From Our Recipe Box to Yours....And a Happy New Year!!!

Here's a yummy dip recipe that the mayor and his wife shared with the library staff this year!! A great addition to your New Year's Eve parties!!...

Cheese Ball Dip


1 8oz pkg. cream cheese


1 pgk Hormel Dried Beef cut into squares


1 TBL. French onion dip or ¼ C. Green onion tops/chives


½ tsp. Worchestire sauce


Mix all ingredients. Additions: Roll in pecans, or add 1 C. shredded cheddar cheese.
 
 
Also, don't forget ...
 
The Library will be closed New Year's Day  and then
 
reopen
Sunday, January 2, 2011,
2-5 p.m.

What's in Your Library Bag Wednesday??...

Welcome to this week's version of What's in Your Library Bag Wednesday??!!! This Wednesday, I'm here to talk to you about vampires...What's there to talk about, you ask. Really, any book with a vampire in it is  quite popular right now. As a result, there are a lot of different takes on the whole vampire thing. Each author treats the idea of vampires quite differently. One author will go on the premise that a vampire is "created" by getting bitten. Another author creates vampires as another species. Still another views vampires kind of as a mixture of both being "created" and being born. Still others, always mix vampires and werewolves in their stories, so you kind of have to like both  to read their books. Depending on what you like, will dictate the authors you read because each has their own unique style.

For myself, I always read strong female leads with the vampires being "created" by being bitten. The reason I like these is because it gives the vampires some more human like qualities since they were humans to begin with and it mainstreams them in society which I like. I have a harder time with vampires being another race that lives separate from humans and they only interact once in a while. So, I don't read those. Some of my favorite authors include, of course, the Laurell K. Hamilton, Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter Series, the Keri Arthur, Riley Jensen Guardian series, the Patricia Briggs, Mercy Thompson series, and sadly, the Stephenie Meyer Twilight series (Yes, I am one of those).

If you don't mind vampires being another race, you might try Christine Feehan's Dark Series, or J.R. Ward's Black Dagger Brotherhood series. Both are quite popular reads. If you are interested in the paranormal without so much romance involved, I'd recommend Jim Butcher's Dresden Files.

I also was told I should read Jeaniene Frost's Night Huntress series tonight. And my list gets longer and longer. There are soo many good books out there to read and I'm so far behind, I'll never die!!!

From Our Recipe Box to Yours...A fun punch and a Merry Christmas Eve!!

A Holiday Favorite at our house...

Coffee/Ice Cream Punch

6 Cups Water
1/2 Cup chocolate drink mix (such as Nestle's Quick)
1/2 Cup sugar
1/4 Cup instant coffee granules
1/2 gallon chocolate ice cream
1/2 gallon vanilla ice cream

Boil water, then add chocolate drink mix, sugar and coffee granules. Store in refrigerator at least 4 hours or overnight. (I put the pan in the garage overnight where it was cold since I used a big pan and it was sort of slushy when I went to use it!)
Thirty minutes before serving, pour into punch bowl and add ice cream and smoosh to break up pieces. (Try to be patient.) Can dollop with Cool Whip and shaved chocolate. (Just TRY to have only one cup of th is!) (The last drops taste wonderful added to a cup of coffee!)

Merry Christmas Eve and Christmas Day!!!

The Library will resume regular hours Sunday, December 26, 2-5 p.m. Stop in and see us!!!

What's in Your Library Bag Wednesday??? Some Holiday Fun!

'Twas the Wednesday Before Christmas...

'Twas the Wednesday before Christmas and all through the library,
not a patron was reading, not even a mouse.
They all are out shopping, grabbing last minute gifts.
Wrapping packages, hoping no one is missed.

The children all are home celebrating,
no more school for 2 weeks!!
While the librarians are checking out movies
all day and all night.

What people are watching,
does bring holiday cheer....
Santa Puppies, The Santa Clause I, II, & III,
Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer.

The Librarians step in and say
Watch your movies with care
Return them on time
'Cuz Santa Claus won't pay for your fine!!

Now Nora Roberts! Now Laurell Hamilton! Now James Patterson and Stieg Larsson!
On Danielle Steel! On Debbie Macomber! On Nicholas Sparks and Jodi Picoult!
To the circulation desk, to check out your books!!
Now read away, read away, read away all!

But please always remember,
we're here to help you
in any way that we can.
From computers, to books, to research, to movies..
we all too have a listening ear.

So, this 2010 holiday season
the librarians at the Waverly Public Library
wish you happy times and good cheer.
Happy Christmas to all
and to all a good read!

What's in Your Library Bag Wednesday??...Nonfiction or Fiction?

What's in Your Library Bag Wednesday? is here again my reading friends!!! Have you been reading something really great this last week or are you stuck in a reading slump? Tell us all about it! We want to know.

For myself, I mentioned that I was trying to focus on Christmas shopping and the like. And I have been. I spent some time shopping and also spent several hours with my computer and a site called Snapfish. I am sure you've heard of it...There are some great deals to be had if you have the time and inclination. As for me, I make calendars for my family out of the many photos I take all year long. This year I procrastinated a bit too long and have been glued to my laptop trying to finish within standard shipping rates. I am pleased to announce that last night, I decided to just click "buy" and quit agonizing over it!! It is good and people will like it!! Besides, it's the thought that counts, right?

But, not really reading anything has been a struggle for me. I find myself stealing moments here and there to read anything. The newspaper, magazines, labels....I am going stir crazy not having a book at my bedside! So, I grabbed a couple of photography books and one on designing spaces in your home so that I could just read little bits here and there and not get sucked in by an awesome plot, which is what I want to do, but that is another story...I find I read nonfiction in this way anyway. Most of the time, I skim and scan the material just picking out the interesting bits. I am so busy most of the time, my mind doesn't have room for extra trivia, so this works for me.

Anyway, as photography is a hobby of mine and I don't really like my indoor shots all that well, I thought I'd see if I could pick up any tips before the big holiday gets here. We have a couple of new books, The Photographer's Eye, and Composition: From Snapshots to Great Shots that I am reading now and am finding quite helpful. I also really enjoy the website http://www.kenrockwell.com/ because he writes in "staceyspeak", not too hard to understand. I think a lot of photography is about practice and I am debating challenging myself to taking at least a picture a day next year as I've read lots about the benefits of this to your creativity, etc.

So, are you a nonfiction or fiction reader? Do you skim like I do, or really dig in? Are you thinking about trying something new in the coming year? Chime in with your thoughts...

It's Saturday....But I thought you'd enjoy this anyway!

Stuffed Bread

One loaf French Bread (the loaf should not be too skinny or too think)
1/2 C. butter, melted (You MUST use butter)
2 tsp. poppy seed
3/4 tsp. Lawry's Seasoning Salt
1/2 tsp. lemon juice
2 tsp. dry minced onion
1 tsp. dry mustard

10 oz. Swiss Cheese, sliced
One 2 1/2 oz. can mushroom stems and pieces
1/2+ pound thinly sliced roast beef
1/2+ pound thinly sliced ham

Cut bread loaf length-wise, cutting clear through. Place bottom half of bread loaf on heavy duty foil and make foil plenty big. Layer meats onto bread. (I put cheese, meat and then more cheese so it stays together better.) Place mushroom pieces (I don't use these), then cheese over meat. Place top bread layer on. (I pricked the top of the bred with a fork a bit so the butter soaks in butter). Bring foil up part way. Bend butter and seasonings. Pour butter mixture over loaf. (The butter will soak in and run down the sides, but the onion and seeds will stay on top.) Wrap up loaf carefully and close foil, but leave a couple tiny air holes. Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes; 40 is best. (It is done when the bottom is crispy and the cheese is oozing out of the sides AND it smells SO GOOD!) Slice into 1"-1 1/2" pieces. Leftovers heat up best in foil in the oven.
Note: I have always used these ingredients, but really could use other meats after you get to experimenting. I also used individual serving hoagie buns before and wrapped 2-3 in each foil pack. It is easy also to make up two of these at one time for a larger crowd. I place the foil package on a cookie sheet for easier handling.

Note Note: I got this yummy recipe from my mother in law and made it for our library Christmas Party. I substituted turkey for the roast beef and added cooked bacon slices on top. Very Yummy!!

I am a little late putting this up because I did a little Christmas shopping yesterday, but I promised everyone at work I'd get them the recipe!! So enjoy everyone!!

What's in Your Library Bag Wednesday?? Revisiting...

What's in Your Library Bag this Wednesday? Mine is empty as promised!! Last week I promised myself I wouldn't pick up another book, I'd try to work on some Christmas stuff! And it's been hard. It's not that I don't want to focus on the other stuff, I just really enjoy reading; especially before bed. It seems odd to just go to bed and not read a few pages before I fall asleep. But, if I read a book before bed, I'd read it all the time instead of shopping, crafting, ordering online, etc. I have no willpower when it comes to reading something I like.

I do have another reader's advisory class coming up, though. This one is on what's called Speculative Fiction. This is kind of a wide ranging genre and includes fantasy, urban fantasy, science fiction and the like. One of my favorites types of books to read is Urban Fantasy, so I thought I'd revisit an oldie but a goodie and do a little review here.

I've mentioned before about how a patron turned me onto reading series through a suggestion. The suggestion happened to be Guilty Pleasures by Laurell K. Hamilton, the first in the Anital Blake Vampire Hunter series. Now she is the Queen of Urban Fantasy. Urban fantasy's main prerequisite is that it takes place in a city. They are usually in contemporary times with supernatural elements involved. So, Laurell K. Hamilton weaves a fantastical story of vampires, werewolves, and magic all taking place in St. Louis, Missouri.

Anita Blake is a necromancer, she raises zombies for a living; she is the legal vampire executioner for the state; and she is on retainer with the police force for all supernatural crimes, RPIT or the Spook Squad. Appearances are deceiving as Anita is a petite little gal with long black hair. She doesn't appear intimidating in the least. She tends to overcompensate this fact by carrying a big gun, knowing karate, being fit, and having an attitude to boot. It doesn't hurt that she can control the undead and kills vampires for a living, either.

Guilty Pleasures begins with a new vampire petitioning Anita to help figure out some crimes taking place in the vampire community. Anita doesn't like or trust vampires...go figure, but she gets dragged into the crimes one way or another. Jean Claude, a powerful vampire in his own right, takes a liking to Anita and decides to "help" her when she must go in front of Nikolaos, the Master Vampire of the city of St. Louis. See, even vampires have rules. In the end, the crimes get solved through many twists and turns and Anita ends up with new scars, emotional and otherwise and a troubling new "tie" to Jean Claude which is anyone's guess how that will turn out. The crimes are dark and edgy and the tough as nails vampire hunter, Anita Blake, becomes everyone's favorite heroine. By the second, third, and fourth novels, you are just "dying" to find out what will happen  next as Anita delves deeper into the world of the supernatural and the relationships that surround her.

As with most good series, the more you read, the more you want to read. What starts out as a harmless read soon becomes an obsession. So don't pick one up if you a) don't have any free time and b) don't have the stomach for the sex and violence which are an itricate part of who Anita Blake is. But, do pick one up if a)you want a book you just can't seem to put down and b)if it's the darker and edgier the better!!

Anital Blake is one of my all time favorite heroines and I can't wait to see what Laurell K. Hamilton does with her next. Maybe you'll like her too....but, I try it after you finish all of your holiday obligations. I'm just sayin...

What's in Your Library Bag Wednesday???

To all of those people who come through my check out line and say, "No, I can't check out any more books! I have to DO something. I have to clean my house and get ready for company," I always say, "That stuff will still be there when you are done with your book!!" But, in reality, they are right. Shhh. Don't tell anyone I said that. I have noticed that I get absolutely nothing done when I have a good book to read! Because, really, I'd much rather be reading!! Some things do have to get done, however, so I am going to try and not take another book home after I finish this one...Even if there is a new one calling my name in my box right now, but...I have Christmas presents to finish, decorating and baking to do, journaling to catch up on, not to mention the boring cleaning stuff that piles up like no tomorrow!!

In the interest of what's in my library bag, though, I am reading a new book. It's called "i'd know you anywhere" by Laura Lippman. I'd never read a book by her before and this one looked interesting, so I thought I'd give it a try. I seem to be doing that a lot lately. And I am happy to say that I haven't been disappointed. More like, disappointed that my favorite authors aren't writing much, but finding new good books to read just the same.

Back to "i'd know you anywhere"...The story kind of has a feel of Jodi Piccoult. Kind of. Each chapter is a different date or a different point of view that all mesh together to tell the same story. It starts out in the life of a middle aged mom who has just moved back to America from a six year stay in London. She receives a letter from a man on death row who had kidnapped and raped her when she was 15. So, we then flip back and forth between the present and the past to learn what happened and what is happening. Throw in some other characters who play parts in the present and past stories and there you have it. It's intriguing to me to try and imagine what it would be like having someone who had committed a crime against you want to talk with you. How would that feel? Would I be able talk with them? So the book intrigues me...I am not finished, but it is leading to a conclusion of something else happened that night other than what we are told in the beginning...so I must keep reading and find out.

Might be something you'd like...Stop in and I'll help you find what you are looking for.