Blog
10 Off-beat Films About Food
1. 
Big night [videodisc] by Rysher Entertainment presents a Timpano production:
Determined to drum up business and foil his Little Italy rival, Secondo concocts a rumor that bandleader Louis Prima will dine at his restaurant that very night, sending chef Primo into a frenzy. Will it be the finest night of his career, or will it be a financial disaster? Will Louis Prima actually come to dine? With wonderful performances by Stanley Tucci and Tony Shalhoub, it's worth viewing this film just to see the dinner's masterpiece timpano.
2. Toast [videodisc] by W2 Media Inc, BBC, and Screen WM present ; produced by Faye Ward ; written by Lee Hall ; directed by SJ Clarkson:
England's reputation for terrible food may be deserved if this film, based on food writer Nigel Slater's memoirs, can be believed. Nigel's mum may have served meals from boiled tin, but he and his dad adored her. When she dies and her place in his father's affections is threatened by their gastronomically adept cleaning lady, Nigel enters into an unofficial culinary contest with his late mother's rival.
Kids Read Comics
Zita the spacegirl. book one, Far from home by Ben Hatke
Hercules: the twelve labors by story by Paul Storrie ; pencils by Steve Kurth ; inks by Barbara Schulz
Drama by Raina Telgemeier ; with color by Gurihiru ; [lettering by John Green]
Giants beware! by written by Jorge Aguirre ; art by Rafael Rosado ; story by Rafael Rosado & Jorge Aguirre ; colors by John Novak, Matthew Schenk
Phineas and Ferb: it's about time! by adapted by John Green
Zombie Fiction
Feed by Mira Grant
The walking dead: rise of the Governor by Robert Kirkman and Jay Bonansinga
Zombies vs. unicorns by Justine Larbalestier, Holly Black
Warm bodies: a novel by Isaac Marion
Rot & Ruin by Jonathan Maberry
The reapers are the angels: a novel by Alden Bell
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Animal Lover
Back in Time
Be Creative
Be Well
Chow Down
Curtains On
Game On
Green Thumb
Geek Out
Love It
My Mitten
Sleuth It
Detroit History
This Special Collection was created as Detroit prepared to celebrate its 300th birthday, a year-long event that was marked by a host of festivities and events. The history of the city is broad enough and rich enough, though, to warrant a continual presence and periodic updating as one of the library's special online resource collections. As we celebrate the city's 312th birthday, check the books, websites and other materials listed here to discover more about the Motor City and its colorful past.
History of Detroit
Celebrating 300 Years of Detroit Cooking, 1701 to 2001 edited by Marguerite J. Humes: A "historical cookbook" presenting information about Detroit's social setting and cooking history from 1701 to 2001. Includes original recipes handed down by Native Americans and immigrants alike, as well as some developed by native Detroiters.
Detroit, 1860-1899 by David Lee Poremba: Venture back in time to Detroit in the mid to late 19th century with this fascinating book.
Detroit: A Motor City History by David Lee Poremba: A concise and highly readable history by the acting manager of the Burton Historical Collection at the Detroit Public Library.
Detroit: Across Three Centuries by Richard Bak: Bak introduces readers to some of the epic names and events from the city's past.
Michigan Art & Architecture
Alden B. Dow: midwestern modern by Diane Maddex
Art Deco in Detroit by Rebecca Binno Savage and Greg Kowalski
Art in Detroit public places by text by Dennis Nawrocki ; photographs by David Clements
Buildings of Michigan by Kathryn Bishop Eckert
Artists of early Michigan: a biographical dictionary of artists native to or active in Michigan, 1701-1900 by compiled by Arthur Hopkin Gibson ; research assistants, Beverly Bassett and Jean Spang
Marshall M. Fredericks, sculptor by edited by Suzanne P. Fredericks ; introductory essay by Edgar P. Richardson ; foreword by Sammuel Sachs II ; researched and compiled by Marcy Heller Fisher ; with contributions by Barbara Heller ... [et al.]
Michigan Critters
Enslaved by ducks by Bob Tarte
The amphibians and reptiles of Michigan: a Quaternary and Recent faunal adventure by J. Alan Holman
Birds of Detroit by Chris C. Fisher, Allen T. Chartier
Michigan turtles and lizards: a field guide and pocket reference by James H. Harding and J. Alan Holman ; photography and illustrations by James H. Harding, except where otherwise credited
Fish of Michign field guide by David Bosanko
The wolves of Isle Royale: a broken balance by Rolf O. Peterson
Fowl weather by Bob Tarte
Ethnic Michigan
Arab Americans in Metro Detroit: a pictorial history by Anan Ameri ; Yvonne Lockwood
Arab Americans in Michigan by Rosina J. Hassoun
Chaldeans in Michigan by Mary C. Sengstock
Michigan Fiction
The burning of Rachael Hayes by Doug Allyn
Company man: a novel by Joseph Finder
Eden Springs: a novella by Laura Kasischke
Freshwater boys by Adam Schuitema
The river swimmer: novellas by Jim Harrison
Ford Road by Amy Kenyon
Say nice things about Detroit by Scott Lasser
Michigan Historical Fiction
Detroit breakdown by D.E. Johnson — Detroit, 1912.
The Detroit electric scheme by D. E. Johnson — Detroit, 1910.
The expeditions: a novel by Karl Iagnemma — Michigan Territory, 1844.
Grand River and Joy by Susan Messer — Detroit, 1967.
Looking for Przybylski by K.C. Frederick — Detroit, mid-1970s.
The mercy killers: a novel by Lisa Reardon — Ypsilanti, 1967.
Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides — Detroit, from Prohibition to the present.
Detroit Fiction
Looking for Przybylski by K.C. Frederick
Detroit breakdown by D.E. Johnson
Say nice things about Detroit by Scott Lasser
Grand River and Joy by Susan Messer
Trigger man: more tales of the Motor City by Jim Ray Daniels
See what I see by Gloria Whelan
Sparks by Laura Bickle
The dollmaker by Harriette Arnow
Pure Michigan Travel
Of woods and water: a photographic journey across Michigan by Ron Leonetti and Christopher Jordan ; foreword by Dave Dempsey
The paddler's guide to Michigan by Jeff Counts
Hiking Michigan by Roger E. Storm, Susan M. Wedzel
Belle Isle to 8 Mile: an insider's guide to Detroit by edited by Andy Linn, Emily Linn and Rob Linn
Twelve classic trout streams in Michigan: a handbook for fly anglers by Gerth E. Hendrickson ; fully revised by Jim DuFresne
Great Lakes Shipwrecks
Beyond the windswept dunes: the story of maritime Muskegon by Elizabeth B. Sherman
Deadly voyage: the S.S. Daniel J. Morrell tragedy by Andrew Kantar
Gales of November: the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald by Robert J. Hemming
Many a midnight ship: true stories of Great Lakes shipwrecks by Mark Bourrie
Mighty Fitz: the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald by Michael Schumacher
Ships and men of the Great Lakes by Dwight Boyer
Ships gone missing: the Great Lakes storm of 1913 by Robert J. Hemming
Michigan in Song
Check out some of these tunes that mention Michigan or its cities:
Even More Fascinating Michigan History
Michigan by David Lee Poremba
Bold women in Michigan history by Virginia Law Burns
State of war: Michigan in World War II by Alan Clive
Bath massacre: America's first school bombing by Arnie Bernstein
Lives and legends of the Christmas tree ships by Fred Neuschel
Eyes on fire: witnesses to the Detroit Riot of 1967 by edited by Heather Buchanan, Sharon Stanford, Teresa Kimble
The Way-Back Room: A Memoir of a Detroit Childhood by Minock, Mary
More Fascinating Michigan History
Michigan remembered: photographs from the Farm Security Administration and the Office of War Information, 1936- 1943 by edited by Constance B. Schulz ; with introductory essays by Constance B. Schulz and William H. Mulligan, Jr
Father Abraham's children: Michigan episodes in the Civil War by Frank B. Woodford ; new foreword by Arthur M. Woodford
A drive down memory lane: the named state and federal highways of Michigan by LeRoy Barnett
The Potawatomis, keepers of the fire by R. David Edmunds
Picturing Hemingway's Michigan by Michael R. Federspiel
Lumberjack: inside an era in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan by William S.
Michigan Authors
Michigan is home to many noted authors. Whether native born or longtime residents, writing fiction, nonfiction or poetry, the following authors have produced a remarkable body of work.
Time Marches On!
History is full of days and years which have special meaning. 1492? Columbus discovered America. 1776? America declared its independence. 1929? The stock market crashed. We all learned about these significant dates in school. However, these are just some of the years in history worth remembering - for better or for worse. Check out the following list for more:
69 A.D.: the year of four emperors by Gwyn Morgan
The year 1000: what life was like at the turn of the first millennium: an Englishman's world by Robert Lacey, Danny Danziger
1066: the year of the conquest by David Howarth; illustrations to chapter headings by Gareth Floyd
Pure Michigan
Visit the Pure Michigan site and earn your My Mitten badge by visiting or exploring one of the numerous vacation spots in our great state. From bike trails to museums to the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island, you're sure to find something to do this summer!
Musical Michigan
The legacy of music in the state of Michigan is truly impressive. From classical to rock and everything in between, our state can lay claim to hundreds of noteworthy musicians. Here are but a few:
