditional scrapbooking and memoirs to the next level but don’t have a great understanding of all the latest websites and software? Our class will provide the understanding of what is currently out on the internet and provide you the resources to take you to the next step in creating cost-effective photo memories.

Put on by Treasured Albums LLC:  www.treasuredalbums.com

Call 248-684-0845 to register or register online at:  http://tinyurl.com/3mykjzg