Citizenship Toolkit

If you or someone you know is interested in becoming a United States citizen, we have a new kit of materials here at the public library that may be of use. The Civics and Citizenship Toolkit: a collection of educational resources for immigrants is a joint effort of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, the Institute of Museum and Library Services and the U.S. Government Printing Office. These organizations compiled and printed the material and donated it to our library, and now we are making it available to you. The kit contains a DVD introduction to U.S. history and civics, a CD overview of the naturalization process, a set of flash cards for studying for the citizenship exam, a copy of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, two guides for new immigrants (one in Spanish, one in English), a book of quick civics lessons - including an audio CD - and a Citizen's Almanac, which compiles a variety of historical documents, biographies and events. I have a great deal of respect for anyone who is committed enough to the dream of being an American that they would sit down and learn all of this information to pass the citizenship test (and English is quite likely not their first language). Hopefully, this toolkit will make the process a little easier for you as you work towards becoming a full-fledged citizen of the United States of America. As always, we are here to help.

Going to Africa?

It's hard to find a continent more diverse - culturally and geographically - than Africa. I'm sure the French and Belgians will argue that they are very different from one another, but hey, c'mon. So if you are a traveler looking for unique adventure, stunning wildlife, exotic scenery and fascinating culture then you might well think of going to Africa. And if this is your first time, you might want to thumb through The Rough Guide to First-Time Africa: everything you need to know before you go. There are two things to keep in mind with this book, however: it is indeed a rough guide to a vast continent, and it probably doesn't tell you everything you need to know before you arrive on the tarmac in Addis Ababa. It is an excellent jump-off point for your research, though. It has a very brief overview of the diversity of Africa's lands and cultures, a short summary of each country that includes information about attractions, tourist season and travel, and larger chapters on how to plan your trip. These cover topics such as visas, costs, culture shock, how to stay healthy and how to stay out of trouble (not a minor issue). You can encounter Kalahari wildlife in Botswana, travel by boat across Lake Victoria, or see the Numidian mausoleums of Algeria. This being a print publication, however, the information might not be as current or as thorough as you need. For instance, it doesn't include any mention of the recent unrest in Kenya, and in Sudan it says that "things finally seem to be changing for the better". If you are serious about traveling (anywhere off the beaten path, not just Africa), you might want to also check out the State Department's website for Background Notes and Travel Advisories: http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/ . Bon voyage!

New Mysteries

We have some new mysteries on our shelves from some rather unique mystery series. The authors present the reader with very unusual settings or characters, which adds an extra level of interest onto their already gripping plots.
Red Mandarin Dress by Qiu Xiaolong is the third Inspector Chen novel in our collection. A Chief Inspector of the Shanghai police department, Chen is doing double duty: tracking a serial killer and investigating a sensitive corruption case. A native of Shanghai himself, Qiu vividly recreates the teeming city and the intricacies of modern China.
A Prayer for the Damned by Peter Tremayne takes readers back to 7th century Ireland. Sister Fidelma and Brother Eadulf are about to get married, but the ceremony is disrupted by the murder of the nasty Abbot Ultan and it falls to Fidelma to discover the truth behind the killing. Tremayne is the pseudonym of Peter Ellis, a scholar of Celtic history, and his books are meticulously accurate and filled with interesting details.
The Mortal Groove by Ellen Hart is the latest Jane Lawless mystery. Lawless is a restaurateur in Minneapolis who solves mysteries on the side (I helped manage a restaurant, and I don't remember there being that much free time). Hart is "a top novelist in the cultishly popular gay mystery genre" (Entertainment Weekly), and she provides lots of fun plot twists as Lawless' father runs for Governor and discovers just how dirty politics can be.

The Secret to Life

Our shelves are brimming with books on how to stay healthy and lose weight. Every year a new crop of diet fads emerge: low-carb, high-protein, low-fat, high-fiber. The simple answer - eat less and exercise more - seems to please no one. When it comes to health advice, Michael Pollan offers another seemingly simple rule to live by: "eat food, not too much, mostly plants". You can glean this and many other fascinating pieces of information and advice from his new book In Defense of Food: an eater's manifesto. You may have heard him interviewed on NPR's Fresh Air earlier this month, and I can attest to the fact that he is just as entertaining and interesting in print as he is on the radio. I will warn you, however, that there will be numerous times while you read this book that you will flinch in recognition of your bad habits. Yes I eat at my desk, and yes I have eaten in my car while I was driving, and no I do not make a consistent effort to eat minimally-processed foods. But guilt aside, this is a great read. According to Pollan, American gas stations make more money selling food and cigarettes than they do selling gasoline (one of his rules for eating is Don't Get Your Fuel From the Same Place Your Car Does). It is information like this that makes this book a must for everyone's reading list. And since it's well-written, it makes the medicine go down a little easier.

Memorials

In Lower Manhattan, the reconstructed ruins of an Irish cottage lie in a green field dotted with heather and bullrushes. Only a few years old, this monument memorializes the millions of Irish men, women and children that died or fled during the Great Hunger (1845-1852). It's not your typical historical monument. In her new book Monuments: America's history in art and memory, Judith Dupre shows us that there are many ways to celebrate, mourn and honor the events and people that made America. Some of the examples she discusses are quite famous: the Liberty Bell, the Lincoln Memorial, the Vietnam Memorial. Others are less well-known and/or newer, and some of these mementos are quite unusual. She includes the Aids Quilt, the wall of photos and missing posters that appeared right after 9/11, a time capsule, the schooner Amistad, and the first park-like burial grounds in the United States. She explains the different types of monuments, the great designers and sculptors, and the importance of photographs - small personal monuments. This is a beautifully-constructed book (that phrase will make more sense when you see the cover), and even her choice of using only black-and-white photos and illustrations seems fitting considering the subject matter. This book is an interesting look at the way we remember.

Books for Artists

Yesterday we focused on creating beautiful things for the mouth, today we will focus on creating beautiful things for the eyes.

Oil Painting Workbook: a complete course in 10 lessons by Stan Smith (not the former Ketchikan artist Stan Smith) and Pastel Workbook: a complete course in 10 lessons by Jackie Simmonds are both great resources for the beginning artist. Spiral bound for easy display next to an easel, these books take you through the techniques of working with oil paints and pastels with helpful advice, beautiful examples and clear photography.

Artful Journals: making & embellishing memory books, garden diaries & travel albums by Janet Takahashi shows you how to make works of art out of your thoughts and mementos. She demonstrates different types of binding and display, ways to embellish your covers and pages, and advocates expressing your ideas and feelings visually.

Craft in America: celebrating two centuries of artists and objects by Jo Lauria and Steve Fenton, is a lovely browse. A companion book to the PBS series (which we have on DVD), this takes a gentle, meandering approach to the history of American craft pieces. The book is grouped by theme or school, rather than chronologically, which is good idea since many craft works (practical objects imbued with beauty) are timeless. Check out the piece by Nathan Jackson on page 14.

Books for Cooks

We have a few new books on the shelves that might interest you if you enjoy spending time in the kitchen - or time at the table.

Steam Cuisine: over 100 quick, healthy and delicious recipes for your steamer by Marina Filippelli. Rice cookers, steamer baskets, parchment paper, even shallow dishes can be used to cook your food quickly without a lot of fat and grease. Everything stays moist and flavorful, and there are a wide variety of foods that can be cooked this way. The pictures are appealing, the recipes are simple, and everything sounds delicious.

Tassajara Cookbook: lunches, picnics & appetizers by Karla Oliveira. This book is packed with light vegetarian and vegan recipes from the famed Tassajara Zen Mountain Center in California. Simple yet delicious, these recipes are perfect for anyone looking for healthy snack and lunch ideas.

A Love Affair With Southern Cooking: recipes and recollections by Jean Anderson. A history of Southern cuisine, this book covers a large region from the Texas plains to the Florida panhandle, the mountains of West Virginia to the Carolina coast. Each recipe comes with a sweet memory or backstory.

Cooking: 600 recipes, 1500 photographs, one kitchen education by James Peterson. With 20 years experience in teaching chefs, Peterson is well qualified to write this book. The recipes touch on a variety of cuisines and ingredients, he covers a wide range of cooking techniques, and the explanations and photographs are very informative. This is Cooking 101 for the ambitious, not the true novice, though.