I am an avid scrapbooking fan (as my husband can tell you.) I currently am doing a few gift albums and the library has been the greatest asset to my (minor) addiction. It gives me great ideas for new layouts/designs/embellishments while I don't have to spend a lot of money. Here is my philosophy: Scrapbooking can become monotonous if you always do the same thing - so try as many different ideas as you can and you will (pleasantly) surprised with the results.

*A big thanks to RKeeling for our latest Fave Five.

Item #1

Title: 

Scrapbooking your Favorite Family Memories

Description: 

This is four of the Memory Makers books in one: Basic Scrapbooking, Creative Cropping, Scrapbooking for Babies and Scrapbooking School Years. The cropping book is by far my favorite! There are so many cool ideas in there and there are lots of examples to inspire! I seriously refer to this book as the Scrapbooker's Bible.

Item #2

Title: 

601 Great Scrapbooking Ideas

Description: 

This has a lot of references to inspire any scrapbooker. I look in this book if I am out of ideas on what to do with a layout. This book is also by Memory Makers.

Item #3

Title: 

Scrapbooking your Wedding: Fresh Ideas for Stunning Pages

Description: 

This was a breath of fresh air for scrapbooking weddings. There is a previous book with a similar title, but it is the older version (which is stuck in the eighties/early nineties.) I liked this book much better because it gives you a lot of different ideas in a more contemporary style. Also a Memory Makers book.

Item #4

Title: 

Mastering Scrapbook Page Design

Description: 

This a great book for beginner and intermediate scrapbookers alike. It is also by Memory Makers and a nice addition to any scrapbooker's resource collection. It discusses how to improve scrapbook pages by changing colors, patterns, and layout designs to make the most impact. My favorite is the "Before and After" examples which help illustrate their idea and also explains why the changes were suggested.

Item #5

Title: 

Your Words, Your Story: Add Meaningful Journaling To Your Layouts

Description: 

An aspect of scrapbooking that is often overlooked is journaling or the words of a page. This book offers a way for the reader to find their own voice in their writing. No one is perfect with their words, but the important emphasis of this book is finding your own words to make your scrapbooks truly yours.

Thanks to fr3shmanal0na for our latest Fave Five!

Thanks to sschmitt for this great Fave Five!

Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins -- 24 teens are chosen by a lottery system for the annual "Hunger Games", a reality TV show duel-to-the-death.... it's almost impossible to look away from the action!

Unwind by Neal Shusterman -- In a society where parents can "unwind" unwanted teens for their body parts, three runaways try to fight the system and make it past their 18th birthdays.... so creepy good!

A Fave Five from our Children's, Tween and Teen Department Assistant.

Tales from Outer Suburbia by Shaun Tan
Quirky and fantastical short stories about the stranger parts of suburban life.  Includes a water buffalo and other mysterious places and things.  A must-read just for the pictures.

Thanks to Anne from the CPL's CT&T department for these awesome Fave Five author suggestions!

Scott Westerfeld writes dystopias and sci-fi that you can't put down.

Thanks to KKlupacs for another great Fave Five!

***I grew up on mid-late 90s anime (pretty much just DragonBall and Sailor Moon), though I did broaden my horizons at PCEPs Anime Club. These are the manga series that I stumbled upon between 1999 and 2005. Enjoy!

1. Love Hina
Though a major shonen series, Love Hina has a great sense of humor and a brillian story line that any teen would find thoroughly entertaining.

Thanks to Larry, a member of the libary's staff, for our latest Fave Five!

Most of us, Patrons and Library Staff alike, do a little "Window Shopping" as we pass
down the aisles between the shelves.  I'm no exception, and I admire the turn of a
phrase, be it printed or uttered, and there are many phrases that are part of the
American vocabulary as commonly understood ideas.  Some of my favorites are
obscure, and some are universal, but I feel they all offer language well used, and
ideas well presented.

They are, in ascending order of merit ( In my humble opinion):

#5."When the leader of the pack misses his kill, he is called the

Thanks to Socstar901 for this latest Fave Five!

Marked by P.C. Cast
It is about vampires... and I LOVE vampires and romances! This book has both!

Betrayed by P.C. Cast
Next after Marked! HAS VAMPS (vampires)!! LOVE vampires.

Thanks to Drose1976 for another Fave Five!

A Painted House by John Grisham
This is just simply a great story. Grisham knows how to keep pages turning and this is him at his best.

Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky

Our latest Fave Five comes from Carly, a patron of the library.

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer
I loved Twilight. It was a captivating and wonderful romance. It is based on a vampire-human relationshp, and the troubles about that. Her clumsiness and her hilaraious thoughts are something I can relate to.

New Moon by Stephenie Meyer

Thanks to Elaine of the Adult Services Department for this great Fave Five!

People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks

Learning to Cook was submitted by Chad, a patron of the library.

How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman