Preview Shelf by Janice Clauser

Library News and Notable New Books

The Crawfordsville Library's youth services department just held its annual Fall Party for 54 children and 39 adults. Stories were read, games were played, fall-colored trees were crafted, and cookies and milk were enjoyed. Each young patron received a book courtesy of Random House. The new weekly program is Wiggle & Giggle! On the next two Tuesdays, November 9 and 16, from 4:15 to 4:45 p.m., "music and movement" for kids ages 18 months to 4 years will be featured. Tagalongs are welcome too.

A new biography of Hoosier Red Skelton tells about the man behind the characters Freddie the Freeloader, Clem Kaddiddlehopper, Cauliflower McPugg, and Sheriff Deadeye. In "Red Skelton, The Mask Behind the Mask" film historian Wes Gehring tells and illustrates the comic's life growing up in Vincennes, his days on the vaudeville circuit, his early success on radio, his up-and-down movie career with MGM, and his sometimes tragic personal life.

"Seven Events That Made America America: And Proved that the Founding Fathers Were Right All Along" forces us to rethink what makes our country great, and how, whenever these values are threatened, we lose sight of the principles that make us strong; the author is Larry Schweikart. "Hot Time in the Old Town" by Edward Kohn is enlightening history about New York City's great heat wave of 1896 and the making of Theodore Roosevelt, because the summer of suffering and city government's bumbling response contrasted with Police Commissioner Roosevelt's alertness and leadership.

"Coming Back Stronger" by Drew Brees is a memoir; the back cover says it well, "In the aftermath of one of the most devastating natural disasters in U.S. history, the city of New Orleans needed a hero. What they got was a Saint." "Son of Hamas" by Mosab Yousef recalls terror, betrayal, political intrigue, and unthinkable choices as he exposes events and processes that have been known only by a few; (he has sought political asylum in America). "The Killing of Anna Nicole Smith" by Larry Seidlin is the judge's evidence explaining why he thinks justice eluded Anna, and showing similarities between her drug death and that of Michael Jackson.

"Spider Bones" by Kathy Reichs tells of a Vietnam soldier killed in 1968 who seems to have died again four decades later. Next, a third body is similarly identified. The author is a forensic anthropologist in Quebec, one of only 85 such professionals ever certified by the American Board. "The science is downright snazzy, the mystery plenty devious" - Houston Chronicle.

The third and final novel in Stieg Larsson's trilogy about Lisbeth Salander called "The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest" as well as his other two, "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" and "The Girl Who Played With Fire" (and all three novels in large print), are now members of the Crawfordsville Library's collection. "Hand of Fate" by Lis Wiehl is a "triple threat" novel about the death of an outspoken radio talk show host when gas fills his studio.

"Dexter is Delicious" by Jeffry Lindsay is the fifth in the series that inspired Showtime's hit, "Dexter". "Dreams That Won't Let Go" is the third in Jubilant Soul, the series by Stacy Adams involving sisters and a brother trying to assuage their differences. "Exclusive" by Fern Michaels takes place in Los Angeles where the celebrity scene invades an ailing celebrity magazine.

"Why Animal Suffering Matters" is Andrew Linzey's philosophy, theology, and practical ethics offering a radical new paradigm for our treatment of animals. "Naturally Thin" by Bethenny Frankel asks us to unleash our Skinnygirl and free ourselves from a lifetime of dieting. She lists what categories to eat each day.