'Allo, chickies-how's it going? Watering the dry spots in your yard, are we? The thing to remember about dry spots is they're on the Beauty Police no-no list AND they hurt your feet when you're walking barefoot! Manny, my half-mine German Shepherd that happens to live in Dennis Riney's backyard (only because he can no longer get through the fence into MINE where he'd rather be!) anyway, Manny doesn't mind any Summer dry spots on his lawn because he run happily through his "mud track" at the bottom of his yard.

You, on the other hand, can run under the sprinkler with the kids or go to the college and pay a small fee and go swimming in THEIR lovely pool. How about popsicles? I love fudge bars and Root Beer floats. Okay, onto some "bits and pieces" for your reading pleasure. Take an hour and come in and look through our selection of magazines and/or newspapers from really BIG cities around here- Denver , Okla.City, Ks. City , Chicago (my home town, as a matter of note!)-and our travel magazines are delightful! Like financial news?

Looking for new recipes that are easy to do in Summer and taste great? We have computers you can use, a delightful whole wing for children's books and puzzles and ask Carol, our Children's librarian, about upcoming programs! For those with special needs, such as eyesight problems or attention span of a flea-just kidding here, folks! But the eyesight problems are a real concern for many people!
We find, for instance, that our Large Type books are popular and not just with people who have trouble with eyesight--some read them because they feel that with the larger print, the story goes faster and they seem to absorb the storyline quicker.  It works for me. 

I have, for your consideration, three titles with the first one being, "Looks to Die For", by Janice Kaplan--never heard of her--but here's the plot line. Lacy Fields is the wife of a prominent plastic surgeon ( Beverly Hills, naturally, not, say, in Minneola, Ks.), a decorator, a mother, and things seem to be going fairly well. (Drum roll, please--)and then her husband is accused of murdering a young actress and it seems to upset the children. 

Her daughter, Ashley, in particular--she feels that her dad being accused of murder has RUINED HER WHOLE LIFE--bur her brothers seem to be handling it fairly well and everyone "gets in the act" to try to prove their husband and father didn't kill poor Tasha Barlow. So, eventually, the real killer is found A "light read" and one calculated to be not too taxing but relaxing, so come in and check it out. 

I just hooted at the cover of "The Devil WHo Tamed Her", by the prolific Johanna Lindsey--it has a gorgeous lady, on a horse, bareback, barefoot, and dressed--sort of--in a pink satin ball gown and she's clutching a pink veil that's got to be 20 ft. long, flowing behind the horse. Now, I don't know if you know much about horses so you'll have to take my word for it, that a horse, moving at a canter, say, would NOT like to have a sheer piece of material flapping in the wind just at the edge of his peripheral vision--no, indeedy.  I would have insisted that one of my riders at least wear Keds, keep legs down, not almost up to the horses's rear end, and straighten her right shoulder to be in line with her left one. Ah, well--on the other hand it wouldn't be NEARLY as sexy a book cover, done my way, and the young lady, Ophelia Reid, while beautiful, has a bad reputation and a wicked temper.

The young man with whom she broke off her engagement, Duncan MacTavish, has a best friend, Raphael Locke, who despises Ophelia because she was so cruel to Duncan, but then "he begins to wonder if she's all bad and bets his friend that he can turn her into a kind-hearted lady who will one day make a good match--just not with himself." The bet is on!  Ophelia, of course, is furious and so is Rafe's lady friend and the delightful aunt, who's chaperoning while Ophelia is in Rafe's house, is amused and curious as to how this will all come out. Come in and get this for a Summer read. 

You all know that Norman Mailer is a famous author, and this title, "The Castle in the Forest " goes into the heart of the family of Adolph Hitler.  Mailer brings to life three generations of Adolph HItler's family and the strange couplings in the family drama that, finally, is brought to a head by the life and actions of Adolph.  It is NOT an "easy read" and would probably appeal only to those with enough determination to keep on until the end, still--the name Adolph HItler and what we do know about his awful actions and legacy and eventual madness unleashed on the world, is a powerful one.  This is available to you so think about it. 

Maybe it'll rain, even in small amounts, and you can realize that benefit in your garden and lawns areas. I wish all of you a good week ahead, with a good book, and remember--we are here for you and the community, both for recreational and educational goals.  I will be telling you, in a future column, about our memorial to our beloved Bernice Stipe and how any of her friends can participate in it. Until then, take care and go see the new Harry Potter movie and "Hairspray" to enjoy.  See ya! Bye!