Deck the Shelves

Ready or not, the holidays are upon us. Frantic shoppers push through congested shops who in turn have turned another holiday into a marketing extravaganza that continuously revolves like the pages of a calendar, from one sale to the next.


While many people are heading to the library for cookbooks, holiday movies, and to browse the shelves for some casual reading, others are finding comfort in remembering the meaning behind some of the rhetorical madness of the season and turning to more spiritual choices.
In November, Booklist published their Top Ten Religion Books for Youth. Here’s a highlight of that list and a few of my favorites:

Angel in My Pocket tells how a good luck charm has a positive effect on four seventh graders who are each going through their own difficult time. A nice story that blends everyday life with spiritual wonder and has you looking for your guardian angel in places you would have never dreamed.

Caleb’s Wars by David L. Dudley is set in 1940s Georgia, so if you need a historical fiction book to satisfy that assignment this might be a good choice. While being baptized, Caleb, an African American teen, hears the voice of God and tries to keep it a secret as he sorts out his family problems. Add in German prisoners of war and two miraculous healings and you have a story that leaves you wondering about those voices in your own head.

Bless This Mouse, think Maus revisited for a younger crowd, as Newbery Award winning author Lois Lowry offers up this latest book that tells the tale of an endangered community of church mice anticipating the Blessing of the Animals when all the cats will descend upon the sanctuary. A charming fantasy that reflects upon the deeper meaning of diversity and community and how the constant struggle for survival brings out spiritual awareness.

Some other favorites at our library that didn’t make the list include: One More Wednesday by Malika Doray, a unique tale of love and loss that opens up avenues of conversation on death and eternity as a child hopes for one more Wednesday with grandma and all the love and comfort it provided.

The Mountains of Tibet by Mordicai Gerstein recants a woodcutter who dies and is given the choice of going to heaven or living another life. A beautiful story told in the simplest of words.

For those looking for a more poignant tale on the afterlife consider The Wheel of Life: a memoir of living and dying by Elisabeth Kubler-Ross. I’ve given this book as a gift to medical students and those dealing with grief as a way of offering a different view on death and reincarnation. Her final book on the subject is actually an autobiography that uses her personal story as example and urges you to ask yourself “What have you done to help”.


Holidays can be a difficult time for many people but hopefully the reminder that something bigger than all of us guides our journeys, no matter what path we are on, can have a calming effect when the burning brisket sets off the smoke alarm and you’re wrapping that last present using black electrical tape on Christmas Eve. Relax, read a book, and have a peaceful holiday.

The Scoop on Nancy Drew

Not many books transcend time like the Nancy Drew series.  The popular series featuring the Nancy, the girl sleuth, and her friends Bess and George are still as popular today as they were when first penned more than 80 years ago.  Many young girls were introduced to the series by picking up copies that once occupied their mother's bookshelves.  My original copy of The Secret of the Old Clock had long since lost it's dust jacket when I first picked it up but the dark blue cover and orange imprinted letters were like a magnet drawing me in to countless hours of reading. 


Nancy has undergone many changes and the formats have grown to include the Clue Crew, smaller paperbacks for younger readers, movies, ebooks, and even some reissues of her classic mysteries repackaged with retro infused covers.

But last Sunday I happened to catch a morning news program chronicling the life of MIldred Augustine Wirt Benson, author of 23 of the original books, which she wrote under the pen name of Carolyn Keene.  Maybe I'd heard of her before and just forgot.  But seeing photos of Millie Benson brought the stories back to life, revealing the real woman who banged out more than 135 children's books on her Underwood typewriter.

Millie was a reporter for the Toledo Blade, a newspaper my family subscribed to when I was growing up.  I was probably reading her news articles and books at the same time.  Black and white photos of her in a dugout canoe or taking a swan dive into the lake, and getting her pilots license at age 59 illustrated the spirit of Nancy was definitely alive in Millie Benson.

The old oak card catalog has disappeared but you can still access a public library online to locate a large collection of Nancy Drew books.  She remained silent for many years about being the real Carolyn Keene till even her daughter had to ask her if it was really true that she was Nancy Drew.

 Millie made about $500 for each book she wrote and never saw a dime of royalty money from book sales or movies.  But somehow I think it was more important to her that the independant spirit of womanhood live on in her books.  She had just finished typing her column at the Toledo Blade one day in 2002 when she took ill.  Millie died at the age of 96. 

Check out a Nancy Drew book or look for Nancy Drew: Girl Sleuth and the Women Who Dreated Her by Melanie Rehak.  Read more about the life of Millie Benson on her web site.

Getting to the Soul of the Matter

Lorain County Reads recently chose Soul of a Chef by Michael Ruhlman as their next big read. Ruhlman honed his career writing about topics he had absolutely no knowledge of, like Wooden Boats in 2002, and Walk on Water in 2003. Drawn into the world of craftsmen whose work is defined by the tools of their trade, be it scalpel or jig saw, he quickly gets to the heart of the matter; the soul of what elevates a job into a passion.

I met Michael after sending him an invitation to speak at the Lorain County JVS. It helped that I had my HACCP certification and ServSafe papers along with gram bags of agar and lecithin powders in small bags in my car, don’t ask. But credibility is an amazing thing and a simple letter ended with me being able to help out during the book signing after his presentation. His young audience asked lots of questions, and Ruhlman answered each one, relaying information about culinary school, writing, and most of all, the “soul” needed to compete successfully, no matter what your field.

Months later he attended a local dinner and shared his knowledge of Charcuterie, preparing meats used in a farm to table dinner that evening. Ruhlman slips quietly from being a teacher to being a student, a writer’s skill that keeps him in good company as students stood shoulder to shoulder in the kitchen that day preparing forcemeats and discussing brining techniques.


“Soul of a Chef” is three separate stories, each revolving around a separate chef. You’ll come away with an inside look into the process of creativity and sustaining a momentum that allows some people to succeed when others are watching the clock.


Ruhlman is best when writing on food and those who love it. “The Making of a Chef” was a priceless view inside not only the St. Andrew’s kitchen at Hyde Park but inside the psyche of a possessed profession. Dr. Tim Ryan, president of CIA said during a speech “Chefs are all pyromaniacs at heart; we’ve just found an acceptable outlet for our passion”. The descriptions of student life read like scripture to aspiring chefs and Ruhlmans’ ability to tap into that passion makes him a great choice for a Lorain County Reads author.

Ratio is probably one of the first books to have its own app, available July 2010, and his Elements of Cooking, a culinary take-off of Strunk and White’s version, continues to be a top seller. I do have a problem with his recent merge with Blue Sky, offering sponsored products to customers who follow his weekly deals, this week was a poached egg spoon for $45, but I do still follow his blog.

Lorain County can use a little passion, something that seems to be lost as of lately. Hopefully Ruhlman’s book can ignite a spark in readers that will light up an otherwise dull day….is it five o’clock yet? I'm thinking I need that egg spoon.

Coming soon to a shelf.....right here!

Check out some of the new books we'll be adding to our collection.  If you think you have to be a kid to enjoy some of the great Juvenile or Young Adult fiction out there, well think again. 

Timeless by Alexandra Monir (YA MON) combines a very cool piece of jewelry along with just enough romance to make this time traveling drama appeal to all ages.  This book is a perfect winter retreat where Venice Beach meets old money Manhatten and leads to a young woman learning the truth to some old family secrets.  Fantasy meets historical fiction meets urban drama! 


Guardian of the Dead by Karen Healey (YA HEA) made the list of 2011 Best Fiction for Young Adults.  Healey's first book received starred reviews from all the trade journals and who could argue.  Creepy yet funny, sexy and smart, this book transends the Young Adult bookshelf and appeals to anyone who likes a good mystery with a fantasy slant.  Find out what connects a string of morbid murders with  fairy siblings and an ancient curse.

Garnering an award for 2011 Best non-fiction book is Jill Rubalcaba's Every Bone Tells a Story.  Here a real life Indiana Jones explains how the advent of new technology views how scientists study the past and how we interpret our ancestors.  Meet interesting characters like the Iceman, Turkana Boy and Kennewick Man up close and personal. 

Vibes by Amy Kathleen Ryan (YA RYA)isn't your ordinary story of high school angst. Sure it's tough being a high school senior.  Kristi worries about her weight, the new boy in school, and her parents relationship.  Add to the fact that she is all a psychic and can read minds and you've got a whole new slant on a familiar story.  If you''ve walked the hall just knowing that everyone is thinking or looking at you, then you'll be entertained by Kristi’s prickly demeanor and empathize with her image issues.  And yes, she loves opera.

If you've enjoyed other books by Jane Smiley, like The Georges and the Jewels or Horse Heaven, you may want to venture to the Young Adult section to pick up her newest book, A Good Horse.  Be prepared for lots of background on horse grooming, horse training, horse boarding... in fact if you're a horse lover then you'll enjoy this book about 13-year old Abby who must stand up to protect her colt Jack.  When facts come to light that Jack may be the offspring of a stolen mare it's up to Abby to do the right thing.Trash by Andy Mulligan(YA MUL) takes place in an unnamed third-world country in the not so distant future.  The story line of a group of kids picking through garbage dumps looking for items they can sell lends itself to a sort of Treasure Island meets Slumdog Millionaire drama when suddenly a wealthy business owner loses something that he'll pay dearly to get back.  Suddenly a ramshackle group of boys realize their greatest dreams are within reach.  This would be an excellent book discussion choice with lots of talk points. 

If you liked Impossible by Nancy Werlin then her latest book, Extraordinary (YA WER), should be at the top of your list.  Phoebe, a member of the wealthy Rothschilds family, befriends Mallory, an awkward new girl in school, and it doesn't take long before the truth to come out.  Mallory has secrets that will change Phoebe's world and when Mallory's brother shows up it's no wonder he seems to have a strange hold over what Phoebe is thinking and doing.  Fairy lit meets urban high school drama-rama.

If you're looking for more ideas check out some of the readers advisory pamphlets located in the Youth Services section.  Flyers titled Books With Beat, New Baby in the House, and the latest Zombie Invasion might just help point you in the direction of your next great read.

January means Organizing

It’s no surprise to me that the library’s two copies of The Organization Map by Pam McClellan are both missing. Everyone feels that they need more organization in their lives, perhaps a fleeting glimpse of a stress free life knowing your paperclips are sorted by color and size gives us a false sense of security and safety and we run out to find any magazine book or web site that can help us achieve that goal. Sure, my life would be great, I’d sleep nights, have time for filing my nails and reading endless books, if only I could have my closet revamped by Martha Stewart.


January offers relief from the hectic holiday shopping and family gatherings that have many of us making reindeer centerpieces that include the Halloween pumpkins that were still on the back porch, and in my case the flat of Mother’s Day pansies I never had time to plant and an Easter Egg wreath that looked quite festive after a coating of silver spray paint.

Organizing Your Day: time management techniques that will work for you by Sandra Felton and Marsha Sims notes that well-managed time reduces stress, helps you accomplish more in less time, and most importantly, gives you greater freedom to enjoy doing what you love. I suppose that’s what gets everyone thinking that a new year brings new hope for new ideas. I was all excited to look at new furniture and decorate my living space to look like the cover of a Decorating Den. But I was disappointed in Christopher Lowell’s Seven Layers of Design when I realized he was talking about paint, flooring and texture when I had in mind seven years of crappola and moving boxes that hadn’t been opened in ten years.
The Power of Slow by Christine Hohlbaum promises to reduce stress, help you accomplish more in less time and give you greater freedom to enjoy life. Sounds like a plan. I was excited to slow down the pace and have time for a real vacation until I read the inside front cover flap where tips listed included “When working on a project on your computer, close all the windows, with the exception of the one you need to do the job at hand.” What ever happened to multi-tasking? Currently I have six windows open including a book review, sports article for the Plain Dealer, a press release for On Demand Studios, a business web page I’m updating and the syllabus for an online class. I’m convinced that Hohlbaum is just a slacker is probably enjoying the fruits of publishing success while multi-tasking on a beach somewhere probably in cahoots with Dave Crenshaw, author of The Myth of Multitasking.

For those of you who still hold out hope for household organization try Cut the clutter and stow the stuff: the Q.U.I.C.K. way to bring lasting order to household chaos, edited by Lori Baird. This book includes over 1200 tips and strategies compiled from experts including how to tackle those piles of papers taking up valuable counter space. Making Room: Finding Space in Unexpected Places by Wendy A. Jordan may open your eyes to how you can make better use of space you have to tame the clutter monster. Turn that shelf in the bathroom into a bookcase or why not make that space under the staircase into an office niche?


And if crowded closets and barricades of boxes in the basement just seem like too much, consider simplifying with It's all too much: an easy plan for living a richer life with less stuff by Peter Walsh. And if you’re sorting through your piles of stuff and happen to find an overdue library book called The Organization Map please bring it back….maybe it’s the key to the life I’ve been looking for.