We would like to wish you all a safe and happy holiday.

“Earth to Table“: If foraging in your neighbor’s yard for dandelion greens is your thing–then this is the book for you! Check it out but don’t let the farmer’s market chickens see the front cover! Food at it’s freshest and recipes to use throughout the year as the seasons pass by.

“Cooking in the Moment” by Andrea Reusing.  Recently reviewed in “Newsweek” magazine, Ms Reusing is a winner of the prestigious James Beard award.  This book is full of straight forward recipes and luscious photographs.

“Plenty : Good, Uncomplicated Food for the Sustainable Kitchen ” revives the lost art of home economics-making the most of what you have and combining it with today’s desire for a sustainable table.  Diana Henry shares recipes that show modern cooks that there is “plenty” of food for us to eat and enjoy without depleting our bank accounts and the planet’s resources.

“The Omnivore’s Dilemma : a Natural History of Four Meals“: Pollan asks the seemingly straightforward question of what we should have for dinner.  But it’s more complicated than that! As omnivores, the most unselective of eaters, humanity is faced with a wide variety of food choices, resulting in a dilemma.  What’s for supper?

And lastly, film star Gwyneth Paltrow, has recently published a cookbook entitled: “My Father’s Daughter : Delicious, Easy Recipes Celebrating Family and Togetherness“.   Written partly as an homage to her father, who taught her to cook, and also as a celebration of local, fresh and healthy cookery.  By publishing this cookbook Gwyneth helps answer the universal question we all want to know: What do movie stars  REALLY eat at home?

So stop by the library to “get fresh” and try a new recipe or two!  See you at the library ~ or the farmer’s market!

Each year in April we celebrate National Library Week. This year’s theme is “Create your own story @ your library.” One man who has been celebrating and sharing your stories for decades is author, Union Leader columnist, and speaker John Clayton. Join us as Mr. Clayton brings to life tales from his recent books, Remembering Manchester: Towering Titans and Unsung Heroes and You Know You’re in New Hampshire when— 101 Quintessential Places, People, Events, Customs, Lingo, and Eats of the Granite State.

Light refreshments will be served, and copies of Mr. Clayton’s books will be available for sale. This event is sponsored by the Manchester City Library Foundation. For more information, contact Steve Viggiano at 603-624-6550 ext. 323 or sviggiano@manchesternh.gov.

There was a study released this week by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation finding that a full 1/3 of adults in this country use the computers available to them at public libraries. The story was even picked up by NH’s own, WMUR.

“Library technology services have created opportunity for millions of Americans, but public libraries struggle to replace aging computer workstations and increase the speed of their Internet connections,” said Allan Golston, president of the United States Program at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

This is not big news to us here at MCL. Between 2006 and 2009 we have seen our computer usage increase a whopping 43%. In the same time span:

• we applied for and won an Opportunity Online grant to add six internet workstations between our two buildings,
• our Library Foundation provided the necessary matching funds for the grant and generously purchased new flat-screen monitors,
• thanks to Library Trustees and the Cote Family Estate, we invested in a more stable, easier to maintain system for public library computing to help with this demand,
• this year we are hosting a wonderful volunteer from the Americorp VISTA program to help prepare our staff to meet the demand of supporting folks using these technologies,
• we are working with the city’s Information Systems department to upgrade our network to allow faster connections and make more applications available to those using our workstations.

All-in-all we have been very fortunate to have wonderful partners who help us meet the needs of folks using computers and we all thank them, very deeply.

- Lichen

After being introduced to the capacity crowd in the auditorium, he stepped to the brand new podium that was brought out specifically for his appearance and found himself dwarfed by its sheer bulk and height. He made a comment about the designer of the podium and came around to the side and leaned against it. From then on he kept the audience enthralled with his own brand of rumpled charm. He spoke about writing – he never rewrote – about the characters he wrote about, and who he thought should play those characters in the films made from his books. He approved of Tom Selleck who he said probably was chosen because of his resemblance to Parker.

The question and answer period was lengthy as the audience warmed to him. There was a particularly interesting question from a woman who asked about his novel Appaloosa. She wanted to know how he could write about horses implying that he obviously was lacking in cowboy skills. Although he didn’t say the book was about a town not a horse, he didn’t miss a beat and said that if a person could write they could pretty much write about anything. Then he smiled the old rumpled smile and went on to the next question.

The evening included a book signing. Earlier that week while rummaging through our book sale books, I came across a paperback of his first Spencer novel, The Godwulf Manuscript, and brought it along for him to autograph. I was a little disappointed when he didn’t say anything about it being the first Spencer novel – I suppose he’d written so many by then. But he smiled, autographed the book, and stood up for the next person who wanted her picture taken with him. It was a very special night.

Lilly the Librarian

MCL Notes – Winter 2010

-Amy G.