Stones into Schools is a follow-up to the best-selling Three Cups of Tea continues Mortenson's story of his humanitarian efforts to bring education into disadvantaged Middle East regions, describing such events as the 2005 earthquake and a tense eight-day abduction by the Taliban.

Dreaming of a warm climate and place to visit?  You can soak up the sunshine in Maui, Oahu & the big Island in Hawaii.  The Waikiki beach is a great beach to surf or just enjoy the white sand shores.  The fresh, floral air energizes you. The warm, tranquil waters refresh you.

Material Obsession: Modern Quilts with Traditional Roots by Kathy Doughty and Sarah Fielke
I haven't made a quilt yet myself but have always admired the technique and art of those made by others. As the weather turns colder I find myself ready to tackle a project that will, in the making, drape fabrics over my lap and keep my hands occupied while watching movies and enjoying the company of my family.

If you like to listen to an audio book and quilt at the same time then Jennifer Chiaverini's Elm Creek quilt novels is your answer. The series has 14 books and in all the books the story and the art of quilting are neatly stiched. You can learn more about the quilts discussed in those stories by going into Jennifer Chiaverini's web site at http://elmcreek.net. The Winding Ways quilt pattern is easily explained in Nancy Elliott MacDonald's book Winding Ways Quilts A practically Pinless Approach.

Starting your holiday baking? You'll find some excellent books under Christmas cookery. But so many are already checked out! Try Joy of Cooking. It has one of the two recipes I am asked for every year — Angel Slices. The other recipe is for Double Chocolate Walnut Biscotti, which you can find on epicurious. An extra bonus: both recipes are incredibly easy.

Busy Moms Book Club has been canceled for the December 17th meeting. Please join us on Thursday, January 21st at 11:00AM in the Children's Library Purple Room for friendship and a fun discussion! Our selection is Dewey: the Small Town Library Cat Who Touched the World. A film adaptation of this best-seller starring Meryl Streep is heading to the big screen around Christmas 2010.

Wedding Goddess is an awesome book that shows you ways to calm wedding-day jitters and walk down the aisle like a Goddess. It has creative ideas and inspirational suggestions, that can help every bride transform wedding stress into wedding bliss.

Welcome to December everyone and for that matter, welcome to National Tie Month! In honor of the gift that we all love to give fathers and grandfathers for most holidays of gift giving significance, let's celebrate the tie with joy and creativity. There is so much you can do with a tie, for example, you could put your picture on it, tie-dye it, paint it, iron on a patch or decal, attach festive jewels, or go crazy with some craft glue and glitter. Whatever you decide to do with your tie, have fun and know that the beloved tie will be even more well loved because you decorated it. Good luck!

Every fall my family enjoys visiting Frankenmuth, Michigan.  Our visit always gets us in the holiday spirit.  We always start with the world famous family style chicken dinner at Zehnder's or the Bavariann Inn.  Then we head over to Bronner's, the world's largest Christmas store.  If you would like to visit Frankenmuth or another Michigan city, start with The Michigan Travel Companion for a list of accommodations.

Three excellent books that have easy to follow diet plans, list healthy foods that keep your weight low and; metabolism high and give thin-spiration ideas or expert advice to help you keep the weight off during the holidays and through-out the year.

• The complete idiot's guide to Glycemic Index Weight loss
• The Low GI diet Revolution
• The Holford Low GL Diet

Every year, hundreds of people and organizations put together lists of picks for the most notable happenings of the year. One man, Rex Sorgatz, has assembled a "meta-list," or list of lists, for the last 8 years. 2009 is no exception.

Aside from Rex's list, you may also be interested in Eat Me Daily's Best Cookbooks of 2009 Roundup. The "Best Horizon-Expander," Vefa's Kitchen, is available here at CPL.

Lastly, the history community lost a great cultural scholar, Ronald T. Takaki. Harry Allen has written a heartfelt obituary that mentions Dr. Takaki's book, A Different Mirror: A History of Multicultural America.

Faith, Hope, Love, Knitting: Celebrating the Gift of Knitting with 24 Beautiful Patterns by Lorna Miser
This book of patterns by the founder of Lorna's Laces (drool-worthy fibers available locally at the Old Village Yarn Shoppe) includes patterns for socks, mittens, sweaters, stuffies, and even how to make your own decorative knitting needles. Interspersed with the patterns are brief stories explaining how Miser came up with the pattern and how it connects to her life.

Hey glue and glitter fans! Hope you have been having a festive holiday season. I know I have eaten way more food than I thought I could in the last couple of days, and I hope your tummies are full of yummy food too. While you are digesting, check out our fabulous Thanksgiving craft books. That way while you are waiting to be hungry for more pie and mashed potatoes and biscuits, make a turkey with some glue and feathers or paint your favorite holiday picture full of dinner, family, and friends. Have a great weekend!

Because I Love Her: 34 Writers Reflect on the Mother-Daughter Bond edited by Andrea N. Richesin

The Big Burn: Teddy Roosevelt and the Fire That Saved America by Tim Egan

Homer's Odyssey: A Fearless Feline Tale, Or How Learned about Love and Life with a Blind Wonder Cat by Gwen Cooper

Idiot America: How Stupidity Became a Virtue in the Land of the Free by Charles P. Fierce

Start the New Year off without excess mental baggage...consider forgiveness! Scientists have proven bitterness and guilt wreaks havoc on our bodies and minds. Dr. Fred Luskin has written Forgive for good the results of the Forgiveness Project, one of the largest and most important studies on forgiveness ever conducted. It shows that learning how to forgive improves our emotional and physical well-being.

Here is where the landscape, the country, and the people all play a part in forming life-changing experiences in the real and fictional worlds of Africa!

• The challenge for Africa by Wangari Maathai
• A beautiful place to die by Malla Nunn
• Ivory's ghosts: the white gold of history and the fate of elephants by John F. Walker
• Playing the enemy: Nelson Mandela and the game that made a nation by John Carlin
• Cry, the beloved country by Alan Paton
• A change of altitude by Anita Shreve
• Tea time for the traditionally built by Alexander McCall Smith
• The Egyptologist by Arthur Phillips
• The laughter of dead kings by Elizabeth Peters
• Heart of darkness by Joseph Conrad

Whether you need to learn more about your computer's current operating system or if you are interested in learning about a different one, the library carries a wide variety of books to help you. Materials cover older systems like Windows 98, as well as newer ones like Vista and Snow Leopard. Also covered are open source systems such as Linux.

Forbes has issued its first set of four and five star awards for hotels, and restaurants as the new brand name for what was formerly known as the Mobil Travel Guide. The awards were given out under the Mobil brand for more than 50 years. The ratings are based on evaluations of more than 500 attributes. For a complete list of winners go to http://www.forbestravelguide.com..

PostSecret: Confessions on Life, Death, and God by Frank Warren

Frank Warren collects postcards sent in by people all over the world. These postcards contain secrets, admissions, proclamations and whatever other content the anonymous submitters wish to share. Warren then posts images of these cards on the PostSecret website and in this, his second book. Warren will be at the University of Michigan on December 4 to speak about this project and this book.

Technology can be a writer's best friend. More and more authors are establishing their presence beyond their websites on Twitter, Facebook, etc. In a recent article by Rege Behe of the TRIBUNE-REVIEW interviewed Ann Rice, Gregg Hurwitz, Alafair Burke and others about their decision to blog.