Monday, November 26, 2012

LOCAL HISTORY



 
Interested in doing some local history research, or maybe some genealogy work?  Your local library has many resources that may be of use to you.  Not only do we have books that you may find useful, but we also provide access to internet resources.  And, we have a History Room in which we keep historical documents relating to the community.  You can find items such as photographs, old yearbooks, birth and death records, as well as old Evansville Review articles.





Not sure where to start?  Check out some of these resources:







Local History:

Evansville by Ruth Ann Montgomery
Images of America: Evansville by Ruth Ann Montgomery
Guide to Evansville
Evansville: Glimpses of the Grove by Ruth Ann Montgomery
An Analysis of the Evansville Review by William Bowes Antes
Pioneer Days of Evansville and Vicinity by Byron Campbell

Genealogy:

The Online Genealogy Handbook by Brad Schepp
Genealogy for the First Time: Research Your Family History by Laura Best
Long-Distance Genealogy by Christine Crawford-Oppenheimer
House Histories: A Guide to Tracing the Genealogy of Your Home by Sally Light


Don't forget to check out these websites:

http://uwdc.library.wisc.edu/collections/WI/ArrowheadLocHist
http://www.als.lib.wi.us/EFPL/
http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/
http://www.ci.evansville.wi.gov/visitors/history.htm
http://www.grovesociety.org/home.html
http://www.genealoger.com/wisconsin/Counties/rock%20county.htm

From our website, you can access Ancestry.com, historic photos of Evansville, and BadgerLink.

Picture from http://rockcat.als.lib.wi.us/search/?searchtype=X&SORT=D&searcharg=evansville&searchscope=29&submit=Submit

Monday, November 19, 2012

THANKSGIVING

In the 1600s, the Plymouth colonists and the Wampanoag Indians shared a feast that we now cite as one of the first Thanksgiving celebrations in the American colonies.  For years after, days of thanksgiving were celebrated by individual states, but it was not until the 1860s that a national day of thanksgiving was declared.  During the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln made Thanksgiving a national holiday to be celebrated every year in November.

For more information on the history of Thanksgiving visit the following websites:

http://www.history.com/topics/thanksgiving-facts
http://www.history.com/topics/thanksgiving-quiz
http://www.history.com/topics/mayflower-compact
http://www.history.com/topics/plymouth
http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/kids/stories/history/first-thanksgiving/
http://www.plimoth.org/learn/MRL/read/thanksgiving-history

For more information on Thanksgiving, check out these books:

Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community, and War by Nathaniel Philbrick
Pilgrims by Garrison Keiller
Pilgrims by Mary Pope Osborne
1621: A New Look at Thanksgiving by Catherine O'Neill Grace
Squanto and the Miracle of Thanksgiving by Eric Metaxas

For some fun, holiday reading, take a look at these titles:

The Triplets First Thanksgiving by Cathy Gillen Thacker
The Cat Who Talked Turkey by Lilian Jackson Braun

Children's Fiction:

Thanksgiving Mice! by Bethany Roberts
This Is Thanksgiving by Harriet Ziefert
Thanksgiving on Thursday by Mary Pope Osborne
An Old Fashioned Thanksgiving by Louisa May Alcott
The Littlest Pilgrim by Brandi Doherty

Thanksgiving Movies:

A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving
William Bradford
Planes, Trains, and Automobiles


Picture from http://rockcat.als.lib.wi.us/search~S29?/X(mayflower)&searchscope=29&SORT=D/X(mayflower)&searchscope=29&SORT=D&SUBKEY=(mayflower)/1%2C8%2C8%2CB/frameset&FF=X(mayflower)&searchscope=29&SORT=D&2%2C2%2C

Monday, November 12, 2012

COOKING

It's that time of year again, time for holiday cooking and family get togethers.  And, what do all the family gatherings revolve around?  Food!  Food brings people together around the table where they can share stories and laughs.  Cooking is more than creating something edible.  It is about creating a meal to be shared and enjoyed by your loved ones.





Whether you have staples that you make every time your family gets together, or if you like trying something new, the library has plenty of cookbooks to help you out.





Cookbooks:

Taste of Home 2012 Quick Cooking Annual Recipes
Cooking with Italian Grandmothers by Jessica Theroux
Great Gluten Free Baking by Louise Blair
Taste of Home Annual Recipes 2013
365 Foods Kids Love to Eat by Sheila Ellison and Judith Gray
Taste of Home Holiday and Celebrations 2012
An Everlasting Meal by Tamar Adler
The Food Matters Cookbook by Mark Bittman
Eat Fresh Food by Rozanne Gold
The Complete Allergy-Free Comfort Foods Cookbook by Elizabeth Gordon
Deliciously G-Free by Elisabeth Hasselbeck
Everyday Food Light by Martha Stewart
Gluten-Free and Vegan Holidays by Jennifer Katzinger
Now Eat This by Rocco DiSpirito
Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook by Martha Stewart
The Disney Bakery by Adrienne Berofsky
Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker Cookbook by Beth Hensperger


We also have fiction and movies!

Fiction:

The Recipe Club by Andrea Israel tells the story of Lilly and Val, two friends united by their differences as much as their similarities.  As children, the two write letters in which they share their hopes, fears, secrets, and recipes.  This Recipe Club sustains their bond across the decades as they face many challenges such as love, family relationships, personal identity, and more.

Chopping Spree by Diane Mott Davidson follows caterer Goldy Schulz when a luncheon at the mall turns into fight.  It is Goldy who finds the body of Barry Dean, the man who set up the event.  Barry left behind a trail of odd clues for Goldy to follow as she tries to find his murderer.

In Deep Dish by Mary Kay Andrews, the Cooking Channel is seeking its next big star, and Gina thinks she would be a perfect fit.  However, the executives have their sights set on Tate Moody. 

The Diva Runs Out of Thyme by Krista Davis: Sophie Winston's search for the perfect turkey is put on the back burner when she comes across a dead body.  The police find her name and picture inside the victims care, forcing Sophie to set aside her cooking in order to solve the murder.

Dying for Dinner by Miranda Bliss follows Annie as she leaves her job to become the manager at her boyfriend's restaurant.  What is meant to be the first day of her new career may be the last day of someone else's life.

In The Quilter's Kitchen by Jennifer Chiaverini, Anna explores the kitchens of Elm Creek Manor, past and present.  As she explores, she records recipes and creates original dishes as she rediscovers how food can gather friends and family closer.

The Pumpkin Muffin Murder by L.J. Washburn takes place during Thanksgiving.  Phyllis takes her grandson to the Harvest Festival in hopes of winning the baking contest, but when a decorative scarecrow turns out to be a corpse in disguise, Phyllis must change her course in order to solve the mystery.

The Rule of Three by Megan McDonald is a children's book in which three sisters - Alex, Stevie, and Joey - take turns telling about their lives including auditioning for the school musical, baking cupcakes, and Louisa May Alcott's Little Women.

In Small Damages by Beth Kephart, eighteen year old Kenzie is sent to Spain to deliver her baby and put the baby up for adoption.  While away, she discovers a new kind of family with the rancher who takes her in, his cook, and the man they have raised together.

Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel tells the story of Tita, the youngest of three daughters.  Tita falls in love with Pedro, but her mother will not allow them to marry as it is family tradition for the youngest daughter to remain at home to care for her mother.  Instead, Mama Elena sets up the marriage of Pedro to her oldest daughter, Rosaura, and forces Tita to prepare the wedding dinner.  This is a funny story of love, life, and food.

Movies:
Julie and Julia
Paula's Home Cooking. BBQ
Quick Fix Meals with Robin Miller. Make Ahead Meals
Like Water for Chocolate
Ratatouille

Picture from http://rockcat.als.lib.wi.us/search/?searchtype=X&SORT=D&searcharg=recipe+club&searchscope=29

Monday, November 5, 2012

AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT: KEN FOLLETT

I just finished reading Ken Follett's newest book Winter of the World, and I loved it!  I am really enjoying his Century Trilogy, and I can't wait to see what he does for the final book in the series.  Now, I have to find something else to read while I wait. 

The Century Trilogy spans the Twentieth century, and is seen through the eyes of five different families (American, English, German, Russian, and Welsh).  The first book, Fall of Giants, covered World War I and the Russian Revolution.  Winter of the World picks up where Fall of Giants ends, and takes the reader through the Spanish Civil War and World War II.  The third novel is set to be published in 2014 and will cover the Cold War and the end of the century.

Luckily for me, Follett has written many books that I have not yet read.  Here is a list of all of his works:

Century Trilogy:
1. Fall of Giants
2. Winter of the World

Whiteout
Hornet Flight
Jackdaws
Code to Zero
The Hammer of Eden
The Third Twin
A Place Called Freedom
A Dangerous Fortune
Night Over Water
The Pillars of the Earth
World Without End
Lie Down with Lions
On Wings of Eagles
The Man from St. Petersburg
The Key to Rebecca
Triple
Eye of the Needle
Paper Money
The Modigliani Scandal


Read everything by Ken Follett?  Or, looking for something similar to his works?  Check out some of these titles:

Skeletons at the Feast by Chris Bohjalian follows a Prussian woman and her child as they flee away from the approaching Russian army during World War II.  On their way, they form an alliance with a Jewish man escaping from the concentration camps.

The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman by Ernest J. Gaines is the story of a black woman who started life as a slave and lived to take part in the Civil Rights movement in the 1960s.

The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje tells the story of four intersected lives in an Italian village at the end of World War II.  Three different people are haunted by the English patient, a nameless and injured man who rests in an upstairs room.

The Final Solution by Michael Chabon is a mystery that takes place in the English countryside during World War II.  The reader follows a detective on what will become his final case.

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini is a story that takes the reader from Afghanistan in the final days of the monarchy to the present day.  It is a story of the unlikely friendship between a wealthy boy and the son of his father's servant.  A story of betrayal, redemption, family relationships.

The Hour I First Believed by Wally Lamb tells the story of a family moving to Connecticut after surviving the Columbine school shootings.  Caelum and Maureen discover family artifacts dating back five generations as well as unexpected truths about the past.

The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough is a tale of dreams, struggles, passions, and love in the Australian Outback.  The novel follows three generations of Clearys as they deal with bitterness, frailty, and secrets.

Mission to Paris by Alan Furst: Upon arriving in Paris, Frederic Stahl becomes entangled in the region's shifting politics when he discovers that his newest film is tied to the fate of fascists, German Nazis, and Hollywood publicists.

Enigma by Robert Harris: At the center of Britain's most sacred World War II secret, breaking the Germans' codes, lays a spy who could be tipping off the enemy.

In Night of the Fox by Jack Higgins, Colonel Hugh Kelso goes down in the English Channel while on a secret mission before D-Day.  He washes ashore in German-occupied territory, and panic spreads through the Allied forces as Kelso knows the time and place of the invasion.  He must be rescued...or silenced.

Up in Honey's Room by Elmore Leonard tells the story of Walter Schoen, born in Germany, but now living in Detroit.  He looks just like Heinrich Himmler, the head of the SS and the Gestapo, and they even have the same birthday.  Honey Deal, Walter's wife, does not know that Walter is a part of a spy ring that gives shelter to escaped German prisoners of war...

The Jester by James Patterson: When Hugh returns from the Crusades, he finds that his wife has been taken by relic-seeking knights.  He must pose as a court jester in order to enter the castle in which his wife is being held prisoner.

The Ravenscar Dynasty by Barbara Taylor Bradford tells the story of a young man who fights his cousin for control of a business empire that was taken from his branch of the family years earlier.

The Rule of Four by Ian Caldwell is a work of fiction that brings together suspense and scholarship, art and treachery.  This novel takes you from the streets of 15th century Rome to the realm of the Ivy League.  It is a tour of history that builds up to an almost unbearable suspense.

Garden of Beasts by Jeffrey Deaver follows Paul Schuman, a professional hit man, who is arrested by the U.S. government.  He is told that he can go to prison, or he can assassinate the man in control of Hitler's rearmament.  The story leads to an end filled with surprises.



Picture from: http://rockcat.als.lib.wi.us/search/?searchtype=X&SORT=D&searcharg=winter+of+the+world&searchscope=29