A Benedictine nun from The Abbey of Regina Laudis, Sister Noella, The Cheese Nun, is an expert on cheese. A real expert -- she got her PhD in cheese chemistry. For field work, she travelled all through the various cheese-making regions of France, investigating and tasting the special "terroir" of cheese. This is the story of how she discovered that the diverse fungi from each locale account for the tastes and unique culture of cheeses. Perhaps you would try making some of your own. A cave makes it especially tasty, but is not required! Try Cheesemaking Made Easy or, for those who want to simply appreciate what they are tasting, Cheese: A Connoisseur'sGuide. For a quick start making mozzarella here is a recipe from the New England Cheesemaking Supply Company.

The Childrens Picture book The Wizard can only be described as "An illustrated, rhyming tale of a wicked wizard and his evil deeds, as he uses 'elemental sorcery' to change a bullfrog into a series of objects, from a flea to a flame." The author of the the book, Jack Prelutsky, was named the first Children's Poet Laureate by the Poetry Foundation in 2006. His verse along with the enchanting illustrations by Brandon Dorman, make The Wizard a truly delightful find. Other interesting books of his include Dragons are Singing Tonight, Gargoyle on the Roof, and Wild Witches Ball.

Today, March 26 marks the birth of one of our foremost mythologists, Joseph Campbell who was born in New York City in 1904. Entranced by Native American culture from an early age, he began to make associations with myths from other cultures and in 1949 published a seminal study of mythology called The Hero with a Thousand Faces which looked at the common theme of a spiritual quest. But it was only when Campbell was featured in a series of penetrating interviews with Bill Moyers in the 1980's called Joseph Campbell and the The Power of Myth that his name became known to the more general population. In the first of the series, they take on the subject of heroes who range from Buddha and Jesus to metaphors present in Jungian psychology and the movie, Star Wars. Filmmaker, George Lucas was heavily influenced by Campbell in his making of the film and the interviews were conducted at his Skywalker Ranch.

Chicken

Recently in Ann Arbor there's been an interest on the part of some citizens to be allowed to raise chickens within the boundaries of the city.

I live on a small farm about 10 miles out and can testify that I get a lot of satisfaction from my little flock of layers & slackers (I only get about 6 to 7 eggs per day but have 13 hens ).

In the meantime while the City Council grapples with this question you can enjoy several books on chickens available right here at the Library. You can also read the latest on Judy McGovern's blog of March 18 covering the issue on mlive.com.

books on shelves

Do you enjoy reading book jackets and covers? Do you have five minutes in your day to enjoy a excerpt from a book in your favorite genre? Well then a Online Book Group is for you!!!

A few months back, I joined 3 online Book Discussion Groups. Each Week (Monday-Friday), you start a new book and read a few pages a day, so by the end of the week you have read a chapter or two of a book that may become one of your favorites. Choose from: Business, Non-fiction, Classics, Fiction, Romance, Mystery, Horror, Teen, Science Fiction, and more!

Readers can comment about book selections several places throughout the site and are encouraged to email Suzanne (the leader of the groups) with any suggestions or questions.

You can check this out at http://www.dearreader.com/

Join a Book Group Today!

Today, March 12th is the birthday of writer Jack Kerouac who was born Jean-Louis Kerouac in Lowell, Massachussetts in 1922. His parents were French-Canadians and he didn't start learning English until he went to school. Kerouac originated the term "Beat Generation." He meant the term to convey images of poor but "illuminated," "beatific" people. As a 16 year old senior high school senior, Kerouac decided to ditch school and spend his time at the public library reading everything from the classics to books of chess problems. After dropping out of Columbia for the second time, he drew poets like Allen Ginsberg and William S. Burroughs to gatherings that soon grew into the "Beat Movement."

In 1949, he and his friend Neal Cassady drove a Cadillac limousine from Califormia to Chicago. His fictional rendering of the trip has become the classic, On the Road.

losing it

The latest New York Times Bestsellers List for adult non-fiction features many interesting reads, including books about weight loss, liberalism, food, knowledge, social norms, Islam, America, and bipolar disorder. Looking for bestselling fiction?

Losing it, by Valerie Bertinelli
Liberal Fascism, by Jonah Goldberg
In Defense of Food, by Michael Pollan
Predictably Irrational, by Dan Ariely
Real Change, by Newt Gingrich with Vince Haley and Rick Tyler
Reconciliation, by Benazir Bhutto
The Age Of American Unreason, by Susan Jacoby
Manic, by Terri Cheney

Holling Hoodhood (Yes. That's really his name) is a seventh grader who is in the unfortunate position of being the only Presbyterian among his Jewish and Catholic schoolmates and so must stay behind with his English teacher, Mrs. Baker while everyone goes off to religious school on Wednesday afternoons. And so begins the hilarious and touching second novel of Gary D. Schmidt titled The Wednesday Wars. Set against the backdrop of the Vietnam War, Holling is convinced that Mrs. Baker hates him and that her enforcing on him the study of Shakespeare is part of her vengeance. But of course, Mrs. Baker turns out to be Hollings' guardian angel. Hilarious episodes including one in which he plays Ariel in the community theater production of The Tempest balance the sombre realities of wartime. Schmidt whose other book, Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy was a Printz and Newberry Honor book has another winner here.

cat

Today is Read Across America Day! What's that, you ask? Read Across America Day was first celebrated in 1998 as a way to bring awareness to the magic of reading and to motivate children to read. This celebration of reading happens annually on (or around) March 2, purposely on Dr. Seuss' birthday! Students and teachers across the country participate in reading events and festivities. Some have been seen enjoying green eggs and ham, some principals have been known to dress up as Thing One or Thing Two, there have been times when kids across the country have read the same book at the same time, and there are definitely a lot of striped cat hats worn everywhere! It is a very fun time in schools. But let's not forget that every day is a good day to celebrate reading! If you haven't already done so, why not check out what Dr. Seuss is up to.

Jensen

As the world burns: 50 Simple things you can do to stay in denial, a new book by Derrick Jensen and Stephanie McMillan is a satirical take on the well known book 50 Simple things you can do to save the earth. It goes further to point out that there is more to “saving the earth” than recycling, riding your bike to work and buying compact fluorescent light bulbs. In a quirky and fun way (I know, scandalous!) gold carrying robots, bunny plotists, two smart young girls, corporate bigwigs, and the president demonstrate that there is a bigger picture that many of us are in “denial” about. It’s typical Derrick Jensen, but in comic form! Perhaps you’ll laugh, perhaps you’ll cry.