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.

• 1703 — In Philadelphia, German-born pastor and hymnwriter Justus Falckner, 31, became the first Lutheran clergyman to be ordained in America
• 1713 — Birth of Father Junipero Serra, Spanish missionary to western America. From 1769, he established 9 of the first 21 Franciscan missions founded along the Pacific coast, and baptized some 6,000 Indians before his death in 1784. For more on him, see Serra Junipero in our catalog
• 1838 — Canadian Sulpician missionary Franois Blanchet, 43, first arrived in the Oregon Territory. A native of Quebec, he spent 45 years planting churches in the American Northwest, and is remembered today as the "Apostle of Oregon."
• 1880 — In Montgomery, AL, more than 150 delegates from Baptist churches in 11 states met to form the Baptist Foreign Missions Convention of the United States.

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.

Looking for stories to share with your family during this Ramadan season? Check out Ramadan Moon by Na'ima B. Robert for a colorful description of this Islamic holiday from a child's perspective. Try Magid Fasts for Ramadan for a story about an eight-year-old boy who decides to fast even though his family thinks he is too young. Will Magid make it to Eid ul-Fitr?

According to Wikipedia, Ramadan is

...the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. It is the Islamic month of fasting, in which participating Muslims refrain from eating, drinking, sexual conduct, smoking, and indulging in anything that is in excess or ill-natured; from dawn until sunset. Fasting is meant to teach the Muslim patience, modesty and spirituality.

The Islamic calendar is lunar, whereas the Gregorian calendar is solar, so the beginning of Ramadan varies in date on the international calendar of record, while not varying on the Islamic calendar. This year, Ramadan begins on August 21st in the Eastern Hemisphere and on the 22nd in the Western Hemisphere. However, since practicing Muslims celebrate Holidays beginning in the evening of the previous day, Ramadan effectively begins at sundown tonight. For more information about Ramadan, take a look at these titles:

• Better than a thousand months : an American Muslim family celebration
• Ramadan
• Ramadan
• Ramadan : motivating believers to action : an interfaith perspective

Likewise, read and watch President Barack Obama's best wishes to the Muslim community at the White House website.
We also have materials about Islam and Islam -- Customs and Practices.

Is it possible to imagine a world where cash is no longer accepted and Smart Cards and credit cards are used for everything, including vending machines? Where direct deposit is not only requested but mandated? Why is this scenario not only likely, but less expensive for the government, and actually lucrative in the long run?