Happy New Year!

In observance of the New Year, the library will close at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, January 31st.

We will reopen with normal hours on Saturday, January 2nd.

Have a Happy and Safe New Years!

Merry Christmas!

We will be closing today at 3:00 and will open again at with regular hours at 10:00 am on Saturday, December 26th.

Have a Very Merry Christmas!

Bookworm

This picture comes from my all time favorite Christmas book aptly titled Santa Claus, which I have been reading every Christmas Eve for as long as I can remember. The library will be open up through Christmas Eve, so be sure to stop in and pick up a little something to read over the Holidays. Here is a quick list of some of the new books we have in our collection:

Fiction
Green by Ted Dekker
The Shroud by Harold Robbinson
The Gathering Storm by Robert Jordan
Ford County Stories by John Grisham
Sunset by Karen Kingsbury
Kindred in Death by J.D. Robb
I, Alex Cross by James Patterson

Nonfiction
Game Plan for Life by John Wooden
Inside the Kingdom by John Lacey
Making Homemade Lampwork Beads and Glass Jewelry by Hava Ronat
Glass Beads by Louise Mehaffey
All the Wild Horses by Dayton Hyde
Beyond Basic Knitting
Staking Her Claim: Women Homesteading the West by Marcia Meredith Hensley

It's Christmas Cookie Time!

This weekend is sure to a flurry of baking and preparations for many people, myself included, so I thought I would post some links for various baking recipes. We also have a large collection of cookbooks available for checkout, so stop on in and find some new recipes to try this year. If you have a good recipe you would like to pass along, you can share by using the comment feature found at the bottom of the post.

Books in our collection:

Cookies For Kids (JUV 641.8 BET)

1001 Cookie Recipes (641.8 GIL)

The Allergy Cookie Jar (641.5 RUD)

Baking Artisan Bread (641.8 HIT)

Betty Crocker's Ultimate Cake Mix Cookbook (641.8 CRO)

The simple Art of Perfect Baking (641.8 BRA)

www.allrecipes.com: AllRecipes is a wonderful website for finding recipes, complete with user reviews and alterations. Here are a few:

Molasses Sugar Cookies http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Molasses-Sugar-Cookies/Detail.aspx

Gingerbread Men (Molasses Free) http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Gingerbread-Men/Detail.aspx

Pebber Nodder (Danish Christmas Cookies) http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Pebber-Nodder-Danish-Christmas-Cookies/Detail.aspx

Cranberry Orange Loaf http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Cranberry-Orange-Loaf/Detail.aspx

Cranberry Eggnog Scones http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Cranberry-Eggnog-Cornbread-Scones/Detail.aspx

Bookworm

Take a cue from Santa and stop in and check out our new Christmas books!

Fiction
The Christmas List by Richard Paul Evans: When James Kier read the newspaper he found his own obituary in the newspaper, he had no idea what the article was about to set in motion.

A Christmas Promise by Anne Perry: Gracie Phipps and Minnie Maude, having enlisted the help of shop owner Mr. Balthasar, search for Minnie's uncle Alf's donkey and cart, which disappeared after the man was murdered and is believed to hold a golden box, which Mr. Balthasar warns may contain evil.

Home for Christmas by Andrew M. Greeley: Captain Kane, having been a victim in a suicide bombing in Iraq and visited by God during a near-death experience, realizes he was meant to be with his childhood sweetheart and travels home to apologize to her for enlisting in the Army and not giving their love a chance.

Merry, Merry Ghost by Carolyn Hart: Bailey Ruth Raeburn, a spirit on assignment from Wiggins and Heaven's Department of Good Intentions, investigates the murder of a wealthy woman in Oklahoma, just before she was to sign her will over to a young boy, a move that shocked the rest of the family.

Home in Time for Christmas by Heather Graham: Melody Tarleton encounters a man clad in Revolutionary War clothing who claims he is a Patriot soldier sentenced to death by the British; but her friend Mark is skeptical.

A Creed Country Christmas by Linda Lael Miller: Widowed rancher Lincoln Creed, advertising for a governess to his young daughter Gracie, takes in Juliana Mitchell, the displaced teacher at the local Indian school, as well as four of her students, and finds the heart he thought was closed forever opening again to love.

The Gift by Cecelia Ahern: Lou Suffern is inspired by the holiday spirit to help Gabe, a homeless man huddled outside his office, but Lou begins to question his good deed when Gabe starts meddling in his affairs, unaware the kind soul is trying to help Lou understand what truly matters and the precious gift of time.

A Christmas Blizzard by Garrison Keillor: A wealthy and depressed man on his way to Hawaii for the holidays winds up stranded by a blizzard in North Dakota after stopping to visit his ailing uncle, and as he bides his time in the darkened silence after a power outage, he realizes happiness may hinge on a simpler life.

A Blue & Gray Christmas by Joan Medlicott: The ladies of Covington discover a cache of Civil War-era letters and diaries that inspire them to plan a very special Christmas surprise for two families changed by war.

A Wish for Christmas by Thomas Kincaide: David struggles to cope with changes along with the mental and physical traumas he brought home to Cape Light after serving in Iraq; and meanwhile, Lillian Warwick, an independent elderly woman, heals her own heart while caring for an old friend in need, Dr. Ezra Elliot.

Three Wise Cats: a Christmas Story by Harold M. Konstantelos: The old Siamese, Ptolemy, sends three young cats to journey in his place and follow the unusual star and fulfill the prophecy -- "the three finding the one". The fourth traveler is a rat, Asmodeus, who can hear of no glorious thing without wanting to spoil it. After many miles together they were where the star stopped over a humble stable.

A Quilter's Holiday by Jennifer Chiaverini: The Elm Creek Quilters come together the day after Thanksgiving to work on quilt blocks and projects that represent their thankfulness and gratitude and share stories of love, family, and friends.

Wishin' & Hopin': A Christmas Story by Wally Lamb: Fifth Grader Felix Funicello experiences several memorable days prior to Christmas in Three Rivers, Connecticut in 1964.

Nonfiction
Simply handmade: 365 Easy Projects For Every Occasion: 365 projects and ideas to celebrate every major holiday and special occasion throughout the year. Projects ranked by level of difficulty, including: Good Ideas, Make in Minutes, and Step-by-Step.

Creative and Thoughtful Gift Giving: Easy Ideas for Making Gifts Special: Special yet simple ways to present gifts in style with suggestions for men, women, and kids, for all occasions, from simple bags to elegant packages to add the personal touch

Based on the Book

I remember the first time I was ever read The Polar Express. The school librarian read it to our class for Christmas and I fell in love with the wonderful illustrations as well as the story. I very badly wanted the Polar Express to show up at my house and take me to the North Pole.

The movie is just as visually stimulating, and both are available for checkout here at the library along with other Christmas classics for both children and adults. So stop on in and find something to help get you in the Christmas spirit.

Bookworm

Fiction
There Goes the Bride by M.C Beaton: Agatha Raisin becomes the prime suspect when she attends her ex-husband's wedding and the bride, Felicity Bross-Tilkinton, is shot just before the ceremony.

Southern Lights by Danielle Steel: Assistant District Attorney Alexa Hamilton reluctantly sends her seventeen-year-old daughter Savannah, to live with her ex-husband and his family in Charleston after she received death threats against Savannah's life for prosecuting serial killer Luke Quentin.

True Blue by David Baldacci: "Mace" Perry was a D.C. cop until she was kidnapped and framed for a crime. After two years in prison her goal is to win back her badge. In order to do that she must solve the crime she didn't commit.

The Scarpetta Factor by Patricia Cornwell: Dr. Kay Scarpetta offers to give her services pro bono to New York City's Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. In no time at all, her increased visibility seems to precipitate a string of unexpected and unsettling events.

Abandoned by Cody McFadyen: The wedding of FBI Agent Smoky Barrett is interrupted when a women staggers down the aisle. She is incoherent, emaciated, head shaved, and wearing only a night gown. She has been missing for eight years and Barrett begins to fit together the pieces of a psychopath, who doesn't take murder personally and never makes a mistake.

Grave Secrets by Charlaine Harris: Sleuth Harper Connelly and her stepbrother Tolliver visit the two little girls they both think of as sisters. Memories of their horrible childhood resurface, their father is out of jail and looking for family and they discover what happened to their missing sister many years before.

Angel Time by Anne Rice: Contract killer Toby O'Dare encounters a seraph who offers him the chance to save lives instead of destroying them, taking him back in time to thirteenth-century England, where he begins a dangerous quest for salvation.

Nonfiction

How to Raise the Perfect Dog by Cesar Millan: Cesar Milan offers advice on raising dogs, discussing housebreaking, nutrition, vaccinations, obedience, exercise, and more.

Kinly's Celebrity Pet Files by Kinky Friedman: Collects more than forty stories in which Kinky Friedman discusses his celebrity friends and their pets, and includes photographs.

How to be a Movie Star: Elizabeth Taylor in Hollywood by William J. Mann: Chronicles Elizabeth Taylor's career in Hollywood, describing how her larger-than-life personality was created, discussing her highly publicized marriages, exploring her lasting impact on the film industry, and revealing little known facts about her relationships, rivalries, and personal life.

Reinventing the Body, Ressurecting the Soul by Deepak Chopra: Describes how to enhance our awareness and transform our health more dynamically and powerfully than had once been thought possible.

Seldom Seen by Patrick Dobson: In May 1995 Patrick Dobson left his home and a steady job in Kansas City, Missouri, he made his way to Helena, Montana, letting chance encounters guide him to a deeper sense of whom he was and where he was going. His chronicle of this journey charts his experiences with the people of the small towns, the outposts, and the Great Plains that make up America.

Lone Survivor by Marcus Luttrell: American Navy SEAL and team leader Marcus Luttrell tells his story of the loss of his teammates in July 2005 along the mountainous Afghanistan-Pakistan border to al-Qaida insurgents.

Andy Rooney: 60 Years of Wisdom and Wit by Andrew A. Rooney: Brings together the best of Rooney's work in an unforgettable celebration of one of America's funniest men -- from his beginnings as a correspondent, to script writing, to "60 Minutes", he has made a career out of his unquenchable curiosity.

Finally Back with the November Trivia Winner!

Well, I am finally back in and posting - I was unexpectedly out of the office on Monday and was unable to post Tuesday. So without further ado, the November Trivia contest winner is . . .

Mark Dykes!

He has won a copy of Chuck Palahniuk's book Choke and a Subway coupon. The prize will be available for pickup tomorrow.

I won't be posting any trivia for the month of December, as I plan on focusing some more time and energy into our facebook page, which can be found at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Alliance-NE/Alliance-Public-Library/178291658476?v=wall so head on over and become a fan!

I will still be posting on the blog throughout the month, hopefully daily, so check back in frequently!

December Brown Bag Program

Jody Mischnick reviews

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever

by Barbara Robinson

This Friday, December 4th

12:00 noon

in the Alliance Learning Center

Community Rooms
This free program is provided courtesy of The Friends of the Library. Coffee and light refreshments will be served.

Based on the Book

If you listen to NPR, you may have already heard about this week's based on the book. The film Precious by Lee Daniels has been creating quite a buzz. It is based on the book Push by author and poet Sapphire and is about an obese and illiterate black teenage girl who is pregnant for the second time with her father's child and is badly abused by her mother. Though the topic of the story is grim, the book is written in wonderfully crafted prose. I read the book a few years back, having picked it up in the poetry section of one of my favorite used books stores, A Novel Idea in Lincoln. I loved it so much, I gave it to a friend for Christmas.

Click here to read an article about Precious from The New York Times
Click here to read an article on Sapphire with an excerpt from the novel from NPR

And here's the trailer: