In the meantime, I’m reading up on spring and summer’s bounty in How to Pick a Peach : The Search for Flavor from Farm to Table and trying out recipes from Mollie Katzen’s The Vegetable Dishes I Can't Live Without. Some of our other new cookbooks poll great chefs for their favorite recipes and bring us inspiring ideas from French home cooks.

For a vicarious culinary thrill, there’s great food writing in the stacks. American Food Writing is a huge collection of work from American authors and cooks, Choice Cuts offers an international perspective, and an anthology from Gourmet Magazine serves up sixty years of writing from the august publication. Each book brings the reader the joy of cooking without the mess and heat of actually cooking. Online, food blogs and sites marry writing, cooking and recipe compendiums. 101 Cookbooks, Culinate, Curiously Ravenous and Kitchenography all offer a mix of the personal and the delicious.

Before you rush off to whip up your favorite spring frittata or ragout, tell us about your favorite cookbook or food website in the comments. Happy spring and Bon Appétit!

*photo found on Flickr, taken by user hoveringdog

Keep it Simple has been the mantra for many of us over the years and I’ve now found the perfect little 2 oz, credit card size machine to help me do just this: Playaway - No downloads, no discs, just plug in the earphones and you’re off to Chapter 1. This has to be the simplest way to enjoy a book.

Our library owns more than 200 Playaway book titles (fiction and non-fiction) with 60+ of these in the Children’s Room. They are wildly popular and often reserving a title is the best option. Search the library catalog under Keyword – Playaway. Can you think of anything easier? Each Playaway comes packaged with earphones and a spare battery.

At the moment, during my early morning walk, I’ve been listening to In An Instant. Instead of making endless to-do lists in my mind, I’ve just finished another chapter! Now to make my point that this boomer can keep up with the millennials, you should know that my Cabrio disc player is loaded with the audio book, Geography of Bliss, and each evening I settle in my living room with the hardcover copy of the new novel, Mudbound. Yes, it has been a few years since my days at the Information Science School at Drexel, but we can all enjoy this new technology for reading books. If there’s a day you’d like to keep it simple, come in and check out one of our great Playaway books.

I discovered Mary Doria Russell about 3 years ago with the publication of her third novel, A Thread of Grace. The story of Italian Jews during World War II in Italy, this book is historical fiction at its best--rich plot and characterization coupled with solid historical research. I learned so much and was moved along by the strength of the story and those who feature in it. Russell, a paleoanthropologist, brings a scientist's level of detail to her work, creating scenes that stay with you long after you finish reading the book. Russell's latest work, Dreamers of the Day, tells the story of a midwestern American woman nearing 40 who, after surviving the Great Influenza of 1918 and the tragic loss of her immediate family, embarks on a life-changing trip to the Middle East. We meet Winston and Clementine Churchill and T.E. Lawrence (aka Lawrence of Arabia), and witness first-hand the origins of today's Middle East. Ms. Russell's first two books, The Sparrow and Children of God, are both works of science fiction.

At any given moment in time, I'm usually reading a non-fiction book (or two or three). It's my thing. I love reading about new perspectives on true-life occurances. If I were stranded on a deserted island and I had to choose whether to bring a fiction or non-fiction book, the answer would be as clear to me as whether to choose between brussels sprouts and a scoop of mint-chocolate chip ice cream. (Uh, hello, it's mint, it's chocolate, it's heaven!) On my reading list right now are In Defense of Food, Reality Show, The Geography of Bliss, and The Punch. All excellent.

Then I heard about a debut novel called Mudbound by Hillary Jordan. I had met the author briefly at a Library conference while she was signing advanced copies of her book. The premise sounded interesting, but I reminded myself that the book was fiction. Not my thing. I'd have to deeply consider any time I'd have to give up to read fiction instead of my beloved non-fiction books. I'm being serious!

Then, a few weeks ago, Jen raved about the book, and I thought to myself, well, Jen's word is as good as gold (platinum, really!), so maybe I should give this a try. I did, and...honestly, if I never read another book again, my life will still be complete.

It would be impossible for me to list all of the reasons why I love this novel. All I can say is, and take it from a non-fiction reader, this book is what I'd choose to bring along on a deserted island. Forget the mint-chocolate chip. All I would need is my copy of Mudbound.

Tune in to the Oprah Winfrey Show tomorrow (4pm, ABC), to watch an interview with author David Sheff of Beautiful Boy: A Father's Journey Through His Son's Addiction. The memoir, which grew out of Sheff's 2005 New York Times Magazine article, "My Addicted Son," tells a sobering story of methamphetamine addiction - and what it's like to be the parent of a child who was once consummed by so much promise, but who eagerly succumbed to this most awful and pervasive of drugs.

For some perverse reason when critics overwhelmingly recommend a book I tend to resist reading it. I am not sure if it is because I disagree with the critics so often that I don't hold out hope for their best picks; or if I am afraid that it will not live up to my expectations! Whatever the reason for my hang-up, I decided to give Out Stealing Horses by Per Petterson a try and I am so glad I did. This small book was on the New York Times 10 Best Books of 2007 and also on Time Magazine's Top 10 Fiction picks for 2007. This story begins with a seventy year old man, Trond Sander, who is living in a cabin in an isolated section of Norway. It is on the eve of the millennium and Sander's is reflecting on his life; and more importantly, his time in Norway as a boy with his father in the summer of 1948. This is a beautifully written book and tells a large story in a small way! Happy Reading!

On Saturday, April 12th at 9pm, Lifetime will be airing a made-for-tv version of The Memory Keeper's Daughter, a haunting novel about the repercussions of a split-second decision made with the best of intentions but resulting in destructive consequences. The book, partly a commentary on the stigma of disability in American society, combines the struggles of loss and regret with hope and the search for salvation, and it is a constant Staff Recommends pick. With the movie's all-star cast that includes Dermot Mulroney, Gretchen Mol, and Emily Watson, you won't be sorry to stay in on a Saturday night.

This past month my reading has taken me to both World War I and World War II and the time in between. These books have been in different genres including mystery, biography and historical fiction. The most amazing book was The Zookeeper’ s Wife: A War Story by Diane Ackerman. Jan and Antonina Zabinski headed a world renowned zoo in Warsaw that was a haven in a busy city. Due to the Zabinski’s courage and bravery it became a haven for hiding Jews during the Nazi occupation of Poland. Ackerman tells a true story of Jan Zabinski’s involvement in the Polish resistance but the story centers more on Antonina and her gentle and humane way that she took care of the Jews that came under her roof during that awful time. This heartbreaking book reminds you of the triumph of the human spirit even in the most extreme circumstances imaginable.

Imagine a world where the Allies are losing to the Germans and the Germans are on their way to England. Imagine you wake up one morning and all the men in your Wales village have disappeared to fight in the English resistance. This is the premise of Owen Sheers debut novel Resistance and it is a scary world. The story is told through the women of the village and the German captain who takes over a deserted home with his small band of soldiers. They reach an uneasy truce only to have it shattered when war once again invades their lives. This is a book you can't put down and I will look forward to reading Sheers' future works.

The period between World War I and II was a volatile time in Europe and both Touchstone by Laurie R. King and An Incomplete Revenge take place in England during this period. Touchstone is a thriller and a mystery concerning Harris Stuyvesant, an agent for the U.S. Justice Department. He comes to London to investigate terrorist bombings that have taken place in America but that he believes originate from a British organization. Stuyvesant is a World War I vet and in the course of his investigation he meets a shell shocked vet who may have the ability to read minds. This book could have been edited down a bit but the story is compelling and the last 100 pages are hard to walk away from!

Maisie Dobbs is a British investigator who was also extremely affected by the time she served as a nurse in World War I. This is the fourth in a series involving this character but you do not have to have read the others in order to pick An Incomplete Revenge up. When you read this series all you want to do is curl up on a couch with a blanket and a cup of tea and read away. Happy Reading!!!

W C Fields might actually have had a good idea. How about a long weekend away or a family school vacation trip that’s less than a 3 hour drive from Darien? Often we think only of Boston or New York City for our get-aways, but when is the last time you visited Philly?

There’s plenty of sightseeing for everyone. Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell, and Betsy Ross House are all favorites in the Old City. Walk the narrow cobblestone streets, become immersed in the American Revolution and see where the Declaration of Independence was signed in 1776.

The Franklin Institute Science Museum (since 1824) will provide hours of fossils and butterflies and then there’s the Walk-Through-Heart! If you have younger children to entertain, why not check out the Please Touch Museum, can’t go wrong with this one either!

You could spend hours, still, at the Museum of Art and Rodin Museum. And don’t forget the college visits in Philadelphia and the suburbs.

This could be the perfect mini-vacation for the whole family – check out our travel books, college guides, story books and tell us why you would “rather be in Philadelphia".

With the passing of Arthur C. Clarke, science fiction fans mark the day when the past catches up with the future.

If you haven't yet had the pleasure of reading his work, now is the time!

The arrival of spring is also heralding the arrival of new books from some of our favorite authors. For those of you who read Paula by Isabel Allende, her beautiful memoir written to her daughter, you will want to read Isabel's latest memoir The Sum of Our Days. This memoir begins where Paula left off and is a beautifully written letter to her daughter detailing the family's life since her passing. When you read this book you will cry, laugh and marvel at the antics of one extended family. Allende's writing is amazing and you never want the book to end. Run and put your name on the list for this book. It will be available the beginning of April.

The Ladies Detective Agency is back in business with the latest offering entitled The Miracle at Speedy Motors by Alexander McCall Smith. This is the ninth installment in this wonderful series and Precious Ramotswe is back to what she does best - solving people's problems with a healthy dose of common sense. Will Mma Makutsi and Phuti Radiphuti finally tie the knot? Will Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni fall under the spell of a questionable doctor who promises a cure for his wheel chair bound daughter? These questions and more will be answered in a few short weeks!!

It has actually been a little over three years since we have had a new installment in Elizabeth George's Inspector Lynley series. What Came Before He Shot Her was published in between and was more of a prequel than a continuation of the series. So finally her new book arrives the beginning of May and is entitled, Careless In Red. After the brutal murder of his wife and unborn child, Lynley hands in his badge and escapes to Cornwall only to end up discovering a dead body. The ensuing investigation brings in Barbara Havers from Scotland Yard and many other characters that we have missed these past three years!

If you have read anything by Chris Bohjalian then you know that he is a masterful storyteller and that his subjects range from midwives to the Great Gatsby. Skeletons at the Feast is Bohjalian's latest novel and is based on a true life diary of a Prussian woman during World War II. The story takes place in Nazi Germany in 1945 and follows a group of Germans fleeing from the advancing Russian army. It is both a love story and a war saga and is sure not to disappoint any Bohjalian fan. Happy Reading!!

The National Book Foundation has just posted interviews with the 2007 National Book Award winners and finalists in each category - fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and young people's literature. The answers reveal some interesting and quirky details about the authors' processes in writing their books (fiction winner Denis Johnson worked on his book, Tree of Smoke, for 25 years before it was finally published!) as well as how the authors feel their writing plays a role in encouraging the popularity of reading in this country. To read the interviews, click here.

Perfume ---

The very word evokes mystery, Cleopatra, sophistication. I think of an elegant woman in a long black gown, as in John Singer Sargent’s Portrait of Madam X or of Audrey Hepburn.

I have absolutely adored perfume since I was little – my mother smelled of L’Air du Temps. For my 16th birthday I insisted on Mitsouko by Guerlain – thinking of that now embarrasses me, I don’t know why my parents gave in. I was much too young to wear such a perfume. I wanted to be sophisticated and thought the perfume would make it so. That’s what perfumes do – tell the world who you are or who you would like to be.

Because of that I found Chandler Burr’s book The Perfect Scent: A Year Inside the Perfume Industry in Paris and New York absolutely fascinating. He follows the creation of two perfumes, Hermes’ Un Jardin sur le Nil and Coty’s Sarah Jessica Parker’s Lovely, from inception to packaged product.

Burr, who started as an economics and science writer, and is now a perfume reviewer for the New York Times, is able to make even the chemical formulas interesting. But the book is more than chemical formulas – it is full of amusing stories and a private insight into an industry.

Talk about a major scoop!

Last Wednesday, Barbara and Janet interviewed Ed Gray, co-author of In Nixon's Web: A Year in the Crosshairs of Watergate, and posted the podcast on our website. The questions are masterful, the answers are mesmerizing, and you'll definitely be intrigued for Sunday night's 5:30pm book tour launch at Darien Library. Little did we know that Barbara and Janet had scooped a major cable news television show by landing the first interview!

Take a listen to our podcast, and don't miss Ed Gray's appearance on MSNBC's Morning Joe show, which airs tomorrow morning, March 7th, during the 6am to 9am broadcast.

The winter nights are dark and long so sometimes I don't want my reading choices to be the same!!! I would not classify these selection as "lite" fare but rather page-turners.

You know when you read a book and you would love to inhabit the place or the house described, well then Every Last Cuckoo by Kate Maloy is the book for you. This is a lovely story about Sarah Lucas, a woman in her seventies coping with the loss of her husband and her family struggles. She opens her Vermont home to her granddaughter and others in need and they all help each other heal. Maloy's descriptions of the farm house and the surrounding nature are breathtaking. The ending is a little implausible but doesn't take away from the overall pleasure of reading this novel.

Looking for a medical thriller set in 1889 Philadelphia? Look no further, Lawrence Goldstone's first foray into fiction is entitled The Anatomy of Deception. This book looks at the evolving medical profession and uses both fictional and real life characters. This historical fiction page-turner takes the reader from Philadelphia to Baltimore, from surgical theaters to artists studios, to the top of society and the bottom. It is an engrossing read and makes you grateful that you never had to face surgery in the late 1800's!!

Another book I completely fell in love with this past month was The Middle Place by Kelly Corrigan. Corrigan, a former newspaper columnist, is a mother with two young children when she is diagnosed with breast cancer. Shortly after this her father is also diagnosed with cancer. Sounds like a real downer but it is just the opposite; it is a beautiful, honest memoir that celebrates family ties especially those between a father and a daughter. You will cry but you will also laugh out loud and wish that you could hang out with Kelly and her family and friends. Don't miss this book!!

Another confession, I sometimes pick books because I like the covers and this is what happened with They Did It With Love by Kate Morgenroth. The good news was that I also enjoyed the book. This is a mystery that takes place in Greenwich, CT and involves a woman's book club - what more could you want? This mystery keeps you guessing to the last chapter and it is the perfect book when you need a fast read!! Happy reading!!!