Wine and Mysteries Book Discussion, which meets monthly at Vintners Winery, will not be meeting in the month of December. Have a festive, safe and fun Christmas holiday! A few recommended titles to help you enjoy this season are:

The Christmas cookie club: a novel by Ann Pearlman

Hot toddies: mulled wine, buttered rum, spiced cider, and other soul-warming winter drinks by Christopher O'Hara; photographs by William A. Nash

Marcel the shell with shoes on : things about me by Jenny Slate & Dean Fleischer-Camp ; paintings by Amy Lind — Marcel is a shell. He also has shoes. And just how does that work? Check out this fun, new picture book created by writer, actress and SNL alum Jenny Slate and her partner Dean Fleischer-Camp. The book is based on a short film made by the duo in 2010 that went on to win the grand jury prize at the 2011 New York Int'l Children's Film Festival. Big accomplishments for such a little creature!

The fleece & fiber sourcebook : more than 200 fibers from animal to spun yarn by Deborah Robson & Carol Ekarius — Have you ever wondered about the differences between various kinds of yarn? How is Merino defined, and what are the different types? What are all the animals from which fiber can be collected? What exactly is Cheviot? This book explains all that and much more. Large photographs make the illustrations quite clear and the background information for each type of animal and fiber is detailed and of interest to all fiber enthusiasts.

Venom by Rick Remender takes the classic spider-man villain and turns him into a secret agent for the side of good. Really; I'm not kidding. Flash Thompson is the new guy in the (evil?) alien suit, and he's doing military missions for the government. There's just one catch: they've got a "bomb" strapped to him in case the "living" suit gets out of his control. It's a great new twist to this old character, and if you love bad guys turned good, give this one a read.

Videos and images from the November 15 award ceremony are now available on the National Book Foundation website. John Lithgow, actor, writer, and musician was NBA Dinner and Ceremony host.

Salvage the bones: a novel by Jesmyn Ward

The swerve: how the world became modern by Stephen Greenblatt

Inside out & back again by Thanhha Lai

Anne Inez McCaffrey (1 April 1926-21 November 2011) award-winning author of the "Dragonriders of Pern" series, has died of a stroke at her Ireland home. She was 85 years old. Ms. McCaffrey, the first woman to receive a Hugo Award for fiction and the Nebula Award, was named 22nd Grand Master of the Science Fiction Writers of America in 2005 and inducted into the Science Fiction Hall of Fame in 2006. She was the first science fiction writer to make the New York Times Bestsellers List.

Twinkling lights are not just in the night sky this time of year. It's fun to see lights sparkling on houses and trees as well. Whether in the nativity story, or on top of a tree, stars are magical and a wonder to enjoy. There are so many stars in the universe, that an actual number has not been concluded. In the meantime, just enjoy those "diamonds in the sky" on a clear night. You can learn more about stars from books at the library.

The perfect book for a book discussion is one that's not too easy, not too hard, that will hold the interest of a diverse group of readers and will also inspire a lively discussion. For additional book club resources check out CPL's Book Club in a Bag kits.

The true memoirs of Little K by Adrienne Sharp

The tiger's wife: a novel by Téa Obreht

Canton Seniors Book Discussion group will meet on Wednesday, April 25 from 2:00-3:00 PM in Canton Public Library's Group Study Room A. Our book for April is:

The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs — A heartfelt novel about female friendship and the experiences that knit us together — even when we least expect it.




Copies will be available at the March 28 Canton Seniors Book Discussion or ask for a copy following the March meeting at the Adult Department's Help Desk.

50 beautiful deer-resistant plants : a gardener's guide to the best annuals, perennials, shrubs, ferns, bulbs, herbs, and grasses by Ruth Rogers Clausen ; photography by Alan L. Detrick — It can be extremely frustrating to plant something new in your garden, only to have it chomped away by deer. Lovely as these creatures may be, we want them to find snacks away from our gardens. This book has plenty of ideas for plants deer will find less appealing, and rates each plant on a scale of one to ten to show how resistant to deer it is.

Monkey with a tool belt and the seaside shenanigans by Chris Monroe — Have you met Chico the monkey, and his tool belt? If not, you are missing one handy monkey. In this new adventure, Chico helps his friend Clark the elephant fix many problems at a seaside resort. Chico has to fix the leaky boat, the broken sprinkler, and a hole in the roof. But his biggest challenge in the water slide. Can he fix it? Check out the book to find out! There are more Monkey with a Tool Belt adventures available at the library. Maybe Chico can show you how to fix something at your house?

Canton Seniors Book Discussion group will meet on Wednesday, February 22 from 2:00-3:00 PM in Canton Public Library's Group Study Room A. February's selection is:

Gilead by Marilynne Robinson — In 1956, toward the end of Reverend John Ames's life, he begins a letter to his young son, an account of himself and his forebears, a pacifist father and an ardent abolitionist, his grandfather.

Canton Seniors Book Discussion group will meet on Wednesday, January 25 from 2:00-3:00 PM in CPL Group Study Room A. This month we are reading:

The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón — Eleven year old Daniel’s quest through the secrets and shadows of postwar Barcelona for a mysterious author whose book has proved as dangerous to own as it is impossible to forget. He discovers that someone has been systematically destroying every copy of every book this author has written.

Check at the Help Desk for an available copy of The Shadow of the Wind.

Daughter of smoke & bone by Laini Taylor takes the paranormal romance genre and serves it up with a mad-cap creativity all its own. If I explained the plot it might sound ordinary: Tough as nails girl with unknown parents. Mysterious angel figure. Girl consorts with demons (or does she?). Forbidden romance ensues. But trust me, it's not ordinary. Scorpion mice, a wishmonger looking for teeth, castles inside of a cage. This is a fast paced read that is wholly original with a heroine that's easy to root for. My only complaint is that it ends just as it gets rolling, and the sequel's not out yet.

Has your book group considered reading a book and watching the movie?

The good earth [videodisc] by A Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Picture

The good earth [kit] by Pearl S. Buck; introduced and edited by Peter Conn

To kill a mockingbird [kit] by Harper Lee

Happy Thanksgiving. How much do you really know about the early years of America's formation?

Mayflower: a story of courage, community, and war by Nathaniel Philbrick

The pox and the covenant: Mather, Franklin, and the epidemic that changed America's destiny by Tony Williams

Sew up a home makeover : 50 simple sewing projects to transform your space by Lexie Barnes — This book not only contains a wide variety of sewing projects, it also includes important information on how to plan for a makeover. It's easy to get inspired but forget to think about the function of the space or to plan a realistic budget, and those items and more are covered here. Home makeover projects often involve not only your sewing kit, but items from your tool bench, and this book makes it easy to plan for those needs. Included are ideas for children's rooms at various ages, a craft room, as well as many a la carte projects.

If you loved the The Hunger Games as much as I did, you may be wondering about the movie. The official Hunger Games movie trailer has been released and you can watch it on the Hunger Games website. The movie will be in theaters beginning March 23rd. Will you be there?

Lists, lists, and more lists. As 2011 draws to an end everyone seems to be creating "Best of" lists. For readers of all ages and tastes, holiday gift suggestions:

• Amazon's Best Books of 2011
• Kirkus Magazine
• Publisher's Weekly
• American Library Association/Notable Children's Books 2011

It was nearly a year ago when a tragic shooting took place at a political event in Tuscan, Arizona. Six people died and many more were wounded, including first time congresswoman, Gabrielle Giffords. She was horribly wounded with little chance of survival, let alone recovery. This is the extraordinarily moving story of public service, love, strength, hope and the long, hard road toward recovery as told by Gabby Giffords, her space shuttle commander husband, Mark Kelly and author and Wall Street Journal columnist, Jeffrey Zaslow.

Gabby: A Story of Courage and Hope by Gabrielle Giffords, Mark Kelly, and Jeffrey Zaslow