A Gardener's Reference Tool

One of our new gardening books is The Plant Finder: the right plants for every garden. The name is a bit of a misnomer, though. You don't open this book and find a handy list of flowers and shrubs perfect for low light, high wind and heavy rainfall. There are no groupings by climate, season, color or style (English cottage, French traditional, Japanese Zen).
However, if you already have your list of potential plants drawn up, this book will tell you all you need to know about its light, moisture, space and drainage needs. You can find its planting season, flowering season and whether or not it does well in containers. The book describes the various species of each genus, and for the more popular varieties of plants it also describes cultivars. The book is broken down by general plant type (cacti, vegetable, annual, shrub, etc.) and the beginning of each section features a handy chart that lists all the attributes of each featured plant. Color photos abound within the section, and since this book covers over 5,000 plants, it's a good bet that the plant you are looking for can be found within its pages.
My advice is to browse through some of our other wonderful gardening books to get ideas for plants, and when you have assembled your list of suggestions, crack open The Plant Finder and see which ones are right for you.

Audio nonfiction

Anyone who thinks that reading nonfiction is akin to curling up with a textbook hasn't read some of the literary jewels that have been published lately. In fact, really good nonfiction can be more entertaining than many novels. We have a couple of new audiobooks that are very interesting, and should hold the attention of any listener.
The Center Cannot Hold, by Elyn Saks is an autobiographical account of her experience with schizophrenia. Currently a professor of psychiatry, Saks first began exhibiting signs of schizophrenia when she was eight, and she eventually was confined to an institution for a period of time. She struggled back against the illness and went on to live a successful life on her terms. This is a powerful book for anyone who is touched by a devastating mental illness.
The Day of Battle: the war in Sicily and Italy, 1943-1944, by Rick Atkinson, is the second book in his Liberation Trilogy. His first book in the trilogy won a Pulitzer Prize, and Atkinson continues the strong narrative and detailed research as he describes the events in the southern European theater of World War II. Over 30 hours, in two volumes, this book is sure to fascinate history buffs.

New audiobooks

We just got another flush of new audiobooks on CD here at the library, and they are all very popular titles by successful authors:
A Morning for Flamingos is a new Dave Robicheaux mystery, set in New Orleans, by James Lee Burke
The New Year's Quilt is #11 in the Elm Creek Quilts series by Jennifer Chiaverini
T is for Trespass, by Sue Grafton, is the latest entry in one of the most popular mystery series we have here at the public library.
Hand of Evil is the follow-up to J.A. Jance's 2007 novel Web of Evil, starring amateur sleuth Ali Reynolds.
Home to Holly Springs, by Jan Karon, is the start of a new series centered around retired Episcopal priest Tim Kavanagh.
Run is by Ann Patchett, who authored the very popular Bel Canto, which was a featured book in one of the library's book discussion groups.
Exit Ghost, by Philip Roth, is his ninth novel featuring Nathan Zuckerman, following his 2001 novel The Human Stain.
There's a little something here for everyone, and tomorrow I'll talk about a couple of other new audiobooks for those of you who prefer literary nonfiction.

The Final Word on Spanish Cooking

Looking for perfect paella? Tasty tapas? We have the cookbook for you: 1,080 Recipes by Simone and Inés Ortega. First published in Spain over 30 years ago, this book is the Spanish version of our trusty Joy of Cooking. This recent revision has been worked on by Simone (the original author) and her daughter Inés, and for this English version they have also added extra explanations of the special techniques and ingredients found in some of the recipes. This book covers it all - vegetables, meats, desserts, appetizers, eggs, sauces and stews - and has some additional bonuses. In the back of the book are a variety of menu suggestions from famous chefs familiar with Spanish cooking. You could cook a lobster paella from a Valencian restaurant beloved by Ernest Hemingway, or rhubarb flan from the highest-rated Spanish restaurant in New York City. There is also an interesting list of cooking tips and a glossary of terms in the back of the book. I'll pass on the stew of lamb's organs (which are apparently hard to obtain outside the Mediterranean, anyway), but sign me up for the ricotta cheese with peaches in syrup (queso fresco con melocotones en almibar). Yum!

Library Elf

Many months ago, we told our patrons about a great way to keep track of their library books: Library Elf. This free service (not run by us, but by a Canadian company) would send emails alerting their members when they had overdue books, books on hold waiting for them, and even when their books were almost due. It was a fabulous way to avoid fines, it was free, and they were supposedly immune from the provisions of the Patriot Act (if you don't know what this act means to your personal liberties and privacy, you should: American Library Association site).
Unfortunately, with our new system, Library Elf no longer works. The company did send out an email to their Ketchikan members alerting them of this, but if you missed the email and you rely on their messages to get your books in on time, I'm here to tell you that you need to go back to the old-fashioned way of tracking your books: look at the little date due slips we put in them upon checkout.
Another related piece of news: at this point we still have not been able to get our system to print overdue notices. We have just installed a software patch that we are pinning all our hopes on, and we will try again on Monday, but in the interim you might just want to hop online and check your account manually: Library Catalog. Click on 'My Account' and then on 'Review My Account'. In order to log in, you will need to enter all 14 digits on your library card barcode. The PIN is the last 6 digits of said barcode (if you hate this, you can change the PIN to something more memorable). Keep your fingers crossed for us on Monday!

Lobster Tales

We have two new books that share very little except the fact that I can use them to make an appalling pun for this posting.

Atomic Lobster, by Tim Dorsey, is a follow-up to his popular novels Hurricane Punch and Big Bamboo. Set in Tampa, the series involves slapstick action, over-the-top characters, sex, violence and lots of laughs. Fast-paced and crazy, this is a good choice for readers who like a little blood with their humor.

Last Night at the Lobster, by Stewart O'Nan, takes place at the other end of the Atlantic seaboard, in a snowy Connecticut town. Focusing on small-town, working-class life, Last Night tells the story of a conscientious manager of a chain restaurant that's being shut down. Determined to make the last night a triumph of organization and good service, Manny finds he is alone in his relentless drive to be positive. Not a lot of action, but very true to life.

And if fiction just isn't your bag, then try The Lobster Chronicles: life on a very small island, by Linda Greenlaw. The fishery might be a bit different, but the life is very similar to that of Southeast Alaska.

New fantasy

We have a couple of new entries in fantasy series by popular authors.

Renegade's Magic is the third installment of Robin Hobb's "Soldier Son" trilogy (after Shaman's Crossing and Forest Mage). In this book, soldier Nevare Burvelle becomes a fugitive when condemned for a murder he did not commit. On the run and shunned by everyone except Lisana, he beings to realize that the Speck magic that has caused him so much pain and despair might actually be harnessed and used for his own purposes. But what will happen to the new Nevare?

Reader and Raelynx: a novel of the Twelve Houses is the latest book by Sharon Shinn. In her fourth book set in the troubled world of Gillengaria, Shinn continues to mix up a wonderful blend of magic, mysticism and romance. The mystic Cammon has been summoned to help vet the suitors for the Princess Amalie's hand, but the pair end up falling in love instead - a love doomed by their different stations in life.