Are you looking for something new? Short Story collections are the perfect way for Mystery fans to try new authors.

A study in Sherlock: stories inspired by the Holmes Canon edited by Laurie R. King and Leslie S. Klinger

The best American mystery stories 2011 edited and with an introduction by Harlan Coben

Hook, line & sinister edited by T. Jefferson Parker

Adopt a glurb! by Elise Gravel — is a quick, fun read. It outlines the basics for feeding, loving, and playing with your pet Glurb. Be careful though, they can be quite naughty! Be sure to ask your folks if it is okay for you to adopt one. Have fun!

This program has been canceled.

Internationally best-selling author Colleen Gleason will discuss her books and her writing process. Gleason's books include the popular Gardella Vampire Chronicles and the Regency Draculia Series that starts with The Vampire Voss. She also penned a short story, Northanger Castle, for the anthology Bespelling Jane Austen.

In addition to her works under her own name, she writes an exciting post-apocalyptic romance series under the pseudonym of Joss Ware. Gleason's publishing plans include a steampunk young adult series. Please join us on Thursday, April 26th at 7:00 PM for a great evening about reading and writing.

The lock artist by Steve Hamilton — is about a teen (Mike) who's famous for 2 things: 1) He can pick almost any lock. 2) He doesn’t talk. Ever. Not since something happened to him as a child (it’s even worse than you think). Rolling from one break-in to the next, and a life he desperately wants to escape, this book reads like a mafia movie and a heist movie all rolled into one. It's the romance with the girl, however, and the secret Mike carries, that gives it an emotional punch. A powerful underdog story if there ever was one. A fantastic book for older teens or adults.

Everyone's Reading promotes community dialogue through the shared experience of reading the same great book… and we do have a great one for everyone this year. Sandra Brown's Lethal will have you on the edge of your seat from the first page to the last. Brown, the author of over 60 best sellers, certainly has a way with words and your emotions. She is making two personal appearances in the Metro Detroit area: Thursday, March 22 at 2:00 PM at the Rochester Church of Christ and at 7:00 PM that same evening at Adel Shalom Synagogue in Farmington Hills. We have free tickets to both events available at the information desk beginning March 12 to Canton cardholders in good standing. It promises to be fun and informative events. Also watch for Lethal to be featured at our Lunch and a Book discussion on April 12 and at the Canton Senior Book Discussion Group on May 23.

Author J.K. Rowling of Harry Potter fame just penned a deal with Little, Brown publishing house to pen her first adult novel. The title, release date and details about the novel were not released. Rowling is quoted as saying, "Although I've enjoyed writing it every bit as much, my next book will be very different to the Harry Potter series." We'll all be on pins and needles until we get our hands on Rowling's newest book.

Soldier bear by written by Bibi Dumon Tak — is a wonderful, heartwarming novel based on a true story about a bear, Voytek, and a group of Polish soldiers who adopt him as a cub during World War II. Voytek grows into one smart bear who learns to act as a spy and carry bombs and, thereby, earns the honor of being made an official soldier of the company. While the horrors of war are not minimized, this delightful story keeps the reader laughing as it relates the crazy antics and mischief Voytek gets into. He is helped by a monkey and some dogs who are also part of the troop. During very difficult times he boosts the morale of all those he comes in contact with. Reading this real-life adventure, you realize just how special and emotionally fulfilling human-animal relationships can be.

Some of our most-loved picture books at the library are about our canine friends. Check out some dog tales today and discover a new favorite!

Sally goes to the vet by written and illustrated by Stephen Huneck

10 little hot dogs by John Himmelman

Bark, George by Jules Feiffer

With the mild winter we've been having, it feels more like spring outside! We've seen more rain lately than snow. Why not curl up with an easy-to-read book about a rainy day? Listed below are some fun titles about rainy day adventures. Happy reading!

Olivia and the rain dance by adapted by Maggie Testa; illustrated by Guy Wolek

Rain [kit] by written by Marion Dane Bauer; illustrated by John Wallace

If you love finely drawn characters and deep dramatic works, but don't want the ending to be too very bleak, try these titles:

If you are looking for the books either the Animal Ark series or The Secrets of Droon, they will be unavailable for a few days as they make their move from J Series to the J Fiction collection. Thanks for your patience!

Breaking Stalin's nose by Eugene Yelchin — a gripping story about a seldom covered historical era — Russia, or the then Soviet Union, under Stalin's rule. Ten-year-old Sasha begins a 24 hour period in a state of utter elation, the day has finally arrived for him to join the Young Pioneers. At last he will be able to serve the Communist Party and Comrade Stalin, just as his father does who works for the secret police in State Security. But poor, niave Sasha soon finds his whole world spiraling into an abyssmal black hole. His father is arrested in the middle of the night leaving him homeless. He accidentally breaks the nose off of a bust of Stalin at school and knows he could be arrested, too, if anyone reports him and he will never be able to join the Young Pioneers.

Daredevil by Mark Waid. Vol. 1

Electric barracuda [sound recording] by Tim Dorsey

The fault in our stars by John Green

The marriage plot [sound recording]: a novel by Jeffrey Eugenides

Winner

Where things come back: a novel by John Corey Whaley

Honor Books

Why we broke up: novel by Daniel Handler

Jasper Jones: a novel by Craig Silvey

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

Connie Willis, the prolific science fiction author, has won the prestigious Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master Award for 2011. The award is given by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA) and celebrates lifetime achievement in science fiction or fantasy. The library owns many of her titles, including Blackout/All Clear, which won the Hugo Award for 2011.

New authors you might want to try:

Washed up by Susan Koefod

1222: a Hanne Wilhelmsen novel by Anne Holt; translated by Marlaine Delargy

Cold cruel winter: a Richard Nottingham mystery by Chris Nickson

All cry chaos: an Henri Poincaré mystery by Leonard Rosen

The American Girl series is moving from the series collection in aisle 19 to the J Fiction Collection in aisle 16. Because more than one author writes books for this series, it will be shelved by the series name, American Girl. Once again, we appreciate your patience and understanding while these items are temporarily unavailable in order to change the spine labels.

A Ball For Daisy, written and illustrated by Chris Raschka, has been awarded the 2012 Caldecott Medal. This wordless picture book tells the story of a spirited dog named Daisy and her beloved red ball. Through a turn of events, she gains a brand-new friend and realizes there can be more than one way to have fun. The brightly colored, expressive illustrations make this story an entertaining read for kids and adults alike.

The 13th Annual Love is Murder Conference for Mystery writers and readers will be held in Chicago at the Intercontinental Chicago O'Hare Hotel Friday, February 3 through Sunday, February 5. The conference offers author chats, opportunities to meet with publishers and/or agents, and writer's workshops. Entertainment in the evening includes a performance by Those Were The Days Radio Players.

Artistic license by Julie A. Hyzy — Ms Hyzy is the conference's Guest of Honor.

To Foster a sense of community and provide an opportunity for calm conversation, the Canton Public Library will host a book discussion for two book titles whose inclusion in the Plymouth-Canton Community Schools AP curriculum was recently challenged. The first discussion will be Monday, February 27th at 7:00 PM and we will be discussing: