Friday, November 15, 2013

Gimme Five!: All Latkes, All the Time: Children’s Books for Hanukkah





The latke who couldn't stop screaming : a Christmas story / by Lemony Snicket ; illustrations by Lisa Brown.  San Francisco : McSweeny's Books ; c2007.

"Latkes are potato pancakes served at Hanukah. Lemony Snicket is an alleged children's author. For the first time in literary history, these two elements are combined in one book. People who are interested in either or both of these things will find this book so enjoyable it will feel as if Hanukah is being celebrated for several years, rather than eight nights....

Lots of latkes / Sandy Lanton ; illustrated by Vicki Jo Redenbaugh.  New York : Kar-Ben Pub., c2003.

Rivka Leah invites her neighbors to a Hanukkah party, but a series of mishaps causes each of them to bring the same dish-- latkes.

The runaway latkes / written by Leslie Kimmelman ; illustrated by Paul Yalowitz.
Morton Grove, Ill. : Albert Whitman & Co., 2000.

When three potato latkes escape Rachel Bloom's frying pan on the first night of Hanukkah, everyone including the cantor, the rabbi, and the mayor joins in the chase.

The borrowed Hanukkah latkes / Linda Glaser ; illustrations by Nancy Cote.
Morton Grove, Ill. : A. Whitman, 1997.

A young girl finds a way to include her elderly neighbor in her family's Hanukkah celebration.

Grandma's latkes / written by Malka Drucker ; illustrated by Eve Chwast.
San Diego : Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, c1992.

Grandma explains the meaning of Hanukkah while showing Molly how to cook latkes for the holiday.

Monday, November 11, 2013

Gimme Five for Thanksgiving





Borden, Kate.  Death of a Turkey
It's Thanksgiving--and it's not just the turkey who's in danger.
As tourists arrive at Cobb's Landing to enjoy an authentic Colonial-style Thanksgiving, mayor Peggy Turner would be thankful for nothing more than a clue as to who killed her neighbor--a clue that didn't point to her.

Daheim, Mary.  Fowl Prey
Leaving the Hillside manor in capable hands, bed-and-breakfast owner Judith McMonigle heads north to Vancouver's Hotel Clovia with her cousin Renie for a pre-Thanksgiving getaway. But when a popcorn vendor is murdered-along with his foul-mouthed pet parakeet-a local cop's suspicious gaze settles on the two visiting Americans. The cousins suspect one of the "Sacred Eight" -- an assortment of glamorous showbiz glitterati gathered at the historic hotel. And unless Judith and Renie can pluck a killer from the secretive group, their geese will be cooked in short order!

Didbin, Michael.  Thanksgiving
British journalist Anthony becomes obsessed with his late wife's early life and travels to Nevada to meet her first husband.

Davis, Krista.  The Diva Runs Out of Thyme
Few can compete with Natasha Smith when it comes to entertaining, but her childhood rival, Sophie Winston, certainly tries. Natasha may have stolen the spotlight—and Sophie’s husband—but Sophie is determined to rob her of the prize for the Stupendous Stuffing Shakedown. She just needs the right ingredient.
But Sophie’s search for the perfect turkey takes a basting when she stumbles across a corpse. And when the police find her name and photo inside the victim’s car, Sophie will have to solve the murder—or she’ll be serving up prison grub.

Harris, Lee.  The Thanksgiving Day Murder
More than a year ago Natalie Gordon went to buy a balloon at the Thanksgiving Day Parade and dissolved into thin air. The police and a private investigator still have no leads. So when Natalie's  husband pleads with ex-nun Christine Bennett to help, she can't say no.
Not only are Natalie's whereabouts a mystery, but so is her past.
Starting with a cardboard box of Natalie's belongings--a few books, keys, some cosmetics--Chris searches for a life someone has tried very hard to erase and finds a cast of characters so chilling that murder seems not only inevitable but likely to happen again. . . .

Saturday, November 02, 2013

October's Books



Jeffery Deaver’s latest novel, “The October List,” tells a story in a backwards time progression. In the first chapter we meet office manager Gabriela McKenzie, frantic because her six year old daughter has been kidnapped, and time is running out. There is also Daniel Reardon, a financial manager who is attempting to help Gabriela save her daughter’s life. The kidnapper is demanding half a million dollars in cash, plus a mysterious “October List.” Each subsequent chapter takes places earlier in time, and by the time we read the last chapter (actually the first), all our assumptions about the characters have been shattered. Not as satisfying as Deaver’s Lincoln Rhyme or Kathryn Dance novels, this is more of a mind teaser than a mystery. 


Big Man Coming Down the Road by Brad Smith
Northwest Angle by William Kent Drueger
Complete Cooks Country TV Show Cookbook
The October List by Jeffery Deaver
Killing Critics by Carol O'Connell
Something Borrowed, Something Dead by M.C. Beaton
Longbourn by Jo Baker
Joyland by Stephen King
Taste of Home Casseroles: 377 dishes
Pagan Spring by G. M. Malliet
How the Light Gets in by Louise Penny
A Lack of Temperence by Anna Loan-Wilsey
The Case of the Deadly Butter Chicken by Tarquin Hall