Some interesting new craft books for the summer:
Eco-craft: recycle, recraft, restyle by Susan Wasinger shows you how to use natural, found and recycled items to make interesting objets d'art for the home. The projects range from the complex - a chandelier made of baby food jars, wire and barrel hoops - to the quite simple: a small LED light in a bowl covered with glass beads to make a beautiful accent light. You can also make bowls of recycled paper, purses from coffee-bean bags, and a rag rug from old sweaters. The project that I find the most interesting (and looks the least like it was made from trash) is the Moorish screen. The filigree insert in the tri-fold frame is actually made from 6-pack rings that have been melted into layers! Very cool.
Pretty Little Potholders is the companion book to Pretty Little Pincushions. Quilted, embroidered, appliqued, decorated with lace, buttons and beads, the ideas in this book are all very fun and festive. These are all relatively easy to make (there's a nice chapter at the beginning of the book on the basics of basting, stitching and padding the potholders so that you don't burn the heck out of your hands using them). Perfect hostess, birthday and shower gifts for the chefs in your life.
Bag Bazaar: 25 stylish bags to sew in an afternoon, by Megan Avery, is for people who know how to sew. I don't, and I can see that it would take me considerably longer than an afternoon to create a bag using Avery's instructions. She gives you dimensions, rather than an actual pattern, and lists out the sewing directions without any photos (and very few illustrations). That being said, if you are comfortable with terms like 'seam allowance' 'fusible interface' and 'topstitching', then this is a great book of ideas and instructions for making a variety of bags, from a cosmetic bag to a wine tote to a diaper bag. Add your own fabulous fabrics and embellishments, and you will have some very stylish projects to fill up your closets.
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Hubris
I would like to apologize for my previous posting, which has apparently irritated Mother Nature and resulted in the abrupt cessation of our sunny summer.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Sunstroke
What a summer. I must have gotten a touch too much sun, because I have started looking around at my yard picturing it with an outdoor patio, a garden bench under the alder, and a large patch of multicolored petunias. In other words, I've been deluded into thinking that this summer is the normal course of events and that my garden should reflect the sunny climate. If you've also started feeling this way, check out our two new books on gardening and landscaping:
Backyards: a Sunset design guide is from the publisher of the popular home magazine Sunset, and it comes complete with a landscape design CD-Rom. Water features, play spaces, outdoor cooking areas, seating niches and pergolas are all laid out in beautiful color photos. This book is not really about the how-to; you won't get lumber dimensions for your pergola or a list of butterfly-friendly plants for your Secret Garden. What you will get is plenty of inspiration, ideas and hints for choosing the designs, materials and layout that works best for you and your family. You probably want to skip the section on outdoor beds (unless you like sleeping in rain gear), and who would want to install a shade canopy in this town? But the sections on garden art, petscaping and greenhouses are very helpful. This book is sure to get your design wheels spinning.
50 High-impact, Low-care Garden Plants: tough-but-beautiful plants anyone can grow is by Tracy DiSabato-Aust, a well-known garden designer who has appeared on Martha Stewart Radio. For each suggested plant variety, she gives general planting information, hints about what other plants go well with it, it's peak time of bloom, and advice on overwintering and pruning. Some of the plants - hostas, bleeding hearts and honeysuckle - do astoundingly well in our climate. The "drought-resistant" selections should probably be considered as a challenge plant here in Ketchikan. Indian Pink and Giant Coneflower may tolerate heat and humidity, but what are they going to do with 98% cloud cover and 5 inches of rain? But it doesn't matter! Because this summer is beautiful, and every summer after this is going to be beautiful, and next year - by golly - I'm gonna plant corn!
Backyards: a Sunset design guide is from the publisher of the popular home magazine Sunset, and it comes complete with a landscape design CD-Rom. Water features, play spaces, outdoor cooking areas, seating niches and pergolas are all laid out in beautiful color photos. This book is not really about the how-to; you won't get lumber dimensions for your pergola or a list of butterfly-friendly plants for your Secret Garden. What you will get is plenty of inspiration, ideas and hints for choosing the designs, materials and layout that works best for you and your family. You probably want to skip the section on outdoor beds (unless you like sleeping in rain gear), and who would want to install a shade canopy in this town? But the sections on garden art, petscaping and greenhouses are very helpful. This book is sure to get your design wheels spinning.
50 High-impact, Low-care Garden Plants: tough-but-beautiful plants anyone can grow is by Tracy DiSabato-Aust, a well-known garden designer who has appeared on Martha Stewart Radio. For each suggested plant variety, she gives general planting information, hints about what other plants go well with it, it's peak time of bloom, and advice on overwintering and pruning. Some of the plants - hostas, bleeding hearts and honeysuckle - do astoundingly well in our climate. The "drought-resistant" selections should probably be considered as a challenge plant here in Ketchikan. Indian Pink and Giant Coneflower may tolerate heat and humidity, but what are they going to do with 98% cloud cover and 5 inches of rain? But it doesn't matter! Because this summer is beautiful, and every summer after this is going to be beautiful, and next year - by golly - I'm gonna plant corn!
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Books of faith
We have some new additions to the Religion section of the library, dealing with a variety of subtopics.
The Parent Adventure: preparing your children for a lifetime with God is by Rodney and Selma Wilson. The Wilsons suggest that people who would like to improve their parenting skills use the teachings of the Bible as their guide. Each chapter includes activities for the reader and discussion questions that are designed to reinforce the points that have just been covered, as well as prayers and relevant Bible verses.
Ultimate Journey: death and dying in the world's major religions is a collection of essays that look at the way death is viewed by Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism. Edited by Steven J. Rosen, this book is an interesting way to learn about other perspectives and to better understand the similarities - and differences - in how people of other faiths deal with the loss of loved ones and their own eventual mortality.
Jesus Wept: when faith & depression meet is by Barbara C. Crafton. An Episcopal priest, the Rev. Crafton examines the ways in which faith can help those who are suffering from depression. She also looks at circumstances in which faith and religion can actually impede a person's recovery from depression, and how to avoid seeing your sufferings as divine punishment. This is very helpful reading for anyone dealing with depression in their lives or the lives of loved ones.
A People's History of Christianity: the other side of the story is by Diana Butler Bass. She takes a broad look at Christianity and the way that it has changed over the centuries, responding to forces both inside and outside the church. Each section in this chronological view has chapters devoted to both Devotion - one's individual relationship with God - and to Ethics - how religion influences your relationship with society and other cultures. Accessible and enlightening, this book would interest readers of all denominations.
The Parent Adventure: preparing your children for a lifetime with God is by Rodney and Selma Wilson. The Wilsons suggest that people who would like to improve their parenting skills use the teachings of the Bible as their guide. Each chapter includes activities for the reader and discussion questions that are designed to reinforce the points that have just been covered, as well as prayers and relevant Bible verses.
Ultimate Journey: death and dying in the world's major religions is a collection of essays that look at the way death is viewed by Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism. Edited by Steven J. Rosen, this book is an interesting way to learn about other perspectives and to better understand the similarities - and differences - in how people of other faiths deal with the loss of loved ones and their own eventual mortality.
Jesus Wept: when faith & depression meet is by Barbara C. Crafton. An Episcopal priest, the Rev. Crafton examines the ways in which faith can help those who are suffering from depression. She also looks at circumstances in which faith and religion can actually impede a person's recovery from depression, and how to avoid seeing your sufferings as divine punishment. This is very helpful reading for anyone dealing with depression in their lives or the lives of loved ones.
A People's History of Christianity: the other side of the story is by Diana Butler Bass. She takes a broad look at Christianity and the way that it has changed over the centuries, responding to forces both inside and outside the church. Each section in this chronological view has chapters devoted to both Devotion - one's individual relationship with God - and to Ethics - how religion influences your relationship with society and other cultures. Accessible and enlightening, this book would interest readers of all denominations.
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Do you Google?
I like Google. In fact, I like the whole Google package: the search engine, the email service (Gmail), the blog service (Blogger), the maps, the satellite images (Google Earth), the video sharing (YouTube) and the online photo album (Picasa). I'm sure there are plenty of anti-globalists, anti-monopolists, anti-Big Brotherists out there who will tell you I am selling my soul to the Devil to be relying so heavily on one organization, but hey. Did anyone gripe about Sears & Robuck 150 years ago when they pretty much owned catalog shopping?
Some features I have no use for - Google AdSense - and some don't seem to work very well - Google Docs - but overall their portfolio of FREE online services is pretty darn handy and relatively easy to use, even if you're not a computer science major. Our new book Googlepedia is an owner's manual to this suite of software, and it is an essential tool for anyone wanting to optimize their use of Google Groups, Calendar, Desktop, Chrome or mashups. Author Michael Miller walks you through all the possibilities, from creating advanced search strategies with Google's search engine to buying & selling with Google Base.
His explanations are very easy to follow, and there are lots of screen shots to guide you through the steps. He also gives you plenty of tips and suggestions for tweaking the Google services to your own preferences, including an entire chapter on creating applications using Google tools. Just like the software manuals for Windows and Microsoft Office, this book will help you maximize your effectiveness and streamline your activities.
Chances are, if there's something you want to do with your computer, Google has a free tool for doing it (and if you're feeling really experimental, try some of the Beta services on Google Labs - http://www.googlelabs.com/ - which is where Google Maps, Scholar and iGoogle started out life). And to do it well, you need Miller's book.
Some features I have no use for - Google AdSense - and some don't seem to work very well - Google Docs - but overall their portfolio of FREE online services is pretty darn handy and relatively easy to use, even if you're not a computer science major. Our new book Googlepedia is an owner's manual to this suite of software, and it is an essential tool for anyone wanting to optimize their use of Google Groups, Calendar, Desktop, Chrome or mashups. Author Michael Miller walks you through all the possibilities, from creating advanced search strategies with Google's search engine to buying & selling with Google Base.
His explanations are very easy to follow, and there are lots of screen shots to guide you through the steps. He also gives you plenty of tips and suggestions for tweaking the Google services to your own preferences, including an entire chapter on creating applications using Google tools. Just like the software manuals for Windows and Microsoft Office, this book will help you maximize your effectiveness and streamline your activities.
Chances are, if there's something you want to do with your computer, Google has a free tool for doing it (and if you're feeling really experimental, try some of the Beta services on Google Labs - http://www.googlelabs.com/ - which is where Google Maps, Scholar and iGoogle started out life). And to do it well, you need Miller's book.
Friday, July 10, 2009
Daylilies
Daylilies are one of the more popular plants in Ketchikan gardens - I have a couple clumps in my own yard - but I have always found them about as exciting as a patch of dandelions. After flipping through the pages of our latest book - The New Encyclopedia of Daylilies: more than 1700 outstanding selections by Ted Petit and John Peat - I realize that daylilies are an amazingly beautiful plant. Ketchikan just happens to be overrun with the plain vanilla version (golden yellow, straight-edged petals).
Ah, but the possibilities! Doubles, miniatures, ruffled, multipetaled, spider, eyed and patterned petals abound in a complete rainbow of colors. Forget the boring yellow, try some deep red, purple, or black. Or perhaps a "peach-pink flower with a burgundy-purple eyezone and a picotee edge above a green throat". The double flowers, especially the ones with ruffled petal edges, are truly stunning. Page after page of gorgeous photos and intricate flowers delight the eyes.
One of the major reasons for the popularity of daylilies is that they are pretty much effortless plants, and they do well in our local climate. However, the chapter on cultivation (planting, diseases and propagation) is still very interesting and helpful. In addition, the authors include a list of daylily suppliers in the back of the book (complete with websites), so that you can start expanding beyond the 'John Doe' plants so predominant in Ketchikan. (And as your exotic lily varieties grow and need dividing, I think they would make excellent gifts for your gardening friends).
This is a very beautiful and inspiring book, and it makes me itch to rip up my garden and start anew.
Ah, but the possibilities! Doubles, miniatures, ruffled, multipetaled, spider, eyed and patterned petals abound in a complete rainbow of colors. Forget the boring yellow, try some deep red, purple, or black. Or perhaps a "peach-pink flower with a burgundy-purple eyezone and a picotee edge above a green throat". The double flowers, especially the ones with ruffled petal edges, are truly stunning. Page after page of gorgeous photos and intricate flowers delight the eyes.
One of the major reasons for the popularity of daylilies is that they are pretty much effortless plants, and they do well in our local climate. However, the chapter on cultivation (planting, diseases and propagation) is still very interesting and helpful. In addition, the authors include a list of daylily suppliers in the back of the book (complete with websites), so that you can start expanding beyond the 'John Doe' plants so predominant in Ketchikan. (And as your exotic lily varieties grow and need dividing, I think they would make excellent gifts for your gardening friends).
This is a very beautiful and inspiring book, and it makes me itch to rip up my garden and start anew.
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Class of 2010
Know someone who's graduating next spring? Or any time within the next 6 years? Then you should have them read our newest book You Majored in What? mapping your path from chaos to career by Katharine Brooks. Her overall message is a good one: don't let your college degree confine you to a box for the rest of your life. Speaking as someone who did a 180° from my original degree (zoology) to my current profession (librarian), I can tell you that a diploma can be considered a stepping-stone.
Brooks has some really good advice for people beginning their career paths, and she debunks some common myths: most people have a job directly related to their college major; your earning power depends entirely on your degree, not your skills or location; employers will only accept degrees directly related to their field. She urges readers to brainstorm careers of interest, to reflect back on their past successes and weaknesses, and to be more creative in describing their skills and education (no, not lie about what you can do, but be able to explain to an employer how your science degree makes you a good problem-solver, or how your English degree makes you a good communicator).
She also has advice about applying yourself at college - actually attending class is her #2 suggestion, and a darn good one - and using your extracurricular interests to hone your skills and experiences, and to serve as a base for networking.
There is a lot of motivation-speak in this book (which is irritating if you're over 40), and a lot of workbook exercises (which are overwhelming if you're under 18), but overall the information is helpful and very timely in this shifting economic climate. 'Be prepared' and 'be creative' are pretty good mottos to live by.
Brooks has some really good advice for people beginning their career paths, and she debunks some common myths: most people have a job directly related to their college major; your earning power depends entirely on your degree, not your skills or location; employers will only accept degrees directly related to their field. She urges readers to brainstorm careers of interest, to reflect back on their past successes and weaknesses, and to be more creative in describing their skills and education (no, not lie about what you can do, but be able to explain to an employer how your science degree makes you a good problem-solver, or how your English degree makes you a good communicator).
She also has advice about applying yourself at college - actually attending class is her #2 suggestion, and a darn good one - and using your extracurricular interests to hone your skills and experiences, and to serve as a base for networking.
There is a lot of motivation-speak in this book (which is irritating if you're over 40), and a lot of workbook exercises (which are overwhelming if you're under 18), but overall the information is helpful and very timely in this shifting economic climate. 'Be prepared' and 'be creative' are pretty good mottos to live by.
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