Neil Gaiman's Anansi Boys arrived today. Readers have been waiting to see what Gaiman would come up with next: he seems able to write anything, from picture books and novels to comics to screenplays. He's also one of a scant few authors I like to hear read his own works (sorry, Stephen King).

If trickster gods aren't your thing, allow me to suggest the story "Murder Mysteries," available as a wonderful radio play on Two Plays for Voices. It's a meaty whodunit with a dead angel, a novice detective of sorts doing what he was made to do, and layers of clues and meanings. Warning: it might take more than one listen to catch all of the foreshadowing, but each time through is a delicious new experience.

(You can also read the original story in in Gaiman's anthology Smoke and Mirrors.)

Frog researchers worldwide have sounded the alarm: frogs are dying in record numbers and the consequences could be dire. In the eleven years since Kathryn Phillips published Tracking the Vanishing Frogs: An Ecological Mystery researchers have determined that the fungus Batrachochytrium Dendrobatidis is responsible for the increase in frog mortality. The fungus causes a disease called Chytridiomycosis, which kills frogs within a week of infection. Learn more with other library books on frogs.

The Play Ground is keeping busy as the musical scene heats up in the area. On the horizon is the awesome Ann Arbor Blues and Jazz Festival of 2005. The festival will kick off September 25-29 with student jazz combos playing free shows from 6-7:30pm at Whole Foods in Ann Arbor. In addition, on Wednesday, September 28 at 7:00 our very own Ann Arbor District Library is presenting: Concert and Discussion: Tune Up for the Ann Arbor Blues and Jazz Festival: Odessa Harris and Johnnie Bassett Sing, Play and Discuss Blues and Jazz.

Paul Rusesabagina, the hotel proprietor who sheltered more than 1,000 refugees during the 1994 Rwandan genocide and inspired Don Cheadle's Oscar-nominated performance in the 2004 feature film Hotel Rwanda, will receive the 15th University of Michigan Wallenberg Medal on October 11 at 7:30 p.m. in the Power Center. For more on the Rwandan genocide, check out Sometimes in April, a critically-acclaimed HBO feature film that follows the tragic paths of one family torn apart by this same tragic event.

... and she may well have been right. Jimi Hendrix died 35 years ago today. Get to know him through his music, his famous performance at Woodstock, or one of the many biographies written about him since his death.

Or learn to play guitar and see how you measure up to one of the masters.

I guess I'm not so sure about the propriety of wishing happy birthday to someone who passed away in 1990 (Emily Post, where are you when we need you?), but the rest of us can celebrate -- today is the 100th anniversary of Greta Garbo's birth. Crack open one of her films or maybe just find out a bit more about this famous recluse. See how she fit into the studio system with the other "golden girls of MGM."

With Eastern Michigan University visiting on Saturday, the Wolverines should be able to start a winning streak. The attendance at EMU’s home game last week was 5628. Can you use the term “crowd” to describe 5628 people in Rynearson Stadium with its capacity of 30,200? This week they will be playing before a crowd of more than 100,000 fans. Assuming Michigan has a formidable halftime lead, you can spend the second half reading one of these books:

The Big House: Fielding H. Yost and the Building of Michigan Stadium by Robert M. Soderstrom

What It Means to Be a Wolverine: Michigan’s Greatest Players Talk About Michigan Football edited by Kevin Allen

The Obscene Diaries of a Michigan Fan by Ann Arborite and Ann Arbor Observer writer Craig Ross

It appears that the American book-buying public can’t get enough of romance and adventure. Four new titles debut this week.

At #1 is Polar Shift by Clive Cussler with Paul Kemprecos: Kent Austin must match wits with the leader of an antiglobilization group in this apocalyptic thriller.

At #3 is Slow Burn by Julie Garwood: another romantic adventure by this popular author, set in Charleston and featuring a successful businesswoman.

At #10 is The Widow of the South by Robert Hicks: a sweeping Civil War novel with a courageous heroine who allows Confederate troops to use her plantation as a hospital and a cemetery.

Who knows more about teens than their parents, teachers, or even themselves? Who has enough influence to tell teens what's cool, what's not, and what will be in a few months? The answer to these questions is the subject of this insightful documentary, directed by Barak Goodman, about the relationship between teens and the savvy marketers who target them.

These Merchants of Cool are the "creators and sellers of popular culture who have made teenagers the hottest consumer demographic in America." Learn more about them by watching this documentary and by visiting the film's informative website at PBS Frontline.

The James Beard Foundation and the IACP (International Association of Culinary Professionals) have selected these books about food, cooking, baking, wine and spirits, and literary food writing as award winners.

Arthur Schwartz’s New York City Food: an Opinionated History and More Than 100 Recipes

Rich Stein’s Complete Seafood

A Blessing of Bread: Recipes and Rituals, Memories and Mitzvah by Maggie Glezer

John Ash Cooking One on One: Private Lessons in Simple, Contemporary Food from a Master Teacher