New Year's Resolution

One of the top resolutions people have for the New Year is: GET HEALTHY!

Here are some wonderful websites and books that can help you with that goal!

WEBSITES

USDA Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion
This government site has the latest nutritional and dietary guidelines and news releases as well as recipes. When you sign in to The Interactive Healthy Eating Index with age and gender information, it will compare your diet to the food pyramid and give you a score based on analysis of the foods and quantities you provide, as compared to recommended intake levels. The Index requires screen setting and display of at least 800x600 DPI and 256 colors. Some of the files require Adobe Acrobat Reader.

Weight Loss Products and Programs
Profiles of popular weight-loss products and programs, listing characteristics of the products and programs, strengths and weaknesses, and other comments. Also includes examples of ineffective weight-loss products. From a nutritionist at the Colorado State University Cooperative Extension.

Choosing a Safe and Successful Weight-loss Program
A list of questions to ask before joining a weight-loss program. Discusses safety, costs, staff qualifications, product risks, and results. From the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK).

Calorie Control Council
News and information about calorie control, weight loss, and low-calorie and reduced-fat foods and beverages, from a "non-profit association representing the low-calorie and reduced-fat food and beverage industry." Includes calculators, dieting trends and statisticsm exercise tips, and descriptions of low-calorie sweeteners, polyols, and fat replacers. BE AWARE: Information about sweeteners is heavily weighted in favor of the use of these products, with little information about risks and side effects.

Small Step
An alarming rise in deaths in the last 10 years due to poor diet and exercise has prompted this site. Take the "small steps" to better nutrition and health by browsing the headings: "Getting the Facts," "Eating Better," "Getting Active," and "Learning More." Includes success stories and an e-mail newsletter. Also available in Spanish. From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

BOOKS

American Dietetic Association Complete Food and Nutrition Guide, 3rd Edition
by Roberta Larson Duyff, MS, RD, FADA, CFCS. Wiley, 2006.
Includes the most up-to-date Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Offers quick access to timely advice on a multitude of food and nutrition topics. Includes chapters on food for fitness, healthy weight, vegetarian eating and nutrition for every stage of life.

Dieting for Dummies – 2nd Edition
by Jane Kirby, RD. Wiley Publishing, Inc., 2004
Written in a user-friendly style by a registered dietitian, this guide offers methods for evaluating diet programs, coping with cravings and eating healthfully at home or away.

The Healthy Beef Cookbook
by American Dietetic Association and National Cattlemen's Beef Association, et. al. John Wiley and Sons, Inc., 2005.
Shows health-conscious cooks exciting new ways to use lean beef in everything from quick and easy suppers to special occasion entrees. More than 130 delicious, nutritious recipes that feature the cuts of beef that meet current government guidelines for lean labeling.

The Eating Well Diet
by Dr. Jean Harvey-Berino, PhD, RD. The Countryman Press, 2007.
Develop healthy eating habits with over 150 recipes, inspiring messages and practical tips. Helpful charts and sensible strategies will encourage you to set goals and track your progress.

The Way To Eat
by David L. Katz, MD, MPH and Maura Gonzalez, MS, RD. Source Books, 2003.
A comprehensive guide to a lifetime of eating well in support of three goals: overall good health, weight control and enjoyment of food.

The Dish On Eating Healthy and Being Fabulous!
by Carolyn O’Neil, MS, RD and Densie Webb, PhD, RD. Atria Books, Simon and Schuster, 2004.
A collection of tasty recipes, combined with solid nutritional advice and a common-sense approach.

Eating on the Run
by Evelyn Tribole, MS, RD. Human Kinetics, 2004.
Features practical, healthful strategies for grocery shopping, eating out and quick meal preparation for today’s busy lifestyle.

The Good Housekeeping Supermarket Diet: Your Shopping List for Delicious and Healthy
Weight Loss
by Janis Jibrin, MS, RD. Hearst Books, 2006.
Use the tear-out guide to help you shop more efficiently. Stock your pantry, then try the recipes. You’ll also find a calorie counter for 100-calorie snacks, as well as tips used by successful dieters.

A Healthier You: Based on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans
by US Department of Health and Human Services. US Government Printing Office, 2005.
It's a one-stop, easy to-use resource full of good advice on nutrition and activity.

Healthy Eating Every Day
by Ruth Ann Carpenter, MS, RD and Carrie E. Finley, MS. Human Kinetics, 2005.
Teaches realistic goal-setting, coping with lapses and celebrating successes. Food shopping tips are included.

Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think
by Brian Wansink, PhD. Bantam Books, 2006.
Learn how to recognize those triggers that make you want to eat too much, or want to eat those foods loaded with empty calories. Written in an easy-to-read style that will make you nod your head in recognition of your own cravings.

Nutrition for Life
by Lisa Hark, PhD, RD and Darwin Deen, MD. DK Publishing, Inc., 2005.
Described as a "one volume encyclopedia" of everything that's been said before, this guide provides straightforward information on nutrition.

The Portion Teller: Smartsize Your Way to Permanent Weight Loss
by Lisa R. Young, PhD, RD. Morgan Road Books, 2005.
Is that mound of pasta really just one serving? Learn what a “portion” actually looks like and how to be more realistic about what goes on your plate. Lots of visuals and comparisons for portion sizes.

So What Can I Eat?!: How to Make Sense of the New Dietary Guidelines for Americans and Make Them Your Own
by Elisa Zied, MS, RD with Ruth Winter, MS. Wiley, 2006.
Yes, you can have some chocolate now and then. Learn how to work with a shopping list, make menu plans and prepare balanced meals that include foods you may have thought forbidden.

The Step Diet Book
by James O. Hill, PhD; John C. Peters, PhD; Bonnie T. Jortberg, MS, RD. Workman Publishing Company, Inc. 2004.
A practical guide combining dozens of recipes with advice on how to increase the number of steps we walk each day.

10 Habits That Mess Up a Woman’s Diet: Simple Strategies to Eat Right, Lose Weight, and Reclaim Your Health
by Elizabeth Somer, MA, RD. McGraw-Hill, 2006.
How many of us taste-test while cooking? But those calories don’t count, do they? Learn about the many simple mistakes women make that interfere with successful dieting.

The Traveler’s Diet: Eating Right and Staying Fit on the Road
by Peter Greenberg. Villard Books, 2006.
Do you gain weight every time you leave town? The author confides his secrets about eating, exercising and sleep habits while traveling. Stay on track on the road.

The Volumetrics Eating Plan
by Barbara Rolls, PhD. HarperCollins, 2005.
Shows how to select those foods that let us eat satisfying portions but leave us feeling full on fewer calories. Includes 125 recipes, menu planners, charts and helpful sidebars.

Food for Fines?

Have you been avoiding us lately because of a pesky, ol' overdue fine on your account? Well there's no need to. Here's a great way to clear that fine and at the same time help families in need!

The Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center in Newport is the primary food bank for Newport County and has approximately 700 registered clients that turn to this center for help. It's a wonderful organization that welcomes donations.

The Director of MPL began a Food for Fines program at the Library in December 2007 as a way to contribute to the Center. Since 2007 (and thanks to its generous patrons like you) the Library has furnished the equivalent of several hundred meals to the clients of the MLK Jr. Community Center. For it's effort the Library has been awarded the Martin Luther King Service certificate of 2008.

The "currency" is nonperishable food item(s). The rate asked of patrons is:

Fines Number of Food Items
$1.00 or less 1
$1.01-$2.00 2
$2.01-$3.00 3
etc. etc.

We understand that it's not always possible to return a book or DVD on time (librarians get overdues too). So don't be shy! Bring in some nonperishable food items and we'll call it even.

Hey, we miss you and want to see you back at the Library!

Library Closed

Due to unsafe traveling conditions, the Middletown Public Library will be closed today and tomorrow (December 20th and 21st).

In the mean time go make a snowperson! That's what I'm gonna do!!!

School, Daycare and Business Closings and Delays

Winter is definitely upon us. WPRI Eyewitness News is providing Rhode Islanders with a current list of school, daycare and business closings and delays, as well as parking bans.

Read and Read Alike!

Do you have a favorite author? How about a favorite book? But what if you've read everything your favorite author has written? What do you do when you've read a great book and want to find more like it?

Fret no more! Each week we'll feature a new author or title to help you through the draught.

THIS WEEK: The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown

It was an international bestseller and a hit motion picture. Do you want more? Well we got more!

Angels and Demons by Dan Brown

Deception Point by Dan Brown

The Genesis Code by John Case (mythological, religious aspect)

Deborah Crombie mysteries, especially A Finer End (similar content) and her Kissed a Sad Goodbye (history mixed with mystery)

Clive Cussler (action element)

Nelson DeMille (action element)

Umberto Eco, especially The Name of the Rose (murder in medieval abbey) and Foucalt's Pendulaum (Templar history)

Headlong by Michael Frayn (good art mystery)

The Assassini by Thomas Gifford (well-written thriller about an ancient and deadly secret society, its roots deep in Church history, which takes murderous action...)

The Sixteen Pleasures by Robert Hellenga (no mystery, but quest within the art/museum/library/convent world of Florence)

Michael Jecks (mystery series featuring Sir Baldwin, a Knight Templar)

Untitled: A Booklover's Mystery by Julie Wallin Kaewert (lighter tone...aspect of different slant on a significant historical event that affects prominent people). This book is part of Booklover's Mystery series.

The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd (the feminine divine aspect)

The Last Day by Glenn Kleier (feminine divine, Catholic Church)

The Icarus Agenda by Robert Ludlum (adventure aspect)

The Eight by Katherine Neville (historical quest, Freemasons, solving chess riddles)

Iain Pears (well-researched art history mysteries and thrillers)

Daughter of God: A Novel of Art and Faith When God Was a Woman by Lewis Perdue (actually sued Dan Brown for plagiarism!)

Daniel Quinn, Story of B, and many of his other books

Jonathan Rabb, The Book of Q, and The Overseer (religious conspiracy aspect)

The Confessor by Daniel Silva (secret society within Catholic Church)

The Prophetess by Barbara Wood (feminine divine, suppression by Catholic Church

(Compiled by the subscribers of the Fiction_L mailing list at the Morton Grove Public Library's Webrary)

MAGIC SHOW!

Looking for something fun to do with your little ones during the holiday break? Why not take them to a MAGIC SHOW!

On Tuesday, December 30th at 10:30am MPL will host Magician Tommy James. With over 30 years of performing experience Mr. James has the show for you. His performance will amaze and amuse with a roller coaster ride of comedy and magic that is GUARANTEED to PLEASE! Click here to see his website!

Please call (401) 846-1573 for information and free tickets!

AskRI is HERE!

Governor Donald L. Carcieri joined Rhode Island leaders of the Office of Library and Information Services and the Statewide Reference Resource Center at Providence Public Library (PPL) at the PPLs Central Library to announce the launch of AskRI -- a newly enhanced online resource for all Rhode Islanders.

AskRI includes features such as "Homework Help RI", "World Book Web", EBSCOHost and "Heritage Quest" as well as many more resources!

Traveling With Pets

Will you be traveling this holiday season and plan on taking Fido and Whiskers with you? Here are a few websites that can ease the stress of making sure both you and your pets have a happy holiday!

Care for Pets
By the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), the site covers information related to keeping pets healthy and contains advice on vet selection, pet selection, pet loss, and traveling with your pet. The site is well organized, easy to navigate, and has links to thousands of veterinary medical and animal-related online resources. Their excellent search engine includes a database of full-text articles from the AVMA Network, as well as the NetVet and Electronic Zoo resources.

DogFriendly.com
This site "lists and describes thousands of dog-friendly places throughout the U.S. and Canada, from lodging to outdoor restaurants, parks, beaches, attractions and more." It focuses "on listing only places that allow dogs of all sizes and breeds." Also includes tips for traveling with dogs, newsletters, a photo gallery, and lists of dog-friendly events and employers. Browsable by location or type of place, or searchable. (Highlights sponsor listings.)

Importation of Pets, Other Animals, and Animal Products Into the United States
This page describes regulations governing "the importation [to the U.S.] of dogs, cats, turtles, monkeys, other animals, and animal products capable of causing human disease." The FAQ on animal importation also addresses questions about horses, small terrestrial mammals and rodents, snakes, fish, birds, and animal trophies. From the Division of Global Migration and Quarantine of the National Center for Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Movement of Pets (Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) - Questions & Answers
Information about the European Union pet passports for dogs, cats, and ferrets. The site provides rules for pet passports.

Taking Your Pet on the Plane
Discussion of "what the law, the airlines and veterinarians recommend" when traveling with a pet on an airline. Covers animals that will not be accepted for air travel (such as pug-nosed dog breeds), planning for a flight with an animal (such as communication with airlines, feeding, and exercise), pet travel in the airplane cabin versus the cargo hold, and related topics. From Nolo, a California publisher of legal self-help books.


And remember: please always check with your local veternarian before traveling with your furry friends!

Every Day is a Holiday!

Seriously, every day IS a celebration. Just check out The Earth Calendar to find out which holiday it is. The Earth Calendar is a datebook of holidays and celebrations around the world. Users can search the calendar by date, country, religion, and even lunar phases!

As the site states, "For the purpose of this web site a "holiday" is any day that recognizes a cultural event, and not necessarily a day when businesses are closed." So don't worry! The banks and stores are still open even if it's St. Lucy's Day in Sweden!

New Arrival!

Knit Two by Kate Jacobs

Product Description

The sequel to the number-one New York Times bestseller The Friday Night Knitting Club, Knit Two returns to Walker and Daughter, the Manhattan knitting store founded by Georgia Walker and her young daughter, Dakota. Dakota is now an eighteen-year-old freshman at NYU, running the little yarn shop part-time with help from the members of the Friday Night Knitting Club.

Drawn together by the sense of family the club has created, the knitters rely on one another as they struggle with new challenges: for Catherine, finding love after divorce; for Darwin, the hope for a family; for Lucie, being both a single mom and a caregiver for her elderly mother; and for seventysomething Anita, a proposal of marriage from her sweetheart, Marty, that provokes the objections of her grown children.

As the club’s projects—an afghan, baby booties, a wedding coat—are pieced together, so is their understanding of the patterns underlying the stresses and joys of being mother, wife, daughter, and friend. Because it isn’t the difficulty of the garment that makes you a great knitter: it’s the care and attention you bring to the craft—as well as how you adapt to surprises.

Wanna Save a Little Money?

While I love to read novels, I have a bit of an affinity for magazines. I adore People, Glamour, Redbook, Rolling Stone, Self...I love them all! However subscribing to all of them can get expensive. And let's face it, cover-to-cover most of us can read an issue within a couple of hours. I feel terrible spending my hard earned cash on these guilty little pleasures, but I don't want to live without my weekly dose of celebrity gossip!

So with everyone tightening their money belts is there any way to have your cake and eat it too? There sure is!

Did you know you can check out magazines here at the library? Just pop-on in and pick up the latest issue of many of today's most popular magazines (Prevention, Money, Men's Health, Discovery, Sports Illustrated and MORE! We also have previous issues (missed the February 2008 Cat Fancy issue?) available for check out as well.

So come on down to the local library! We want to help you save a little money!

COMING SOON! (February 2009)

In Other Rooms, Other Wonders by Daniyal Mueenuddin

Product Description

A major literary debut that explores class, culture, power, and desire among the ruling and servant classes of Pakistan.

In the spirit of Joyce's Dubliners and Turgenev's A Sportsman's Sketches, Daniyal Mueenuddin's collection of linked stories illuminates a place and a people through an examination of the entwined lives of landowners and their retainers on the Gurmani family farm in the countryside outside of Lahore, Pakistan. An aging feudal landlord's household staff, the villagers who depend on his favor, and a network of relations near and far who have sought their fortune in the cities confront the advantages and constraints of station, the dissolution of old ways, and the shock of change. Mueenuddin bares—at times humorously, at times tragically—the complexities of Pakistani class and culture and presents a vivid picture of a time and a place, of the old powers and the new, as the Pakistani feudal order is undermined and transformed.

Check out the author's website!

And as always: RESERVE YOUR COPY TODAY!

Did You Know...

Middletown Public Library has a page on Facebook! Why not become a fan?

We'll be posting events happening at the library, as well as new books, CDs, and DVDs that are arriving DAILY! Get to know some of your fellow MPL social networkers.

Check us out on Facebook!

COMING SOON!

Thaw by Monica M. Roe

Summary

Dane is a thousand miles south of his home in northern New York. It's not the warm winter that keeps him off his skis, though. Not even creepy Isaac, who wanders by in Mardi Gras beads and a top hat, could block Dane from a Nordic race. Guillain-Barre Syndrome is the culprit, a paralyzing disease that has committed the high-school senior to a hospital bed indefinitely. Days in bed pass and Dane recalls both his former prowess and his disdain for the people in his life. Physical recovery is painfullu slow, though, and it becomes clear that Dane may not fully regain the use of his body, that he may become one of the losers he abhors. As this threat grows more immediate, either Dane's icy mind will crack, or the young man will learn to thaw.

RESERVE YOUR COPY TODAY!

New Year's Is Right Around the Corner!

Fun facts about New Years

This site includes information about New Year's traditions, a brief history of New Year's resolutions, information about the celebration of New Years in ancient cultures, global good luck traditions, a list of common resolutions, and the lyrics to "Auld Lang Syne" by Robert Burns. From a company that provides materials and training for performance improvement.

Times Square Alliance: New Year's Eve

This site provides information on the spectacular celebration of New Year's Eve in Times Square, New York City, on December 31. It includes facts on the construction and descent of the famous Waterford crystal ball, event fact sheets and schedules, and a FAQ filled with details on viewing areas, public facilities, vendors, transportation, history, and more. From the Times Square District Management Association.

Chinese New Year

This site provides information on how the Chinese New Year's Day is determined, the Chinese solar/lunar calendar, the animals of the Chinese zodiac, significance of Chinese dragons, calligraphy, and Chinese graphics.

Feature Stories: New Year's Resolutions Guide

This series of articles provides ideas for sticking to resolutions made for the new year. Includes general resolution advice, and strategies for weight loss, exercise, and quitting smoking. From the University of Maryland Medical Center.

Book of the Day!

August : Osage County by Tracy Letts

Description from book

Winner of the 2008 Pulitzer Prize for Drama

"A tremendous achievement in American playwriting: a tragicomic populist portrait of a tough land and a tougher people." -Time Out New York

Tracy Letts' August: Osage County is what O'Neill would be writing in 2007. Letts has recaptured the nobility of American drama's mid-century heyday while still creating something entirely original." -New York magazine

One of the most bracing and critically acclaimed plays in recent Broadway history, August: Osage County is a portrait of the dysfunctional American family at its finest-and absolute worst. When the patriarch of the Weston clan disappears one hot summer night, the family reunites at the Oklahoma homestead, where long-held secrets are unflinchingly and uproariously revealed. The three-act, three-and-a-half-hour mammoth of a play combines epic tragedy with black comedy, dramatizing three generations of unfulfilled dreams and leaving not one of its thirteen characters unscathed. After its sold-out Chicago premiere, the play has electrified audiences in New York since its opening in November 2007.

Tracy Letts is the author of Killer Joe, Bug, and Man from Nebraska, which was a finalist for the 2004 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. His plays have been performed throughout the country and internationally. A performer as well as a playwright, Letts is a member of the Steppenwolf Theatre Company, where August: Osage County premiered.