Happy Thanksgiving. How much do you really know about the early years of America's formation?

Mayflower: a story of courage, community, and war by Nathaniel Philbrick

The pox and the covenant: Mather, Franklin, and the epidemic that changed America's destiny by Tony Williams

Sew up a home makeover : 50 simple sewing projects to transform your space by Lexie Barnes — This book not only contains a wide variety of sewing projects, it also includes important information on how to plan for a makeover. It's easy to get inspired but forget to think about the function of the space or to plan a realistic budget, and those items and more are covered here. Home makeover projects often involve not only your sewing kit, but items from your tool bench, and this book makes it easy to plan for those needs. Included are ideas for children's rooms at various ages, a craft room, as well as many a la carte projects.

Justin Verlander of the Detroit Tigers has been named the 2011 American League Cy Young Award winner by the Baseball Writers Association of America. The 28 year old right handed pitcher who finished the 2011 season with a 25-4 record and 250 strike outs won the award by unanimous vote. In addition, Tiger's manager Jim Leyland was the runner up for American League Manager of the Year. Other recipients of 2011 MLB awards include former Detroit Tiger Kirk Gibson who was named the 2011 National League Manager of the year and former Tiger centerfielder Curtis Granderson who was named Outstanding Player in the American League. MVP awards for the American League will be announced on November 21st with both Justin Verlander and Tiger's first baseman Miguel Cabrera in the running. Looking to satisfy your baseball fix till Spring Training 2012? Be sure to check out the many Detroit Tiger books and videos we have to offer!

Lists, lists, and more lists. As 2011 draws to an end everyone seems to be creating "Best of" lists. For readers of all ages and tastes, holiday gift suggestions:

• Amazon's Best Books of 2011
• Kirkus Magazine
• Publisher's Weekly
• American Library Association/Notable Children's Books 2011

The National Book Awards 2011 will be webcast live from New York City on Wednesday, November 16 at 8:00 PM. Actor, author, and musician John Lithgow will host this year's award ceremony. No registration necessary. Check the National Book Foundation's website for more information.

Evelyn Lauder, the longtime breast cancer activist who helped to create the pink ribbon as the symbol of the fight against the disease, died November 12 at the age of 75. Born in Vienna, Austria in 1936, she came to the United States as a young child when her parents fled from the Nazis. The family settled in New York where she met her future husband, Leonard Lauder, whose parents owned a small cosmetics firm. She eventually went to work with at her mother-in-law Estee Lauder's company which today has revenues of nearly $2.5 billion. During her long career Evelyn was instrumental in developing and marketing new products, including Clinique. She was also a leading philanthropist and became very involved in the fight against breast cancer.

High-impact, low-carbon gardening : 1001 ways to garden sustainably by Alice Bowe — Most of the time when I choose plants for my garden, I go by what their blooms look like, what fruit (or veg) they will bear, and how they will complement the other plants in my garden. This book looks at it from another angle: will the plant improve my garden's ecological credentials? will it help manage water? Also included here are tips for choosing sustainable materials, eliminating perennial weeds, substituting more eco-friendly alternatives for classic favorite plants, and more.

Come in and take a look at the great new Japanese books we've added to the collection in 2011. Recently received titles include:

Inemuri sensei by Ijūin Shizuka

Idai naru shurarabon by Makime Manabu

Banbatsuki by Miyabe Miyuki

Sanpi ryōron kasahara masahiro no gohan no tomo 110: Kantansugiru umasugiru by Kasahara Masahiro

Michigan Humanities Council, in conjunction with Michigan Roundtable for Diversity & Inclusion, has selected nine host sites for the Great Michigan Read traveling exhibit: We Don’t Want Them. The exhibit places the events documented in Kevin Boyle's Arc of Justice in a broader context of policies and practices that limited where some could live, thus impacting their past and present quality of life. We Don't Want Them opened in Flint and will travel around the state to the following cities:

• November: Three Rivers Public Library
• December: Davenport University, Grand Rapids
• January: Peter White Public Library, Marquette
• February: Detroit Science Center (Pending re-opening of the Detroit Science Center)
• March:
  • Interlochen Center for the Arts
  • Dennos Museum Center, Traverse City
  • Traverse Area District Library, Traverse City
• April: Castle Museum of Saginaw History
• May: Old Mill Museum, Dundee
• June: Artworks, Big Rapids

The sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald will be commemorated today in services across the state. Twenty nine lives were lost when the ship sank in Lake Superior 36 years ago in 1975 about 17 miles from Whitefish Point. The Dossin Great Lakes Museum on Belle Isle will host a remembrance ceremony at 6:00 PM, and the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum will have a service at 7:00 PM. Gordon Lightfoot recorded a memorable tribute to the lost crew in his song The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.

Grow herbs by Jekka McVicar — This guide to herbs has info on a lot more than just growing them. It also includes some history, basic information about what herbs are, designing an herb garden, propagation and harvesting techniques, a list of 100 top herbs for use in the kitchen,  recipes and instructions for use in cooking and throughout the home (for cleaning, remedies, relaxation, and more).

Two notable figures from recent American history passed away this week. Andy Rooney, the curmudgeonly commentator on CBS’s 60 Minutes for more than 30 years, died November 4 at the age of 92. Rooney died one month after he had signed off from "60 Minutes" in October after a 33-year run. A statement from CBS News stated that he died of complications following minor surgery. Rooney began his journalism career as a correspondent for the Stars and Stripes newspaper and was awarded a Bronze Star for his work during the Normandy invasion. He joined CBS News in 1949 and joined "60 Minutes" in 1968, first as a producer, then as a commentator ten years later.

Have you tried Canton Public Library's online resources to find information about books, authors, reviews and read-alikes 24/7? Our database Books & Authors is a reader’s advisory tool available to Canton Public Library users via the library's databases. Canton library cardholders can create a free account in Books & Authors to create and save reading lists, access reviews or write a review for books in the database and much more. You can browse by titles, authors and genres; plus the Who? What? When? and Where? search allows users to get really specific in terms of finding just the right read.

Thanksgiving is on November 24th this year. Have you made your crafts yet? If not, there is still plenty of time. Check out the Thanksgiving craft books we have here at the library for inspiration and direction. Have fun! Gobble, gobble!

If you're looking for some great new reads about your favorite actors, sports stars or musicians, then you're in luck. There have been a plethora of celebrity biographies and autobiographies published this fall on everyone from Shaquille O"Neal to Spencer Tracy. More great titles can be found below:

The Garner Files: A Memoir by Garner, James/ Winokur, Jon/ Andrews, Julie (INT)

Happy accidents by Jane Lynch

60 quick baby knits : blankets, booties, sweaters & more in Cascade 220 Superwash — Handknit clothing and items make excellent baby gifts. This book is a compilation of dozens of patterns for making such items, in sizes from newborn to toddler. All of the patterns here will work well with the title yarn, or with any baby-friendly worsted/10ply yarn.

As the winter season approaches, Michigan gets on average 36% of sunshine compared to 66% in the summer months. Vitamin D plays an important role in our overall health. In today's USA Weekend, you'll find an article about the benefits of vitamin D, "the sunshine vitamin," and you can check out, Vitamin D for Dummies, from our health collection.

Sewing 101 : a workshop in a book by [editors of Creative Publishing, International] — Are you looking to learn how to sew, to refresh your skills, or to expand beyond the very basics? This book can help with all of these things. Many basic sewing books stick to instructions for working with cotton or fleece, but this one includes several projects and how-to tips for working with knits. It also features garments for adults in addition to the stand-by aprons, pillows, and placemats.

Our 2011 books in Kannada are on the shelf and waiting to be checked out. Titles include:

Citādanta : [rōcaka kādambari] by Ke. En. Gaṇēśayya

Ivarellarū Bhārata ratna ru by Ji. Eṃ. Kr̥ṣṇamūrti

Kathā samaya : purāṇa jagattina beragina kathegaḷu by Jōgi

Nēhala : kathegaḷu by Ke. En. Gaṇēśayya

Team of rivals: the political genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin

Bad things happen by Harry Dolan

Myrna Loy: the only good girl in Hollywood by Emily W.