In anticipation of the most American of holidays, we want to wish all our patrons a very Happy Thanksgiving Day and, should anyone need last minute help in the kitchen, provide NPR's list of the Best Cookbooks of 2010 to help you out.

Another great idea is to contact food pickle, the first real-time food Q&A via text, twitter or web.

A recent visit to Ireland has renewed my love of all things Irish and this Academy Award Nominated movie is no exception. Inspired by the Book of Kells and Irish mythology, this animated film is beautiful and heartfelt. A peak into how the Irish saved civilization. Be warned: the Vikings are pretty scary.
Check out the film website.

If you could be an alien, which race would you choose to be?

right now to be different i am choosing the protoss from the video game Starcraft 2

A great gift suggestion for the readers on your holiday gift list this year is the E-Book Reader. Not only have the prices come down significantly (around $150 or so), they are also being sold at major retailers such as Target, Walmart and Best Buy. Come to the library to see the December 2010 Consumer Reports ratings report on the various devices.

You can download eBooks anytime, anywhere with the use of your RVC library card (best sellers and classics available) using Nassau Digital Doorway. Please note that the Kindle and iPad are not compatible devices for this service but if you own a Nook or Sony eReader, you are good to go.

School Library Journal has recently published an article highlighting a study that shows that summer reading programs boost student achievement and combat learning loss. We are thinking of tweaking our summer reading program for 2011 after noticing that by August most of the reading records are as blank as they were in June. Any ideas that you can share that might motivate kids to read more?

The Friends of the Seattle Public Library received this note from a six-year-old. How cute! I have to think that $11 is a fortune to someone that age.

Having just returned from a wonderful trip to Ireland gave me the idea to share this list of books to read (compiled by the founder of Packabook Travel Novels) before you get on the plane to give you a feel for this magical, enchanted and delightful country and it's people.

The Mammy by Brendan O'Carroll
If you want to know more about Dublin in the 1960's, then this story of widow Agnes Browne and her seven children will do it. This is working-class Ireland with all its squalor, laughter and alcoholic fathers, and the best news is that the book is the first of a trilogy.

Little Criminals by Gene Kerrigan
The country has had its economic miracle and everyone is an entrepreneur, even the criminals. Frankie Crowe has a scheme to make himself some money, planning to kidnap a wealthy banker and set himself up for life. While this could be just a cops and robbers novel, Kerrigan does much to portray the underbelly of Dublin life, and the social changes that have taken place over recent years.

The Yellow House by Patricia Falvey
A family's future is in the hands of one very brave young Irishwoman in this accomplished debut set between WWI and the growing violence of the Irish war of independence. Eileen O'Neill inherits a lifetime of struggle and heartbreak when her family is ripped apart by war, disease, mental illness and greed.

The Secret Scripture by Sebastian Barry
Mr. Barry revisits County Sligo, Ireland, the setting for his previous three books, to tell the unforgettable story of Roseanne McNulty. Once one of the most beguiling women in Sligo, she is now a resident of Roscommon Regional Mental Hospital and nearing her hundredth year. Set against an Ireland besieged by conflict, this is an engrossing tale of one woman's life and a vivid reminder of the stranglehold that the Catholic church had on individuals throughout much of the 20thcentury.

Pomegranate Soup by Marsha Mehran
The story of three Iranian sisters who move to an Irish village in the 1980's. It's not often you get a food-lit story set in Ireland, but Pomegranate Soup is exactly that, with its celebration of Persian cuisine. Unsurprisingly the village residents take a while to adapt to this foreign influence in one of their local cafes, and despite the novel's focus on a different culture, it provides plenty of detail of Irish life and landscape for those trying to learn more about the country.

everybody is talking about this book....my cousin told she cried when she read it.. so i decided to pick it up....it is very similiar to the japanese movie Battle Royale...it has an incredible science fiction back drop including animal/human mutations and super technology. I guess i read the other two books inthe series.

Who doesn't love a good list? An intrepid librarian developed this Just Ten Books blog of the top ten lists of books for whatever category tickles her fancy that particular day.

Cute idea that I wish I'd thought of ...