Thanks! I'm intrigued by the cooking mysteries one. Sounds fun. I like mysteries, but I can never figure anything out. I always think it's who the author wants me to think it is and am surprised in the end :)

@Kurt family book discussions are fun! My mom is in a book club and I usually end up reading a lot of books that she's read, which is nice to be able to discuss.

For me the book would be too heavy, BUT it also scared me enough that I couldn't sleep at night when I read it many years ago. It is a really wonderfully written true crime story and started a new genre of writing true stories in a fictional style while sticking to the facts. Another ones that isn't quite s scary and yet very good is Devil in the White City about Chicago during the World's Fair. It follows two men -- one a landscape architect working on the fair which gives all kinds of inside info on getting the place ready and the other a serial killer taking advantage of conditions in Chicago at the time.

Vicki, Main Street Books

Kurt, that's a GREAT idea! Don't forget if you're taking your Kindle, Nook, iPad or other eReader or iPod on vacation, you should bring your library card too because you can download eBooks and eAudio books from the library website from anywhere in the world. That can be easier than schlepping a lot of books around.

Julie. Seems to me that a lot of people stock up before going on vacation or wander into the store while on vacation and pick up that book they've "been waiting to read." people who read a lot all year often pick lighter fare for vacation, but it's hard to generalize. I see both and for the reasons you've specified.

Julie, at the library all we know is that people REALLY REALLY read a LOT during the summer. We had over 21,000 kids, teens & adults sign up for summer reading the first week of the program! The requirement to finish the program and get a prize is 10 hours of reading for kids and 20 hours for adults & teens and they're doing it! The first place everyone heads is the "new" book area so we know readers are interested in the latest. Our "recent besteller" displays also see a lot of action...can't keep them full.

The Black on white and White on black series by Tana Hoban is great and for babies to see other babies the series by Anne Geddes cannot be beat!

Joe, the great thing about children's books is that they remain popular for a long time because parents want to share what they read with their children. So, yeah, for the very youngest kids Amelia Bedelia, Cat in the Hat, and Max & the Wild Things still rule. Some newer characters that are also popular are Fancy Nancy, Pickalicous, and Pete the Cat. If parents are looking for great read aloud books, they should try the Building Block Nominees...Mitchell's License by Hallie Durand, Rrralph by Lois Ehlert, I Spy with my Litte Eye by Edward Gibbs, The Wonderful Book by Leonid Gore, Dog in Boots by Greg Gormley, Hugless Dougless by David Melling, If You're Hoppy by April Pulley Sayre, Do You Know which Ones Will Grow by Susan Shea, and Is Everyone Ready for fun by Jan Thomas. AND these are just ideas for the youngest listeners & readers!

Board books for babies are so much fun. Bula is right...books with high contrast are best to help newborn eyes that are trying to focus. The Todd Parr books are also good. For babies that are a bit older, I agree with Vicki, Sandra Boynton is one of the best. I like Mem Fox too. When choosing books for babies, look for photographs of babies, mimimal text, and simple illustrations. You are doing the right thing by using books with babies...singing, talking, playing, reading and writing are the basis of early literacy!

My newest favorite go-to books to give for baby showers are "Boss Baby" by Marla Frazee and "Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes" by Mem Fox. And as others have suggested, the "Black & White" book by Tana Hoban are great, and anything ever written by Sandra Boynton is pretty much fool-proof. Her latest, "Are You a Cow?" is priceless. Come visit us at the library and check them out before you buy!

I LOVE the Monster at the end of the book!!! That was the best. And I can't remember what it's called but I think it was the mouse and the red ripe strawberry. Good times.

The Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear?

Brian, Killing Lincoln: the shocking assassination that changed America forever by Bill O'Reilly is still popular at the library. That new Walter Cronkite biography "Cronkite" by Douglas Brinkley is getting alot of buzz. Have you tried River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt's Darkest Journey by Candice Miller? It chronicles the 1914 expedition of Theodore Roosevelt in the heart of the Amazon basin. It has great historical photos. My husband really, really liked In the Garden of Beasts: love, terror and an American family in Hitler's Berlin by Erik Larson.

If you haven't checked him out yet another good non-fiction author is David McCullough. He has written multiple American history books over the years. His most popular books are John Adams and 1776. He also has a new publication this year called The Greater Journey: Americans in Paris. You should check him out he is an excellent non-fiction writer.

I've read about three-fourths of Team of Rivals -- a Lincoln book that spans his political philosophy -- and it's been great so I'll have to check out the Killing Lincoln book as well! And Kayla: Yes, McCullough is fantastic. I've read 1776 and John Adams and both were phenomenal! Thanks for the suggestions!

Brian: A recent release you might consider is "Island of Vice: Theodore Roosevelt's Doomed Quest to Clean Up Sin-loving New York" by Richard Zacks. It's a narrative, nonfiction book about Teddy Roosevelt's term as Police Commissioner for NY City and his attempt to (as the title says) clean up New York. It reads like a novel and relates the story of events (and Teddy's career) about which many are unaware. And the best part is, the library owns copies that you can check out! -- Lucy Lockley, Collection Development Manager - St. Charles City-County Library District

UNDAUNTED COURAGE about the Lewis and Clark expedition. There are lots of great Civil War books coming out to celebrate the sesquicentennial as well. I just read WARMTH OF OTHER SUNS (won the Pulitzer last year) about the African American migration north. We did the book for book club and I put off reading it because it was so huge, but it was fascinating. The author followed three people from different parts of the south, in different decades and from different educational and socioeconomic backgrounds. It was engrossing and I highly recommend it.

Tammy I read a self-published book recently and I think the printing was a little bit off so the type looked funny on the page. I'm not sure which publisher they used. It wasn't a huge deal while I was reading, but I did notice it.

There are print on demand and self publish online sites that are legit. There are a couple of really good sites where you can get your book self published and printed easily. The biggest issue with these sites is not legitimacy but the self publishing part. Self publishing requires a lot more work for the author. Publishers have access to a lot more resources than an author typically does such as distributors and bookstores. They have an easier time spreading the word about your book. However a couple of these sites are gaining a lot of popularity and therefore getting a lot of attention. Normally I am all about the independent way but for an author right now that can be very time consuming and in some cases pointless. So it is best to go the old tried-and-true way.

Tammy - according to our Literary Agent Linda Langton, traditional publishing is still the best route, however, I have seen success stories in self publishing especially with e-books.

Great suggestions & I've heard about this other book by Robin LeFevers, Grave Mercy, about a 17 year old girl who escapes an arranged marriage and joins a convent of assassin nuns. It's on my to read list. Also, I am intrigued by Heather Brewer's newest book Soulbound. Saw her at the library last night along with 150 of her minions and this book sounds awesome.

And maybe the new LEGACY OF TRIL:SOULBOUND by local author, Heather Brewer?

Sounds interesting! I still haven't read or watched the Godfather... I should add that to my list.

I haven't read it yet but it looks really interesting. I also think, as a trivial aside, that Edward Falco is the brother of Edie Falco.

Gotta love Carmela Soprano!

Kalen, If it weren't summer, I'd invite you over to watch The Godfather! Not kid-appropriate, though!

There are a couple that might appeal -- PRINCE OF DORKNESS, STRANGE CASE OF ORIGAMI YODA, DARTH PAPER STRIKES BACK. Hope he finds these good reads!

Thanks! I'll have to check those out. :) Appreciate the advice!

The Big Nate books by Lincoln Peirce are also very popular. Jennifer Holm who also writes the Baby Mouse graphic novels which kids adore, wrote Middle School is Worse than Meatloaf. Charlie Joe Jackson books by Tom Greenwald would be comparable to Wimpy Kid. Believe it or not James Patterson has a heavily illustrated book for kids too, Middle School the Worst Years of my Life.

I should also have mentioned that the newest Diary of a Wimpy Kid (Third Wheel) is coming out on November 13. We have it ordered for the library Wimpy Kid fans. Another movie (Dog Days) is coming out August 3.

I haven't. I'll have to look into that!

Great! I love his website: www.readkiddoread.com which has all sorts of surefire winners for babies to age 10 & up. His entire premise is that if a book is a pageturner, the kid will make the effort to read the book and thus improve their reading skills. It is very important that kids read all during the summer so they maintain their reading skills. We send school reports to all the local schools letting them know which kids completed the summer reading program by simply reading for 10 hours. Our 100 hour readers will get a bright blue yard sign emblazoned with Star Reader! Everyone in the neighborhood will know a Star Reader lives there.

Great resource! Thanks Kalen!

Oh, yes, this is something we hear from parents all the time! It means you are doing the right thing for early literacy skills by developing a love and passion for books which is part of the motivation that children need when it is time for them to learn to read....not to mention the vocabulary you are building. Familiarity with a story also helps to build comprehension because the child knows what is happening next and they can retell the story. I don't have a right or wrong recommendation for the beloved books children want to hear over and over. Here are some suggestions...what is the book about? dinosaurs, dogs, trucks or? Find another book with the same characters or elements and say "since you love the How do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight, I thought you'd like this one called Dini Dinosaur." You can search a subject and add "fiction" and find storybooks (ie Dinosaurs fiction) Maybe have a selection of 5 or more books and let them choose or say which one do you want to read tonight in additon to your favorite. Try having a kid pick and a mom pick for the story of the night as a way to introduce more books. Please check out as many books as you like to have a good selection available...you don't have to read them all!