Preview Shelf -- Dana Ellis to Entertain "Young Ladies" at Special Library Event

Beginning today, May Day, girls aged six to fourteen are invited to register for the Crawfordsville District Public Library's Fourth Annual "Blossoms & Brunch" on Saturday, May 24th from 10:30 to noon. Light pastries and beverages will be served to these young patrons and their guests. The featured speaker will be Montgomery County acrylic artist Dana Ellis, who will help the group create their own souvenir mementos. The special event will take place in the Donnelley Room on the library's lower level. Just call Linda Brady, 362-2242 in the Youth Services Department, extension 114. Here is some newly-available fiction. "Home to Holly Springs" is Jan Karon's pre-sequel after many books in the Mitford Series, now tracing where Father Kavanagh had been born and raised, to find the missing pieces of his life. It is the first of the Father Tim novels. "Queen of Broken Hearts" is an uplifting tale by Cassandra King telling about women helping each other in a small Alabama town. "Sabrina" by Lori Wick features Denver, Colorado in 1880 when a young lady redeems herself from crimnality to useful Christian womanhood. "Summer Hill Secrets-2" takes us to Pennsylvania's Amish country where enlightening experiences help a youngster grow up. In "The Manning Sisters" by Debbie Macomber a young woman accepts a teaching job in Montana, bringing adventures far different from life in Seattle. The book is part of The Manning Family series. Susan Mallery's "Accidentally Yours" pits a woman who believes in the power of love against a man believing in the power of money. "Swept Away" by Toni Blake is a "lonely island" romance as a bride-to-be escapes to be alone and meets a man in his own dangerous position. "The Year of Fog" by Michelle Richmond centers around the aftermath of a six-year-old's disappearance in thick San Francisco mist. Whitley Strieber incorporates his research in "The Grays" a fictional account of the conspiracy behind alien presence on Earth. Joyce Carol Oates' "The Gravedigger's Daughter" is a struggle in post-World War II upstate New York by the daughter in a family who escaped the Nazis in 1936. "The First Patient" by Michael Palmer is "An exciting thriller…full of surprises; captures the intense atmosphere of the White House" said President Bill Clinton. In "Lady Killer" by Lisa Scottoline a young woman searches for her missing rival from high school in a thriller about opposite personalities. "L.A. Outlaws" by T. Jefferson Parker paints a picture of theft and big personalities in a "dance around the secrets that brought them together". Down-to-earth helps are "The Essential Guide to Mold Making & Slip Casting" by Andrew Martin, and "Scrawny to Brawny" about building muscle the natural way by Michael Mejia and John Berardi. "Careers with Animals" comes from Ellen Shenk. "Don't Miss Out" by Anna and Robert Leider is the "ambitious student's guide to financial aid". How about "365 TV-Free Activities You Can Do With Your Child" by Steve & Ruth Bennett, or a traveller's guide to making a difference around the world called "Volunteer" from Lonely Planet. Linda Rosenkrantz and Pamela Satran's "Beyond Jennifer & Jason, Madison & Montana" looks like a very complete supply of ideas to help you name your baby. "All the Math You'll Ever Need" is a self-teaching guide by Steve Slavin. "Simply Face Reading" by Jonathan Dee has the purpose to "deepen your understanding of friends, family, co-workers, and other people in your life". "Simply Palmistry" by Sasha Fenton says "Our hands provide a glimpse of our personalities, health, aptitudes - and even what might happen...in the future".

Preview Shelf -- More New Books About Our State

The Crawfordsville District Public Library has four more new books about Indiana. "Indiana Cooks!" holds great restaurant recipes for the home kitchen gathered by Christine Barbour and Scott Feickert. One chapter is about Maize, An American Grill in Lafayette. Other nearby places are the Limestone Grille and Truffles in Bloomington, and Dunaway's, Elements, Oakleys Bistro and R Bistro in Indianapolis. After the introduction to Maize, the recipes offered are its Indiana Corn and Potato Chowder, Buffalo Rock Shrimp Salad with Roasted Indiana Corn Relish and Maytag Blue-Cheese Dressing, Skewered Salmon on Indiana Corn Cake with Shagbark Hickory Glaze, and Blackened Ribeye on a Double-Stuffed Potato with Grilled Vegetables - in case you'd like to whip them up. "The Indiana Rail Road Company" by Christopher Rund features America's new regional railroad, originally part of the Illinois Central, reborn as a profitable carrier. "Kickin' Hoosiers" by Kathryn Knapp profiles Jerry Yeagley and Championship Soccer at Indiana University, 40 years of determination. " Frank Hohenberger's Indiana Photographs" is a down-home tour taken between 1904 and 1950, with delightful looks at common and special sites both rural and urban. John Hart's mystery "Down River" describes a boy with a turbulant childhood that turned him into a fighter, barely acquitted of murder, exiled unjustly, hiding in New York City , then returning to Rowan County, North Carolina where he is accused and must prove his reformation. Bernard Cornwell's "Sword Song" is the recreation of the Battle of London in 885 A.D. written as the fourth volume in his Saxon Tales built around Alfred, the only English king to have "the Great" added to his name. "Creation in Death" by Nora Roberts writing as J D Robb features a detective named Eve in the year 2060 and how she captures an illusive mass murderer. "The Cameleon's Shadow" by Minette Walters features a disturbed British lieutenant just back from Iraq, who cuts all ties and moves to London where accused of crime he must heal himself to prove innocence. Andrew Greeley's "Irish Tiger"is a Nuala Anne McGrail story of a senior engaged couple in danger, helped by the singer turned Warrior Woman of ancient Erin. "A Lick of Frost" by Laurell Hamilton is fantasy about a onetime private investigator in the mortal world now heir-apparent to the faerie throne, endangered by a wicked aunt Queen. "Every Secret Thing" by Ann Tatlock is a biography of a new English teacher at the preparatory school she attended, who finds new friendships and a captivating mystery. In "Dream When You're Feeling Blue" (remember that song lyric?) Elizabeth Berg takes us to Chicago during World War II and profiles three sisters and their Irish family, bringing alive the atmosphere of that era. Luanne Rice has written "Light of the Moon" traveling across the sea for a magical tale of a lonely woman with a promise to keep. "Between Sundays" by Karen Kinghsbury features three characters: a star athlete, another player with a promise he made years ago, and a young woman caring for a foster child who thinks the star athlete is his father; the plot unites them all. James Grippando's "Lying with Strangers" forces a young doctor to prove the accident forcing her car into a pond was a deliberate crime.

Genealogy Club meeting

The Genealogy Club of Montgomery County, Indiana Corp. at 7:00 pm, on May 13th, 2008. The program is entitled "Proper Way to Repair Broken Tombstones" by Kim Hancock, Cemetery Restoration Volunteer.

Kim has done a lot of tombstone work on the Oneal Cemetery in Ripley Twp. This program will be held at the Crawfordsville District Public Library in the Donnelly Room. Public invited. Call (765)362-2242, Ext 4 for more information.

Fourth Annual Blossoms and Brunch

Coming in May: Fourth Annual Blossoms and Brunch

Saturday, May 24: 10:30 - Noon

An elegant Saturday morning "girls day out" event for young ladies (ages 6-14) and their favorite adult lady.

The Youth Services Department will provide a brunch of light pastries and beverages
followed by a guest speaker who may inspire you to a new hobby. Each participant will
make a keepsake craft to remind her of this memorable morning.

Space is limited. Sign up early to join us for this popular spring-time event.

Sign-up will begin May 1.

Preview Shelf -- How the Library's Popularity Has Grown

Recently issued statistics about the Crawfordsville District Public Library (available on the web page at cdpl.lib.in.us) show an amazing increase in program attendance from 12,313 in 2005 (last full year in the Carnegie) to 27,264 in 2007. Circulation of items rose from 157,695 to 175,063 (both locations have had good activity). Adult media circulation (cassettes, CDs, DVDs etc) in 2007 shows a collection of 7,925 items with a circulation of 37,295. Busy place. The new history "My Dearest Friend" contains letters by Abigail and John Adams beginning with his flirtatious 1762 note to "Miss Adorable," the 17-year-old Abigail Smith and ending in 1810 when she wrote to wish him a safe journey heading home to Quincy, Massachusetts as retiring President. Their "My Dearest Friend" correspondence referred to family affairs as well as to the unfolding founding of our nation. The significance of this book is its inclusion of some letters never seen before. Editors are Massachusetts Historical Society managers of the Adams papers Margaret Hogan and James Taylor. "Focus on the Good Stuff: The Power of Appreciation" comes from Mike Robbins and Geza Vermes. "The Nativity" history and legend untangles centuries of varied storytelling and places the birth and events surrounding it within their historical context. "The Misunderstood Jew" is Amy-Jill Levine's treatise of humorous insight into Jewish-Christian relations by seeking to understand and affirm Jesus' Jewishness. "The Sisterhood" is Dorothy Solomon's portrait of the lives of Mormon women from 1830 to the present era. Two craft books are "Knitting for Baby" with 30 heirloom projects by Melanie Falick and Kristin Nicholas and "Big Girl Knits" 25 bold projects shaped for "women with curves" by Jillian Moreno and Amy Singer. Memoirs begin with Dang Thuy Tram's "Last Night I Dreamed of Peace" (a translation) saved for 35 years before being published in Vietnam, made by a volunteer doctor in a Viet Cong battlefield hospital sharing her thoughts during the two years she served before being killed in that war. A wartime memoir from Anne Frank's best friend, Jacqueline van Maarsen who still lives in Amsterdam is "My Name is Anne, She Said, Anne Frank". "William & Rosalie" is also a Holocaust testimony by two Polish survivors now in their 80s in Texas, who have waged an effective campaign against prejudice and discrimination. "Iraq and Back" by Colonel Kim Olson USAF (Ret.) is subtitled Inside the War to Win the Peace; the author now travels our country speaking about leadership, political-military insights, and educational issues. Good reads are "Animals of Asia & Australia" by Tom Jackson, and "Whalewatcher" a global guide to studying dolphins and porpoises as well as whales in the wild by Trevor Day. "Teach Your Own" by Holt and Farenga is The John Holt Book of Home Schooling. "America's Cheapest Family Gets You Right on the Money" comes from the experiences of Steve and Annette Economides. "Don't Panic - Dinner's in the Freezer" by Susie Martinez makes your mouth water any time of day. Paul Harvey says, "Of all the how-to books ever written, the best …are the Bible, Voltaire's 'Candide' and this one". It's a top-sergeant's lesson in practical economics.

Preview Shelf -- Those Liberal Arts

The Crawfordsville District Public Library, with all kinds of reading, listening, and "doings", offers the public a generous and full education. This week's book listings, as always, are an example. Requested books arrive each week. The first book weighs six pounds. It's called "The Rembrandt Book" and Gary Schwartz, who lives in the Netherlands and writes a biweekly Internet article (The Schwartzlist), includes information about the artist's life, homes, portraits, and paintings. It could be called "Rembrandt 101". Next for contrast come other arts. The piano/vocal scores called "Billy Joel's Greatest Hits" offer Piano Man and Just the Way You Are. There is Eric Clapton's "Clapton" the autobiography telling us about surviving his difficult boyhood when his "solace was the guitar". Laurie Swim's "Quilting" is from the World of Crafts and includes exercises like fabric sketching and fabric bouquet; she shares some novel ideas. "Quilt Masterpieces" by Susanna Pfeffer presents stories and plates of 48 specific fine quilts from the distant and recent past. "The Art of Landscape Quilting" by Zieman and Sewell shows patterns with depth and designs that mimic fine painting. "The Knitter's Book of Finishing Techniques" by Nancie Wiseman is spiral-bound and directs button holes, woven seams, borders, bands, and finishes helpful in many situations. On to history. "Leviathan" by Eric Dolin holds the details of whaling in America, from identifying a stranded whale on the Dutch shore in 1598 to showing the British factory ship, the Balaena, hunting in the Antarctic in 1946. "15 Stars" by Stanley Weintraub profiles Eisenhower, MacArthur, and Marshall, three generals who saved the American century, showing how much of a difference three men can make. "Marine Air" by Robert Dorr gives the history of the Flying Leathernecks in words and photos. Bill Yenne's "Rising Sons" identifies the Japanese-American GIs who fought World War II for the United States, a special segment of the Greatest Generation. "The Indiana Legion: A Civil War Militia" by John Etter, of Westfield, Indiana includes the good bibliography and footnotes made by this re-enactor, graduate student in history at Butler, and researcher of the Indiana Militia; he honors the 50,000 men believed to have served in the active home guard and the many thousands more in the Minute-man militia. :Images of Civil War Medicine" is a photographic history of facilities and the scientists active during the war. "The Frank Family That Survived" by Gordon Sander is told by the grandson of the head of the family showing how Anne Frank was betrayed and how her family eventually survived the Nazi war in Holland."Blood Struggle" is Charles Wilkinson's story about the rise of the modern Indian nations in America. The "Encyclopedia of the Great Plains Indians" edited by David Wishart has many new entries focusing on contemporary tribes and lots of new photos."Women of Courage" holds intimate stories from Afghanistan with colorful pictures of that culture and one-page articles about 40 women in all walks of that life. Two books about the "dark continent" are "Africa on Six Wheels" a semester on safari by Betty Levitov, and "A Continent for the Taking" in which, after 24 years of study, Howard French talks of the tragedy and hope on that continent