The language of flowers: a novel by Vanessa Diffenbaugh

Winterdance: the fine madness of running the Iditarod by Gary Paulsen

My name is Mary Sutter by Robin Oliveira

1984: a novel by George Orwell ; with an afterword by Erich Fromm

What's the first book you will read this year? Have you made any reading resolutions for 2012? Last year I promised myself I would catch up on all my favorite authors, I think I read about 60% of my authors' list. This year I've promised myself to use all the reading diaries I've received over the past several years. I think this will be an easier resolution to keep.

Simms Taback, award-winning author and illustrator of the picture books Joseph Had A Little Overcoat and There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed A Fly, passed away December 25, 2011. Check out Simms Taback's official website for a complete listing of his works. Also find a list of Taback's titles owned by the library.

Enjoy books like The 39 Clues? Looking for something else with adventure and mystery? Try some of these:

NERDS: National Espionage, Rescue, and Defense Society by Michael Buckley

A world without heroes by Brandon Mull

The name of this book is secret by Pseudonymous Bosch

Shanghai girls: a novel by Lisa See — Join us on Monday, January 16 at 7:00 PM in the Purple Room 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.

Vintner's Wine and Mysteries Book Discussion Group will meet every other month (i.e. even-numbered months) in 2012. The first meeting at Vintner's Canton Winery will be on Tuesday, February 21, 2012 from 7:00-8:00 PM.

Registration is required and will begin on January 21, 2012. The February reading selection will be available for pickup at the Canton Public Library's Help Desk on January 21.

Every year CPL's Lunch and a Book Club picks our favorite reads of the year. These are our favorite reads for 2011. The picks are as eclectic as our group! Feel free to join us. We meet on the second Thursday of every month at noon in CPL's Community Room.

Fiction

Catching fire by Suzanne Collins

The forgotten garden: a novel by Kate Morton

ITV in partnership with Agatha Christie, LTD has announced they will film 5 new Hercule Poirot stories for release in 2012.

Dead man's folly by Agatha Christie

The big four [Large print]: a Hercule Poirot mystery by Agatha Christie

Elephants can remember [by] Agatha Christie by Christie, Agatha, 1890-1976

Bread and jam for Frances by Russell Hoban — Russell Conwell Hogan (February 4, 1925-December 13, 2011), author of a series of children's books featuring Frances, a badger and her family and friends which Mr. Hoban wrote and his wife, Lillian Hoban illustrated died on Tuesday, December 13 at his home in England. In addition to his children's books, Mr. Hogan was a well-known author of science fiction, poetry, fantasy, and fiction.

Au revoir, crazy European chick by Joe Schreiber — is the type of book that's great for turning your brain off and just having a good time. It's short. It's got a great initial hook (boy mistakenly takes an assassin to prom), and it's got explosions. Lots of explosions. What more can I say? Sure, the plot is ludicrous. Sure, it's a little shallow. It's no Crime and Punishment, but hey, that's the point for some: no punishment. Just action. If you're looking for a book like a summer blockbuster, then give this a try.

I have the pleasure of working with a fantastic group of young adults at the Starkweather Alternative High School. The Canton Public Library in cooperation with Starkweather was awarded an ALA Great Stories Club Grant a couple years ago. The book club was such a success we decided to continue meeting.

Notes from the midnight driver by Jordan Sonnenblick — A teen is sentenced to community service at a nursing home after a drunk driving arrest.

Inside out & back again by Thanhha Lai — Do you enjoy reading diaries? Do you like historical fiction? A wonderful adventure is in store for you then. This book justly deserved winning The National Book Award for Young People's Literature, as well as two other awards. Meet Ha, a bright, feisty 10-year-old girl, who must flee her home in Vietnam along with her mother and three older brothers. When they arrive in Florida they must stay at a refugeee camp until a family is found to sponsor them. "Cowboy" and his wife in Alabama agree to do so and yet another chapter begins in a very challenging year for Ha.

Take a delightful holiday romance, a creamy glass of eggnog, and one crackling fire (roasting chestnuts optional). Settle down into a comfy chair and you have the recipe for a perfect snowy evening.

Holly Lane: a destiny novel by Toni Blake

A Texas Christmas by Jody Thomas ... [et. al.]

Murder at the Villa Byzantine by R.T.

Check out some easy Christmas reads during the month of December to get in the holiday spirit. Below are some suggested titles from the Readers section in the Children's Department. Happy reading!

Alvin and the Chipmunks: a Chipmunk family Christmas by based upon the characters Alvin and the Chipmunks created by Ross Bagdasarian ; story by Jon Vitti ; screenplay by Jon Vitti and Will McRobb & Chris Viscardi ; adapted by Susan Hill

Minnie and Moo: the night before Christmas by Denys Cazet

Korean books for 2011 are on the shelves. Check out these new titles, including:

Kim Che-dong i mannarŏ kamnida: sal mat nanŭn sesang ŭl kkum kkumyŏ by [chiŭni Kim Che-dong]

Kkot kat'ŭn sijŏl: Kong Sŏn-ok changp'yŏn sosŏl by Kong, Sŏn-ok, 1963-

Nat igŭn sesang: Hwang Sŏg-yŏng changp'yŏn sosŏl by Hwang, Sŏg-yŏng, 1943-

Natsŏn ttang e hollida: munindŭl i saranghan ch'oego ŭi munhak kihaeng by Kim Yŏn-su ... [et al.]

The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith — Fans of Alexander McCall Smith, author of several series, including The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series, 44 Scotland Street, and Isabel Dalhousie's novels will enjoy this recent interview by Connie Fletcher in BookList Online (12/01/2011).

Korgi. Book 1, [Sprouting wings!] by Christian Slade — a beautifully illustrated woodland fantasy about a young girl, Ivy, her Korgi cub, Sprout, and their amazing adventures in Korgi Hallow. This wordless series is the masterful artistic creation of Christian Slade who was a Disney animator for many years. Gaze upon illustrations that are so full of life that the pages radiate the emotions of the characters. No written dialogue is necessary to know exactly what is happening and what is being felt. Join Ivy and Sprout on their perilous encounters with trolls, dinosaurs, and other exotic creatures when they wonder too far from the safety of their village.

The upcoming weeks will see several new films released that are based on, or inspired by popular books. Here are some of the most anticipated:

The adventures of Tintin: the chapter book by adapted by Stephanie Peters — Directed by Stephen Spielberg

Extremely loud & incredibly close by Jonathan Safran Foer — Starring Tom Hanks & Sandra Bullock

The Mousetrap, & Other Plays by Agatha Christie — begins it's 60th consecutive year in performance in London's theaters. That's 24,587 performances to date. Written for the radio, the play debuted on November 25, 1952 at the Ambassador Theater starring Richard Attenborough as Detective-Sargent. In 1974 the play transferred to the Martin Beck Theater in London and has been playing there since. Theater goers are asked at every performance not to reveal the play's ending. Beginning in September 25, 2012, The Mousetrap will go on tour. Additional 'murderous' events are planned in celebration.