The ruins of Detroit by Yves Marchand and Romain Meffre; with essays by Robert Polidori and Thomas J. Sugrue; [translations by Sébastien de Villèle] Over the past generation Detroit has suffered economically and its urban decay is now glaringly apparent. The authors have documented this disintegration, showcasing with amazing photograhs structures that were formerly a source of civic pride.

Kitchen garden: month by month by Alan Buckingham — Month-to-month advice on growing produce in your backyard and obtaining a degree of sustainability. Useful illustrations and plant information are included. Vegetable, herb, and flower care instructions in a format that is easy to follow.

I don't want to rush things, but romance anthologies and novels for the 2010 holiday season are on order now.

We have a fabulous Romance Collection at the Canton Public Library, even if I do say so myself. I've purchased our Romance books for over a dozen years, and I can still always find something exciting and new.

Michigan author Joss Ware has created an unusual setting for her new romance series — a dark, post apocalyptic world. If you like zombies mixed up in your romance, this series is for you. The first book is Beyond the Night followed by Embrace the Night Eternal and Abandon the Night.

Ware is a pen name for Colleen Gleason, author of The Gardella Vampire Chronicles.

I don't even follow stock car racing, and I am tearing through this entertaining history of NASCAR. The focus is on the first fully televised Daytona 500 in 1979, but other fascinating characters and times are highlighted along the way. Sometimes a subtitle says it all. Since this title has everything but the kitchen sink thrown in, I'll let it speak for itself: He crashed me so I crashed him back: the true story of the year the King, Jaws, Earnhardt, and the rest of NASCAR's feudin', fightin', good ol' boys put stock car racing on the map

Mixed drinks have undergone a massive revival. High end restaurant menus often have artisanal cocktails listed with specific and detailed ingredients. Old drinks have been refashioned and new beverages created by cutting edge bartenders, often called mixologists. Why not try creating these luscious libations in your own home?

When the snow is falling on a weekend morning, I just want to watch it through the window while relaxing with another cup of coffee, and another, and another. The next step in this scenario is some delicious food to soak up the caffeine. What could be better than a home-cooked breakfast or luxurious brunch?

Gale Gand's brunch! by Gale Gand

Vegan brunch : homestyle recipes worth waking up for-- from asparagus omelets to pumpkin pancakes by Isa Chandra Moskowitz

Bread for breakfast by Beth Hensperger ; photography byLeigh Beisch

Mollie Katzen's Sunlight cafe by Mollie Katzen ; with illustrations by Mollie Katzen

If you're looking for the latest romances, here are some books we just received in January 2010!

• Beyond the night by Joss Ware
• Guilty pleasure by Lora Leigh
• Nice girls don't live forever by Molly Harper
• Reese's bride by Kat Martin
• Wicked enchantment by Anya Bast

Once again, I am eagerly anticipating a cookbook. Jaden Hair's The steamy kitchen cookbook : 101 Asian recipes simple enough for tonight's dinner promises quick recipes accompanied by colorful illustrations. Perfect for armchair cookery, even if I never make it to the kitchen. While I'm old-fashioned enough to want the book, I can enjoy popping on to her blog in the meantime.

As the snow falls, this mom has but one thought. Do I have enough books if tomorrow is declared a snow day? Not for the children, silly. For me. A snow day means no alarm clock and a morning in jammies for the kids and me, so I need to stock up on new romances. Perhaps Shades of midnight by Lara Adrian: set in frozen Alaska, it would make our little snow seem like nothing. Maybe Our little secret by Starr Ambrose, which has a bit of mystery. Or a Regency like The bargain bride by Barbara Metzger. And something for the kids, too.

Yes, it is officially winter and what's better on a cold day than a hot meal ready in the crock pot when you get home? CPL has loads of crock pot cookbooks, but they are under the odd subject heading of Electric cookery, Slow. Don't let this slow you down; check a few out and start cookin'.

As a long time fiction reader who recently has been reading primarily nonfiction, I love the way details spark my interest and lead me on a bread crumb path to the next book. Listening to Mrs. Astor regrets about Brooke Astor's decline made me wonder what happened to her son, Tony. A quick Power Search of our databases found several current articles.

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.

Today I got two books I have been eagerly anticipating. It was like Christmas in November! The first is a world-wide compendium called The dumpling : a seasonal guide by Wai Hon Chu and Connie Lovatt. The second is My bread : the revolutionary no-work, no-knead method by Jim Lahey. You may know Lahey from Mark Bittman's writing. I've tried bread made with his incredibly easy method and it is delicious. I can hardly wait to try out the recipes.

Some books make the reader hungry. Asian Dumplings is one of those books. It's filled with mouth-watering photos of a wide variety of dumplings. The accompanying directions cover all aspects of the cooking process: from making the dough to forming and filling the dumplings. I am intrigued by many of the recipes, including a particularly delicious sounding Nepalese Vegetable and Cheese Dumplings. But I think I will start with Baked Filled Buns. Yum.

• Always looking up: the adventures of an incurable optimist by Michael J. Fox
• Cloris: my autobiography by Cloris Leachman
• Fred Astaire by Joseph Epstein
• I loved, I lost, I made spaghetti by Giulia Melucci
• It was all right: Mitch Ryder's life in music by James A.

• The Arabs: a short history by Heinz Halm
• Dreams and shadows: the future of the Middle East by Robin Wright
• The great Arab conquests: how the spread of Islam changed the world we live in by Hugh Kennedy
• A history of Islamic societies by Ira M. Lapidus
• A history of the Arab peoples by Albert Hourani
• Kingmakers: the invention of the modern Middle East by Karl E.

Memorial Day weekend is here and we have some beautiful weather! Seems like a good time to start grilling. If you're looking for some inspiration, take a look at some of our brand new titles such as: Serious Barbecue by Adam Perry Lang or Emeril at the Grill by Emeril Lagasse.