“Winter Jackets," a special reading program just for adults, runs from January 11 through February 28, 2010.  You can submit book reviews (the forms are available at all branches)  throughout the program and be entered in a drawing for prizes (prize drawings and prizes will vary by branch). 

Need some ideas on what to read? See our staff picks below, ask library staff, or try our NoveList Plus database (have your library card and PIN/password ready when you sign on to the databases and select it from the list).

From Susan (Shakopee):

Ratio: The Simple Codes Behind the Craft of Everyday Cooking by Michael Ruhlman
I’m a fan of the scientific cookbooks, and no one broke it down better this year than Ruhlman. It’s a short book on the fundamentals of basic cooking made simple by using ratios for ingredients, and he also throws in variations that enable tons more flavor combinations. I swear by his pickle recipe.

Open: An Autobiography by Andre Agassi (assisted by J. R. Moehringer)
I’ve read quite a few sports biographies in football, tennis, wrestling and other sports, but I’ve never read a more truthful and different one than ‘Open.’ Once you get beyond the hype that accompanied the release of the book, you don’t get anything resembling the typical athlete story, as tennis tends to be a lonelier game than many sports. Agassi has a remarkable memory and he chose a very good writer (see: “The Tender Bar”) to put the story together.

Confections of a Closet Master Baker: One Woman's Sweet Journey from Unhappy Hollywood Executive to Contented Country Baker by Gesine Bullock-Prado
Admittedly I picked this one to read for the title (because it’s awesome), and only into reading it I found out this was Sandra Bullock’s sister. She gave up her Hollywood job as a production executive, and moved with her husband to Vermont, along the way finding her way to happiness via baking, and eventually opened a bakery. The book covers a lot of episodes in her life, too. And there’s recipes.

Drink This: Wine Made Simple by Dara Moskowitz Grumdahl
The preeminent food and beverage writer in the Twin Cities (she’s won James Beard awards for her food and wine writing) takes the complexity out of wine in an amusing manner. Bits of information are good for a quick review at the store, before you head to a restaurant or just a read through. And there’s picks from low to high end, so you won’t end up spending a fortune.

Damn Good Food: 157 Recipes from Hell’s Kitchen by Mitch Omer and Ann Bauer
Yes, the recipes in here are pretty damn good (and pretty damn amusing, too), but boy Omer’s crazy life story vies for your attention. I believe every mention of the book is bound to use the quote from Jacques Pépin, “Mitch Omer's life makes Anthony Bourdain’s look like he was an altar boy.” Apt.

Fool by Christopher Moore
King Lear for the non-Shakespeare fans… though fans should read this too. Pocket, the fool of King Lear (and his sidekick Drool), travel the kingdom, plotting, planning, and sometimes lucking (good and bad) into setting things the King has thoroughly messed up straight. Mad witty writing here. If you like the "The Compleat Wrks of Wllm Shkspr (Abriged)" performances or feel that high school took all pleasure out of anything Shakespeare, give this a try.

From Pat (Savage)

Plum Pudding Murder by Joanne Fluke
I really like this series of books. I enjoy the characters and really love the recipes. I have tried many of them. I made the Christmas Cheese Rounds out of this book and it was very good. I like to read the recipes and all of Hannah’s notes they can be so funny. It is also great that the books are set in Minnesota on “our side” of town.

From Dea (Savage and other branches):

Swan for the Money by Donna Andrews
In this latest hilarious outing from Donna Andrews, Meg’s eccentric parents are deeply involved in the cut-throat world of rose growers and highly-competitive rose shows. As usual, things get completely out of hand, and it’s up to Meg to solve the mystery of who killed a fellow rose grower and save the day.

Sarah’s Key by Tatiana de Rosnay
A powerful and emotionally-compelling story, Sarah’s Key follows the path of Julia Jarmond, an American journalist assigned to cover the 60th anniversary of the Jewish roundups at Vélodrome d'Hiver just outside Paris. What she discovers about this event and the sixty-year-old secret that involves her family leads to heartbreak and, ultimately, the healing power of truth.

From Georgine (Belle Plaine): 

The Christmas List by Richard Paul Evans
I love all of Richard Paul Evans. "The Christmas List" was wonderful. Richard brings out the true meaning and spirit of Christmas. If you haven't read any of his books you must start with the Christmas Box.

From Mary K. (Jordan):

The Language of Blood  by Jane Jeong Trenka 
A Korean adoptee, raised in small-town Minnesota, tells her story of growing up in America, her journey to know her Korean birth family and coming to terms with her identity interwoven in both cultures.

Less is More by Cecile Andrews & Wanda Urbanska
A collection of thought provoking essays about living more sustainably and appreciating the simple, uncluttered life.

From Beth (Elko New Market):

Jaran by Kate Elliott
In the distant future, a young woman runs away to an undeveloped planet to escape her brother’s plans of rebellion. She makes a life with a group of nomadic people, but eventually the world outside begins to catch up with her. Great read for romance and science fiction fans alike. The first in a series.

From Lisa (Prior Lake):

Ursula Under by Ingrid Hill – a fascinating combination of contemporary and historical fiction that takes you back into the genealogy of a Finnish-American woman and a Chinese-American man, and the drama that surrounds them when their daughter falls into an abandoned mine in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

From Wendy (all branches):

The Rescue Artist: A True Story of Art, Thieves, and the Hunt for a Missing Masterpiece by Edward Dolnick
This true story whodunit recounts the 1994 theft and recovery of Edvard Munch's painting The Scream from Norway’s National Gallery in Oslo. Dolnick focuses the story on the ingenuity and daring of the "rescue artist" of the title: Charley Hill, a Scotland Yard undercover officer and former Fulbright scholar who has made recovering stolen art treasures his life's work. And while the author digresses frequently to tell the story of other notorious art thefts and engaging escapades from Hill’s past, this fast-paced story will keep you on the edge-of-your-seat until the very end.