Joe Gores (1931-2011), author of the Daniel Kearney and Associates (DAK) series died on Monday, January 10. Mr. Gores was a three-time winner of the Edgar Award, won the Maltese Falcon Award (Japan's highest award in the mystery field), and was elected president of the Mystery Writers of America. In addition to his novels, he wrote scripts for Kojak, Remington Steele, and Magnum, P.I.

Living large on less: a guide to saving without sacrifice by Christina Spence — Just about everyone is doing more with less these days, and this book is a great guide to many aspects of balancing one's personal budget and making the most of the dollars we do have. One of the most important steps here is to make a budget that actually works for you. You can use spreadsheets, personal finance software, or an online service like Mint.com to track your spending and make some of the adjustments suggested here. The ideas range from quick fixes to challenges that offer a trial run at a larger change.

The comforts of home : thrifty and chic decorating ideas for making the most of what you have by Caroline Clifton- Mogg — One of the 2010 Librarians' Picks for Non-Fiction, this book offers the philosophy that a comfortable home is an orderly home. With a plan for where things should be, it becomes easy to make it useful and a place in which you want to spend time. There's no time like now for being thrifty as well, and using the tips here you can make your home work for you, using (or at least starting with) what you have.

Do you like to have soup in the winter, when it's really cold? I do, and so does this special little girl in Soup Day. On a cold, snowy day, a young girl and her mother shop to buy ingredients for vegetable soup. At home, they work together — step by step — to prepare the meal. While the soup is cooking, they spend the time playing games and reading. Before long, Daddy's home and the family sits down to enjoy a homemade dinner. Check out some other soup stories that will warm you up on these long, cold days!