The main food staple in my family is rice.  I cook it almost every night.  However, if there is a choice between having rice or noodles.   Noodles win hands down.   I love eating noodles.  Many countries have their own special noodles but I must admit I am partial to Asian noodles so this will be my focus today.  Many of you may have eaten the long thin Chinese noodles that are usually stir-fried with meats and vegetables known as lo mein in restaurants and of course, the packaged ramen noodles but are you familiar with rice vermicelli, or rice noodles in their various sizes in width and thickness, or the Japanese udon and somen in noodle soups, or the sweet potato noodles used in making the Korean dish Japchae or the glass (cellophane) noodles made of mung beans?  Not only are there so many types of noodles to enjoy, there are so many ways to prepare them.  Depending on the characteristics of the particular noodle, they can be stir-fried, deep-fried, pan-fried served with meat sauce over it, used as noodle salads, and in noodle soups. The list seems endless.

I'm watching the Winter Olympics as I write this, and the biggest snowstorm to hit the Northeast this season is howling outside my window-- there's seven inches on my doorstep already.  I adore snow, but I'm clearly in the minority at this time of year.  Most of the people I've talked to today have had more than their fill of winter.  Well, take heart, ye snowbound and shovel-weary, because this list is for you! 

The romances featured this month have one thing in common: they all take place somewhere HOT.  From the desert to the beach, from the bayou to the jungle (with the occasional firehouse or weredragon's lair in between), I've booked an armchair tour of the warmest latitudes (and steamiest heroes) in romantic fiction, guaranteed to melt away your winter blues.  Turn down that thermostat and pull up a beach chair; it's time to visit the tropics!

Valentine's Day is upon us, and this librarian's thoughts are turning to... zombies!  Yes, you heard me correctly.  Move over, sparkly vampires!  Pundits in the publishing world have been predicting since last summer that 2010 will be the Year of the Zombie, and a lot of great titles have been hitting our shelves recently.  The modern zombie has come a long way from George Romero's shuffling, mindless corpses.  Today's zombies are busting out of horror and shambling across genre lines into comedy, sci fi, mystery, fantasy, and yes, even romance.  ("Romantic lead" may seem like a tough sell, but hey, when a zombie gives his heart he really means it.) 

Getting cabin fever? Want to do some traveling? Cookbooks are a great vehicle to expand your horizons to foreign lands. Get a taste of a culture, the people, and most importantly, the foods, just by walking through international cookbooks. You can travel across an exotic country like Tibet, a province like Provence, France, or a region like the Mediterranean. The trek is boundless. From browsing the recipes and their ingredients you can envision the types of spices, vegetables, grains and livestock that are indigenous to that area. Have you ever used turmeric, cumin, tamarind, or lemongrass? Have you heard about stinky tofu or durian fruit from Southeast Asia? How about being adventurous by adding octopus, eel or snails to your menu? Well, if these food items don’t turn you on, there are plenty of scrumptious dishes that are sure to entice you. “Traveling” through these cookbooks also introduces us to new and different methods of cooking.

Exciting times are ahead for the Circulation Department and our customers upon completion of the lobby and circulation desk renovation project in February. We will be able to offer a variety of new services that are convenient, ensure privacy and minimize the time you spend checking out.  We invite you to try our new self-service checkout machines located at the desk.  Staff will be available to guide you through the process.  Hold books will be within easy reach, find your reserve(s) then use express checkout out or a staffed station.