Cookbooks For Cooler Weather

Just as the official first day of Fall comes around every year, it seems that this post about fall cooking has become an annual event as well! As of September 22, Fall is here, and with that first breath of cooler air many of us start to crave those warm comfort foods that go hand-in-hand with the season. Soups, stews, chili and the like are all starting to sound pretty good now that it's no longer over 100 degrees every day! So why not get a head start on filling up your recipe box this fall by checking out some wonderful cookbooks from your local library branch? Here's a few suggestions, just to get your mouth watering:

The Big Book of Soups & Stews: 262 Recipes for Serious Comfort Food, by Maryana Vollstedt

Grandma Jo's Soup Kettle: 100 Hearty and Healthy Soups, Stews, Gumbos, and Chowders, by JoAnna M Lund

Vegan Soups and Hearty Stews for All Seasons, by Nava Atlas

The Ultimate Chili Cookbook: History, Geography, Fact, and Folklore of Chili, by W.C. Jameson

Soup, by Diane Rossen Worthington

Beyond Gumbo: Creole Fusion Food From the Atlantic Rim, by Jessica B. Harris

Fix-It and Forget-It Cookbook: 700 Great Slow Cooker Recipes, by Phyllis Pellman Good

As always, you can check the library's catalog for these and other titles to check out or place on hold. Happy cooking!

Check Out The Zoo Pass!

With fall and cooler temperatures fast approaching, and with the added excitement of two twin panda cubs born this summer at Zoo Atlanta, the coming months are a perfect time to check out the Zoo Pass from your local library! The Zoo Pass is actually a DVD that explores the history of Zoo Atlanta and highlights some of it's animal residents. Once you've watched the DVD simply return it to the branch it came from and get your receipt for admission to the zoo. Using the pass is simple and all you need is a valid library card to get started. Instructions for checking out and using the pass are below, so search the catalog to see if your branch has a pass available today!

Accessing the Zoo Pass

Adults with a valid library card may check out the Zoo Pass at any of the 33 branches of the Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System (excluding Auburn Avenue Research Library). One Zoo Pass will be available for checkout per branch.

The Zoo Pass is not available for self-checkout. Patrons should check out the Zoo Pass at the library front desk.

The Zoo Pass may be checked out only once per year, per card and household. The pass may not be renewed or reserved (sorry, can't place holds on this one!)

Return your Zoo Pass to the location of checkout, and you will receive your receipt for admission to the Zoo. The overdue fine will be $1.00 per day, maximum $10.00. The fee for a lost pass is $30.00.

Enjoying the Zoo Pass

Present your Zoo Pass receipt and your library card at the Zoo Atlanta front gate for admission.

The Zoo Pass is good for a family of four. The pass is valid for general admission only and may not be used for special events, including but not limited to Boo at the Zoo, Brew at the Zoo and Love in the Zoo.

We hope you enjoy your trip to Zoo Atlanta thanks to this wonderful partnership with Georgia Public Library Service!

2013 Hugo Award Winners Announced!

In the midst of all of the excitement that takes place here in Atlanta during DragonCon, where all things science fiction and fantasy, including comic books, gaming, literature, art, film and music convene, the prestigious Hugo Awards were announced. Named after Hugo Gernsback, a famous magazine editor who did much to bring science fiction to a wider audience, the Hugo Awards have been presenting awards of excellence in the genres of science fiction and fantasy literature since 1953. On Sunday, Septemeber 1, the 2013 list of winners in all categories was selected. All winners and their works are listed below, so take this list to the library catalog and lose yourself in other worlds! 

BEST NOVEL : Redshirts: A Novel with Three Codas, John Scalzi (Tor)

BEST NOVELLA: The Emperor’s Soul, Brandon Sanderson (Tachyon Publications)

BEST NOVELETTE: The Girl-Thing Who Went Out for Sushi, Pat Cadigan (Edge of Infinity, Solaris)

BEST SHORT STORY: Mono no Aware, Ken Liu (The Future is Japanese, VIZ Media LLC)

BEST RELATED WORK: Writing Excuses Season Seven, Brandon Sanderson, Dan Wells, Mary Robinette Kowal, Howard Tayler and Jordan Sanderson

BEST GRAPHIC STORY: Saga, Volume One, written by Brian K. Vaughan, illustrated by Fiona Staples (Image Comics)

BEST DRAMATIC PRESENTATION, LONG FORM: The Avengers, (Screenplay) & Directed by Joss Whedon (Marvel Studios, Disney, Paramount)

BEST DRAMATIC PRESENTATION, SHORT FORM: Game of Thrones, Blackwater, Written by George R.R. Martin, Directed by Neil Marshall. Created by David Benioff and D.B. Weiss (HBO)

BEST EDITOR, SHORT FORM: Stanley Schmidt

BEST EDITOR, LONG FORM: Patrick Nielsen Hayden

BEST PROFESSIONAL ARTIST: John Picacio

BEST SEMIPROZINE: Clarkesworld, edited by Neil Clarke, Jason Heller, Sean Wallace and Kate Baker

BEST FANZINE: SF Signal, edited by John DeNardo, JP Frantz, and Patrick Hester

BEST FANCAST: SF Squeecast, Elizabeth Bear, Paul Cornell, Seanan McGuire, Lynne M. Thomas, Catherynne M. Valente (Presenters) and David McHone-Chase (Technical Producer)

BEST FAN WRITER: Tansy Rayner Roberts

BEST FAN ARTIST: Galen Dara

JOHN W. CAMPBELL AWARD FOR BEST NEW WRITER: Award for the best new professional science fiction or fantasy writer of 2011 or 2012, sponsored by Dell Magazines (not a Hugo Award).