12/29/06: Books to support your New Year's resolutions

• "The Formula: A Personalized 40-30-30 Weight Loss Program” by Gene and Joyce Daoust, and its follow-up, “Maintaining 40-30-30: Nutrition for a Lifetime,” provide menu plans, shopping lists, fitness plans, nutritious recipes and progress charts to help you lose weight and keep it off.
• “Memory Fitness: A Guide for Successful Aging” by professors Gilles O. Einstein and Mark A. McDaniel is a comprehensive guide for anyone who wants to learn scientific facts about how aging affects memory and what can and cannot be done about it.
• An updated version of “Dealing with People You Can’t Stand: How to Bring Out the Best in People at Their Worst” by Dr. Rick Brinkman and Dr. Rick Kirschner offers guidance on how to deal with all sorts of annoyances including people on cell phones, e-mail nuisances, bully bosses and whining coworkers.
• "Taking Charge of Anger” by clinical psychologist W. Robert Nay outlines a step-by-step, practical model for what sets off your anger, what happens when you lose it, and how you can gain control.
• Human Technology: A Toolkit for Authentic Living” by Ilchi Lee describes how you can use technology to support your self-education rather than control your life.

Books on CD
Popular mystery writer Scott Turow’s latest novel, “Limitations,” shows once again why he is one of the world’s most popular authors of legal thrillers. It is now available on CD.

Books about sports
Major league baseball hero Jose Canseco has written “Juiced: Wild Times, Rampant ‘roids, Smash Hits and How Baseball Got Big” about his experiments with steroids and how they changed the game of baseball. For golfers, we have Sports Illustrated writer Rick Reilly’s humorous “Who’s Your Caddy?” and Mark Frost’s “The Greatest Game Ever Played” about champion competitors Harry Vardon and Francis Ouimet.

Best-selling authors’ latest novels
Nelson DeMille’s “Wild Fire” is based on a rumor, repeated on the Internet, about a terrifying government plan much like that depicted in this work of fiction. Danielle Steel’s newest novel is “H.R.H.,” about a young European princess who takes her royal responsibilities seriously. “Capital Crimes” is a pair of crime thrillers by Jonathan and Faye Kellerman.

Energy independence for your home
“The Homeowner’s Guide to Energy Independence: Alternative Power Sources for the Average American” by Christine Woodside is a guide to the most viable and affordable alternative energy sources including solar panels, wind generators, hydrogen fuel cells, wood, hydroelectric, geothermal heat pumps and more. It is aimed at those who get their electricity and heat from traditional oil-burning sources but want to cut fuel costs and achieve freedom from fossil fuel dependence.

Focusing on our children
"Creative Play for 2 to 5s” by child development expert Dr. Dorothy Einon offers simple ideas and fun activities to help youngsters develop their natural talents in language, music, art, drama, science and numbers. “Branded: The Buying and Selling of Teenagers” by Alissa Quart describes marketers and their strategies targeting younger and younger minds and wallets, invading teens’ private, recreational and educational space.

Special gifts to the library
“Martha Stewart’s Homekeeping Handbook” contains hundreds of tips for creating a comfortable and beautiful home and caring for everything it in. This book was purchased by the library with funds donated by the local Mountain View Homemakers Club, whose members also have made a donation for the purchase of children’s books. We also received generous donations from Patricia Latham, D.V.M., and the Pagosa Women’s Club. We are grateful to you all for your support.

Honoring loved ones
The library has received several generous gifts from people wanting to honor loved ones: from Rice Reavis and James and Carol White in honor of Kate Terry, from Jim and Ione Adams in honor of Robert Wilson, and from Jim and Margaret Wilson in honor of the Ross Brothers and Jean Krauss.

Bounty from the “Giving Tree”
Thanks to your generosity, 280 books were donated to disadvantaged children in Archuleta County this month. This new library initiative started with a very special Christmas tree located in the library. Each ornament on the “Giving Tree” represented a child who wanted to receive a book as a holiday gift. Your donations of a book -- or cash towards a book – were added to Christmas packages put together by Operation Helping Hand, bringing both information and entertainment to these deserving children.

Thanks to our donors
For books and materials, this week we thank Betsy Chavez, Mary Jo Hamey, Linda Van Patter and Bill Wetzel.

Happy New Year
The library will be closed for the holiday on January 1. As we look toward 2007, we wish for peace in the New Year … in our hearts, in our homes and in our world.