Beyond Pumpkin Spice: Fall Produce

Green chile season is already at an end, so the smell of roasting is fading from the air.  But there is plenty more seasonal produce you can enjoy in the fall! Whether you are looking for specific cookbooks, vegetable recipes, or just guides to seasonal eating, the ABC Library catalog should have something for every taste.

Fall Produce

Halloween Sweets and Treats by Ruth Owen

Pumpkins & Squashes by Caroline Boisset

Winter Squash & Pumpkins by Mary Anna DuSablon [eBook]

Giving Thanks: Thanksgiving Recipes and History, From Pilgrims to Pumpkin Pie by the Plimoth Plantation

Apples, From Harvest to Table: 50 Recipes Plus Lore, Crafts and More, Starring the Tried-and-True Favorite by Amy Pennington

Brassicas: Cooking the World's Healthiest Vegetables - Kale, Cauliflower, Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts and More by Laura B. Russell

A Platter of Figs and Other Recipes by David Tanis


Vegetable Recipes

River Cottage Veg : 200 Inspired Vegetable Recipes by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall

Vegetable Literacy: Cooking and Gardening with Twelve Families from the Edible Plant Kingdom, With Over 300 Deliciously Simple Recipes by Deborah Madison

Plenty More: Vibrant Vegetable Cooking from London's Ottolenghi by Yotam Ottolenghi

Root-to-Stalk Cooking: The Art of Using the Whole Vegetable by Tara Duggan

Tender: A Cook and His Vegetable Patch by Nigel Slater [eBook]


Seasonal
The One-Block Feast: An Adventure in Food From Yard to Table by Margo True & the staff of Sunset magazine [eBook]

The Farm: Rustic Recipes For a Year of Incredible Food by Ian Knauer

Saving the Season: A Cook's Guide to Home Canning, Pickling, and Preserving by Kevin West
Eat Greens: Seasonal Recipes to Enjoy in Abundance by Barbara Scott-Goodman & Liz Trovato

Handmade Gatherings: Recipes & Crafts for Seasonal Celebrations and Potluck Parties by Ashley English

Seasonal Southwest Cooking: Contemporary Recipes & Menus for Every Occasion by Barbara Pool Fenzl
Preserving by the Pint: Quick Seasonal Canning for Small Spaces by Marisa McClellan

Real Food All Year: Eating Seasonal Whole Foods for Optimal Health & All-Day Energy by Nishanga Bliss


Links

Fall  Produce Guide [Cooking Light]

What's In Season? Fall [Fruits & Vegetables More Matters]

Fresh Fall Produce [Food & Wine]

Fall Fruits and Vegetables [About.com]

PickYourOwn.org - New Mexico

Featured Author: Ben Aaronovitch

Ben Aaronovitch started his writing life writing Doctor Who serials, so it makes sense that when he started writing books, they would fall in the urban fantasy and fantasy mystery genres. However, his Rivers of London series almost never got written when an early version of the concept was compared to The Dresden Files! Aaronovitch distinguishes his work from Jim Butcher's on many points, first and foremost being that his series is less "noir". Peter Grant, the protagonist of Rivers of London, is a police constable and magician's apprentice, the North-London-born biracial son of a jazz musician and an African immigrant. Grant can see paranormal beings such as ghosts, which brings him to the attention of the head of the magical police force. From there, encounters with the supernatural in forms including vampires, evil wizards, haunted subways, and ancient powers ensue, with Grant level-headed and wryly humorous as he attempts to learn spells to compliment normal police procedures.

If you are seeking to read something "intricately plotted, fast-paced, atmospheric, witty" [NoveList], why not give Peter Grant a try?

Rivers of London

[Peter Grant novels] 

Midnight Riot

Whispers Under Ground

Moon Over Soho

Broken Homes

Readalikes

The Devil You Know by Mike Carey

Storm Front by Jim Butcher

Links

The Folly

"Welcome to the Folly, official home of British magic since 1775 — or at least home of the magic depicted in the continuing adventures of Peter Grant, police constable and apprentice wizard."

"A Conversation with Ben Aaronovitch, Author, Midnight Riot"

[Del Rey Science Fiction & Fantasy]

"A Doctor Who writer breathes life into the 'magical detective' novel"

[i09.com]

"Come With Us to All the Magical Londons!"

[Tor.com]

TOON Books: High Quality Comics for Kids

“Don’t be suspicious of something just because kids love it.”  

~Françoise Mouly

Have you seen TOON Books and TOON Graphics in stacks? They're not just another publishing house! Françoise Mouly, art editor at The New Yorker, founded TOON Books as "a whole new approach to books for beginning readers—a rethinking as radical as the first time Theodor Geisel put a hat on a cat."*

Ms. Mouly grew up in France reading comics such as the Asterix series by René Goscinny, and when she came to the United States in the 1970s, taught herself English by reading comics. She is married to cartoonist Art Spiegelman, author of Maus, and together they co-founded, co-edited, and co-published the comic magazine Raw in the 1980s. When Mouly and Spiegelman had children, they realized how difficult it was to find good comics in English for children - so they started the Raw Junior imprint, which publishes the Little Lit anthologies, whose contributors include Neil Gaiman and Lemony Snicket. This led Mouly to create TOONs.

TOON books are comics for children as young as 3. Some are listed as Easy in the ABC Library catalog, indicating that they are picture books; others are Easy Readers, for the kids who are just beginning to read by themselves. TOON Easy Readers are marked as as "Easy to Read Comics" or "Toon Into Reading", and on the back a reading level will be listed (interestingly, on their website, the levels are defined by both "reading level" - such as grades K-2 - and "interest level" - ages 3+) . TOON graphics are aimed at 4th graders and older - what you would find in J Fiction in the library stacks. Each TOON book has been reviewed by educators (checking the language and story), and many TOON books are on recommended reading lists, including those published by the American Library Association.

For those who are not convinced that kids reading comics is a good thing, the TOON website* assures us:

Comics have always had a unique ability to draw young readers into a story through the drawings. Visual narrative helps kids crack the code that allows literacy to flourish, teaching them how to read from left to right, from top to bottom. Speech balloons facilitate a child's understanding of written dialogue as a transcription of spoken language. Many of the issues that emerging readers have traditionally struggled with are instantly clarified by comics' simple and inviting format.

So if you see a TOON book in the stacks, why not give it a try?  Here's a sampling of TOON titles available in the library catalog:


Hansel & Gretel by Neil Gaiman, Lorenzo Mattotti

Hearts by Thereza Rowe

Tippy and the Night Parade by Lilli Carré

Benjamin Bear in "Bright Ideas!" by Philippe Coudray

Maya Makes a Mess by Rutu Modan

Barry's Best Buddy by Renée French

Benny and Penny in the Big No-No! by Geoffrey Hayes    

A Trip to the Bottom of the World with Mouse by Frank Viva

Silly Lilly and the Four Seasons by Agnes Rosenstiehl   


You can easily find more of these books in the catalog with a keyword search using "Toon book" or "Toon graphic".


Links

"Françoise Mouly’s Toon Graphics Takes Comics to Classrooms" [New York Times]

"Our Mission" - TOON Books*

 

If you like the Romanov Sisters...

We recently read The Romanov Sisters: The Lost Lives of the Daughters of Nicholas and Alexandra by Helen Rappaport, and found it unputdownable! With that title in mind, a new royal baby in the offing, the recent passing of the Duchess of Devonshire (last of the six Mitford sisters), and the Scottish referendum recently in the news, we thought that now would be a good time for royal readalikes! Here's a few likely non-fiction and fiction titles for the ardent monarchist and followers of famous families throughout history.


Non-Fiction

From Splendor to Revolution: The Romanov Women, 1847-1928 by Julia P. Gelardi

The Duchess by Amanda Foreman

Marie Antoinette: The Journey by Antonia Fraser

Cleopatra: A Life by Stacy Schiff

Mary, Queen of Scots, and the Murder of Lord Darnley by Alison Weir

A Circle of Sisters: Alice Kipling, Georgiana Burne-Jones, Agnes Poynter and Louisa Baldwin by Judith Flanders

The Sisters: The Saga of the Mitford Family by Mary S. Lovell

Aristocrats: Caroline, Emily, Louisa, and Sarah Lennox, 1740-1832 by Stella Tillyard

The Last Princess: The Devoted Life of Queen Victoria's Youngest Daughter by Matthew Dennison

We Two: Victoria and Albert - Rulers, Partners, Rivals by Gillian Gill

The Heir Apparent: A Life of Edward VII, The Playboy Prince by Jane Ridley

Not In Front of the Corgis: Secrets of Life Behind the Royal Curtains by Brian Hoey

The Royal Stuarts: A History of the Family That Shaped Britain by Allan Massie

The Sisters Who Would Be Queen: Mary, Katherine, and Lady Jane Grey - A Tudor Tragedy by Leanda de Lisle

The Titled Americans: Three American Sisters and the British Aristocratic World Into Which They Married by Elisabeth Kehoe

Five Sisters: The Langhorne Sisters of Virginia by James Fox  

  

Fiction

The Tsarina's Daughter by Carolly Erickson

Elizabeth I by Margaret George

The Red Queen by Philippa Gregory

Duchess: A Novel of Sarah Churchill by  Susan Holloway Scott

Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel

The Complete Tudors: Nine Historical Novels by Jean Plaidy [eBook]

The Secret Daughter of the Tsar by Jennifer Laam

Girl on the Golden Coin: A Novel of Frances Stuart by Marci Jefferson


Links

Masterpiece Theatre: Love In a Cold Climate (Mitford Sisters)

BBC Two: Russia's Lost Princesses
  

Top Ten Best Albums

About a month ago, I checked out 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, edited by Robert Dimery. As a music lover, I was curious to see what albums Dimery included in the book, and while there are some great albums and artists represented in his book, there are so many more that aren't there. It's partly due to the fact that the book was published in 2006, and some amazing albums have come out since then.

Since I looked through 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, I've been thinking about what albums I think everyone should listen to. These are my go-to albums whenever I'm stressed or just wanting to listen to something I know I will love and never get tired of.

Backstreet Boys: In a World Like This
Backstreet Boys: Millennium

Black Hawk Down soundtrack

Luke Bryan: Crash My Party
Luke Bryan: Tailgates & Tanlines

Eric Church: The Outsiders

Crosby, Stills, and Nash: Crosby, Stills, and Nash

Lady Antebellum: Golden
Lady Antebellum: Own the Night

A.J. McLean: Have It All

Update: The library now has most of these albums! I've created a playlist on Spotify so you can enjoy some of the songs on most of the albums (the exception is the A.J. McLean album, which isn't available on Spotify).

If you like Kate Bush...

If you are a music geek, you probably know that Kate Bush is performing live for the first time in 35 years!  Her residency at London's Eventim Apollo started on August 26th and will finish on October 1st.  Back in March, her 22 shows sold out in 15 minutes, and once her live performances began, she racked up 8 albums in the Official Albums Chart at the same time - the first woman to do so, and just behind the achievements of Elvis Presley (12 simultaneous top 40 entries) and The Beatles (11).

Kate burst onto the scene in the late 1970s at age 19 with her single "Wuthering Heights", the first woman to have a UK number one with a self-written song. (Pink Floyd's David Gilmour heard Kate's early demo and was instrumental in getting her signed to EMI at the tender age of 16!) She released 4 albums in quick succession: The Kick Inside, Lionheart, Never For Ever, and The Dreaming. It was at this time that she built a private studio and was able to spend more time crafting the album many believe to be her masterpiece, Hounds of Love. A compilation disc, The Whole Story, was released in 1986. The albums The Sensual World (the title track is a paean to James Joyce's Ulysses) and The Red Shoes followed at her own pace, and then there was a 12 year gap before her next album, Aerial. In 2011, Kate released 2 albums, Director's Cut (a reworking of some earlier songs) and 50 Words For Snow.

Throughout her career, Kate Bush has been a fascinating and innovative artist. She has roots in the Progressive Rock movement, and many recall her collaboration with "Prog God" Peter Gabriel, "Don't Give Up".  She was an early embracer of the Fairlight CMI synthesiser and often employed musical instruments from many different cultures - and musicians from other cultures too, such as Bulgaria's Trio Bulgarka.  Her songs abound with literary references.

ABC Library has some of Kate's later albums in the library catalog, as well as a documentary film and an eBook about her! Whether you are discovering her charms or revisiting them, we hope you find something to entertain you.

The Whole Story

Director's Cut

50 Words for Snow

Kate Bush, Under Review [DVD]

Kate Bush and Hounds of Love by Ron Moy  [eBook]


Besides having a big effect on us (we've been fans since the mid-1980s), many musicians have declared themselves fans and/or cited her as influential on their work. Check out our playlist, with some recommended Kate Bush tunes and listenalikes that you can find in the library catalog, including Tori Amos, Jane Siberry, Bjork, and Goldfrapp.



 
Links

"This woman's work: How Kate Bush inspires female artists" [Guardian]

"Why we love Kate Bush, by the musicians she's influenced" [London Evening Standard]

"The inimitable Kate Bush: Musical pioneer? Reclusive genius? 21st-century witch?" [Independent]

"My hero: Kate Bush by Jeanette Winterson" [Guardian]

Banned Books Week

Artwork courtesy of the American Library Association.

Celebrate your freedom to read during Banned Books Week, September 21-27! Banned Books Week is an annual event, taking place the last week of September, with the goal of "highlight[ing] the value of free and open access to information" [ALA]. This year's focus is banned or challenged comics and graphic novels, in light of recent challenges on the genre - perhaps most famously, Alison Bechdel's graphic memoir, Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic.

From bannedbooksweek.org:

Banned Books Week was launched in 1982 in response to a sudden surge in the number of challenges to books in schools, bookstores and libraries. More than 11,300 books have been challenged since 1982 according to the American Library Association. There were 307 challenges reported to the Office of Intellectual Freedom in 2013, and many more go unreported. The 10 most challenged titles of 2013 were:

1. Captain Underpants (series), by Dav Pilkey
   Reasons: Offensive language, unsuited for age group, violence
2. The Bluest Eye, by Toni Morrison
   Reasons: Offensive language, sexually explicit, unsuited to age group, violence
3. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, by Sherman Alexie
   Reasons: Drugs/alcohol/smoking, offensive language, racism, sexually explicit, unsuited to age group
4. Fifty Shades of Grey, by E.L. James
   Reasons: Nudity, offensive language, religious viewpoint, sexually explicit, unsuited to age group
5. The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins
   Reasons: Religious viewpoint, unsuited to age group
6. A Bad Boy Can Be Good for A Girl, by Tanya Lee Stone
   Reasons: Drugs/alcohol/smoking, nudity, offensive language, sexually explicit
7. Looking for Alaska, by John Green
   Reasons: Drugs/alcohol/smoking, sexually explicit, unsuited to age group
8. The Perks of Being a Wallflower, by Stephen Chbosky
   Reasons: drugs/alcohol/smoking, homosexuality, sexually explicit, unsuited to age group
9. Bless Me Ultima, by Rudolfo Anaya
   Reasons: Occult/Satanism, offensive language, religious viewpoint, sexually explicit
10. Bone (series), by Jeff Smith
    Reasons: Political viewpoint, racism, violence

Links

Banned Books Week

American Library Association: About Banned and Challenged Books

Banned Books That Shaped America

Comic Book Legal Defense Fund: Banned Comics