*Reservations are requested for this event on Tuesday, August 7, 2-3pm.

This is the sweetest little book!  Instead of regular math problems, Amy Krouse Rosenthal (aka children's picture book genius) introduces us to life equations like: chalk + sitting = school...but chalk + jumping = hopscotch.  Another favorite of mine is an illustration of a little one nestled in bed with the caption: cozy + smell of pancakes - alarm clock = weekend.  Perfect for 3 and up, but it's also a treasure to give any adult who needs a "pick-me-up." 

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A Land More Kind than Home by Wiley Cash 

     

In a small western N. Carolina mountain town, nine-year old Jess Hall and his mute older brother, Stump, witness something they don't fully understand, but know is bad. As a result, a charismatic evangelical preacher and his church elders attempt to cure Stump, with tragic consequences.   The County sheriff's investigation into how and why this tragedy occurred unfolds, while the secrets that Jess holds compound his grief and guilt.

This story is told in alternating chapters by three people: Jess Hall; Adelaide Lyle, the local midwife and protector of the community's children; and Clem Barefield, the sheriff, whose has also known tragic loss. First-time novelist, Wiley Cash, perfectly captures the voices and cadence of these distinct characters as well as the time period and geography of the region with its hollers and coves. This is a literary and poignant story about fathers and sons; forgiveness and absolute evil.

 

Yes Chef: A Memoir by Marcus Samuelsson 

Marcus was born in Ethiopia and orphaned by the time he was three. He and his sister were adopted by a Swedish family, and in his Grandmother Helga's kitchen, his love of cooking was born.  

Armed with the love, warmth and high standards of his upbringing, Marcus pursues his aspiration to create a world view of food. As his talent and knowledge develop, he learns about more than just food in France and Switzerland's cutthroat kitchens; the mercurial trends of New York restaurants; the pressure of his White House dinner; and the discovery of everything encompassed by the word family as he travels back to Ethiopia to meet his birth-father.   His revelations about relationships, success (and failures !), regret and sacrifice, are all documented honestly, and at times, with self-deprecating humor.