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The New American Plate Cookbook by the American Institute for Cancer Research

This cookbook, by the American Institute for Cancer Research, is making the recommendation that we increase our daily intake of vegetables, fruits, whole grains and beans so that it equals 2/3rds of our daily food intake. They encourage us to do this gradually, by first adding some additional fruits and vegetables to our diet. As we become accustomed to having less meat and starches, the authors provide us with a multitude of tasty recipes. They suggest using olive or canola oil and trying to “cook once, eat twice”, to reduce the amount of time in the kitchen.

As I perused the recipes, several sounded especially appropriate for autumn. Acorn squash stuffed with apricots and cornbread or cider glazed sweet potatoes with cranberries are perfect side or main dishes for a cooler fall evening. Some delicious main entrees include baked fish with tomatoes, spinach and olives, cranberry chicken, or shrimp with grapefruit and black bean salsa. The soup recipes that piqued my interest were fresh corn bisque, summer squash soup and chilled strawberry soup. As with most cookbooks, the authors end with dessert recipes. The chocolate angel food cake with raspberries and the fresh plum tart are definitely on my list to try.

Tompkins County Public Library has a variety of cookbooks that are sure to appeal to everyone. Bon Appetit! - Reviewed by Deb

The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown

2003 was the year of Dan Brown and The Da Vinci Code. Selling over 80 million copies to date, the book was translated into 44 languages and a major movie came out a few years later. Those in the publishing world kept asking one question –could Dan Brown do it again? The Lost Symbol, released in mid September, answers with a resounding yes. Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon is back in Boston when he receives a phone call from the office of his mentor, Peter Solomon, asking him to quickly get on a plane and deliver an evening lecture in the U.S. Capitol Building. Yet when Langdon arrives, he finds the Capitol empty, except for Solomon’s severed hand, which is now covered with tattoos of ancient symbols.

The Lost Symbol is set over a tense evening in Washington D.C., when Langdon and Peter’s sister, Katherine Solomon join forces to not only find Peter, but to solve an ancient Masonic mystery. Brown draws readers in with short, quickly paced chapters that alternate story lines and gives readers an in-depth background of the historical Washington buildings, secret societies, the intertwined role of history and science, and hidden histories. Brown also creates one of the most evil characters in recent thrillers, Mal’akh, who brings terror to Washington, and tries to expose long lost Masonic secrets.

Those looking for a quick, thrilling read, or those interested in books set in Washington will find it with The Lost Symbol. The Tompkins County Public Library has 20 copies to check out, as well as 3 copies of the audio version. - Reviewed by Sarah

Phaedra by Tangerine Dream

"....to sleep, perchance to tangerine dream..."

If you are looking for a great album to fall asleep to, then this album is for you. Even the painting on the cover and the song titles themselves can put you to sleep (I like to think that the music on the albums are soundtracks for the group's album covers). Phaedra, which was released in 1974, was Tangerine Dream's fifth album (if you don't count Green Desert, which was recorded in 1973, but not released until the mid 80's) and for me, was the album where Tangerine Dream, by then consisting of Christopher Franke, Peter Baumann and founding member Edgar Froese, finally came into their own with their unique brand of electronic, ambient background music. The first four albums, particularly Atem and Alpha Centauri, sounded too much like the group Pink Floyd around the time of Saucerful Of Secrets (I like that era of Pink Floyd, but Tangerine Dream were no Pink Floyd!). And the double album Zeit was four sides of sheer boredom....kind of like an ambient version of Lou Reed's Metal Machine Music. What made Phaedra so different was the abandonment of any acoustic drumming and the use of the sequencer, which provides the pulse for a good section of the 17 and a half minute title track, which takes up the entire first half of the album. To me, this is 17 and a half minutes of absolute soothing, electronic ambient bliss, my only complaint being that it's not long enough!

The second half isn't quite as spectacular, but it does get off to a good start with the mellotron dominated tune Mysterious Semblance at the Strand of Nightmares, which gets my vote for best Tangerine Dream song title of all time and outer space. It is also the only piece here to have anything even slightly resembling a melody. This band was never really about melodies or catchy guitar riffs, anyway. There are no vocals, so you can't sing along to it. No drums, so you can't tap your foot to it or dance to it. This is not music that one can memorize. Just put it the background, turn the speakers up and let the music absorb you or wrap around you like a blanket.

What's nice is that I don't even consider this Tangerine Dream's best album. I think they got even better at this kind of music on their next four albums, Rubycon, Ricochet, Stratosfear and the live album Encore. Phaedra is a great album, but it was really only the beginning for this group. Highly recommended if you have problems falling asleep at night! - Reviewed by Rich

The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros

Recently, on my drive into work, I listened to National Public Radio and there was a piece on Sandra Cisneros. It was the 25th anniversary of The House on Mango Street. Having not read it, I thought I would borrow it from our library. The author’s poetic and narrative style in this short novel truly captivated me. Each short chapter left me with a feeling that I was in the protagonist's mind and knew her well. Cisneros, with her fluid and descriptive writing style, managed to paint a vivid picture of life for a Mexican-American girl in her early teens growing up in a poor neighborhood in Chicago. Now I am hooked and want to read her other works. - Reviewed by Patricia

A Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick

Ralph Truitt, a wealthy businessman, ran a newspaper ad, seeking a “reliable wife”. As a widower, he was lonely living in a desolate Wisconsin town. Catherine Land responded and journeyed through the middle of the winter with plans to marry Ralph and then slowly poison him to gain his wealth.

This story takes place in Wisconsin at the turn of the century when the local economy has suffered major setbacks. Ralph, as the wealthiest citizen, is both envied and pitied. As the story develops, we learn of his tragic life and of his "reliable wife's" checkered past. Throughout the story, we see scenes from their past lives which help us to understand their relationship and the culmination of the gradual effects of the poison. Goolrick’s development of the characters throughout this story gives us an intriguing look into lives which were torn apart by love and greed. The surprising ending reassures us that sometimes love does prevail. - Reviewed by Deb

Losing Mum and Pup: a Memoir by Christopher Buckley

Christopher Buckley has written a touching and often funny memoir of his famous parents. He is also the narrator and has a very easy-to-listen-to voice. Both his parents were captivating, exceptional people. Of course, William F. Buckley was the more famous former host of Firing Line and author of many, many books, newspaper and magazine articles. Patricia Buckley, apparently, was quite a memorable individual all on her own. It’s a wonderful thing to hear Mr. Buckley’s tribute to his parents and compassion for the difficulties they faced at the end of life. For those of us who have watched our parents go through somewhat similar travails in their final months or years, it’s comforting. - Reviewed by Nancy

Blackout by Gianluca Morozzi

Bologna, Italy is suffering from one of the hottest Bank Holidays ever seen. Unfortunately, this is bad news for the three people trapped in a high-rise elevator in a downtown apartment building. Readers learn early in the book that Aldo Ferro, a successful businessman and bar owner, is not who he appears to be. Actually a sadistic serial killer, he is returning to his private apartment in the building when he gets stuck in the elevator with Claudia, a young waitress returning home from work, and Tomas, a teenager who is planning to run away to Amsterdam with his girlfriend. What will happen to the three of them when the elevator gets stuck halfway up and there is no cell phone reception and the emergency alarms don’t work?

This psychological suspense novel is a perfect summer read for those who like suspense, characters with hidden secrets, and a shocking twist at the end. As the temperature rises in the elevator, and Ferro’s madness can’t be contained any more, readers are in for a fast-paced ride that never slows down. Morozzi switches characters often so readers can understand how all three characters are dealing with the stress of being trapped and there is plenty of tension to keep readers guessing what will happen in the end. While TCPL doesn’t own the movie version, there was a horror movie made in 2007 that closely (but not completely) follows the book and is available on Netflix. Readers looking for a quick, suspenseful summer read should find it in Blackout. – Reviewed by Sarah

Breakfast at Sally's: One Homeless Man's Inspirational Journey by Richard LeMieux

I was walking through the New Book section when this title caught my eye. I wondered, “Who is Sally and why is she making breakfast?” Within the first few pages, I learned that the author had been a very successful businessman in the publishing business. When his company failed, his life spiraled downward to the depths of despair. As his depression increased, his relationship with his family disintegrated and so did his finances. He eventually began to live in his car along with his dog and faithful companion, Willow.

Richard takes us through his journey of homelessness by sharing the stories of the people he befriended. It was through the kindness of strangers and groups like The Salvation Army ( Sally’s) and a church that he began to put his life back together. He learns that by caring about others, he is able to regain some of his former life. His relationship with his dog is a very special one. At one point in his life, the author was on the brink of suicide and it was only the love of his dog that saved him.

This is an inspirational story for these difficult times. - Reviewed by Deb

Super Smash Bros. Brawl

Did you know that you can check out games for the Nintendo Wii at the library? Well, you can – our library system owns a few and can loan them. Ask your reference librarian how! In the meantime, here’s one suggestion for you: Super Smash Brothers Brawl!

It is a bit harder to review a video game than a book or movie, as a video game is by its nature an interactive experience. In the end, however, the question on any video game is: “Will I have fun playing this?” In the end, the answer is a resounding yes, especially if you have a multiplayer game going on.

We put this game in at a party having never played it before. So here’s the weakness of the game: you will have no idea what is going on, and you probably won’t gain one. But here’s the strength: you won’t care. It is just fun. Pick a character. Any character, and there are so many characters – 20 or so to start, with another 10 or so unlockable – and pick a stadium, and start pressing buttons. Each character has its own special moves, and I suppose you could try to learn them. But more fun things happen just button mashing.

And that’s the main fun of this game. 3 friends and I fighting, handing off Wiimotes to our friends between bouts, playing random characters to see what they could do, and different stadiums to see what would happen. And the stadiums matter – some of them shift shapes, or are constantly being destroyed at one end and built at the other. Some are more static. And weird stuff just happens. Probably the weirdest was when, in the middle of a 4 person brawl, a yellow lab from Nintendogs just popped up on screen – like 3/4s of the screen – and started barking at us for a few seconds. We don’t know if we caused that or if it just happened, but it’s something that we still talk about.

In other words, the game is just bizarre fun. You don’t know what’s going on, and that’s the point. Just play and have fun.

For Nintendo Wii only. - Reviewed by John