Thunder Dog

"Safety is somewhere down below and 1,463 stairs are the only way out." This is one of the quotes on the book jacket of Thunder Dog. Michael Hingson is a survivor of 9/11 and his story is even more miraculous because he is blind. He and his guide dog, Roselle, navigated their way down from the 78th floor of Tower One of the World Trade Center. Interspersed in the book is some of Michael's story leading up to 9/11 as well as what happened that day. If you love animal stories, you will like the book. If you like reading about 9/11, you will like the book. If you wish to learn more about guide dogs, you will enjoy the book.

This book is in the New Book shelving at the library:

HV6432.7.H54 2011

Thunder Dog: The True Story of a Blind Man, His Guide Dog, and the Triumph of Trust at Ground Zero.

written by Michael Hingson with Susy Flory

c2011

Little Princes

Child trafficking...a subject that makes all of us uncomfortable, I'm sure. Little Princes: One Man's Promise to Bring Home the Lost Children of Nepal tells the story of Conor Grennan and his quest to find the homes of the children from an orphanage in Nepal's capital, Kathmandu. This story is both heart-breaking and uplifting. One cannot help but love the children and hope that Conor will succeed in his mission. Want to find out how it ends? Well, I suggest you read the book. :-)

Why I picked it up: Because we have so Nepalese students, I thought I might learn a bit more about their culture.

Why I finished it: The resilience of the children drew me in and I really wanted to see if they were able to be reunited with their families.

I'd give it to: My niece who has such a soft heart and would immediately want to fly to Nepal and bring all those children home.

call # - HV1285.9.G74 2010

Grennan, Conor. Little Princes: One Man's Promise to Bring Home the Lost children of Nepal. c2010

New items in Stoxen Library

Check out all the books and DVDs added during the first three months of 2011--January, February, and March! You will find the link to New Library Purchases on the library's home page under About the Library . For your convenience, the Library of Congress classification numbers are included to direct you to where the items are shelved.

One of the new books is The Power of Half : One Family's Decision to Stop Taking and Start Giving Back by Kevin Salwen. The Salwen family decides to sell their Atlanta mansion, move to a home half the size, and commit half the proceeds to the needy. Putting their plan into action, family decisions and meetings are led by mom Joan, a former corporate consulting executive and teacher. Entrepreneur and activist Kevin, a former Wall Street Journal editor, writes with daughter Hannah, who, as instigator of the family project, provides commentary and practical suggestions.

Kasey to the rescue: the remarkable story of a monkey and a miracle

A single mother of five, Ellen Rogers thought she was capable of surviving anything that could happen to her family, but in 2005 her son, Ned, was involved in a horrific car accident and left with spinal cord and other injuries. With the doctors and therapists painting a "doom and gloom" future, they struggled to get through each day hoping and praying for a miracle. One of the family's miracles takes the form of a 5 pound monkey named Kasey. Helping Hands: Monkey Helpers for the Disabled trains capuchin monkeys for people living with spinal cord injury or other mobility impairments.

Why I picked it up: I couldn't resist the picture of Kasey on the cover of the book.

Why I finished it: Ellen writes about everything that happened to them...the good, the bad and the ugly. I wanted to know how they got Kasey and how she became a part of their family...and it wasn't all easy.

I'd give it to: My niece who loves all animals and would delight to read Kasey's (and Ned's) story.

call # - RC406.Q33R64 1020 (shelved in New Books)

Rogers, Ellen. Kasey to the Rescue: The Remarkable Story of a Monkey and a Miracle. c2010.

The Dirty Life - A book review

The Dirty Life


On Farming, Food, and Love


by Kristin Kimball

Single, thirtysomething, working as a writer in New York City, Kristin Kimball was living life as an adventure. But she was beginning to feel a sense of longing for a family and for home. When she interviewed a dynamic young farmer, her world changed. Kristin knew nothing about growing vegetables, let alone raising pigs and cattle and driving horses. But on an impulse, smitten, if not yet in love, she shed her city self and moved to five hundred acres near Lake Champlain to start a new farm with him. The Dirty Life is the captivating chronicle of their first year on Essex Farm, from the cold North Country winter through the following harvest season--complete with their wedding in the loft of the barn. -From book jacket.

Why I picked it up: I have been on a kick of reading about urban homesteading, small scale farming, and simplifying by moving toward a less electronically connected way of life. And of course the picture of the barn on the cover.

Why I finished it: I checked this book out from our library, by page 42 I had fallen in love. By page 48 I ordered my own copy. I enjoyed reading about the love that develops between Kristin and her husband, and between Kristin and the farm. She wasn't afraid to share gritty, real details and tensions of learning new things.

I'd give it to: Anyone interested in "growing their own" & anyone looking for a love story.

Tin Ticket: the Heroic Journey of Australia's Convict Women

This book details the lives of four women from the British Isles convicted of petty crimes in the 19th century. Their crimes range from stealing a bucket of milk to pawning 11 spoons. Instead of being jailed, they are shipped to Australia where men outnumber women 9 to 1. They are issued "tin tickets" that have numbers stamped on them and are hung around their necks for their journey via ship. The conditions that they endure both on the ship and while they are in jail in Australia are horrific!

Why I picked it up: I have always been fascinated with Australia and hope to travel there someday.

Why I finished it: While this book is non-fiction, it reads more like a novel, so I really wanted to find out what happens to all four women.

I'd give it to: Any of my friends who also want to travel to Australia. :-)

call #-HV8950.T3S95 2010

Swiss, Deborah. The Tin Ticket: the Heroic Journey of Australia's Convict Women. c2010