Do You Believe in Monsters?

What would you do if the fate of the world rested on your shoulders, and yours alone? What if generations of your family had been in the same situation? And what if nobody around you believed in any of it? That's the scenario in a new book, The Caretaker of Lorne Field by Dave Zeltserman, and it is fascinating! Jack Durkin's family has sacrificed generations of first-born sons to fulfill a contract with the city. Every day these first-born sons methodically weed a field full of Aukowies, weed-like monsters that will take over the world if left alone. But everyone in town, including his wife and first-born son, think that he is crazy . . . that the weeds are just weeds. Who is right? Who is delusional? You'll have to read the book to find out!

Jane Austen Goes to Boarding School

Jane Austen is a popular author in Hillsdale, with people of all ages reading her works. A friend who works in publishing sent me a pre-publication copy of a new book based on the Austen tale, Pride and Prejudice. This new teen book, Prom and Prejudice by Elizabeth Eulberg, is set in an extremely exclusive boarding school where the prom is the most important thing to happen each year. Scholarship student Lizzie Bennet is despised by her classmates for not being wealthy, which colors her perception of the various boys she meets. This is a smart update of a great Austen novel, retaining enough of the original plot to appeal to fans of Jane Austen but tweaking enough of the details to make it seem fresh. Prom and Prejudice doesn't come out until January 2011, so be on the lookout for this fun teen book.

Presidential Memories

Regardless of how you feel about George Bush, you have to admit that his new book, Decision Points, is bound to be a bestseller. This presidential memoir has been all over the news this past week, and many people are eagerly anticipating it. Bush's tenure was marked by controversy and crisis, which makes his telling of the story even more interesting. The Hillsdale Community Library has both the book and the audio, so come in today to check out this hot book!

New King

While Stephen King is probably best known for his mastery of the horror novel, he has proven to have an immense amount of talent in writing short stories, as well. One need only go as far back as "The Body" (which served as the basis for the hit movie Stand By Me) or "Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption" (which was made into another great movie) to see that he has a certain brilliance in this shorter format. His latest book, Full Dark, No Stars, which is out this month, is a collection of short stories that will no doubt excite fans of both the genre and of King.

Gluten-Free

Do you happen to know anyone who has celiac disease, or some other sensitivity to wheat? Until fairly recently, it was difficult to find products that didn't contain some sort of gluten, as most common products contained at least a bit. So, when a person was told to steer clear of gluten, it seemed like the worst possible thing--no more pasta or cookies or cakes or pretzels or bread! Now, however, as more and more people are being diagnosed with sensitivities to wheat, there are more products and recipes to help them out. The Complete Gluten-Free Diet and Nutrition Guide by Alexandra Anca and Theresa Santandrea-Cull contains recipes, meal plans, food guides, and many other things to make life easier for those with celiac disease.

Gluten-Free Girl and the Chef by Shauna James Ahern and Daniel Ahern is a sequel of sorts to Shauna's book, Gluten Free Girl: How I Found the Food That Loves Me Back . . . And How You Can Too. Both titles are based on their popular blog, and their latest book is a love story of sorts. Shauna shares stories about how she fell in love with a chef and how he started to cook gluten-free meals at his restaurant. The recipes and techniques come from Daniel, and they look delicious!

Yes, This Time!!

If you like fun, breezy novels full of spunky women and their dreamy love interests (and if you don't mind an R-rated scene or two), then Jennifer Crusie is the author for you! Her latest, Maybe This Time, was particularly intriguing to me because it upped the ante with a spooky ghost story. If you want to know the truth, I stayed up well past my bedtime so that I could finish it in one night, and it's stuck with me for several days. To me, that's the hallmark of a good book!

Hoarding Explained?

With the popularity of such shows as Hoarders and Hoarding: Buried Alive, it was only a matter of time before someone came out with a book about the phenomenon of hoarding. What's amazing is how Stuff: Compulsive Hoarding and the Meaning of Things remains so fascinating while conveying such a wealth of information. There's plenty of stories of hoarders combined with scientific fact, all of which allows for a very sympathetic look into the mind of a hoarder. If you know a hoarder, think you might be a hoarder, or are simply fascinated by this problem, this book is for you.