BOOK REVIEW

Finding freedom: the untold story of Joshua Glover, runaway slave by Ruby JacksonWest

In ten words or less: True story of a runaway slave who escaped to Wisconsin.

This is the story of Joshua Glover, runaway slave, who after his escape was living and working in Racine, WI. His fate as a free man was tenuous-- the state of Wisconsin was pitted against the Supreme Court, which supported the slave owners. Glover, who could not read or write, is remembered through documents, newspaper reports, and letters and accounts of others who knew him.

Why bother? Compelling story of an ordinary man, who only wanted to be free.

AMERICAN COZIES

Short takes on a few mysteries.

Death in the cards: a stain-busting mystery by Sharon Gwyn Short

Josie Toadfern, who runs a Laundromat in small town Paradise, Ohio, finds murder and mystery when a psychic fair comes to town. One of the psychics predicts danger, and when Josie stumbles over a body, conservative town residents confront the New Agers.

The gourdmother by Maggie Bruce

Lili Marino, a gourd artist from the big city, moves to upstate New York and gets involved in solving the murder of the high school football coach. Bigotry, football rivalries, and old feuds surface. The author slips in information about the history of gourd craft, and instructions on various techniques used to work the gourds.

Gunpowder green by Laura Childs

Theodosia Browning owns a tea shop, and gets involved in a murder investigation when a starting pistol explodes at a yacht race. Way too much information about tea for me, but otherwise a pleasant enough read.

Layered Nutty Fruit Bars

There was a big snowstorm here, so I spent the morning making these.

Servings: Makes 24 to 36
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes


Ingredients
1/2 cup butter or margarine
2 cups graham cracker or vanilla wafer crumbs
1 (9-ounce) package NONE SUCH® Condensed Mincemeat, crumbled
1 (14-ounce) can EAGLE BRAND Sweetened Condensed Milk (NOT evaporated milk)
3/4 cup miniature semi-sweet chocolate pieces
1 cup chopped hazelnuts or pecans

Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°F. In a 13x9-inch baking pan, melt butter in oven. Sprinkle graham cracker crumbs over butter. Combine graham cracker crumbs and butter, mix well. Press crumb mixture firmly on bottom of 13x9-inch baking pan. Crumble NONE SUCH® evenly over crumbs. Pour EAGLE BRAND® evenly over NONE SUCH®. Top with chocolate pieces and nuts.
Bake 25 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool on wire rack. Cut into bars.

November’s Books

"Saucer attack!" is a eye-opening and fun book. "Saucers came into the public psyche at a time of great tension and paranoia in America. People feared 'the Bomb' and communist infiltration."

The first "sighting" of a flying saucer occurred in June 1947, and by 1950 books were published and a film called "The flying saucer" had been released. George Adamski and Buck Nelson had gained notoriety for their stories of contacts with alien beings.

This book has fantastic color reproductions of some great UFO art. Covers from magazines, posters from such films as "Invasion of the saucer-men," "It conquered the world" and "The thing." Great fun!

Rome 1960 by David Maraniss
Put a lid on it by Donald Westlake
I am not a cop by Richard Belzer
When you are engulfed in flames by David Sedaris
Woman’s Day Christmas cookies, candies, and cakes
Taste of Home’s gifts from a jar
Rough weather by Robert B. Parker
Nim Chimpsky: the chimp who would be human by Elizabeth Hess
Death books a return by Marion Moore Hill
Alex and me: how a scientist and a parrot discovered a hidden world of animal intelligence and formed a deep bond in the process by Irene Pepperberg
The day I ate whatever I wanted by Elizabeth Berg
Saucer Attack! By Eric Nesheim
Hot by Julia Harper
Big book of the unexplained by Doug Moench
The private patient by P.D. James

BOOK REVIEW

Quaking by Kathryn Erskine

In ten words or less: Disaffected Goth teen Matilda placed with Quaker foster family.

Review: 14-year old Matilda has been bounced from relative to relative. She goes to live with distant cousins—Sam and Jessica Fox, Quakers. Matilda dresses in black and won’t talk to her classmates. She’s been told she’s dumb, but is put in Advanced Placement classes. Her nemesis is Mr. Morehead, a teacher who is pro-Iraq war and who sides with the school bully. When local churches and synagogues start being vandalized by the bully and his friends, Matilda comes to understand Quaker teachings.

Why bother? Erskine provides a realistic view of peace activities and nonviolent protest regarding the Iraq war.