Hot Picks

High-demand books that are circulated frequently to ensure the best availability. Look for the displays near the circulation desk at Central Library and Oshtemo Branch Library.

October 13 - 19, 2008

The Bon Appetit Fast Easy Fresh Cookbook: Fairchild, Barbara; ISBN: 9780470226308; Call Number: 641.555 F165; 2008; Full of fresh, delicious recipes that are fast enough for a weeknight, special enough for a weekend, Bon Appétit makes it easy to find just the right recipe and pull it together in no time at all.Forget about lukewarm takeout, and don't even think of reaching for tired leftovers—with The Bon Appétit Fast Easy Fresh Cookbook, you'll have more than 1,100 quick and easy recipes at your fingertips, all using fresh, readily available ingredients in inventive new ways. This is the perfect book for everyone who wants to create healthful, delicious, and exciting food every night of the week. Supermarkets and local farmers' markets are filled with diverse ingredients that add flavor, texture, and interest to your cooking. Use that qualilty as inspiration, and let this book be your guide as you use those ingredients to get dinner on the table in a flash. From Cilantro-Lime Crab Salad in Avocado Halves, Roasted-Garlic Beef Stew, and Linguine with Winter Pesto to Shrimp with Ginger-Herb Butter, Grilled Steak with Fresh Garden Herbs, and Peach Pie with Berry Jam, you'll find a wide range of flavorful dishes inside that take a fun, modern spin.For more than half a century, Bon Appétit has been the go-to source for straight-forward, sophisticated recipes, each with a contemporary twist. Now more than ever we also want to be conscientious about choosing responsibly sourced ingredients and healthy foods. The experts at Bon Appétit show how, in the most comprehensive collection—ever—of the magazine's best, most delicious, fast and easy recipes. As a cookbook, Fast Easy Fresh is unparalleled—every recipe is simple to use and has been tested with care by the Bon Appétit Test Kitchen. It will become your indispensable source for all the tips, hints, and tricks you need to keep you on top of your game.Eating local, eating better, eating fresh—it all starts here, in The Bon Appétit Fast Easy Fresh Cookbook.
The Revolution: A Manifesto: Paul, Ron; ISBN: 9780446537513; Call Number: 973.931 P3247; 2008; Congressman Ron Paul (TX-R)--presidential candidate, popular ideologue, debate favorite, and creator of one of the largest grassroots campaigns in history--sets forth his revolutionary manifesto and challenges America to make the tough changes needed to survive.
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society: Shaffer, Mary; ISBN: 9780385340991; 2008; "January 1946: London is emerging from the shadow of the Second World War, and writer Juliet Ashton is looking for her next book subject. Who could imagine that she would find it in a letter from a man she'd never met, a native of Guernsey, the British island once occupied by the Nazis. He'd come across her name on the flyleaf of a secondhand volume by Charles Lamb. Perhaps she could tell him where he might find more books by this author." "As Juliet and her new correspondent exchange letters, she is drawn into the world of this man and his friends, all members of the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, a unique book club formed in a unique, spur-of-the-moment way: as an alibi to protect its members from arrest by the Germans." "Juliet begins a remarkable correspondence with the Society's charming, deeply human members, from pig farmers to phrenologists, literature lovers all. Through their letters she learns about their island, their taste in books, and the powerful, transformative impact the recent German occupation has had on their lives. Captivated by their stories, she sets sail for Guernsey, and what she finds there will change her forever." "Written with warmth and humor as a series of letters, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Vie Society is a celebration of the written word in all its guises, and of finding connection in the most surprising ways."--BOOK JACKET.
Michelle: A Biography: Munday, Liza; ISBN: 1416599436; Call Number: 921 O113M; 2008; She can be funny and sharp-tongued, warm and blunt, empathic and demanding. Who is the woman Barack Obama calls "the boss"? In Michelle, Washington Post writer Liza Mundy paints a revealing and intimate portrait, taking us inside the marriage of the most dynamic couple in politics today. She shows how well they complement each other: Michelle, the highly organized, sometimes intimidating, list-making pragmatist; Barack, the introspective political charmer who won't pick up his socks but shoots for the stars. Their relationship, like those of many couples with two careers and two children, has been so strained at times that he has had to persuade her to support his climb up the political ladder. And you can't blame her for occasionally regretting it: In this campaign, it is Michelle who has absorbed much of the skepticism from voters about Obama. One conservative magazine put her on the cover under the headline "Mrs. Grievance." Michelle's story carries with it all the extraordinary achievements and lingering pain of America in the post-civil rights era. She grew up on the south side of Chicago, the daughter of a city worker and a stay-at-home mom in a neighborhood rocked by white flight. She was admitted to Princeton amid an angry debate about affirmative action and went on to Harvard Law School, where she was more comfortable doing pro-bono work for the poor than gunning for awards with the rest of her peers. She became a corporate lawyer, then left to train community leaders. She is modern in her tastes but likes to watch reruns of The Dick Van Dyke Show and The Brady Bunch.In this carefully reported biography, drawing upon interviews with more than one hundred people, including one with Michelle herself, Mundy captures the complexity of this remarkable woman and the remarkable life she has lived.
Hot, Flat, and Crowded: Why We Need a Green Revolution and how it can Renew America: Friedman, Thomas; ISBN: 9780374166854; Call Number: 363.7 F9115; 2008; "Thomas L. Friedman takes a look at two of the biggest challenges we face today: America's surprising loss of focus and national purpose since 9/11; and the global environmental crisis, which is affecting everything from food to fuel to forests. In this groundbreaking account of where we stand now, he shows us how the solutions to these two big problems are linked - how we can restore the world and revive America at the same time." "Friedman explains how global warming, rapidly growing populations, and the astonishing expansion of the world's middle class through globalization have produced a planet that is "hot, flat, and crowded." Already the earth is being affected in ways that threaten to make it dangerously unstable. In just a few years, it will be too late to fix things - unless the United States steps up now and takes the lead in a worldwide effort to replace our wasteful, inefficient energy practices with a strategy for dean energy, energy efficiency, and conservation that Friedman calls Code Green." "Friedman makes it clear that the green revolution we need is like no revolution the world has seen. It will be the biggest innovation project in American history; it will be hard, not easy; and it will change everything from what you put into your car to what you see on your electric bill. But the payoff for America will be more than just cleaner air. It will inspire Americans to something we haven't seen in a long time - nation-building in America - by summoning the intelligence, creativity, boldness, and concern for the common good that are our nation's greatest natural resources."--BOOK JACKET.
The Glass of Time: The Secret Life of Miss Esperanza Gorst: Cox, Michael; ISBN: 9780393067736; 2008; Taking a job as a Victorian lady's maid in the household of baroness Tansor, nineteen-year-old orphan Esperanza Gorst hides the truth about her mission to uncover her mistress's secrets about a past injustice that has affected Esperanza's own life.
Grace: Evans, Richard; ISBN: 9781416550037; 2008; An old man reminisces about his first love, a young runaway who taught him more about life than anyone had before or since.

September 22 - 28, 2008

The War Within: A Secret White House History, 2006 - 2008: Woodward, Bob; ISBN: 1416558977; Call Number: 973.931 W899.3; 2008; Bob Woodward's fourth book about the Bush presidency at war declassifies the secrets of America's political and military involvement in Iraq. Woodward once again pulls back the curtain on Washington to reveal the inner workings of a government at war.
A Promis to Ourselves: A Journey Through Fatherhood and Divorce: Baldwin, Alec; ISBN: 9780312363369; Call Number: 306.892 B1811; 2008; Sharing details of his own contentious divorce litigation, the award-winning actor discusses the heavy toll of divorce--financial, psychological, and emotional--on non-custodial parents, offering practical guidelines on such topics as prenuptial agreements, how to select an attorney, custody and visitation strategies, and more.
O's Bog Book of Happiness: The Best of O, The Oprah Magazine: Wisdom, Wit, Advice, Interviews, and Inspiration: Winfrey, Oprah; ISBN: 9780848732332; Call Number: 646.70082 O811; 2008; "You can't buy happiness, so why not grow your own? All you need is a piece of fertile ground (your beautiful mind) plus some hardy seeds of wisdom, creativity, and plain good sense. In this inspiring new collection from the pages of O, The Oprah Magazine, more than 75 warm, wise, and insightful contributors write about beating the blues, dropping the weight, kissing fear goodbye, making your dreams real, and putting your best face forward (with a little help from the right haircut, of course)"--from publisher description.
Bon Appetit: Byrd, Sandra; ISBN: 9781400073283; 2008; Lexi Stuart is risking it all. Saying au revoir to the security of home, her job, and could-be boyfriend Dan, Lexi embarks on a culinary adventure in France to fulfill her life dream of becoming a pastry chef.As she settles into her new home in the village of Presque le Chateau to study and work in a local bakery, her twenty-something optimism meets resistance in the seemingly crusty nature of the people and culture around her. Determined to gain her footing, she finds a church, meets a new friend, and makes the acquaintance of a child named Celine–as well as Celine’s attractive, widowed father, Philippe. Even Patricia, the gruff pastry cook, shows a softer side as she mentors Lexi in the art of baking.As Lexi lives her dream, the only thing she has to do is choose from the array in life’s patisserie display window: her familiar home, friends, and family in Seattle or her new life in France. Lexi discovers that as she leans more on God the choices become a little clearer– and making them, well, c’est la vie!
Before You Do: Making Great Decisions That You Won't Regret: Jakes, T.D.; ISBN: 1416547282; Call Number: 248.84 J257; 2008; Before you decide -- Before you take the first step-reflect, discern -- Before you blame-accept responsibility -- Before you leave junk in your trunk-clean up emotionally -- Before you lead-decide on your team -- Before you join -- Before you decide to love -- Before you place your love order -- Before you commit-research -- Before you commit-development -- Before you get engaged-twenty final exam questions you must ask -- Before you marry -- Before you decide to take a risk for your marriage -- Before you buy a house -- Before you have children -- Before you divorce -- Before you settle for less -- Before you fight -- Before you take flight -- Before you gamble -- Now you've done it.
Through the Storm: A Real Story of Fame and Family in a Tabloid World: ISBN: 9781595551566; Call Number: 929.2 S7413S; 2008; We all want our children to succeed. What happens when they do?Britney Spears wanted to sing ever since she was a little girl. But the years of sacrifices, auditions, performances, albums, fame, and paparazzi left the little Louisiana family swept up and spun around, and nothing turned out the way anyone ever imagined or wanted. Now Lynne shares the inside story of the Spears family as only a mother can.Through the Storm takes readers outside the narrow orbit of the Hollywood glitterati. Lynne shares how fame forever changed their family; her regrets letting managers, agents, and record companies direct the lives of her children; the challenges that shaped Lynne and Jamie's failed marriage and how they affected Bryan, Britney, and Jamie Lynn; the startling events that led to Britney's breakdown; the aftermath of Jamie Lynn's pregnancy; and how the family has tried pulling together to recapture a sense of hope and purpose.Through the Storm, says Lynne, is "the story of one simple Southern woman whose family got caught in a tornado called fame, and who is still trying to sort through the debris scattered all over her life in the aftermath. It's who I am, warts and all, with some true confessions that took a long time to get up the nerve to discuss."
The Toss of a Lemon: Viswanathan, Padma; ISBN: 9780151015337; 2008; "Viswanathan's narrative, refreshingly, is free of anachronism, and she has a pleasing way of engaging the reader's senses-not least with some mouth-watering descriptions of ''dry and wet curries, pacchadis of yogurt and cucumber.deep-fried patties of lentil and chili,'' and other such delicacies....Of a piece with the recent works of Vikram Seth, and reminiscent at times of Garc�a M�rquez-altogether a pleasure." (Starred) (Kirkus Reviews )
Lie Down With the Devil: Barnes, Linda; ISBN: 9780312332891; 2008; "Boston PI, Carlotta Carlyle, in unfamiliar territory working on her own behalf, finds herself in the middle of a complicated case that has as much to do with the people she loves as the backstreets of Boston and beyond." "For starters, Carlotta wants to know what her on-again, off-again boyfriend Sam Gianelli did to earn himself a secret indictment for murder that's keeping him out of the country. A man with plenty of secrets, he won't tell her anything, much less let her help, and she isn't having any more luck with her old friends at the Boston PD. Sam's exile could be connected to the mob - he is in the family - but she's not buying it. It couldn't be that simple. Nothing involving Sam ever is." "Faced with only dead ends, Carlotta goes back to basics and takes a case for a nervous bride-to-be who wants to make sure her fiance is being faithful. Simple enough, but when her client turns up dead, Carlotta catches the kind of break she wished she hadn't."--BOOK JACKET.

September 15 - 21, 2008

Sail: Patterson, James; ISBN: 9780316018708; 2008
Home: A Memoir of my Early Years: Andrews, Julie; ISBN: 9780786865659; 2008
My Stroke on Insight: A Brain Scientist's Personal Journey: Taylor, Jill; ISBN: 9780670020744; 2008
Christ the Lord: The Road to Cana: Rice, Anne; ISBN: 9781400043521; 2008
The Sunday Brunch Diaries: Jarrett, Norma; ISBN: 9780767921435; 2008
The World in Six Songs: How the Musical Brain Created Himan Nature: Levitin, Daniel; ISBN: 9780525950738; 2008
Take Back Your Family : A Challenge to America's Parents: Simmons, Joseph; ISBN: 9781592403813; 2008
Eat This, Not That, For Kids: Thousands of Simple Food Swaps That can Save Your Child From Obesity: Zinczenko, David; ISBN: 9781605299433; 2008
Life With My Sister Madonna: Ciccone, Christopher; ISBN: 9781416587620; 2008
Know Your Power: A Message to America's Daughters: Pelosi, Nancy; ISBN: 9780385525862; 2008
Sweetsmoke: Fuller, David; ISBN: 1401323316; 2008
The Matters at Mansfield, or The Crawford Affair: A Mr. & Mrs. Darcy Mystery: Bebris, Carrie; ISBN: 9780765318473; 2008
Fine Just the Way it is: Wyoming Stories 3: Proulx, Annie; ISBN: 9781416571667; 2008
Final Justice: Michaels, Fern; ISBN: 9780758227164; 2008
Iodine: Kimmel, Haven; ISBN: 9781416572848; 2008
Somewhere in Heaven: The Remarkable Love Story of Dana and Christopher Reeve: Andersen, Christopher; ISBN: 9781401323028; 2008

September 8 - 14, 2008

Love as a Way of Life: Seven Keys to Transforming Every Aspect of Your Life: Chapman, Gary; ISBN: 9780385518581; 2008
Wedding Belles: Smith, Haywood; ISBN: 9780312329730; 2008
The Walk-in: Berntsen, Gary; ISBN: 9780307394811; 2008
The Various Flavors of Coffee: Capella, Anthony; ISBN: 9780553807325; 2008
Sweetheart: Cain, Chelsea; ISBN: 9780312368470; 2008
Silks: Francis, Dick; ISBN: 9780399155338; 2008
She Had It Coming: Monroe, Mary; ISBN: 9780758212191; 2008
Red Knife: A Cork O'Connor Mystery: Krueger, William; ISBN: 9781416556749; 2008
My Husband's Sweethearts: Asher, Bridget; ISBN: 9780385341899; 2008
A Job To Kill For: A Lacy Fields Mystery: Kaplan, Janice; ISBN: 9781416532132; 2008
The Gone-away World: Harkaway, Nick; ISBN: 9780307268860; 2008
Envy The Night: Koryta, Michael; ISBN: 9780312361587; 2008; "It has been seven years since Frank Temple III joined the rest of the world in learning his father's bloody secret: The U.S. marshal maintained a covert career as a contract killer, a double-life that ended in suicide to avoid prosecution and prison." "The shocking revelation triggered years of anonymous drifting for Frank, time spent running from his legacy and struggling to believe that the father he'd loved so dearly was entirely in the wrong. After all, the victims hadn't been innocents. And Devin Matteson, the man who'd lured his father into the killing game only to later give him up to the FBI, is probably the darkest of the lot. Those are troubling thoughts, and Frank tries to stay away from them. But when an old family friend calls to say that Matteson is returning to the isolated Wisconsin lake that was once sacred ground for their families, it's a homecoming Frank knows he can't allow." "His arrival in town reveals a situation far from the expected, though." "While Matteson is nowhere to be found, his old cabin is indeed occupied - by a strange, beautiful woman and a nervous man with a gun. When a pair of assassins from Miami arrive on their heels, Frank knows Matteson can't be far behind. And while the wise move would be to call in the police and get out of town fast, that just doesn't feel right. After all, contract killer or not, Frank's father was at heart a teacher. And his son excelled at the lessons."--
Doggie Day Care Murder: Berenson, Laurien; ISBN: 9780758216045; 2008
The Black Tower: Bayard, Louis; ISBN: 9780061173509; 2008
Angel's Tip: Burke, Alafair; ISBN: 9780061561023; 2008
American Wife: Sittenfeld, Curtis; ISBN: 9781400064755; 2008
The Fifth Floor: Harvey, Michael; ISBN: 9780307266873; 2008
The 19th Wife: A Novel: Ebershoff, David; ISBN: 9781400063970; 2008
The First Lady: Weber, Carl; ISBN: 0758215754; 2007

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Books for: Kids, Tweens, Teens

Hot Picks

October 13 - 19, 2008

September 22 - 28, 2008

September 15 - 21, 2008

September 8 - 14, 2008

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