On staycation? Visit some imaginary places in the United States

The Ladies of Covington send their love from their new home in Covington, North Carolina.
Follow Grace, Amelia and Hannah as they decide that the last thing they want to do is live out their lives in a group home. To the dismay of their children, they pool their resources and move to Covington, North Carolina, and new lives. This is the first title in a series of seven so far by Joan Medlicott.

Not so far away from Covington is the beloved town of Mitford, home of Father Tim, Cynthia, Dooley, Barnabus the dog, and Violet the cat.
At home in Mitford introduces the main characters. After 9 books in Mitford, Father Tim returns to his childhood past in Home to Holly Springs (a real place in Mississippi.)


Lumby is somewhere in the Pacific Northwest.
Mark and Pam Walker, a vacationing couple from the East Coast, arrive in the tiny Pacific Northwest town of Lumby, planning to restore the village's dilapidated Montis Abbey and turn it into an inn. It takes a while for the quirky locals to warm up to the idea and to the newcomers, especially irascible William Beezer, owner of the local newspaper The Lumby Lines.
To date, author Gail Grady has penned 3 in this series in which Lumby has seen a new B& B established, investigated an art theft, and hosted a hot air balloon festival.

In the fictional small town of Harmony, Indiana, Sam Gardner becomes the pastor of his hometown church, Harmony Friends Meeting. In this delightful, first-person novel, Sam describes in a warm, down-home style the moving and humorous adventures he encounters his first year, Home to Harmony.

Maggody, AK
Ozarks small town sheriff, Arly Hanks has dealt with a citizens revolt against a new supermarket, a Hollywood production company come to town, returning country music superstars, Confederate gold rumors, crop circles and tabloid reports and militia groups, along with murder, mayhem and just plain goofy citizens.
Malice in Maggody is the first in this long-running series by Joan Hess.



Lake Wobegon, Minnesota
The episodic novels of Garrison Keillor, recounting the citizens and woes of Lake Wobegon, include
Pontoon, and
Wobegon Boy among other tales.

Moose County, Maine
Home of Jim Qwilleran, and his brilliant Siamese cat, Koko, later joined by Yum Yum, and assorted odd-ball characters in the territory.
The Cat who could read backwards is the first in this long popular series.

Cape Light on the coast of New England introduces a hamlet populated by colorful inhabitants who share a strong sense of community and caring for their neighbors.


Waterford, PA is home to Elm Creek Manor.
When Sarah McClure and her husband, Matt, move to the small town of Waterford, Pennsylvania, to get a fresh start, Sarah struggles to find a fulfilling job. Disheartened by failed interviews, she reluctantly accepts a temporary position at Elm Creek Manor helping seventy-five-year-old Sylvia Compson prepare her family estate for sale after the recent death of Sylvia's estranged sister. As part of her compensation, Sarah is taught how to quilt by this reclusive, cantankerous master quilter. The Quilter's Apprentice is the first in this ever-growing series, featuring quilting patterns.

Next posting: imaginary villages in Great Britain.

Floods of the Past

Rising tide : the great Mississippi flood of 1927 and how it changed America by John M. Barry

An American epic of science, politics, race, honor, high society, and the Mississippi River, Rising Tide tells the riveting and nearly forgotten story of the greatest natural disaster this country has ever known -- the Mississippi flood of 1927. The river inundated the homes of nearly one million people, helped elect Huey Long governor and made Herbert Hoover president, drove hundreds of thousands of blacks north, and transformed American society and politics forever. A New York Times Notable Book of the Year, winner of the Southern Book Critics Circle Award and the Lillian Smith Award.


The Johnstown Flood by David McCullough
At the end of the last century, Johnstown, Pennsylvania, was a booming coal-and-steel town filled with hard-working families striving for a piece of the nation's burgeoning industrial prosperity. In the mountains above Johnstown, an old earth dam had been hastily rebuilt to create a lake for an exclusive summer resort patronized by the tycoons of that same industrial prosperity: among them Andrew Carnegie, Henry Clay Frick, and Andrew Mellon. Despite repeated warnings of possible danger, nothing was done about the dam. Then came May 31, 1889, when the dam burst, sending a wall of water thundering down the mountain, smashing through Johnstown, and killing more than 2,000 townspeople. It was a tragedy that became a national scandal. From research in the voluminous records, diaries, letters, interviews with numbers of survivors, and a rare, previously unknown transcript of a private investigation conducted by the Pennsylvania Railroad, David McCullough vividly re-creates the chain of events that led to the catastrophe, and then unfolds the incredible story of the flood itself and its aftermath. Graced by David McCullough's remarkable gift for writing richly textured, sympathetic social history, The Johnstown Flood is an absorbing, classic portrait of life in 19th-century America, of overweening confidence, energy, and tragedy. It also offers a powerful historical lesson for our century and all times: the danger of assuming that because people are in positions of responsibility they are necessarily behaving responsibly.

In sunlight, in a beautiful garden by Kathleen Cambor
A love story set in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, before and after the 1889 dam disaster that took more than two thousand lives chronicles the greed and abuse of power in post-Civil War America.

Julie by Catherine Marshall
Her last novel was inspired by research on the Johnstown flood,and is partly based on autobiographical experiences of the author. A struggling, small-town newspaper, and steel-mill strikes also play important roles in the drama.


Isaac's storm : a man, a time, and the deadliest hurricane in history by Erik Larsen
Meticulously researched and vividly written, Isaac's Storm is based on Isaac Cline's own letters, telegrams, and reports, the testimony of scores of survivors, and our latest understanding of the hows and whys of great storms. Ultimately, however, it is the story of what can happen when human arrogance meets nature's last great uncontrollable force. As such, Isaac's Storm carries a warning for our time.

At the dawn of the twentieth century, a great confidence suffused America. Isaac Cline was one of the era's new men, a scientist who believed he knew all there was to know about the motion of clouds and the behavior of storms. The idea that a hurricane could damage the city of Galveston, Texas, where he was based, was to him preposterous, "an absurd delusion." It was 1900, a year when America felt bigger and stronger than ever before. Nothing in nature could hobble the gleaming city of Galveston, then a magical place that seemed destined to become the New York of the Gulf.

That August, a strange, prolonged heat wave gripped the nation and killed scores of people in New York and Chicago. Odd things seemed to happen everywhere: A plague of crickets engulfed Waco. The Bering Glacier began to shrink. Rain fell on Galveston with greater intensity than anyone could remember. Far away, in Africa, immense thunderstorms blossomed over the city of Dakar, and great currents of wind converged. A wave of atmospheric turbulence slipped from the coast of western Africa. Most such waves faded quickly. This one did not.

In Galveston, reassured by Cline's belief that no hurricane could seriously damage the city, there was celebration. Children played in the rising water. Hundreds of people gathered at the beach to marvel at the fantastically tall waves and gorgeous pink sky, until the surf began ripping the city's beloved beachfront apart. Within the next few hours Galveston would endure a hurricane that to this day remains the nation's deadliest natural disaster. In Galveston alone at least 6,000 people, possibly as many as 10,000, would lose their lives, a number far greater than the combined death toll of the Johnstown Flood and 1906 San Francisco Earthquake.

And Isaac Cline would experience his own unbearable loss.

Living on flood plains and wetlands : a homeowner's high water handbook by Maureen Gilmer
Offers some practical advice for homeowners.

Railroading Resources

If you are a train buff, for real or model railroading,
a recently added collection of over 60 books may be right up your track.

The Bernard S. Logan Collection, housed at the Bealeton Branch Library focuses on the history of steam, diesel and electric locomotives, with a special interest in the B&O, C&O, N&W and the Southern Railway lines. Most of these are older books from the 60's and 70's.

Wonderful photographs including interiors of passenger cars, dining cars, night trains, the whole gamut of train travel is covered.

Additionally, the Bealeton Branch also receives these magazine titles:
Model Railroader
Piedmont Local (also available at Warrenton)

These resources are part of a growing collection of train materials at the branch in relation to the restoration of the Bealeton Depot.
Depot renovations are being funded in large part by corporate donations and a Transportation Enhancement Act of the Twenty-First Century (TEA-21) grant.
The 820-square-foot depot will eventually serve as a program room for the library and as a community meeting space.

Remedies for Car Trips

Q. Car trips - Help!

How can I make a long trip this summer go faster, and keep everyone in a good mood?

A. Try some of these CDs-

Remember
Fractured Fairy Tales from the classic Rocky and Bullwinkle Show?
Ugly princes, fibbing fairy godmothers, and knights who prefer clown suits to suits of armor--these clearly aren't your ordinary fairy tales with inimitable narration from Jay Ward.

Car Talk Classics
Four all-time favorite episodes from the irrepressible Click and Clack Tapper Brothers-don't drive like my brother

Follow up with Tom and Ray x 2
Car talk: the greatest stories ever told: once upon a car fire includes these automotive tales (and miscellaneous topics: Plywoood aerodynamics , Priiiiiii-vate Maaaaaag-leeee-o-zee!, Catch this, you little twerp!, A nice juicy pizza, Power to the people, My own son, How many engineers does it take to screw in a light bulb? , I trust you, Joanne, Don't drive like my brother (x2), It could be nothing, or it could be a brrrain tumorrr, Subway fugitive, The great Montreal hotel fire.

John Cleese at the Beeb Includes extracts from The Frost report, At last the 1948 show, Fawlty Towers, Families and how to survive them, I'm sorry I'll read that again, and Monty Python, including commentaries and introductions by John Cleese.

Prairie Home Companion 10th anniversary Join Garrison Keillor and guests for news from Lake Wobegon, and other classics from 1984! on 2 discs.

Some other Keillor classics include:
Never better: stories from Lake Wobegon
Prairie Home Companion commercial radio: words from our so-called sponsors
Pretty Good Bits includes Guy Noir, private eye
A life in comedy recorded live at the Yale Repertory Theatre.

Libraries are Life-Changing!

As we come to the close of National Library Week,

here are a few titles about the importance of books in peoples lives:

You've got to read this book! 55 people tell the story of the book that changed their life
We all have memories of a book that stirred mind and soul; that became more resonant over time. When a book sweeps us away, we remember and tell people. Sharing the experience is a double gift: it reveals us meaningfully while extending the possibility of pleasure and insight to others.

YOU'VE GOT TO READ THIS BOOK! is just such a double gift. In it, some of today's most interesting and prominent people share the books that have been transformational to them, and why. Readers will encounter well–known names in personal motivation, business, entertainment, and more, such as Malachy McCourt, Christiane Northrup, M.D., Dave Barry, Stephen Covey, Mark Victor Hansen, and John Gray, among others, as well as Canfield and Hendricks themselves. These essays will inspire, inform, and motivate readers to recall and pursue their own transforming experiences with books, charting a path to a more resonant life.

1001 books you must read before you die
Handpicked by a team of international critics and literary luminaries, a treasure trove of book reviews from around the world covers a century of memorable writing and offers authoritative critical essays describing the importance and influence of each entry with its publishing history and career details about the author.


Book smart : your essential reading list for becoming a literary genius in 365 days
Like taking a private class with an engaging literature professor, Book Smart is your ticket for literary enlightenment all year long and for the rest of your life. Whether you're a passionate turner of pages or you aspire to be better-read, Book Smart expands your knowledge and enjoyment with a month-by-month plan that tackles 120 of the most compelling books of all time.

Throughout the year, each book comes alive with historical notes, highlights on key themes and characters, and advice on how to approach reading. Here is a sampling of what you can expect:

January: Make a fresh start with classics like Beowulf and Dante's Inferno
April: Welcome spring in the company of strong women like Jane Eyre, Anna Karenina, and Vanity Fair's Becky Sharpe
August: Bring a breath of fresh air to summer's heat with comedic works from Kingsley Amis and Oscar Wilde
October: Get back to school with young people struggling to grow up in classics like Little Women and recent bestsellers such as The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
December: Celebrate year's end with big prizewinners such as The Remains of the Day and Leaves of Grass


The Polysyllabric Spree
For those who prefer an edgier approach to reading, Nick Hornby,
the author of High Fidelity and About a Boy shares samples from his "Stuff I've Been Reading" columns in The Believer, focusing on various books he has found interesting, in a volume that includes selected passages from the novels, poetry, biographies, and comics discussed.

Walking a literary labyrinth : a spirituality of reading
Draws from authors including Franz Kafka, Saint Augustine, and Margaret Atwood and ranging in subject from childhood reading to erotic literature to examine how reading affects self and identity.

Author Kathleen Odean has compiled a series of recommended reading for children ages 3 to 14, for toddlers, for boys, and for girls, such as
Great books for girls : more than 600 books to inspire today's girls and tomorrow's women
A unique guide for parents and teachers contains more than six hundred annotated listings of a variety of books for girls, from toddlers to adolescents, that feature female protagonists who solve problems and shape their own destiny.

There's also more recommended reading for youth in
Spirited minds : African American books for our sons and our brothers

How to get your child to love reading : a parents guide
Offers advice and guidelines on how to expand a child's world through books and reading, introducing three thousand teacher-recommended book titles, craft ideas, projects, recipes, and reading club tips.

and, a novel to ponder the role of libraries in an exotic manifestation:

The Camel Bookmobile
A novel about establishing a bookmobile in a destitute Kenya village, well-intentioned Fiona Sweeny inadvertently renews a decades-old tribal feud involving a camel-powered bookmobile and prior efforts to promote local education.

Libraries are weirdly wonderful

Sometimes, strange things happen in libraries.....

A Gentle Madness: bibliophiles, bibliomanes, and the eternal passion for books
True stories about bibliomania, and bibliophiles, this book was a National Book Critics Circle Award finalist.
A history of book lore, book culture, and book lovers begins in Alexandria more than 2,500 years ago and passes through the Middle Ages and the Renaissance to the present, offering special emphasis on collecting in Great Britain and North America.

Followed by:

Patience and Fortitude: a roving chronicle of book people, book places, and book culture which explores the history and continuing relevance of books, introducing readers to librarians, readers, writers, scholars, bookbinders, and booksellers around the world.

Library : an unquiet history
Provides an intriguing historical study of libraries and books, their preservation, and destruction, from the U.S. to Europe and Asia, from medieval monasteries and Vatican collections to the ever-changing information highway of today

The Grand Complication
Confronted by both professional and personal crises, reference librarian Alexander Short gains a new lease on life when he meets Henry James Jesson III, a collector who shares a number of Alexander's unconventional interests and who hires him for some after-hours research into an enigmatic eighteenth-century inventor.

Oh Pure and Radiant Heart
When a shy librarian in Santa Fe sees Robert Oppenheimer, Enrico Fermi, and Leo Szilard, she risks her career and relationships to follow them, building a cult following comprised of hippies, bikers, anthropologists, and survivors of the atom bomb to mount a massive march on Washington.

Time Traveler's Wife
Passionately in love, Clare and her librarian husband Henry vow to hold onto each other and their marriage as they struggle with the effects of Chrono-Displacement Disorder, a condition that casts Henry involuntarily into the world of time travel.

The Ice Queen
After a small town librarian survives a lightning strike, she seeks out a fellow survivor in a quest for meaning, only to begin an obsessive love affair between two opposites joined by a single common thread.



The Name of the Rose
In 1327, Brother William of Baskerville is sent to investigate charges of heresy against Franciscan monks at a wealthy Italian abbey but finds his mission overshadowed by seven bizarre murders.

Stones from the River
Follows Trudi Montag, a dwarf who serves as her town's librarian, unofficial historian, and recorder of the secret stories of her people, in a novel that charts the course of German history in the first half of the twentieth century.

The Giant's House
Befriending an adolescent boy who is ostracized for his unusual height, bereft Cape Cod librarian Peggy Cort finds a soul mate in James and comes to love him as he grows into a man of eight feet.

Libraries are Romantic

Romance can be found in anywhere--
Montana, Oregon, Denver, Seattle, Sicily, Philadelphia, New York, and yes, even libraries.

Dewey Decimal System of Love
Forty-year-old librarian Alison Sheffield finds her proper, staid, and quiet life turned upside down when she falls head over heels in love.

La Cucina: a novel of rapture
In a novel set in modern Sicily, a librarian who has recently suffered heartbreak is drawn to a charismatic chef through their shared love of cooking.

Drive Me Crazy
When Miss Alex Forrest, a prim and proper librarian, and sexy big-city art professor Duncan Forbes team up to investigate a bizarre case involving murder, missing masterpieces, family secrets, dangerous desire, and death threats, the town of Swiftcurrent, Oregon will never be the same.

Die for Love
Librarian Jacqueline Kirby poses as a romance author, to attend a conference on Historical Romance Writers in New York, as a tax-deductible vacation.
What follows is a hilarious send-up of the romance field, plus some dead bodies and lots of romantic confusion, entanglements and suspense.

Island of Dreams Haunted by a lifetime of unusual memory lapses, Ana begins a new life as librarian of a Denver girls' school, until an encounter with Pierce Rourke brings her face to face with the man who can free her from the past.

Perfect Partners
Midwestern librarian Letitia Thornquist didn't have the right stuff to run Thornquist Gear, Inc. That was the bottom-line opinion of Joel Blackstone, the seasoned CEO who had built the small Seattle sporting goods store into an industry giant. But Letty's rich Uncle Charlie willed her the company, and now she was bubbling with enthusiasm to have Joel, a perfect mentor, show her the ropes.

Silver Bells
Troubled by haunting memories of the past, a rugged Christmas tree farmer from Nova Scotia and a reclusive young librarian from New York City come together amid the holiday magic of a glittering city.

Morning Comes Softly
A shy Louisian librarian, Mary Warner fears she'll always be alone -- so she answers a personals ad from a rancher in Montana," a guardian of three orphaned children who agrees to marry the mysterious Southern woman sight unseen.

Libraries are Thrilling!

The Rover by Mel Odom Follow the hobbitlike librarian, Wick, in this Tolkienesque fantasy series of 4 books, as he is captured by pirates, sold into slavery, and adopted by a gang of thieves. Forced into battle with a dragon that could hold the fate of the entire world in his claw. Wick soon finds himself with more adventures than even a halfling librarian can imagine.
Rival gangs, goblin marauders, evil wizards, and monstrous dragons are soon after the wee adventurer and his newfound allies in a tale of treasures and treachery, magic and mystery, where even a little guy can rise to the occasion and save the day.

The Librarian by Larry Beinhart The author of American Hero (later made into the film Wag the Dog) follows university librarian David Goldberg as he begins a side job as a conservative activist, a position that lands him in hot water with a conspiratorial clique of wealthy right-wingers who want him gone.

Open Season by Linda Howard Plain, small-town librarian Daisy Minor is tired of not having a life and sets out to transform herself, but her plans go awry when she witnesses a deadly crime and becomes the target of a killer who will do anything to stop her from revealing her secrets.

Ex-Libris by Ross King Hired to restore a once-magnificent library that had been ravaged during the English Civil War, London bookseller Isaac Inchbold becomes embroiled in the search for a missing manuscript and a conspiracy of spies, smugglers, and forgery

The Seventh Sinner by Elizabeth Peters
Introducing Jacqueline Kirby, "Jake" to her friends, on an art history/archaeological excavation tour in Rome, a dead body is found at the Temple of Mithras. First is of 4 books featuring librarian Kirby, these include the Peters trademark elements of suspense, humor and a little romance. Followed by Murders of Richard III,
Die for Love, and Naked Once More

Libraries are mysterious

Libraries are the unexpected setting for mysteries-places of order, quiet and intellectual activity, suddenly disrupted by mayhem and murder. And librarian and rare book sleuths are detail-oriented, persistent, and researchers -hence, natural investigators.
Sometimes, they are also nosy.

Here are some mysteries involving libraries, librarians, rare books, archivists,
and all manner of mysteries related to the bibliography world.


Real Murders First in the Aurora "Roe" Teagarden mystery series. Petite librarian Roe Teagarden joins forces with police detective Arthur Smith and mystery writer Robin Crusoe to investigate a series of killings in which the victims are slain in the fashion of famous historical murders

Miss Zukas and the library murders First in a series, Meet Miss Zukas . . . the very proper, exceedingly conscientious, and relentlessly curious local librarian of tiny Bellehaven, Washington—and one heck of an amateur sleuth!

The Bellehaven police are baffled when a dead body turns up right in the middle of the library's fiction stacks. But Miss Helma Zukas—who never fails to make note of the slightest deviation from the norm of everyday life—is not willing to let this rather nasty disruption stand. Her precious literary sanctuary has been violated, and if the local law cannot get to the bottom of this case, Miss Zukas certainly intends to—with the help of her not-so-proper best friend, Ruth, a six-foot-tall bohemian artist with a nose for gossip and a penchant for getting into trouble. But their research project is bringing them a little too close to a killer . . . who'd like nothing better than to write Helma and Ruth out of the story completely!

Murder by the Book
When librarian Megan Clark keeps stumbling upon dead bodies, she becomes the number one suspect and must match wits with a clever killer who has read too many Agatha Christie novels to prove her innocence.

Stolen Blue
New Mexico rare books librarian, Claire Reynier, is hired to work with a collection of valuable southwest books at an isolated ranch. The owner, her former lover, dies and she is left to work with the dysfunctional family and missing masterpieces.

Dewey Decimated
Someone is whispering that the rare Gutenberg Bible and the Dead Sea Scrolls at the Werner-Bok rare books library are forgeries-could these be a cause for murder?

Case of the Missing Books Israel Armstrong is a passionate soul, lured to Ireland by the promise of an exciting new career. Alas, the job that awaits him is not quite what he had in mind. Still, Israel is not one to dwell on disappointment, as he prepares to drive a mobile library around a small, damp Irish town. After all, the scenery is lovely, the people are charming—but where are the books? The rolling library's 15,000 volumes have mysteriously gone missing, and it's up to Israel to discover who would steal them . . . and why. And perhaps, after that, he will tackle other bizarre and perplexing local mysteries—like, where does one go to find a proper cappuccino and a decent newspaper?

Murder at the Library of Congress Commissioned by the Library of Congress' magazine, "Civilization," to write an article on a recently discovered, supposed diary of Christopher Columbus, Annabel Smith finds herself matching wits with a ruthless wealthy bibliophile, an ambitious TV journalist, and a killer to complete her assignment

Booked to Die First in the series. Denver homicide detective Cliff Janeway may not always play by the book, but he's an avid collector of rare and first editions. After a local bookscout is killed on his turf, Janeway would like nothing better than to rearrange the suspect's spine. But the suspect, sleazeball Jackie Newton, is a master at eluding murder convictions. Unfortunately for Janeway, his swift form of off-duty justice costs him his badge.

Turning to his lifelong passion, Janeway opens a bookshop -- all the while searching for evidence to put Newton away. But when prized volumes in a highly sought-after collection begin to appear, so do dead bodies. Now Janeway's life is about to change in profound and shocking ways as he attempts to find out who's dealing death along with vintage Chandlers and Twains.

For more titles, see Murder in the library at the Encyclopedia Britannica Blog Part 1 and Part 2

Spring Surprises

Rivers and Tides
Follows Andy Goldsworthy's bohemian free spirit on this DVD as he travels all over the world to demonstrate and open up about his creative process. From his long-winding rock walls and icicle sculptures to his interlocking leaf chains and multi-colored pools of flowers. Goldsworthy's painstakingly intricate masterpieces are made entirely of materials found in Mother Nature - who threatens and often succeeds in destroying his art, sometime before it is even finished.

A trail through leaves : the journal as a path to place An exquisitely illustrated guide to cultivating intimacy with the natural world through journal-keeping explores the things we usually overlook and helps readers claim their senses through the creative disciplines of writing and drawing.

Cultivating delight : a natural history of my garden Diane Ackerman delights in her garden through all the seasons. Whether she is deadheading flowers or glorying in the profusion of roses, offering sugar water to a hummingbird or studying the slug, she welcomes the unexpected drama and extravagance as well as the sanctuary her garden offers. She chronicles instances of violence in nature but also intuits loneliness and desire in the clamor of male crickets in the spring. And there is wonderment and marvel as she happens upon a tiny frog asleep inside the petals of a tulip. Visitors to her garden range from botanical explorers of earlier centuries to the nature mystic John Muir to the brilliant British garden writer Gertrude Jekyll. The author's garden nourishes its creator, who imaginatively returns the favor and seizes privileged moments to leap from science and metaphor to meditation on the human condition. Written in sensuous, lyrical prose, Cultivating Delight is a hymn to nature and to the pleasure we take in it.

The Virginia naturalist A collection of essays by John Trott which were originally printed in the Fauquier Times Democrat.
Compiled and produced by the Virginia Native Plant Society and the Middleburg Garden Club

Beautiful madness : one man's journey through other people's gardens Accounts of the Philadelphia Flower Show and the Chelsea Garden Show reveal what the author learned about some of the Western world's most influential gardens and gardeners and describe some of the more exotic plants presented at the shows.

Herbal Treasures: inspiring month-by-month projects for gardening, cooking, and crafts
A compendium of the best herb crafts, recipes, and gardening ideas.

Death at the Spring Plant Sale
Hoping to get some good deals at the Bethesda Garden Club's spring plant sale, Louise Eldridge, Host of "Gardening with Nature," finds herself cultivating a murder investigation instead when the club president is murdered.

Virginia Festival of the Book March 26-30

"Five Days, Hundreds of Authors"
Plus, Tuesday, March 25 is the Pre-festival day.

The annual event is sponsored by the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities.

Walter Mosely, Adriana Trigiani, Margaret Coal, Jacqueline Winspear, Homer Hickman, David Ignatius, and many others will be participating this year.

For a complete listing of the schedule of events, go to
vabook.org

The Festival Luncheon with Jan Karon has already been sold out, but not to worry,
Virginia Public Television (WVPT) will record the luncheon and broadcast it on Wednesday, April 16, at 7:30 pm and again Sunday, April 20th at 1:30 pm
For more information about their schedule see
WVPT

Also sponsored by the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities is
The Big Read
The title selected for 2008 is To Kill a Mockingbird.




The library has many copies of the book, including DVD and audio versions.

Check out the recent biography about Harper Lee, Mockingbird

Women in History

Four queens : the Provençal sisters who ruled Europe by Nancy Goldstone
Traces the lives of the four daughters of the count of Provence who eventually became the queens of France, England, Germany, and Sicily, from Marguerite's cultural clashes within the Palais du Roi and Eleanor's civil-war-provoking political aspirations to Sanchia's lonely life and Beatrice's life-risking ambitions.

Born to rule : five reigning consorts, granddaughters of Queen Victoria by Julia P. Gelardi
Traces the stories of five of Queen Victoria's most famous and powerful granddaughters, drawing on unpublished letters, memoirs, diplomatic documents, and interviews to reveal how their life events and marriages to reigning European monarchs directly influenced history

Bess of Hardwick : empire builder by Mary S. Lovell
Chronicles the life of a sixteenth-century impoverished nobleman's daughter who rose to become one of England's most wealthy and powerful women, in an account that describes her four marriages, witness to four monarchies, and building of the great house at Chatsworth

The Pirate Queen: the story of Grace O'Malley, Irish pirate by Alan Gold
A meticulously detailed, fictional portrait of the legendary Irish pirate describes how Grace O'Malley built a powerful empire that became the terror of the English on the high seas and chronicles her daring exploits in defiance of English rule during the Elizabethan era.

Patriot hearts : a novel of the founding mothers by Barbara Hambly
The triumphs and turmoil of early America are revealed through fictional portraits of four women--Martha Washington, Abigail Adams, Sally Hemings, and Dolley Madison--who played key roles during four presidential administrations

The Peabody sisters : three women who ignited American romanticism by Megan Marshall
Elizabeth, Mary, and Sophia Peabody were in many ways our American Brontes. The story of these remarkable sisters — and their central role in shaping the thinking of their day — has never before been fully told. Twenty years in the making, Megan Marshall's monumental biograpy brings the era of creative ferment known as American Romanticism to new life.
Elizabeth, the oldest sister, was a mind-on-fire thinker. A powerful influence on the great writers of the era — Emerson, Hawthorne, and Thoreau among them — she also published some of their earliest works. It was Elizabeth who prodded these newly minted Transcendentalists away from Emerson's individualism and toward a greater connection to others. Mary was a determined and passionate reformer who finally found her soul mate in the great educator Horace Mann. The frail Sophia was a painter who won the admiration of the preeminent society artists of the day. She married Nathaniel Hawthorne — but not before Hawthorne threw the delicate dynamics among the sisters into disarray.
Marshall focuses on the moment when the Peabody sisters made their indelible mark on history

Inspiring African American women of Virginia by Veronica A. Davis Includes Jennie Dean, founder of the Manassas School, Bessie Thorpe (Tharps), physician, Maggie Lena Walker, bank president and Virginia Florence, first African American female librarian, singer Roberta Flack and poet Rita Dove among many familiar and not so familiar names.

Biography finalists from National Book Critics Circle

Five Important Biographies according to the National Book Critics Circle:


Stanley: The Impossible Life Of Africa's Greatest Explorer by Tim Jeal Selected as the winner by the National Book Critics Circle
Many think of Stanley as a cruel imperialist who connived with King Leopold II of Belgium in horrific crimes against the people of the Congo--and the journalist who conducted the most legendary celebrity interview in history, opening with, "Dr. Livingstone, I presume?" But these perceptions are not quite true, as biographer Jeal shows. With access to previously closed Stanley family archives, Jeal reveals the extent to which Stanley's career and life have been misunderstood and undervalued. Few have started life as disadvantaged as Stanley. Rejected by both parents and consigned to a Welsh workhouse, he emigrated to America as a penniless eighteen-year-old. Jeal re-creates Stanley's rise to success, his friendships and romantic relationships, and his life-changing decision to assume an American identity. Stanley's epic but unfairly forgotten African journeys are described, establishing the explorer as the greatest to set foot on the continent

Edith Wharton by Hermione Lee A critical biography of one of America's greatest writers describes Wharton's adventure-filled travels in Europe, the literary and artistic circles in which she lived and worked, her heroism during World War I, and the evolution of her writing.

Ralph Ellison by Arnold Ramersad The definitive biography of an important American cultural intellectual of the twentieth century--Ralph Ellison, author of the masterpiece Invisible Man. In 1953, Ellison's explosive story of a young black man's search for truth and identity catapulted him to national prominence. Ellison earned many honors, but his failure to publish a second novel, despite years of striving, haunted him for the rest of his life. Rampersad, the first scholar given complete access to Ellison's papers, provides a complex portrait of an unusual artist and human being. This biography describes a man of magnetic personality who counted Saul Bellow, Langston Hughes, Robert Penn Warren, Richard Wright, Richard Wilbur, Albert Murray, and John Cheever among his closest friends; aman whose life and art were shaped mainly by his unyielding desire to produce magnificent art and by his resilient faith in the moral and cultural strength of America.

The Life Of Picasso: The Triumphant Years, 1917-1932 by John Richardson
The third volume of a major study of the artist.

Thomas Hardy by Claire Tomalin A seminal portrait of the enigmatic nineteenth-century novelist and poet, written by the Whitbread Book of the Year-winning author of Samuel Pepys, discusses his humble origins, rise through the London literary scene, and efforts to challenge the sexual and religious conventions of his time.

Tim Jeal's book on Stanley was selected as the winner this year, as announced on March 6.

Great Bird Count Feb. 15-18

The 11th annual Great Backyard Bird Count begins February 15 and continues over
President's Day Weekend.

This free, fun event is sponsored by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the National Audubon Society. For more information,
http://www.birdcount.org/


For all kinds of information about birding,
BirdCentral covers information about 600+ birds commonly found.

For more resources, the library has a variety of books and dvds, such as
National Geographic birding essentials : all the tools, techniques, and tips you need to begin and become a better birder by Jonathan Alderfer and Jon L. Dunn

Audubon videoguide to 505 birds of North America which includes two DVDs that describe each of 505 species that reliably breed in North America north of Mexico. The VideoGuide provides a voice or other sound from the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology for each species that makes a sound of any consequence. The bird calls are combined with striking, close-up moving footage and informative still photographs showing the birds in their natural habitats. A narrated description provides detailed identification information and computer-drawn maps clearly communicate breeding and wintering ranges. Naturalist Michael Godfrey filmed, directed and narrated the VideoGuide, which he wrote with renowned nature writer Kenn Kaufamn, who also created the range maps.

There are also number bird guides available in the collection, by browsing
in the call number section 598.2 and following.

Notable Black Virginians and more

The Library of Virginia has selected 8 new honorees as
Notable Black Virginians

In addition to biographical information about the honorees, there is a link to suggested classroom activities, and links to last years honorees including Arthur Ashe.

At the Fauquier County Library, additional resources about black Virginians and their role in Virginia history includes:

My Confederate kinfolk : a twenty-first century freedwoman confronts her roots by Thulani Davis

Israel on the Appomattox : a southern experiment in Black freedom from the 1790s through the Civil War by Melvin Patrick Ely

Inspiring African American women of Virginia by Veronica A. Davis

Black Confederates and Afro-Yankees in Civil War Virginia by Ervin L. Jordan, Jr

Best New Science Books of 2007-Part 2

Titles on this list were selected in http://www.edge.org/
Third Culture Holiday Reading 2007 list
(annotations from the Fauquier Library Catalog and/or publisher descriptions)

Endless Universe: Beyond the Big BangThe Big Bang theory--the leading explanation for the origin of the universe--posits that space and time sprang into being about 14 billion years ago in a hot, expanding fireball of nearly infinite density. Over the last three decades, the theory has repeatedly had to be revised to address such issues as how galaxies and stars first formed and why the expansion of the universe is speeding up--let alone what caused the Big Bang in the first place. This book presents a bold new cosmology: Steinhardt and Turok recount remarkable developments in astronomy, particle physics, and superstring theory that together form the basis of their groundbreaking "Cyclic Universe" theory. According to this picture, the Big Bang was not the beginning of time, but the bridge to a past filled with endlessly repeating cycles, each accompanied by the creation of new matter and the formation of new galaxies, stars, and planets.

Why Beauty is Truth: a history of symmetry Mathematics, physics and the universe.

The Black Swan: the impact of the highly improbable Examines the role of the unexpected, discussing why improbable events are not anticipated or understood properly, and how humans rationalize the black swan phenomenon to make it appear less random.

Good calories, bad calories Argues that refined carbohydrates are the ultimate cause of obesity, heart disease, diabetes, and even cancer; that overeating and sedentary behavior are side effects of increased insulin; and that removing these carbohydrates from one's diet is the only way to lose weight.

Death by black hole: and other cosmic quandaries A collection of favorite essays on the cosmos, written by a well-known American Museum of Natural History astrophysicist and author of Origins, includes the title essay, "Holy Wars," "The Search for Life in the Universe," and "Hollywood Nights."

Avoid boring people: lessons from a life in science by James Watson A scientific memoir by the co-discoverer of DNA describes a life devoted to the pursuit of knowledge, offering valuable lessons about how to get the most out of college, select a career, manage others, and keep one's work relevant.

The World without us
You've watched it on TV, now read what would happen to Earth if the human presence was removed, from the objects that would vanish without human intervention to those that would become long-lasting remnants of humankind.

Evolution for Everyone: how Darwin's theory can change the way we think about our lives
What is the biological reason for gossip?
For laughter? For the creation of art?
Why do dogs have curly tails?
What can microbes tell us about morality?

These and many other questions are tackled by renowned evolutionist David Sloan Wilson in this witty and groundbreaking new book. With stories that entertain as much as they inform, Wilson outlines the basic principles of evolution and shows how, properly understood, they can illuminate the length and breadth of creation, from the origin of life to the nature of religion. Now everyone can move beyond the sterile debates about creationism and intelligent design to share Darwin’s panoramic view of animal and human life, seamlessly connected to each other.

Evolution, as Wilson explains, is not just about dinosaurs and human origins, but about why all species behave as they do—from beetles that devour their own young, to bees that function as a collective brain, to dogs that are smarter in some respects than our closest ape relatives. And basic evolutionary principles are also the foundation for humanity’s capacity for symbolic thought, culture, and morality.

In example after example, Wilson sheds new light on Darwin’s grand theory and how it can be applied to daily life. By turns thoughtful, provocative, and daringly funny, Evolution for Everyone addresses some of the deepest philosophical and social issues of this or any age. In helping us come to a deeper understanding of human beings and our place in the world, it might also help us to improve that world.

Proust and the squid: the story and science of the reading brain A developmental psychologist evaluates the ways in which reading and writing have transformed the human brain, in an anecdotal study that reveals the significant changes in evolutionary brain physiology throughout history.

The Lucifer effect: understanding how good people turn evil What makes good people do bad things? How can moral people be seduced to act immorally? Where is the line separating good from evil, and who is in danger of crossing it?

Renowned social psychologist Philip Zimbardo has the answers, and in The Lucifer Effect he explains how–and the myriad reasons why–we are all susceptible to the lure of “the dark side.” Drawing on examples from history as well as his own trailblazing research, Zimbardo details how situational forces and group dynamics can work in concert to make monsters out of decent men and women.

Zimbardo is perhaps best known as the creator of the Stanford Prison Experiment. Here, for the first time and in detail, he tells the full story of this landmark study, in which a group of college-student volunteers was randomly divided into “guards” and “inmates” and then placed in a mock prison environment. Within a week the study was abandoned, as ordinary college students were transformed into either brutal, sadistic guards or emotionally broken prisoners.

By illuminating the psychological causes behind such disturbing metamorphoses, Zimbardo enables us to better understand a variety of harrowing phenomena, from corporate malfeasance to organized genocide to how once upstanding American soldiers came to abuse and torture Iraqi detainees in Abu Ghraib. He replaces the long-held notion of the “bad apple” with that of the “bad barrel”–the idea that the social setting and the system contaminate the individual, rather than the other way around.

Best New Science Books from 2007-Part 1

The Canon: a whirligig tour of the beautiful basics of science Award-winning science journalist Angier takes us on a "guided twirligig through the scientific canon." She draws on conversations with hundreds of the world's top scientists, and her own work as a reporter for the New York Times, to create an entertaining guide to scientific literacy--a joyride through the major scientific disciplines: physics, chemistry, biology, geology, and astronomy. It's for anyone who wants to understand the great issues of our time--from stem cells and bird flu to evolution and global warming. It's also one of those rare books that reignites our childhood delight in figuring out how things work: we learn what's actually happening when our ice cream melts or our coffee gets cold, what our liver cells do when we eat a caramel, how the horse shows evolution at work, and that we really are all made of stardust.
("we are star dust...we are golden " Joni Mitchell)

Super Crunchers: How thinking by numbers is the new way to be smart Touting the benefits of detailed statistical analysis, an economist explains how sorting through mass quantities of easily stored information can offer greater insight into human behavior for businesses, governments, and consumers.
(we were half a million strong)

Musicophilia: tales of music and the brain Drawing on the individual experiences of patients, musicians, composers, and ordinary people, the author explores the complex human response to music, and how music can affect those suffering from a variety of ailments.
(just join in a rock and roll band)

The Genetic Strand: Exploring a family history through DNA Chronicles the author's personal experience with DNA testing and research into his own family, in an anecdotal study that traces his genealogical investigation into his paternal ancestry.
(we are a billion year old carbon)

Red Moon Rising: Sputnik and the ridden rivalries that ignited the space age Describes how the fierce political battles of the Cold War spawned the space race, discussing the implications of the 1957 launch of the Soviet satellite Sputnik in terms of the battle between the two superpowers to put a man on the moon.

A ball, a dog and a monkey: 1957: the space race begins An account of the first year of the space race describes the dramatic rivalry between the U.S. and the Soviet Union and how it was marked by such contributing factors as UFO sightings, intelligence gathering, and fierce nationalism.
(and I dreamed I saw the bomber death planes riding shotgun in the sky)

The Language of God: a scientist present evidence for belief A head of the Human Genome Project and former atheist presents a scientific argument for the existence of God, revealing how science can support faith by citing the areas of nature that can and cannot be fully explained by Darwinian evolution.
(I came upon a child of God, walking down the road)

Cosmic Jackpot: why our universe is just right for life Looks at cutting-edge scientific discoveries to explore why the fundamental features of the physical universe seem tailor-made to produce life, offering a study of the radical multiverse theory and its implications in terms of reality, time, life, and the cosmos.
(and we've got to get back to the garden)

I am a strange loop
Argues that the key to understanding ourselves and consciousness is the "strange loop," a special kind of abstract feedback loop that inhabits the brain. By the author of Godel, Escher, Bach.
(I feel like I'm a cog in something turning round and round)

Einstein: his life and universe A narrative portrait based on the complete body of Einstein's papers offers insight into his contributions to science, in an account that describes the influence of his discoveries on his personal views about morality, politics, and tolerance.

The Stuff of Thought: language as a window into human nature Presents a study of the relationship between language and human nature, explaining how everything from swearing and innuendo to prepositions and baby names reveals facts about key human concepts, emotions, and relationships.
(but life is for learning)

Rethinking thin: the new science of weight loss-and the myths and realities of dieting Analyzes the psychological and cultural factors that cause many people to be obsessed with attaining unrealistically slender physical proportions.
(we just got caught up in some devil's bargain)

Proust was a neuroscientist Details the contributions of an unlikely group of artists--including artist Paul Cézanne, chef Auguste Escoffier, writer Gertrude Stein, and novelist Marcel Proust--to an understanding of the inner workings of the human brain.
(everywhere you look there was a song and a hope and a celebration)

Ghost: a novel by Alan Lightman Three months after being unexpectedly fired from his banking job, David takes a temporary position at a local mortuary, where he experiences an inexplicable encounter with the unknown that transforms his relationships with everyone around him. The author is a physicist and novelist, who teaches at MIT, and frequently combines scientific explorations with his novels.

Uncertainty: Einstein, Heisenberg, Bohr, and the struggle for the soul of science An analysis of the uncertainty principle, first introduced by German physicist Werner Heisenberg in 1927 and discusses the birth, evolution, and impact of this important idea.
(get back to the land and set my soul free)

Storm World: Hurricanes, Politics and the battle over global warming Uses scientific evidence from the 2006 hurricane season to study the link between global warming and the ferocity of hurricanes and explores the influence of the media and politicians on commonly held ideas about climate change.

Terra: our 100 million year old ecosystem-and the threats that now put it at risk An analytical synthesis of evolutionary biology, paleontology, and environmental science shows how all three branches of science can help us understand how human behavior endangers the entire global ecosystem and how we can prevent a mass extinction event.
(Can I walk beside you? I've come here to lose the smog)

Titles on this list were selected from http://www.edge.org/
Third Culture Holiday Reading 2007 list.
(annotations from the Fauquier Library Catalog)
my apologies to Joni Mitchell

New Magazine Titles added to Collection

ATV Illustrated
For the all terrain vehicle enthusiast

Cooking with Paula Deen
Popular Food Network star whose magazine accentuates the positive in entertaining with southern flair and hospitality.

Inventor's Digest
"The Magazine for Idea People", focuses on practical information to make your inventions become a reality

National Geographic Little Kids
This newly developed magazine is for children ages 3-6.
Small format size for small hands; lots of photos with stories and games.

Numismatic News
published weekly, it calls itself "the complete information source for coin collectors" and focuses on current news and events in the coin collecting world.
The library also subscribes to:
Coins
a monthly publication for coin collectors.

Shonen Jump
This monthly publication provides serialization of many popular manga titles before they are in graphic novel format. Issues are available for checkout as part of the Young Adult collection.

Please note: in order to improve accessibility to past issues of popular magazines, the Warrenton branch back copy magazines are now shelved on a stack at the end of the reference collection, near the adult non-fiction.
All those periodicals are available to be checked out.

See PERIODICALS for a complete list of adult magazine titles available at the library.

See CHILDREN"S PERIODICALS for a complete list of children's titles