Food lovers, (and aren't we all? ) rejoice! Our April issue of Beyond the Best Seller List, just off the press today, has a culinary theme. Some of our selections are new, some are classic, and all are enjoyable.

On the fiction side of the list, we have fabulous novels featuring chefs and food. Monique Truong's The Book of Salt is a lovely novel about Gertrude Stein's cook, set in Paris in the 1920's and 30's. Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel is a sensual love story, complete with recipes.

What is it about mystery writers and cooks? There seem to be a lot of mystery writers who have taken up the culinary theme. Our favorite authors in this genre are Diane Mott Davidson and Katherine Hall Page. If you read one, you'll be hooked, and you will have a whole new series to read, as both authors are prolific.

As with all our Beyond the Best Seller lists, we haven't left out the kids.....Eat Your Peas is a picture book about the time-honored tradition of finish-you-vegetables-before -dessert. And older kids may want to read Chew on This by Eric Schlosser. It's an expose of the fast food industry, and it will teach them more than they wanted to know.

On the nonfiction side of the list, we have recommended lots of books about food and cooking, but don't expect a list of cookbooks. Instead we have chosen books about our food, food sources, how it gets to our markets, and some books by and about professional chefs.

On Food and Cooking by Harold McGee is a fascinating book about the intersection of science and culinary art. Ever wonder what really happens when you caramelize something? Harold McGee can explain it in wonderful prose. This book, although scientific, can be good armchair reading.

And no, we haven't totally forgotten about cookbooks. We do recommend one: The Silver Spoon from Phaidon Press. It is Italy's equivalent of our Joy of Cooking. A hefty tome, but chock full of great traditional recipes. This book starts out with this statement: "Eating is a serious matter". We agree, and we hope you do, too!

Enjoy your culinary trip Beyond the Best Seller, and please let us know what you think!

Try someone new! Read a first time author! Last year there were several interesting first time authors. It's definitely one way to go Beyond the Best Seller. Jennifer Gilmore's Golden Country is an interesting tale about two Jewish immigrant families set in the early 1900's America. And what about, Special Topics in Calamity Physics by Marisha Pessi. Yes, first of all, it is a novel and it received rave reviews when it was first released. Finally, The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield bodes well for the return of the gothic tale. Remember if you like a first-time author, then you have a lot to look forward to -- all of their books to come.

The Library has a new periodical for readers and book groups. It's called Bookmarks and the subtitle is For Everyone Who Hasn't Read Everything. The most recent issue is the Spring Reading Special and the new books guide covers Literary Fiction, Crime, Science Fiction, General Nonfiction, Biography and History. A real reader's delight. I'm very excited about some of the features; paperback selections, Best Books of 2006 and a unique profile of readers together in the Book Group area. Some wonderful selections of books new and old are also included. The magazine will be displayed near the Library Beyond the Bestseller area across from the Circulation Desk in a rack with other materials which help in selecting a good book to read.

I'd love to hear what you are reading. Please feel free to recommend good books to other readers.

If you are looking for a tales of escape, romance, and mystery...try The Gypsy Madonna by Santa Montefiore. If you are looking for a book that spans locales that stretch from Manhattan to the hills of Bordeaux and spans decades telling a story in flashbacks to 1940's France following the German Occupation...try The Gypsy Madonna. Author Santa Montefiore will be speaking at the New Canaan Library on Monday, April 16th at 7:30 pm. Copies of her book will be available for purchase and she will be signing during the reception following her talk. She has been compared to Rosamund Pilcher and Maeve Binchy. Her books are just being released in the U.S. after enjoying great popularity in the UK. Other titles by Santa Montefiore are, The Butterfly Box, The Forget-Me-Not Sonata, Meet Me Under the Ombu Tree, The Swallow and the Hummingbird and Last Voyage of the Valentina.

In the February 12th, 2007 issue of Publisher's Weekly, Judith Rosen has written a piece about bookselling in Connecticut. Although the third smallest state in the U.S., Connecticut has an amazing appetite for books and wields much influence on the nation's book market. Connecticut is also home to an increasing number of authors and writers which we celebrate at our Libraries continuously.

The Hartford Public Library hosts the Connecticut Center for the Book which was "created in 1997 to celebrate books and to act as a catalyst and a source of ideas for the community of the book - artists, writers, readers, librarians, publishers and printers. "

It's almost Spring break time, and time to go Beyond the Bestseller List with some great travel reading!

It's that time of year for many of us, especially those with children who live by the school calendar. If you are planning a trip you will definitely want to check out the Library's Well Read Traveler series of brochures. They won't point you to guidebooks, although we have plenty of those in our collection. The Well Read Traveler is meant to guide you to fiction and non-fiction about your travel destination.

We have brochures for many popular destinations. March travelers, are you off to Florida, a Caribbean island, the American Southwest, or (Brr!) Vermont, or even Cape Cod? Stop in and pick up a Well Read Traveler's guide to those regions, and you'll find books that will put you in your destination even before you get to the airport.

For those that might be traveling farther afield, we have Well Read Travelers for Paris, London, Italy, and China as well.

If your destination isn't listed here, ask at the Reference desk and we will be happy to make recommendations for your trip. The right book will enhance the journey!

Not going away? Armchair travelers are welcome as well!