Snow Play by Birgitta Ralston

Face it: we live in Iowa, it's winter, and sooner or later we'll have snow. Until then, take some time to plan fun family snow adventures, as suggested in Snow Play. From snow angels and simple snowmen, to elaborate sculptures, snow slides, and structures big enough to stand up in, this idea book offers clear instructions, lists of tools and equipment, suggested difficulty of projects and the length of time each should take. It also sparks the imagination, especially the section called Magical Lights, which includes a winter campfire, snowball lanterns, and even a frosted cake. This year, be prepared for winter with plans to get the family outdoors and make something fun and unusual with ideas from Snow Play. You'll find this book in the Juvenile Non-fiction section (J796.9 Ral) but most of these activities need an adult helper, so dig out the long underwear.

The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh (FIC Dif)

At age 18, Victoria has aged out of the California foster-care system with nothing to help her make her way on her own - except a love of flowers and an understanding of their language that she learned at her longest and most-loved foster home.

Initially homeless, Victoria finally finds a job with a florist and gradually learns to make her way. Her inability to relate well to others or let her guard down long enough to make friends hinder her adjustment. It is only while working with flowers that she is truly complete and at peace. And not until she comes to terms with her past and that long-ago most-loved foster home will she be able to move forward completely.

The book is written in chapters that alternate between Victoria in the present day and Victoria at age 9. Gradually both stories are told and we come to understand why Victoria is the way she is and hope that she will be able to overcome those early obstacles.

I can't tell you exactly why I loved this book. Perhaps it was the emphasis on flowers and their hidden meaning (the author includes a brief dictionary in the back). Or perhaps it was the author's ability to make me completely understand the way the young Victoria felt, her fears and insecurities. Or perhaps it was the way the author was able to make the adult Victoria, surely not very likable at all, likable. Whatever the reason, I looked forward to reading this book, slowed myself down when I got near the end, and mourned its completion.

Bones under the Beach Hut by Simon Brett

Ah, a British mystery. So right away you know there is not going to be much gore (which is fine with me). It will be about the people and slowly figuring out what really happened. It is so much more fun to have a crime solved this way than in a DNA lab. You might have surmised that there are some bones.......and they were found under a beach hut. Carole Seddon is one of those people who seem to attract mysteries. She is sub leasing a beach hut when she discovers a burned section of the hut. As with all cozy mysteries it is not really about the crime - but the journey we take on the way to having the crime solved. The characters are....well they ARE characters! There are little side mysteries that also kept me entertained. If you like this genre you will enjoy this book!

Everything We Ever Wanted by Sara Shepard

We have lots of books by Ms. Shepard in our library but they are teen books. So normally I wouldn't have paid any attention to this one - except that I loved the cover. And that led me to reading the back of the book which led me to take it home! I enjoyed it a lot - it's full of family secrets within a dysfunctional family. Sylvie has recently been widowed. She has a married son, Charles, and her adopted son, Scott. Sylvie's passion is the private school which was founded by her grandfather. She has served on the board and appears to be prouder of that school than she is of either son. Scott has been helping with the wrestling program there. Everything falls apart one night when the school calls to tell her that there has been an 'incident'. A student appears to have killed himself - and perhaps it was a result of hazing. Oh, and did I mention that the student was a wrestler? But this really isn't about the wrestler. It is about the family's reaction to this possible scandal and one by one the layers of family secrets are revealed.

White Truffles in Winter by N.M. Kelby (FIC Kel)

Word of warning: Don't read this book if you're hungry.

In the last year of her life, the wife of Auguste Escoffier, renowned French chef, is determined that he will create a dish just for her and name it after her. After all, he has created dishes for many other famous people, including the actress (and his one-time lover) Sarah Bernhardt. Why not his wife?

To do this she must rely on help from their cook, a local peasant girl named Sabine. And in this time right before the beginning of World War II (1935 to be precise) and in very reduced financial conditions, money to buy the necessary ingredients is hard to come by. Sabine comes to the task reluctantly, not being a particularly good chef and not quite sure about this family she has come to live with.

The author tells the story of Escoffier, his relationship with Bernhardt and other dignitaries of the time. She also interweaves the story of his marriage to the French poet Delphine Daffis and their longtime estrangement. Much about his life is unknown but I found myself mesmerized by the author's writing style and description of foods and cooking. (And also, often hungry.) The novel jumps back and forth in time and is told from different points of view, including the last book Escoffier is writing, but I found it easy to follow and enjoyable.

I suppose this could be considered a sad book since two of the main characters are facing the end of their lives but it is also a book about love and finding yourself and hope and I enjoyed it very much.

The Soldier's Wife by Margaret Leroy

I enjoyed this book a lot. It is a WWII story but a little atypical because it takes place on the island of Guernsey. There is not the bombing, soldiers marching and midnight raids associated with most stories of that era. It is the story of Vivienne de la Mare. Her husband is off at war, she has two daughters and her mother-in-law, Evelyn, is slipping into dementia. The last boat is leaving for London and Vivienne is taking her daughters there to stay with her sister. Evelyn refuses to leave. At the last minute Vivienne decides she can't get on that small boat with her children and takes them home. Days later there is a bombing and the Germans arrive. Four soldiers move into the house next to Vivienne. Instead of vicious Nazis, she finds out that they are just men - who hate this war as much as she. They have real professions, real families and real fears. And she falls in love with one of them. It was an interesting story with believable characters.

Press Here by Hervé Tullet

Whenever I read a review of a children's book that includes the word "interactive" I envision flaps to lift, tabs to pull, pop-up pages and all sorts of things that could be torn or worn out. I consider Press Here to be the most ingenious interactive book for children I've ever seen, and it doesn't have a flap, tab or pop-up anywhere. What it does have is a single yellow dot in the middle of a page, with the instructions to press the dot and turn the page. Voila! Two yellow dots. Do it again, and there are three. Subsequent instructions lead to new colors, more dots, dots sliding this way and that, getting bigger and smaller. And all the while, there are subtle little concepts like counting, patterns, left and right, color mixing. A preschooler will need someone to read the instructions to make the book work. But I've watch teens and adults caught up in the fun of this book and buying in to the ruse that the actions are necessary to make the dots do their tricks. This is a great gift book; just don't be surprised if you see the older sibling or cousin (or grandparent for that matter) of the child you give it to shaking the book or clapping over the pages.