The geography of bliss : one grump's search for the happiest places in the world by Eric Weiner

A sense of the world : how a blind man became history's greatest traveler by Jason Roberts

West with the night by Beryl Markham

Prominent Catholic author, professor, and cultural commentator Ralph McInerny died last Thursday, January 29 at the age of 80. McInerny was the creator of the popular Father Dowling mystery series, which became a television series starring Tom Bosley and Tracie Nelson in the 80s. A prolific writer, McInerny also wrote the University of Notre Dame Mysteries, the Andrew Broom mysteries, and several books under the name Monica Quill.

Groundhog Day is rooted in a German superstition that if an animal casts its shadow on February 2nd, which is the Christian holiday of Candlemas, bad weather is coming. (Candlemas is the feast of the purification of Mary, Jesus' mother, in the Catholic Church, and is so called because mass is preceded by the distribution of candles.)

Groundhog Day was first celebrated in the U.S. as a Pennsylvania German (so called Pennsylvania Dutch) custom around the 17th and 18th century. This tradition goes back even further in time when the ancient Romans conquered the Teutons or Germanic peoples in the north and brought this custom with them. If the groundhog came out of its den and cast a shadow, 6 more weeks of winter were imminent.

The ancient Celtic pagan festival of Imbolc, celebrated this same day, is traditionally a time of weather prediction, and the old tradition of watching to see if serpents or badgers came from their winter dens is perhaps a precursor to Groundhog Day. Fire and purification are important aspects of this festival. The lighting of candles and burning of bonfires in the snow represented the return of warmth and increasing power of the Sun over the coming months.

For more information on this holiday, see the book Groundhog Day in our collection. For more on Candlemas, see Celebrations of Light, also in our library collection.

On Sunday, February 21 at 2:00PM in the University of Michigan's Hatcher Graduate Library (Room 100/Gallery) Curator Kathryn Beam will share her personal memories of how the exhibit History of the Bible from Ancient Papyri to King James came to be and what the process has meant to her in Sharing a Personal View of the Bible Exhibit.

Sponsored by the University of Michigan Special Collections Library.

Valentine's Day is celebrated on February 14, traditionally in honor of a saint killed on that day in Roman times. Because he was caught marrying Christian couples, he was arrested, imprisoned and sentenced to death under Emperor Claudius in 269 A.D. He is the Patron Saint of engaged couples, bee keepers, epilepsy, fainting, greetings, happy marriages, love, lovers, plague, travellers, and young people. The casket with his remains, located in Dublin Ireland, is shown here. For more information on this saint, see the Saints and Angels website.

The University of Michigan-Ann Arbor is currently hosting an exhibit: A History of the Bible from Ancient Papyri to King James at the Hatcher Graduate Library/Audubon Room/First Floor. The exhibit contains ancient Egyptian manuscripts on papyrus, Medieval manuscripts, and printed books. Follow a path of documents that lead to the creation of the 1611 King James Version of the Bible.

Audubon Room Hours are Mon-Fri 8:30am-7:00PM, Sat 10:00AM-6:00PM, Sun 1:00-7:00PM
Shorter spring break hours begin February 27; see Hatcher Library/Audubon Room for more information.

A new Encyclopedia of World Mythology is now searchable via Gale Virtual Reference Library. It contains all the classic Greek/Roman myths as well as Native North American, South American, Asian/Pacific, Norse, Judeo-Christian, Islamic and Hindi deities, legends, and myths. Search all of GVRL or search the mythology encyclopedia independently by expanding the "literature" heading listed under GVRL and click on UXL Encyclopedia of Mythology.

A Simple Christmas: A former presidential candidate relates 12 personal stories that recall the spirit of Christmas in his life.

To all who celebrate, Merry Christmas. Check out the PowerPoint presentation.

If you like your Christmas spooky, then this book, Haunted Christmas, is for you. It contains 30 tales of Christmas hauntings including a history of haunted Christmases, specific cities (including Bethlehem) haunted at Christmas time, ghostly Christmas visits of historic persons and just generally creepy Christmas Eve and Christmas happenings throughout the world. Great for those who enjoy both Christmas and Halloween and wouldn't mind a blending of both!

Christmas Miracles by Cecil Murphey
Celebrate the season of hope and miracles with these inspiring true stories that will warm the heart and touch the soul! From hearing invisible angels sing to miraculous healings, faith in the impossible will swell to bursting with this recent 2009 publication. Cecil Murphey is the co-author of the New York Times bestseller 90 Minutes in Heaven. He has published 108 books and lectures widely.

If you've ever been asked, "Who is Saint Nicholas?"...

If you've ever wondered if he is just a commercial invention...

If you've ever thought there is no such person...

You may be surprised to know the true Saint Nicholas.

You'll never again think of Santa Claus in quite the same way.

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.

Beat Ebenezer Scrooge (your budget) and The Grinch (the economy) at their own game! Have a fun, festive and fancy Christmas Holiday without spending a lot of cabootle! Plan now and make your holiday season spectacular and stress-free. Everything you need is here to help stimulate your creativity; we have books ranging from 300 Ways to make the best Christmas ever to Christmas comfort and joy : 501 crafts, decorating and food ideas to make your holiday unforgettable. Be the envy of your friends and family and spend pennies for presents by checking out websites like http://simplemom.net/ and http://www.allfreecrafts.com/ for the frugal conscious!

Phone registration is underway for Canton author, Charles Steele, to discuss his newest book, "Discovering God in Science." Did the Big Bang create the universe? Did life start by chance, all without a cause? Does God exist? Many scientists are putting forth the God Hypothesis as an alternate theory to the origin of the universe. If you are interested in a cutting-edge debate about science and religion, then Discovering God in Science is a must-read. Join new author Charles E. Steele as he offers insight into this ongoing debate on Thursday, November 19th at 7:00PM in the library Community Room.

Who doesn't love the thrill of reading a true ghost story? Check out some of the books on our Halloween display and take a "Spooky Sensations" bookmark to help you make your selections. Here are some suggestions to shoot shivers down your spine:

• The Uninvited: The True Story of the Union Screaming House
• World's Most Haunted Places
• Unbelievable: Investigations Into Ghosts, Poltergeists, Telepathy, and Other Unseen Phenomena
• Mammoth Book of True Hauntings
• Ghosts of the McBride House
• Haunting of America: From the Salem Witch Trials to Harry Houdini
• Haunted Theaters
• Michigan Haunts and Hauntings
• The Ghost Who Would Not Die
• Aaron's Crossing: An Inspiring True Ghost Story

Don't you just love chasing after the spirits? For website links to information on haunted houses in Westland, Wayne, Canton, Plymouth, Ann Arbor, Detroit and other areas, see this Haunted Houses website. For an alphabetical city list of haunted sites in Michigan that explains why each is haunted, see Shadowlands Haunted Places Index. Check out the parapsychology section of our library for researching spooky phenomena. Have fun ghostbusting this Halloween!

The relic of a new saint will be displayed October 13-14 at Blessed Sacrament Cathedral in Detroit. St. Damian of Molokai in Hawaii will be canonized by Pope Benedict XVI on October 11th. For information on the times of display and church services see the Archdiocese of Detroit news article. For information on this saint or his relic, see the Frequently Asked Questions: The Relic of Saint Damien of Molokai news article.

Dan Brown's new thriller The Lost Symbol deals with symbology or the study of symbols with which the hero and heroine have to decipher secret signs of occult orders. To complement this exciting novel, here are related books in our library that deal with hidden messages and meanings in religious art, life and the subconscious.

The Sistine Secrets: Michelangelo's Forbidden Messages in the Heart of the Vatican

The Occult in Art

1000 Symbols: What Shapes Mean in Art and Myth

A book receiving some really good press lately is The Evolution of God by Robert Wright. The author follows the history of religion from polytheism to monolatry (worship of one god among many) to monotheism, focusing primarily on the evolving vision of God in the Hebrew Bible, the New Testament and the Qur'an, ending with a discussion of religion's place in human evolution. Focusing mostly on scriptures, he avoids the more philosophical territory covered in Karen Armstrong's History of God and The Great Transformation. Here is a website with excerpts from the book chapters as well as a video with the author talking about his purpose in writing this book.