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Thursday, January 28, 2021

Dreaming of Summer


January, it drags doesn't it. Long, dark, and blah. I'm always saddened to see the holiday lights go down. Not that I want to keep dragging Christmas on, but because the extra light helps to brighten up the gray. Although traveling to a warmer climate to soak up that much needed Vitamin D sounds great it's just not feasible at this moment in time, luckily there are plenty of books that can take you where you want to go.



When recently-widowed Kat writes to her four old school friends, inviting them to live with her on a cocoa plantation in the South Pacific, they swap icy pavements and TV dinners for a tropical breeze and an azure-blue ocean. Leaving behind loneliness, dead-end jobs, and marriages that have gone sour, they settle into the Women's House, surrounded by palms and cocoa trees; and locals with the puzzling habit of exploding into laughter for no discernible reason. Each of the women has her issues to resolve, and secrets to keep. But together the friends find a new purpose, starting a business making chocolate: bittersweet, succulent pieces of happiness.



A New York Times Bestselling Author -- Luz Avila's grandmother, the local butterfly lady, purchases an old, orange VW bug for a road trip home to Mexico. When she dies unexpectedly, Luz is inspired to take her grandmother's ashes home. Like the Aztec goddess who brings light to the world, Luz attracts a collection of lost women, each seeking change. The four women embark on a transformational journey that follows the migrating monarchs across the United States to Mexico.



In the summer of 1942, twenty-one-year-old Anne Calloway, newly engaged, sets off to serve in the Army Nurse Corps on the Pacific island of Bora-Bora. More exhilarated by the adventure of a lifetime than she ever was by her predictable fiance, she is drawn to a mysterious soldier named Westry, and their friendship soon blossoms into hues as deep as the hibiscus flowers native to the island. Under the thatched roof of an abandoned beach bungalow, the two share a private world--until they witness a gruesome crime, Westry is suddenly redeployed, and the idyll vanishes into the winds of war. A timeless story of enduring passion, The Bungalow chronicles Anne's determination to discover the truth about the twin losses--of life, and of love--that have haunted her for seventy years.



A New York Times Bestseller -- With Elm Creek Quilt Camp closed for the winter, Bonnie heads to Lahaina, Maui, to help her friend Claire launch a quilter's retreat. There, watching breathtaking sunsets over sparkling waters, she plans courses and learns the history of Hawaiian quilting. But life isn't all beautiful vistas: Bonnie's cheating soon-to-be-ex decides he wants a stake in Elm Creek Quilts, threatening her financial well-being and her dearest friendships.



"Sought-after social media influencer Sara Vance, in recovery from an eating disorder, is coming into her own, with a potential career expansion on the horizon. Despite the good news, her successful siblings (and their perfect spouses) have a way of making her feel like the odd one out. So, when her unreliable boyfriend is a no-show for a Florida family vacation, Sara recruits Luis Navarro - a firefighter paramedic and dive captain willing to play the part of her smitten fiancé ... Luis's big Cuban familia has been in Key West for generations, and his quiet strength feeds off the island's laidback style. Though guarded after a deep betrayal, he'll always help someone in need - especially a spunky beauty with a surprising knowledge of Spanish curse words. Soon, he and Sara have memorized their "how we met" story and are immersed in family dinners, bike tours, private snorkeling trips . . . sharing secrets, and slow, melting kisses. But when it's time for Sara to return home, will their fake relationship fade like the stunning sunset . . . or blossom into something beautiful?"--Back cover.



"After the death of her beloved grandmother, a Cuban-American woman travels to Havana, where she discovers the roots of her identity--and unearths a family secret hidden since the revolution ... Havana, 1958. The daughter of a sugar baron, nineteen-year-old Elisa Perez is part of Cuba's high society, where she is largely sheltered from the country's growing political unrest--until she embarks on a clandestine affair with a passionate revolutionary ... Miami, 2017. Freelance writer Marisol Ferrera grew up hearing romantic stories of Cuba from her late grandmother Elisa, who was forced to flee with her family during the revolution. Elisa's last wish was for Marisol to scatter her ashes in the country of her birth. Arriving in Havana, Marisol comes face-to-face with the contrast of Cuba's tropical, timeless beauty and its perilous political climate. When more family history comes to light and Marisol finds herself attracted to a man with secrets of his own, she'll need the lessons of her grandmother's past to help her understand the true meaning of courage--and what it means to be Cuban"-- Provided by publisher.



While sailing around the Caribbean, Vanderhoof and her husband befriend a collection of unforgettable island characters. A wonderful escape into a life filled with sunshine (and hurricanes), delicious food, irreplaceable company, and island traditions.



"Juliet is failing to juggle motherhood and her stalled-out dissertation on confessional poetry when her husband, Michael, informs her that he wants to leave his job and buy a sailboat. With their two kids - Sybil, age seven, and George, age two - Juliet and Michael set off for Panama, where their forty-four-foot sailboat awaits them. The initial result is transformative; the marriage is given a gust of energy, Juliet emerges from her depression, and the children quickly embrace the joys of being feral children at sea. Despite the stresses of being novice sailors, the family learns to crew the boat together on the ever-changing sea. The vast horizons and isolated islands offer Juliet and Michael reprieve - until they are tested by the unforeseen.Sea Wife is told in gripping dual perspectives: Juliet’s first-person narration, after the journey, as she struggles to come to terms with the life-changing events that unfolded at sea, and Michael’s captain’s log, which provides a riveting, slow-motion account of these same inexorable events, a dialogue that reveals the fault lines created by personal history and political divisions."--Publisher description.



"When seventy-year-old Charlotte Perkins submits a sexy essay to the "Become a Jetsetter" contest, she dreams of reuniting her estranged children: Lee, an almost-famous actress; Cord, a handsome Manhattan venture capitalist who can't seem to find a bride; and Regan, a harried mother who took it all wrong when Charlotte bought her a Weight Watchers gift certificate for her birthday. Charlotte yearns for the years when her children were young and she was a single mother who meant everything to them. When she wins the cruise, the family packs all their baggage--literal and figurative--and spends ten days traveling from sun-drenched Athens through glorious Rome to tapas-laden Barcelona on an over-the-top cruise ship, the Splendido Marveloso. As lovers new and old join the adventure, long-buried secrets are revealed, and the Perkins family is forced to confront the defining choices in their lives. Can four lost adults find the peace they've been seeking by reconciling their childhood aches and coming back to each other? In the vein of The Nest and The Vacationers, Ward has created a delicious and intelligent novel about the courage it takes to reveal our true selves, the pleasures, and perils of family, and how we navigate the seas of adulthood to cruise--we can only hope--toward joy"-- Provided by publisher.



"Call Ava romantic, but she thinks love should be found in the real world, not on apps that filter men by height, job, or astrological sign. She believes in feelings, not algorithms. So after a recent breakup and dating app debacle, she decides to put love on hold and escapes to a remote writers' retreat in coastal Italy. She's determined to finish writing the novel she's been fantasizing about, even though it means leaving her close-knit group of friends and her precious dog, Harold, behind. At the retreat, she's not allowed to use her real name or reveal any personal information. When the neighboring martial arts retreat is canceled and a few of its attendees join their small writing community, Ava, now going by "Aria," meets "Dutch," a man who seems too good to be true. The two embark on a baggage-free, whirlwind love affair, cliff-jumping into gem-colored Mediterranean waters and exploring the splendor of the Italian coast--stretches of beaches, architectural wonders, aromas of olive groves and lemon trees, signature orecchiette pasta, and rainbow-colored houses that line the shore. Things seem to be perfect for Aria and Dutch. But then their real identities--Ava and Matt--must return to London. As their fantasy starts to fade, they discover just how different their personal worlds are. From food choices to annoying habits to sauna etiquette . . . are they compatible in anything? And then there's the prickly situation with Matt's ex-girlfriend, who isn't too eager to let him go. As one mishap follows another, it seems while they love each other, they just can't love each other's lives. Can they reconcile their differences to find one life together?"-- Provided by publisher.

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Monday, January 25, 2021

International Holocaust Remembrance Day



History has a way of showing us how deeply flawed we can be. It also shows us that true evil does exist. It's important that remember those who suffered, their pain, their loss, their lives, remember them, and work to overcome the hate and intolerance they faced. I did not lose family to the concentration camps, but to the air raids over England. Three-year-old Alfred "Alfie" Barrett, always asked his grandfather for a puff on his pipe, not that he got one, he did get his very own little wooden pipe, which now sits in my mother's cabinet. His mother Aunty Beatrice, sister to my great-grandmother, was only 30 when the bomb fell, killing her and little Alfie.

In just 4 years 6 million Jews were killed by the Nazis. The United Nations declared January 27 International Holocaust Remembrance Day in 2005, stating in their declaration:

"Reaffirming that the Holocaust, which resulted in the murder of one-third of the Jewish people along with countless members of other minorities will forever be a warning to all people of the dangers of hatred, bigotry, racism, and prejudice,

1. Resolves that the United Nations will designate 27 January as an annual International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust;

2. Urges Member States to develop educational programs that will inculcate future generations with the lessons of the Holocaust in order to help prevent future acts of genocide, and in this context commends the Task Force for International Cooperation on Holocaust Education, Remembrance and Research; 

3. Rejects any denial of the Holocaust as a historical event, either in full or part;

4. Commends those States which have actively engaged in preserving those sites that served as Nazi death camps, concentration camps, forced labor camps, and prisons during the Holocaust;

5. Condemns without reserve all manifestations of religious intolerance, incitement, harassment, or violence against persons or communities based on ethnic origin or religious belief, wherever they occur;

6. Requests the Secretary-General to establish a program of outreach on the subject of the “Holocaust and the United Nations” as well as measures to mobilize civil society for Holocaust remembrance and education, in order to help prevent future acts of genocide, to report to the General Assembly on the establishment of this program within six months from the date of the adoption of the present resolution and to report thereafter on the implementation of the programme at its sixty-third session" -https://www.yadvashem.org/yv/pdf-drupal/en/remembrance/un-declaration.pdf



"A story of courage in the face of evil. The tense drama of Suzanne Spaak risked and gave her life to save hundreds of Jewish children from deportation from Nazi Paris to Auschwitz. This is one of the untold stories of the Holocaust. Suzanne Spaak was born into the Belgian Catholic elite and married into the country's leading political family. Her brother-in-law was the Foreign Minister and her husband Claude was a playwright and patron of the painter Renée Magritte. In Paris, in the late 1930s, her friendship with a Polish Jewish refugee led her to her life's purpose. When France fell and the Nazis occupied Paris, she joined the Resistance. She used her fortune and social status to enlist allies among wealthy Parisians and church groups. Under the eyes of the Gestapo, Suzanne, and women from the Jewish and Christian resistance groups "kidnapped" hundreds of Jewish children to save them from the gas chambers. In the final year of the Occupation Suzanne was caught in the Gestapo dragnet that was pursuing a Soviet agent she had aided. She was executed shortly before the liberation of Paris. Suzanne Spaak is honored in Israel as one of the Righteous Among Nations"-- Provided by publisher



"Esther Safran Foer grew up in a family where history was too terrible to speak of. The child of parents who were each the sole survivors of their respective families, for Esther the Holocaust was always felt but never discussed. So when Esther's mother casually mentions an astonishing revelation--that her father had a previous wife and daughter, both killed in the Holocaust--Esther resolves to find the truth. Armed with only a black-and-white photo and hand-drawn map, she travels to Ukraine, determined to find the shtetl where her father hid during the war. What she finds not only reshapes her identity but gives her the long-denied opportunity to mourn the all-but-forgotten dead"-- Provided by publisher.



"Helen Fremont's bestselling memoir, After Long Silence, published in 1991 and still very much in print, vividly recounts her discovery in adulthood that her parents were not Catholics, as she thought (having herself has been raised in that faith), but Jewish Holocaust survivors living invented lives. Not even their names were their own. In her frank, moving, and often surprisingly funny new memoir, Fremont delves even deeper into the family dynamic that produced such a startling devotion to secret-keeping. She begins her story with the discovery that she has been disinherited in her mother's will, her existence as a member of the family erased, and she writes with unflinching candor about growing up in a household whose members were devoted to hiding the truth. The younger and infinitely more pliant of two sisters, she was affected from early childhood by her family's obsessive focus on the unsteady mental health of her older sister, Lara, and by their alternating bouts of pushing away and demanding loyalty from her, all in service to supporting deep-seated family myths"-- Provided by publisher.



"Dita Kraus grew up in Prague in an intellectual, middle-class Jewish family. She went to school, played with her friends, and never thought of herself as being different--until the advent of the Holocaust. Torn from her home, Dita was sent to Auschwitz with her family. From her time in the children's block of Auschwitz to her liberation from the camps and on into her adulthood, Dita's powerful memoir sheds light on an incredible life--one that is delayed no longer."-- Publisher marketing.



In 1939, Gustav Kleinmann, a Jewish upholsterer in Vienna, was seized by the Nazis. Along with his teenage son Fritz, he was sent to Buchenwald in Germany. There began an unimaginable ordeal that saw the pair beaten, starved, and forced to build the very concentration camp they were held in. When Gustav was set to be transferred to Auschwitz--a certain death sentence--Fritz refused to leave his side. Throughout the horrors they witnessed and the suffering they endured, there was one constant that kept them alive: the love between father and son.



An award-winning, internationally bestselling Holocaust memoir in the tradition of Elie Wiesel's Night and Primo Levi's Survival in Auschwitz 

In the spring of 1944, gendarmes forcibly removed Tibor "Max" Eisen and his family from their home brought them to a brickyard, and eventually loaded them onto crowded cattle cars bound for Auschwitz-Birkenau. At fifteen years of age, Eisen survived the selection process and was inducted into the camp as a slave laborer. More than seventy years after the Nazi camps were liberated by the Allies, By Chance Alone details Eisen's story of survival: the backbreaking slave labor in Auschwitz I, the infamous death march in January 1945, the painful aftermath of liberation, and Eisen's journey of physical and psychological healing. Ultimately, the book offers a message of hope as the author finds his way to a new life.



In 1921, Françoise Frenkel--a Jewish woman from Poland--fulfills a dream. She opens La Maison du Livre, Berlin's first French bookshop, attracting artists and diplomats, celebrities, and poets. The shop becomes a haven for intellectual exchange as Nazi ideology begins to poison the culturally rich city. In 1935, the scene continues to darken. First come to the new bureaucratic hurdles, followed by frequent police visits and book confiscations. Françoise's dream finally shatters on Kristallnacht in November 1938, as hundreds of Jewish shops and businesses are destroyed. La Maison du Livre is miraculously spared, but fear of persecution eventually forces Françoise on a desperate, lonely flight to Paris. When the city is bombed, she seeks refuge across southern France, witnessing countless horrors: children torn from their parents, mothers throwing themselves under buses. Secreted away from one safe house to the next, Françoise survives at the heroic hands of strangers risking their lives to protect her.



"Those Who Forget, published to international awards and acclaim, is journalist Géraldine Schwarz's riveting account of her German and French grandparents' lives during World War II, an in-depth history of Europe's post-war reckoning with fascism, and an urgent appeal to remember as a defense against today's rise of far-right nationalism"-- Provided by publisher.



"[Elie Wiesel] taught at Boston University for nearly four decades, and with this book, Ariel Burger--devoted protégé, apprentice, and friend--takes us into the sacred space of Wiesel's classroom. There, Wiesel challenged his students to explore moral complexity and to resist the dangerous lure of absolutes. In bringing together never-before-recounted moments between Wiesel and his students, Witness serves as a moral education in and of itself--a primer on educating against indifference, on the urgency of memory and individual responsibility, and on the role of literature, music, and art in making the world a more compassionate place."--Dust jacket flap.



"The extraordinary true story of a young Jewish girl in Holland under Nazi occupation who finds refuge in the homes of an underground network of foster families, one of them the author's grandparents Bart van Es left Holland for England many years ago, but one story from his Dutch childhood never left him. It was a mystery of sorts: a young Jewish girl named Lientje had been taken in during the war by relatives and hidden from the Nazis, handed over by her parents, who understood the danger they were in all too well. The girl had been raised by her foster family as one of their own, but then, well after the war, there was a falling out, and they were no longer in touch. What was the girl's side of the story, Bart wondered? What really happened during the war, and after? So began an investigation that would consume Bart van Es's life, and change it. After some sleuthing, he learned that Lientje was now in her 80s and living in Amsterdam. Somewhat reluctantly, she agreed to meet him, and eventually, they struck up a remarkable friendship, even a partnership. The Cut-Out Girl braids together a powerful recreation of that intensely harrowing childhood story of Lientje's with the present-day account of Bart's efforts to piece that story together, including bringing some old ghosts back into the light"-- Provided by publisher.

Other Links:

"The I Remember Wall is a unique and meaningful opportunity for the public to participate in an online commemorative activity to mark International Holocaust Remembrance Day. By joining our I remember Wall, your name will be randomly linked to the name of a Holocaust victim from Yad Vashem’s Central Database of Shoah Victims’ Names and will appear together on the I remember Wall." -https://www.itraveljerusalem.com/evt/join-the-iremember-wall-yad-vashem/
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Thursday, January 21, 2021

Soups On!



Ah January, cold, dark, and never-ending; it's just right for comfort food. January is National Slow Cooking, Soup, and Sunday Supper Month! A combination that just calls out for you to curl up on the couch, with a blanket, a book, and a bowl of something delicious. If you are in need of inspiration, we have plenty of sources for you to choose from.

Although Sunday dinners with family and friends coming over, may not be the best option right now, with a little creativity, we could always join together through technology for a shared meal and conversation. 







"People are lonely," Sam Sifton writes. "They want to be part of something, even when they can't identify that longing as a need. They show up. Feed them. It isn't much more complicated than that." Regular dinners with family and friends, he argues, are a metaphor for connection, space where memories can be shared as easily as salt or hot sauce, where deliciousness reigns. The point of Sunday supper is to gather around a table with good company and eat. From years spent talking to restaurant chefs, cookbook authors, and home cooks in connection with his daily work at The New York Times, Sam Sifton's See You on Sunday is a book to make those dinners possible. It is a guide to preparing meals for groups larger than the average American family (though everything here can be scaled down, or up). The 200 recipes are mostly simple and inexpensive ("You are not a feudal landowner entertaining the serfs"), and they derive from decades spent cooking for family and groups ranging from six to sixty. From big meats to big pots, with a few words on salad, and a diatribe on the needless complexity of desserts, See You on Sunday is an indispensable addition to any home cooks library. From how to shuck an oyster to the perfection of Mallomars with flutes of milk, from the joys of grilled eggplant to those of gumbo and bog, this book is devoted to the preparation of delicious proteins and grains, vegetables and desserts, taco nights and pizza parties.



New slow cooker recipes from the wildly popular Crockpot365.blogspot.com and New York Times best-selling author Stephanie O’Dea



The convenience of slow cooking makes cooking for two easier than ever. From basic techniques for perfectly braised meats to set-it-and-forget-it meals to show-stopping soups, stews, and side dishes, this book gives busy readers everything they need to get the maximum enjoyment out of their slow cookers.



Leave it to the experts at Martha Stewart to figure out the best ways to use this favorite appliance. The 110 recipes in this book make the most of the slow cooker's assets (low heat, hands-off cooking), while also uncovering its hidden potential. Readers will find that they can not only braise cuts of meat until meltingly tender and let soups and stews simmer away untended, but also gently poach fish, cook up creamy scalloped potatoes, and bake a perfect cheesecake. This book has everything home cooks need to maximize flavor and make life a whole lot easier.



From beef stew to barbacoa, pork chops to orange chicken, for most Americans meat is still what's for dinner every night of the week. This is the essential slow cooker cookbook of easy, hearty, meaty meals for families who love to eat together but have neither the time nor interest to cook.



Contains more than 120 recipes for pastas, risottos, five-ingredient favorites, one-pot dishes, meat and poultry main courses, soups, stews, and desserts, along with a selection of potluck and single-dish casseroles that can be prepared in the oven.



Slow cooker cookbook featuring 165 recipes and color photography with each recipe. Authors are the popular Crockin' Girls Nicole Sparks and Jenna Marwitz who have more than 550,000 fans on their Crockin' Girls Facebook page. -via Amazon 



Packed with pages of nourishing, emotionally satisfying soups and stews using affordable, fresh, easy-to-find ingredients, every recipe in this soup cookbook caters to a wide variety of dietary preferences and tastes. Featuring full-color photos, Soup & Comfort explores the many ways that homemade soup can nourish body and soul.



The Soup Book is packed with plenty of nourishing recipes for every season. Featuring recipes from Raymond Blanc, Dan Barber, Alice Waters, and other supporters of The Soil Association, this cookbook offers plenty of recipe ideas and inspiration.



Whether it's a bowl of chicken soup when you're sick, a thick and hearty gumbo in winter, or a refreshing gazpacho on a hot summer day, soup is a timeless favorite. In Soup of the Day, Ellen Brown presents more than 150 classic and inventive recipes, most of which were collected from top restaurants across the nation. Try the Tortilla Soup from Fearing's in Dallas, the Cream of Celery Soup from Bayona in New Orleans, the Cheddar Soup with Bacon from The Soupbox in Chicago, or Ellen's own New England Clam Chowder. The recipes are explanations on how to create great stocks, cook perfect garnishes, and even bake delicious bread. Make your favorite or try something new, it's a soup lover's dream!



"Who doesn't want a delicious, home-cooked meal to appear magically at their doorstep on a chilly evening? But work, kids, and life get in the way, even in the most well-intentioned homes. In The Soup Club Cookbook four moms show how to make this fantasy a reality with 150 recipes for soups from favorites (Jewish Chicken Noodle, Italian Wedding) to fancy (Sunchoke Bisque, Sengalese Peanut), and dozens of filling and delish sides, such as Soy Simmered Chicken Wings and Pickled Brussels Sprouts. The authors, who are neighbors on New York's Lower East Side, make this soup book extra delicious--and inspiring--by explaining how to start the same kind of soup club that they did: each person makes soup once a month and delivers it to the other women with garnishes and instructions for serving. That's at least three meals a month you don't have to cook or order. And you have a good excuse to see your friends"-- Provided by publisher.
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Monday, January 18, 2021

Martin Luther King Jr.



In 1929, Martin Luther King Jr. was born in Alabama. In 1955, he organized the Montgomery Bus Protest, ushering in the first of the major Civil Rights protests in America. The poignancy of his "I Have A Dream" speech during the March on Washington brought about the ratification of the 24th amendment and The Civil Rights Act of 1964. And when he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, the prize money went into the Civil Rights Movement. Long after his assassination in 1968, the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. lives on.








  • The Civil Rights Movement was a time of drastic change in America. From the end of Reconstruction, when blacks were denied their rights in the South, through the Montgomery bus boycott and Dr. Martin Luther King's 'I Have a Dream' speech, to the election of the first black president of the United States, witness the events that forever changed the way we look at race.



Dr. King's bestselling account of the civil rights movement in Birmingham during 1963





A Call to Conscience is a milestone collection of Dr. King's most influential and best-known speeches.



Chronicles the last 31 hours of Martin Luther King Jr.'s life as he seeks to revive the non-violent civil rights movement and push to end poverty in America.



"A vivid portrait of how Americans grappled with King's death and legacy in the days, weeks, and months after his assassination On April 4, 1968, Martin Luther King Jr. was fatally shot as he stood on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis. At the time of his murder, King was a polarizing figure--scorned by many white Americans, worshiped by some African Americans and liberal whites, and deemed irrelevant by many black youths. In The Heavens Might Crack, historian Jason Sokol traces the diverse responses, both in America and throughout the world, to King's death. Whether celebrating or mourning, most agreed that the final flicker of hope for a multiracial America had been extinguished. A deeply moving account of a country coming to terms with an act of shocking violence, The Heavens Might Crack is essential reading for anyone seeking to understand America's fraught racial past and present"-- Provided by publisher.



Taylor Branch provides an unsurpassed portrait of King's rise to greatness and illuminates the stunning courage and private conflict, the deals, maneuvers, betrayals, and rivalries that determined history behind closed doors, at boycotts and sit-ins, on bloody freedom rides, and through siege and murder.

Epic in scope and impact, Branch's chronicle definitively captures one of the nation's most crucial passages.



Words to inspire, music to celebrate: this book-and-CD set comprises remembrances of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., as well as freedom songs inspired by the Civil Rights movement.





From the critically acclaimed Little People, BIG DREAMS series, discover the life of Martin Luther King, Jr., the inspiring minister, and civil rights activist.



An illustrated edition of Martin Luther King's famous "I have a dream" speech.
Presents illustrations and the text of the speech given by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on August 28, 1963, at the Lincoln Memorial, in which he described his visionary dream of equality and brotherhood for humankind.
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Thursday, January 14, 2021

Appreciate a Dragon Day!



January 16th is the day to appreciate dragons in all their treasure hoarding firebreathing glory! In 2004, Donita K. Paul wanted to celebrate her book DragonSpell. This quickly grew into a worldwide celebration dedicated to Dragons in all their forms, from literature, television/movies, and culture. 






Check out some delightful dragon microfiction by sci-fi/fantasy author Kelly McCullough




"In the first book in an exciting and charming new coming-of-age fantasy series from the author of the Age of Fire series, an impoverished girl enters into a military order of Dragonriders, but her path won't be as easy or as straightforward as she expected."-- Provided by publisher.



Wyvern, Lord Highfire of the Highfire Eyrie, is the last dragon on Earth and is hiding out in a Louisiana swamp. He strikes a deal with Cajun swamp rat Squib: Squib will keep him company and fetch supplies for him and Vern will protect Squib from the dirty cop that is chasing him. However, there will soon be a fiery reckoning, in which dragons wither finally become extinct or Ver's glory days are back.



"From the internationally bestselling author of The Iron Fey series comes the final novel in the fiery and unforgettable Talon Saga. Get ready to burn ... Today, we strike back. We show Talon that we will never accept their new world. Ember Hill has learned a shocking truth about herself: she is the blood of the Elder Wyrm, the ancient dragon who leads Talon and who is on the verge of world domination. With the Order of St. George destroyed, Ember, Riley, and Garret journey to the Amazon jungle in search of one who might hold the key to take down the Elder Wyrm and Talon. If they can survive the encounter. Meanwhile, Ember's brother, Dante, will travel to China with a message for the last Eastern dragons: join Talon or die. With the stakes rising and the Elder Wyrm declaring war, time is running out for the rogues and any dragon not allied with Talon. The final battle approaches. And if Talon is victorious, the world will burn."--Amazon.



"Completing Ann and Jeff VanderMeer's definitive survey of fantasy fiction from around the globe, this companion volume to The Big Book of Classic Fantasy takes the genre into the twenty-first century with ninety-one astonishing, mind-bending stories. A VINTAGE ORIGINAL. Return to the sumptuous, global feast of fantasy fiction with Ann and Jeff VanderMeer's selection of modern masterpieces. From the swinging sixties to the strange, strange seventies, the over-the-top eighties to the gnarly nineties--and beyond, into the twenty-first century--the VanderMeers have found the stories and the writers from around the world that reinvented and revitalized the fantasy genre after World War II. From Jorge Luis Borges to Ursula K. Le Guin, Michael Moorcock to Angela Carter, Terry Pratchett to Stephen King, the full range and glory of the fantastic are on display in these ninety-one stories in which dragons soar, giants stomp, and human children should still think twice about venturing alone into the dark forest"-- Provided by publisher.



When the Emperor dies, the five royal houses of Etrusia attend the Call, where one of their own will be selected to compete for the throne. It is always the oldest child, the one who has been preparing for years to compete in the Trial. But this year is different. This year these five outcasts will answer the call. . . . THE LIAR: Emilia must hide her dark magic or be put to death. THE SOLDIER: Lucian is a warrior who has sworn to never lift a sword again. THE SERVANT: Vespir is a dragon trainer whose skills alone will keep her in the game. THE THIEF: Ajax knows that nothing is free--he must take what he wants. THE MURDERER: Hyperia was born to rule and will stop at nothing to take her throne.



On a cold Sunday evening in early 1957, Sarah Dewhurst waited with her father in the parking lot of the Chevron gas station for the dragon he'd hired to help on the farm... Sarah Dewhurst and her father, outcasts in their little town of Frome, Washington, are forced to hire a dragon to work their farm, something only the poorest of the poor ever have to resort to. The dragon, Kazimir, has more to him than meets the eye, though. Sarah can't help but be curious about him, an animal who supposedly doesn't have a soul but who is seemingly intent on keeping her safe. Because the dragon knows something she doesn't. He has arrived at the farm with a prophecy on his mind. A prophecy that involves a deadly assassin, a cult of dragon worshippers, two FBI agents in hot pursuit -- and somehow, Sarah Dewhurst herself.



Set in an alternate contemporary world, this debut fantasy novel features dragons and their riders as they compete in an international sports tournament.
"Lana Torres has always preferred dragons to people. In a few weeks, sixteen countries will compete in the Blazewrath World Cup, a tournament where dragons and their riders fight for glory in a dangerous relay. Lana longs to represent her native Puerto Rico in their first-ever World Cup appearance, and when Puerto Rico's Runner--the only player without a dragon steed--is kicked off the team, she's given the chance. But when she discovers that a former Blazewrath superstar has teamed up with the Sire--a legendary dragon who's cursed into human form--the safety of the Cup is jeopardized. The pair are burning down dragon sanctuaries around the world and refuse to stop unless the Cup gets canceled. All Lana wanted was to represent her country. Now, to do that, she'll have to navigate an international conspiracy that's deadlier than her beloved sport."--Amazon.com.



When a dragon fails to live up to the fearsome standards set for him, his family kicks him out. He embarks on a quest to find a new home but soon finds that life on the road is no place for a cowardly beast of legend. In a fantasy world full of elves, dwarves, and other mythical creatures, where everyone wants a piece of him--literally --the frustrations of house-hunting reach a whole new level.



Do you believe in dragons? Now, for the first time, the long-lost research of renowned nineteenth-century dragonologist Dr. Ernest Drake is presented in all its eccentric glory, happily bridging the gap between dragon legend and fact. The meticulous Dr. Drake assigns Latin names to various dragon species, ruminates on why dragons are able to speak, speculates on how they could fly, and explains the true purpose of their notorious hoarding habits.



With dramatic dialogue and vivid illustrations, this title contains three founding Chinese myths telling how the 'Four Dragons' became the four great rivers of China, how the goddess Nu Wa created people, and why the ancient Chinese week contained ten days.




These creatures are hard to find when they swim among the plants of their natural habitat. If in fact the two species of sea dragons are known as weedy and leafy because they look so much like the plants in which they make their homes! This creature has a long snout that gave rise to the name sea dragon. Students will learn that the father carries sea dragon eggs in his special pouch. These delicate creatures are found on only one place on Earth, so students will learn how this creature must be protected before it vanishes!


Learn all you need to know about the raising process: selecting and acquiring an available breed; building the perfect enclosure; hatching a dragon egg; feeding and grooming; training and riding; showing your dragon in competition; and much, much more. Hundreds of stunning illustrations complement the text.



A boy is thrilled to have a dragon of his own but quickly discovers that dragons are not appropriate pets. "Our protagonist wishes (much to the narrator's continued chagrin) for a pet dragon. Though initially thrilled, the kid quickly discovers that dragons aren't quite as awesome as they originally thought. From the scooting to the digging to the fire-breathing, our Kid is dismayed that they still haven't found their perfect pet. Little do they know, that pet might just be right around the corner..." -- Provided by publisher.


It's the wackiest rivalry ever when the fire-breathing ruler of the skies and the fearless fire truck go head to head in an epic battle of fire vs water Who will win?


But wait, is it actually a competition?


Their rivalry takes unexpected turns as these two unlikely friends face off at a campfire, a birthday party, and more with unexpected results. Who will you root for?
With playful illustrations and charming text, Fire Truck vs Dragon gives readers an unexpected twist on a would-be rivalry, turned friendship.
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