Reading Rescue, February 2006: Celebrating February
By Anne Allen and Mary Anne Fulmer
February, the shortest month of the year, is jam-packed
with special days! It starts with Groundhog Day on February 2nd. Who
hasn't heard of Punxsutawney Phil? In the book Go to Sleep, Groundhog
by Judy Cox and Paul Meisel, a groundhog goes to sleep on Columbus Day
and sets his alarm for February 2nd. The only problem is he can't sleep!
He finally gets to see all the holidays he had been missing and at last
falls to sleep. Finally he wakes up on the 2nd of February to see his
shadow and that is how the superstition began. Another groundhog story
by Julia Spencer Moutran titled The Fearless Forecaster, is about
a family of three groundhogs that are working to prepare their winter
burrow. Punxsutawney Phil awakens to prepare for spring and, you
guessed, sees his shadow! We all know what happened this year. Just look
out the window!
 The
eleventh of February is our sixteenth president's birthday. Abraham
Lincoln was one of the greatest presidents. During his presidency our
country faced brutal times, when brother fought brother and the country
was divided. Abraham Lincoln was jubilant when the war was winding down,
but his killer was miserable. The 12 day chase for Lincoln's Killer by
James Swanson profiles the life of Confederate die-hard John Wilkes
Booth. Booth relied on smarts, stealth, and luck to evade capture. He,
of course, was caught. Booth had assassinated a man whose dedication to
his country was unmatched, and who knows what could have happened if he
had lived! In Paul M. Zalls' Abe Lincoln Laughing, we get a
glimpse of the wit of Lincoln. Zalls tells some of the jokes and
anecdotes Lincoln used to counteract the unbearable pressure of the
Civil War. This is not a joke book, but a collection of colorful jokes
and anecdotes. The library has several biographies and other materials
about the life of Abraham Lincoln.
February 14th is a day for sweethearts. "Paper hearts
get crumbled. Candy gets eaten. Flowers lose their petals and wilt. This
year, give your sweetie something as enduring as your love. Show your
affection with a Valentine's Day book that will plant a message of love
in his/her heart forever." Nora Roberts in her trilogy, In the Garden,
focuses on a quaint nursery called In the Garden. The first book in the
trilogy Blue Dahlia is about Stella whose husband has died.
Stella moves from Michigan to the outskirts of Memphis to work for Roz
who owns In the Garden nursery. They become friends. Stella has a big
problem with the nursery's sexy landscape designer Logan. The problem is
her attraction to Logan. Read the book to see if they work out the
problems. The second book in the trilogy is Black Rose. Our owner
of In the Garden, Roz, is a widow. She has sworn off dating. Her home is
inhabited by a ghost and she hires a genealogist, Dr. Mitchell Carnagie
to trace the ancestry of the ghost. An unpredictable and passionate
relationship develops. In the final book of the trilogy Red Lily,
Roz and Stella are joined by Hayley and her baby Lily. Roz's son and
Hayley are attracted to each other and everyone thinks it's great, but
the ghost. Hayley must find a way to appease the ghost.
What is Valentine's Day without chocolate? The audio
book The Bride Wore Chocolate by Shirley Jump is about a
chocoholic Candace Woodrow. Her wedding is doomed since the DJ had a
heart attack, the priest runs off with the church secretary, her wedding
gown is burned, but that is nothing compared to the fact that three
weeks before the wedding Candace wakes up in a strange man's bed with a
hangover! She insists on going ahead with the wedding, but the other man
has a different plan! Another audio book to consider is Chocolate for
a Woman's Heart by Kay Allenbaugh. It is a collection of short
stories that have happy endings and are all about hope.
Karen Kendall has written a series called The
Bridesmaid Chronicles. They are absorbing romances. In The First
Date, Sydney has never been in love and can't believe her sister
wants to marry a man she has only known for a month. Enter Alex. He is
determined to teach Sydney a lesson about love. The stories go on with
First Dance, First Love, and First Kiss.
If you crave a juicy mystery, then Valentine Murder:
A Lucy Stone Mystery by Leslie Meier is sure to please. Lucy Stone
joins the library board in her small Maine town and finds herself
knee-deep in murder. Even before her first board meeting, she discovers
librarian Betsy Howell shot through the heart in a workroom. Lucy is
warned not to interfere in the investigation, but she is curious. Who
did it? Each of the board members is hiding a potentially lethal secret.
Lucy and her family are nearly killed but Lucy is determined to find out
who killed the librarian!
There are a vast number of Valentine's Day materials at
the library. Please be sure to check them out.
February 22nd is another special birthday. George
Washington, our country's father was born on that day. David Hackett
Fisher analyzes Washington's crossing of the Delaware in Washington's
Crossing. Washington had insight into the revolution despite
political circumstances. He used that insight for the skillful
deployment of his army. David McCullough's 1776 covers the
military side of the pivotal year 1776. We find that Washington did
understand troop motivation and morale. McCullough gives a well-rounded
portrait of the two Georges -- King George III and General George. King
George is given fair treatment by McCullough despite the King's attitude
toward the Colonists. King George underestimated the Americans and was
quite shocked that war was necessary. McCullough uses private
correspondence to portray General George as a man who was concerned
about our chances of victory, but General George never let his fear show
in public. He placed his good fortune squarely in the hand of the
Almighty.
February is also Black History month. Let the Trumpet
Sound: The Life of Martin Luther King, Jr. by Stephen B. Oates is
about a great leader with human flaws. The author draws three
conclusions about Dr. King. First, he overcame hatred with love and
helped avoid a race war. Second, the message of civil rights was both
religious and personal. Finally, Dr. King had human flaws, but never let
them diminish his accomplishments.
We all know that Dr. King was assassinated by James Earl
Ray. The book In Killing the Dream: James Earl Ray and the
Assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. by Gerald L. Posner gives
an account of the conspiracy theory that many believed when Ray recanted
his confession. Posner never believed that he was not guilty.
There is also a good video, Stories of the Black
Tradition, in the library. It educates us on African tradition and
is very entertaining. This movie is about understanding. We have several
biographies about prominent African Americans. Condoleezza Rice:
National Security Advisor by Christin Ditchfield tells the story of
this great woman. Her role in government is described. Another good
biography is that of Muhammid Ali. The Greatest: Muhammid Ali by
Walter Dean Myers gives a portrayal of Ali as a great talent in the ring
and how his showmanship earned him international fame. Ali was one of
the most influential, courageous, and important figure of the 1960s,
and, despite his Parkinson Disease, continues to be an important role
model.
Enjoy this great month. Remember to love flowers,
chocolate, and good books. Our library has some of the best materials,
and we personally invite you to come and enjoy them.
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