Holiday Craft

Two new books you shouldn't miss:  Country Living Christmas Joys - a book about decorating, crafts & recipes with easy to do ideas just in time for the holidays.  From hanging a wreath in front of a mirror to cutting ornaments out of newspapers - all the ideas in this book are easily doable.  My favorite idea that I will be trying this year is the brown paper packages (including an adorable paper straw Christmas tree decoration page 171).  Check it out if you get a chance.  Holiday Knits is the second book - a donation we received that we've added to the new book shelf.  This book has 25 great gift ideas from stockings to sweaters.  If you hurry you'll be able to whip up loads of homemade warmth for gift giving!  SG

A Winter Wedding

A Winter Wedding is a wonderful romance and it's part of Brenda Novak's entire Whiskey Creek series. It is a must read! I love the group of friends in the small community Novak has created. Kyle is one of the last to remain single. He gave his heart a long time ago to Olivia, but she loves and is married to his step-brother Brandon all because of a mistake he made with her sister, Noelle. In the previous books he is such a great guy, always there for his friends, successful in his business, but heartbroken. *JK*

Saints and Sinners

Nadia Bolz-Weber is the most controversial Luthern minister you’re likely to meet. She was a stand-up comedian, she has lots of tattoos and she can curse with the best of them. She is also founding pastor of House for All Sinners and Saints in Denver. Nadia has come to embrace the life she tried desperately to avoid. The harder she ran, the more God called.  Her second book, Accidental Saints: Finding God in All the Wrong People is amusing, inspirational, and certainly eye-opening for traditional folk. A great realistic read for the Christmas Season! DB

How sweet it is....

OK, all Martha Stewart wannabees, these are for you! The first book, food, gift, love : more than 100 recipes to make, wrap, & share  by Maggie Battista is so timely for the season. There are many gifts in here, fresh gifts, pantry gifts, candied gifts and baked gifts. There is everything from the usual ( pesto, cookies, truffles) and the unusual. (extracts, infused oils, candied blood orange rinds) There are suggestion for collections of gifts, and tips for wrapping. ML

Also a delicious book is maple:100 sweet and savory recipes featuring pure maple syrup by Katie Webster. The book opens with a short history of maple sugaring, a DIY guide, and why choose maple? Did you know that because maple syrup is a by-product of a wild plant, it is more ecological than say, sugar? The recipes include breakfast but there are also savory choices, like mustard maple vinaigrette, turkey burgers with maple pickled onions, and Asian pork cabbage cups. Sounds good!  ML

How Stuff Works

Have you ever wondered just how a microwave really works? Pick up Thing Explainer: Complicated Stuff in Simple Words by Randall Munroe. In it he explains the operation of everyday wonders using only about 1,000 words. Inside this volume lies the secret to the universe—the periodic table made simple, how a helicopter flies, the skinny on bridge construction and elevator operation and even the scoop on tectonic plates. Intrigued? Find out everything you wondered about in this informative and entertaining book today! DB

Houses and Sauce!

Two fun and timely new books in the library are Christina Banner's How to Build a Gingerbread House: A Step-by-Step Guide To Sweet Results and Mastering Sauces: The Home Cook's Guide to New Techniques for Fresh Flavors by Susan Volland.
The gingerbread house is fun! Lots of photographs take you step-by-step through the process of making and decorating a gingerbread house. There are recipes for the gingerbread and royal icing, a footprint to copy to cut the components of the house out and then the fun part-decorating!
One would not know there were so many cute ways with candy, cookies and frosting to decorate a house. There are even different themes to decorate for, such as, Easter houses and birthday houses. Who knew!
Mastering Sauces is altogether a more serious book. At 425 pages, this is the definitive book for sauces. Not only are there fundaments of sauce making, the author goes into making stocks, broths, reductions and turning whole foods into sauces. Library Journal Review says "Volland is a trained chef who served as an editorial assistant for the six-book masterwork Modernist Cuisine: The Art and Science of Cooking. Here she provides thoughtful and in-depth coverage of modern sauce-making fundamentals, teaching readers to maximize flavor, season confidently, and navigate cooking vocabulary (they'll know when their sauce is mucilaginous). Discussing cooking temperatures, reduction times, thickening agents, and troubleshooting tips, Volland expertly answers the technical and scientific questions most readers will have." So get your balloon whisks out and go. M.L.

Christmas on Candy Cane Lane

Christmas on Candy Cane Lane by Sheila Roberts tells the story about the lives of three women that live on one festive street. Candy Cane Lane is a special street in Icicle Falls. All the homes on the street go all out for Christmas, even though it is a headache to many of the residents.
Newcomer Tilda is a local police officer and she's not a pleasant lady. She's bought a fixer upper. She's not as festive as some. Then, there's Ivy, a divorcee trying to keep things perfect for her young kids. Lastly, there's Maddy who is just way too into the holiday. *JK*