America's Favorite Pastime

The first day of spring not only signals the beginning of warmer weather across the United States, but it also begins the anticipation of opening day of Major League Baseball! We begin to look at rosters, pitching stats and whose rookie is going to be the breakout star of the year.  You start driving by the stadium more often and you can almost swear you can smell the hot dogs being prepared, even though the games are still a few weeks away.  The oiled baseball gloves come out of the closets, along with the giant fingers, baseball caps and jerseys, ready for the first game of the season. 

Opening day for 2012 is Thursday, April 5th, with seven games scheduled.  Several milestones will be celebrated this year.  The Boston Red Sox will be celebrating 100 years in Fenway Park on April 20th, on Friday April 6th the Baltimore Orioles will be celebrating 20 years at Camden Yards and Jackie Robinson Day will be held across the league on April 15th commemorating his start in baseball in 1947.  Also, the Los Angeles Dodgers April 10th home against the Pittsburgh Pirates will be the 50th anniversary of their first game at Dodger stadium and the New York Mets and the Houston astros will also be marking their 50 years in existence.  You can find game schedules for the first weekend of baseball from the MLB website.

Of course we here in Albuquerque are geared up for our local team the Albuquerque Isotopes beginning league play.  They also start out on Thursday, April 5th with an away game with the Omaha Storm Chasers and the first home game will be at Isotopes Park on Friday, April 13th at 7:05 pm also against Omaha. 

In the meantime here are some items to check out from the library to get you ready for opening day:

The House that Ruth Built: A New Stadium, A Yankees Championship and the Redemption of 1923 by Robert Weintraub

Stan Musial: An American Life by George Vecsey

Fenway 1912: The Birth of a Ballpark, a Championship Season, and Fenway's Remarkable First Year by Glenn Stout

500 Ballparks: From Wooden Seats to Retro Classics by Eric Pastore

Baseball Americana: Treasures from the Library of Congress by Harry Katz

But Didn't We Have Fun? : An Informal History of Baseball's Pioneer Era, 1843-1870 by Peter Morris

Opening Day: The Story of Jackie Robinson's First Season by Jonathan Eig

Big Bam: The Life and Times of Babe Ruth by Leigh Montville

Clemente: The Passion and Grace of Baseball's Last Hero by David Maraniss

A Mile in His Shoes  DVD

Moneyball  DVD

The Last Play At Shea  DVD

The Natural  DVD

Field of Dreams  DVD

The Pride of the Yankees  DVD

For more sports titles, please visit our Booklists for Adults & Teens LibGuide, where you'll find a "Best Sports Reads" list.

Therapy Dogs

Some of you may already know that many ABQ libraries host a "Read to the Dogs" program every month. This program makes reading fun and non-stressful for children learning to read. But these dogs aren't just ordinary dogs. Did you ever wonder why these dogs are so special? Well, our "reading" dogs are all registered therapy dogs. We hear the term registered therapy dog all the time, but what exactly does that mean?

Therapy dogs are not just friendly dogs. They are friendly dogs that go through rigorous behavioral training and receive an actual certification to do what they do. The "test" that they take consists of displaying obedient behavior in the face of heavy distractions, interacting with people in different situations with no signs of aggression and also friendly and polite interactions with other dogs. The handler and dog also have to go on several supervised visits to health care facilities in order to be accepted.

Once they are certified, they have lots of different jobs to do. Besides contributing to the reading proficiency of young library patrons, therapy dogs and their handlers also visit nursing homes, rehabilitation centers and hospitals to name a few. If you and your child would like to come read to the dogs, check out the library system's schedule here.  To read more about therapy dogs, try a subject or keyword search by "Dogs - Therapeutic Use".

Also, April is National Pet Month so here are a few ways you can celebrate:

• Do something to make your pets feel special; Take your dog to the park, buy them a new toy, give them a nice brush or massage. There are plenty of books in the catalog on pet care if you need suggestions!

• Have a puppy party and invite all your friends and their dogs over for a fun day of play.

• Adopt a dog or cat from your local shelter or rescue organization.

• Volunteer or donate blankets, food or toys to a local animal shelter.

The Garbage of Your Dreams

Soil is always a struggle here in New Mexico and now that it's gardening season you might be thinking about shopping for that expensive organic compost and/or fertilizer from the local garden store. That wonderful, magical mix that they sell packed into heavy plastic bags is something that every one of us can make for ourselves in our own back (or front) yards. This is also good for the environment as it keeps valuable organic waste out of landfills and into your garden soil. All it takes is a little bit of commitment and a lot of garbage.

What you need:

A bin- There are pre-made composting bins that are build for optimal air circulation and smell-insulation. Yes there can be a certain stinkiness involved in composting. You can, however, go the simpler and more affordable route and just get an old trash can. Make sure there are plenty of holes cut in the side for ventilation and a lid. Keep the potential smell in mind when deciding where to place your compost bin (i.e. don't place it right outside your front door). Also keep a small container in the house to keep your kitchen scraps in until they are ready to be taken outside. An old coffee can works great. You could also keep your "scraps" container in the freezer before taking it outside to cut back on odors inside the house.

Garbage:

The right kind of garbage is essential. You can't throw just anything into your compost. Organic waste is key. This can include banana peels, that bag of spinach that sat in your fridge too long, strawberry caps, used coffee grounds, raked leaves, grass clipping and other yard waste. Look here for a more complete list of compost materials. Also keep in mind things you should not compost items such as animal waste, meat or dairy products and other composting no-no's.  

Upkeep:

After you have your compost going the only upkeep involved is regularly turning or stirring your pile and watering it often. The stirring will provide much needed oxygen flow to the microorganisms in your pile and the water supplies moisture that the microbes need to survive.

For more guidance on your composting adventure take a look at the our composting Libguide, or check out these books available through ABC libraries:

Worms Eat My Garbage by Mary Appelhof

Backyard Composting : Your Complete Guide to Recycling Yard Clippings

Let It Rot!: The Gardener's Guide to Composting by Stu Campbell

The Urban/Suburban Composter: The Complete Guide to Backyard, Balcony, and Apartment Composting by Mark Cullen and Lorraine Johnson

Got a reluctant teen reader? Have them give these sci-fi titles a whirl!

Sometimes it's hard to get teens reading.  They read for school, & then when they're not at school, they have so many other activities!  If you have a teen who's reluctant to crack open a book that's not assigned, some librarians recommend hi/lo fiction, particularly if  the teens "read below grade level and can’t find books they can read that interest them".  Also you might consider the sci-fi titles listed below, recommended by Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA) magazine. Some titles may also be available in alternate formats (eBook, audio). As always, concerned parents may want to preview the book's subject matter to test its appropriateness for their teen!

When Technology Goes Wrong
"Are we ever going to be sorry we've let technology woo us?" ~Karin Perry

Feed by M. T. Anderson

Candor by Pam Bachorz

Wither by Lauren DeStefano

Scored by Lauren McLaughlin

A Long, Long Sleep by Anna Sheehan [eBook only]

Unwind by Neal Shusterman

Memento Nora by Angie Smibert

The Softwire: Virus on Orbis 1 by PJ Haarsma


Tough Guys of Science Fiction Fantasy: Guys You'll Want in Your Reading Corner


Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card

The Maze Runner by James Dashner

Little Brother by Cory Doctorow

Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi



*Books in this post were suggested by articles in VOYA magazine (2/12, vol 34, # 6)

Coffee and Chocolate

Coffee and chocolate. The only thing better than having one or the other is to have both at the same time. There are many ways to mix and enjoy them together. They both come from beans, after all. Coffee can be the best compliment to a chocolate bar or just mix the two and have a nice cup of cafe mocha. Chocolate is also flavored with coffee, like chocolate covered espresso beans. But as any coffee connoisseur or chocolatier could tell you, all are not created equal.

The Best Coffee:

Just any bean won't do. If you are looking for the best coffee, start with the best beans. First, no more buying your coffee at your local grocery store. The best beans will almost always be found at specialty or gourmet stores. Finding the freshest roast is your next step. At speciality stores, your beans could be roasted on the same day or even right in front of you. At the grocery store, you can usually see the roast date on the back of the bag, which will give you a good idea of just how not-fresh those grounds are. Beans should be whole with no splinters or cracks and should look and smell appealing.

The Best Chocolate:

The best chocolate comes from the best beans too, and the beans have to be well cared for. Overroasting is the most common mistake chocolatiers make. Chocolate can be compared to wine in that many people need to aquire a taste for it in it's unsweetened, unprocessed form. Cocoa beans comes from several different geographic areas and each one tastes different. Many chocolate connosieurs are able to decipher between these subtle flavors. Even chocolate that is made well can still go stale. Local chocolatiers can explain to you where their beans come from and how they were processed. That's how you know you are buying from the best.

Want to know more? All your questions, curiousities and cravings can be answered at the Southwest Chocolate and Coffee Fest March 23-25th at the Albuquerque Convention Center. There will be tastings, seminars, contest, performances and other entertainment. Don't miss this fun event!

If you'd like some great books on chocolate and coffee check out these great titles:

Chocolate Wars by Deborah Cadbury

The Book of Chocolate by Nathalie Bailleux

Coffee Creations by Gwin Grogan Grimes

The Joy of Coffee : The Essential Guide to Buying, Brewing, and Enjoying by James Scherer

The Wearing of the Green

Saint Patrick's Day is celebrated throughout many countries these days, but it did not start out as the fun holiday that most of us know and look forward to every year.  It was first observed as an official feast day in the early seventeeth century in Ireland, and is now a national holiday in the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, Newfoundland and Labrador and in Montserrat.  All over the world wherever the Irish diaspora settled, March 17th has become an annual day to celebrate Saint Patrick and the Irish culture. 

A lot of Patrick's early life is not known.  He was born in Roman Britain to a wealthy family, and was kidnapped by Irish slavers and taken to Ireland.  He escaped and later returned to Britain where he began studying as a priest.  He stated that God told him he was needed in Ireland to teach the people the true meaning of Christianity and he used the shamrock leaf as a symbol to explain the Trinity to his flock.  He died on March 17 461 and is purportedly buried in Downpatrick. 

There are not many books about Saint Patrick in the catalog, but additional books can be ordered through interlibrary loan. 

St. Patrick of Ireland: A Biography by Philip Freeman

St. Patrick The Apostle of Ireland-DVD

Patrick: Son of Ireland by Stephen R. Lawhead

The Life and Writings of the historical Saint Patrick by R.P.C. Hanson

Who Was Saint Patrick by E.A. Thompson

Other things Celtic and Irish in the catalog include:

Celtic Crossroads  DVD

The Secret of Kells  DVD

The Wind that Shakes the Barley  DVD

Celtic Woman  DVD

The Best of Riverdance  DVD

The Boy and Girl from County Clare  DVD

Darby O'Gill and the Little People  DVD

In Search of Ancient Ireland  DVD

The Secret of Roan Innish  DVD

In the Name of the Father  DVD

Voyage  by Celtic Thunder Music CD

T With the Maggies  Music CD

A Day Without Rain by Enya Music CD

Tears of Stone by The Chieftains  Music CD

Some new 2012 books listed are:

The Last Storyteller by Frank Delaney

Dublin Dead by Gerard O' Donovan

On an Irish Island by Robert Kanigel

The Irish Way: Becoming American in the Multiethnic City by James R. Barrett

Get Your Plate in Shape!

March is National Nutrition Month!  The theme for 2012 is Get Your Plate in Shape.  Links from the Eat Right website include The Good Nutrition Reading List, Games & Quizzes, & Nutrition Education Resources.

At ABC Libraries, we believe in good nutrition...a healthy body is the foundation for a healthy mind!  Our catalog certainly boasts a diverse array of nutrition topics.  A subject search under "Nutrition" reveals headings such as "Nutrition - Athletes", "Nutrition - Businesspeople", "Nutrition - Childrens Films", "Nutrition - Infants", & "Nutrition - Japan".  You can browse the subject heading list, or try a keyword search, such as "nutrition pregnancy" or "nutrition weight loss", to find the nutritional guide that best suits your needs.

Here are a couple of (mostly) recent nutrition titles you might enjoy:

The Family Dinner: Great Ways to Connect with Your Kids, One Meal at a Time by Laurie David

The Cleaner Plate Club by Beth Bader and Alison Wade Benjamin

Coffee is Good for You: From Vitamin C and Organic Foods to Low-Carb and Detox Diets, the Truth about Diet and Nutrition Claims by Robert J. Davis

The Alzheimer's Prevention Program: Keep Your Brain Healthy for the Rest of Your Life by Gary Small & Gigi Vorgan

Food Rules: An Eater's Manual by Michael Pollan

Local Flavors: Recipes, Menus, and Insights from America's Farmers' Markets by Deborah Madison

The Primal Blueprint by Mark Sisson

Eat Smart Eat Raw by Kate Wood

The Inspired Vegan: Seasonal Ingredients, Creative Recipes, Mouthwatering Menus by Bryant Terry

What I Eat: Around the World in 80 Diets photographed by Peter Menzel ; written by Faith D'Aluisio (this team also wrote Hungry Planet: What the World Eats & Man Eating Bugs: The Art & Science of Eating Insects)

What to Eat by Marion Nestle

Hungry Monkey: A Food-Loving Father's Quest to Raise an Adventurous Eater by Matthew Amster-Burton

Food Matters by Mark Bittman

In the Green Kitchen: Techniques to Learn by Heart by Alice Waters