The Alchemy of Color Knitting: The Art and Technique of Mastering Exquisite Palettes by Gina Wilde
There are so many beautiful fibers available for knitting in retail shops and online, but sometimes it can be challenging to combine colors for a pleasing finished product. This book includes a wide variety of projects with a wide variety of color combinations and offers tips on how to combine colors successfully. I've been wanting to learn how to embroider on my handknits, and I think that the Somewhere Over the Rainbow Gloves may be my first attempt.

October is Polish American Heritage Month and your library can help you celebrate! Our International Language Collection features fiction and non-fiction materials written in Polish. Who wouldn't savor, Cooking the Polish Way by Zamojska-Hutchings. Children may enjoy I am Polish American by Samuel Kapowski, about a young boy who talks of his Polish heritage, including foods, customs and famous Poles. If music is more your style our CD collection features Homage to Polish Music and myriad polkas for all. For additional information on Polish Heritage Month visit the Polish American Center.

During the week of October 26, the Michigan Humanities Council will initiate an online dialogue with high school classrooms and residents across the state. The dialogue will focus on Stealing Buddha's Dinner, perspectives presented in Nguyen's author tour, and the themes of cultural understanding, immigration stories, and contemporary history. The public is invited to participate, at the Council's Facebook Discussion Forum.

As life spans increase and family structures change, Long-Term Care month promotes discussion of the variety of ways to plan for future long-term care and encourages everyone to make this planning part of their personal retirement plan.

Hey Kids!
Well, you voted, and the results are in! Now you need to come to the Library to check out my cool Halloween costume! "Wizard" won with a whopping 30 votes. "Superhero" came a distant second with 11 votes. And there was even a write in vote for "Princess". Hmmmm, Royalty could be a good costume for next year. I like the sound of King Thorndyke. Thanks for all your votes--in the library and online! And don't forget to wear your Halloween costume to the library too, 'cause I want to see them! Now I just need to practice my magic words. Abracadabra, Abracazoom! Until next time,
Bear Hugs!
Thorndyke.

Every Monday morning, my email contains a special book. The email book club sends out a few pages every day in email. By the end of the week, you have read two to three chapters of a new book. You can then decide whether you want to check it out at the library or purchase it. It's a great way to discover new authors and genres. There are twelve categories from which to choose - pick one or all of them, including fiction, audio, romance, teen, good news, thrillers, classics and more. Your only requirement is an email account. The next Monday, it starts all over again with new books. What a great idea! This service is sponsored by the Friends of the Canton Public Library and is free to our patrons. Just log onto our web site at www.cantonpl.org, go to the column on the left and click on services. Next, click on book clubs and scroll down to email book club.

This is National Adult Immunization Month.  The National Foundation for Infectous Diseases sites a multitude of reasons everyone should get a flu shot, but people over the age of 65 are particularly vulnerable.  Each year, on average, 36,000 people in the United States die from seasonal influenza complications. Greater than 90% of deaths occur in persons 65 years of age and older.  So call your health care provider and get that shot!

Author Colin Dexter, the creator of British Detective Chief Inspector Endeavour Morse and his onetime “sidekick,” Robbie Lewis, who is now the star of his own excellent TV series (Inspector Lewis) celebrated his 79th birthday this week.

Attention quilters and wanna-be quilters…If you haven’t read the Elm Creek Quilts series, I highly recommend it. They are good stories, incorporating quilting lore, history and patterns. The series stars with The Quilter’s Apprentice. Also available on CD.

Also check out the Elm Creek quilts: quilt projects inspired by the Elm Creek quilt novels. This book contains patterns for quilts that are talked about in the first four books. Anyone who is interested in quilting would enjoy these books.

Knitting in Tuscany: Fabulous Design, Luscious Yarns, Shopping Secrets, Food & Wine, Travel Notes by Nicky Epstein
Knitting guru Epstein returns with a gorgeous book that is equal parts travel guide and pattern book. Filled with stunning photographs, it at times resembles a scrapbook of the author's experiences in this ever-inspiring corner of the world. The patterns range from elegant to rustic, but all evoke the beauty and old-world charm of Tuscany.

Do you like fruits and vegetables? Have you ever picked your own? There are many U-Pick farms opened from June through October.

Strawberry picking begins around the middle of June and lasts usually three weeks.

I picked strawberries at Rowe's in Ypsilant. Rowe's also has sugar peas and green beans for picking later in the summer. I began picking raspberries at Rowe's in late August. Raspberry picking is available usually from mid August through the second week of October. I make pies and jam with the raspberries each year.

Our family often take some grandchildren blueberry picking in July and August. We pick at Dexter Blueberry Farm in Dexter, MI. Blueberries are very easy to freeze and they stay firm when you thaw them later to put into muffins or on your cereal.

In recent years, Hasbro came up with the cool idea of publishing some of its popular board games in "library" editions. Now you can get some of your favorite games in compact boxes that look like books and fit right on your shelves!

Hey Kids!
Wow! I've already had lots of friends voice their opinions on my poll for what I should be for Halloween. Have I heard from you yet? Don't forget you have until next Monday, September 28th to cast your vote, either here on the website or in the Children's Library! I can't wait to tell you the results, so here's a teaser based on current results--you guys sure like Harry Potter! Will that hold true through next Monday? You'll have to wait until October to find out! What are you going to be for Halloween? If you need some ideas, there are lots of great books here at CPL to give you some ideas!!! Can't wait to see what you'll be for Halloween too!
Bear Hugs!
Thorndyke

Metro Detroit Book and Author Society will present their 75th luncheon on Monday, October 19th at the Burton Manor in Livonia. Our guest authors include Nicholson Baker, The Anthologist; Rita Mae Brown, Animal Magnetism; Bruce Feiler, America's Prophet; David Alan Grier, Barack Like Me; and Jacquelyn Mitchard, No Time to Wave Goodbye.
Tickets are $30. each and are available by mail order only at Book & Author Luncheon, P.O. Box 82013, Rochester Hills, MI 48308. If you wish to sit together, please send your checks together made out to MDB&A Society.

A little friendly competition, a little friendly chat, a lot of fun. Join us on the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays of each month for a couple of hours of board games with other seasoned citizens. Remember Scrabble, Rummikub or any game of your choice? We'll set you up with others who would enjoy a round of the same and let the laughs begin. See you at 10 a.m. in the Purple Room on September 23rd.

Hey Kids!
I need your help with something. See, my third favorite holiday (after Christmas and the First Day of Summer Reading) is coming up soon. It’s Halloween! But I can’t decide what to be. I have to decide soon, because I get to wear my costume for the whole month of October!! This is where you come in. You’ll see that I’ve posted a poll below on the web site. You can either vote for what you think I should be for Halloween there, or you can come into the Children’s Library and vote! Sorry, there’s no prize. The library pays me in cookies--that’s how I keep my nice round physique! But you’ll definitely see what costume was the favorite, 'cause that’s what I’ll be wearing come October! Of course, in order to make my costume in time, I’ll need all your votes by Monday, September 28th. Gotta have time to make that costume you know! Thanks soooo much for your help!
Bear Hugs!
Thorndyke

Author Bich Minh Nguyen, who wrote Stealing Buddha's Dinner will speak at 1 p.m. on Saturday, October 17th at the Penn Theatre in Plymouth.

Nguyen and her family left Vietnam in 1975, and relocated to Michigan. Stealing Buddha's Dinner is a memoir of the author's childhood and experiences of assimilation into American culture. This is Nguyen's only appearance in the Detroit area; and her presentation is not to be missed.

Lyn Hamilton, author of the Lara McClintoch series passed away last month on September 10.  Ms. Hamilton's Arthur Ellis Award nominated series featured Canadian antiques dealer and amateur detective,  Lara McClintoch. 

F. Paul Wilson's latest Repairman Jack book, Ground Zero, will be released this week. In his recent newsletter, Wilson described the book: "A woman has been posting anonymously on 9/11 Truther sites...you know, the folks (like Van Jones) who think the Trade Tower attack was all a government conspiracy. Well, she says they're right about the conspiracy, but it wasn't Bush or Cheney manufacturing a second Pearl Harbor to get us into Iraq...and it wasn't Big Oil...and it wasn't the New World Order… The truth is stranger, darker, and more evil than anyone can imagine. Those behind the plot will do anything to stop her. But they've made a fatal miscalculation. They don't know about Jack. ...They don't know this woman has a guardian who is armed to the teeth and can be just as cold-blooded as they. Maybe more so. Many Truths are revealed in GROUND ZERO .

Are you thinking of adopting a vegetarian diet? Many people have, but there are important facts to know to make sure you stay healthy and get all the nutrition you need on a restricted diet. How to Become Vegetarian: 5 Key Steps (& Famous Vegetarian Celebrities) offers information and lots of links for further research that you may find helpful if you're considering vegetarianism. Even if you're already veggie, there is a lot of good info here that you may not have seen before.