What We're Reading: Tracy

Definitely Not for Little Ones: Some Very Grimm Fairy-Tale Comics, by Rotraut Susanne Berner.

This latest entry into the "Grimm for Grown-Ups" genre is ghoulishly delightful. Retold and illustrated by an award winning German graphic designer, the quirky illustrations are perfectly suited to the colorful, comic book style layout. The stories include rarely seen titles like "Mother Holle" and "Hans the Hedgehog," and are retold in all their gory detail, complete with a Big Bad Wolf disembowelment and a princely eye gouging (so parents, you'll want to heed the title warning).

What We're Reading: Edward

Hothouse Orchid

by Stuart Woods

Holly Hunter was a military policewoman, a small town Florida police chief, and is now a CIA agent in this her fifth adventure. Holly is on forced vacation after she fails to capture the ex-CIA killer, Teddy Fay. While at home in Orchid Beach, she learns that the new police chief is her nemesis from her days in the military. Holly tries to save her former department from sexual harassment claims. Unknowingly, Teddy has moved nearby. He hopes to settle in for a while. Is Orchid Beach big enough for these three? Will someone have to move or die?

GREAT BEACH READ

What We're Reading: Tracy

Margaret Wise Brown: Awakened by the Moon, a biography by Leonard S. Marcus.

May 23 marks the one hundredth birthday of Margaret Wise Brown, the legendary creator of such classic children's works as Goodnight Moon and the Noisy books. Her deceptively simple stories featured remarkable rhythm and lyricism, along with a dream-like quality that remains difficult to describe.
Brown's personal life, in contrast to her seemingly simple, happy books, was quite complicated and marked by sorrows. With her death at the relatively young age of 42, children lost a vocal defender and empathetic friend, one who frequently argued that "in this modern world where activity is stressed almost to the point of mania, quietness as a childhood need is too often overlooked. Yet a child's need for quietness is the same today as it has always been -- it may even be greater --for quietness is an essential part of all awareness."
Take a Brown book home tonight, read it in a quiet moment, then drift to sleep to "goodnight noises everywhere."

What We're Reading: Edward

Among Thieves

by David Hosp

The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum of Boston had several paintings stolen in 1990. The current estimated value of the the still missing paintings is over a half a billion dollars.Scott Finn was a borderline criminal who turned his life around and became a lawyer. An old acquaintance, Devon Malley, asks for his help when he is caught in a high end clothing robbery. Luckily, Malley is in jail when several of his criminal friends are brutally murdered. Malley realizes that he is next. The killer is an IRA operative who he helped get into the Gardner Museum for the theft of the paintings. The return of the paintings for the insurance money never happened. Now the IRA wants the money but does not know where the paintings are hidden. The IRA's man is holding Malley's daughter in exchange for the location of the paintings. Will Finn and Malley be able to outsmart the IRA's killer? Will the paintings be returned to the Gardner Museum?

What We're Reading: Edward

True Food: 8 simple steps to a healthier you

by Annie B. Bond, Melissa Breyer, Wendy Gordon

Over the last few years all of us have heard messages about changing our eating habits. Eat locally. Eat organically. Eat whole foods. Watch your G.I. True food takes all that you have heard and puts them into 8 simple steps. Each of these steps has its own chapter in the book. Each of the chapters now only tells you what to eat, but the best times and place to find the foods. Recipes for the foods are also included. Solid entry in a crowded field. Eat better for yourself and the planet!

What We're Reading: Edward

Crisis: a Dan Lenson Novel

by David Poyer

Naval Commander Dan Lenson has been assigned to the Tactical Analysis Group. Dan has a history of doing things outside the box. He has admirers and detractors in the chain of command. Dan and his group are sent to the Red Sea to see if the Navy's patrol craft can be used more widely and effectively. Crisis comes in the form of a nation at the brink of civil war. Drought, famine, tribal rivalry, and religious fanaticism are pushing the nation over the edge. Dan and other United States agencies work to keep people alive. Chaos leads to crisis after crisis. Poyer challenges the reader to think about the realities of war and peace. How far should we get involved to save lives?

What We're Reading: Rita

Seasonal Fruit Desserts: From Orchard, Farm, and Market by Deborah Madison

Madison has covered desserts in her other cookbooks (Vegetarian Cooking For Everyone; Local Flavors: Cooking and Eating From America's Farmers' Markets) but this is the first time she has devoted an entire volume to sweets. This is a great book to look at for inspiration before heading to the many farmers markets that are starting up or expanding with the beginning of the growing season. There are several delicious recipes using fruits that are available locally now or ripening in the coming months (Baked Rhubarb with Vanilla, Orange & Clove; Berry & Peach Cobbler with Corn Flour Cobbles; Apricot Fold-Over Pie), but this is a book that can be used year-round. The Cranberry Tart, for example, which uses both fresh and dried cranberries, would be a stunning finish to any winter dinner and if you're wondering what to do with those persimmons that you see in markets in the fall, try the recipe for Persimmon Pudding. The recipes are easy to follow and suggestions for substitute ingredients are provided. Additionally, the author includes descriptions of many of the fruits used in the recipes and offers tips on how to choose the best varieties.