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Teens, is it just me or do you feel like food is everywhere at this time of year? Like, right after I swallow my last slice of pumpkin pie, somebody’s showering me with gingerbread and gelt. Perhaps I am alone in this observation, but before I can wipe the mashed potatoes from my sticky fingers, I have eaten an entire yule log.

All this to say that food is on my mind, and so I am compelled to tell you about several food-adjacent YA titles you may wish to scarf down this month. Let’s dig in…

Okay, okay, “A Cuban Girl’s Guide to Tea and Tomorrow” by Laura Taylor Namey only refers to a beverage in the title, but don’t be deceived, there are plenty of food references throughout to make your stomach growl. Lila, 17-year-old wonder chef, does not want to go to England. But after her boyfriend breaks up with her, her abuela dies, her best friend ditches her, oh, AND she has a full-on mental meltdown, Lila’s parents decide she needs a change of scene. They send her to stay with her aunt in Winchester, England. The moment Lila steps off the plane, she starts counting down the days until she can return to her beloved Miami home and her life as a baker phenomenon…that is, until she meets the charming, funny, motorbike-driving tea-shop clerk Orion and his artistic, quirky group of friends.

As Lila takes over the kitchen at her aunt’s inn, she slowly begins to imagine her life away from Miami, and what it may mean to heal from the traumas of her previous year. If you enjoy romances that include the English countryside, Cuban pastries, self-discovery, and a little spice, you may want to carve out some time to devour this one.

I have a confession to make about my next recommendation, Kelly deVos’ “Eat Your Heart Out.” I did not want to read this book. It’s a zombie novel, and zombie novels aren’t typically my thing. I forced myself to choke down the first chapter because the book had the word “eat” in the title and (kinda) went with my theme. Hmmm, it wasn’t bad. I kept going. Breaking news: I think zombie novels may now be my thing.

The premise of this book is straightforward. Featherlite is a camp for overweight kids, and Vivian, Allie, Sheldon, Paul, and Rachel have all been sent there to take advantage of an incredible new scientific method for losing weight. The problem? The miracle cure seems to be turning the campers into flesh-eating zombies.

While this book is full of electrifying action—every chapter ends in cliff-hanger fashion—it’s also a profound social commentary on the business of diet culture and the damaging, dehumanizing effects of what the author calls “fat-phobia.” The characters are deep, complicated, and they kick butt. Each takes a turn narrating the heart-pumping story, which results in a fast-paced, insightful ride that will leave you turning pages well past your midnight snack time. Warning: if you love happy endings, you may want to pass on this one.

If neither of these titles made your mouth water, consider one of the following YA specials:

“The Surprising Power of a Good Dumpling” by Wai Chim

“Somewhere Between Bitter and Sweet” by Laekan Zea Kemp

“A Pho Love Story” by Loan Le

“The Cupcake Queen” by Heather Hepler

“Butter” by Erin Jade Lang

“Puddin’” by Julie Murphy

“Hungry Hearts: 13 Tales of Food and Love” edited by Elsie Chapman and Caroline Tung Richmond

All of these titles and more can be found in the Teen Underground area of A.K. Smiley Public Library, and several are available as eBooks through OverDrive. I wish you extra helpings of adventurous reading (and eating) in the month ahead. At the library, you are always invited to come back for seconds.

A.K. Smiley Public Library has a wide variety of new books about famous and infamous personalities with more coming in every week. Aside from the many selections on musicians, actors, and sports figures, there are also new books on first ladies, royalty, authors, criminals, and spiritual leaders. While there are far too many to list, here are a few for your consideration from the latter categories.

First ladies: “Lady Bird Johnson: Hiding in Plain Sight,” by Julia Sweig; “The Triumph of Nancy Reagan,” by Karen Tumulty; “Eleanor in the Village: Eleanor Roosevelt’s Search for Freedom and Identity in New York’s Greenwich Village,” by Jan Jarboe Russell.

Royalty: “Prince Philip Revealed,” by Ingrid Seward; “The Last Queen: Elizabeth II’s Seventy Year Battle to Save the House of Windsor,” by Clive Irving; “Elizabeth & Margaret: The Intimate World of the Windsor Sisters,” by Andrew Morton; “Queens of the Crusades: England’s Medieval Queens, 1154-1291,” by Alison Weir; “Meghan and Harry: The Real Story,” by Lady Colin Campbell.

Authors: “Poet Warrior: A Memoir,” by Joy Harjo; “Two-way Mirror: The Life of Elizabeth Barrett Browning,” by Fiona Simpson; “Sometimes You Have to Lie: The Life and Times of Louise Fitzhugh, Renegade Author of Harriet the Spy,” by Leslie Brody; “Mad at the World: A Life of John Steinbeck,” by William Souder.

Criminals: “Bugsy Siegel: The Dark Side of the American Dream,” by Michael Shnayerson; “El Chapo: The Untold Story of the World’s Most Infamous Drug Lord,” by Noah Hurowitz; “The Case of the Murderous Dr. Cream: The Hunt for a Victorian Era Serial Killer,” by Dean Jobb.

Spiritual leaders: “His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama: An Illustrated Biography,” by Tenzin Geyche Tethong.

Come in and browse our new book section or check our catalog online at www.akspl.org for books in your areas of interest.

Just a reminder that our main biography section is located downstairs, along with our science fiction, western, young adult, children’s biography, and paperback collections.

Our Friends of the Library bookstore is also downstairs where you might just find some beautiful books to purchase for holiday gift-giving!

For the past five years or so, I have been reading holiday-themed books to help put me in the mood for the upcoming holiday season. There is something about reading those delightful books that make me want to drink copious amounts of hot chocolate, eat sugar cookies, and wear ridiculous sweaters. What can I say? I am a walking advertisement for a Hallmark movie. If you too want to feel the joy of the holidays through the written word, here are a few titles that are available for check out at A. K. Smiley Public Library. Warning: may induce holiday cheer!

The first book on our holiday tour is “A Holly Jolly Diwali” by Sonya Lilli. Niki Randhawa is a data analyst and is known for being practical and strategic until she is unexpectedly laid off and finds herself questioning everything. Newly unemployed, Niki makes a spur of the moment decision and goes to Mumbai, India for a friend’s wedding, just in time to celebrate Diwali, the festival of lights, where she meets Sameer Mukherji. Could this be love or is Niki caught up in the holiday spirit of Diwali?

The next book on our holiday tour is “The Matzah Ball” by Jean Meltzer. Rachel Rubenstein-Goldblatt loves Christmas. She loves it so much that she writes Christmas romance novels, which isn’t a bad thing, except that she is Jewish and has hidden her career from her family for years. Trying to find inspiration for a new novel, a Hanukkah romance, she attends a music festival, The Matzah Ball, where she finds more than inspiration: she finds love from the past and love in Hanukkah.

The last book on our holiday tour is “A Magical New York Christmas” by Anita Hughes. It’s Christmas week in New York City at the infamous Plaza Hotel and journalist Sabrina Post will be staying there as part of her latest writing assignment, ghost writing for a famous art dealer and former employee of the Plaza Hotel. Her week is going as one would expect it to, perfect, until she meets another guest staying at the hotel, Ian Westing, a Brit who may or may not related to the British aristocracy. Ian is also under the guise that Sabrina is someone she isn’t. Will love prevail against the case of mistaken identities? Anything is possible at The Plaza Hotel at Christmas time.

Dash on down to A. K. Smiley Public Library to check out these festive reads and many more.

With the holidays drawing near, it’s the perfect time to create handmade gifts. Smiley Library has a large crafting collection suitable for all skill levels and interests. Our books will be sure to spark ideas for those who appreciate quilting, jewelry making, sewing, rock painting, origami, paper craft, embroidery, and so many other endeavors. Adding a personal touch to your gifts is fun, thoughtful, and one-of-a-kind.

I love the idea of enjoying the outdoors while collecting supplies for a crafting creation. “52 Nature Craft Projects” by Barbora Kurcova showcases designs using nature’s beauty. Instead of buying store-bought wrapping paper, scout out acorns and fir branches, dip them into paint and press their shapes onto brown paper. Tie it up with a pretty ribbon for a unique gift wrap. If you’re looking for a beautiful autumn present, try the Conker Wreath project, made of acorns, pine cones, and foraged fall treasures. The Twig Letter project, which details how to bend twigs into a chosen letter, creates a striking and personalized initial to hang on a door or wall. If you decide to head out to the San Bernardino National Forest, check with the local ranger station first to see what rules apply for collecting forest items, such as pine cones or greenery. A permit may be required. Other outdoor places to find supplies may be Christmas tree lots or perhaps, even your own backyard. Kurcova’s book is filled with projects that are enjoyable, natural, and best of all simple.

“Mini Amigurumi Animals: 26 Tiny Creatures to Crochet” by Sarah Abbondio is perfect for crochet fans who have a little leftover yarn they need to use. These cute creatures will be great toppers for presents, tree ornaments, or additions to a key ring. Clear instructions and patterns are provided. Although the book is written in UK crochet terms, Abbondio provides equivalent terms for those in the U.S. With so many different animals to choose from, you’ll be sure to find a favorite or two. Make a whole troop of monkeys, a skulk of foxes, a tower of giraffes, or a scurry of squirrels.

For those with a newborn or infant in their lives, “One-Stitch Baby Knits: 22 Easy Patterns for Adorable Garments and Accessories Using Garter Stitch” by Val Pierce will help you create something truly special. Pierce takes you step-by-step through each project, incorporating color pictures and skill level ratings so you know which project to tackle first. The Striped Yoke Cardigan and Sleepy Cow Hat and Drawstring Mittens are darling.

On order and available for checkout soon, knitters will also enjoy “Knit Hats with Woolly Wormhead: Styles for the Whole Family” by Woolly Wormhead. Her innovative hats have such a fun sense of fashion and flair. This is definitely one to look out for.

Don’t worry if you’re brand new to a certain craft; just find something that interests you and begin. If all else fails, you can always strive to get your project into a book like “CraftFail: When Homemade Goes Terribly Wrong” by Heather Mann.

For my first needle felting project, I tried sculpting a bee and for some reason, it came out looking like it had a head of short spiky hair. Basically, it had a “buzz cut,” which in retrospect is quite the appropriate hairdo for a bee.

The Redlands Adult Literacy Program recently published its fourth volume of Our Stories, A Collection of Writings, composed of writings from adult learners enrolled in the Redlands Adult Literacy program. This year’s anthology is especially significant because many of the stories were written by adult learners who worked with their tutors remotely during the pandemic. Diane Shimota, Adult Literacy Coordinator, shared: “The community can celebrate the dedication of tutors and learners who prioritized writing during this difficult year. The anthology is filled with heart-felt and powerful stories, poems, and letters. The commitment to literacy expressed by each participant in the literacy program is evidence of the learners’ resilience.”

The anthology includes learners’ stories of overcoming challenges in their lives, including taking the first step to ask for help with reading and writing, choosing to leave home for a better life, or supporting relatives suffering from the Coronavirus. Manuela Ballesteros described her experiences of the past year in How the Pandemic Affected Me, sharing, “Fear and panic can paralyze you at any time and in any circumstance.” In her story, My Experiences During COVID-19, Maribel Mejia shared her experience as the mother of four children who spent the past year learning remotely from home. “It was stressful for everyone, but I am glad my kids were able to manage this situation and help each other with assignments. Two of my kids play the trumpet; you can imagine how noisy it was, but my other kids didn’t complain too much… they knew how important it was for their brothers to play an instrument.”

Personal stories highlight the authors’ transformative experiences or personal connections to people in their lives. Some learners shared their dreams for the future, their interests, or their important memories. In The Story of “Smallpox,” Yanhong Zhou shared the poignant story of her son’s love for his pet frog, a story that will touch the heart of any parent whose son has experienced love and loss of a pet.

Stories in this collection reflect the wide range of writing levels of adults in the literacy program. Each author worked diligently through the writing process with the assistance of a volunteer tutor. By working with their tutors, learners develop vital literacy skills.

Our Stories, A Collection of Writings, Volumes 1 through 4 are available for checkout at A.K. Smiley Public Library. Additionally, many of the authors who submitted writings for the anthology accepted an invitation to read their stories on videotape and share them with the Redlands community. These stories will be available for viewing soon on the literacy webpage, www.akspl.org/literacy.

Adult learners, their tutors, and the community can celebrate when an adult learner reads their first book or newspaper article, attends a computer class and sends their first email, or writes a letter or story that expresses their hopes and dreams. These literacy skills enable adult learners to step forward to achieve new successes and change their own and their families’ lives. We are grateful for the continued support of the community, the city council, the Library, and the volunteers who make adult literacy, and now family literacy, available in Redlands.

If you would like to volunteer with the Redlands Adult Literacy Program, please contact Diane Shimota, Adult Literacy Coordinator, at (909)798-7565 ext. 4138 or email literacy@akspl.org. You can learn more about the adult literacy program by attending the next volunteer tutor orientation scheduled for January 2022.  Please contact Diane for more information.

If you know of someone who needs help in reading and writing, please encourage them to take the first step in changing their life by contacting the Redlands Adult Literacy Program. Tutoring is free and confidential.