Staff Pick of the Week

LeAna's Pick

Back Roads by Tawni O'Dell

Though set in Pennsylvania, West Virginia natives will recognize the rural coal-mining mountain town setting and hard-working townsfolk. The story centers on Harley Altmyer, who finds himself the guardian and sole parent of his three younger sisters after his mother is sentenced to life in prison for the murder of his father. Overburdened and barely managing to suppress feelings of anger and helplessness, he finds an escape in an obsessive passion for his middle aged neighbor, which stirs up family secrets and leads to an unforgettable ending. Few female authors can write a novel from a young male perspective this believably.

E-rate Training Highlighting Recent Changes to the Program

Web training focusing on recent changes, including revisions to the Forms 470 and 471, to the E-rate program will be held on November 22, 2010 at 1:30 pm. If you would like to participate contact Jennifer Johnson at jennifer.l.johnson2@wv.gov for the log-on information.

Cooking Up Holiday Spirit

This week's cookbook is The Foxfire Book of Appalachian Cookery edited by Linda Garland Page and Eliot Wigginton

Squash Relish


Chop very fine by hand or in the blender the following ingredients:
12 cups squash (6 to 8 medium sized squash)
4 cups onion (6 to 8 large onions)
1 sweet green pepper
1 sweet red pepper
5 pounds salt

Mix and let set overnight. In the morning put in a colander and run water over it. In a large saucepan mix the following:
2 1/2 cups vinegar
6 cups sugar
1 tablespoon dry mustard
3/4 teaspoon nutmeg
3/4 tablespoon flour or cornstarch
3/4 teaspoon turmeric
1 1/2 teaspoons celery seed
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Let this cook until it begins to thicken, then add the squash mixture and let boil slowly for 30 minutes. Put in jars and seal. Process 10 minutes in boiling water bath.

YIELD: 8 pints

Join Us for the Annual Meeting of the West Virginia Historical Society on December 4, 2010

The Annual Meeting of the West Virginia Historical Society will be held at the West Virginia Library Commission Reference Library on Saturday, December 4 at noon.   The event will feature author Garland S. Tucker III speaking on his recent book The High Tide of American Conservatism: Davis, Colidge, and the 1924 Election.

Cooking Up Holiday Spirit

This week's cookbook is The Foxfire Book of Appalachian Cookery edited by Linda Garland Page and Eliot Wigginton

Pumpkin Bread


4 cups cooked mashed pumpkin
4 cups sugar
1 cup oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 eggs, beaten
5 cups flour
4 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cloves
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 cup chopped nuts
1 cup raisins

In a large mixing bowl, using a wooden spoon to mix with, combine pumpkin, sugar, oil, vanilla, and beaten eggs. Mix well. Sift together dry ingredients and add to pumpkin mixture. Stir until well blended. Fold in the nuts and raisins. Pour into 3 or 4 greased loaf pans or, for a moister bread, use several coffee or bean cans, ungreased. If using cans, pour each can half full of batter. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 1 hour.

CE Opportunities Available from University of Wisconsin Madison

The University of Wisconsin Madison School of Library and Information Studies, Continuing Education Services has released its schedule for winter/spring 2011 online courses.  For more information, see their website at http://www.slis.wisc.edu/continueed.

Staff Pick of the Week

Suzy's Pick

The Good Rat: A True Story by Jimmy Breslin (audiobook)

If you are a Law and Order fan you want to listen to the audio version of The Good Rat: A True Story by Jimmy Breslin. Using the testimony of turncoat mob associate Burton Kaplan as the foundation, Breslin gives a commentary on the decline and fall of the Mafia and his coverage of organized crime in New York City over the past 40 years. The three narrators make the story come alive for the listener. Richard M. Davidson reads most of the text, creating voices for such note worthies as John Gotti, Sammy “the Bull” Gravano and Gaspipe Casso (so called because a piece of gas pipe was his favorite method of dispatching annoyances). When he is reading Breslin’s first person prose you imagine you are hearing Jimmy reading his own words. Kaipo Schwab performs as U.S. Attorney Robert Henoch and Richard Mover portrays Kaplan in a manner that makes you think you are listening to a transcript of Kaplan’s 2006 testimony against killer cops Stephen Caracappa and Louis Eppolito. A diehard L & O fan will recognize some plots from the show that were inspired by events that are occurred during the timeframe of this story.