Guess what?  It’s still February.

And, to add insult to injury, the Valentine’s Day Candy is gone.

However, the Cadbury Eggs have arrived, and many a Library Blog Keeper runs on Cadbury Eggs, so things aren’t all that bad, I suppose…

But for those of you looking for a reason to celebrate this month, here are some obscure, but fun (and often delicious) holidays to observe in the coming weeks:

February 21: National Sticky Bun Day
No one knows who originally created this swirly treat, but they first arrived in this country along with German immigrants, who called the treat schnecken.  

February 22: National Cook A Sweet Potato Day
I’m not making this up.  The sweet potato is loaded with Vitamins A, C, and B-6 (which is good for your brain), as well as magnesium, and is the state vegetable of North Carolina.

February 26: National Tell A Fairy Tale Day
How cool is this day?!  I have a feeling that Lady Pole and I will have great fun celebrating, and here are some ideas for your celebration, courtesy of Grammarly.

February 28: National Chocolate Souffle Day
Here are some ideas for your celebration of this day.  We here at the Library are willing to taste-test your creation–as an act of public service.  Obviously.

Did you also know that February is Library Lovers Month, too?
You can show your support for this holiday by visiting your local library–and maybe even checking out some books!  Here are some ideas to get you started, chosen from the books that have appeared on our shelves this week:

The Quality of Silence: In this beautifully imagined and viscerally real novel, Rosamund Lupton tells the story of astrophysicist Yasmin, who arrives in the remote wilds of Alaska, along with her deaf daughter, Ruby, to be told that her husband Matt is dead.  Yasmin refuses to accept this information on blind-faith, however, and sets off into a growing storm, and into the unforgiving wilderness with Ruby to find answers…but it isn’t long before Yasmin beings to realize that someone else in out in the storm with them…and that turning back could cost them both their lives.  Lupton’s story-telling skills are very well known, and it is that talent that makes this book something more than a thriller.  As The Guardian observes, “The Quality of Silence is an elegant and icily unique thriller: you won’t read anything like it this year. I’ll bet it leaves you (like me) longing for a trip to Alaska, even if you don’t plan on swiping a truck once you’re there.”

The Ex-Patriates: Janet Y.K. Lee earned a legion of fans with her novel The Piano Teacher, so the arrival of this new work is sure to bring joy to many hearts.  Here, Lee tells the intertwined stories of three American women living within the small ex-pat community in Hong Kong.  Each has a life before them, but secrets, doubts, and fears behind them, which Lee describes with poignant insight.  But it is how these women’s lives collide, and the results of their meeting that will change each of their paths forever…for better or for worse.  This is a book that manages to be both a cultural commentary and a personal journey, and Lee’s ability to navigate the different perspectives within her work is earning rave reviews.  The Christian Science Monitor hails “At turns illuminating, entertaining, cringe-inducing, piercing . . . With meticulous details and nuanced observations, Lee creates an exquisite novel of everyday lives in extraordinary circumstances. . . . How Lee’s triumvirate reacts, copes, and ventures forth (or not) proves to be a stupendous feat of magnetic, transporting storytelling. . . . Mark my words: The Expatriates will appear repeatedly on year-end award nominations and all the ‘best of’ compilations.”

Lovecraft Country: “Lovecraft Country” has become a literary term that describes the somewhat bleak, mysterious New England landscapes that Lovecraft described so well in his stories, but Matt Ruff uses this term as a way to get under the skin of some of the darker, much less savory aspects of Lovecraft’s character….Frankly put, Lovecraft was a horrific racist–even by the standards of his own time he was considered rather repugnant (even by his friends), and it’s created a great deal of tension amongst many readers.  Ruff bashes through that tension with a book about a young African-American army veteran named Atticus Turner, who travels to “Lovecraft Country” in a search for his missing father along with his uncle George, the author of The Safe Negro Travel Guide–a real book that was intended to offer traveling African Americans help in navigating Jim Crow America.  Along the way, they encounter monsters aplenty, of both the mythical and all too human variety in a timely and very brave work that Booklist calls “Nonstop adventure that includes time-shifting, shape-shifting, and Lovecraft-like horrors … Ruff…vividly portrays racism as a horror worse than anything conceived by Lovecraft in this provocative, chimerical novel.”

The Immortals: The multi-talented Jordanna Max Brodsky has launched a new urban fantasy series set in Manhattan, and featuring all the Gods of Olympus–though they currently wear the faces of ordinary New Yorkers.  But when the solitary young Selene DiSilva discovers a murdered woman washed ashore and wreathed in laurel, a rage she has held in check for centuries begins to rise, as does the memory of a promise she made when her name was Artemis…This book, and Brodsky’s inventive story-telling, is winning a good deal of attention, with Publisher’s Weekly giving it a star review and cheering, that it “Plays with more modern mythology, employing New York’s own secret places and storied history to great effect. This intelligent, provocative fantasy breathes exciting new life into old, familiar tales.”

Citrus: If there is anything that tastes like summer and sunshine, it is citrus.  There is, perhaps, nothing better for the winter doldrums than making the food in this book…and then sharing it with your local Library Staff.

Until next week, Beloved Patrons–happy reading!

Today’s post, Beloved Patrons, is brought to you courtesy of jetlag, that delightful side-effect of hurtling the human body through multiple time zones at hundreds of miles per hour.  Though that description does make returning home sound something like time-travel, which sounds like fun, the actual result is that one knows neither if they are coming or going.  What I do know for sure is that there are new books on our shelves, and a long weekend coming up in which to enjoy them, and it is marvelous to be home and see all of you, and all of the lovely books once again.

Just a reminder that the library will be closed over the Labor Day Weekend, so come in on Friday to pick up your books, and we will see you again on Tuesday, September 8.  The Free-For-All will still be up and running, as ever, though, because we have no idea what time it is, and can’t stop talking about books.

All Together Now: Gil Hornby’s second novel is a surprisingly fun, quirky little book about a group of lost souls who take part in a local chorus, and dare to fulfill their dreams of a region championship.  Though the premise sounds a little fluffy, this book is disarmingly honest, reveling in its characters faults and foibles, making their interactions, and their singing, something that sticks with you.  RT Book Reviews loved this one, calling it “a funny underdog tale that is transporting and yet honest. Best of all, this unique and surprisingly meaningful tale unfolds alongside a soundtrack that is sure to leave readers with a song in their hearts.”

Walking With Abel: Journalist Anna Badkhen built her career on her willingness to travel to the most remote, extreme places on the globe, and in this book, she documents her time with a family of nomadic herders in the Mali grasslands, known as Fulani cowboys.  For the armchair explorer, this book is full of stunning descriptions of the African wilderness, from the Sahara to the Indian Ocean.  For those who savor the human connections that such adventures bring, Badkhen’s experiences within the family that has adopted her are completely fascinating, and their bond surprisingly touching.  The Christian Science Monitor raved, “By the time readers put the book down, they will have done something remarkable: visited a mostly inhospitable but eminently seductive locale alongside a storyteller able to render the strange and different both familiar and engrossing.”

Rose Water And Orange Blossoms: Fresh & Classic Recipes From My Lebanese Kitchen: For those who prefer their adventures to be of the culinary variety, we also have Maureen Abood’s delightful new release, featuring the sumptuous flavors of her childhood.  Along with these delicious, and surprisingly easy, recipes are stories and anecdotes about growing up in a Lebanese-American family, and the journey that Abood herself took to become the award-winning chef she is today.

The Drafter: Fans who are aching for a new fix after the conclusion of Kim Harrison’s epic Hallows series will rejoice at the launch of her new series featuring renegade Peri Reed.  The year is 2030, and Peri is a Drafter, a skilled operative able to manipulate time, but cursed to forget every change that she has ever made.  But when she finds her name on a list of corrupted employees, Peri realizes that she, and her history, are being targeted by those in power–but to what ends?  The New York Times had a sensational review of this Jason-Bourne-esque thriller, calling Harrison’s writing “a smoldering combination of Alice Waters and Ozzy Osbourne.”

The Automated Aristocrats: Mark Hodder’s Burton and Swineburne novels are some of the most-well known and genre-defining steampunk novels out there today, and this sixth book brings this stupendous series to a rollicking close.  Sir Richard Francis Burton (a real historical figure, whom Hodder has fictionalized in wonderful fashion) returns from the future with knowledge of all the technological marvels yet to come, but when one of his colleagues turns traitor, Burton and his sidekick Algernon Charles Swinburne (another historic figure reinvented for this series) are forced to watch the Empire topple around them.  Now, leaders of a surviving group of revolutionaries, Burton and Swinburne must find a way to overthrow their automated overlords…at any cost.  For those looking for a wildly inventive, imagination-bending series, start with The Strange Affair of Spring Heeled Jack, the first in this series, and enjoy Burton and Swinburne’s adventures right through to the end!

Happy Friday!  It’s been quite a week a the library, as new books coming rolling onto our shelves, and you, our beloved patrons, have come in looking for books to take to the beach, to the lake, to the mountains, and to the air conditioned living room.  However you chose to get through the heat is fine by us.  Here, for your weekend reading pleasure, are a selection of five books that are ready and waiting to join you on your adventures!

The Flicker Men: Ted Kosmatka’s sci-fi thriller has been getting some rave reviews, like Publisher’s Weekly, who said “Kosmatka effectively harnesses his impressive imagination in the service of a mind-blowing plot in this outstanding SF thriller”.  My favorite review has come from author Hugh Howey, who said, “If Stephen Hawking and Stephen King wrote a novel together, you’d get The Flicker Men. Brilliant, disturbing, and beautifully told.”  When washed-out quantum physicist Eric Argus discovers a fundamental secret about the nature of humanity, he stirs up a controversy that engulfs the whole world–and exposes him to dangers he never could have imagined.

The World On A Plate: A delicious blend of travel and food, Mina Holland’s book takes readers on a trip through forty different cultures and the food the eat, offering historic anecdotes, culinary advice, and her own personal revelations about why we eat the things we do. Do you know what separates North African spices from Indian?  Or why kimchi is so popular in Korea?  You will after reading this book that the Daily Mail calls a “heady mix of history, anecdotes and recipes for beginners to confident cooks alike.”

Love in the Time of Scandal: Caroline Linden is a sensational storyteller, offering fans of historic romances a pitch-perfect blend of humor, sizzle, and original plots that will keep the pages flying.  In this third book in her Scandalous series, she introduces readers to Penelope Weston, who is forced to marry her former friend, Benedict Lennox, after a scandal threatens both their reputations.  Penelope can’t forget that Benedict once tried to court her sister, and Benedict is convinced that Penelope will never be the quiet, demure wife he thought he wanted…so how will they cope when the one person they never wanted turns into the only person truly need?

No One Like You: Kate Angell’s newest release combines a stunning beachside setting and a charming romance that makes for the perfect beach read.  Pro-baseball player Rylan Cates needs all the help he can get as he prepares for spring training, especially in caring for his four rambunctious dogs.  Beth Avery is still looking for a place to belong, and even if she isn’t sure of Rylan, his dogs take a shine to her, ensuring that they will be spending a good deal of time in very close quarters….RT Book Reviews declares that “best feature here is the hero’s enormous Great Dane, whose huge personality and matchmaking antics make this romance a fun, lighthearted romp.”

Home: Recipes to Cook With Family and Friends: I have to admit, as someone whose culinary talent doesn’t extend too far beyond critiquing the Food Network loudly, I judge cookbooks by their pictures, and by the friendliness of the author’s voice.  This book scores high in both categories; the images of the food are stunning (waffles…I need those waffles….), and Bryan Voltaggio’s love of food and feeding others shines through in his introductions and in these fairly simple recipes.  Enjoy, and feel free to share any tasty results from these recipes!