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Thanksgiving and Marjorie Standish

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Thanksgiving and Marjorie Standish.  While the two are not necessarily tied to each other, I do associate both of them with good comfort food.  So as Thanksgiving approaches, I will share with you Marjorie’s recipe for Baked Acorn Squash.  It’s about as simple and delicious as you can get.  It is also featured in the new book, Cooking Maine Style which is edited by Sandra Oliver and features classic recipes of Marjorie Standish.  You can check it out at the Gardiner Public Library.

BAKED ACORN SQUASH

Wash the squash, cut in half lengthwise, remove seeds using a spoon.  Wash once more, turn squash upside-down in a baking pan, pour ¼ inch cold water in pan.

Bake at 400 degrees for ½ hour.  Remove from oven, turn squash right side up.  Salt and pepper it, sprinkle with brown sugar (maple syrup is good, too).  Place piece of butter in each half.  Return to oven, bake 30 minutes longer.  Serve.

 

New Items ~ November 2018

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FICTION

An absolutely remarkable thing by Hank Green.  A young graphic artist inspires world-wide hysteria when she accidentally makes first contact with an alien.  After posting a video that goes viral, April must deal with the pressures of becoming an internet sensation.

Blood communion by Anne Rice.  The Vampire Chronicles continues with Lestat’s story of how he became ruler of the vampire world.

The bus on Thursday by Shirley Barrett.  Bridget Jones meets The Exorcist in this funny, dark novel about one woman’s post-cancer retreat to a remote Australian town and the horrors awaiting her.

Death from a top hat by Clayton Rawson.  A detective steeped in the art of magic solves the mystifying murder of two occultists.

Eventide by Kimberley Kalicky.  Three couples hadn’t been out for an overnight on the boat together since their twenties.  Now middle-aged, with adult children, and the baggage that goes with a life, they set out toward Monhegan Island from Portland.

Her kind of case by Jeanne Winer.  A seasoned criminal defense attorney must draw on her experience to save a teenage client who doesn’t want to be saved.

Judas by Jeff Loveness.  In this graphic novel, Judas Iscariot journeys through life and death, grappling with his place in “The Greatest Story Ever Told.”  Every story needs a villain.

The man who came uptown by George Pelecanos.  An ex-offender must choose between the man who got him out and the woman who showed him another path for his life.

The man who couldn’t miss by David Handler.  Stewart “Hoagy” Hoag and his beloved basset hound, Lulu, investigate a murder in a fabled Connecticut summer playhouse.

Sea prayer by Khaled Hosseini.  A short, powerful, illustrated book written in response to the current refugee crisis.  It is composed in the form of a letter from a father to his son on the eve of their journey on a dangerous sea crossing.

A spark of light by Jodi Picoult.  A ripped-from-the-headlines novel about a hostage crisis at a woman’s health clinic.

The stylist by Rosie Nixon.  A young woman is thrown into the fast-paced world of fashion and glamour as she’s forced to navigate the treacherous Hollywood red carpets.

Thirteen days by Sunset Beach by Ramsey Campbell.  A horror novel that’s perfect for readers who shy away from gore and cheap shocks.

Time’s convert by Deborah Harkness.  A novel about what it takes to become a vampire.  During his lover’s journey to immortality, a vampire’s past returns to haunt them both.

Transcription by Kate Atkinson.  Ten years after, figures from a BBC radio producer’s past as an M15 recruit in 1940 confront her.

Trouble brewing by Suzanne Baltsar.  This sweet and savory novel follows a smart, ambitious woman making her way in the male-dominated world of beer brewing.

Washington Black by Esi Edugyan.  High adventure fraught with cliff-hanger twists marks this runaway-slave narrative which goes from Caribbean cane fields, to the fringes of the frozen Arctic.

Weekend at Thrackley by Alan Melville.  This story about guests gathered at a country house for the weekend, originally published in 1934, anticipates Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None, which appeared 5 years later.

MUSIC CDs

Bloom by Troye Sivan

Sweetener by Ariana Grande

Dancing Queen by Cher

Cry Pretty by Carrie Underwood

The best of Roger Miller

NONFICTION

All you can ever know by Nicole Chung.  What does it mean to love your roots – within your culture, within your family – and what happens when you find them?  Chung explores her complicated feelings about her transracial adoption and the importance of knowing where one comes from.

American like me by America Ferrera.  A vibrant and varied collection of first person accounts from prominent figures about the experience of growing up between cultures.

Buffy Sainte-Marie by Andrea Warner.  Establishing herself among the ranks of folk greats such as Joni Mitchell and Bob Dylan, Buffy has released more than 20 albums, survived being blacklisted by two U.S. presidents, and received the only Academy Award ever to be won by a First Nations artist.  This is an intimate look at a beloved folk icon and activist.

The cows are out! by Trudy Price.  Price writes of the daily trials of haying, cow breeding, and milking against a backdrop of gentle and entertaining rural life in Maine.

Death on Katahdin by Randi Minetor.  The author gathers the stories of fatalities, from falls to exposure to cardiac arrest, and presents dozens of misadventures on the mountain including hunting accidents, lightning strikes, and even more than one suspicious death.

Fight like a girl by Clementine Ford.  Through a mixture of memoir, opinion, and investigative journalism, Ford exposes just how unequal the world continues to be for women.

The fighters by C.J. Chivers.  This is classic war reporting.  The author’s stories give heart-rending meaning to the lives and deaths of Americans in combat in Iraq and Afghanistan, even if policymakers generally have not.

Grace without God by Katherine Ozment.  The search for meaning, purpose, and belonging in a secular age.

The invisible gorilla by Christopher Chabris.  How our intuitions deceive us because our minds don’t work the way we think they do.  We think we see ourselves and the world as they really are, but we’re actually missing a whole lot.

The oath and the office by Corey Brettschneider.  An essential guide to the presidential powers and limits of the Constitution, for anyone voting – or running – for our highest office.

Rock art critters by Denise Scicluna.  Painting rocks has become a not-uncommon craft activity in recent years.  This book focuses on decorating rocks with images of cute animals using acrylic craft paint.

Second labor: mothers share post-birth stories by Chaya Valier.   24 mothers write bold, honest accounts of post-birth life with a newborn.

Small animals by Kim Brooks.  This interrogates how we weigh risks as parents, how we judge one another’s parenting and what the costs might be – not just to parents, but to children, too – in a culture of constant surveillance.

Sons of freedom by Geoffrey Wawro.  The American contribution to World War I is one of the greatest stories of the 20th century, and yet it has all but vanished from view.  This tells of the forgotten American soldiers, Doughboys who defeated Germany in World War I.

These truths by Jill Lepore.  A magisterial account of the origins and rise of a divided nation, an urgently needed reckoning with the beauty and tragedy of American history.

What to do when you’re new by Keith Rollag.  How to be comfortable, confident, and successful in new situations.

Will the circle be unbroken? by Studs Terkel.  Reflections on death, rebirth, and a hunger for faith.

PICTURE BOOKS

Corduroy takes a bow by Viola Davis

Day you begin by Jacqueline Woodson

Do you believe in unicorns? by Bethanie Deeney Murguia

Dreamers by Yuyi Morales

House that once was by Julie Fogliano

I Just Like You by Suzanne Bloom

Llama Llama loves to read by Anna Dewdney

Parade of elephants by Kevin Henkes

Presto & Zesto in Limboland by Arthur Yorinks

Santa Bruce by Ryan T. Higgins

Secret life of the little brown bat by Laurence Pringle

Stop, go, yes, no!: a story of opposites by Mike Twohy

Surprise by Caroline Hadilaksono

Vegetables in underwear by Jared Chapman

We don’t eat our classmates by Ryan T Higgins

CHAPTER BOOKS

Babymouse: Tales from the locker: Miss Communication by Jennifer L Holm

I survived: the attack of the grizzlies, 1967 by Lauren Tarshis

Ivy & Bean: one big happy family by Annie Barrows

Judy Moody and the right royal tea party  by Megan McDonald

Louisiana’s way home by Kate DiCamillo

Magic tree house: hurricane heroes in Texas #30 by Mary Pope Osborne

My father’s words by Patricia MacLachlan

Trail by Meika Hashimoto

Unforgettable Guinevere St. Clair by Amy Makechnie

Van Gogh deception by Deron Hicks

 NON-FICTION

Hubots: real-world robots inspired by humans by Helaine Becker

New England Patriots story by Thomas K Adamson

Recreate discoveries about light by Anna Claybourne

Recreate discoveries about living things by Anna Claybourne

Recreate discoveries about states of matter by Anna Claybourne

We are grateful : otsaliheliga by Traci Sorell

Why do I poop?  by Kirsty Holmes

Why do I sneeze? by Madeline Tyler

You wouldn’t want to be Sir Isaac Newton: a lonely life you’d rather not lead by Ian Graham

You wouldn’t want to live without coding! by Alex Woolf

You wouldn’t want to live without gaming! by Jim Pipe

You wouldn’t want to live without insects! by Anne Rooney

You wouldn’t want to live without libraries! by Fiona Macdonald

You wouldn’t want to live without nurses! By Fiona Macdonald

You wouldn’t want to live without robots! by Ian Graham

You wouldn’t want to live without satellites! by Ian Graham

You wouldn’t want to live without simple machines! by Anne Rooney

You wouldn’t want to live without writing! By Roger Canavan

 GRAPHIC NOVELS

The bad guys in do-you-think-he-saurus? by Aaron Blabey

Dog man: Lord of the fleas by Dav Pilkey

Snails are just my speed! by Kevin McCloskey

Trees: kings of the forest by Andy Hirsch

 EASY READERS

Mr. Monkey bakes a cake by Jeff Mack

My kite is stuck! and other stories by Salia Yoon

Pete the cat and the cool caterpillar by James Dean

Notes from Booklist, Publishers Weekly, Kirkus, Library Journal, and New York Times Book Review.

Digital Maine Library – ChiltonLibrary

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A few weeks ago, I blogged a bit about Digital Maine Library    here, what we have known for several years as MARVEL!  I think it’s time for another look at this amazing resource.

As previously mentioned, the website seems to be more colorful – each of the databases appear on the homepage, with pictures, and a bit of information about the database.

Scrolling down the homepage I see ChiltonLibrary.  I click on the link – picture and words are each part of the link – and am taken to the ChiltonLibrary web page.

This page gives me several options.  The tabs along the top are Home (it is the shape of a house) ; Select Vehicle ; ASE Test Prep Quizzes ; Help ; Logout and what looks like and Envelope (this is where I can “Ask An Expert”.  On the left of the page there are several boxes to fill in with information about a vehicle – Vehicle Selector.  More centered on the page I see information about what information I can find – yes, I know, I did use information twice in the same sentence, but it is what it is!

I’m curious about how far back I can go – how old a vehicle this database will be useful for – 1940 seems to be the answer.  My mother had a 1956 Volkswagen Beetle that she absolutely loved – the small rear window was a big deal for her.  I put that information in the boxes and press the select button.

The next page is titled Your Current Vehicle: 1956 Volkswagen Beetle.  Below that there are two bullet points of data that is available for the vehicle – Repair and Bulletins/Recalls.

I click on Repair.  There is quite a list on the next page!  Above the list is Collapse TOC and Search.  No, I’m sorry, I have absolutely NO idea what TOC means, but it does collapse the list to no list, or opens it to the many choices.

I don’t claim to be a car person – yes, I drive a car, and can and do maintain it, but much if not all of this information is waaaaay beyond my knowledge base.  I see how a person who works with and on vehicles might find this very helpful.

Now I’m curious and check the information on a MUCH newer vehicle – a 2016 Volkswagen Beetle.  This time I am given three choices Repair ; Maintenance and Bulletins/Recalls.  As we just learned, the Repair button is not necessarily useful to me, but the Maintenance and Bulletins/Recalls are something I will find useful.

On the Repair page I am given choices – a Vehicle Configuration Filter.  I don’t have a Beetle, so I’ll make it up as I move through the list.  After making my choices, I am shown a list of what should be done at 5000 miles.  There is a Look Ahead button – this takes me to the 15000 mile service, and beyond that.  Looks like a good place for me!

I go back to Bulletins/Recalls.  This page has a fairly long list of issues to be checked.  I did not re-select my vehicle, so perhaps they don’t all pertain to what I chose, but this is another interesting place to poke around when I’m in the search for a “new to me” vehicle.

Back to the homepage I go.

I click on ASE Test Prep Quizzes.  ASE is short for National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence.  So these are a great resource for anyone interested in becoming certified in automotive repair.  Something I will do my best to remember for future use with folks looking for this information.

Help is exactly what it says – an online manual for using the ChiltonLibrary.

From a Library standpoint, this is another amazing database provided by the Maine State Library, and one that will be very helpful to folks looking for how to repair their (insert make, model and year here).

From a consumer standpoint, I think it will be useful when searching for that perfect “new to me” vehicle!