Are you interested in adding a pet to your life? You don't have to rub meatballs on your feet like movie star George Clooney did! Consider adoption at your local animal rescue shelters such as Michigan Humane Society, Homeward Bound, Last Day Dog Rescue, Almost Home, Michigan Animal Rescue League, Dearborn Animal Rescue, and Last Chance Rescue. Check out our new book on caring for your four-legged friend(s):

Shanghai girls: a novel by Lisa See — Join us on Monday, January 16 at 7:00 PM to discuss this historical thriller. Pearl and May are beautiful girls in Shanghai, "the Paris of Asia." Their carefree days are over when their father informs them that to pay off his debts, he must sell his daughters as wives. As bombs fall on Shanghai and the world goes to war, the sisters flee to America to start new lives with their husbands. Along the way, they have to make sacrifices and promise to keep a secret that threatens to tear them apart.

Selected and reviewed by Library Journal contributors, here is their list of the best health books of the year:

The mommy docs' ultimate guide to pregnancy and birth by Yvonne Bohn [et al.]

The diabetes manifesto: take charge of your life by Lynn Crowe, Julie Stachowiak

The buena salud guide for a healthy heart by Jane L. Delgado; foreword by John C. Lewin

The guardian by Nicholas Sparks — On Christmas Eve, a young widow receives an unexpected present from her late husband; a great dane puppy named Singer, who turns out to be a better judge of character than his pet-parent. After four years of mourning her husband's death, Julie begins dating again. Does she or Singer know what's best for her happiness and safety? Join us on Monday, December 19 at 7:00 PM in the Community Room to find out.

The guardian by Nicholas Sparks — Join us Monday, December 19 at 7:00 PM in the Community Room for this discussion. "On Christmas Eve, newly-widowed, 25 year-old Julie Berenson receives an unexpected present from her late husband, Jim: a Great Dane puppy. Julie names her new dog, Singer, who turns out to be a better judge of human character than she is."

Debate continues in the Legislature on whether to lift state caps on charter schools in high-performing districts. If passed, the proposal would allow expansion of charter schools giving parents more options for K-12 education. To learn more, you can read the article or check the performance rating for all the charter schools in Michigan.