CANTON, MI—Journalist and bestselling author Jeffrey Zaslow will speak Thursday, February 23 at 7:00 PM at the Canton Public Library. Zaslow’s newest novel, The Magic Room: A Story About the Love We Wish for our Daughters, debuted in January and recounts the hopes, dreams and transformations of thousands of women who visit Becker’s Bridal Salon in Fowler, Michigan.

He is also the author of The Girls from Ames: A Story of Women and Friendship and coauthor of The Last Lecture with Randy Pausch, and more recently, Gabby: A Story of Courage and Hope with Gabrielle Giffords and Mark Kelly. The National Society of Newspaper Columnists twice named Zaslow the best columnist in a newspaper with more than 100,000 circulation. In 2008, he received the Distinguished Column Writing Award from the New York Newspaper Publishers Association.

Five books to help make life a little easier as you age:

I feel great about my hands: and other unexpected joys of aging by edited by Shari Graydon

AARP guide to revitalizing your home: beautiful living for the second half of life: reimagine, redesign, remodel by Rosemary Bakker

The social animal: the hidden sources of love, character, and achievement by David Brooks

Canton Leisure Services' Village Theater wants to take you to a play. On Saturday, February 11 at 11:00 AM, The Village Theater presents Are You My Mother? based on the classic children's book by P.D. Eastman. Adapted for the stage by playwright and lyricist Greg Gunning and composer Richard DeRosa, Are You My Mother? is an enchanting musical about Baby Bird’s journey — an adventure that overflows with love, dedication, and friendship — and shows children and adults alike how loss can be turned into empowerment; and how Baby Bird ends up finding more than she is looking for. The Village Theater will be giving away two family packs of four tickets to the show. Come to the staff desk in the Children's library and enter the drawing today! Drawing takes place on February 10. Tickets will be held at the Village Theater will call box office the day of the event.

Veteran stage and film actor Ben Gazzara died over the weekend. He was 81. Best known for his role in the classic film Anatomy of a Murder with James Stewart, he appeared in several notable films throughout his long career, including Husbands and The killing of a Chinese bookie with director John Cassavetes. He is also remembered for his starring role in the 1960s television series Run for Your Life in which he played a lawyer with a terminal illness determined to make the most of his remaining time.

Don't have a pint — donate it to the American Red Cross blood drive instead, when they set up shop at the library on Friday, February 17. Reservations are being accepted now: in person at the Reception Desk, by phone at 734-397-0999 ext. 1071, or by email to gladdenk@cantonpl.org. Or just walk in any time between 10:00 AM-3:45 PM. There's a critical need for blood right now, so please drop by to donate. And be sure to bring a friend. (You must be 17 years of age and able to donate a full pint of blood to be eligible.)

When was the last time your book group read a classic? These five titles were made into films. All received Oscar nominations in one category or other.

Arrowsmith; Elmer Gantry; Dodsworth by Sinclair Lewis

Far from the madding crowd by Thomas Hardy

One flew over the cuckoo's nest by Ken Kesey

1493: uncovering the new world Columbus created by Charles C.

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

It’s tax time again, so here’s some information regarding Federal and State tax forms at the Canton Public Library:

Federal

1. Form #1040 has arrived and is now available on the spinner rack at the Main Help Desk
2. All federal tax forms are currently available online. Delivery of the Instructions 1040-ALL will begin in late January and continue through mid-February. When they arrive they will be available on the spinner rack at the Main Help Desk
3. Publication 17 and binders containing all the Federal tax forms will be available at the check out desk, the copy machines and the Main Help Desk. Patrons may use these to make copies of forms but they should not be removed from the building

State

Michigan state tax forms are now available at the library! They are located on a spinner rack at the Main Help Desk. They are also available online.

Arc of justice: a saga of race, civil rights, and murder in the Jazz Age by Kevin Boyle — is the 2012 Great Michigan Read, but sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words:

DVDs

Eyes on the prize. Vol. 1, [videodisc]: America's civil rights movement by Blackside

The United States Department of agriculture had updated its Plant Hardiness Zone Map, reflecting a more accurate picture of growing conditions in the United States. Canton, Michigan is currently in zone 6a and 50% of the country has a warmer zone assigned. Gardeners, nurseries and plant breeders are among those who use the map. Data also figures into research models for crop-risk insurance and the spread of exotic weeds and insects.

You are invited to TechTown's Open House on Tuesday, February 7 from 5:00-7:00 PM. Register at the TechTown site or call 313-879-5250.

If you have an idea for a new product or business or need help developing your idea, tour TechTown's facilities, learn how they can help you, or chat with TechTown's entrepenuer of the month at their this monthly open house.

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.

Canton Seniors Book Discussion group will meet on Wednesday, March 28 from 2:00-3:00 PM in Canton Public Library's Group Study Room A. We are reading:

The immortal life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot — Her name was Henrietta Lacks, but scientists know her as HeLa. She was a poor Southern tobacco farmer who worked the same land as her slave ancestors, yet her cells-taken without her knowledge-became one of the most important tools in medicine. The first "immortal" human cells grown in culture, they are still alive today, though she has been dead for more than sixty years.

The Independent Mystery Booksellers Association has announced the nominees for the 2012 Dilys Award. This award is given to the mystery titles booksellers most enjoyed selling throughout the year. The winning novel will be announced at the Left Coast Crime Convention in Sacremento on March 31. This year's nominees are:

Faithful Place: a novel by Tana French

Wicked autumn: a Max Tudor novel by G.M. Malliet

The Mermaids Singing by Val McDermid — Fans of Val McDermid's Dr. Tony Hill should be interested in her recent article Methods and Madness in Mystery Readers Journal Winter 2011-2012 issue. Apparently Tony Hill, Clinical Psychologist and profiler came to Ms. McDermid as a fully developed character with his own agenda.

Guess what? Our beloved mitten state is celebrating a major milestone Thursday — 175 years of Statehood! Time does fly, doesn't it? We've seen both good and bad events in our historical journey through time, plus we have given birth to numerous famous people. On this date in 1837, President Jackson signed the bill that officially made us the 26th state in the union. There are lots of ways you can celebrate this momentous occasion including baking a cake shaped like Michigan, take pictures of your neighborhood, write what you love about our great state, or check out some of our wonderful materials on Michigan.

Nominations for the 84th annual Academy Awards were announced January 24. Several of the nominated films and performances are already available in the Library's collection. Among the nominees for Best Picture ready to check out are:

The Help [videodisc]

Midnight in Paris [videodisc]

Moneyball [videodisc]

The tree of life [videodisc]

The American Library Association has announced the winners of the 2012 Youth Media Awards. Here are the winners, with special mentions below:

Winners

Dead end in Norvelt by Jack Gantos — Newbery Medal.

A ball for Daisy by Chris Raschka — Caldecott Medal