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

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

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

Home: a Memoir of My Early Years by Julie Andrews

The best part of this audiobook experience is being able to listen to Julie Andrews. She may not be singing, but her reading voice is very pleasing to the ear. She tells of her close, warmly supportive relationship with her father and the sadness of her parents’ divorce. It was her stepfather who started her on her career path though his effect on her was not completely positive by any means. For many years she performed in music halls with her mother and stepfather and the money she earned helped her family through the difficult postwar period in Britain. Eventually her talent, intelligence and luck led her far from home. There are plenty of good stories about the years on Broadway. Her naturally upbeat outlook and compassion for the human condition shine through this memoir. - Reviewed by Nancy

The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher: a Shocking Murder and the Undoing of a Great Victorian Detective by Kate Summerscale

A horrible child murder took place in the summer of 1860 at Road Hill House in a small English village. One of the first Scotland Yard detective inspectors was sent to solve the mystery of who might be cruel enough to kill a sleeping three year old boy and cast his body in the servants’ privy. Countless lurid, highly opinionated newspaper articles and average, everyday gossip made this case a national sensation.

Kate Summerscale does a wonderful job of interweaving the history of detective novels with the events and personae of this real life case. The basic facts of the case will capture your interest and the individual characters intrigue you with their layers of deep, dark secrets that may well have laid the groundwork for a violent death. - Reviewed by Nancy

Spain and the World Table by Martha Rose Shulman

Having spent my third year of college in Spain, I am always on the look out for Spanish cookbooks. In Spain and the World Table, I found a treasure trove of traditional and modern recipes. Martha Shulman worked in conjunction with the Culinary Institute of America to assemble dishes that range from tapas to desserts. My favorite part of any cookbook is always the introduction and the history behind the recipes and ingredients.

Martha addresses the beginnings of the Spanish table through the regional dishes which were based on ingredients which were readily available to the people. This is why Spanish cities near the sea are famous for paella (a saffron, rice and seafood dish) and many that use salt cod as the main ingredient. The National Dish of Spain is the tortilla Espanola which is an omelet made with eggs and potatoes and is served both as a main dish as well as an appetizer or tapa. Gazpacho, a cold tomato soup, has many variations. The author even includes a recipe for one with beets and cherries. Cocido is a stew with beans, meat and sausage that I ate each week with my Spanish family. The recipe in this cookbook is just as I remember it.

Spaniards eat a light breakfast, a large meal after noon, have drinks and snacks in the late afternoon and then another meal later in the evening. Each evening on our way home from class, we would stop and have chocolate and churros. Chocolate is something like hot, thick chocolate pudding in which you would dip your churro ( a stick-like fried donut). Many evenings, we would also head to the local tavernas to “tomar algo” ( which literally means, “to take something”). There we would enjoy a glass of wine or beer and some tapas. Tapas are small snacks that range from a thin slice of ham, a pickled egg, slice of tortilla, anchovies or olives.

The most famous Spanish dessert is flan, which is a custard with caramel topping. Martha has recipes for several versions of this, including one topped with mission figs. This is a colorful and informative cookbook that took me back to my special year in Spain. - Reviewed by Deb

All Things Bright and Beautiful by James Herriot

If you ever enjoyed the Masterpiece Theater series, All Creatures Great and Small, you will like this audiobook. Christopher Timothy, who starred in the series, is the reader. It was comforting and pleasurable to hear stories about the characters from the series I saw more than twenty years ago. The animal inhabitants of the Yorkshire Dales, Skeldale House, Darrowby, Sigfried, Tristan and Helen are all brought back to life through listening to this audiobook. Yes, the stories are heartwarming and compassionate and hearing them read by Christopher Timothy made the drive to and from work much more amusing than it usually is. - Reviewed by Nancy

Leni: the Life and Work of Leni Riefenstahl by Steven Bach

Leni Riefenstahl was a fascinating character on the world stage. Talented and ambitious, she relentlessly pursued her goals without much concern for morality or ethics or any basic human emotions other than self-interest.

She came of age in Germany when the Nazis were on the rise. She accepted their help and support so that she might become a famous film director. In the post-World War II era, she would deny that Hitler or Goebbels ever played a part in advancing her career. Steven Bach provides plenty of documentation to make Leni look like a collaborator. Still, she was an artist with an indomitable drive to succeed.

Steven Bach does a good job of separating fact from fiction in Leni’s life. The book doesn’t make Leni completely sympathetic, but you will probably admire her energy and want to take another look at her films, Triumph of the Will and Olympia, or her books Vanishing Africa and The Last of the Nuba. VHS copies of Olympia and the two book titles are available in the Finger Lakes Library System. - Reviewed by Nancy

The Mighty Queens of Freeville: a Mother, a Daughter and the People Who Raised Them by Amy Dickinson

Anyone who has read advice in the “Ask Amy” column in the newspaper will appreciate the behind the scenes look into the life of Amy Dickinson. As a child growing up on a farm in Freeville, New York, Amy and her family experienced the dissolution of the family farm and the divorce of her parents. As a single mother, her mom not only took care of her family, but she held a job and went back to college. Witnessing her mom’s trials and tribulations gave Amy the opportunity to formulate some coping skills that she would need later in her own life.

Amy provides some humorous looks into life in a small town in upstate New York. One of my favorites is when she taught Sunday School and one of her students ate an important piece of the manger scene. Ever present is her remarkable relationship with her daughter and her invaluable support from her female relatives (thus the “Mighty Queens of Freeville”). I can see them sitting at the local diner hashing out the daily news and plotting how to best deal with anything that life sends their way!

This is a wonderful account of how a local girl found success and happiness right here in Tompkins County. - Reviewed by Deb

The Ultimates, volumes 1 and 2 by Mark Millar

Marvel’s Ultimate line is an attempt to solve many of the problems casual readers have with comic books and comic book collections, sometimes called graphic novels. The Ultimate line takes the characters who exist in Marvel’s mainstream books and strips them back down to their essence, taking out most of the continuity that has creeped up over the years, and making their origins more believable to 21st century science – more genetic engineering and less radiation.

The Ultimates are Marvel’s attempt at bringing the Avengers in to the Ultimate line of comics. All in all, it’s a successful attempt, at least in the first series. (The Ultimates lasted only 13 issues, collected in to the two volumes. There have been subsequent collections, Ultimates 2 and Ultimates 3, that have been less successful) You don’t need to know anything about the comic book characters to understand what’s going on in this book, they reintroduce everyone (with one exception; the Hulk – and even with him, they give enough of an explanation so that you don’t get lost). Certainly, fans of Marvel are more likely to notice some of the similarities and differences between this and normal Marvel stories, but it is not needed.

Ultimates is, by nature, an ensemble cast, but it focuses on Captain America. This Captain America is a very patriotic, fairly conservative, but ultimately a friendly guy who has been given powers by an experiment that let him be an ultimate soldier. He’s also one of the few characters with powers that is, more or less, still balanced. Iron Man is an alcoholic, though a functioning one. Thor is a deranged medical student... or maybe a Norse God. Giant Man and Wasp are in an abusive relationship, Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch are kind of ickily all over each other for a brother and sister... you need Captain America to hold on to in this story, because believe it or not, he’s the every man you feel your connection to.

In the end, the story is fairly straightforward comic book fare, but its well done, and the takes on these characters is a bit more realistic and updated than a lot of other comic book stories. If you’ve been thinking of getting in to super-hero comics, this isn’t a bad place to start. You could also consider volume 1 of Ultimate Spider-man or volume 1 of Ultimate X-men. - Reviewed by John

Victorian London Street Life in Historic Photographs by John Thomson

This book was originally published as Street Life in London in 1877. The photographs aren’t quaint or pretty, but document real people in real places. John Thomson, the photographer, and Adolphe Smith interviewed some of the people in the pictures and wrote sympathetic descriptions of their lives. As is noted in the preface, this is a new perspective on the poor.

The first photograph is titled “London Nomads” and it tells almost the whole story: the wooden caravan ‘home on wheels’ with a couple of kids peeking out the door, adults with worn clothes, tired faces and the bare earth beneath their feet. They wander about, making money when they can.

Perhaps saddest of all is the picture of one of the “Crawlers.” They are generally old women who have fallen into extreme poverty and live sometimes in the workhouse and sometimes in an available doorway. There are many more photographs that make Victorian London come alive for a moment. - Reviewed by Nancy

An Exact Replica of a Figment of My Imagination: a Memoir by Elizabeth McCracken

McCracken writes in her memoir this simple sentence: “This is the happiest story in the world with the saddest ending.” She was a successful novelist and writing instructor in her 30’s when she met her husband and decided to start a family. Always resigned to be a spinster, McCracken was surprised when she quickly became pregnant and embraced her growing family. What happens next is the basis of this beautiful, poignant memoir. Days away from giving birth, she loses her baby and is forced to deliver her stillborn son in a hospital in France, where the new couple is living.

Powerful, bittersweet, but never self-pitying, McCracken explores what her life was like during that horrible time in France. The memoir is also humorous, uplifting, and happy in the end, when readers learn that McCracken is typing the manuscript with her new son (born a year after losing her first child) in her lap. One of the best examinations of grief, this memoir topped many “must read” lists in 2008, and would be perfect for those who loved The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion. - Reviewed by Sarah

Celebrate! by Sheila Lukins

Ms. Lukins has written a cookbook that features menus for celebrations throughout the year. The first section of the book is A Year of Celebrations. It begins with a buffet, Ring in the New Year , which includes pork tenderloins and a “platter of plenty” that has a wide array of roasted and blanched vegetables. This dinner is topped off with a pineapple upside down cake. She ends the holidays with A Toast to the New Year complete with recipes for Sparkling Crab Salad and chocolate truffles. She provides the recipes and suggests the music, drinks and table settings for the occasion. In her introduction to each holiday, she gives us a quick overview of the holiday and its special meaning or traditions.

The second half of Celebrate! is dedicated to Celebrating Our Lives. Recipes and ideas for occasions such as The Big Raise, A Gracious Housewarming and my favorite, Celebrate a Ripe Tomato. Her recipe for the Garden Tomato Tart uses frozen puff pastry which makes this easy to make. Recipes for appetizers, main dishes and desserts are plentiful and easy to make. This is a delightful cookbook/ party planner which is fun to read and even more fun to use. Celebrate! - Reviewed by Deb

Dewey: a Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World by Vicki Myron

What’s not to like about this New York Times bestseller? A true story about a cat which was found almost frozen in a library book-drop on January evening, adopted by the library staff, beloved by everyone who used the library, and who eventually became known around the world? Too cute for words - yet I fell I love with Dewey, identified with the daily routine at the Spencer Public Library and admired Vicki, who was the library director at Spencer for twenty years. Vicki’s personal history of her family, along with the history and values of Spencer made this book more than just a story about a personable and appealing feline. Recommended. - Reviewed by Janet


Vicki Myron was interviewed on the Charles Osgood Sunday morning show television program and a friend of mine called me to tell me to look at it. When I listened to the interview and saw that she wrote a book about an orange cat(my favorite type), I just had to read this book.

This is a very touching story not only about the cat Dewey and the Spencer Public Library in Spencer, Iowa but about the town, its people, and the changes it has been through over the last two decades.

The author shares a lot with us about her life with all its challenges and ups and downs. This book made me cry and laugh and this was fine. It’s a wonderful story not only for those of us who work in public libraries.

I heard it will be made into a movie with Meryl Streep that I am looking forward to watching. - Reviewed by Patricia

I Feel Bad About My Neck and Other Thoughts On Being a Woman by Nora Ephron

Nora Ephron has a good sense of humor. This book is light and enjoyable and will make you smile and maybe even laugh. Included in a list of “What I Wish I’d Known”: “Anything you think is wrong with your body at the age of thirty-five you will be nostalgic for at the age of forty-five, you can order more than one dessert and you never know.” I agree. Ephron is currently blogging for the Huffington Post. - Reviewed by Nancy

Frommer's Portable New York City 2008 by Brian Silverman

Autumn is a wonderful time of year to explore New York City. Frommer's Portable is an easy to use pocket sized guide book. The book begins with a calendar of events, how to get there and getting to know the New York City neighborhoods. The maps included in this guide are excellent. Restaurants and hotels are listed from inexpensive to very expensive. They include excellent descriptions of specialty dishes and listings for the best pizza and bagels in the city.

Exploring New York City is a chapter about the top attractions in New York City, their histories, hours and fees. I especially enjoyed reading about the museums and Central Park and other places to play. For shoppers, there are hints on where to go and what to buy. The last chapter is about New York City after dark and has numerous suggestions for attending the theatre and musical events. I spent a week in New York City this past summer and wish that I had taken this pocket guide with me! - Reviewed by Deb

Rat Salad: Black Sabbath, the Classic Years, 1969-1975 by Paul Wilkinson

First of all, don't let the title Rat Salad (which is also the title of an instrumental from the album Paranoid) scare you off, for if you do, you will be missing a great book. There have been many books written about Black Sabbath, but none of them go into such detail about the songs (from their debut album to Sabotage) as this book does. The author gives a background on Black Sabbath and throws in many other personal details about the band. He also lets us know what else was going on in the world at the time that these albums were released (both politically and musically), as well as talking about himself (though I'm not sure if the tidbit about his baby sitter was necessary!). But...the main focus here is on the songs themselves. I like that he states very clearly in the beginning of the book why he only goes up to the album Sabotage and why he didn't interview any of the Black Sabbath members for the book.

I sing and play guitar and percussion, but am hesitant to call myself a musician and I feel that I learned quite a bit from this book. After reading it (or even WHILE reading it), I found myself going back and listening to the first six Black Sabbath albums again and trying to listen more carefully. I'm not put off that the author uses big musical terms that I have never heard of (but should have), like 'subtonic' and 'submediant', but at no point in the book does it ever feel like he is talking down to the reader. Wilkinson uses a very smooth and flowing conversational tone, which makes the book both informative and entertaining to read. Besides, if one does feel a little overwhelmed by some of the big musical terms,he does explain all of these in a glossary in the back of the book. Also, by using all these big musical terms, he shows exactly WHY Iommi's guitar riffs were so unique and so special.

If you love the music of Black Sabbath as much as Paul Wilkinson and I do, then you will love this book. - Reviewed by Rich

Ready When You Are by Martha Rose Shulman

Summer is coming to a close, the kids are headed back to school and now we are again faced with the age old question, “What’s for supper?” Ms. Shulman shares more than 200 favorite “new comfort food” recipes in her book. In the introduction, she tells the reader, “These recipes are meant to be liberating.” She takes traditional recipes and lightens up the ingredients and gives us suggestions for how to prepare dishes in advance and what to do with the leftovers. She also advocates cooking many ingredients on the weekend and then using them throughout the busy work week.

Soups and stews such as minestrone, seafood gumbo, pasta e fagioli and Peruvian seafood chowder would be a hearty and filling meal as the nights become cooler. A recipe for the “Last of Summer vegetable stew” makes the most of what is left in our gardens. Roast lemon chicken with honey and Greek cheese and squash pie are easy to make and a welcome change to the weekly menu. Her dessert recipes are simple to assemble and a great ending to any meal. Some of her favorites are Bill’s Trifle, honey baked apples and homemade chocolate pudding. Delicious! - Reviewed by Deb

Aristrocrats: Caroline, Emily, Louisa and Sarah Lennox,1740-1832 by Stella Tillyard

Through excerpts from the many, many letters the sisters exchanged, you meet four 18th century woman in this book and, in a way, listen in on their conversations with one another. The oldest, Caroline, though “vastly frightened” elopes with a man her family disapproves of adamantly. Emily marries twice, has 22 children (half of whom survive to adulthood), and loves to gossip, gamble and spend money. Louisa, referred to by her sisters as “that sweet angel”, marries the wealthy owner of the Castletown estate in Ireland. Sarah has something darkly independent, even perverse, in her nature. She gains the admiration and love of the future king of England, but ends up marrying Bunbury who doesn’t love her as much as she doesn’t love him. You can find this book on the shelf with the call number 929.2 Lennox. - Reviewed by Nancy

Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace--One School at a Time by Greg Mortenson

One man can make a difference! Greg Mortenson is a mountain climber who failed in his attempt to ascend K2 in 1993. As a result, he was cared for by villagers in a remote mountain area of Pakistan. As he recovered from his failed climb, he came to understand the culture and issues facing these poor villagers. He learned that: " The first time you share tea with a Balti, you are a stranger. The second time you take tea, you are an honored guest. The third time you share a cup of tea, you become family."

David Oliver Relin recounts Greg’s vision to help reduce the results of poverty in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Greg kept his promise to his caretakers by raising money to build schools and bridges and improve the quality of life. As the founder of the Central Asia Institute, Greg’s humanitarian mission has extended throughout the world.

This book is an inspiring tale of perseverance and of the kindness of a courageous man. - Reviewed by Deb