Winter Delights

At the Mille Lacs Branch of East Central Regional Library, we slow down at this time of year so I have the time to write a blog posting.  The snowbirds have flown south to their condos and trailers.  The rest of us are left to face winter.  It could be a daunting five months of darkness and cold, but a trip to the nonfiction section of the library can give you some ideas on how to make it through a Minnesota winter.

Since the holidays are just around the corner, it might be nice to bake up some goodies for neighbors, friends or family.  You can warm up the house while doing a good deed.  Here are a few newer holiday baking books you can put a hold on:

Holiday crafting & baking with kids : gifts, sweets, and treats for the whole family by Jessica Strand

Sweet Christmas : homemade peppermints, sugar cake, chocolate-almond toffee, eggnog fudge, and other sweet treats and decoration by Sharon Bowers

Another way to while away those winter hours is to knit or crochet.  You can justify spending hours watching movies or television if you are making something at the same time.  Some easy items to knit that will also keep you or a loved one warm include mittens, hats, stockings, scarves and leg warmers.  You could also crochet a more complicated afghan or sweater.  You’ll find many books on yarn working in the 746 Dewey Decimal areas. ECRL has many hobby books from painting to quilting and woodworking that can give you free patterns and advice.  These books have some ideas for gifts you can make:

Handmade Gifts, 2013

Holiday boutique knitting:  inspired holiday décor and gifts to knit by Mary jean Daigneault

After the holidays are over, it’s time to put the house back in order.  The library has many books that tell you how to de-clutter, organize or clean your house in the 648 section of nonfiction.  ECRL also has books on Feng Shui which is the Chinese art of optimal home placement to bring you good fortune and happiness.  Here are a few newer books to give you some ideas on how to enhance your living space:

Soulspace:  transform your home, transform you life - creating a home that is free of clutter, full of beauty, and inspired by you by Xorin Balbes

Feng Shui that makes sense:  easy ways to create a home that feels s good as it looks by Cathleen McCandless

Winter can feel long when the cold forces us inside for days at a time.  Help the time pass pleasantly and productively by reading and pursuing hobbies that can bring warming happiness to you and others. Check out an East Central Regional Library book today.

Kathy Morrow

Mille Lacs Lake Community Branch Librarian

Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe Cultural Exhibit to Visit All ECRL Branches

This week the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe unveiled a new cultural exhibit that highlights the Band’s heritage and deep connection to East Central Minnesota. The exhibit, made up of five interconnected banners, details the history of the Mille Lacs Band from its arrival 250 years ago in what would become Minnesota up to the present day. The exhibit also explains the Band’s sovereign government structure and the economic benefits that the Band brings to East Central Minnesota.

“We are excited to have an additional option for sharing the Band’s history and culture with our neighbors,” said Jamie Edwards, the Mille Lacs Band Director of Government Affairs. “While the Band is an important regional employer and community partner, many of our neighbors still don’t know that much about us. This exhibit seeks to change that.”

The cultural exhibit, will open at the Hinckley Public Library, a branch of East Central Regional Library, on Tuesday, November 26 and will be on display until December 10. All 14 branches of East Central Regional Library will host all or part of the cultural exhibit in the coming months.  After leaving the Hinckley Public Library, it will travel to the Rush City Public Library.  See the schedule listed below for the dates the exhibit will be at an ECRL branch near you.   

Hosting the Mille Lacs Band traveling cultural exhibit is an honor.  It is crucial that East Central Regional Library is educating our entire community about American Indian culture and government, especially with the Mille Lacs Band right next door.

More information about the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe can be found at the Mille Lacs Indian Museum in Onamia or at www.millelacsband.com.

Exhibit Schedule:

Hinckley Public Library – November 26 to December 10

Rush City Public Library – December 10 to December 23

Mille Lacs Lake Community Library – December 23 to January 7

Aitkin Public Library – January 7 to January 22

Mora Public Library  - January 22 to February 4

Pine City Public – February 4 to February 19

Sandstone Public Library – February 19 to March 4

McGregor Public Library – March 4 to March 18

Milaca Community Library – March 18 to April 1

Princeton Area Library – April 1 to April 15

Cambridge Public Library – April 15 to April 29

Wyoming Area Library – April 29 to May 13

Chisago Lakes Area Library – May 13 to May 27

North Branch Area Library  - May 27 to June 10

Forthcoming Titles - November 2013

Forthcoming titles - click here to search for and place your hold on the ECRL catalog.


ADULT FICTION

Title	Author
After Dead	Harris, Charlaine
The Beekeeper's Ball	Wiggs, Susan
Carnal Curiosity	Woods, Stuart
The Collector	Roberts, Nora
Dating, Dining, and Desperation	Carlson, Melody
Dead Giveaway	Fluke, Joanne
Distortion	Blackstock, Terri
Elm Creek Quilts Companion	Chiaverini, Jennifer
Field of Prey	Sandford, John
Ghost Ship	Cussler, Clive
Lincoln Myth	Berry, Steve
The Marriage Pact	Miller, Linda Lael
Midnight Crossroad	Harris, Charlaine
Unlucky 13	Patterson, James
Untitled	Flynn, Vince
Water Walker	Dekker, Ted

LARGE PRINT

Title	Author
All Things Hidden	Peterson, Tracie
Bertie Plays the Blues	McCall Smith, Alexander
Big Sky Secrets	Miller, Linda Lael
Blindsided	Michaels, Fern
Deception Cove	Castle, Jayne
Distortion	Blackstock, Terri
Fear Nothing	Gardner, Lisa
Hazardous Duty	Griffin, W. E. B.
Home to Seaview Key	Woods, Sherryl
Inherit the Dead	Child, Lee
The Last Kiss Goodbye	Robards, Karen
Lincoln Myth	Berry, Steve
Mrs. Lincoln's Rival	Chiaverini, Jennifer
Rainy Day Dreams	Copeland, Lori
River Road	Krentz, Jayne Ann
Standup Guy	Woods, Stuart
Unlucky 13	Patterson, James
Words of Silk	Brown, Sandra

BOOKS ON CD

Title	Author
6 Rainier Drive	Macomber, Debbie
74 Seaside Avenue	Macomber, Debbie
The Collector	Roberts, Nora
Distortion	Blackstock, Terri
The Dream Unfolds	Delinsky, Barbara
A Family Affair	Michaels, Fern
Forget Me Not	Michaels, Fern
Games Creatures Play	Harris, Charlaine
Ghost Ship	Cussler, Clive
Jack Reacher Novellas	Child, Lee
Lincoln Myth	Berry, Steve
Live to See Tomorrow	Johansen, Iris
Lone Star Baby	Macomber, Debbie
Missing You	Coben, Harlan
Moving Target	Jance, Judith A.
Nell's Cowboy	Macomber, Debbie
Strange Highways	Koontz, Dean R.
Unlucky 13	Patterson, James
Untitled	Flynn, Vince

Marcia Ledin, Technical Services Coordinator