Willard Library in Battle Creek is pleased to present An Evening with Carol Higgins Clark, Thursday, October 13th at 7:00 PM (doors open at 6:00 PM) at the Burnham Brook Community Center.

Mobbed: a Regan Reilly Mystery by Carol Higgins Clark — Best-selling mystery author Carol Higgins Clark will talk about her Regan Reilly detective series, take questions, and sign books. The program is free of charge and all are welcome! Burhnam Brook Community Center is located at 200 W. Michigan Avenue, Battle Creek, MI 49017. Please call 269-968-8166 with any questions.

Get ready for Halloween with some easy-to-read titles. These spook-tacular books are shelved in the Readers section in the Children's Department. A CPL librarian can show you just where to find them. Happy Halloween!

A fairy-tale fall by Apple Jordan; illustrated by Francesco Legramandi

Monster parade: a sticker rerader by Shana Corey; illustrated by Will Terry

Pooh's Halloween pumpkin by Isabel Gaines; illustrated by Josie Yee

The Purple Moon Press has declared October 2-11 Mystery Series Week-2011. Of course, every mystery fan is familiar with the Sherlock Holmes series by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Dame Agatha Christie's Hercules Poiroit, Miss Marple, or Tommy and Tuppence. If you are looking for something new, there are dozen of series such as Ian Rankin's Inspector Rebus, or Janet Evanovich's comic Stephanie Plum. For more reading suggestions, check Canton Public Library's mystery posts and May We Suggest.

[Image Source: Google/Purple Moon Press]

Northwest Angle: a novel by William Kent Krueger — Meet William Kent Krueger, author of the Cork O'Connor mystery series on Thursday, October 6 at 7:00 PM at Aunt Agatha's in Ann Arbor. Mr. Krueger will discuss and sign his new Cork O'Connor novel, Northwest Angle.

If you missed our Book Gems program last night, you can still take a peek at the titles we highlighted:

Not all tarts are apple by Pip Granger — This charming book set in 1953 London focuses on Rosie, the 7-year-old narrator, and the colorful characters in her Soho neighborhood. Try this if you like cozy British mysteries — especially if you care more about the setting and characters than the mystery itself.

Then she found me by Elinor Lipman — Restrained high school Latin teacher April Epner is dismayed when her extroverted birth mother finds her in this wry, unsentimental comedy of manners. A good choice for readers of Anne Tyler or Elizabeth Berg.

You will enter a world of breath-taking beauty and spellbinding mystery when you open Wonderstruck, a world so rich and captivating that you won't want to leave it even when you come to the last page. Two stories revolving around hearing-impaired characters are artfully intertwined. One is set in 1977, is told in text and follows Ben, who suddenly loses his mother and never knew his father. The second, depicted richly in shaded pencil drawings that act like a camera, opens in 1927 as young Rose plans to run away from her stifling father and find her glamorous mother in Manhattan. Ben soon flees his aunt's house in Gunflint Lake, Minn. in a attempt to find his father in New York City.

Have you ever wondered what zoo animals do when the visitors go home? Do they go to sleep, eat lots of food, play games? Well the zoo animals of ZooZical decide to put on a musical after all their visitors go home. In their musical, they sing some classic songs, but in a new, zooified way. Check out ZooZical, and enjoy they amazing talents of the giraffes, lions, kangaroos and one very special hippo.

This may even inspire you to read about more talented animals!

Register and join us for wine and a mystery book discussion on Tuesday, October 18th from 7:00-8:00 PM at Vintners Canton Winery. Drop by the Main Reference Desk to pick up a copy of this month's book:

The night inspector : a novel by Frederick Busch — William Bartholomew, a maimed veteran of the Civil War, returns from the battlefields to New York City a hardened man, bent on reversing his fortunes. This is a gripping portrait of a nation trying to heal from the ravages of war, of the desolation of a people searching for hope in a new age, and of one man's attempts at recapturing a lust for his own life.

The arrival of fall also means the arrival of apples! Whether they're baked into a pie, dipped in caramel, pressed into cider, or simply enjoyed plain, apples are always a wonderful autumn treat. Why not read some stories about apples, too? Listed below are some easy books all about this fabulous fruit. You can find them in the Readers section in the Children's Department.

Ten apples up on top! by Theo. leSieg; illustrated by Roy McKie

Big red apple by Tony Johnston; illustrated by Judith Hoffman Corwin

October 4, 4:00-5:30 PM
A talk with author Merrie Haskell Fuller

The princess curse by Merrie Haskell — Twelve princesses suffer from a puzzling—and downright silly—curse. Ridiculous though the curse may be, whoever breaks it will win a handsome reward. Sharp-witted Reveka, an herbalist’s apprentice, has little use for princesses, with their snooty attitudes and impractical clothing. She does, however, have use for the reward money that could buy her a position as a master herbalist.

The staff at Canton Public Library have eclectic tastes in reading...

The boss from outer space and other aliens at work : a down-to-earth guide for getting along with just about anyone by Patricia J. Addesso

The week-by-week vegetable gardener's handbook by Ron Kujawski and Jennifer Kujawski

America, 1908 : the dawn of flight, the race to the Pole, the invention of the Model T, and the making of a modern nation by Jim Rasenberger

Goodreads is a book list management and social networking site for the avid reader. It allows you to view and write reviews, rate books, and share books with friends. And now, it offers a book recommendation service based off of books you have previously read. 

Join us Thursday, September 29, from 7:00-8:00 PM for Book Gems. Our staff will explore some great hidden-in-plain-sight reads in Canton Public Library's fiction and nonfiction collections. Discover new and interesting titles for your book group or reading stack.

"Murderers are not monsters, they're men. And that's the most frightening thing about them."
-Alice Sebold

The stranger you seek: a novel by Amanda Kyle Williams

Where the shadows lie by Michael Ridpath

World War Two will not take place by Bill James

Take a look at IMDB's list of upcoming books to movies. Almost all of them are teen books! Uglies, If I Stay, Maximum Ride… Now, some are still in development (so it's not a done deal), but lots have made it to pre-production (so, there's a good chance), like The Forest of Hands and Teeth and Mortal Instruments. Just goes to show that teen books rule.

Has your book group tried our Book Club in a Bag kits? Each kit has 8 books and a resource guide with book discussion questions, author information, and articles relating to the book. A complete list of kits is available at: Book Club in a Bag. Questions? Call the Adult Reference Desk at 734-397-0999.

Are you in the mood for an awesome time-travel triology that promises to have a Twilight-ish romance flavor to it too? Then you'd better get started with book #1, Ruby Red by Kirstin Gier now. Gwen lives in London with her mother's rather eccentric family. For years all the attention has been focused on her cousin Charlotte who is supposed to be carrying the family time-travel gene and preparing her for life in the past. However, when Gwen turns 16, she is the one who suddenly starts disappearing into the past.

The Canton Seniors Book Discussion Group will not meet in December. Copies of the January 25, 2012 selection, Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon will be available after November 16, 2011. Request a copy at the Adult Reference Desk.