Friends for Life

It's 1974, and a group of kids at an arts camp dub themselves "the interestings" and vow to stay friends forever. Meg Wolitzers's novel The Interestings follows the friends into their fifties. While at first they all have ambitions to go into the arts, only two of the friends actually do that. The rest grapple with the effects of time and life on their ambitions and friendships. We get to know these characters and root for them as money, work, marriage, and the big issues of the decades (moonies, aids, autism!) affect them. A big talky novel, I loved it! ML

History of the World through Stamps

Scott Stamp Catalogues are chock full of information about the process of making stamps, telling you all about forgeries and fakes, values, lithography, foil, gum, etc.  They are also beautiful to browse for the fantastic artwork.  Check out the children’s stamp design contest winners or the stamps of the Bahamas if you want to see some colorful examples.  You can also learn about the history of a place based on its stamps – whether the stamps show scientific discoveries or distinguished people, sports team winners or landmark events, extinct species or famous weddings – these catalogs show you the history of the world.  You can also find the addresses and contact information for Philatelic Societies (philatelic, of or relating to philately which is the collection and study of postage stamps, postmarks, and related materials; stamp collecting) should you decide to become a collector.  Think there’s no money to be had?  You’re probably right but once in awhile a stamp goes for an enormous amount of money, especially if it’s a misprint.  The stamp pictured here is the most famous misprint going for 9 billion U.S. dollars in 2007.  That’s right – 9 billion!  SG

Batter Up!

If opening day for Baseball is important to you, then make sure you read a classic poem to celebrate America’s favorite sport. Ernest Lawrence Thayer's Casey at the bat : a ballad of the Republic sung in the year 1888 is a baseball poem that is a must-read for adults and children alike. It is as entertaining today as it was way back when. The poem was originally published in the San Francisco Examiner on June 3, 1888. Since that time it has been recited in Vaudeville, on stage, in the movies, and on television. There’s even a sequel to the poem that tells about our mighty batter’s most magnificent moment. Enjoy. DB

Bringing the Outside In

Woodland Style by Marlene Hurley Marshall is a lovely book about bringing natural elements from the outdoors to decorate your home. Featuring many beautiful photographs, the book explores decorations made with foraged twigs, vines, moss, flowers and bark. Also featured are holiday and seasonal decorations as well as recipes that use wild edibles. There are photos of artworks such as carved wood and jewelry using acorns. Fantastic, I'm looking forward to setting in front of the fire on this cold spring day and reading this! ML

Please Pass the Poems...

Kevin Young has combined two things we Americans love in his new book
The Hungry Ear: Poems of Food & Drink. The volume contains 158 poems written by various poets who appreciate good food and good verse. The book is divided into sections that relate to food in different seasons and under all sorts of circumstances. Kevin talks about how food has played a part in his life, from childhood and family traditions to its healing power. He invites you to “Help Yourself.”  Don’t miss the “Song to Bacon”. DB

A compelling fantasy.

The Mapmaker's War is Aoife's (pronounced ee-fah) story, a young woman growing up in an ancient society with ambition to change her life. She loves maps and is adventurous, and is given the chance to do this when in her culture women stay home and raise children. During her travels she happens upon a secretive people who seem to live ideal lives of peace and happiness. They claim to protect a mythic creature, a red dragon who has a hoard of treasure. When Aoife reports their existence, her culture is consumed with the madness of war and conquest. Overcome with guilt on what she has unleashed Aoife tries to warn the peaceful culture and is imprisoned as a traitor. There is plenty of subtext in this story of peace and war, and the madness of invasion, as well as a good fantasy story. I spent one lovely night reading this. ML

Family Secrets

In Erin Kelly's new book, Burning Air, the McBride family, who have a upper-class privileged life, gather at their country home the first time since the death of their mother Lydia. There, secrets emerge, most shockingly a stranger in their midst who is plotting revenge on every member of the family for an imagined bad deed by their mother from years before. We gradually learn, as the tension mounts, just what happened so many years ago and how one lie created so much misery. Well written and compelling, this novel will hold your attention.