While the weather indicates it is still winter, we at the library can't tell it by our library visitors. The most popular books at the library right now are those on gardening, home decorating, and vacations. Everyone is getting an early start with spring planning and we have many great books to help!
Many moms and dads are starting to make plans for Spring Break. Where to take the kids for family fun? Here is just a sampling of books to help with that all-important decision. Frommer's travel guide series has a new book entitled "National Parks With Kids." This book is intended to help you make the most of your national park experience by locating parks that are particularly kid friendly or of special interest to families. It includes info such as how to become a junior ranger, where to avoid crowds, and how to have fun without spending a fortune.
"Watch It Made in the U.S.A" by Karen Axelrod is a compilation of the best factory tours and company museums in the country. The Louisville Slugger Museum and Factory Tour is just one of many featured in the book. Visit their factory and watch as Northern white ash and maple are formed into bats. Did you know this is where the Major League Baseball bats are made using a one of a kind CNC lathe? At Hershey's Chocolate World you can ride inside a cocoa bean-shaped cart through a chocolate factory and at the end of the tour you can sample Hershey's Kisses. Or how about a tour of the Corvette factory in Bowling Green, Kentucky? This guided tour gives a close-up look at all the steps it takes to make this automotive icon. And at the end of the tour you receive . . . a postcard! Sorry, no Corvette samples!
Interior Design! This is another hot subject right now at the Library. We can hardly keep the new decorating books on the shelf. "Kitchens: Designs for Living" and "Baths: Designs for Living" by Home Depot are just two of our many home decor books. Improving your kitchen or bathroom is one of the best investments you can make in your home. These are also expensive projects and you want to do your homework before beginning – you might have to live with a decorating disaster in these areas for a long time. The best part of these books is that almost every page is filled with colorful photos you can use for inspiration.
And of course home decor includes not only the inside, but also the outside of your home. "Dream Backyards" by Family Handyman shows how you can create an extraordinary outdoor living space. This book features complete instructions accompanied by step-by-step photos for a variety of projects including water gardens, fences, sheds, planters, and more.
What better way to accent your completed "Dream Backyard" than through the addition of a garden? If you want to combine both functionality and beauty in one garden space, take a look at "The "Kitchen Garden Planner" by Country Home. This book features creative garden layouts that intermingle flowers, vegetables, and herbs. If you have a small town garden space this book combines the best of edible plants and picturesque settings.
However, if you want to see really gorgeous gardens, give "Gardenwalks in the Mid-Atlantic States" by Marina Harrison a try. This book features beautiful gardens from New York to Washington D.C. Garden styles range from classic and formal to small cottage styles. Harrison's book also features information designed to serve as a trip-planning tour if you would like to visit these gardens for yourself.
These are just a sample of the many books and even videos that you can find at the library on these topics. So, if you are one of the many people thinking of and longing for spring, visit us at the library. We can't control the weather, but we can help you while away the hours on those chilly winter days. Hope to see you soon at the Greensburg-Decatur County Library.