The Crawfordsville Library's Dr. Seuss Birthday Party March 3rd was a big success. The Youth Department expanded itself for the festivities enjoyed by 76 children and 65 adults. Besides reading the author's stories, participants made his unique hats, threw Green Eggs on a plate, tossed rings at the Cat in the Hat, fished for One Fish, Two Fish, threw bean bags to other Seuss characters, pinned flowers on Horton, decorated cupcakes, and wore nose- and whisker-painted faces to sing Happy Birthday in front of his 105th Birthday cake. Instead of bringing him gifts, the children received Seuss books to take home. Hooray, hooray, a very good day! On the "new book" shelves, four geographical guides would be fun to read whether or not the reader plans a visit. Insiders' Guide to New York (state) named "Off the Beaten Path" comes from William and Kay Scheller, and their commentary is divided into the eight areas of the state. "Let's Go - New York City on a Budget" has complete maps, and chapters called Accommodations, Food, Sights, Museums, Entertainment, Shopping, Nightlife, and Daytrips. "The Everything Family Guide to Washington, D.C." by Jesse Leaf lists all the best hotels, restaurants, sites, and attractions. "Unforgettable Canada - 100 Destinations" by George Fischer includes brilliant colored photos. There's a bevy of new cookbooks to enjoy. "660 Curries" by Raghavan Iyer comes from The Gateway to Indian Cooking. National Geographic's "Edible" is an illustrated guide to the world's food plants with a foreword by Deborah Madison. "The Williams-Sonoma Cookbook" is the "essential recipe collection for today's home cook". Jackie Eddy's "The Absolute Beginner's Cookbook" has a subtitle How Long Do I Cook a 3-Minute Egg? From Cooking Light comes "Annual Recipes 2008" with 1,000 entries. Elizabeth Yarnell offers "Glorious One-Pot Meals" (dutch-oven cooking). Finally, "The Healthy Kitchen" with Recipes For a Better Body, Life, and Spirit is from Andrew Weil. "Character" by Chris Wallace contains 16 profiles in Presidential courage. Robert Wagner's autobiography opens his heart to share the romances, drama, and humor of his incredible life in "Pieces of My Heart". Kathleen Norris offers "Acedia & Me" about her marriage, monks, and her life as a writer. David Fischer's "Champlain's Dream" brings to life the remarkable Samuel de Champlain, soldier, spy, master mariner, explorer, cartographer, artist, and Father of New France . "The Limits of Power" handles the triple crisis facing America: the economy, the government, and the nation's involvement in endless wars; A. J. Bacevich offers "the neglected tradition of realism". On to fiction. Robert Parker's "Rough Weather" is a Spenser mystery about a society wedding where Spenser's nemesis guns down guests and kidnaps the bride. Nicholas Sparks' "The Lucky One" is a "stunning" tale about a man whose brushes with death lead him to the love of his life, but it's not what you'd expect. "Just Breathe" by Susan Wiggs shows a Chicago cartoonist who, unhappy in marriage, moves west, finding her high school heartthrob and an unexpected conflicting circumstance. Another mystery is "Stalking Susan" by Julie Kramer takes us inside the world of TV ratings where an investigative reporter discovers that a serial killer is targeting women named Susan once a year. "Heart Sick" by Chelsea Cain shows a situation between a torture victim and his captor who's in prison for life. Cain's "Sweetheart" is another plot involving the same characters in a new situation. "19th Wife" by David Ebershoff is a mystery combining historical fiction with a modern murder, involving Brigham Young and polygamy in present-day Utah.
