Abraham Lincoln

Why is Lincoln so popular today?  Of all the books on the Library’s shelves, the one person with the most titles has got to be Abraham Lincoln.  Everyone knows the story of how Lincoln grew up in a log cabin and went on to become perhaps the greatest president. The appeal is universal. Thus anything new, written or recorded about him is guaranteed to be popular.

Take Bill O’Reilly’s book, Killing Lincoln: the shocking assassination that changed America forever. This book came out over a year ago. It’s still on the bestseller’s list and still has Library holds on it.  While it may not be the best book on Lincoln, people still want to read the story.  Steven Spielberg’s new movie, Lincoln, which came out last month, has been attracting large audiences too. I can say I too saw that one. Even President Obama, a Lincoln fan himself, got in the act by hosting a pre-screening of Spielberg’s movie at the White House. Again, the appeal factor is the man himself and his steadfast ideas.

Abraham Lincoln was born February 12, 1809 in one room log cabin in Kentucky.  According to Wikipedia, Lincoln’s father Thomas enjoyed considerable status in Kentucky until he lost all of his land, two 600 acre farms in Kentucky, because of faulty property titles.  The family then moved north across the Ohio River to Perry County which is now Spencer County, Indiana.  Lincoln’s mother Nancy died of milk sickness when he was just nine.  Sarah, Lincoln’s sister, took over the care of him.  Thomas Lincoln remarried a widow, Sarah Bush Johnston, who had three children.  Lincoln became very close to his stepmother.  Life in the frontier was difficult.  Lincoln had little education.  He was mostly self educated and was quite an avid reader.

Fearing a milk sickness outbreak in 1830, the family again moved west where they settled on public land in Macon County, Illinois. Lincoln was at the age when he longed for a better life for himself so he went off to New Salem, IL.  He was hired by a businessman to take goods on a flatboat down to New Orleans.  Here he experienced slavery first hand.  In 1832 he and a partner bought a general store in New Salem.  After a struggle he sold his share of the business.  He began his first political campaign for a seat in the Illinois General Assembly.  He lost that election probably because of his lack of education, powerful friends and money.  In 1834 he won election to the state legislature. He moved to Springfield, IL and went on to study law and became a lawyer.  Lincoln served four successive terms in the Illinois House of Representatives.  In 1846 Lincoln was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives for one two-year term and then continued practicing law in Springfield.

In the 1850’s slavery was still legal in the southern states and Lincoln returned to politics opposing the pro-slavery Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854.  Lincoln ran as a Whig for the U.S. Senate seat from Illinois. After leading in the opening rounds his support dwindled. In 1858 he battled Stephen Douglas for a seat in the U.S. Senate, but it turned out be a bitter loss for Lincoln. In 1860 Lincoln was nominated and elected the 16^th President of the United States and re-elected in 1864.  Lincoln was married to Mary Todd Lincoln and had four sons. Lincoln died on April 15, 1865.

Look for these new and exciting titles about Lincoln

Rise to greatness: Abraham Lincoln and America’s most perilous year by David Von Drehle

The hammer and the anvil: Frederick Douglass, Abraham Lincoln and the end of slavery in America by Dwight Jon Zimmerman

Emancipating Lincoln: the proclamation in text, context and memory by Harold Holzer

The long road to Antietam: how the Civil War became a revolution by Richard Slotkin

Decided on the battlefield: Grant, Sherman, Lincoln, and the election of 1864 by David Johnson

Lincoln on war edited by Harold Holzer

Abraham Lincoln and Horace Greeley by Gregory A. Borchard

The dogs of war, 1861 by Emory M. Thomas

Presidental avenger:  Boston Corbett by Robert K. Lieding, Sr.

In novels

The Lincoln conspiracy: a novel by Timothy L. O’Brien

The impeachment of Abraham Lincoln by Stephen L. Carter

DVDs

The conspirator

Abraham Lincoln, vampire hunter

Children’s books

Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass: the story behind an American friendship by Russell Freedman

The life of Abraham Lincoln by Maria Nelson

Abraham Lincoln by Marion Dane Bauer

Abraham Lincoln by Mary Pope Osborne

Lincoln’s last days: the shocking assassination that changed America forever by Bill O’Reilly

Select more titles about Lincoln @your Library.

Picture courtesy of Google images

The Ins and Outs of Holiday Entertaining

The holiday season is here which means you might be entertaining house guests from out of town or throwing a party for friends, family or coworkers.  If you are looking for some ideas on themes, foods or simple tips on making your party successful, look no further than the Frank L. Weyenberg Library.  We carry plenty of entertaining books, cookbooks and so on to make your Holiday Season successful and hopefully stress free.

Entertaining can be both fun and sometimes stressful.  However, with the right direction, it is possible to minimize the stress and enjoy just enjoy the time with friends and family.  Check out these books for tips and tricks:

Upcycling celebrations : a use-what-you-have guide to decorating, gift-giving & entertaining by Seo, Danny.
Cupcakes and cashmere : a guide for defining your style, reinventing your space, and entertaining with ease by Schuman, Emily.
Cornelia Guest's simple pleasures : healthy seasonal cooking and easy entertaining by Guest, Cornelia.
You're so invited : panic less, play more, and get your party on by Najafi, Cheryl.
Celebrate : a year of festivities for families and friends by Middleton, Pippa, 1983-

It seems like this time of year everyone is looking for that perfect recipe to make the holidays great.  Whether it is just a desert or a full course meal, playing with new recipes can be fun and rewarding.  Check out these Cook Books to try something new at your Holiday gathering:

Christmas with Paula Deen : recipes and stories from my favorite holiday by Deen, Paula H., 1947-
A Hanukkah holiday cookbook by Raabe, Emily.
Not your mother's slow cooker recipes for entertaining by Hensperger, Beth.
Cake pops : holidays by Bakerella.
Rachael Ray's big orange book : her favorite all-new 30-minute meals, veggie meals, holiday menus, dinners-for-one, kosher meals, rollover menus, and much, much more! by Ray, Rachael.
Vegan for the holidays : celebration feasts for Thanksgiving through New Year's Day by Allen, Zel.

Sometimes entertaining includes providing activities for your guests.  If you are looking to entertain your guests over a weekend you might be interested in borrowing these holiday movies taken from one of our earlier blog posts:
A Charlie Brown Christmas
A Christmas Story
Frosty the Snowman
Home Alone
How the Grinch Stole Christmas
It’s a Wonderful Life
Miracle on 34^th Street
The Muppet Christmas Carol
National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
The Polar Express
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
A White Christmas

**Image courtesy of Google Images.

Time Travel

When I moved to Wisconsin, I was told there was a time machine at the bank.  How cool—like an H.G. Wells novel, or perhaps Back to the Future?  Turns out it was a TYME machine, or for the non-natives, just an ATM.  However, time travel is possible in Wisconsin, but at the library, not the bank.

For example, you can travel to 1970s Cambodia with Vaddey Ratner in her book In the shadow of the banyan .  In this poignant novel, a young child relates the story of her family’s tragic experiences during the civil war in Cambodia.  Each of the members of the child’s extended family is expertly characterized, so that the reader comes to know and love them, just as the young protagonist clearly does.  The story parallels the author’s own life.

You can go to the 2008 Olympics with Shawn Johnson in her book Winning Balance:  what I’ve learned so far about love, faith, and living your dreams. 

You can visit pre-war and WWII France in Helen Gremillon’s The confidant.  This tale is full of twists and turns as the reader gradually discovers the truth of what transpired between the main characters.   When you’re done reading it, you’ll want to start reading it all over again to look for clues!

You can travel the globe in one of Ken Follett’s books.  In Fall of Giants, the reader is propelled from Russia to England, Germany and the United States, following the lives and fortunes of several inter-related families during WWI.  The family sagas are continued in the second book of the series, Winter of the World. 

Perhaps the greatest journey of all, travel To heaven and back:  a doctor’s extraordinary account of her death, heaven, angels and life again:  a true story by Mary C. Neal.  Can’t think of a better example of ‘travel through time and space’ than that!

Want to give gift of time travel to your children?

They could journey out west to Minnesota with young Almanzo Wilder and his family  (first introduced in the Laura Ingalls Wilder “Little House” books) in a new novel by Heather Williams called Farmer Boy Goes West.

They could travel to 2008 Baghdad and meet Nouri and his cousin Talib in The white zone by Carolyn Marsden. Snow falls in that city for the first time in anyone’s living memory.  Will this new experience help the Sunnis and the Shiites forget that they hate each other?

Boys might want to travel down the St. Lawrence River in 1943 with 16-year-old Scott and his friend Adam in a riveting tale by Curtis Parkinson called Man Overboard! Or they might wish to take a train from Chicago to South Carolina, and then across the country to Oregon with 13-year-old Levi Battle as he searches for his father, a black paratrooper during WWII in Shelley Pearsall’s unforgettable tale  Jump into the sky.

Girls may wish to visit the Appalachian Mountains of West Virginia in 1953 to meet Lydia Hawkins as she moves to a coal mine with her aunt and uncle in the novel Child of the mountains by Marilyn Sue Shank.

So be sure to visit the library, and enjoy your free time travel!

Photo courtesy of Google images

Tis the season...

The gathering of family and friends for Thanksgiving is behind us, but there are many more occasions for us to celebrate in December.  In just a few days there will by the celebration of Hanukkah.  During the Festival of Lights, many will come together to remember, to play games, and to celebrate these eight days with the traditional potato latkes as well as such delicacies as Tarragon Pea Soup, Sweet Potato and Pear Soup, Honey Turnips, Sauerbraten A La Nathan, Roast Goose with Chestnut and Apple Stuffing, Brisket with Burgandy-Orange Sauce, Sufganiot, and David Star Cookies.  All these recipes and many more are in the following books: The Jewish Holiday Kitchen, Divine Kosher Cuisine, Jewish Holiday Cooking, The Essential Book of Jewish Festival Cooking, The World of Jewish Entertaining, and A Hanukkah Holiday Cookbook and in the DVD, Jacques Pepin’s Chanukah.

     In mentioning cookies, our next holiday comes to mind.  What would Christmas be without cookies?  In Christmas Cookies: A Holiday Cookbook, Cookie Cookbook: an inspiration for the season, and Very Merry Cookies, there are well over 200 recipes for you to try.  Many of our other books include cookie recipes as well as everything else you need to make this holiday bright: ideas to help with decorating inside and out, gift making and wrapping, special cooking for the holiday and plans for special gatherings.  The following books should help inspire you for the season: Sweet Christmas, The Best of Christmas at Home Cookbook, Nigella Christmas: Food, Family, Friends, Festivities, Victoria, 500 Christmas Ideas, Christmas With Paula Deen, I’m Dreaming of a Chocolate Christmas, and Christmas From the Heart.

     Because this is such a busy time of the year any shortcuts are appreciated.  If you’d like to have a variety of cookies, but don’t have the time to bake 30 varieties, how about a cookie exchange?  You could start a new Christmas tradition by getting together with family and friends.  Each person that comes would bring an allotted amount of cookies, the exchange is made, and after a nice get together, everyone goes home with a great assortment of cookies.  All the ins and outs of a perfect cookie exchange as well as more cookie recipes are shown in the following books: Very Merry Cookie Party: how to plan and host a Christmas cookie exchange, The Great Christmas Cookie Swap Cookbook: 60 large batch recipes to bake and store, and The Christmas Cookie Cookbook: all the rules and delicious recipes to start your own holiday cookie club.

     There may be some of you who would love to make the traditional cookies, but can’t because of wheat allergies.  No problem.   In Gluten-free Baking for the Holidays and Gluten-free Christmas Cookies are all the gluten-free basics to help you create well over 100 varieties of cookies to help make your season merry.

     So however you celebrate the season, we at the Weyenberg Library wish you and yours a very special holiday season.

Picture courtesy of Easicat