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I was afraid this would be another macho book about reckless men roaming the plains chasing tornadoes during storm season. Instead it turned out to be a wonderful compendium of tornado lore through the centuries. Also included are biographies of some of our most  important weather scientists.    

Storm Kings begins with a description of how during the 1600s New England settlers called any phenomenon that happened in the sky meteors including: meteors (of course), lightning, thunder, rainbows, comets, clouds in the shape of hands and faces, etc.  Although the science behind tornadoes was not understood and barely documented then, many colonists recognized that the weather in America was much more violent than in their home countries.

When a tornado swooped down near Cambridge, MA in 1680, two farming families were shocked when one lost a servant and another a barn during the storm.  They were so frightened by this event that one wrote to Increase Mather (the father of Cotton) asking about it. Increase, who was a self-educated weather expert, had no answers so he wrote to a scientific association in Europe. No one replied to his inquiry, but Benjamin Franklin found this letter seventy years later when he became interested in the study of weather and electricity.

Think Library, Reviews , Science, Nonfiction, Biography & Memoir, History
July 18, 2013
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bowl of blueberriesIt is that time of year again.  Blueberries are bursting off my blueberry plants.  I've already picked over 2 gallons of berries and probably have another gallon waiting for me to pick even as I am writing this.  I planted my 6 plants about 12 years ago and with the rain and almost perfect weather we've had this Spring, these plants are finally making my fresh fruit dreams a reality.  My family has had fresh berries to eat, pie, and for those many months when the berries aren't producing, we will be able to pull a bag from the freezer.

With all of these blueberries in play, I wanted to make a new recipe with a few of them.  I'd made a cornbread-blueberry muffin years ago when I was pregnant.  It was a very healthful muffin and used fruit juice concentrate instead of sugar, but I don't always have that available.  So, I found that the library had a book devoted to blueberry recipes and my eye was repeatedly drawn back to the blueberry-corn muffin recipe.  This recipe, from the True Blueberry cookbook, certainly isn't as healthy, but still seemed to promise a wonderful melding of cornbread flavors and blueberries.

True Blueberry has a wide variety of blueberry recipes--everything from soups and salads to drinks and desserts.  The recipes also cover the various types of blueberries, from those tiny wild Maine ones to the larger sized ones in dried, frozen and fresh forms.  So, some recipes would certainly have to wait for another time as I wanted to use some of the fresh berries that I just picked.

This recipe was easy to pull together and I fixed it as part of a breakfast for dinner meal with bacon and a salad.  We even had some fresh blueberries on the side because that's really the best way to eat them.  I would really like to try the poppy seed angel food cake with glacéed blueberries.  However, I'm going to have to save that for another cooking adventure.

bowl of muffins

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus some for greasing the tin 1 cup yellow corn meal
 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour  1 cup sugar
 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder  1 cup milk
 3/4 teaspoon salt  1 large egg
   1 cup fresh, frozen, or dried blueberries

Preheat the oven to 400° F.  Grease a large 6-hole or standard 12-hole muffin tin and set aside.

Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt together into a large bowl.  Add the cornmeal and 2/3 cup of the sugar, then whisk until well mixed.  Set aside.  In a separate bowl, combine the milk and egg and beat to blend.  Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir with a wooden spoon just until the mixture is moistened.  Do not overmix.  Add the blueberries and gently fold them in.  Spoon the batter into the muffin tin.  Sprinkle the muffin tops with the remaining 1/3 cup sugar.  Bake in the center of the oven for 25 to 28 minutes for Texas-size jumbo muffins, 20 to 24 minutes for standard-size muffins, until the muffins are golden brown.  Gently loosen the muffins around the sides with a knife before taking them out.

muffinYou can use any corn meal you have available in this recipe, but I used some I purchased at Spring Mill State Park.  It is from corn grown locally and they grind it right there at the grist mill.  Because it is ground between mill stones, it has a very coarse, hearty texture that I find very appealing.  Although the recipe turned out well, I thought it suggested sprinkling too much sugar on top of the muffins and wasn't as exact with the instructions as I like.  So I did leave some of the sugar off the top and the muffins still tasted delicious.

What are your favorite fruits of Summer and what recipes do you like to stir them into?

Cooking the Collection , Cookbooks
July 12, 2013
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This is the story of a band that everyone has heard and yet most people don’t even know their name.  They played on more hit records than Elvis, than The Beach Boys, than The Rolling Stones or the Beatles ….combined.  They were responsible for the driving beat of the Motown hit factory.   The riffs you remember to so many songs were arranged and performed by them;  yet  if I mentioned some of their names, James Jamerson,  Richard Allen, Joe Messina, to name a few there would be no flash of recognition in your mind.

Think Library, Sights and Sounds , Music, TV & Movies, Biography & Memoir, Award Winner
July 10, 2013
Ali
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I visited the Muhammad Ali Center in Louisville this past weekend, so it naturally occurred to me to watch Ali again afterwards. While the film is noticeably uneven as a bio-pic, it does cover the most notable part of Ali's boxing career from his first fight with Sonny Liston to his "Rumble in the Jungle" with George Foreman. The film also delves into his relationship with The Nation of Islam, his fight against being drafted into the Vietnam War, his appearances on television with Howard Cosell, and so on.

Think Library, Sights and Sounds
July 9, 2013

Madame TussaudMadame Tussaud is a historical fiction book by Michelle Moran based on the real Marie Tussaud, a sculpturess and museum owner in Paris. Apprenticed by her uncle, Marie learns the art of wax sculpting amid the politics, court intrigue, and massacres leading up to and during the French Revolution. Marie needs the museum to be profitable, but is often torn by personal loyalties and her desire for success. It was really refreshing to read a historical book with a strong female character who does more than sit around in fancy dresses and flirt with famous men. With a little digging, I uncovered a few more books that fit this description - historical fiction with strong women who earn income, love to learn, and are passionate about their careers!

Think Library, Reviews , History, Fiction
July 9, 2013
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Every Tuesday at 830 a.m., a group of ardent birders meets at the Nairobi Museum to search for some avian wildlife together. Mr. Malik, a retired businessman and owner of the Jolly Man Manufacturing Club, squeezes bird-watching into his schedule though he does “have other commitments.”

The leader of the group is the beautiful and charming widow, Rose Mbikwa, who came to Africa from England and never left to her parents’ great consternation. Her husband was arrested for political activity and later died in a mysterious light plane accident.

On this day, Rose announces that she is leaving for England for an eye operation. Also a new birder has joined the group, an old school acquaintance of Mr. Malik’s from long-ago. Harry Kahn keeps calling Malik by old nicknames, ones Malik did not like in the old days and likes even less now. Complicating the plot--both really like Rose.

Think Library, Reviews , Fiction
July 8, 2013

There is a special connection between humans and animals; the most fascinating being between humans and horses. Did you see the Horse Whisperer? Did you enjoy it? If so, here are five other movies you might like:

Buck: A richly textured and visually stunning film, follows Buck Brannaman from his abusive childhood to his phenomenally successful approach to horses.

The Wild Horse Redemption: Documents the Wild Horse Inmate Program, through which inmates at the East Canon Correctional Complex learn the non-coercive methods of horse whisperers to tame and train the horses for adoption.

Horses: The Story of Equus: Explores the lives and qualities of three remarkable equines.

Horse: An introduction to horses that explores the history and varieties of horses, and the links between horses and humankind.

Wild Horse, Wild Ride: Each year, through the Extreme Mustang Makeover Challenge, 100 people across the country attempt to tame a wild mustang in 100 days.

Sights and Sounds, Think Library , Animals
July 2, 2013
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This is a movie that came out last year about the last days of the court of Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI as seen through the eyes of one of her servants. It is based on the bestselling book from 2004. For those of you that like costume dramas, this has plenty to look at (costumes and occasionally what's underneath them), but the film is really concerned with showing the complete lack of organization among those involved at Versailles during the chaotic beginnings of the French Revolution.

Think Library, Sights and Sounds , TV & Movies
June 26, 2013
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Imagine being told that your baby has a disease that will kill him, most likely before he turns three. Emily Rapp and her husband Rick were given that news when their lovely boy Ronan was only nine months old. He seemed to be having vision problems, and the eye doctor discovered cherry-red spots behind his retinas--a tell-tale sign of Tay-Sachs disease.

Emily, who had been tested for this disease, immediately knew the worst. Her husband did not. “Well, what can we do about it?” Rick asked the doctor. “Nothing,” was his reply. Soon the parents learned that the genetic test only checks for the nine most common mutations.

So begins their journey. Emily describes in detail what it is like to parent a child that she knows will die soon. When they see the specialist, they discover that babies born with Tay-Sachs progress until they are six-months old, then start to regress, eventually losing all sight, hearing, movement, and even ability to swallow.

Reviews, Think Library , Biography & Memoir
June 20, 2013
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If you are one of the few people who haven’t read this Rosie nominated book yet, do so as soon as possible!  Filled with creepy black and white photos, this mesmerizing story centers on sixteen-year old-Jacob Portman and the events following the mysterious death of his grandfather.  To help him overcome his grief, Jacob travels with his father to a remote island off the coast of Wales to find answers about his grandfather’s childhood.  He discovers much more than he bargained for when he finds a “time loop” from 1940 where the children from his grandfather’s stories hide from the rest of the world.  These children are not ordinary children; each has a unique special talent that makes them a target for a group of monsters intent of world domination.  Soon enough, Jacob learns about his grandfather’s past and discovers that he has inherited his own special talent that has placed him and his new friends in grave danger.

If you read the book and are interested in looking at some more bizarre photographs; the author, Ransom Riggs published a collection of vintage photographs called Talking Pictures: Images and Messages rescued from the past.

Think Library, Teens, Reviews , Award Winner, Horror
June 18, 2013
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When this compelling novel starts, Mary Beth Lathem’s biggest problem is taking sass from her truculent teenaged daughter, Ruby. The narrative starts at the beginning of Mary Beth’s busy day as she goes through the house waking up her three children, the eldest daughter and two twins, Alex and Max. Mary Beth owns a landscape business but soon you can tell that her family is the center of her life and passions. 

Alex is a soccer jock, immensely talented and popular while Max, his fraternal twin, is a computer nerd with social anxiety problems.  Glen, Mary Beth’s husband, is an extremely practical and thoroughly unromantic eye doctor--solid as hardwood--though Mary Beth is not necessarily aware of that.

Reviews, Think Library , Family, Fiction, Friendship
June 15, 2013
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If you’re new to poetry and find it difficult, you may want to try the work of Gerald Stern. At eighty-eight, he’s one of the grand masters of poetry still composing poems. He’s won lots of awards but writes in understandable language about everyday things: travel, frogs, New York, cafeteria (spelled with a k as are all of the c words in this poem), his childhood, flowers, and love.  What I like about his latest collection In Beauty Bright and all of his work is that he celebrates living in an almost ecstatic way--most of his poems could be songs. Check out these lines: “Like fools we waited to hear the tomatoes;  we knew / what greenness means to the vine.” or “Take a dog to the vet’s, he knows what you’re doing, / a cat becomes a muscle, she leaps from your arms.”

You can tell from his work that he’s the kind of quirky writer that does weird things on occasion to discover his latest poem; for instance, “Day of Grief” begins: “I was forcing a wasp to the top of a window / where there was some sky and there were tiger lilies…” Another insect poem starts this way, “I lost my rage while helping a beetle recover / and stood there with precision, balancing / grass with stone.”

And see how immediate and tactile this poem simply titled “Love” is, “I loved your sweet neck but I loved your shoulder blades more / and wondered whether I should kiss your cheek first / or your hair.”

Reviews, Think Library , Poetry
June 10, 2013
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This first novel by an Asian-American has already created a lot of buzz.  First, it has an intriguing topic: Mississippi after the great flood of 1927. Secondly: the main characters are compelling--they are very poor African-Americans under the yoke of the white inhabitants. Finally, it shows exquisite writing.  William Ferris said, “Bill Cheng embraces the region’s 1927 flood, voodoo, blues, and race with breathtakingly beautiful prose.”

Southern Cross the Dog starts with a group of black children playing “Little Sally Water” in the rain—the rain that caused the great flood. Soon the story focuses on the character of Robert, the second born child of Etta and Ellis. Before long, you discover that his family has just suffered an immense tragedy. White vigilantes had hung the oldest son Billy for loving a white girl.

Bill Cheng captures the chaos and hardship after the flood. Dead bodies floated past.  Men with boats offered rides but also stole the food and valuable keepsakes of the displaced families. Robert’s family began this journey together, but ended up in a refugee camp. Because Etta has lost her mind over Billy’s death, she needs constant care. Ellis makes a difficult decision: to send young Robert off with someone to work in another town. Ellis thinks this is the only way all three of them will survive but he mistakenly does not tell his son why he is sending him away.

Reviews, Think Library , Fiction
June 4, 2013
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In A Guide to Being Born, Ausubel’s narrative voice is strong and unique.  She takes chances in her fiction yet unlike some modern authors, she still includes distinct narrative threads. You can tell she is an independent-minded author just from the layout of her collection--four sections titled: Birth, Gestation, Conception, and Love. Notice the order of her subjects, the reverse of what you might expect.

I fell in love with the first story “Safe Passage.” It begins this way, “The Grandmothers—dozens of them—find themselves at sea.” This boat full of older women find themselves adrift with hundreds of crates; they open them to see if any of the items will allow them to save themselves. The story is funny, whimsical, and fantastical all at once. Plus, it conceals a deeper level that you won’t discover right away. The grandmothers find shipping containers full of yellow roses, and they fill their arms with them despite the fact that the thorns leave blood tracks on their hands.

Another fantasy-rich story is “Chest of Drawers.” Toward the end of the wife’s pregnancy, her husband suddenly grows live drawers on his chest, a problem that necessitates many medical appointments and tests. Yet, the compartments come in handy for carrying things such as his wife’s lipstick and a bunch of tiny diversity dolls.

Think Library, Reviews , Create, Fiction, Short Stories
May 30, 2013
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Enjoy these biographies of well-known and not so well known people from the founding of our country.

History
May 26, 2013