Avoid Brain Strain With These New Fiction Titles From JCPL!

Recently, while working with my 5 year old grandson by holding up flash cards with common, everyday words assigned by the teacher, I discovered something. The English language is not very consistent. Surprised? Really, if you don't just "know" some of the words, phonetics won't get you too far. Take the word "was." Not recognizing it on sight, I tried to help. "Sound it out. What sound comes first?" We got through the "w," but then came the "a," which, in theory, should be the short "a" sound, as in cat. Not so. And if it's confusing to us, imagine the dilemma that comes up for other countries trying to communicate in English.

Some examples of sentences gone wrong include this one outside of a Hong Kong tailor shop as they invite, "Ladies may have a fit upstairs." In Japan, a detour sign read, "Stop: Drive sideways." The awkward English is not limited to other countries, however. In the U.S., a general store window advertises, "Why go elsewhere and be cheated when you can come right here?" This Tennessee highway sign warns drivers, "Take notice. When this sign is under water, this road is impassable." Huh?

Don't let these convoluted sentences strain your brain! Read on for some new fiction titles from the Jasper County Public Library that will cure that "brain strain."

As a crowd gathers outside of the Panama Hotel, boarded up for decades and under new ownership, the belongings of Japanese families who were sent to internmnet camps during World War II surface, and among these items is a Japanese parasol. Henry Lee watches as someone opens the parasol, and this small act takes him back to his school days, snubbed by his American classmates, but befriended by Keiko, a young Japanese-American girl with whom Henry forms a fast bond of friendship. "Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet" by Jamie Ford is a story of hope, love, and the extraordinary committment of an unforgettable duo who have learned to forge ahead because they possess the power of forgiveness.

Milena Shabnov flees the home she loves to come to America, finding that the mining town she is living in is barbaric and the working conditions inhumane. Greed, brutal treatment of women, and a company with little regard for the safety and wellbeing of its workers is a way of life, but Jack Buchanan, a worker at the mine, knows no other life. When miners begin to disappear, Milena, gifted with "the sight," feels the despair and restless spirits all around her, trusting no one, especially Jack Buchanan, a man haunted by his own past in "Jasper Mountain" by Kathy Steffen.

The magic of food comes alive for eight students who gather weekly in Lillian's restaurant to learn a new recipe, but as the group begins to connect on a different level, their secrets are revealed. One by one, each student is transformed by what they learn in the class, not only of what they create in the kitchen, but the companionship that they find in one another in "The School of Essential Ingredients" by Erica Bauermeister.

It is 1962 Mississippi and twenty two year old Skeeter has just graduated from Ole Miss. When she meets up with Aibileen, a black maid, and her best friend, short and stocky Minny, the three women form a bond as a clandestine project brings them together in "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett, a story full of hope, humor, and the bonds of mothers, daughters, caregivers, and women everywhere who want to make a difference.

More thoughts to ponder: If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat? In what other language can you recite at a play, but play at a recital; and who can figure out how noses can run, but feet can smell?
For more "awkward English," check out "The Play of Words: Fun and Games for Language Lovers" and "The Revenge of Anguished English: More Accidental Assaults on Our Language," by by Richard Lederer, both available at JCPL. Still confused? Me too; coz it's all Greek to me!

Attention all Avid Readers!

Truly avid readers will almost always have something nearby that they can browse through. Whether it's a newspaper, a current book or magazine, or even the back of a cereal box at the breakfast table doesn't matter; everything is fair game to an avid reader. One morning, for lack of anything better to look at while I ate my morning doughnut, I picked up a Menard's ad that came with the Sunday paper. While browsing its pages, I noticed that at the bottom of each page, there is, in small print, a short sentence that I guess would constitute "words of wisdom." For example, at the bottom of page 7 you'll find, "Laws are not invented; they grow out of circumstances." Another, on page 6 says, "Silence is not always tact and it is tact that is golden, not silence." (whoever coined this one does NOT have children or grandchildren!) I just wonder how many folks look at that paper on a regular basis and never realize that the pages include anything more than advertisements for windows, doors, tools or other household necessities.

While reading tidbits of wisdom from the Menard's ad was a fun way to learn something new, checking out some new nonfiction from the Jasper County Public Library may be just the step up that you need to learn something more! Check out these new titles.

If you're lucky enough to be making money at all these days, you're doing well; and being able to not only make money, but to also find creative ways to invest, save, and eliminate debt are awesome in today's financial world. "The Smart Cookies' Guide to Making More Dough" by Smart Cookies features five young women who formed a money club and developed strategies for turning their own sinking finances around. This recipe for success is a how-to guide for everyone who is looking for a fun and simple way to effectively manage their money.

Federal Agent, Jay Dobyns, chronicles the amazing feat of infiltrating Hells' Angels in "No Angel," the incredible, but true account of his harrowing journey into the world of society's most notorious group of bikers, as he leads a double life in his quest to become "fully patched" into the ranks of the Angels. This highly charged, adreneline rush of a true crime book will have you "white knuckling" your chair, as you see the author lose himself in this group of rebels, coming a hairsbreadth away from sacrificing his wife, children and very life when he realizes that the success of infiltrating this band of bikers has come with a hefty price.

World renowned psychic, Sylvia Browne, lays to rest the question of where our beloved pets end up after they leave us. Bereft pet owners will be comforted by "All Pets Go to Heaven" as Sylvia Browne describes the uniqueness of animals, their quirks, habits and emotions, providing heartwarming tales of the never ending loyalty and heroic deeds that show us how pets are true companions on both sides of life.

If you're shopping for tools, household gadgets, siding or other necessities, or even looking for "words to live by" to get you through the day, don't hesitate to refer to a Menard's ad. But if you want to really kick back, relax and forget about the yard or house for even a short time, stop in any branch of JCPL and "step up" your game with a new non-fiction title that will keep you riveted from beginning to end!